Cities, due to the presence of ports and airports and the high diversity of trees in streets, par... more Cities, due to the presence of ports and airports and the high diversity of trees in streets, parks, and gardens, may play an important role for the introduction of invasive forest pests. We hypothesize that areas of urban forest facilitate the establishment of non-native forest pests. Based on scientific literature and a pan-European database on non-native species feeding on woody plants, we analysed where the first detections occurred in European countries. We collected site data for 137 first detections in Europe and 508 first European country-specific records. We also estimated the percentage of tree cover and suitable habitat (green areas with trees) in buffers around detection points. The large majority of first records (89% for first record in Europe and 88% for first records in a European country) were found in cities or suburban areas. Only 7% of the cases were in forests far from cities. The probability of occurrence decreased sharply with distance from the city. The probability to be detected in urban areas was higher for sap feeders, gall makers, and seed or fruit feeders (>90%) than for bark and wood borers (81%). Detection sites in cities were highly diverse, including public parks, street trees, university campus, arboreta, zoos, and botanical gardens. The average proportion of suitable habitat was less than 10% in urban areas where the species were detected. Further, more than 72% of the cases occurred in sites with less than 20% of tree cover. Hotspots of first detection were identified along the coastal regions of the Mediterranean and Atlantic, and near industrial areas of central Europe. We conclude that urban trees are main facilitators for the establishment of non-native forest pests, and that cities should thus be intensely surveyed. Moreover, as urban areas are highly populated, the involvement of citizens is highly recommended.
This paper aims to analyze the contribution of mean diffusivity (MD), axial diffusivity (AD), and... more This paper aims to analyze the contribution of mean diffusivity (MD), axial diffusivity (AD), and radial diffusivity (RD) in the detection of microstructural abnormalities in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and to evaluate the degree of agreement between structural and functional changes through concomitant diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), and clinical assessment. Fourteen patients with ALS and 11 healthy, age- and gender-matched controls were included. All participants underwent magnetic resonance imaging including DTI. TMS was additionally performed in ALS patients. Differences in the distribution of DTI-derived measures were assessed using tract-based spatial statistical (TBSS) and volume of interest (VOI) analyses. Correlations between clinical, imaging, and neurophysiological findings were also assessed through TBSS. ALS patients showed a significant increase in AD and MD involving the corticospinal tract (CST) and the pre-frontal whi...
The short article attempts to make some very brief reflections on the effects a lack of public po... more The short article attempts to make some very brief reflections on the effects a lack of public policies positively discriminatory in terms of public employment retirement. In particular, the observation of the absurd contradiction between the average age of retirement at the time of death (for men and women) and the average pension time for men and women in public employment in Portugal.
The legal regime applicable to the post-public employment situations states that the individuals ... more The legal regime applicable to the post-public employment situations states that the individuals who have held political positions, elected or appointed, cannot exercise, for a period of three years, from the end of their appointments or election, futures position that could possibly collide with the regime of incompatibilities, in particular, which may cause a conflict of interest . This article intends to make a synopsis and also make some reflections about the state of the art in such systems.
Climate change is on the agenda of many world leaders and policy makers, and its containment is o... more Climate change is on the agenda of many world leaders and policy makers, and its containment is of exceptional importance. Within this frame, ambitious environmental targets have been established by the European Union, including the reduction in greenhouse gases emissions by 80-95% until 2050. To do so, energy systems will require a large share of renewable energies, particularly solar photovoltaic power, since it appears to have the greatest potential for decarbonized electricity generation. However, relying on such renewable energy sources is expected to generate a mismatch between production and consumption, namely considerable excess solar electricity during day time. This excess power may be conveniently used to power electric mobility, taking advantage of the battery capacity of the electric vehicles acting as distributed controllable storage. In this thesis, based on 2050 scenarios for the case study of Portugal, the synergy between photovoltaics and electric vehicles is explored, determining the minimum penetration levels that allow fulfilling the climate and energy targets. It is analyzed the extent to which photovoltaic energy can further transport electrification integration, and vice-versa. The technical impacts on the electricity system are determined quantitatively, as well as the required penetration of one technology that enables the deployment of the other. Model results show that CO2 emissions targets can only be achieved with high levels of photovoltaics and electric vehicles, reinforcing the need for day time charging infrastructures, presumably at or near work facilities. It is shown that a 100% renewable energy based electricity supply is possible for certain combinations of these technologies and that the environmental targets to reduce CO2 emissions can only be reached with at least 40% of electric vehicles market share. The present thesis contributes to the literature on integration of high levels of renewable energy sources on the electric grid and on interactions between renewable energy and electric vehicles deployment.
