Seroprevalence of West Nile Virus in Blood Donors in Mainland Portugal.

The genus Orthoflavivirus includes several mosquito-borne pathogenic viruses, notably West Nile virus (WNV), which is endemic to the Mediterranean region. In Portugal, WNV circulation has been documented in equines, birds and mosquitoes, however human cases remain rare and no recent human seroprevalence studies have been conducted. This study aimed to estimate the national and regional seroprevalence of WNV among blood donors in mainland Portugal and explore associations with sociodemographic factors.

Seroprevalence of sand fly fever Sicilian virus in blood donors in mainland Portugal.

Background: Sicilian virus (SFSV), a phlebovirus transmitted by sand flies, is an understudied arbovirus in the Mediterranean region, with limited data on its epidemiology and human health impact. This study aimed to estimate the seroprevalence of SFSV among blood donors in mainland Portugal and explore associations with sociodemographic factors and exposure to other sand-fly-borne pathogens.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted using serum samples from 800 blood donors collected between February and June 2022.

Knowledge and practices of dog and cat owners in Mainland Portugal regarding fleas, flea-borne pathogens, and their management.

Background: Fleas are the most common ectoparasites of dogs and cats worldwide, causing dermatological problems and transmitting pathogens, some of zoonotic concern.

Objective: To assess the knowledge and practices (KP) of companion animal owners in Mainland Portugal regarding fleas, flea-borne pathogens, and measures for their treatment and prevention.

Methods: A cross-sectional study conducted between March 2022 and March 2023 targeted dog and/or cat owners from the five Mainland Portuguese NUTS2 (Nomenclature of Territorial Units for Statistics) regions.

[Authorization Processes for Access to Hospital Clinical Records: The Case of a Multicenter Study].

Clinical practice generates a wealth of data daily, collected for the purpose of providing healthcare. However, this data holds the potential to contribute to the generation of knowledge. The aim of this study was to describe the process of submitting requests for access to clinical records for research and the heterogeneity in the evaluation of a national research project by the boards of directors and ethics committees of hospitals, hospital centers, and local health units within the Portuguese national health service.

Body image disorders: A new theoretical model supporting the reclassification.

The present study aims to test a new theoretical model for grouping Anorexia nervosa (AN), bulimia nervosa (BN), body dysmorphic disorder (BDD), and muscle dysmorphia (MD) as Body Image Disorders. In a sample composed of 579 individuals from the community, we used exploratory bifactor modeling to investigate the presence of a higher-order general component in these disorders and identify shared and unique components within each condition. Additionally, we explored the relationships between the assessment instruments' total scores and external variables to assess the distinctiveness of the factors in our model.

Association between dental fracture and amalgam restoration: a case-control study.

Objective: To evaluate the possible clinical association between dental fracture and the presence of amalgam restorations, including other restorative treatments in the control group. The potential association of fractures with dental wear facets and the restoration size was also assessed as a secondary objective.

Methodology: Patients with fractured teeth restored with silver amalgam or not were included as the case group (n=25).

Viral mutations and their implications for genetic diversity of the Infectious Myonecrosis Virus (IMNV).

Infectious Myonecrosis Virus (IMNV) is a main pathogen affecting global shrimp farming. It was first recorded in Brazil in 2002, but has spread to other Asian countries, especially Indonesia. Records of strains from different origins show different infection progress.

Seroprevalence of Toscana virus in blood donors in mainland Portugal.

Background: Toscana virus (TOSV; Phlebovirus toscanaense), a phlebovirus transmitted by sand flies, is a growing public health concern in the Mediterranean region, with infections often being asymptomatic but potentially leading to neuroinvasive disease. Despite its presence in neighboring countries, data on TOSV seroprevalence in Portugal are limited. This study aimed to estimate the national seroprevalence of TOSV among blood donors in mainland Portugal and explore associations with sociodemographic factors and Leishmania infection.

Enhanced Photocatalytic Performance of TiO@Er-Hydroxyapatite Composite for Cationic Dye and Drug Removal.

Photocatalysis heterogeneous is an essential method for water treatment. In this study, a novel photocatalytic erbium-doped hydroxyapatite-decorated titanium dioxide (TiO@Er-Hap) was obtained using the sol-gel method and applied to remove ciprofloxacin (CIP) drug and methylene blue (MB) dye contaminants. The sample's structural, physical, morphological, and photocatalytic properties were investigated.

All exercisers are passionate for exercise in some way: Taxometric evidence of the dimensionality of harmonious and obsessive passion for exercise.

The dualistic model of passion presents two important variables in the maintenance of physical exercise throughout life: harmonious passion and obsessive passion. Understanding whether the latent structure of these variables is better represented by classes (categorical) or factors (dimensional) can yield both theoretical and practical benefits. The objective of our study was to test, using taxometric analysis, whether these are dimensional latent variables (present in all exercisers, varying only in level) or categorical (present only in some exercisers).

Ultrasound-guided Transperineal Prostate Thermal Ablation (TPTA) for Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia: Feasibility of an Outpatient Procedure using Radiofrequency Ablation.

