| 1. |
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| 2. |
- Kehoe, Laura, et al.
(författare)
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Make EU trade with Brazil sustainable
- 2019
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Ingår i: Science. - : American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). - 0036-8075 .- 1095-9203. ; 364:6438, s. 341-
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Tidskriftsartikel (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)
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| 3. |
- Marto, João Pedro, et al.
(författare)
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Safety and Outcome of Revascularization Treatment in Patients With Acute Ischemic Stroke and COVID-19: The Global COVID-19 Stroke Registry.
- 2023
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Ingår i: Neurology. - 1526-632X. ; 100:7
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- COVID-19-related inflammation, endothelial dysfunction, and coagulopathy may increase the bleeding risk and lower the efficacy of revascularization treatments in patients with acute ischemic stroke (AIS). We aimed to evaluate the safety and outcomes of revascularization treatments in patients with AIS and COVID-19.This was a retrospective multicenter cohort study of consecutive patients with AIS receiving intravenous thrombolysis (IVT) and/or endovascular treatment (EVT) between March 2020 and June 2021 tested for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infection. With a doubly robust model combining propensity score weighting and multivariate regression, we studied the association of COVID-19 with intracranial bleeding complications and clinical outcomes. Subgroup analyses were performed according to treatment groups (IVT-only and EVT).Of a total of 15,128 included patients from 105 centers, 853 (5.6%) were diagnosed with COVID-19; of those, 5,848 (38.7%) patients received IVT-only and 9,280 (61.3%) EVT (with or without IVT). Patients with COVID-19 had a higher rate of symptomatic intracerebral hemorrhage (SICH) (adjusted OR 1.53; 95% CI 1.16-2.01), symptomatic subarachnoid hemorrhage (SSAH) (OR 1.80; 95% CI 1.20-2.69), SICH and/or SSAH combined (OR 1.56; 95% CI 1.23-1.99), 24-hour mortality (OR 2.47; 95% CI 1.58-3.86), and 3-month mortality (OR 1.88; 95% CI 1.52-2.33). Patients with COVID-19 also had an unfavorable shift in the distribution of the modified Rankin score at 3 months (OR 1.42; 95% CI 1.26-1.60).Patients with AIS and COVID-19 showed higher rates of intracranial bleeding complications and worse clinical outcomes after revascularization treatments than contemporaneous non-COVID-19 patients receiving treatment. Current available data do not allow direct conclusions to be drawn on the effectiveness of revascularization treatments in patients with COVID-19 or to establish different treatment recommendations in this subgroup of patients with ischemic stroke. Our findings can be taken into consideration for treatment decisions, patient monitoring, and establishing prognosis.The study was registered under ClinicalTrials.gov identifier NCT04895462.
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| 4. |
- Varela, Ricardo, et al.
(författare)
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Plasma Brain-Derived Tau in Prognosis of Large Vessel Occlusion Ischemic Stroke
- 2024
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Ingår i: STROKE. - 0039-2499 .- 1524-4628. ; 55:9, s. 2353-2358
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- BACKGROUND: Large vessel occlusion acute ischemic stroke prognosis improved following the 2015 endovascular therapy (EVT) trials. Blood-based biomarkers may improve outcome prediction. We aimed to assess plasma brain-derived tau (BD-Tau) performance in predicting post-EVT large vessel occlusion acute ischemic stroke outcomes. METHODS: We included 2 temporally independent prospective cohorts of anterior circulation in patients with large vessel occlusion acute ischemic stroke who successfully recanalized post-EVT. We measured plasma BD-Tau, GFAP (glial-fibrillary-acidic-protein), NfL (neurofilament-light-chain), and total-Tau upon admission, immediately, 24 hours, and 72 hours post-EVT. Twenty-four-hour neuroimaging and 90-day functional outcomes were independently assessed using the Alberta Stroke Program Early Computed Tomography Score (good outcome: >7 or unchanged) and the modified Rankin Scale (favorable outcome <3 or unchanged), respectively. Based on the first cohort (derivation), we built a multivariable logistic regression model to predict a 90-day functional outcome. Model results were evaluated using the second cohort (evaluation). RESULTS: In the derivation cohort (n=78, mean age=72.9 years, 50% women), 62% of patients had a good 24-hour neuroimaging outcome, and 45% had a favorable 90-day functional outcome. GFAP admission-to-EVT rate-of-change was the best predictor for early neuroimaging outcome but not for 90-day functional outcome. At admission, BD-Tau levels presented the highest discriminative performance for 90-day functional outcomes (area under the curve, 0.76 [95% CI, 0.65-0.87]; P<0.001). The model incorporating age, admission BD-Tau, and 24-hour Alberta Stroke Program Early Computed Tomography Score achieved excellent discrimination of 90-day functional outcome (area under the curve, 0.89 [95% CI, 0.82-0.97]; P<0.001). The score's predictive performance was maintained in the evaluation cohort (n=66; area under the curve, 0.82 [95% CI, 0.71-0.92]; P<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Admission plasma BD-Tau accurately predicted 90-day functional outcomes in patients with large vessel occlusion acute ischemic stroke after successful EVT. The proposed model may predict functional outcomes using objective measures, minimizing human-related biases and serving as a simplified prognostic tool for AIS.