Estarão diferentes as pneumonias agudas adquiridas na comunidade com internamento hospitalar em i... more Estarão diferentes as pneumonias agudas adquiridas na comunidade com internamento hospitalar em idade pediátrica na última década?
Avaliar a exposição dos internos de Urologia portugueses (IP) à laparoscopia urológica e aos seus... more Avaliar a exposição dos internos de Urologia portugueses (IP) à laparoscopia urológica e aos seus métodos de treino, em comparação com os internos dos restantes países europeus (IE). Material e métodos: Elaborámos um inquérito de 23 questões relativas ao treino em laparoscopia, publicado online e distribuído no 27º Congresso da European Association of Urology, 2012. Realizámos análise estatística descritiva, e com testes t de Student, Mann-Whitney e χ 2. Resultados: Obtivemos 219 respostas válidas, dos quais 53 (24,2%) de IP. A laparoscopia convencional está disponível de forma equivalente para ambos os grupos (78,8% dos IP vs 72,0% dos IE, p = NS), tendo os IP mais acesso à laparoscopia de porta única (22,6% vs 8,4%, p < 0,05), mas menos exposição à laparoscopia assistida por robot (0% vs 21,9%, p < 0,01) nos serviços de formação. Realizavam laparoscopia convencional como primeiro cirurgião 32,7% dos IP vs 24,8% dos IE (p = NS). A intervenção mais frequente em ambos os grupos é a nefrectomia total (38,4% dos IP e 28,8% dos IE, p = NS). A maioria, em ambos os grupos, classifi cava a sua experiência laparoscópica no momento do inquérito como "Fraca" ou inferior (81,9% dos IP e 75,5% dos IE, p = NS). Contudo, até ao fi nal do internato, os IP esperavam evoluir mais (p = 0,01). Nunca realizaram curso ou estágio em laparoscopia 35,7% dos IP e 41,7% dos IE (p = NS), mas os IP registam maior frequência de cursos de laparoscopia nacionais. O "Pelvitrainer" é o método de treino em laboratório mais frequente (30,2% dos IP e 33,3% dos IE, p = NS), mas 41,9% dos IP e 42,4% dos IE (p = NS) não têm acesso a qualquer dispositivo de treino laparoscópico. A maioria (84,1% dos IP e 74,4% dos IE, p = NS) têm motivação "Elevada" ou "Muito Elevada" para realizar laparoscopia no futuro, e pretendem fazer uma fellowship pós-internato nesta área. Conclusões: Os IP têm um nível de acesso à laparoscopia convencional semelhante aos IE, participando activamente nesta técnica. Uma parte signifi cativa tem experiência como cirurgião. Apesar da relativa escassez de dispositivos de treino, comum a ambos os grupos, os IP participam em mais cursos nacionais de laparoscopia, e têm melhores perspectivas de evolução nesta área durante o internato.
Earlier this year a new influenza virus emerged. In children, the clinical manifestations of H1N1... more Earlier this year a new influenza virus emerged. In children, the clinical manifestations of H1N1 infection are similar to those reported during periods of seasonal influenza. We report on a 3-month-old boy with an upper respiratory tract infection who presented enteropathy, coagulopathy and encephalitis related to H1N1. The infection was confirmed in nasopharyngeal aspirate, stools and cerebrospinal fluid by real-time PCR. Treatment with oseltamivir was started.
