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Background: Asthma and rhinitis have a complex etiology, depending on multiple genetic and environmental risk factors. An increasing number of susceptibility genes are currently being identified, but the majority of reported associations have not been consistently replicated across populations of different genetic backgrounds. Purpose: To evaluate whether polymorphisms of IL4R (rs1805015), IL13 (rs20541), IL17A (rs2275913) and GSTP1 (rs1695) genes are associated with rhinitis and/or asthma in adults of Portuguese ancestry. Methods: 192 unrelated healthy individuals and 232 patients, 83 with rhinitis and 149 with asthma, were studied. All polymorphisms were detected by real time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) using TaqMan assays. Results: Comparing to controls, significant association with asthma was observed for GSTP1 rs1695 AA genotype (odds ratio (OR) â 1.96; 95% CI â 1.18 to 3.25; p = 0.010). The association sustains for allergic asthma (OR â 2.17; 95% CI â 1.23 to 3.80; p = 0.007). IL13 rs20541 GG genotype was associated with less susceptibility to asthma (OR â 0.55, 95% CI â 0.33 to 0.94, p = 0.028). Among patients, IL17A rs2275913 AA genotype was less associated with asthma than with rhinitis (OR â 0.20; 95% CI of 0.07 to 0.56; p = 0.002). A similar association was found for IL13 rs20541 GG genotype (OR â 0.48; 95% CI of 0.25 to 0.93; p = 0.031). There were no significant differences in the distribution of allelic and genotypic frequencies between patients and controls for the IL4R polymorphismâ analyzed. Conclusion: These results support the existence of a significant association between GSTP1 rs1695 and IL13 rs20541 SNPs, with susceptibility to asthma, in the population studied. Different genotype profiles of IL17A and IL13 genes seem to influence the clinical pattern of disease expression mainly confined to the upper airways, as rhinitis, or including the lower airways, as asthma. Keywords: Asthma, Rhinitis, Allergy, IL4R, IL13, IL17A, GSTP1, Genetic polymorphism, Genetic profile

Objectives: The aim of this study was to determine if the actions of progesterone on preterm labor are accomplished through modulation of the percentage of regulatory T-cells (Treg). Methods: The study was a cohort pilot study made in a single center tertiary obstetrical unit with women in preterm labor arrested with tocolytic treatment. Variation of the number and percentage of Treg cells obtained from peripheral blood samples of women with preterm labor were calculated by flow cytometry, before and after progesterone administration. Results: In the paired samples for each patient, there was a significant difference in the Treg cell pool after progesterone treatment, with an increase in both their percentage (48.9 vs. 53; P = 0.07) and absolute number (14.8 vs. 56.5 cells/μL; P = 0.046). Conclusions: This research demonstrated a considerable increase in the Treg cell pool after progesterone treatment. This indicates a possible mechanism for progesterone treatment benefits in preterm labor, potentially increasing its more rational use.

Population aging is one of the greatest triumphs of humanity, also is both a major challenge. The number of older workers in the European Union (EU) will increase over the next decades, the active population of the EU points to a growth of approximately 16.2 % of the age group of 55–64 years between 2010 and 2030, being contrary to tendency of other age groups, with a reduction of 4 % to 5 %. This demographic change is due to the decline in fertility rates and increased life expectancy. The labor force in Europe will reach age levels never before registered in that older workers represent more than 30 % of the active population. In this paper, based on the questionnaire results, brought out by “harnessing the potential senior”, which was applied in enterprises in Portugal. It is intended to address some of the concerns related to the aging population and the use of senior potential, facing this problem as a challenge that contributes to social sustainability. Thus, the senior potential should be seen as a very important contribution. In this paper, we intend extract the survey data from data bases, for knowledge discovery and analysis using the data mining tool Weka.

The field of critical care medicine is confronted every day with cases of surgical interventions. When Data Mining is properly applied in this field, it is possible through predictive models to identify if a patient, should or should not have surgery again upon the same problem. The goal of this work is to apply clustering techniques in collected data in order to categorize re-interventions in intensive care. By knowing the common characteristics of the re-intervention patients it will be possible to help the physician to predict a future resurgery. For this study various attributes were used related to the patient's health problems like heart problems or organ failure. For this study it was also considered important aspects such as age and what type of surgery the patient was submitted. Classes were created with the patients' age and the number of days after the first surgery. Another class was created where the type of surgery that the patient was operated upon was identified. This study comprised Davies Bouldin values between -0.977 and -0.416. The used variables, in addition to being provided by Hospital de Santo António in Porto, they are provided from the electronic medical record., info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion

Radon ((222)Rn) is a radioactive gas, abundant in granitic areas, such as the city of Guarda at the northeast of Portugal. This gas is recognised as a carcinogenic agent, being appointed by the World Health Organization as the second leading cause of lung cancer after tobacco smoke. Therefore, the knowledge of radon concentrations inside the houses (where people stay longer) is important from the point of view of radiological protection. The main goal of this study was to assess the radon concentration in an area previously identified with a potentially high level of residential radon. The radon concentration was measured using CR-39 detectors, exposed for a period of 2 months in 185 dwellings in the Guarda region. The radon concentration in studied dwellings, ranged between 75 and 7640 Bq m(-3), with a geometric mean of 640 Bq m(-3) and an arithmetic mean of 1078 Bq m(-3). Based on a local winter-summer radon concentration variation model, these values would correspond to an annual average concentration of 860 Bq m(-3). Several factors contribute to this large dispersion, the main one being the exact location of housing construction in relation to the geochemical nature of the soil and others the predominant building material and ventilation. Based on the obtained results an average annual effective dose of 15 mSv y(-1) is estimated, well above the average previously estimated for Portugal.

A core operational definition of active and healthy aging (AHA) is needed to conduct comparisons. A conceptual AHA framework proposed by the European Innovation Partnership on Active and Healthy Ageing Reference Site Network includes several items such as functioning (individual capability and underlying body systems), well-being, activities and participation, and diseases (including non-communicable diseases, frailty, mental and oral health disorders). The instruments proposed to assess the conceptual framework of AHA have common applicability and availability attributes. The approach includes core and optional domains/instruments depending on the needs and the questions. A major common domain is function, as measured by the World Health Organization Disability Assessment Schedule 2.0 (WHODAS 2.0). WHODAS 2.0 can be used across all diseases and healthy individuals. It covers many of the AHA dimensions proposed by the Reference Site network. However, WHODAS 2.0 does not include all dimensions proposed for AHA assessment. The second common domain is health-related quality of life (HRQoL). A report of the AHA questionnaire in the form of a spider net has been proposed to facilitate usual comparisons across individuals and groups of interest. (C) 2015 Published by Elsevier Inc. on behalf of AMDA - The Society for Post-Acute and Long-Term Care Medicine.

