Browsing by Issue Date, starting with "2020-09"
Now showing 1 - 10 of 58
Results Per Page
Sort Options
- Risk-benefit assessment of cereal-based foods: a case study under RiskBenefit4EU projectPublication . Martins, Carla; Boué, Géraldine; Alvito, Paula; Brazão, Roberto; Carmona, Paulo; Carvalho, C.; Correia, D.; Fernandes, Paulo; Lopes, C.; Membré, Jeanne-Marie; Monteiro, Sarogini; Nabais, P.; Thomsen, Sofie T.; Torres, D.; Pires, S.; Jakobsen, Lea S.; Assunção, RicardoCereal-based foods, including breakfast cereals (BC) and infant cereals (IC), are among the first solid foods introduced in infants’ diets. BC and IC are sources of nutrients that have beneficial effects on health. However, they can also be a source of potentially harmful chemical or microbiological contaminants, or of nutrients that at high consumption levels may lead to adverse health effects. Young children have a less varied diet and consume food in amounts that are higher relative to their body weight, if compared to adults. Therefore, the potential health risk of contaminants in foods consumed by young children is likewise higher. The aim of this study was to assess the risks and benefits associated with the consumption of BC and IC in children below 35 months of age in Portugal. The health effects associated with the presence of aflatoxins, Bacillus cereus, sodium and free sugars were weighted against the health benefits of the intake of fiber. A risk-benefit assessment approach was applied and the impact on health of a modification in consumption of BC and IC from the current consumption to various alternative scenarios was quantified in terms of disability-adjusted life years. Results showed that moving from the current consumption to the considered alternative scenarios could result in a gain of healthy-life years. The Portuguese children could benefit from exclusive BC consumption if the products consumed have an adequate nutritional profile in terms of fiber, sodium and free sugars and levels of aflatoxins reduced as much as possible.
- Aplicação das metas da EIPAS em produtos de padaria e pastelariaPublication . Rodrigues, H.I.; Costa, H.S.; Silva, M.A.; Oliveira, M.B.P.P.; Albuquerque, T.G.Introdução: A implementação e adoção de hábitos alimentares saudáveis é apontada como uma medida com um papel protetor e preventivo da saúde dos indivíduos. No entanto, apesar de já existirem diversos programas neste sentido, é necessário continuar a desenvolver esforços para serem fornecidas opções alimentares mais saudáveis. É preciso continuar a promover a educação alimentar dos consumidores, sobretudo no ato da compra, de forma a garantir escolhas alimentares conscientes e informadas. Objetivos: Avaliar a conformidade e adequação nutricional de produtos de padaria e pastelaria, relativamente aos teores de açúcares e sal, de acordo com a informação contida nos rótulos, considerando as metas estabelecidas na Estratégia Integrada para a Promoção da Alimentação Saudável (EIPAS). Métodos: Foram recolhidas as informações nutricionais de 163 produtos de padaria e pastelaria a partir de plataformas de venda online. Estes foram divididos em 7 categorias (croissants, pães de leite, donuts, napolitanas, travesseiros, brownies, tortas, muffins/madalenas) e para a avaliação da qualidade nutricional foram selecionados os valores declarados dos teores de açúcares e sal. A avaliação da adequação nutricional foi realizada através das metas definidas pela EIPAS. Resultados: Relativamente ao teor de açúcares, 99% dos produtos (n=161) tem um valor superior a 5 g de açúcares, sendo a média dos valores 28,9 g/100 g. Em relação ao sal, apenas 8% (n=13) tem um valor inferior relativamente à meta definida (0,3 g/100 g). O grupo dos pães de leite com e sem recheio é o que mais contribui para estes valores. Conclusões: Os géneros alimentícios analisados apresentam teores elevados de açúcares e sal, evidenciando assim a importância da definição de estratégias para reformulação destes alimentos de forma a obter-se uma redução gradual e efetiva dos teores destes nutrientes, e promover a Saúde Pública da população.