Revista Portuguesa de Pneumologia (English Edition), 2010
Resumo Nos últimos anos tem sido descrita, no mundo ocidental, uma redução da incidência da pneum... more Resumo Nos últimos anos tem sido descrita, no mundo ocidental, uma redução da incidência da pneumonia aguda da comunidade (PAC) nas crianças, parodoxalmente associada a maior gravidade dos casos internados. O presente estudo pretendeu caracterizar os casos de PAC internados e compará-los com um estudo anterior a 2001. Recolhemos dados referentes a 63 internamentos, durante seis meses. Houve predomínio do grupo dos 0-2 anos. Na radiografia torácica, em 58 casos (92,1%) detectou-se condensação/atelectasia e em 17 (27,0%
O impacto da introdução de impostos proporcionais nas receitas fiscais e performance económica-as... more O impacto da introdução de impostos proporcionais nas receitas fiscais e performance económica-as experiências de novos estados membros da ue27
This paper introduces a method for representing, communicating and fusing distributed, noisy and ... more This paper introduces a method for representing, communicating and fusing distributed, noisy and uncertain observations of objects by multiple robots. The approach relies on re-parameterization of two-dimensional Gaussian distri- butions that are used to represent the positions of all players and the ball. The approach enables two or more observers to achieve greater eective sensor coverage of the environment and improved accuracy in object position estimation. We demonstrate empirically that, using this approach, more observers achieve more accurate object position estimates. Two dierent procedures for merging Gaussian distributions were implemented and tested in the RoboCup Soccer Server, a simulated environment for robotic soccer. We also present the first results obtained with middle-size league robots.
This article addresses the ideologies developed by Portuguese music journalists towards Portugues... more This article addresses the ideologies developed by Portuguese music journalists towards Portuguese music in the context of the global crisis in the record industry. Music journalists who were once seen as the good Samaritans in coverage of the national repertoire have to reconcile their duty to cover the national acts with the pressures of a global music industry represented by the multinational record companies. Gathering information from interviews conducted between 2001 and 2003, I trace the perceptions of music journalists on coverage of the national repertoire in a period in which a global crisis in the music sector became noticeable and low airplay of Portuguese music became a matter of concern for agents within the local industry. Two approaches emerge from such a context, one more proactive towards coverage of Portuguese music, the other less interested in allowing the influence of the origin filter to determine the journalists' agenda. I conclude that in these two appro...
Avaliar a associação entre carcinoma da próstata (CaP) e agressividade tumoral com os níveis sang... more Avaliar a associação entre carcinoma da próstata (CaP) e agressividade tumoral com os níveis sanguíneos de testosterona total (TT), livre (TL) e da globulina transportadora de hormonas sexuais (SHBG). Analisámos prospectivamente 127 doentes submetidos a biópsias prostáticas ecoguiadas, no Serviço de Urologia e Transplantação Renal dos Hospitais da Universidade de Coimbra (HUC), entre 15 de Setembro de 2008 e 31 de Março de 2009. Na manhã da biópsia colheu-se sangue para TT, TL e SHBG. A idade média dos doentes foi de 67,33 ± 7,54 anos e os valores médios de TT, TL e SHBG foram, respectivamente, de 3,55 ng/ml ± 1,42; 5,32 ng/ml ± 2,36; 31,04 nmol/L ± 12,44. O resultado histológico foi: Hiperplasia Benigna da Próstata (HBP) em 27%, CaP em 51,6%, lesões de PIN em 12,7%, prostatite em 6,3% e sem alterações anátomo-patológicas nos restantes 2,4%. Relativamente à associação entre TT e CaP não se observaram diferenças estatisticamente significativas, com valores de 3,43 ng/ml no grupo CaP e de 3,67 ng/ml no grupo HBP. O mesmo se constatou quando comparámos a relação entre SHBG e CaP, com valores de 31,04 nmol/L no grupo CaP e de 32,16 nmol/L no grupo HBP (p= n.s.). Quanto à associação entre TL e CaP, verificámos diferenças estatisticamente significativas, já que a média no grupo CaP foi de 5,02 ng/ml e no grupo HBP foi de 5,9 ng/ml (p=0,05). Comparando as mesmas variáveis com a agressividade tumoral (gleason 8 vs gleason 6), observámos diferenças estatisticamente significativas para os valores de TT (2,21 vs 4,02; p <0,001) e TL (3,24 vs 5,68; p =0,03), mas não par a SHBG (31,30 vs 33,81; p=n.s.).