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| 5. |
- Abreu, Barbara, et al.
(författare)
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Gemini surfactants as efficient dispersants of multiwalled carbon nanotubes : Interplay of molecular parameters on nanotube dispersibility and debundling
- 2019
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Ingår i: Journal of Colloid and Interface Science. - : ACADEMIC PRESS INC ELSEVIER SCIENCE. - 0021-9797 .- 1095-7103. ; 547, s. 69-77
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Surfactants have been widely employed to debundle, disperse and stabilize carbon nanotubes in aqueous solvents. Yet, a thorough understanding of the dispersing mechanisms at molecular level is still warranted. Herein, we investigated the influence of the molecular structure of gemini surfactants on the dispersibility of multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs). We used dicationic n-s-n gemini surfactants, varying n and s, the number of alkyl tail and alkyl spacer carbons, respectively; for comparisons, single-tailed surfactant homologues were also studied. Detailed curves of dispersed MWNT concentration vs. surfactant concentration were obtained through a stringently controlled experimental procedure, allowing for molecular insight. The gemini are found to be much more efficient dispersants than their single-tailed homologues, i.e. lower surfactant concentration is needed to attain the maximum dispersed MWNT concentration. In general, the spacer length has a comparatively higher influence on the dispersing efficiency than the tail length. Further, scanning electron microscopy imaging shows a sizeable degree of MWNT debundling by the gemini surfactants in the obtained dispersions. Our observations also point to an adsorption process that does not entail the formation of micelle-like aggregates on the nanotube surface, but rather coverage by individual molecules, among which the ones that seem to be able to adapt best to the nanotube surface provide the highest efficiency. These studies are relevant for the rational design and choice of optimal dispersants for carbon nanomaterials and other similarly water-insoluble materials.
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| 6. |
- Becheleni, Emily Mayer Andrade, et al.
(författare)
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Removal of mineral scaling precursors from electrodialysis concentrate by alkaline precipitation
- 2023
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Ingår i: International Journal of Environment and Waste Management. - : Inderscience Publishers. - 1478-9876 .- 1478-9868. ; 31:1, s. 19-41
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Evaporative crystallisation has been used to recover water for industrial reuse but it presents serious problems related to incrustation. In this perspective, alkaline precipitation is studied in the present work, aiming to remove scale-forming salts prior to evaporative crystallisation of a reverse electrodialysis concentrate (EDC). The concentration of inorganic species in the feed and filtrate streams were determined by ICP-OES. The total organic carbon and inorganic carbon were analysed by thermo-catalytic oxidation with high temperature to assess the removal of organic compounds from EDC. The software PHREEQC was used to model the systems and a comparison with experimental results confirmed the credibility of the experiments. The technique proved to be a favourable method for removal of almost 100% of Ca and Mg by adding 0.04 wt. % of caustic soda. Furthermore, this would improve the downstream evaporative crystallisation efficiency due to reduced incrustation potential.
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| 7. |
- Carneiro de Freitas, Rui, et al.
(författare)
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Prevalence of Visual Impairment in Portugal : study design and initial results
- 2015
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Ingår i: Investigative Ophthalmology and Visual Science. - 0146-0404 .- 1552-5783. ; 56:7
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Purpose Information about the prevalence of visual impairment is fundamental to define policies that deal with vision loss. The aim of this study is to determine the prevalence of visual impairment (VI) in the population looking for eye care in public hospitals in Portugal.Methods We designed an observation, cross-sectional prospective study (Prevalence and Costs of Visual Impairment in Portugal: PC-VIP study) to investigate the prevalence of VI in patients attending outpatient appointments in four public hospitals in Portugal. Hospital selected provide from general eye care (3-6 ophthalmologists) to high-specialized eye care (40+ ophthalmologists) that in total have between 120-140K hospital appointments per year. Files of patients are analysed weekly to detect patients with VI. Inclusion criteria were: visual acuity equal or worse than 0.5 (USA definition 20/40) in the better eye and/or a visual field of less than 20deg. Cases are selected by trained hospital staff and inserted in a database. Data collected included demographic information, acuity from both eyes, qualitative information about visual field (good, reduced, requires investigation), main diagnosis, secondary diagnosis and comorbidities. Diagnoses were classified according with ICD9.Results We have now detected 2462 cases of VI that correspond to 4 to 33 weeks of data collection. The number of weeks is variable because collection did not start simultaneously in all sites. From the number of cases detected, 58% were female, 1.9% were under 20y, 8.2% were between 20y and 50y and 89.9% were ≥50y. The mean prevalence of visual impairment was 13.6% (SD=5.6) using the USA definition and it was 7.0%(SD=4.1) using the WHO definition (acuity equal or worse than 0.3 or ~20/63). With a methodology that controls for demographics the lowest and highest estimates were calculated. Considering the USA definition, the prevalence in the general population would be in the range 0.4 -0.4% (age<40y) and 0.8-2.4% (age>=40y). Considering WHO definition, it would be 0.2-0.5% (age<40y) and 0.4-1.0% (age>=40y).Conclusions A hospital-based study can provide effective estimates of the prevalence of visual impairment in a population. Estimates for the country are in agreement with the expected results that can be deducted from neighbour countries and self-reported visual impairment in census 2001.
