Sensors Network as an Added Value for the Characterization of Spatial and Temporal Air Quality Patterns at the Urban Scale.

Within the scope of the Aveiro STEAM City project, an air quality monitoring network was installed in the city of Aveiro (Portugal), to evaluate the potential of sensors to characterize spatial and temporal patterns of air quality in the city. The network consists of nine sensors stations with air quality sensors (PM10, PM2.5, NO2, O3 and CO) and two meteorological stations, distributed within selected locations in the city of Aveiro. The analysis of the data was done for a one-year measurement period, from June 2020 to May 2021, using temporal profiles, statistical comparisons with reference stations and Air Quality Indexes (AQI). The analysis of sensors data indicated that air quality variability exists for all pollutants and stations. The majority of the study area is characterized by good air quality, but specific areas-associated with hotspot traffic zones-exhibit medium, poor and bad air quality more frequently. The daily patterns registered are significantly different between the affected and non-affected road traffic sites, mainly for PM and NO2 pollutants. The weekly profile, significative deltas are found between week and weekend: NO2 is reduced on the weekends at traffic sites, but PM10 is higher in specific areas during winter weekends, which is explained by residential combustion sources.

How can the built environment affect the impact of autonomous vehicles' operational behaviour on air quality?

Autonomous vehicles (AVs) are pointed out as the technology that will reshape the concept of mobility, with significant implications for the economy, the environment, and society. This fact will bring new challenge to cities urban planning. Research to anticipate the AVs impacts, maximizing their benefits and reduce trade-offs are currently crucial. This work investigates the potential challenges and benefits of gradually replace internal combustion engine human driven vehicles with different penetration rates of AVs - 10%, 30%, 50%, 70%, 90%, and 100% - in urban roads of different characteristics, either in terms of traffic singularities or volumes, and its related implications on air quality. For that purpose, two urban areas with distinct features, Porto and Aveiro, were selected as case studies, and a modelling setup composed of a traffic model, an emission model, and a local air quality model was applied. The results revealed that the AVs benefits are directly linked with the urban design and the road characteristics. In the Aveiro case study, the AVs promoted positive changes with average reductions in daily NOx emissions (compared with the baseline scenario, without AVs) ranging between -2.1% (for C10%) and -7.7% (for C100%). In line with the emissions impacts, positive effects were found on air quality, with average reductions of NO2 concentrations up to -4% (for C100%). In Porto urban area, slight differences in NOx emissions were obtained (<2%), which implied no changes in the air quality levels. The distinct impact of AVs in the study areas is mostly explained by the traffic light coordination system and directional split distributions in the main roads. These results provide valuable insights to support decision-makers in the definition of strategies that allow the integration of these new emerging technologies in the road infrastructure, considering the features of the urban design, traffic profile and road characteristics.

Climate-Change Adaptation Framework for Multiple Urban Areas in Northern Portugal.

Climate change is increasingly exerting pressure with intensified impacts in the short-, medium-, and long-term. Cities are highly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, and it is recognized that they play a significant role in the European Strategy on adaptation to climate change. This study intends to develop a climate adaptation framework to identify effective measures that will be evaluated using a multi-urban area located in the north of Portugal, as a case study. The climate adaptation framework was developed following the Urban Adaptation Support Tool (AST), adapted to the Portuguese reality. The Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model was used to provide future projections with a high level of spatial resolution over the study area, increasing the accuracy of the identification of future climatic vulnerabilities. The results show a tendency for an increase of extreme weather events associated with the increase of both temperature and annual accumulated precipitation variables. A set of both urban and rural measures to promote a sustainable development path to climate adaptability and increase cities resilience to climate change are presented and discussed.

Assessment of health benefits related to air quality improvement strategies in urban areas: An Impact Pathway Approach.