To cite this article: Baiardini I, Braido F, Bindslev-Jensen C, Bousquet PJ, Brzoza Z, Canonica GW, Compalati E, Fiocchi A, Fokkens W, Gerth van Wijk R, Gimenez-Arnau A, Godse K, Grattan C, Grob JJ, La Grutta S, Kalogeromitros D, Kocaturk E, Lombardi C, Mota-Pinto A, Ridolo E, Saini SS, Sanchez-Borges M, Senna GE, Terreehorst I, Todo Bom A, Toubi E, Bousquet J, Zuberbier T, Maurer M. Recommendations for assessing patient-reported outcomes and health-related quality of life in patients with urticaria: a GA2LEN taskforce position paper. Allergy 2011; 66: 840–844. Abstract The aim of this Global Allergy and Asthma European Network (GA2LEN) consensus report is to provide recommendations and suggestions for assessing patient-reported outcomes (PROs) including health-related quality of life in patients with urticaria. We recommend that PROs should be used both in clinical trials and routine practice for the evaluation of urticaria patients. We suggest that PROs should be considered as the primary outcome of future clinical trials. Two validated and disease-specific instruments for assessing PROs are available, the urticaria activity score (for symptoms) and the chronic urticaria questionnaire on quality of life CU-Q2oL. This latter tool, CU-Q2oL, is available in many languages and should be preferred, where available, over more generic instruments for assessing urticaria-specific effects on quality of life. CU-Q2oL is only suited for the investigation of patients with chronic spontaneous urticaria. Similar instruments for other forms of urticaria have yet to be developed and validated. Also, tools for assessing other chronic spontaneous urticaria PROs besides quality of life and symptoms are needed.

Asthma is the most common chronic disease in pediatrics. Most data on the prevalence of childhood allergic diseases come from the International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood (ISAAC) phase II held in 1995 and phase III from 2002. ISAAC created a methodology for studying two age groups 6--7 and 13--14 years old. In 2002, according to the data gathered in the phase III of ISAAC, the prevalence of asthma among Portuguese children from 6 to 7 years old was 9.4%, 29.1% for rhinitis and 28.1% for wheezing. In the last decade, little information on the prevalence of childhood asthma and rhinitis in Portugal has been documented, and to the best of our knowledge, none in Coimbra. In 2002, 5 centers from 5 Portuguese cities joined the ISAAC project: Lisbon, Oporto, Coimbra, Portimao and Funchal. The Coimbra research center only studied 13--14 years old adolescents. The district of Coimbra, with a total area of 3974 km, is located in central Portugal and has 434,311 inhabitants. Coimbra is the biggest city in the central region, and the 6th largest in Portugal. The most recent published data on childhood asthma prevalence in Portugal come from the Lisbon 2008 study where the prevalence of asthma, allergic rhinitis and wheezing was 5.6%, 43.0% and 43.3%, respectively, and from

Summary Background Asthma is a chronic inflammatory disorder in which Th2, Th1 and suppressive T cells (Tregs) play a role. The transcription factor FoxP3 plays a role in Treg differentiation while T-bet is important for Th1 and GATA-3 for Th2 differentiation from naive Tcells. Recent data show that age-related deregulation of Treg cells is a mechanism of senescence affecting several chronic diseases. It is crucial to understand the behaviour of these cell populations in asthma for elderly patients. Objective To evaluate FoxP3, GATA-3 and T-bet gene expression under basal conditions and after in vitro activation in a group of elderly asthmatic compared with age-matched healthy individuals. Methods Thirty-two elderly asthmatics and 17 healthy elderly individuals were selected. Serum total IgE was measured, and peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) were isolated and stimulated in vitro with anti-CD3/anti-CD28, followed by mRNA isolation. After reverse transcription, real-time quantitative PCR was performed and relative quantification was determined 2 DDCt(2 DDCt method). Results The mean values and standard deviation of FoxP3, GATA-3 and T-bet relative

The GA 2 LEN taskforce on Patient-Reported Outcomes (PROs) and Health-Related Quality of Life (HRQoL) published in 2009 a position paper concerning PROS and HRQoL assessment in clinical trials on allergy. Because of the specificity of this topic in asthma and rhinitis, specific recommendations are needed. The aim of this position paper is to define PROs and their meaning in asthma and rhinitis research, explore the available tools to provide criteria for a proper choice, identify patientrelated factor which could influence PROs assessment, define specific recommendations for assessment, analysis and results spreading, underline the unexplored areas and unmet needs. PROs assessment is gaining increasing importance, and it must be performed with a rigorous methodological procedure and using validated tools. This approach enables to better understand patient-related factors influencing clinical trials and real-life management outcomes, identify patients subgroups that can benefit from specific treatment and management plan and tailor treatment to address PROs (not only physician-defined targets) to improve asthma and rhinitis management.

Database marketing (DBM) provides in -depth analysis of marketing databases. Knowledge discovery in database techniques is one of the most prominent approaches to supporting some of the DBM process phases. However, in many cases, the benefits of these tools are not fully exploited by marketers. Complexity and amount of data constitute two major factors limiting the application of knowledge discovery techniques in marketing activities. Currently, ontologies may here play an important role in the marketing discipline. Motivated by its success in the area of artificial intelligence, we propose an ontology-supported DBM approach. The approach aims to enhance DBM with ontology by providing detailed step-phase specific information. Our research work has its foundations in a double methodological approach using the Delphi and Action Research methodologies. First, we use Delphi to structure related DBM knowledge, and then we align our work to the Action Research methodology in order to systematise the knowledge extraction process and knowledge base creation. The issues raised in this paper both respond and contribute to calls for a DBM process improvement. Our work was evaluated in the relationship marketing domain focusing on a relational marketing programme database. The findings of this study not only advance the state of DBM research, but also shed light on future research directions.

