Hunting for Answers: Assessing Brucella spp. Seroprevalence and Risks in Red Deer and Wild Boar in Central Portugal.

Between 2016 and 2023, a cross-sectional study was conducted in the central region of Portugal in order to better understand the epidemiology and public health risks resulting from the handling and consumption of game animals infected with Brucella spp. The seroprevalence and risk factors for Brucella spp. seropositivity were evaluated. Antibodies against Brucella spp. were determined using a commercial enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) according to the manufacturer's instructions. Results showed that in the 650 serum samples collected from red deer (n = 298) and wild boars (n = 352) in Portugal, 21.7% (n = 141; 95% CI: 18.6-25.1%) tested positive. Wild boar had a significantly higher prevalence (35.5%; 95% CI: 30.5-40.8%) than red deer (5.4%, 95% CI: 3.1-8.6%; p ≤ 0.001). Risk factors for seropositivity were investigated using multivariable logistic regression models. The odds of being seropositive was 8.39 (95% CI: 4.75-14.84; p ≤ 0.001) times higher in wild boar than in red deer. Correlations between sex, age, body condition, and seropositivity could not be observed. The higher seroprevalence in wild boar suggests that this species may primarily contribute to the Brucella spp. ecology in central Portugal.

Enfermagem de reabilitação no empowerment do doente com insuficiência cardíaca / Rehabilitation nursing in the empowerment of heart failure patients

Introdução: O presente trabalho integra-se no âmbito do Estágio de Natureza profissional do Curso de Mestrado em Enfermagem de Reabilitação da ESS-IPVC e à implementação, de um projeto de investigação no Serviço de Cardiologia/Unidade de Cuidados Intensivos de Cardiologia num hospital da zona Norte. Objetivos: Descrever as atividades desenvolvidas em contexto de estágio, adquirindo e aprimorando as competências comuns e específicas do EEER, com uma componente de investigação, contribuindo para uma prática baseada na evidência. O objetivo geral deste projeto é avaliar o impacto das intervenções do EEER no empowerment do doente com IC, no local de estudo. Metodologia: Foi utilizada uma abordagem metodológica de índole quantitativa, um estudo do tipo observacional descritivo longitudinal. A população do estudo era constituída por 33 doentes que foram submetidos a um plano de cuidados de reabilitação durante o internamento, com educação para a saúde, sobre a doença, o regime terapêutico, os fatores de risco cardiovasculares, os sinais e sintomas, os cuidados a ter e com mudanças no estilo de vida e de hábitos. O instrumento de colheita de dados utilizado foi através da aplicação do questionário a "Escala de Empowerment Individual" (Luz, Bastos, & Vieira, 2020), antes da intervenção do EEER e 20 a 40 dias após a alta hospitalar. Resultados: Foi possível verificar que a capacidade de empowerment dos doentes internados com diagnóstico de IC era baixo. As dimensões em estudo (Autoperceção; Participação nas decisões em saúde; Mestria; Determinação; Identidade; Autonomia e Poder; Relação com os profissionais de saúde) apresentam valores positivos após a intervenção do EEER. Na análise das hipóteses e no impacto das variáveis sociodemográficas e clínicas apenas foram encontradas diferenças estatisticamente significativas na variável da escolaridade. Conclusões: Verificamos que existe evidência estatisticamente significativa para afirmar que a intervenção do EEER melhora o empowerment global dos doentes internados com diagnóstico de IC.

