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- Development of a new computer program to assess dietary intake among Portuguese school-age children: a qualitative approachPublication . Carvalho, M.A.; Santos, O.; Rito, A.; Foster, E.; Moore, H.J.; Pereira Miguel, J.Introduction: Twenty-four-hour dietary recall is the method of choice for assessing food intake among school-age children. Because they require highly trained interviewers, recalls are expensive and impractical for large-scale nutrition research. A new method for assessing dietary intake in children is being developed: the Portuguese self-administered computerized 24-hour dietary recall (PAC24). Objectives: To identify and select food items to comprise PAC24; to better understand the way children report their food consumption on the previous day; and, to know the different meanings and labels children give to some specific food items. Methods: Data were collected through 21 Focus Groups (FG), conducted in 7 primary schools from the 7 regions of Portugal in 2011. 204 children from second to fourth grade participated. FG were homogeneous for children’s grade and area of residence and heterogeneous for gender and socioeconomic status. Children participated in FG after parent’s written informed consent. Topics for discussion were food consumption on the previous day and individual meanings and labeling of some specific food items. Content analysis followed a thematic coding process. Results: A total of 3959 food items were identified and classified into 12 food groups. Children generally reported foods chronologically organized by the three main meals (breakfast, lunch and dinner). Snacks and candies consumption were reported after prompting for snacks and forgotten foods. Not all children were able to record foods successfully; both descriptions and quantities of food posed problems. Different regional culture-specific terms were identified for some of the food-items. Conclusions: This qualitative approach enriched the food-items pool that was originally developed by literature review and revealed the main aspects that should be taken into account in PAC24 development
- Comet AssayPublication . Costa, Solange; Teixeira, João PauloComet Assay is a simple and sensitive approach to assess genotoxic damage in different cell types, using only a small number of cells. Over the last decades it has gained wide acceptance as an important tool in fundamental DNA damage and repair studies with applications ranging from molecular epidemiology to genetic toxicology. In short, after alkaline DNA unwinding, subsequent electrophoresis causes the relaxed and broken fragments of DNA to move toward the anode away from the nucleoid core, appearing like a ‘comet.’ The distribution of DNA within the comet relates to the extent of DNA damage present in the cells.
- Birth Prevalence of Fatty Acid β-Oxidation Disorders in IberiaPublication . Rocha, Hugo; Castiñeiras, Daisy; Delgado, Carmen; Egea, José; Yahyaoui, Raquel; González, Yolanda; Conde, Manuel; González, Inmaculada; Rueda, Inmaculada; Rello, Luis; Vilarinho, Laura; Cocho, JoséMitochondrial fatty acid β-oxidation disorders (FAOD) are main targets for newborn screening (NBS) programs, which are excellent data sources for accurate estimations of disease birth prevalence. Epidemiological data is of key importance for the understanding of the natural history of the disorders as well as to define more effective public health strategies. In order to estimate FAOD birth prevalence in Iberia, the authors collected data from six NBS programs from Portugal and Spain, encompassing the screening of more than 1.6 million newborns by tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS), and compared it with available data from other populations. The participating NBS programs are responsible for the screening of about 46% of all Iberian newborns. Data reveals that Iberia has one of the highest FAOD prevalence in Europe (1:7,914) and that Portugal has the highest birth prevalence of FAOD reported so far (1:6,351), strongly influenced by the high prevalence of medium-chain acyl-CoA dehydrogenase deficiency (MCADD; 1:8,380), one of the highest ever reported. This is justified by the fact that more than 90% of Portuguese MCADD patients are of Gypsy origin, a community characterized by a high degree of consanguinity. From the comparative analysis of various populations with comparable data other differences emerge, which points to the existence of significant variations in FAOD prevalences among different populations, but without any clear European variation pattern. Considering that FAOD are one of the justifications for MS/MS NBS, the now estimated birth prevalences stress the need to screen all Iberian newborns for this group of inherited metabolic disorders.
