Cutaneous Endometriosis: A Differential Diagnosis of Umbilical Nodule.

Endometriosis is a chronic disorder characterized by the presence of ectopic functional endometrial tissue outside the uterine cavity and which affects about 10% of all women of reproductive age. Cutaneous endometriosis, usually localized in the abdominal wall, is a rare entity. We report the case of a nulliparous woman with an acute painful umbilical nodule that slowly increased in size during the days prior to observation.

Prevention of Human Papillomavirus Infection. Beyond Cervical Cancer: A Brief Review.

Introduction: Human papillomavirus is responsible for almost all cases of cervical cancer, an important portion of anogenital and oropharyngeal invasive and preinvasive lesions, as well as genital warts (condyloma acuminatum) and recurrent respiratory papillomatosis. Currently, three prophylactic vaccines against high-risk Human papillomavirus are commercialized in many countries worldwide.

Methods: To this non-systematic review the authors searched in MEDLINE/PubMed for systematic reviews, meta-analysis and randomized controlled trials, published in the last six years, using the terms "HPV", "non-cervical cancer" and "vaccine".

Anterior Segment Optical Coherence Tomography in the Early Management of Microbial Keratitis: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Introduction: Infectious keratitis is an important cause of visual loss. The purpose of this study was to investigate anterior segment optical coherence tomography patterns in infectious keratitis and evaluate the role of this tool in the early management of this disorder.

Material And Methods: In this cross-sectional study, we included patients with proven infectious keratitis, either by culture or therapeutic trial.

Assessing Functional Capacity and Factors Determining Functional Decline in the Elderly: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Introduction: The aim of this study is to assess functional capacity and determine the factors associated with functional decline in the elderly in adult day care centres and home care support in the County of Coimbra, Portugal.

Material And Methods: Cross-sectional study. A total of 115 participants of both genders, aged between 65 and 98, were enrolled in the home care support and adult day care system of the County of Coimbra, Portugal.

Portal Venous Pressure Variation during Hepatectomy: A Prospective Study.

Introduction: Excessive portal venous pressure in the liver remnant is an independent factor in the occurrence of posthepatectomy liver failure and small-for-size syndrome. The baseline portal pressure prior to hepatectomy was not considered previously. The aim of this study is to assess the impact of portal pressure change during hepatectomy on the patient outcome.

Doctor's Criminal Liability and Medically Assisted Death - The Portuguese Case.

Recently, the Portuguese Parliament discussed four proposals aimed at allowing some forms of medically assisted death. However, all of them were rejected by the majority. Therefore, doctors who in some way accelerate a patient's death risk being convicted of the crime of homicide.

Late-Night Salivary Cortisol: Cut-Off Definition and Diagnostic Accuracy for Cushing's Syndrome in a Portuguese Population.

Introduction: Diagnosis of Cushing's syndrome remains a challenge in clinical endocrinology. Even though late-night salivary cortisol is used as screening tool, individualized cut-off levels for each population must be defined.

Material And Methods: Three groups of subjects were studied: normal subjects, suspected and proven Cushing's syndrome.

Description of Aeminiaceae fam. nov., gen. nov. and sp. nov. (Capnodiales), isolated from a biodeteriorated art-piece in the Old Cathedral of Coimbra, Portugal.

When colonizing stone monuments, microcolonial black fungi are considered one of the most severe and resistant groups of biodeteriorating organisms, posing a very difficult challenge to conservators and biologists working with cultural heritage preservation. During an experimental survey aimed to isolate fungi from a biodeteriorated limestone art piece in the Old Cathedral of Coimbra, Portugal (a UNESCO World Heritage Site), an unknown microcolonial black fungus was retrieved. The isolated fungus was studied through a complete examination based on multilocus phylogeny of a combined dataset of ITS rDNA, LSU and , in conjunction with morphological, physiological, and ecological characteristics.

Development and Evaluation of a Global Burnout Index Derived from the Use of the Copenhagen Burnout Inventory in Portuguese Physicians.