Introduction: The present work is part of the Professional Nature Internship of the Master's Degree in Rehabilitation Nursing of the ESS-IPVC and the implementation of a research project in the Cardiology Service/Cardiology Intensive Care Unit in a hospital in the North zone. Objectives: To describe the activities developed in the context of an internship, acquiring and improving the common and specific competencies of the EEER, with a research component, contributing to an evidence-based practice. The overall objective of this project is to evaluate the impact of EEER interventions on HF patient empowerment at the study site. Methodology: A quantitative methodological approach was used, a longitudinal descriptive observational study. The study population consisted of 33 patients who underwent a rehabilitation care plan during hospitalization, with health education, about the disease, the therapeutic regimen, cardiovascular risk factors, signs and symptoms, care to be taken and changes in lifestyle and habits. The data collection instrument used was through the application of the questionnaire "Individual Empowerment Scale", before the intervention of the EEER and 20 to 40 days after hospital discharge. (Luz, Bastos, & Vieira, 2020) Results: It was possible to verify that the empowerment capacity of hospitalized patients diagnosed with HF was low. The dimensions under study (Self-perception; Participation in health decisions; Mastery; Determination; Identity; Autonomy and Power; Relationship with health professionals) present positive values after the intervention of the EEER. In the analysis of the hypotheses and in the impact of the sociodemographic and clinical variables, only statistically significant differences were found in the schooling variable. Conclusions: We found that there is statistically significant evidence to affirm that the EEER intervention improves the overall empowerment of hospitalized patients diagnosed with HF.

Analytical methods to monitor dopamine metabolism in plasma: Moving forward with improved diagnosis and treatment of neurological disorders.

Since dopamine (DA) was discovered as an essential neurotransmitter, with a profound impact on motor control, memory, and behavioral impulses, the pathogenesis of several neurodegenerative and neuropsychiatric disorders have been associated with the dysfunction of the dopaminergic system. Regarding this, the most common drugs used to treat these pathologies act on the dopaminergic neurons. Therefore, the measurement of DA and its precursors and metabolites levels can be a useful tool to help the diagnosis and development of targeted therapeutic approaches to neurological disorders. Furthermore, monitoring and detecting DA metabolism (DA, precursors, and metabolites) in biological samples, like plasma, urine, and cerebrospinal fluid, constitute an interesting subject from a clinical perspective. However, the development of suitable and efficient methods to determine these compounds in biological samples remains a challenge. Thus, this review provides an overview of the recent advances and available methodologies to quantify DA and its precursors and metabolites in plasma samples focusing on previous reports which used less than two milliliters. Also, it deals with the actual extraction and separation techniques, as well as detection modes; and it gives a perspective, on the present-day, about the use of analytical methods as a helpful tool to improve diagnosis.

Feed-forward inhibition of CD73 and upregulation of adenosine deaminase contribute to the loss of adenosine neuromodulation in postinflammatory ileitis.

Purinergic signalling is remarkably plastic during gastrointestinal inflammation. Thus, selective drugs targeting the "purinome" may be helpful for inflammatory gastrointestinal diseases. The myenteric neuromuscular transmission of healthy individuals is fine-tuned and controlled by adenosine acting on A(2A) excitatory receptors. Here, we investigated the neuromodulatory role of adenosine in TNBS-inflamed longitudinal muscle-myenteric plexus of the rat ileum. Seven-day postinflammation ileitis lacks adenosine neuromodulation, which may contribute to acceleration of gastrointestinal transit. The loss of adenosine neuromodulation results from deficient accumulation of the nucleoside at the myenteric synapse despite the fact that the increases in ATP release were observed. Disparity between ATP outflow and adenosine deficit in postinflammatory ileitis is ascribed to feed-forward inhibition of ecto-5'-nucleotidase/CD73 by high extracellular ATP and/or ADP. Redistribution of NTPDase2, but not of NTPDase3, from ganglion cell bodies to myenteric nerve terminals leads to preferential ADP accumulation from released ATP, thus contributing to the prolonged inhibition of muscle-bound ecto-5'-nucleotidase/CD73 and to the delay of adenosine formation at the inflamed neuromuscular synapse. On the other hand, depression of endogenous adenosine accumulation may also occur due to enhancement of adenosine deaminase activity. Both membrane-bound and soluble forms of ecto-5'-nucleotidase/CD73 and adenosine deaminase were detected in the inflamed myenteric plexus. These findings provide novel therapeutic targets for inflammatory gut motility disorders.