Resumo: Faz-se uma revisão sobre métodos de avaliação da inflamação nas vias aéreas que contribuam para o diagnóstico, terapêutica e prognóstico de patologias como a rinossinusite e a asma. Serão também considerados métodos susceptíveis de fornecer informação relevante sobre inflamação na DPOC.A inflamação crónica das vias aéreas condiciona fenómenos obstrutivos objectivados na função respiratória basal, na hiperreactividade brônquica e nasal e em quadros clínicos de dificuldade respiratória. A tomografia computorizada informa sobre as dimensões do lúmen, a espessura das paredes brônquicas e os índices de densidade pulmonar, alterações que decorrem da inflamação e remodelação das vias aéreas.Um processo inflamatório localizado nas vias respiratórias é susceptível de ser detectado por modificações em marcadores sistémicos de inflamação.Os métodos directos recorrem a análise imunoistoquímica de tecidos e de fluidos em condições basais ou após estimulação. Os eosinófilos aumentam em biópsias, lavados nasais e broncoalveolares na asma e na rinite e modificam-se com a terapêutica. Ocorrem alterações nas proteínas e expressão de RNAm de mediadores envolvidos na activação celular.A expectoração induzida identifica inflamação eosinofílica que se relaciona inversamente com a função ventilatória.Em cada ciclo respiratório o ar é enriquecido em compostos voláteis produzidos no decurso da respiração celular. A FENO é o biomarcador mais estudado e os seus níveis estão elevados na asma.No condensado do ar expirado identificam-se espécies reactivas de oxigénio, derivados de membrana, citocinas e quimiocinas pró-inflamatórias.Se a avaliação não invasiva da inflamação for fidedigna e reprodutível, será imprescindível na monitorização das doenças das vias aéreas. Abstract: It is done a review of evaluation methods of the inflammation in upper airways and bronchi used for diagnosis, therapeutic approach and prognosis of pathologies like rhinosinusitis and asthma. It is also analysed methods that supply relevant information of inflammation in COPD.The chronic inflammation of the airways is associated to respiratory distress, obstruction in basal lung function tests and to bronchial and nasal hyperreactivity. Computerized tomography informs about lumen dimensions, bronchial walls thickness and pulmonary density. These changes are associated to inflammation and to remodelling of the airways.Localized inflammation in respiratory tract can be detected by modifications of systemic inflammatory markers.The direct evaluation of inflammatory airways changes are based on immune, histological and chemical analysis of lung tissue obtained by biopsies and by fluids recoil in basal conditions or after stimulation. The eosinophils are increased in biopsies and in nasal and bronchoalveolar lavage in asthma and rhinitis and can change with therapy. Proteins and mRNA expression of cellular activation mediators are also observed.The induced sputum identifies eosinophilic inflammation that is inversely associated with lung function parameters.In each respiratory cycle the air is enriched in organic volatile compounds produced by cellular breathing. FENO is the bio marker more deeply studied in asthma and its increase is well documented in this disorder.In the exhaled air condensed, reactive oxygen species, membrane mediators, cytokines, and chemokines are identified.If the non invasive evaluation of inflammation became reliable and reproducible it will be indispensable in monitoring the airways diseases. Palavras chave: Asma, exames auxiliares de diagnóstico, inflamação, rinite, Keywords: Asthma, evaluation methods, inflammation, rhinitis

The purpose of this study was to develop a teaching quality assessment questionnaire and assess its reliability by using it with a sample of first‐year medical students. Principal components analysis with varimax orthogonal rotation resulted in the development of a 12‐item, two‐component tool, adequate for use in lectures and small‐group sessions. The two components were named ‘curriculum’ and ‘relationship’. The Cronbach coefficient alpha values indicated high reliability and internal consistency. According to the results obtained this teaching quality scale is a reliable measure and may be useful in identifying themes in disciplines and among teachers that may benefit from some professional development. Amongst its advantages is that it can be used with an optical reading tool.

Dynamic kinetic analyses were performed on different Brazilian petroleum fractions by thermogravimetry. The data were treated by a multiple heating rate methodology. The apparent activation energies for the light and middle fractions within the range of 62–74 kJ mol−1 and for heavy distillation residues were within the range of 80–100 kJ mol−1 at lower conversions and 100–240 kJ mol−1 at higher conversions. The kinetic study can be a criterion for tells apart the main phenomena involved in the thermal behavior of the refinery feedstock.

Studies using cell lines should always characterize these cells to ensure that the results are not distorted by unexpected morphological or genetic changes possibly due to culture time or passage number. Thus, the aim of this study was to describe those MIA PaCa-2 and PANC-1 cell line phenotype and genotype characteristics that may play a crucial role in pancreatic cancer therapeutic assays, namely neuroendocrine chemotherapy and peptide receptor radionuclide therapy. Epithelial, mesenchymal, endocrine and stem cell marker characterization was performed by immunohistochemistry and flow cytometry and genotyping by PCR, gene sequencing and capillary electrophoresis. MIA PaCa-2 (polymorphism) expresses CK5.6, AE1/AE3, E-cadherin, vimentin, chromogranin A, synaptophysin, SSTR2 and NTR1 but not CD56. PANC-1 (pleomorphism) expresses CK5.6, MNF-116, vimentin, chromogranin A, CD56 and SSTR2 but not E-cadherin, synaptophysin or NTR1. MIA PaCA-1 is CD24−, CD44+/++, CD326−/+ and CD133/1−, while PANC-1 is CD24−/+, CD44+, CD326−/+ and CD133/1−. Both cell lines have KRAS and TP53 mutations and homozygous deletions including the first 3 exons of CDKN2A/p16INK4A, but no SMAD4/DPC4 mutations or microsatellite instability. Both have neuroendocrine differentiation and SSTR2 receptors, precisely the features making them suitable for the therapies we propose to assay in future studies.

What are the absolutely essential features of the intentionality of our beliefs and desires? Some philosophers since Franz Brentano have proposed at least two: i) the intentional objects of our mental states may well not exist in reality; ii) these intentional objects are not sufficient to identify our intentional states about them. If we accept these conditions, then a distinction is forced upon us, that is: the distinction between content and object, which is the one Frege proposed when he suggested a puzzle would arise if we did not distinguish the sense of an expression —for example, a singular term— and its reference. In this paper, I will show that Frege’s puzzle points to a philosophical theory of the intentionality of our thought, which is, in some interesting sense, more satisfactory than the one underlying the so-called theories of direct reference like, for instance, Salmon’s as presented in his classical 1983 book. But, contrary to what other adepts of direct reference like Stavroula Glezakos claim, the Fregean theory of intentionality and the sense-reference distinction is quite independent of the puzzle presented at the start of “Über Sinn und Bedeutung”. ¿Cuáles son las características absolutamente esenciales de la intencionalidad de nuestras creencias y deseos? Algunos filósofos desde Franz Brentano han propuesto al menos dos: i) los objetos intencionales de nuestros estados mentales pueden perfectamente no existir en la realidad. ii) Estos objetos intencionales no son suficientes para identificar nuestros estados intencionales respecto de ellos. Si aceptamos estas condiciones, entonces somos forzados a adoptar una distinción, esto es: la distinción entre contenido y objeto. Distinción que Frege propuso cuando sugirió que podría surgir un puzzle si no distinguiésemos el sentido de una expresión –por ejemplo, un término singular- y su referencia. En este artículo mostraré que el puzzle de Frege apunta hacia una teoría filosófica de la intencionalidad de nuestro pensamiento, la cual es, en algún sentido interesante, más satisfactoria que aquella que subyace bajo las así denominadas teorías de la referencia directa como, por ejemplo, la que presentó Salmon en su clásico libro de 1983. Pero, contrariamente a lo que pretenden otros adeptos de la referencia directa como Stavroula Glezakos, la teoría fregeana de la intencionalidad y la distinción de sentido y referencia son enteramente independientes del puzzle presentado al comienzo de “Über Sinn und Bedeutung”.