Air pollution is, increasingly, a concern to our society given the threats to human health and the environment. Concerted actions to improve air quality have been taken at different levels, such as through the development of Air Quality Plans (AQPs). However, air quality impacts associated with the implementation of abatement measures included in AQPs are often neglected. In order to identify the major gaps and strengths in current knowledge, a literature review has been performed on existing methodologies to estimate air pollution-related health impacts and subsequent external costs. Based on this review, the Impact Pathway Approach was adopted and applied within the context of the MAPLIA research project to assess the health impacts and benefits (or avoided external costs) derived from improvements in air quality. Seven emission abatement scenarios, based on individual and combined abatement measures, were tested for the major activity sectors (traffic, residential and industrial combustion and production processes) of a Portuguese urban area (Grande Porto) with severe particular matter (PM10) air pollution problems. Results revealed a strong positive correlation between population density and health benefits obtained from the assessed reduction scenarios. As a consequence, potential health benefits from reduction scenarios are largest in densely populated areas with high anthropic activity and, thus, where air pollution problems are most alarming. Implementation of all measures resulted in a reduction in PM10 emissions by almost 8%, improving air quality by about 1% and contributing to a benefit of 8.8 million €/year for the entire study domain. The introduction of PM10 reduction technologies in industrial units was the most beneficial abatement measure. This study intends to contribute to policy support for decision-making on air quality management.

Integrating health on air quality assessment--review report on health risks of two major European outdoor air pollutants: PM and NO2.

Quantifying the impact of air pollution on the public's health has become an increasingly critical component in policy discussion. Recent data indicate that more than 70% of the world population lives in cities. Several studies reported that current levels of air pollutants in urban areas are associated with adverse health risks, namely, cardiovascular diseases and lung cancer. IARC recently classified outdoor air pollution and related particulate matter (PM) as carcinogenic to humans. Despite the air quality improvements observed over the last few years, there is still continued widespread exceedance within Europe, particularly regarding PM and nitrogen oxides (NOx). The European Air Quality Directive 2008/50/EC requires Member States to design appropriate air quality plans for zones where air quality does not comply with established limit values. However, in most cases, air quality is only quantified using a combination of monitored and modeled data and no health impact assessment is carried out. An integrated approach combining the effects of several emission abatement measures on air quality, impacts on human health, and associated implementation costs enables an effective cost-benefit analysis and an added value to the decision-making process. Hence, this review describes the basic steps and tools for integrating health into air quality assessment (health indicators, exposure-response functions). In addition, consideration is given to two major outdoor pollutants: PM and NO2. A summary of the health metrics used to assess the health impact of PM and NO2 and recent epidemiologic data are also described.

Individual exposure to air pollutants in a Portuguese urban industrialized area.

Industrial development from the second half of the 20th century coupled with population growth and concentration in urban areas has accentuated the concern for potential effects and impacts from air pollutant emissions on environmental and human health. This study examined the Estarreja region, an urban area that has one of the largest chemical complexes in Portugal, a complex that was recently under expansion. In the scope of the INSPIRAR project, individual daily exposure of a group of individuals to particulate matter of 10 µm aerodynamic diameter (PM10) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2) in two phases was determined using a microenvironmental approach. In this context, personal daily activity profiles of individuals were established for their normal routine by personal interviews. These profiles enabled determination of where each individual was at each moment of the day. Utilizing this information with hourly air quality maps simulated with URBAIR air quality model and indoor/outdoor relationships, it was possible to calculate personal daily exposure of each individual to air pollutants. Results from the analysis of daily activity profiles showed a high level of sedentariness of this population and long durations spent indoors. The studied individuals displayed high personal PM10 and NO2 exposure variability. Data demonstrated possible error when a single concentration measurement was assumed as a proxy of exposure. In general, no significant differences were found between the two population groups, indicating that workers of the chemical complex were not exposed to a greater extent to PM10 and NO2 than the general population working in the same area.

Wildland smoke exposure values and exhaled breath indicators in firefighters.

Smoke from forest fires contains significant amounts of gaseous and particulate pollutants. Firefighters exposed to wildland fire smoke can suffer from several acute and chronic adverse health effects. Consequently, exposure data are of vital importance for the establishment of cause/effect relationships between exposure to smoke and firefighter health effects. The aims of this study were to (1) characterize the relationship between wildland smoke exposure and medical parameters and (2) identify health effects pertinent to wildland forest fire smoke exposure. In this study, firefighter exposure levels of carbon monoxide (CO), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), and volatile organic compounds (VOC) were measured in wildfires during three fire seasons in Portugal. Personal monitoring devices were used to measure exposure. Firefighters were also tested for exhaled nitric oxide (eNO) and CO before and after their firefighting activities. Data indicated that exposure levels during firefighting activities were beyond limits recommended by the Occupational Exposure Standard (OES) values. Medical tests conducted on the firefighters also indicated a considerable effect on measured medical parameters, with a significant increase in CO and decrease in NO in exhaled air of majority of the firefighters.

