Browsing by Issue Date, starting with "2020-06-17"
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- Iron deficiency anaemia among 6-to-36-month children from northern AngolaPublication . Fançony, Cláudia; Soares, Ânia; Lavinha, João; Barros, Henrique; Brito, MiguelBackground: Angola is one of the southern African countries with the highest prevalence of anaemia. Identifying anaemia determinants is an important step for the design of evidence-based control strategies. In this study, we aim at documenting the factors associated with Iron Deficiency Anaemia (IDA) in 948 children recruited at the Health Research Center of Angola study area during 2015. Methods: Data on demographic, socio-economic and parental practices regarding water, sanitation, hygiene, malaria infection and infant and young child feeding were collected, as well as parasitological, biochemical and molecular data. Total and age-stratified multivariate multinomial regression models were fitted to estimate the magnitude of associations between anaemia and its determinants. Results: Anaemia was found in 44.4% of children, of which 46.0% had IDA. Overall, regression models associated IDA with age, gender and inflammation and non-IDA with age, zinc deficiency and overload, P. falciparum infection, sickle cell trait/anaemia. Among 6-to-23-month-old children IDA was associated with continued breastfeeding and among 24-to-36-month-old children IDA was associated with stunting. Furthermore, zinc deficiency was associated with non-IDA among both age groups children. Inflammation was associated with IDA and non-IDA in either 6-to-23 and 24-to-36 months old children. Conclusion: The main variables associated with IDA and non-IDA within this geographic setting were commonly reported in Africa, but not specifically associated with anaemia. Additionally, the associations of anaemia with inflammation, zinc deficiency and infections could be suggesting the occurrence of nutritional immunity and should be further investigated. In age groups, zinc overload was observed to protect under 6 months children from Non-IDA, while continued breastfeeding was associated with increased IDA prevalence in 6-to-23 months children, and stunting was suggested to increase the odds of IDA in 24-to-36 month children. This site-specific aetiology profile provides an essential first set of evidences able to inform the planification of preventive and corrective actions/programs. Nevertheless, regional and country representative data is needed.
- What about the host? A possible answer using iPSCsPublication . Duarte, Ana Joana; Ribeiro, Diogo; Amaral, OlgaPresently, society and science are reinventing themselves. In the past few years, through an externally financed project (FCT grant PTDC/BIM-MEC/4762/2014), a new line of work emerged in our department of human genetics. The use of iPSCs became a long term objective with the collaboration of PhD students, grantees and others. Efforts were carried out to generate differentiated cells from Gaucher (Duarte et al., 2019) and Fabry disease (Duarte et al., 2020). The aim of this line of work was to establish cell models for the study of Lysosomal Storage Disorders (LSDs). Cell models are one of the best applications of iPSCs as they can be an alternative to animal models while bearing the donor’s genetic background. However, their use in the study of pathogenesis of rare diseases is also complemented by their use in toxicity studies, regenerative medicine and even clinical trials. Considering the present need for reinvention, it is easy to see that once the pandemic is under control there will be a multitude of aspects that will urge societal and scientific intervention. Focusing on the helpfulness of iPSCs, it is possible to envisage new projects of wider application, going beyond genetic disease studies, and being quickly applied to the study of infectious diseases, cell-group susceptibility, individual susceptibility and hastening clinical trials. Using iPSCs to study the host’s response to infection will certainly become an important application of iPSCs.
- Collaborative study Brazil-Portugal: validation of HPV lyophilized samplesPublication . Menezes, Maria Elizabeth; Tourinho, Frederico; Abol Corrêa, José; Faria, Ana Paula; Cunha, MárioHPV is an important virus that is responsible for more than 99% of cancer in women. Preparation and validation of lyophilized samples to use as a control of molecular biology tests for HPV is very important. There are several techiniques to performer molecular test to detecte HPV however, it is necessary that their is a sample control whith can be used independent of methodology. Validation of lyophilized samples by different molecular techniques to have harmonized standards relies on consistent control.