Trabalho de Projeto apresentado para cumprimento dos requisitos necessários à obtenção do grau de Mestre em Ciências da Educação: área de especialização em Animação da Leitura. O trabalho de projeto “Ler com olhos de ver: a ilustração como forma de promoção da leitura” pretende refletir e investigar sobre o papel das ilustrações dos livros infantis na promoção da leitura junto das crianças. Considerando que vivemos numa “civilização da imagem” onde somos constantemente confrontados com um mundo visual, com uma linguagem própria cheia de signos e significados, compete à escola e ao professor ensinar as crianças a compreender toda esta cultura visual que as rodeia. No entanto, o próprio sistema de ensino desvaloriza a importância e a influência que a linguagem e a cultura visual têm na formação global da criança. O próprio professor nem sempre se sente motivado e preparado para conseguir transmitir e ensinar tais conhecimentos, muitas vezes por falta de formação nesta área. Assim, este trabalho de projeto tem como objetivo indagar sobre as estratégias que poderão ser utilizadas para promover a leitura junto das crianças, utilizando como recurso a imagem, fornecendo, para isso, aos professores e técnicos de biblioteca ferramentas úteis que lhes permitam trabalhar esta questão em contexto escolar de forma autónoma. Para o efeito foram concretizadas ações educativas dirigidas às crianças e aos docentes utilizando como recurso as ilustrações dos livros infantis. Este recurso foi escolhido dada a qualidade e criatividade que, hoje em dia, as ilustrações apresentam. Percebemos que, através das imagens dos livros infantis as crianças conseguem interagir com objeto livro, não só através texto escrito mas também da sua linguagem visual, as ilustrações. Desta forma, conseguimos motivar e cativar o interesse da criança para o livro e para a leitura, bem como, motivar e dar ferramentas aos docentes para que possam trabalhar a leitura através da imagem. Palavras-chave: promoção da leitura, imagem, ilustração, livro infantil, linguagem visual, cultura visual. Abstract: The project work “Reading as gazing: illustration as a way to promote reading” aims to make a reflection and a research on the role of illustrations in children’s books in the promotion of reading habits among youngsters. Considering we live in a “world of images” where we are repeatedly faced with the visual world and with a singular language full of signs and meanings, it is the school and teachers’ role to teach children to understand all this visual culture around them. However, the education system itself undervalues the importance and influence the language and visual culture have on the global child’s development. The teacher is also not always motivated and prepared to impart and teach such knowledge, often due to the lack of training in this area. Thus, the goal of this work is to find strategies that might be implemented to promote reading among children, using pictures as the stimuli, so as to provide teachers and library technical assistants with resourceful tools that allow them to deal with this matter autonomously at school. To this effect, educational actions oriented to children and teaching staff were carried out using children’s books illustrations as a resource. This choice was based on the quality and creativity of today’s illustrations. It is possible to realise children manage to interact with the book-object through the images in it, not only through words but also through its visual language, i.e. illustrations. In this way, we are able to motivate and captivate the child’s interest in the book and its reading, as well as motivate the teaching staff and provide them with tools to address reading through pictures. Key words: promotion of reading, image, picture, illustration, children’s books, visual language, visual culture.

Objective To provide evidence of the existence of membrane progesterone receptor alpha (mPRα) on regulatory T cells (Treg) in peripheral blood during pregnancy, postulating a possible explanation for the effect of progesterone on preterm birth. Design Cross-sectional study. Setting Tertiary Obstetric Department in a University Hospital. Population Healthy pregnant women. Methods Treg cells from peripheral blood samples were studied by flow cytometry using multiple monoclonal antibody expression. Main outcome measures Evaluate the number and percentage of CD4+CD25highCD127low, the number and percentage of Treg cells among the total CD4+ T cells, and the percentage and mean fluorescence intensity (MFI) of mPRα in that population, using several gating strategies. Results 43 peripheral blood samples were collected from healthy women during pregnancy, whose median gestational age was 28.7 ± 7.1 (16–40) weeks. The percentage of CD4+ in the total lymphocytes was 43% (32–51) and the percentage of CD4+CD25highCD127low was 4.8% (1.6–5.9), with only 45% (16–72) of those cells expressing the intracellular marker FoxP3 (Treg cell pool). We confirmed the existence of mPRα in that specific population because 8.0% (2.02–33) of the Treg cells were marked with the specific monoclonal antibody, with an mPRα+ MFI of 719 (590–1471). Conclusions This research shows that Treg cells express mPRα during pregnancy, which might play an important role in immune modulation by progesterone.

Progesterone acts as an immunosteroid by contributing to the establishment of a pregnancy-protective milieu. It seems that it is the responsibility of progesterone to evade the inflammatory events that lead to parturition. T regulatory lymphocytes (Treg cells) could further explain the inhibition of the inflammatory mechanisms that lead to labour through the rapid action of progesterone on this cell subset. We investigated Treg cells and the membrane progesterone receptor α (mPRα) in these immune cells with in relationship to human parturition. This pilot cohort study was conducted in a single-centre tertiary obstetrical unit with 20 normal pregnant women. Variation in the absolute and relative frequency of CD4(+) T cells, Treg cells, and of mPR(α+) Treg cells was calculated by flow cytometry on three occasions (second and third trimesters; delivery day). Our results show that during normal pregnancy there is a generalised increase in Treg cells and mPR(α+) Treg cells, from the second to the third trimesters (23.4% vs. 52.3% and 4.3% vs. 8.3%, respectively). On the contrary, on delivery day, compared with the values in the third trimester, there is a sudden decrease in both Treg cells (52.3% vs. 17.4%) and mPR(α+) Treg cells (8.3% vs. 6.1%). Our findings suggest that human labour may develop as a consequence of a decline in mPR(α+) Treg cells, which reduces progesterone anti-inflammatory action through Treg cells.

Mestrado em Finanças Este estudo contém uma avaliação da Novabase elaborada de acordo com o Projeto de Trabalho Final do Programa de Mestrado em Finanças do ISEG. O Relatório de Avaliação segue as recomendações do CFA Institute (Pinto, Henry, Robinson, e Stowe, 2010). O presente relatório é emitido considerado a informação pública sobre a Novabase disponível em 23 de Outubro de 2015. Deste modo, o relatório não tem em consideração eventos ou circunstâncias que tenham ocorrido posteriormente a esta data. O preço-alvo foi obtido com recurso a métodos de avaliação absoluta, especificamente o método dos Fluxos de Caixa Descontados (DCF). Os pressupostos considerados neste estudo resultaram de uma análise exaustiva tanto de dados históricos divulgados publicamente pela empresa, como de bases de dados, como o S&P Capital IQ, Bloomberg L.P. e a Thomson Reuters Datastream. Com um preço-alvo de €2,46 para FA16 e um potencial de valorização de 10,9% face ao atual €2,21, a recomendação final para a Novabase SGPS SA (NVQ) é de "Redução". This study contains the valuation of Novabase elaborated in accordance with ISEG´s Finance Master´s Final Work Project. Our Equity Research follows the adaptable format of a research report recommended by the CFA Institute (Pinto, Henry, Robinson, and Stowe, 2010). This research is issued considering the public available information on Novabase on October 23rd, 2015. Thus, the report does not take into account any events or circumstances which have arisen after this date. The target price was derived recurring to absolute valuation methods, specifically to the Discounted Cash Flow (DCF) Approach. The assumptions considered to conduct this study were the result of a thorough analysis of both the historical data publicly disclosed by the company and data from various sources, such as S&P Capital IQ, Bloomberg L.P. and Thomson Reuters Datastream. With a price target of €2.46 for YE16 and an upside potential of 10.9% from current €2.21, the final recommendation for Novabase stands for "Reduce"