Data about the effectiveness of high frequency oscillatory ventilation (HFOV) in children with re... more Data about the effectiveness of high frequency oscillatory ventilation (HFOV) in children with respiratory failure are limited. This study investigated the efficacy and prognostic factors of this treatment. Children between 2 months and 18 years of age who received HFOV between January 2000 and September 2006 in a tertiary care center were enrolled in this retrospective study. Thirty-six HFOV treatments were given to 33 patients (twice in one patient and three times in another patient) at a mean age of 5.4 +/- 5.0 years. HFOV was used as a rescue after conventional mechanical ventilation (CMV) for 4.4 +/- 4.2 days. The mean duration of HFOV was 7.6 +/- 7.9 days. The most common indication for HFOV was oxygenation failure, which was due to pneumonia with acute respiratory distress syndrome in 15 (45.5%), severe lobar pneumonia in nine (27.3%), pulmonary hemorrhage in eight (24.2%) and pneumothorax in one (3%). PaCO2 was significantly improved 4 hours after HFOV and the PaO2/FiO2 ratio increased significantly 12 hours later. The oxygenation index and alveolar-arterial oxygen difference P(A-a)O2, however, did not change markedly. Four (12%) patients needed further extracorporeal life support and two of these survived. The overall survival rate was 45.5%. Patients with heavier body weight (p less than 0.05) and of the male gender (p less than 0.05) had a higher risk of mortality. As a relatively late rescue therapy after failure of CMV, HFOV may improve PaCO2 and PaO2/FiO2 in children with respiratory failure. However, it carries an increased mortality rate in patients with heavier body weight and male gender.
Cities, due to the presence of ports and airports and the high diversity of trees in streets, par... more Cities, due to the presence of ports and airports and the high diversity of trees in streets, parks, and gardens, may play an important role for the introduction of invasive forest pests. We hypothesize that areas of urban forest facilitate the establishment of non-native forest pests. Based on scientific literature and a pan-European database on non-native species feeding on woody plants, we analysed where the first detections occurred in European countries. We collected site data for 137 first detections in Europe and 508 first European country-specific records. We also estimated the percentage of tree cover and suitable habitat (green areas with trees) in buffers around detection points. The large majority of first records (89% for first record in Europe and 88% for first records in a European country) were found in cities or suburban areas. Only 7% of the cases were in forests far from cities. The probability of occurrence decreased sharply with distance from the city. The probability to be detected in urban areas was higher for sap feeders, gall makers, and seed or fruit feeders (>90%) than for bark and wood borers (81%). Detection sites in cities were highly diverse, including public parks, street trees, university campus, arboreta, zoos, and botanical gardens. The average proportion of suitable habitat was less than 10% in urban areas where the species were detected. Further, more than 72% of the cases occurred in sites with less than 20% of tree cover. Hotspots of first detection were identified along the coastal regions of the Mediterranean and Atlantic, and near industrial areas of central Europe. We conclude that urban trees are main facilitators for the establishment of non-native forest pests, and that cities should thus be intensely surveyed. Moreover, as urban areas are highly populated, the involvement of citizens is highly recommended.
This paper aims to analyze the contribution of mean diffusivity (MD), axial diffusivity (AD), and... more This paper aims to analyze the contribution of mean diffusivity (MD), axial diffusivity (AD), and radial diffusivity (RD) in the detection of microstructural abnormalities in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and to evaluate the degree of agreement between structural and functional changes through concomitant diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), and clinical assessment. Fourteen patients with ALS and 11 healthy, age- and gender-matched controls were included. All participants underwent magnetic resonance imaging including DTI. TMS was additionally performed in ALS patients. Differences in the distribution of DTI-derived measures were assessed using tract-based spatial statistical (TBSS) and volume of interest (VOI) analyses. Correlations between clinical, imaging, and neurophysiological findings were also assessed through TBSS. ALS patients showed a significant increase in AD and MD involving the corticospinal tract (CST) and the pre-frontal whi...