- Estrogen receptors in urogenital schistosomiasis and bladder cancer: Estrogen receptor alpha-mediated cell proliferationPublication . Bernardo, Carina; Santos, Júlio; Costa, Céu; Tavares, Ana; Amaro, Teresina; Marques, Igor; Gouveia, Maria João; Félix, Vítor; Afreixo, Vera; Brindley, Paul J.; Costa, José Manuel; Amado, Francisco; Helguero, Luisa; Santos, Lúcio L.Estrogen-like metabolites have been identified in S. haematobium, the helminth parasite that causes urogenital schistosomiasis (UGS) and in patients´ blood and urine during UGS. Estrogen receptor (ER) activation is enriched in the luminal molecular subtype bladder cancer (BlaCa). To date, the significance of ER to these diseases remains elusive. We evaluated ERα and ERβ expression in UGS-related BlaCa (n = 27), UGS-related non-malignant lesions (n = 35), and noninfected BlaCa (n = 80). We investigated the potential of ERα to recognize S. haematobium-derived metabolites by docking and molecular dynamics simulations and studied ERα modulation in vitro using 3 BlaCa cell lines, T24, 5637 and HT1376. ERα was expressed in tumor and stromal cells in approximately 20% noninfected cases and in 30% of UGS-related BlaCa, predominantly in the epithelial cells. Overall, ERα expression was associated with features of tumor aggressiveness such as high proliferation and p53 positive expression. ERα expression correlated with presence of schistosome eggs. ERβ was widely expressed in both cohorts but weaker in UGS-related cases. molecular dynamics simulations of the 4 most abundant S. haematobium-derived metabolites revealed that smaller metabolites have comparable affinity for the ERα active state than 17β-estradiol, while the larger metabolites present higher affinity. Our in vitro findings suggested that ERα activation promotes proliferation in ERα expressing BlaCa cells and that this can be reverted with anti-estrogenic therapy. In summary, we report differential ER expression between UGS-related BlaCa and noninfected BlaCa and provide evidence supporting a role of active ERα during UGS and UGS-induced carcinogenesis.
- Descriptive analyse of a case control study in Portugal: identify to preventPublication . Braz, Paula; Machado, Ausenda; Santos, Joana; Lacerda, Catarina; Didellet, Cistina; Dias, Carlos Matias; Barreiro Hospital Working GroupBackground: Prenatal exposure to environmental risk factors are one of the known causes of congenital anomalies (CA). In 2015, a cluster of anorectal anomalies, a rare malformation, in Setúbal district raised interest in researchers. The aim of study was to assess the impact of prenatal exposure of the mothers on the occurrence of CA in the offspring. Methods: A Case-control study (1:2) was implemented between 2016-2019. Newborns with CA (cases) and newborns without CA (controls) are identified and recruited. Parents were personally interviewed by a health professional using a standardized questionnaire. A descriptive analyses was performed and cases and controls were described based on maternal residence during pregnancy. Chi-square test was used to compare cases and controls. Results: 97 cases and 194 controls were identified. There was a male predominance in the case group (60 vs. 34) and no difference in gestational age between case and control groups. The mean birth weight was similar (3115g in cases vs. 3221g in controls). There was no difference related to mean mother's age nor the presence of maternal chronic disease. Smoking had more expression in the case group (21,2% vs. 16,3%). Moita (37,8%) is the municipality with higher frequency of cases. Musculoskeletal anomalies were the most frequent (35.4%), followed by genital (22.2%) and other anomalies (11%). During the study period, five cases with anorectal anomalies were reported, 4 of them born at 2016 and in 3 the mothers residence place was Moita. Conclusions: In this study, the high proportion of cases from Moita suggests a possible environmental exposure to a teratogenic agent. Also smoking during pregnancy could be a high risk to anorectal anomalies, as suggested in other studies. More investment in public health measures could protect population from harmful environments.
- 1º Simpósio Nacional “Exposição precoce a Micotoxinas e o seu impacto na saúde”: livro de resumosPublication . Assunção, Ricardo; Martins, Carla; Serrano, D.; Ferreira, M.; Amador, P.; Alvito, PaulaO mundo está em constante mudança e as alterações sociais e climáticas afetam desproporcionalmente as populações mais vulneráveis, como as crianças e as mulheres grávidas. A exposição a contaminantes nos primeiros 1000 dias de vida tem sido associada a alterações de saúde, constituindo um domínio emergente de pesquisa. O significado dos primeiros 1000 dias de vida, que inclui o momento desde a conceção aos dois anos de vida da criança, é muito importante já que se trata de um período de desenvolvimento e crescimento. O que acontece durante este período é fundamental na saúde do lactente e criança, não só a curto prazo, mas também a longo prazo para a saúde do futuro adulto, afetando o seu desenvolvimento imunitário, metabólico e microbiológico. Os avanços na investigação têm demonstrado que a exposição a determinados compostos durante a vida pré-natal ou pós-natal poderá estar associada ao desenvolvimento de doenças (e.g. asma, leucemia, obesidade, doença cardiovascular, cancro, doenças neurológicas). Neste sentido, e porque o Instituto Nacional de Saúde Doutor Ricardo Jorge tem como objetivo promover a realização de ações de divulgação da cultura científica, numa perspetiva de saúde, realiza-se no dia 25 de setembro, no anfiteatro do INSA, o 1º simpósio dedicado à exposição precoce a contaminantes e seu impacto na saúde humana. O evento é realizado no âmbito do projeto “earlyMYCO – Exposição precoce a MICOtoxinas e o seu impacto na saúde” (PTDC/MED-TOX/28762/2017), financiado pela Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia (FCT), e visa promover o diálogo e interação entre participantes que desenvolvam estudos sobre a exposição precoce a contaminantes através da alimentação ou ambiente, contribuindo assim para conhecer melhor a realidade nacional neste domínio. Espera-se, pois, que este simpósio constitua uma oportunidade para abordar e discutir o tema da exposição precoce a contaminantes através dos alimentos e o impacto que poderá ter na saúde humana, assim como promover novas ideias e contactos com vista à promoção da saúde materno-infantil em Portugal.