In the absence of sufficient and useful literature in the area of Marketing Intelligence Systems (MKTi), this study seeks to propose and infers aMKTi conceptual framework, through consensus, of a group of information systems (IS) and Marketing system experts. This research assumes that expert opinion can be of significant value in situations where knowledge or theory is incomplete, as in the case of MTKi systems in a Pervasive Business Intelligence (PBI) context. The Delphi method is used to conduct this study; this method is particularly suitable for this research situation where personal contact is not desirable among participants, annihilating the existence of opinion leaders, and ensuring democratic participation. This paper intends to take that first step in filling a gap in the MKTi, by proposing a conceptual framework for Marketing Intelligence systems in the context of PBI systems. Keywords-business intelligence systems; pervasive business intelligence; marketing intelligence; pervasive marketing intelligence; delphi method

Reporters Austria: Martin Stefula Belgium: Vincent Sagaert Denmark: Kim Østergaard, Christina Tvarnø, Andreas Tamasauskas England: Walter Cairns France: Bénédicte Fauvarque-Cosson, Valérie Pironon Germany: Matthias Hünert Greece: Eugenia Dacoronia Ireland: Máire Ní Shuilleabháin Italy: Raffaele Caterina Netherlands: Bert van Schaick Portugal: Paulo Mota Pinto Scotland: Hector MacQueen Spain: Miquel Martín-Casals, Jordi Ribot Igualada, Albert Ruda González Switzerland: Anne-Catherine Hahn

In this section authors from various European countries report the recent case law in their jurisdiction in the field of private patrimonial law, that is decisions on the law of property, juridical acts, the law of obligations, contract law and prescription. The ERPL started this section in 2003. The section aims to give readers an overview of what is happening in the most recent European case law. We have asked the national reporters to report the juridical essence of the decisions given by the highest courts in their country. These national reports are integrated in one general report that arranges the decisions by subject, so that readers can easily find out whether decisions on their special interest were given in any European jurisdiction or whether decisions on one subject have been taken in various European countries. In principle, this section does not relate the facts of the decision, nor the personal opinion of the reporter. One can find discussions on the most important decisions of European courts in ERPL?s case note section. The recent case law section gives overviews of decisions published in periods of four months. The period of January-April is published in the fourth issue, the period from May to August is published in the sixth issue, the period from September to December is published in the second issue of the next year. In this issue, we report decisions of high courts taken from January to April 2004. As yet, some decisions can only be found on the internet. Therefore, at the end of this section we have listed web sites where one can find European high court decisions. The Board of Editors of the ERPL wants to thank the national contributors to this report, who worked very hard to have their reports ready in time. Further, the Board considers itself very fortunate that Mr. Ross MacDonald (University of Dundee, Scotland) has been willing to edit the contributions and, by doing so, contribute substantially to the quality of this section.

In this section authors from various European countries report the recent case law in their jurisdiction in the field of private patrimonial law, that is decisions on the law of property, juridical acts, the law of obligations, contract law and prescription. The ERPL started this section in 2003. The section aims to give readers an overview of what is happening in the most recent European case law. We have asked the national reporters to report the juridical essence of the decisions given by the highest courts in their country. These national reports are integrated in one general report that arranges the decisions by subject, so that readers can easily find out whether decisions on their special interest were given in any European jurisdiction or whether decisions on one subject have been taken in various European jurisdictions. In principle, this section does not relate the facts of the decision, nor the personal opinion of the reporter. One can find discussions on the most important decisions of European courts in ERPL?s case note section. The recent case law section gives overviews of decisions published in periods of four months. The period of January-April is published in the fourth issue, the period from May to August is published in the sixth issue, the period from September to December is published in the second issue of the next year. In this issue, we publish decisions of high courts taken from January to April 2005. As yet, some decisions can only be found on the internet. Therefore, at the end of this section we have listed web sites where one can find European high court decisions.

In this section authors from various European countries report the recent case law in their jurisdiction in the field of private patrimonial law, that is decisions on the law of property, juridical acts, the law of obligations, contract law and prescription. The ERPL started this section in 2003. The section aims to give readers an overview of what is happening in the most recent European case law. We have asked the national reporters to report the juridical essence of the decisions given by the highest courts in their country. These national reports are integrated in one general report that arranges the decisions by subject, so that readers can easily find out whether decisions on their special interest were given in any European jurisdiction or whether decisions on one subject have been taken in various European jurisdictions. In principle, this section does not relate the facts of the decision, nor the personal opinion of the reporter. One can find discussions on the most important decisions of European courts in ERPL?s case note section. The recent case law section gives overviews of decisions published in periods of four months. The period of January-April is reported in the fourth issue, the period from May to August is published in the sixth issue, the period from September to December is reported in the second issue of the next year. In this issue, we report decisions of high courts taken from April to August 2004. As yet, some decisions can only be found on the internet. Therefore, at the end of this section we have listed web sites where one can find European high court decisions. The Board of Editors of the ERPL wants to thank the national contributors to this report, who worked very hard to have their reports ready in time.

Introduction: In this section authors from various European countries report the recent case law in their country on the field of private patrimonial law, that is decisions on the law of property, juridical acts, the law of obligations, contract law and prescription. The European Review of Private Law (ERPL) started this section in 2003. The section aims to give our readers an overview of what is happening in the most recent European case law. We have asked the national reporters to report the juridical essence of the decisions given by the highest courts in their country. These national reports are integrated in one general report that arranges the decisions by subject, so that our readers can easily find out whether decisions on their special interest were given in any European country or whether decisions on one subject have been taken in various European countries. In principle, this section does not relate the facts of the decision, nor the personal opinion of the reporter. One can find discussions on the most important decisions of European courts in ERPL’s case note section. The recent case law section gives overviews of decisions published in periods of four months. The period of January-April is published in the fourth issue, the period from May to August is published in the sixth issue, and the period from September to December is published in the second issue of the next year. In this issue, we publish decisions of high courts taken from September to December 2003. As yet, some decisions can only be found on the internet. Therefore, at the end of this section we have listed web sites where one can find European high court decisions. The Board of Editors of the ERPL wants to thank the national contributors to this report, who worked very hard to have their reports ready in time. Further, the Board considers itself very fortunate that Mr. Ross MacDonald (University of Dundee, Scotland) has been willing to edit the contributions and, by doing so, contribute substantially to the quality of this section.