Particulate matter and health risk under a changing climate: assessment for Portugal.

The potential impacts of climate-induced changes in air pollution levels and its impacts on population health were investigated. The IPCC scenario (SRES A2) was used to analyse the effects of climate on future PM10 concentrations over Portugal and their impact on short-term population exposure and mortality. The air quality modelling system has been applied with high spatial resolution looking on climate changes at regional scale. To quantify health impacts related to air pollution changes, the WHO methodology for health impact assessment was implemented. The results point to 8% increase of premature mortality attributed to future PM10 levels in Portugal. The pollution episodes with daily average PM10 concentration above the current legislated value (50 µg·m⁻³) would be responsible for 81% of attributable cases. The absolute number of deaths attributable to PM10 under future climate emphasizes the importance of indirect effects of climate change on human health.

Worldwide Evaluation of CAMS-EGG4 CO2 Data Re-Analysis at the Surface Level.

This study systematically examines the global uncertainties and biases in the carbon dioxide (CO2) mixing ratio provided by the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS). The global greenhouse gas re-analysis (EGG4) data product from the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) was evaluated against ground-based in situ measurements from more than 160 of stations across the world. The evaluation shows that CO2 re-analysis can capture the general features in the tracer distributions, including the CO2 seasonal cycle and its strength at different latitudes, as well as the global CO2 trend. The emissions and natural fluxes of CO2 at the surface are evaluated on a wide range of scales, from diurnal to interannual. The results highlight re-analysis compliance, reproducing biogenic fluxes as well the observed CO2 patterns in remote environments. CAMS consistently reproduces observations at marine and remote regions with low CO2 fluxes and smooth variability. However, the model's weaknesses were observed in continental areas, regions with complex sources, transport circulations and large CO2 fluxes. A strong variation in the accuracy and bias are displayed among those stations with different flux profiles, with the largest uncertainties in the continental regions with high CO2 anthropogenic fluxes. Displaying biased estimation and root-mean-square error (RMSE) ranging from values below one ppmv up to 70 ppmv, the results reveal a poor response from re-analysis to high CO2 mixing ratio, showing larger uncertainty of the product in the boundaries where the CAMS system misses solving sharp flux variability. The mismatch at regions with high fluxes of anthropogenic emission indicate large uncertainties in inventories and constrained physical parameterizations in the CO2 at boundary conditions. The current study provides a broad uncertainty assessment for the CAMS CO2 product worldwide, suggesting deficiencies and methods that can be used in the future to overcome failures and uncertainties in regional CO2 mixing ratio and flux estimates.

Impact of harbour activities on local air quality: A review.

Several harbour activities cause negative environmental impacts in the harbours' surrounding areas, namely the degradation of air quality. This paper intends to comprehensively review the status of the air quality measured in harbour areas. The published studies show a limited number of available air quality monitoring data in harbours areas, mostly located in Europe (71%). Measured concentrations of the main air pollutants were compiled and intercompared, for different countries worldwide allowing a large spatial representativeness. The higher NO2 and PM10 concentrations were found in Europe - ranging between 12 and 107 µg/m3 and 2-50 µg/m3, respectively, while the higher concentrations of PM2.5 were found in Asia (25-70 µg/m3). In addition, the lower levels of SO2 monitored in recent years suggest that current mitigation strategies adopted across Europe were very efficient in promoting the reduction of SO2 concentrations. Part of the reviewed studies also estimated the contributions from ship emissions to PM concentration through the application of source apportionment methods, with an average of 5-15%. In some specific harbour areas in Asia, ships can contribute up to 7-26% to the local fine particulate matter concentrations. This review confirms that emissions from the maritime transport sector should be considered as a significant source of particulate matter in harbour areas, since this pollutant concentrations are frequently exceeding the established standard legal limit values. Therefore, the results from this review boost the implementation of mitigation measures, aiming to reduce, in particular, particulate matter emissions.