- Avaliação dos hábitos alimentares, do estado nutricional e da probabilidade de exposição a contaminantes na alimentação infantilPublication . Alvito, Paula; Arruda, Noelia; Vasco, ElsaMaterial de divulgação cientifica do estudo da avaliação dos hábitos alimentares, do estado nutricional e avaliação da exposição a contaminantes alimentares das crianças da Unidade de Saúde Familiar de Cidadela, Cascais
- Médicos–Sentinela : relatório de actividades 2010Publication . Branco, Maria João; Silva, Susana; Batista, Inês; Nunes, Baltazar; Dias, Carlos MatiasA Rede Médicos-Sentinela (MS) é constituída por médicos de Medicina Geral e Familiar (MGF) cuja atividade profissional é desenvolvida, na sua maioria, em Centros de Saúde do Serviço Nacional de Saúde. No ano em análise identificaram-se 49 Médicos– Sentinela cuja prática se desenvolvia, dispersa por 26 Unidades de Saúde Familiar.
- Distinct spectrum of apc germline mutations in familial adenomatous polyposis at the center-south of portugal: identification of a mutational hotspot and suggestion of a founder effectPublication . Filipe, B.; Claro, I.; Lage, P.; Ferreira, S.; Rosa, I.; Rodrigues, P.; Spier, I.; Theisen, Patrícia; Pereira-Caetano, Iris; Isidro, Glória; Gonçalves, João; Aretz, S.; Dias Pereira, A.; Albuquerque, C.Introduction: Familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP) is caused by APC germline mutations. These have been reported in classic and attenuated FAP (AFAP) but only two hotspots were described (codons 1309 and 1061-range:0-15%). We aimed to characterize the APC mutation spectrum in a FAP/AFAP population from the familial polyposis registry of the Portuguese Oncology Institute in Lisbon. Methods: We performed mutation analysis in 95 index patients from our FAP/AFAP cohort (61 FAP; 34 AFAP) using PTT, DGGE, sequencing and MLPA. Haplotype analysis was performed using 3 microsatellite markers flanking APC and 2 intragenic SNPs in 12 families with an intron 9 mutation (6 from our registry, 2 from INSA and 4 from IHG), occasionally detected in the literature, in order to evaluate a possible founder effect. All samples were anonymized. Statistics: Fisher’s exact and Χ2. Results: APC mutations were found in 47/61(77%) FAP and in 12/34(35%) AFAP families. The 1309del and 1061del contributed for 6/59(10%) and 2/59(4%) of the families, respectively. Exon 15 mutations were more frequent in FAP than in AFAP [30/47(64%) vs 1/12(8%),P<0.001]. A high mutation frequency was also found in exon 9 and flanking regions (9/59;15%), contributing for the majority of AFAP with APC mutation (8/12;67%). An intron 9 mutation (c.1312+3A>G) was highly represented (6/59,10%), exclusively in AFAP (6/12;50%). Segregating with this mutation, we detected a common haplotype apparently shared by 6 families. For D5S346, the common allele segregating with this haplotype was more frequent in the index patients (11/20;46%) than in a control population (20/90;22%). Discussion: We identified a specific distribution of APC mutations and a mutational hotspot in our population. The higher frequency of the c.1312+3A>G mutation in Center-South Portugal suggest a non-uniform distribution which may be explained by a founder effect. Further studies using SNPs flanking intron 9 and the analysis of more families/relatives are needed.
- BiomonitoringPublication . Costa, C.; Teixeira, João PauloBiomonitoring concerns the systematic measurement of compounds and/or detection of cell or cell molecules alterations in living organisms with the purpose of identifying or assessing potential hazardous exposure and effects to chemicals. Biomonitoring presents a wide range of advantages over environmental monitoring and has been considered to be a valuable tool for both ecological and human health surveillance. Cautious interpretation of data is one of the most sensitive issues on this matter. Still, the development and application of biomonitoring lead to improved knowledge of the effects of chemicals on living organisms and at the same time to increased protection of public health and environment.