To cite this article: Baiardini I, Braido F, Bindslev-Jensen C, Bousquet PJ, Brzoza Z, Canonica GW, Compalati E, Fiocchi A, Fokkens W, Gerth van Wijk R, Giménez-Arnau A, Godse K, Grattan C, Grob JJ, La Grutta S, Kalogeromitros D, Kocatürk E, Lombardi C, Mota-Pinto A, Ridolo E, Saini SS, Sanchez-Borges M, Senna GE, Terreehorst I, Todo Bom A, Toubi E, Bousquet J, Zuberbier T, Maurer M. Recommendations for assessing patient-reported outcomes and health-related quality of life in patients with urticaria: a GA(2) LEN taskforce position paper. Allergy 2011; 66: 840-844. ABSTRACT: The aim of this Global Allergy and Asthma European Network (GA(2) LEN) consensus report is to provide recommendations and suggestions for assessing patient-reported outcomes (PROs) including health-related quality of life in patients with urticaria. We recommend that PROs should be used both in clinical trials and routine practice for the evaluation of urticaria patients. We suggest that PROs should be considered as the primary outcome of future clinical trials. Two validated and disease-specific instruments for assessing PROs are available, the urticaria activity score (for symptoms) and the chronic urticaria questionnaire on quality of life CU-Q(2) oL. This latter tool, CU-Q(2) oL, is available in many languages and should be preferred, where available, over more generic instruments for assessing urticaria-specific effects on quality of life. CU-Q(2) oL is only suited for the investigation of patients with chronic spontaneous urticaria. Similar instruments for other forms of urticaria have yet to be developed and validated. Also, tools for assessing other chronic spontaneous urticaria PROs besides quality of life and symptoms are needed

We are living in a new communication age, which will radically transform the way we live in our society. A world where anything will be connected to Internet is being created, generating an entirely new dynamic network - The Internet of Things (IoT) - enabling new means of communication between people, things and environment.

In the last 5 years the resident population of Portugal has increased 2.3 %, along with a progressive ageing. This study aims assessing the social dependence and frailty, as well as social and familial support needs of the elderly. In an observational, cross-sectional community based study (EPEPP study), a total of 2,672 people, aged 55 or more, were submitted to an enquiry and several variables were studied among three age groups: 55–64 years old (37 %), 65–74 years old (37 %) and C75 years old (26 %), encompassing a total of 57 % women and 43 % men. A questionnaire including items such as physical autonomy, locomotion, falls, health/medical complaints, instrumental autonomy, physical activity, health self-evaluation and emotional status was applied. The strong correlations among the studied scores allowed the identification of people groups with common characteristics when a principal component analysis was used: ‘‘autonomy’’ (scores of instrumental autonomy, locomotion and physical autonomy) and ‘‘perception of health and emotional status’’ (scores of health self-evaluation and emotional status), were present in the three age groups. The component analysis evidences that a good autonomy, a good perception of health and emotional status are determinant to a good quality of life in elderly. Although health status and selfrated health have a propensity to deteriorate with aging, older Portuguese consider their state of health satisfactory and tend to underestimate their decline. In what concerns the analysis of gender with the same age and in contrast to what has been reported, older women alike to men, experience a good mobility and health self-evaluation.

USB dongles have been used by a wide range of software manufacturers to store a copy-protected of their application’s license. The licenses validation procedure through USB dongles faces several concerns, as the risks of theft or losing dongle. Also, in scenarios where the number of dongles is reduced, users may have to wait for dongle access, which may lead to loss of productivity. In this paper we propose a client/server distributed architecture for remote software licenses validation, through USB/IP protocol. The proposed approach aims to take advantage of USB/IP for distributed access to a set of USB dongles physically connected to a remote USB server, over a TCP/IP network. We describe the deployment and enhancements made to an existing open source USB/IP implementation and also present the results obtained with this architecture in a real world scenario, for validation of computer forensics applications licenses that uses USB dongles.

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Background: Excess body mass increases the risk of development of asthmatic symptoms and their severity and decreases the treatment effectiveness. One of the hypotheses explaining the link between the two diseases concerns the adipokines, hormones produced by adipose tissue with a proinflammatory character. The aim of this study was to compare the levels of the adipokines (leptin and resistin) between overweight asthmatic patients, asthmatic patients with normal weight and overweight patients without asthma. Methods: 80 peripheral blood samples were collected from patients and blood serum extracted. Three groups were selected: overweight asthmatic patients (BMI ≥ 25), overweight patients without asthma and asthmatic patients with normal weight (BMI < 25). Waist circumference of the patients was measured (cut-off points were 80 cm for women and over 94 cm for men) and a skin prick test performed. Comparison of adipokine concentration between the 3 groups was made and association between these concentrations and the measurements was performed. Results: Although the concentrations of both adipokines were slightly higher for overweight asthmatic patients compared to overweight healthy p atients, these differences were not significant. A significant association was found between leptin concentration and both BMI (p < 0.01) and waist circumference (p < 0.01). A difference for this cytokine was also found between asthmatic and non-asthmatic female patients (p < 0.05). Conclusions: As expected overweight patients with BMI ≥ 25 and patients with increased waist circumference showed higher leptin levels. We suggest that the studied cytokines, with a stronger indication for leptin, can elicit asthmatic inflammation in obese phenotype of asthma that affects more frequently women.

The decision of the BGH was based on the following set of facts: The claimant, a public authority, advertised for tenders for carpentry work on a building project. The defendant building firm submitted the lowest tender - in comparison with five others received. After the deadline for submission of tenders had passed, the building firm informed the claimant that an error had been made in the calculation of the tender price. The transport and assembly costs had been left out by mistake, and the firm asked the claimant to take the tender out of the competition and offer the contract to someone else. The claimant refused to do so, and gave the contract to the defendant without taking the error into consideration. When the defendant did not proceed with the work, it was eventually given to someone else. The claim asserted against the defendant was for the additional costs incurred in comparison with the defendant's tender. The Landgericht dismissed the claim, and the claimant's appeal was also unsuccessful. The appeal in revision by the claimant led to the quashing of the appeal court's decision and a reference of the case back to the appeal court. According to the judgment of the BGH, an mistake in calculations was not of itself a sufficient reason for avoiding a contract, if the recipient of the erroneous information knew of it or had avoided obtaining that knowledge in bad faith. Nevertheless, the recipient of the erroneous information - on the basis of precontractual responsibility or abuse of rights - might be obliged to point out to the informer his mistake. In the tendering process, a public contractor was not usually under any obligation to check the tenders for mistakes in calculation or to make further investigations; but exceptionally such a duty might exist when the fact of a mistake in calculation and the unreasonable consequences thereof for the tenderer is obvious from the tender or from other circumstances known to the contractor. The following contributions examine the judgment from the standpoint of Austrian, Portugese, Swedish and Greek law.

The Portuguese healthcare system is often portrayed as a National Health Service (NHS) model, characterized by universal coverage, comprehensive benefits, nearly free services, national tax financing, and public ownership or control of the factors of production. However, in reality the system fails to accomplish these features in a complete way. There coexist a number of occupation-related health insurance schemes that were originally intended to be integrated into the NHS. In addition, in key areas the NHS does not provide the wide range of services it promises. The public sector has a predominant role in the provision of hospital stays and general practitioner consultations, but the private sector provides a major portion of specialist consultations, dental consultations, and diagnostic services. Major problems in the system led to health reforms in the 1990s. New reform proposals include some specific steps concerning health technology, including standards for medical equipment based on quality, geographic distribution, sustainability, and cost-effectiveness. A new National Plan of Health Equipment was completed in 1998, aimed at improving the distribution of equipment. Despite reforms, healthcare expenditures continue to rise. There is general agreement that gains in efficiency could be made. This situation is beginning to encourage interest in health technology assessment (HTA) in Portugal, although these activities are not yet very developed. Recently, legislation requiring presentation of economic evaluations for new pharmaceutical products was enacted. Present plans also call for the creation in the future of a national agency for HTA.