Autonomous vehicles opportunities for cities air quality.

The impacts of autonomous vehicles (AV) on safety, energy and atmospheric emissions have been recognised to be important issues, but an air quality impact assessment is missing. In this study, by using a numerical modelling approach, the impact of AV on the air quality of a medium-sized Portuguese urban area was evaluated. For that, the air pollutants nitrogen oxides (NOx) and carbon dioxide (CO2) were considered and three scenarios were developed: i) a baseline scenario; ii) an autonomous scenario, assuming an AV market penetration rate of 30%; and iii) an electric autonomous scenario, taking into account that those 30% of AV are pure battery electric cars. A modelling system composed by a road traffic model, a road transport emission model and a Computational Fluid Dynamics air quality model was used. The autonomous scenario promoted an increase of both NOx (+1.8%) and CO2 (+0.7%) emissions, while the electric autonomous scenario resulted in emission reductions of about 30% for both air pollutants. In terms of air quality, distinct patterns were found: i) the autonomous scenario promoted both increases and decreases of NOx concentrations; and ii) the electric autonomous scenario promoted a widespread reduction of NOx concentrations (with an average value of -4%). Overall the results showed that AV have the potential to improve urban air quality, but, further research is needed to enrich the findings of this work.

Assessment of source contribution to air quality in an urban area close to a harbor: Case-study in Porto, Portugal.

Several harbors, like the Port of Leixões (Porto, Portugal), are located near urban and industrial areas, places where residential urban areas, highways and the refinery industry coexist. The need for assessing the contribution of the port to the air quality in its vicinity around the port is the motivation for the present study. This contribution was investigated using a numerical modelling approach based on the web-based research screening tool C-PORT. The impact of the meteorological conditions (namely atmospheric stability and wind direction) was first evaluated, and the most critical conditions for pollutants dispersion were identified. The dominant wind direction, from WSW, was responsible for the transport of pollutants over the surrounding urban area, which was potentiated by the diurnal sea breeze circulation. Multiple scenario runs were then performed to quantify the contribution of each emission sector/activity (namely maritime emissions; port activities; road traffic and refinery) to the ambient air quality. The multiple scenario runs indicated that land-based emission sources at the Port (including trucks, railways, cargo handling equipment and bulk material stored) were the major contributors (approximately 80%) for the levels of surface PM10 concentrations over the study area. Whereas, the main drivers of NOX concentrations were docked ships, responsible for 55-73% of the total NOX concentrations.

The clinical use of exhaled nitric oxide in wheezing children.

The body of published work on the role of exhaled nitric oxide (FENO) in the study of bronchial inflammation allows it to be classed as a simple, non-invasive measurement that is very useful in evaluating asthmatic patients. During a prospective study into the effects of air pollution on the health of the population of Viseu (Saud'AR Project), children with a clinical history of wheezing were identified through using the International Study of Asthma and Allergy in Childhood (ISAAC) questionnaire. Children later filled in a new standardised questionnaire and underwent skin-prick-tests, spirometry and FENO measurement. Their mean age was 7.8+/-1.1 years. Comparing those who wheezed in the 6 months before evaluation (n=27) with those who didn't, statistical differences for DeltaFEV1 (8% median versus 4.5%, p=0.0399) and for FENO (23 ppb median versus 12 ppb, p=0.0195, respectively) were observed. Concerning children who needed a bronchodilator in the six previous months (n=19) and those who didn't, there was also a statistically significant difference in FENO: 27 ppb median versus 11 ppb median, respectively; p<0.0001. When comparing children who needed an unscheduled medical appointment in the six months previous to the evaluation (n=9) and those who didn't, there was also significant differences for FE NO: 28 ppb median versus 13 ppb median, p=0.0029. In conclusion, the existence of symptoms seems to be better related to FE NO than spirometry.

Monitoring of ambient air PCDD/F levels in Portugal.