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| 8. |
- Covey, Kristofer, et al.
(författare)
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Carbon and Beyond : The Biogeochemistry of Climate in a Rapidly Changing Amazon
- 2021
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Ingår i: Frontiers in Forests and Gobal Change. - : Frontiers Media S.A.. - 2624-893X. ; 4
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Forskningsöversikt (refereegranskat)abstract
- The Amazon Basin is at the center of an intensifying discourse about deforestation, land-use, and global change. To date, climate research in the Basin has overwhelmingly focused on the cycling and storage of carbon (C) and its implications for global climate. Missing, however, is a more comprehensive consideration of other significant biophysical climate feedbacks [i.e., CH4, N2O, black carbon, biogenic volatile organic compounds (BV0Cs), aerosols, evapotranspiration, and albedo] and their dynamic responses to both localized (fire, land-use change, infrastructure development, and storms) and global (warming, drying, and some related to El Nino or to warming in the tropical Atlantic) changes. Here, we synthesize the current understanding of (1) sources and fluxes of all major forcing agents, (2) the demonstrated or expected impact of global and local changes on each agent, and (3) the nature, extent, and drivers of anthropogenic change in the Basin. We highlight the large uncertainty in flux magnitude and responses, and their corresponding direct and indirect effects on the regional and global climate system. Despite uncertainty in their responses to change, we conclude that current warming from non-CO2 agents (especially CH4 and N2O) in the Amazon Basin largely offsets- and most likely exceeds-the climate service provided by atmospheric CO2 uptake. We also find that the majority of anthropogenic impacts act to increase the radiative forcing potential of the Basin. Given the large contribution of less-recognized agents (e.g., Amazonian trees alone emit similar to 3.5% of all global CH4), a continuing focus on a single metric (i.e., C uptake and storage) is incompatible with genuine efforts to understand and manage the biogeochemistry of climate in a rapidly changing Amazon Basin.
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| 9. |
- de Oliveira, Juan Campos, et al.
(författare)
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Bacteria isolated from Aedes aegypti with potential vector control applications
- 2024
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Ingår i: Journal of Invertebrate Pathology. - : Elsevier. - 0022-2011 .- 1096-0805. ; 204
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Highly anthropophilic and adapted to urban environments, Aedes aegypti mosquitoes are the main vectors of arboviruses that cause human diseases such as dengue, zika, and chikungunya fever, especially in countries with tropical and subtropical climates. Microorganisms with mosquitocidal and larvicidal activities have been suggested as environmentally safe alternatives to chemical or mechanical mosquito control methods. Here, we analyzed cultivable bacteria isolated from all stages of the mosquito life cycle for their larvicidal activity against Ae. aegypti . A total of 424 bacterial strains isolated from eggs, larvae, pupae, or adult Ae. aegypti were analyzed for the pathogenic potential of their crude cultures against larvae of this same mosquito species. Nine strains displayed larvicidal activity comparable to the strain AM65-52, reisolated from commercial BTi-based product VectoBac (R) WG. 16S rRNA gene sequencing revealed that the set of larvicidal strains contains two representatives of the genus Bacillus , five Enterobacter , and two Stenotrophomonas . This study demonstrates that some bacteria isolated from Ae. aegypti are pathogenic for the mosquito from which they were isolated. The data are promising for developing novel bioinsecticides for the control of these medically important mosquitoes.
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| 10. |
- Downey, Harriet, et al.
(författare)
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Training future generations to deliver evidence-based conservation and ecosystem management
- 2021
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Ingår i: Ecological Solutions and Evidence. - : Wiley. - 2688-8319. ; 2:1
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Forskningsöversikt (refereegranskat)abstract
- 1. To be effective, the next generation of conservation practitioners and managers need to be critical thinkers with a deep understanding of how to make evidence-based decisions and of the value of evidence synthesis.2. If, as educators, we do not make these priorities a core part of what we teach, we are failing to prepare our students to make an effective contribution to conservation practice.3. To help overcome this problem we have created open access online teaching materials in multiple languages that are stored in Applied Ecology Resources. So far, 117 educators from 23 countries have acknowledged the importance of this and are already teaching or about to teach skills in appraising or using evidence in conservation decision-making. This includes 145 undergraduate, postgraduate or professional development courses.4. We call for wider teaching of the tools and skills that facilitate evidence-based conservation and also suggest that providing online teaching materials in multiple languages could be beneficial for improving global understanding of other subject areas.
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