The short article attempts to make some very brief reflections on the effects a lack of public po... more The short article attempts to make some very brief reflections on the effects a lack of public policies positively discriminatory in terms of public employment retirement. In particular, the observation of the absurd contradiction between the average age of retirement at the time of death (for men and women) and the average pension time for men and women in public employment in Portugal.
The legal regime applicable to the post-public employment situations states that the individuals ... more The legal regime applicable to the post-public employment situations states that the individuals who have held political positions, elected or appointed, cannot exercise, for a period of three years, from the end of their appointments or election, futures position that could possibly collide with the regime of incompatibilities, in particular, which may cause a conflict of interest . This article intends to make a synopsis and also make some reflections about the state of the art in such systems.
Climate change is on the agenda of many world leaders and policy makers, and its containment is o... more Climate change is on the agenda of many world leaders and policy makers, and its containment is of exceptional importance. Within this frame, ambitious environmental targets have been established by the European Union, including the reduction in greenhouse gases emissions by 80-95% until 2050. To do so, energy systems will require a large share of renewable energies, particularly solar photovoltaic power, since it appears to have the greatest potential for decarbonized electricity generation. However, relying on such renewable energy sources is expected to generate a mismatch between production and consumption, namely considerable excess solar electricity during day time. This excess power may be conveniently used to power electric mobility, taking advantage of the battery capacity of the electric vehicles acting as distributed controllable storage. In this thesis, based on 2050 scenarios for the case study of Portugal, the synergy between photovoltaics and electric vehicles is explored, determining the minimum penetration levels that allow fulfilling the climate and energy targets. It is analyzed the extent to which photovoltaic energy can further transport electrification integration, and vice-versa. The technical impacts on the electricity system are determined quantitatively, as well as the required penetration of one technology that enables the deployment of the other. Model results show that CO2 emissions targets can only be achieved with high levels of photovoltaics and electric vehicles, reinforcing the need for day time charging infrastructures, presumably at or near work facilities. It is shown that a 100% renewable energy based electricity supply is possible for certain combinations of these technologies and that the environmental targets to reduce CO2 emissions can only be reached with at least 40% of electric vehicles market share. The present thesis contributes to the literature on integration of high levels of renewable energy sources on the electric grid and on interactions between renewable energy and electric vehicles deployment.
Estarão diferentes as pneumonias agudas adquiridas na comunidade com internamento hospitalar em i... more Estarão diferentes as pneumonias agudas adquiridas na comunidade com internamento hospitalar em idade pediátrica na última década?