As part of a monitoring program conducted by IDAD--Institute for Environment and Development and supported by regional municipal solid waste (MSW) management authorities, dioxin concentrations in ambient air were measured in three regions of Portugal: Porto, Lisbon and Madeira. These independent studies were performed with the intention of providing data as a basis for the evaluation of potential impacts of the operation of recently built MSW incinerators. Thus, 170 samples were collected in nine different sites from January 1999 till present. The measured levels revealed an extremely variable content of PCDDs/PCDFs depending both on the area and the season of the year. Samples taken in Porto and Lisbon reveal a similar homologue structure even if concentrations measured in the Porto region are significantly greater. Data from Madeira is characteristic of a remote site with some of the congeners concentrations below the detection limit.

Variantes de la normalidad del crecimiento infantil versus fallo de medro

Introducción: El fallo de medro es la incapacidad de un niño menor de 3 años de conseguir un desarrollo y crecimiento óptimo. A menudo es confundido con las variantes normales del crecimiento y desarrollo infantil. Objetivo: Examinar las variantes normales del crecimiento infantil y diferenciarlas del verdadero fallo de medro. Métodos: Se localizaron y seleccionaron estudios relevantes en las bases electrónicas Medline, Biblioteca Virtual de Salud, Google Académico, SciELO y en libros digitales. Para la búsqueda se emplearon los vocablos: fallo de medro, variantes de la normalidad del crecimiento y desarrollo infantil. Se hallaron 89 artículos publicados entre 2005-2020 sobre temáticas afines, se escogieron 41 que conformaron la muestra. Análisis y síntesis de la información: Se actualizaron diferentes aspectos del fallo de medro: definición, clasificación, criterios diagnósticos, factores de riesgo, causas potenciales, evaluación diagnóstica y conducta. Se examinaron las características clínicas de las variantes de la normalidad del crecimiento y desarrollo infantil que permiten diferenciarlas del fallo de medro. Conclusiones: El retardo constitucional del crecimiento y desarrollo, la talla baja familiar, la talla baja idiopática, la prematuridad, el crecimiento intrauterino retardado, la delgadez y el catch-down, constituyen variantes normales del crecimiento infantil que se diagnostican erróneamente como fallo de medro y genera medicalización injustificada, gastos innecesarios en análisis complementarios y angustia familiar. Diferenciar estas entidades del fallo de medro permitiría enfocar las acciones de salud hacia objetivos más concretos y ofrecer a cada niño un tratamiento individualizado de acuerdo a su condición real de salud.

Introduction: Failure to thrive is the inability of a child under 3 years of age to achieve optimal development and growth. It is often confused with the normal variants of child growth and development. Objective: To examine the normal variants of infant growth and differentiate them from true failure to thrive. Methods: Relevant studies were located and selected in the electronic databases Medline, Virtual Health Library, Google Scholar, SciELO and in digital books. For the search, the words used were: failure to thrive, variants of the normality of growth and child development. 89 articles published between 2005-2020 on related topics were found; 41 were chosen and made up the sample. Analysis and synthesis of information: Different aspects of failure to thrive were updated: definition, classification, diagnostic criteria, risk factors, potential causes, diagnostic evaluation and behavior. The clinical characteristics of the variants of the normality of child growth and development that allow them to be differentiated from the failure of growth were examined. Conclusions: Constitutional growth and development retardation, family short stature, idiopathic short stature, prematurity, delayed intrauterine growth, thinness and catch-down were normal variants of infant growth that are erroneously diagnosed as failure to thrive and generate unjustified medicalization, unnecessary expenses in complementary tests and family anguish. Differentiating these entities from the failure to thrive would allow health actions to focus on more specific objectives and offer each child an individualized treatment according to their real health condition.

Comparison of European national legislation efficiency on the reduction of air pollutant emissions.