Resumo: A asma é uma doença caracterizada por uma resposta imuno-inflamatória a diferentes estímulos desencadeantes. A neopterina (NPT) é sintetizada por macrófagos após estimulação por interferon-γ produzido por linfócitos T e demonstrou-se ter capacidade de ampliar o potencial oxidativo das espécies reactivas de oxigénio. A determinação de NPT é útil para monitorizar a activação imunológica celular dos linfócitos Th1.Este estudo tem como objectivo analisar a NPT na asma de longa evolução enquanto marcador de um ambiente citocínico do tipo Th1. Avaliaram-se, no grupo de asmáticos e no grupo-controlo, os indicadores de alergia (IgE, eosinófilos e testes cutâneos de alergia por picada). Determinou-se também a NPT, a proteína C reactiva (PCR), total antioxidant status (TAS) e superoxide dismutase enzyme (SOD).Seleccionaram-se idosos com mais de 65 anos. Grupo-controlo â 41 indivíduos saudáveis (79±7 anos); grupo de asmáticos â 64 indivíduos (72±5 anos). Os valores dos eosinófilos e de IgE estavam estatisticamente aumentados e os de NPT reduzidos entre asmáticos alérgicos e não alérgicos, respectivamente (5,42±4,7 vs 2,8±2,8; p

RESUMO: No contexto epidemiológico da tuberculose (TB) que presentemente assola o nosso país destaca-se o número progressivamente crescente de formas clínicas graves e que atingem indivíduos aparentemente imunocompetentes. Na tentativa de contribuir para o esclarecimento dos fenómenos que na intimidade do pulmão profundo comandam as perturbações patogénicas que ocorrem nestas situações, estudámos 35 doentes portadores de tuberculose pulmonar (TP), todos VIH negativos e sem toxicodependência, divididos, logo na fase inicial, por dois Grupos (I e II) em função da expressão clínica da sua afecção: ⢠Grupo I, constituído por 15 doentes que exibiam formas limitadas e clinicamente meos graves, 13 do sexo masculino e 2 do feminino, com uma média de idades de 45.6±18.2 anos. ⢠Grupo II, formado por 20 pacientes atingidos por formas graves, com lesões muito extensas, por vezes com bacilos resistentes, 14 homens e 6 mulheres, com uma média de idades de 32.8±4.8 anos. A metodologia utilizada dirigiu-se à avaliação da imunidade celular e humoral, tanto no pulmão profundo (LLBA), como no sangue periférico, através dos seguintes parâmetros: ⢠Celularidade total e percentual do LLBA, com recurso à câmara de Neubauer e leitura por microscopia óptica. ⢠Contagem das populações e subpopulações linfocitárias CD3, CD19, CD4, CD8, γ/δ, CD16 CD56, CD4+CD7+(Th1), CD4+CD7- (Th2), com anticorpos monoclonais e leitura por citometria de fluxo. ⢠Determinação dos níveis intracelulares das citocinas γ-INF e IL-4, por citometria de fluxo. ⢠Doseamento sanguíneo das Igs A, G e M, das fracções C3 e C4 do Complemento e da α-1-antitripsina, por nefelometria. ⢠Avaliação da autofluorescência dos macrófagos alveolares, com contagens acima dos 10, 100 e 1000 canais, por citometria de fluxo. ⢠Análise estatística dos resultados através da variância, test t-student, médias e desvios padrões e correlação linear. Dos resultados obtidos salienta-se: ⢠Presença de uma moderada alveolite, de predomínio macrofágico, no Grupo I, e linfocitário, acompanhado de um ligeiro aumento do número de polimorfonucleares neutrófilos, no Grupo II. ⢠No pulmão profundo, as células T e a subpopulação CD4 encontravam-se ligeiramente mais elevadas nas formas mais graves, enquanto que as subpopulações γ/δ e NK diminuíam com a gravidade da afecção. ⢠Predomínio do fenótipo Th1 e de γ-INF nas áreas lesadas das formas clinicamente mais moderadas e de Th2 e IL-4 nas mais graves. ⢠No sangue periférico, os Th1 e a citocina γ-INF encontravam-se sempre em níveis mais elevados do que os Th2 e a IL-4, independentemente da gravidade da situação. ⢠A auto-fluorescência dos macrófagos alveolares diminuía muito significativamente, de uma forma paralela à importância das lesões. ⢠As variações, sempre muito diminutas, da imunidade humoral, não se mostraram relevantes no contexto de gravidade da TB. ⢠O fenómeno da resistência medicamentosa, abordado separadamente, não condicionou desvios dos parâmetros analisados, quando comparado com os restantes indivíduos que integravam o Grupo II. Estes resultados sugerem as seguintes conclusões: ⢠A gravidade clínica da TP espraia-se ao longo de um espectro limitado por dois polos: um, caracterizado por um perfil Th1, com capacidade de promover a estimulação da actividade microbicida do macrófago alveolar e que, por isso, confere resistência orgânica a esta infecção; outro, no qual predomina o perfil Th2, que por inibir funcionalmente o macrófago alveolar torna o organismo mais susceptível a esta agressão micobacteriana. ⢠Assim, aquilo que sob o ponto de vista imunitário mais caracteriza a gravidade da TP é a elevação da percentagem de linfócitos Th2 e das, respectivas citocinas nas áreas lesadas. ⢠As variações dos perfis Th1/Th2 ocorrem fundamentalmente no pulmão profundo, já que, no sangue periférico, o perfil Th1 predominava sempre sobre o Th2, independentemente da gravidade da situação clínica. ⢠Este facto sugere que a avaliação da capacidade de resposta imunitária à infecção pelo Mycobacterium tuberculosis deverá ser efectuada localmente, através da LBA, pois é no pulmão profundo que as células Th (Th0?) se diferenciam em Th1 ou Th2, influenciadas pelo microambiente citocínico presente nessas áreas. ⢠Estes achados permitem-nos acalentar fundamentadas esperanças na terapêutica imunomoduladora, em situações clinicamente graves que não respondem satisfatoriamente à medicação antibiótica correctamente instituída. ⢠A compartimentação destas perturbações imunitárias a nível do pulmão profundo aponta para o provável interesse na utilização da via inalatória para este tipo de intervenção terapêutica. REV PORT PNEUMOL 1998; IV (6): 535-580 ABSTRACT: Under the present epidemiologic conditions of Pulmonary Tuberculosis (PT) of our country, with increasing incidence of clinical severe forms of disease in immunocompetent individuals, we tried to identify some relevant phenomena occurring in deep lung, associated with the pathogenic abnormalities seen in these situations. We studied 35 patients with PT, all HIV seronegative, without prior history of drug addiction, divided in two Groups (I and II) concerning the clinical severity and the radiological extent of infection. Group I, 15 patients with limited forms of PT, 13 males and 2 females, aged 45.6±18.2 years. Group II, 20 patients, with severe forms of PT, some with multidrug resistance bacillus, 14 males and 6 females aged 32.8±4.8 years. The methodology was directed towards the evaluation of cellular and humoral immunity, both, in deep lung through (BALF) as in peripheral blood, by the following parameters: ⢠Total and percentual cellularity of BALF by the Neubauer chamber and optic microscopy. ⢠Lymphocytic populations and subsets: CD3, CD19, CD4, CDS, γ/δ, CD16 CD56, CD4+CD7+(Th1), CD4+CD7- (Th2), with monoclonal antobodies and flow citometry. ⢠Evaluation of intracellular levels of cytokines: γ-INF and IL-4 by flow citometry. ⢠Serum levels of lgA, IgG and lgM, C3 and C4 complement fractions and α:- I Pi-inhibitor by nefelometry. ⢠Determination of alveolar macrophage autofluorescence, with counts above 10, 100 and 1000 channels by flow citometry. ⢠Statistical analisys of the results through student t test, variant analisys and linnear correlation. From the results: ⢠Moderate macrophage and lymphocytic alveolitis in Group I associated with slight increase of the number of polimorfonuclear oeutrophils in Group II. ⢠In the deep lung, the T cells and the CD4 subset are slightly increased in the severe forms, while the γ/δ ant NK subpopulations decrease with the severity of the infection. ⢠Predominance of Th1 phenotype and γ-JNF in the affected areas in the limited forms, and Th2 and IL-4 in the severe forms. ⢠In peripheral blood, the Th1 cells as well as γ-INF, reaches always higher levels than Th2 or I1-4, independent of the severity of the situation. ⢠The alveolar macrophage auto-fluorescence decreases significatively mainly in the counts above 100 channels, parallel to the importance of the lesions. ⢠The variations of the serum levels of immune-globulins are insignificant, so the humoral variations aren't relevant in the context of severity of PT. ⢠The drug resistance plenomenon, was separatelly analised and didn' t influence the results when comparing the remaining individuals of Group II. These results may suggest the following conclusions: ⢠The clinical severity of PT. is part of a spectrum limited by two poles - one characterized by the Th1 profile, with capacity to promote the stimulation of microbicide activity of the alveolar macrophage, then confering organic resistance to this infection; the other, in which Th2 profile prevails, inhibits the function of the alveolar macrophages, bringing the host more susceptible to this mycobacterial aggression. ⢠The principal mark of the severity of PT, is the increased percentage of Th2 cells as well as the concerning cytokines in the affected areas. ⢠The variations of the Th1/Th2 profiles occumainly in deep lung, once in the peripheral blood the Th1 profile always prevails, independent of the severity of the clinical situation. ⢠This may suggest that the evaluation of the immune capacity against Mycobacterium tuberculosi'i infection must be done at the local level by bronchoalveolar lavage, once the deep lung is certainly the place for differentiation of Th (Th0?) cells into Th1 or Th2, under the Influence of the cytokine microambient of these areas. ⢠These findings, allowed us to expect that immunomodulation therepeutics may be succeful in severe clinical situations not responding to a correct antibiotic therapy. ⢠The compartment of these immune abnormalities at the lung level suggest the interest of the inhalatory way in such therapeutic approaches. REV PORT PNEUMOL 1998; IV (6): 535-580 Key-words: Tuberculosis, Spectrum of Severity of Pulmonary Tuberculosis, Lymphocytic and Cytokine Spectrum of Pulmonary Tubcrculosis, Th1/Th2 Profile in Pulmonary Tuberculosis, Auto - fluorescence of Alveolar Macrophage, Immunomodulation in Pulmonary Tuberculosis, Palavras-chave: Tuberculose, Espectro de gravidade da tuberculose pulmonary, Espectro linfocitário e citocínico da tuberculose pulmonar, Perfis Th1/Th2na tuberculose pulmonar, Auto-fluorescência do macrófago alveolar, lmunomodulação da tuberculose pulmonar