- Sick Building SyndromePublication . Mendes, A.; Teixeira, João PauloSick Building Syndrome (SBS) is recognized by the World Health Organization as a group of symptoms that have no clear etiology and are attributable to exposure to building variables (indoor air quality, lighting, noise, psychological effects). SBS symptoms may occur singly or in combination with each other increasing in severity over the working shift and resolving rapidly when leaving the building in the evening, improving over the weekend and usually disappearing on holiday. The symptoms of SBS include eye, nose, and throat irritation; sensation of dry mucous membranes; dry, itching, and red skin; headaches and mental fatigue; nausea and dizziness.
- Environmental and ventilation assessment in Child Day Care Centers in Porto: the ENVIRH ProjectPublication . Mendes, Ana; Aelenei, Daniel; Papoila, Ana Luísa; Carreiro-Martins, Pedro; Aguiar, Lívia; Pereira, Cristiana; Neves, Paula; Azevedo, Susana; Cano, Manuela; Proença, Carmo; Viegas, João; Silva, Susana; Mendes, Diana; Neuparth, Nuno; Teixeira, João PauloChildren attending day care centers (CDCC) have been reported to be more prone to infectious diseases when compared with those cared for at home, and are exposed to conditions that may increase the risk of allergies and asthma. Several studies revealed that consequences of poor ventilation conditions include high levels of carbon dioxide (CO2) and many other indoor pollutants commonly detected in schools. Nine child day care centers were selected randomly to participate in this study. Fifty-two classrooms were assessed for chemical, biological, physical, and allergen parameters in spring and winter seasons in these nine CDCC located in Porto, Portugal. Outdoor measurements were also conducted for comparison. Our results indicated that (i) particulate matter (PM10) median levels were above the national reference levels, both by classroom type and by season; (ii) TVOC kindergarten peak values may raise some concern; (iii) CO2 was present at high median and maximum levels during spring and winter assessment in both nurseries and kindergartens classrooms; (iv) total bacteria concentrations were 57- and 52-fold higher in the nursery and kindergarten than outdoors, respectively, for the spring season; (v) winter and spring median predicted mean vote (PMV)indices were between “neutral” (0) and “slightly cool” (≤ –1) in the thermal sensation scale for comfort situations (−2 to 2) for both types of classrooms; (vi) there were significant differences for both PMV and predicted percentage of dissatisfied (PPD) indices by season; and vii) CO2, total bacteria, and gram-negative bacteria were associated with low airflow rates. These data will help to evaluate the effectiveness of current building operation practices in child day care centers regarding indoor air quality and respiratory health.
- Preparation and Characterization of Antimicrobial Films Based on Chitosan for Active Food Packaging ApplicationsPublication . Lago, M.A.; Sendón, R.; Rodríguez-Bernaldo de Quirós, A.; Sanches-Silva, A.; Costa, H.S.; Sánchez-Machado, D.I.; Soto Valdez, H.; Angulo, I.; Aurrekoetxea, G.P.; Torrieri, E.; López-Cervantes, J.; Paseiro, P.The aim of this paper was to characterize chitosan samples from the shrimp shells for the later development of antimicrobial active systems. These systems include 100 % chitosan-based films obtained by casting, polyamide films with 5 and 10 % of chitosan obtained by extrusion and polyethylene/polyethylene terephthalate films with a coating of 0.6 % of chitosan. For that purpose, several analytical techniques including IR, 1H NMR, GPC, and microscopic techniques (scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy) were used. Within the studied samples, C1 showed the lowest DA and MW and consequently presented the most suitable properties for the development of an active packaging. Additionally, mechanical properties were performed. The effectiveness of the developed systems was evaluated by means of microbiological assays. The tested films showed antimicrobial capacity against coliform enterobacteria, mesophilic aerobic microorganism, and yeast and moulds.