Since 1995, the Institute for Environment and Development in Portugal has obtained >300 stack samples from various point sources of Portuguese industries. A coherent database was made with the collected results. The limit values fixed by several European legal documents consulted, Portuguese, Spanish, French, Italian, and Dutch emission legislation, were applied to the Institute for Environment and Development stack sampling inventory (from 1995 to 2000) to evaluate the efficiency of these standards in promoting the control and reduction of atmospheric pollutants emissions, especially regarding nitrogen oxides, sulfur dioxide, and particulate matter. The conclusion was that the original Portuguese legislation was not restrictive enough and not very efficient regarding emissions reduction. In contrast, the Dutch and Italian legislations are quite restrictive but very efficient concerning emission control for the three pollutants analyzed. One of the outcomes of this study was the publication of a new law in Portugal regulating the emissions of atmospheric pollutants. The strategy of this emissions control law follows the conclusions found in this study including the concept of a mass flow threshold and different approaches depending on source dimension.

[Evaluation of diastolic function during and post-exercise in patients with arterial hypertension]. / Evaluación de la función diastólica durante y post-ejercicio isométrico en pacientes con hipertensión arterial.

UNLABELLED: It is known that patients with arterial hypertension and ventricular hypertrophy have diastolic alterations, in particular during exercise. However, it is controversial if diastolic dysfunction continues once exercise had concluded. The objective was to assess the effects of isometric exercise on the diastolic function in patients with arterial hypertension. Five control patients (group 1, G1) and 7 patients with arterial hypertension (group 2, G2) were studied. All patients underwent cardiac catheterization and performed isometric exercise until heart rate increased 43 +/- 7%. Left ventricular systolic pressure (LVSP) and end diastolic pressure (LVEDP) were measured. We calculated, +dP/dt(max), the time constant of isovolumic pressure decay (tau) and t1/2 were all measured. RESULTS: The LVSP increased in G1 and G2 during exercise from 140 +/- 3 to 195 +/- 14 mm Hg (p < 0.05) and 161 +/- 9 to 238 +/- 15 mm Hg, respectively; returning to their basal values once exercise had concluded. The tau (tau) and t1/2 increased, while exercising in G2, from 23 +/- 2 and 15 +/- 2 msec to 35 +/- 7 and 23 +/- 4 msec, respectively. After exercise both variables continued elevated reaching 41 +/- 6 msec (p < 0.05) and 23 +/- 3 msec (p < 0.05), respectively. In conclusion, isometric exercise decreases relaxation rate and increases LVEDP in patients with arterial hypertension and ventricular hypertrophy. After exercise, isovolumic relaxation remained altered suggesting the presence of stunned myocardium.

[Prediction instrument for obesity in adolescents at the Policlínico Universitario "Manuel González Díaz", 2013-2014]. / Instrumento predictor de obesidad en adolescentes en el Policlínico Universitario "Manuel González Díaz", 2013-2014.

BACKGROUND: Obesity is one of the principal non declarable diseases affecting children and adolescents. METHODS: With the objective of developing a predictive instrument to identify high-risk adolescents with obesity, a cohort prospective study was carried out at the Policlinic "Manuel González Díaz", Bahía Honda City from 2013-2014. It was developed in three stages. In the first stage, 1800 adolescents from 10-19 years of age were included. The prevalence was identified and the most relevant characteristics of obesity were described (defined as body mass index >97th percentile according to age and sex). In the second stage we identified the possibility of the diagnosis of factors that increase the probability of obesity. The third stage elaborated and validated an obesity predictor instrument from the results of the initial stages. RESULTS: To apply the instrument to sample A for internal elaboration and validation, sensitivity was 77.78% and specificity was 86.11%. Area under the curve (AUC) receiver operating characteristic (ROC) was 0.86, whereas for sample B the sensitivity was 79.63% and specificity was 92.13%. Positive predictive value (PPV) was 83.5% and negative predictive value (NPV) was 90.05%. CONCLUSIONS: The instrument allows predicting the risk for developing obesity in adolescents with acceptable sensitivity and high specificity. Its routine application will be interesting in pediatric health consultations.