O presente estudo tem como objetivo principal analisar o impacto das dimensões educativas parentais na competência social e rendimento escolar nos adolescentes. O estudo foi desenvolvido numa amostra de 73 adolescentes do sexo masculino e 102 adolescentes do sexo feminino, com idades compreendidas entre os 16 e os 19 anos, de duas escolas secundárias de ensino público de uma cidade do Norte de Portugal. As dimensões educativas parentais monitorização, promoção da autonomia e afeto parental foram avaliadas através do Questionário de Estilos Educativos Parentais - Revisto (QEEP-R) e as competências sociais através do Social Skills Questionnaire (SSQ). Os resultados demonstraram associações positivas e estatisticamente significativas de valor baixo a moderado entre as dimensões educativas parentais e as dimensões da competência social dos adolescentes. Relativamente ao rendimento escolar, existe uma associação positiva e estatisticamente significativa, com a monitorização paterna e uma associação negativa e estatisticamente significativa, com o afeto materno.

Prospective studies on increased risk of childhood asthma due to exposure to paracetamol and antibiotics in early life have yielded contradictory results. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to investigate the association between administration of paracetamol and antibiotics in the first 12 months of life and delayed asthma symptoms later in childhood. This is a cross-sectional study that included 1,063 children from the primary schools in Coimbra, Portugal. ISAAC-based environmental and core asthma and rhinitis questionnaires were used to obtain information about children's respiratory health and administration of paracetamol and antibiotics. We found that early paracetamol use significantly increased the risk of asthma ever (at least one episode in life) (OR = 2.9; 95 %CI:1.8-4.5), current asthma (OR = 2.4; 95 %CI:1.5-3.6), wheezing ever (OR = 2.5; 95 %CI:1.8-3.4), rhinitis ever (OR = 2.4; 95 %CI:1.7-3.3), and current rhinitis (OR = 2.8; 95 %CI:2.0-3.9). Antibiotic exposure showed a similar effect with the risk for current asthma (OR = 1.6; 95 %CI:1.0-2.5), asthma ever (OR = 2.0; 95 %CI:1.3-3.1), wheeze ever (OR = 2.3; 95 %CI:1.7-3.2), and rhinitis symptoms (OR = 1.8; 95 %CI:1.3-2.6, OR = 1.8; 95 %CI:1.3-2.6, OR = 1.9; 95 %CI:1.2-3.0 for rhinitis ever, current rhinitis, and tearing, respectively). We further found that increased frequency of paracetamol use during the last 12 months preceding the study facilitated the appearance of allergic symptoms, suggesting a dose-dependent associations. In conclusion, the study shows a significant association between exposure to paracetamol and antibiotics in the first 12 months of life and both prevalence and severity of asthma and rhinitis symptoms in children 5-9 years old.