Avaliar a exposição dos internos de Urologia portugueses (IP) à laparoscopia urológica e aos seus... more Avaliar a exposição dos internos de Urologia portugueses (IP) à laparoscopia urológica e aos seus métodos de treino, em comparação com os internos dos restantes países europeus (IE). Material e métodos: Elaborámos um inquérito de 23 questões relativas ao treino em laparoscopia, publicado online e distribuído no 27º Congresso da European Association of Urology, 2012. Realizámos análise estatística descritiva, e com testes t de Student, Mann-Whitney e χ 2. Resultados: Obtivemos 219 respostas válidas, dos quais 53 (24,2%) de IP. A laparoscopia convencional está disponível de forma equivalente para ambos os grupos (78,8% dos IP vs 72,0% dos IE, p = NS), tendo os IP mais acesso à laparoscopia de porta única (22,6% vs 8,4%, p < 0,05), mas menos exposição à laparoscopia assistida por robot (0% vs 21,9%, p < 0,01) nos serviços de formação. Realizavam laparoscopia convencional como primeiro cirurgião 32,7% dos IP vs 24,8% dos IE (p = NS). A intervenção mais frequente em ambos os grupos é a nefrectomia total (38,4% dos IP e 28,8% dos IE, p = NS). A maioria, em ambos os grupos, classifi cava a sua experiência laparoscópica no momento do inquérito como "Fraca" ou inferior (81,9% dos IP e 75,5% dos IE, p = NS). Contudo, até ao fi nal do internato, os IP esperavam evoluir mais (p = 0,01). Nunca realizaram curso ou estágio em laparoscopia 35,7% dos IP e 41,7% dos IE (p = NS), mas os IP registam maior frequência de cursos de laparoscopia nacionais. O "Pelvitrainer" é o método de treino em laboratório mais frequente (30,2% dos IP e 33,3% dos IE, p = NS), mas 41,9% dos IP e 42,4% dos IE (p = NS) não têm acesso a qualquer dispositivo de treino laparoscópico. A maioria (84,1% dos IP e 74,4% dos IE, p = NS) têm motivação "Elevada" ou "Muito Elevada" para realizar laparoscopia no futuro, e pretendem fazer uma fellowship pós-internato nesta área. Conclusões: Os IP têm um nível de acesso à laparoscopia convencional semelhante aos IE, participando activamente nesta técnica. Uma parte signifi cativa tem experiência como cirurgião. Apesar da relativa escassez de dispositivos de treino, comum a ambos os grupos, os IP participam em mais cursos nacionais de laparoscopia, e têm melhores perspectivas de evolução nesta área durante o internato.
Earlier this year a new influenza virus emerged. In children, the clinical manifestations of H1N1... more Earlier this year a new influenza virus emerged. In children, the clinical manifestations of H1N1 infection are similar to those reported during periods of seasonal influenza. We report on a 3-month-old boy with an upper respiratory tract infection who presented enteropathy, coagulopathy and encephalitis related to H1N1. The infection was confirmed in nasopharyngeal aspirate, stools and cerebrospinal fluid by real-time PCR. Treatment with oseltamivir was started.
Revista Portuguesa de Pneumologia (English Edition), 2010
Resumo Nos últimos anos tem sido descrita, no mundo ocidental, uma redução da incidência da pneum... more Resumo Nos últimos anos tem sido descrita, no mundo ocidental, uma redução da incidência da pneumonia aguda da comunidade (PAC) nas crianças, parodoxalmente associada a maior gravidade dos casos internados. O presente estudo pretendeu caracterizar os casos de PAC internados e compará-los com um estudo anterior a 2001. Recolhemos dados referentes a 63 internamentos, durante seis meses. Houve predomínio do grupo dos 0-2 anos. Na radiografia torácica, em 58 casos (92,1%) detectou-se condensação/atelectasia e em 17 (27,0%
O impacto da introdução de impostos proporcionais nas receitas fiscais e performance económica-as... more O impacto da introdução de impostos proporcionais nas receitas fiscais e performance económica-as experiências de novos estados membros da ue27
This paper introduces a method for representing, communicating and fusing distributed, noisy and ... more This paper introduces a method for representing, communicating and fusing distributed, noisy and uncertain observations of objects by multiple robots. The approach relies on re-parameterization of two-dimensional Gaussian distri- butions that are used to represent the positions of all players and the ball. The approach enables two or more observers to achieve greater eective sensor coverage of the environment and improved accuracy in object position estimation. We demonstrate empirically that, using this approach, more observers achieve more accurate object position estimates. Two dierent procedures for merging Gaussian distributions were implemented and tested in the RoboCup Soccer Server, a simulated environment for robotic soccer. We also present the first results obtained with middle-size league robots.
This article addresses the ideologies developed by Portuguese music journalists towards Portugues... more This article addresses the ideologies developed by Portuguese music journalists towards Portuguese music in the context of the global crisis in the record industry. Music journalists who were once seen as the good Samaritans in coverage of the national repertoire have to reconcile their duty to cover the national acts with the pressures of a global music industry represented by the multinational record companies. Gathering information from interviews conducted between 2001 and 2003, I trace the perceptions of music journalists on coverage of the national repertoire in a period in which a global crisis in the music sector became noticeable and low airplay of Portuguese music became a matter of concern for agents within the local industry. Two approaches emerge from such a context, one more proactive towards coverage of Portuguese music, the other less interested in allowing the influence of the origin filter to determine the journalists' agenda. I conclude that in these two appro...