Caracterización clínico epidemiológica de la leishmaniosis visceral infantil / Clinical epidemiological characterization of children visceral leishmaniasis

Introducción: La leishmaniosis visceral es la más grave de las formas clínicas de la leishmaniosis, afecta principalmente a los niños y es potencialmente fatal. Objetivo: Exponer la caracterización clínico-epidemiológica de la leishmaniosis visceral en población pediátrica y su respuesta terapéutica. Métodos: Se realizó un estudio retrospectivo, longitudinal y descriptivo en el Hospital Italiano, Ciudad de Djibouti en el período septiembre 2016-agosto 2017. El universo lo conformaron 166 menores de 15 años que ingresaron con diagnóstico de fiebre prolongada sin foco de localización, la muestra fue de 22 niños con diagnóstico confirmado de leishmaniosis visceral. La información se obtuvo de las historias clínicas. Se operacionalizaron 20 variables: sociodemográficas, clínicas, analíticas, terapéuticas y evolutivas. Se utilizó el procesador Epidat 3.1. Los resultados se expresaron en valores absolutos y porcentajes. Resultados: Se diagnosticó leishmaniosis visceral en 13,2 por ciento de niños hospitalizados por fiebre prolongada, 90,9 por ciento de procedencia rural y 59,1 por ciento desnutridos. El 77,3 por ciento de los casos recibió antimoniales, 90,9 por ciento tuvo estadía hospitalaria mayor de 21 días y el 36,4 por ciento se complicó con neumonía. Conclusiones: La leishmaniosis visceral es una entidad relativamente frecuente en niños admitidos por fiebre prolongada en el Hospital Italiano, predominan los varones desnutridos, mayores de cinco años de edad, procedentes de zonas rurales. La fiebre y la esplenomegalia son manifestaciones clínicas constantes, la anemia y la leucopenia los principales hallazgos de laboratorio. La aplicación de antimoniales es el tratamiento electivo, con larga estadía hospitalaria y la neumonía es la complicación más frecuente(AU)

Introduction: Visceral leishmaniasis is the most severe clinical form of leishmaniasis that mainly affects children and is potentially fatal. Objective: To explain the clinical-epidemiological characterization of visceral leishmaniasis in the pediatric population and its therapeutic response. Methods: It was conducted a retrospective, longitudinal and descriptive study in the Italian Hospital, Djibouti City in the period from September 2016 to August 2017. The sample group was formed by 166 children under 15 years old that were admitted with a diagnosis of prolonged fever without localization focus and the sample was of 22 children with confirmed diagnosis of visceral leishmaniasis. The information was obtained from the clinical records. Twenty variables were operationalized: sociodemographic, clinical, analytical, therapeutic and evolutive ones. Epidat 3.1 proccessor was used. The results were expressed in absolute values and percentages. Results: Visceral leishmaniasis was diagnosed in 13.2 percent children that were admitted in hospital due to prolonged fever, 90.9 percent of them were from rural areas and 59.1 percent were undernourished. 77,3 percent of the cases had antimonial treatment, 90.9 percent had hospital stay for more than 21 days and the 36.4 percent had complications due to pneumonia. Conclusions: Visceral leishmaniasis is a relatively frequent entity in children admitted in the Italian Hospital due to prolonged fever with a predominance of undernourished males, older that five years and from rural areas. Fever and splenomegaly are constant clinical manifestations, and anemia and leucopenia are the main laboratory findings. The use of antimonials is the election treatment with long hospital stay, and pneumonia is the most frequent complication(AU)

Urban photochemical pollution in the Iberian Peninsula: Lisbon and Barcelona airsheds.

Numerical simulations with photochemical transport models were independently performed for two domains situated in the Iberian Peninsula covering the Lisbon and Barcelona airsheds. Although the days chosen for simulation of the two cities are not the same, the synoptic situations in both cases, known as typical summertime situations, were similar, which allowed the development of typical mesoscale circulations, such as sea breezes and mountain and valley winds dominated by the Azores anticyclone. Emission inventories for the two areas were developed. The O3 concentrations recorded in both cities have a similar level. Nevertheless, O(x) values in Barcelona are higher than in Lisbon, which may, at a first glance, indicate an apparently more oxidant atmosphere in Barcelona. Photochemical modeling for the two cities has shown that the behavior of the circulatory patterns in both urban areas is rather different, which mainly has to do with the different strengths of the sea breeze and the topography, inducing an important offshore vertical layered dimension of pollutant transport in Barcelona versus an important inland horizontal transport in Lisbon.