- O Modelo de Perfil Nutricional da DGS: um estudo em cereais de pequeno-almoçoPublication . Matias, Filipa; Santos, Mariana; Castanheira, IsabelIntrodução: A preocupação com a influência da publicidade nas escolhas alimentares das crianças não é recente. Portugal identificou a restrição da publicidade alimentar dirigida a crianças como uma das áreas de intervenção prioritárias para a promoção de hábitos alimentares saudáveis e para a redução da prevalência da obesidade infantil. Objetivos: Avaliar a qualidade nutricional de cereais de pequeno-almoço, através da aplicação dos critérios nutricionais definidos pelo modelo de perfil nutricional (MPN) da Direção-Geral de Saúde (DGS), e identificar os que são “aptos” e “não aptos” à publicidade alimentar. Métodos: O MPN da DGS foi aplicado a uma base de dados com informação nutricional relativa a 217 cereais de pequeno-almoço que foram divididos em 2 categorias: Cereais infantis (n=69) e Cereais não infantis (n=148). Este estudo avalia o cumprimento dos requisitos estabelecidos pelo MPN e classifica os cereais em função da sua adequabilidade à publicidade infantil. Resultados: O critério nutricional com maior incumprimento, para as duas categorias de cereais, é o teor de açúcares totais (Cereais infantis = 87,0%; Cereais não infantis = 70,9%). O teor de ácidos gordos saturados, na categoria dos Cereais não infantis, também é responsável por uma elevada percentagem de incumprimento (52,7%). Dos 217 cereais avaliados, 88,4% (Cereais infantis n= 61) e 83,1% (Cereais não infantis n= 123) não são adequados à publicidade infantil. Conclusão: Um elevado número de cereais de pequeno-almoço não cumpre os critérios definidos pelo modelo desenvolvido pela DGS, o que reforça a importância da avaliação do perfil nutricional dos alimentos destinados à publicidade infantil. Desenvolvido no âmbito das restrições à publicidade alimentar dirigida a menores de 16 anos, introduzidas pela Lei nº 30/2019 de 23 de Abril de 2019, este MPN é uma ferramenta valiosa para a implementação de políticas necessárias à promoção e comercialização de alimentos mais saudáveis.
- Fifteen years of a nationwide culture collection of Neisseria gonorrhoeae antimicrobial resistance in PortugalPublication . Pinto, Miguel; Rodrigues, João Carlos; Matias, Rui; Água-Doce, Ivone; Cordeiro, Dora; Correia, Cristina; Gomes, João Paulo; Borrego, Maria José; PTGonoNetNeisseria gonorrhoeae antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and gonorrhea disease burden remain major public health concerns worldwide. To contribute to the supranational demands to monitor and manage the spread of antimicrobial-resistant N. gonorrhoeae, the Portuguese NIH promoted the creation of the National Laboratory Network for Neisseria gonorrhoeae Collection (PTGonoNet). The present study reports the N. gonorrhoeae major AMR trends observed from 2003 up to 2018. All isolates described in the present study constitute the opportunistic ongoing N. gonorrhoeae isolate collection supported by the National Reference Laboratory for Sexually Transmitted Infections of the Portuguese NIH, enrolling strains isolated in 35 different public and private laboratories. Minimum inhibitory concentrations were determined using E-tests for azithromycin, benzylpenicillin, cefixime, ceftriaxone, ciprofloxacin, gentamicin, spectinomycin and tetracycline. Molecular typing was determined using NG-MAST. AMR data of 2596 country-spread isolates show that 87.67% of all N. gonorrhoeae isolates presented decreased susceptibility to at least one antimicrobial. A continuous decreased susceptibility and resistance to penicillin, tetracycline and ciprofloxacin can be observed along the years. However, no decreased susceptibility to cephalosporins was observed until 2018, while for azithromycin, this was always low. The most common observed NG-MAST genogroups were G1407, G7445, G225, G2, and G1034. This study evidences the advantages of a nationwide collection of isolates and of centralized AMR testing to respond to supranational (EURO-GASP) requirements while providing unprecedented data on AMR in the context of 15 years of surveillance.