Introduction: The Copenhagen Burnout Inventory was developed to overcome what some authors have proposed as potential limitations of existing burnout measures. Specifically, the Copenhagen Burnout Inventory measures the main component of burnout (i.e.

Combined study of ADAMTS13 and complement genes in the diagnosis of thrombotic microangiopathies using next-generation sequencing.

Background: The 2 main forms of thrombotic microangiopathy (TMA) are thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP) and atypical hemolytic uremic syndrome (aHUS). Deficiency of ADAMTS13 and dysregulation of the complement pathway result in TTP and aHUS, respectively; however, overlap of their clinical characteristics makes differential diagnosis challenging.

Objectives And Methods: We aimed to develop a TMA diagnosis workflow based on ADAMTS13 activity and screening of and complement genes using a custom next-generation sequencing (NGS) gene panel.

Ecological consequences of invasion across the freshwater-marine transition in a warming world.

The freshwater-marine transition that characterizes an estuarine system can provide multiple entry options for invading species, yet the relative importance of this gradient in determining the functional contribution of invading species has received little attention. The ecological consequences of species invasion are routinely evaluated within a freshwater versus marine context, even though many invasive species can inhabit a wide range of salinities. We investigate the functional consequences of different sizes of -an invasive species able to adapt to a wide range of temperatures and salinity-across the freshwater-marine transition in the presence versus absence of warming.

The shift from plant-plant facilitation to competition under severe water deficit is spatially explicit.

The stress-gradient hypothesis predicts a higher frequency of facilitative interactions as resource limitation increases. Under severe resource limitation, it has been suggested that facilitation may revert to competition, and identifying the presence as well as determining the magnitude of this shift is important for predicting the effect of climate change on biodiversity and plant community dynamics. In this study, we perform a meta-analysis to compare temporal differences of species diversity and productivity under a nurse plant () with varying annual rainfall quantity to test the effect of water limitation on facilitation.

The database of the PREDICTS (Projecting Responses of Ecological Diversity In Changing Terrestrial Systems) project.

The PREDICTS project-Projecting Responses of Ecological Diversity In Changing Terrestrial Systems (www.predicts.org.

The anterior versus posterior hippocampal oscillations debate in human spatial navigation: evidence from an electrocorticographic case study.

Introduction: Hippocampal oscillations have been regularly described as playing a dominant role in spatial memory and navigation in rodents. In humans, the relative role of anterior versus posterior rhythms during navigational memory is not established.

Methods: Here, we tested this hypothesis using direct brain ECoG recordings in the anterior and posterior hippocampus of a patient, in a navigational task requiring spatial memory.

Interspecific variation in the relationship between clutch size, laying date and intensity of urbanization in four species of hole-nesting birds.

The increase in size of human populations in urban and agricultural areas has resulted in considerable habitat conversion globally. Such anthropogenic areas have specific environmental characteristics, which influence the physiology, life history, and population dynamics of plants and animals. For example, the date of bud burst is advanced in urban compared to nearby natural areas.

PERSYVE - Design and validation of a questionnaire about adverse effects of antihypertensive drugs.

Objective: The aim of this study was to design and validate a questionnaire to measure perceived symptoms associated with antihypertensive drugs (PERSYVE).

Methods: THE PERSYVE DEVELOPMENT AND VALIDATION INCLUDED FOUR STAGES: 1) item development (bibliographic review and questionnaire elaboration); 2) face and content validation; 3) field testing (pre-test); and 4) test-retest validation, assessment of internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha) and reproducibility over time (intraclass correlation coefficient and Cohen's kappa coefficient).

Results: PERSYVE IS DIVIDED INTO SIX SECTIONS ACCORDING TO RESULTS OBTAINED FROM THE LITERATURE REVIEW: (1) drug adherence, (2) perceived symptoms and how they affect quality of life (five-point Likert scale), (3) communication with health professionals, (4) perception of symptoms as adverse reactions, (5) influence on therapy compliance, and (6) adoption of non-pharmacological methods for blood pressure control.