Purpose: To evaluate the feasibility, safety, and short-term (3-month) results of transperineal prostate thermal ablation (TPTA) as a minimally invasive outpatient treatment for benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH).

Materials And Methods: A prospective nonrandomized study of 25 patients with lower urinary tract symptoms secondary to BPH seeking care at 2 interventional radiology centers between March and July 2024. TPTA was performed using a 17G radiofrequency needle with a 10-mm active tip under unconscious sedation combined with bilateral perineal and periprostatic nerve blocks.

Apicomplexan mitoribosome from highly fragmented rRNAs to a functional machine.

The phylum Apicomplexa comprises eukaryotic parasites that cause fatal diseases affecting millions of people and animals worldwide. Their mitochondrial genomes have been significantly reduced, leaving only three protein-coding genes and highly fragmented mitoribosomal rRNAs, raising challenging questions about mitoribosome composition, assembly and structure. Our study reveals how Toxoplasma gondii assembles over 40 mt-rRNA fragments using exclusively nuclear-encoded mitoribosomal proteins and three lineage-specific families of RNA-binding proteins.

Re-Establishing the Esthetics of Incisors in Patients with Molar Incisor Hypomineralisation.

The awareness of molar incisor hypomineralisation (MIH) has led to its increased clinical detection, consequently drawing more attention to its associated complications. This text offers an overview of the esthetic management of anterior teeth affected by MIH, a condition characterized by enamel defects that present significant cosmetic challenges. The focus is on the clinical presentation of MIH characteristics, considering the depth of lesions and the clinical aspects, and the treatment protocols available, despite a lack of extensive scientific evidence.

Prospection of strains of Bacillus sporogenes in the digestive tract of native crustaceans and characterization of the probiotic potential.

The cultivation of marine shrimp is one of the fastest growing activities in the world. However, the emergence of diseases has resulted in a decrease in production and losses for the sector. Probiotics emerged as an option to the use of antibiotics to control these pathogens.

Epidemiological and clinical trends of visceral leishmaniasis in Portugal: retrospective analysis of cases diagnosed in public hospitals between 2010 and 2020.

Background: Leishmania infantum is endemic in the Mediterranean region, presenting mostly as visceral leishmaniasis (VL). In Portugal, reporting of VL cases to public health authorities is mandatory, but significant underreporting is likely. This study aimed to describe the epidemiological and clinical aspects of the VL cases diagnosed in hospitals of the Portuguese National Health Service (NHS), between 2010 and 2020.

Rare Earth Element Accumulation in Fiddler Crabs (Minuca rapax) from the Rio Doce Tropical Estuary Strongly Affected by Mine Tailings Following the Fundão Disaster.

A mining tailing dam rupture in Brazil in November 2015 released millions of tons of mining waste into the Rio Doce ecosystem, leading to long-term aquatic ecosystem impacts. Although multiple lines of evidence indicate tailings associations with potentially toxic elements in estuarine sediments and biological impact and bioaccumulation pathways in fishes, the extent of contamination in base benthic species is still largely unknown. Moreover, Rare Earth Elements (REE) have not received any attention in this regard.

New 2-nitroimidazole-N-acylhydrazones, analogs of benznidazole, as anti-Trypanosoma cruzi agents.

Chagas disease is a neglected tropical parasitic disease caused by the protozoan Trypanosoma cruzi. Worldwide, an estimated 8 million people are infected with T. cruzi, causing more than 10,000 deaths per year.

Knowledge and practices regarding leishmaniasis in Portugal - Comparison between blood donors and health students/professionals.

Objective: To compare the current knowledge and practices regarding leishmaniasis among blood donors and health students and professionals, in Portugal.

Material And Methods: Data were collected through the application of two questionnaires (one online and one in paper) with similar questions in two distinct cross-sectional independent studies, each targeting one of the groups. Descriptive statistics and hypothesis testing were performed using IBM® SPSS® Statistics.

Immunological lectins in shrimp Penaeus vannamei challenged with infectious myonecrosis virus (IMNV) under low-salinity conditions.

Lectins are proteins capable of recognizing and binding to glycan in a specific way. In invertebrates, lectins are a crucial group of Pattern Recognition Proteins (PRRs), activating cellular and humoral responses in the innate immune system. The shrimp Penaeus vannamei is the main crustacean cultivated worldwide, however, the productivity of cultures is strongly affected by diseases, mainly viral ones, such as Infectious Myonecrosis (IMN).

Study of the degradation in an ultisol of alginate-chitosan complex and its stability and applicability as a soil conditioner.

The present work describes the process of degradation of a polyelectrolytic complex (PEC) based on sodium alginate (ALG) and chitosan (CHI), buried for different time intervals, in a clayey soil (ultisol) collected from the municipality of Campos dos Goytacazes, in the northern region of the state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The influence of PEC on soil moisture was also investigated. The results showed that soil moisture increased with the presence of PEC after 7 days of testing, and remained high until the end of the study.