Browsing by Author "Oliveira, Carlos"
Now showing 1 - 4 of 4
Results Per Page
Sort Options
- Bioaccessibility data of potentially toxic elements in complementary foods for infants: A reviewPublication . Paiva, Esther; Ali, Sher; Vasco, Elsa; Alvito, Paula; Oliveira, CarlosThe introduction of complementary foods (CFs) is a critical step in an infant's transition to solid foods, providing essential nutrients beyond breast milk. However, CFs may contain potentially toxic elements (PTEs), such as arsenic and cadmium that pose health risks to infants. In this context, understanding the bioaccessibility of PTEs is vital as it determines the fraction of a contaminant released from the food matrix and available for absorption in the gastrointestinal tract. Efforts have been made to standardize the assessment methodology for bioaccessibility, ensuring consistent and reliable data. Moreover, regulatory agencies have established guidelines for PTEs levels in food. However, important gaps still exist, which motivates many research opportunities on this topic.
- Portuguese children dietary exposure to multiple mycotoxins – An overview of risk assessment under MYCOMIX projectPublication . Assunção, Ricardo; Martins, Carla; Vasco, Elsa; Jager, Alessandra; Oliveira, Carlos; Cunha, Sara; Fernandes, José O; Nunes, Baltazar; Loureiro, Susana; Alvito, PaulaMycotoxins are secondary fungi metabolites that induce acute and chronic toxic effects in humans and animals. Simultaneous contamination of cereal-based products by multiple mycotoxins has been increasingly reported, including in food products usually consumed by children. Although some previous authors assessed the health risk of children exposed to multiple mycotoxins, scarce data are available on the risk associated with the ingestion of multiple mycotoxins through different food products. MYCOMIX, a national funded project, intended to contribute to fill this gap. The present study aimed to overview the risk assessment of multiple mycotoxins performed under MYCOMIX, assessing for the first time, the risk associated with the exposure to 13 mycotoxins in breakfast cereals, infant cereals and biscuits consumed by children from Lisbon region, Portugal. Results on mycotoxins occurrence showed that 94% of samples were contaminated with at least one mycotoxin, although at levels below the legislated limits. Co-contamination was observed in 75% of the analysed samples. Estimated aflatoxins exposure suggested a potential adverse health effect for percentiles of intake above or equal to P50. The obtained results suggested that future research actions should be set in motion in order to protect children health.
- Prevalence of Human Papillomavirus Infection in Women in Portugal - The CLEOPATRE Portugal StudyPublication . Pista, Angela; Oliveira, Carlos; Cunha, Maria João; Paixão, Teresa; Real, Odete; CLEOPATRE Portugal Study GroupObjective: Human papillomavirus (HPV) is responsible for a range of diseases, including cervical cancer. The primary objectives of the CLEOPATRE Portugal study were to estimate the overall and age-stratified prevalence of cervical HPV infection, and to assess HPV prevalence and type-specific distribution by cytological results, among women aged 18–64 years resident in mainland Portugal. Methods/materials: This cross-sectional, population-based study recruited women aged 18–64 years, according to an age-stratified sampling strategy, who attended gynaecology/obstetrics or sexually transmitted disease clinics across the five Regional Health Administrations in mainland Portugal between 2008 and 2009. Liquid-based cytology samples were collected and analysed centrally for HPV genotyping (Clinical Array HPV 2 assay) and cytology. Prevalence estimates were adjusted for age using 2007 Portuguese census data. Results: A total of 2326 women were included in the study. The overall prevalence of HPV infection in the study was 19.4% (95% CI, 17.8–21.0), with the highest prevalence in women aged 18–24 years. High-risk HPV types were detected in 76.5% of infections, of which 36.6% involved multiple types. The commonest high-risk type was HPV 16. At least one of the HPV types 6/11/16/18 was detected in 32.6% of infections. The HPV prevalence in normal cytology samples was 16.5%. There was a statistically significant association between high-risk infection and cytological abnormalities (p<0.001). Conclusions: This is the first population-based study to quantify and describe cervical HPV infection in mainland Portugal. This study provides baseline data for future assessment of the impact of HPV vaccination programmes.
- Risk factors for human papillomavirus infection among women in Portugal: The CLEOPATRE Portugal StudyPublication . Pista, Angela; Oliveira, Carlos; Cunha, Maria João; Paixão, Teresa; Real, Odete; CLEOPATRE Portugal Study GroupObjective: To investigate demographic, socioeconomic, lifestyle, and medical factors that might predispose women to cervical human papillomavirus (HPV) infection. Method: A cross-sectional population-based study was performed. Women aged 18–64 years who attended selected obstetrics and gynecology or sexually transmitted disease (STD) clinics in mainland Portugal between February 2008 and March 2009 were recruited, according to an age-stratified sampling strategy. Liquid-based cytology samples were analyzed centrally for HPV genotype and for cytologic features. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses identified risk factors for HPV infection. Results: Among the 2326 women evaluated, the crude prevalence of HPV infection was 19.4%. Lifetime number of sexual partners was a strong predictor of HPV infection (odds ratio 5.44 for 5–10 partners versus 1 partner; Pb0.001). Other risk factors were young age (particularly among women aged 20–24 years; Pb0.001); country of birth other than mainland Portugal (P=0.002); education up to secondary school level (P=0.010); smoking history (≤10 years; P=0.004); and any STD in the past 12 months (P=0.052). Conclusion: Data from the present study may aid identification of women at increased risk of HPV infection and target prevention strategies.