Avaliar a associação entre carcinoma da próstata (CaP) e agressividade tumoral com os níveis sang... more Avaliar a associação entre carcinoma da próstata (CaP) e agressividade tumoral com os níveis sanguíneos de testosterona total (TT), livre (TL) e da globulina transportadora de hormonas sexuais (SHBG). Analisámos prospectivamente 127 doentes submetidos a biópsias prostáticas ecoguiadas, no Serviço de Urologia e Transplantação Renal dos Hospitais da Universidade de Coimbra (HUC), entre 15 de Setembro de 2008 e 31 de Março de 2009. Na manhã da biópsia colheu-se sangue para TT, TL e SHBG. A idade média dos doentes foi de 67,33 ± 7,54 anos e os valores médios de TT, TL e SHBG foram, respectivamente, de 3,55 ng/ml ± 1,42; 5,32 ng/ml ± 2,36; 31,04 nmol/L ± 12,44. O resultado histológico foi: Hiperplasia Benigna da Próstata (HBP) em 27%, CaP em 51,6%, lesões de PIN em 12,7%, prostatite em 6,3% e sem alterações anátomo-patológicas nos restantes 2,4%. Relativamente à associação entre TT e CaP não se observaram diferenças estatisticamente significativas, com valores de 3,43 ng/ml no grupo CaP e de 3,67 ng/ml no grupo HBP. O mesmo se constatou quando comparámos a relação entre SHBG e CaP, com valores de 31,04 nmol/L no grupo CaP e de 32,16 nmol/L no grupo HBP (p= n.s.). Quanto à associação entre TL e CaP, verificámos diferenças estatisticamente significativas, já que a média no grupo CaP foi de 5,02 ng/ml e no grupo HBP foi de 5,9 ng/ml (p=0,05). Comparando as mesmas variáveis com a agressividade tumoral (gleason 8 vs gleason 6), observámos diferenças estatisticamente significativas para os valores de TT (2,21 vs 4,02; p <0,001) e TL (3,24 vs 5,68; p =0,03), mas não par a SHBG (31,30 vs 33,81; p=n.s.).
Data about the effectiveness of high frequency oscillatory ventilation (HFOV) in children with re... more Data about the effectiveness of high frequency oscillatory ventilation (HFOV) in children with respiratory failure are limited. This study investigated the efficacy and prognostic factors of this treatment. Children between 2 months and 18 years of age who received HFOV between January 2000 and September 2006 in a tertiary care center were enrolled in this retrospective study. Thirty-six HFOV treatments were given to 33 patients (twice in one patient and three times in another patient) at a mean age of 5.4 +/- 5.0 years. HFOV was used as a rescue after conventional mechanical ventilation (CMV) for 4.4 +/- 4.2 days. The mean duration of HFOV was 7.6 +/- 7.9 days. The most common indication for HFOV was oxygenation failure, which was due to pneumonia with acute respiratory distress syndrome in 15 (45.5%), severe lobar pneumonia in nine (27.3%), pulmonary hemorrhage in eight (24.2%) and pneumothorax in one (3%). PaCO2 was significantly improved 4 hours after HFOV and the PaO2/FiO2 ratio increased significantly 12 hours later. The oxygenation index and alveolar-arterial oxygen difference P(A-a)O2, however, did not change markedly. Four (12%) patients needed further extracorporeal life support and two of these survived. The overall survival rate was 45.5%. Patients with heavier body weight (p less than 0.05) and of the male gender (p less than 0.05) had a higher risk of mortality. As a relatively late rescue therapy after failure of CMV, HFOV may improve PaCO2 and PaO2/FiO2 in children with respiratory failure. However, it carries an increased mortality rate in patients with heavier body weight and male gender.
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