- Apolipoprotein E isoforms and susceptibility to genetic generalized epilepsiesPublication . Chaves, João; Martins-Ferreira, Ricardo; Carvalho, Cláudia; Bettencourt, Andreia; Brás, Sandra; Chorão, Rui; Freitas, Joel; Samões, Raquel; Lopes, João; Ramalheira, João; Silva, Berta; Costa, Paulo; Martins Da Silva, António; Leal, BárbaraBackground: Apolipoprotein E (ApoE) is the main lipoprotein secreted in brain. It has a critical immunomodulatory function, influences neurotransmission and it is involved in repairing damaged neurons. ApoE e4 is an isoform of ApoE with altered function, and was previously associated with early onset epilepsy and refractoriness, both in animal models and in patients with focal epilepsies. There is a limited knowledge on ApoE’s role in Genetic Generalized Epilepsies (GGE). Aim: To determine if ApoE isoforms are risk factors for GGE development. Methods: A group of 337 GGE patients (193 F, 144 M, 33.6 ± 14.2 years) was compared with a group of 342 healthy individuals in a case-control genetic association study. ApoE genotyping was performed using PCR-RFLP. Results: The genotypic frequency of ApoE e3/e2 was lower in GGE patients relative to controls (6.5% in GGE vs. 11.7% in controls, p = 0.019, OR (95% CI) = 0.53 (0.305–0.905). No associations with other clinical data such as photosensitivity or age at disease onset were observed. Conclusion: Our results show that ApoE e3/e2 genotype may be a protective factor for GGE development. There is evidence that this genotype could be neuroprotective, preventing oxidative damage and promoting neuronal survival. Although replication studies are warranted, our data suggest that ApoE isoforms have a role in epileptogenic mechanisms regardless of the specific epileptic manifestations.
- Dealing with Histoplasma and Paracoccidioides in non-endemic areasPublication . Veríssimo, CristinaHistoplasma and Paracoccidiodes are both thermodimorphic fungi endemic in particular geographic areas. Paracoccidiomycosis is a systemic fungal disease occurring in Latin America and it is more prevalent in South America. Histoplasma is the infectious agent of histoplasmosis, a disease which is endemic mainly in the American continent but is now being discovered globally, but with hyperendemic areas. The epidemiology of these infections seems to be shifting. Factors such as human migration and tourism, use of immunosuppressive drugs, and organ transplantation contribute to the increase of this infectious disease. In non-endemic areas, the medical community is less aware of this type of infections, which may delay the diagnosis or even lead to a failure in its detection. These infections spread rarely, however they can be fatal if not treated. Since they are not notifiable diseases, the true burden outsider of endemic regions is not known. The diagnosis can be difficult: conventional laboratory tests include culture and histological methods which are the gold standard to diagnosis, but we deal with slow growing organisms, obtaining culture results can thus require a long time, and sensitivity is low. On the other hand, histology can be very sensitive if targeted fungal stains are used (Periodic acid–Schiff, Grocott methenamine silver) but requires practice with identification of typical structures. Despite the development of several molecular methods, these are not included as diagnostic tools for proven infections. This presentation aims to discuss new trends in the epidemiology of these endemic infections, to describe our experience in the methods used for laboratory diagnosis of histoplasmosis and paracoccidiomycosis, and to discuss how molecular methods have contributed to the diagnosis of the cases detected. Two clinical cases already published on the subject will be presented to illustrate the decisive role of the laboratory concerning the diagnosis of these infections.
- Amino acid profile of foods from the Portuguese Total Diet Pilot StudyPublication . Motta, Carla; Matos, Ana Sofia; Soares, Ana; Gonzales, Gerard Bryan; Castanheira, Isabel; Cabral, Izunildo; Tavares, Nelson; Nicolai, MarisaThe amino acid content of foods commonly consumed by specific populations is rarely measured systematically, especially if we take into account the different ways that foods are usually processed or cooked. The objective of this study is to evaluate the amino acid profile of the representative foods on the Portuguese diet, with a particular focus on indispensable amino acids. We also aim to assess the amino acid intake of the population and the most common sources of amino acids within the Portuguese diet. To achieve these goals, the amino acid intake of Portuguese adults was assessed combining data of food consumption with the food analysis data from samples collected according to the Total Diet Study methodologies. Results of the amino acid profiles of food groups typically consumed in Portugal are reported in this paper. We found that red meat consumption is the most common source of amino acids of the Portuguese population, followed by white meat and fish. The main contribution of individual portions to the recommended intakes of essential amino acids were: cheese, 88%; red meat, 83%; fatty fish, 81% and seitan with 74%. This data could be used to show alternative amino acid sources within commonly consumed foods.