Shellfish industrial waste reuse.

The global production of aquatic organisms has grown steadily in recent decades. This increase in production results in high volumes of by-products and waste, generally considered to be of low commercial value and part of them are consequently discarded in landfills or in the sea, causing serious environmental problems when not used. Currently, a large part of the reused aquaculture waste is destined for the feed industry. This generally undervalued waste presents an important source of bioactive compounds in its composition, such as: amino acids, carotenoids, chitin and its derivatives, fatty acids and minerals. These compounds are capable of offering numerous benefits due to their bioactive properties. However, the applicability of these compounds may be opportune in several other sectors. This review describes studies that seek to obtain and apply bioactive compounds from different sources of aquaculture waste, thus adding commercial value to these underutilized biomasses.HIGHLIGHTSVolume of aquaculture industrial waste from crustaceans and mollusks.Quantity and quality of bioactive components in aquaculture waste.Applications of recovered proteins, lipids, chitin, carotenoids and minerals.Future prospects for the destination of aquaculture waste.

Targeted Axillary Dissection after Chemotherapy: Feasibility Study with Clip and Carbon Dye Tattoo - Neotarget Trial.

Background: Axillary staging in patients with complete response after neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) is still controversial. Our objective was to test tattoo alone and subsequentially tattoo plus clip as markers in the targeted axillary dissection of ycN0 patients. Methods: Prospective cohort of cT1-T3, cN1 (proven histologically), M0 patients scheduled to receive NAC. Exclusion criteria were lobular histology, prior axillary surgery, and clinical N2/3. In cohort 1 this positive node (Neotarget node) was tattooed at diagnosis. If ycN0, a targeted axillary dissection was performed. After an interim analysis with negative results we changed the protocol in order to do a double marking procedure (Cohort 2): the positive node was clipped at diagnosis and after NAC a tattoo was done before surgery. Results: Thirteen patients in Cohort 1 and 18 patients in Cohort 2. Failure to identify the Neotarget node with multiple nodes retrieved in 9/13 (69%) of Cohort 1 patients. Also in 5/13 (38%) of Cohort 1 patients and 3/18 (17%) of Cohort 2 there was a failure to clearly identify tattooed nodes. In Cohort 2, clip identification by surgical specimen radiography allowed the identification of the tagged node in 17/18 (94,4%) of cases. The concordance between the clipped node and sentinel nodes was 16/18 (89%). Conclusions: The introduction of double marking by clipping the metastatic node and verifying their removal by surgical specimen radiography, using carbon ink as a tracer, allowed the identification of the metastatic node in 94% of cases, with a simple, reproducible, and easy-to-implement targeted axillary dissection procedure.

Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Breast Cancer Management in Portugal: A Cross-Sectional Survey-Based Study of Medical Oncologists.

INTRODUCTION: Cancer care providers have faced many challenges in delivering safe care for patients during the COVID-19 pandemic. This cross-sectional survey-based study investigated the impact of the pandemic on clinical practices of Portuguese medical oncologists caring for patients with breast cancer. METHODS: An anonymous online survey comprising 42 questions gathered information regarding COVID-19 testing, treatment in (neo)adjuvant and metastatic settings, and other aspects of breast cancer management. Practices before and during the pandemic were compared, and potential differences in outcomes according to respondents' regions, case volumes, and practice type were explored. RESULTS: Of 129 respondents, 108 worked in the public health system, giving a representative national picture of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on breast cancer management. Seventy-one percent of respondents reported a reduction in visits for new cases of breast cancer, and there was a shift towards increased use of telemedicine. Clinical decision-making was largely unaffected in the most aggressive indications (i.e., triple-negative, HER2-positive, visceral crisis). The use of neoadjuvant therapy increased when access to surgery was difficult, whereas dose-dense regimens decreased, and cyclin-dependent kinase 4/6 inhibitor treatment decreased for less aggressive disease and increased for more aggressive disease. The use of oral formulations and metronomic chemotherapy regimens increased, and clinical trial participation decreased. Some differences by respondents' region and case volume were noted. CONCLUSION: Medical oncologists in Portugal implemented many changes during the COVID-19 pandemic, most of which were logical and reasonable responses to the current healthcare emergency; however, the true impact on patient outcomes remains unknown.

This study was an online survey of Portuguese medical oncologists to determine how they managed patients with breast cancer during the COVID-19 pandemic. Forty-two questions covered topics such as how COVID testing was done, the types of cancer treatments used, and how this compared to before the pandemic. It also examined whether the geographic region, the number of patients each doctor was responsible for (caseload), and the type of medical institution influenced how patients with breast cancer were managed. One hundred and twenty-nine oncologists completed the survey, of whom 108 worked in the public health system, making this survey representative of breast cancer management during the COVID-19 pandemic across Portugal. Most (71%) said there were fewer visits for new cases of breast cancer during lockdown. The use of telemedicine increased, as did the use of pre-surgery hormone therapy or chemotherapy when access to surgery was difficult, and the use of anticancer medications taken orally or metronomically (low doses given frequently over a long time period). Chemotherapy given very frequently (dose-dense) was used less often, and fewer patients participated in clinical trials. Treatment decisions for patients with aggressive breast cancer types (e.g., triple-negative breast cancer) were largely unchanged, except for greater use of cyclin-dependent kinase 4/6 inhibitors­drugs targeting the cell cycle and cell division control. Geographic region and caseload influenced treatment decisions. All of these changes in breast cancer treatment during the COVID-19 pandemic were logical and reasonable for the circumstances, but their long-term impact is not yet known.

Management of tumour lysis syndrome during first-line palliative chemotherapy for high-volume colorectal cancer.

Tumour lysis syndrome (TLS) is a rare oncological emergency in solid tumours. Because it is associated with bad short-term prognosis, early recognition and treatment are mandatory. This case refers to a middle-aged woman who presented with stage IV colon cancer, with massive hepatic involvement. After three cycles of first-line FOLFOX (folinic acid, 5-fluorouracil and oxaliplatin), she developed acute kidney injury and hyperkalaemia that did not respond to standard measures. High suspicion of TLS prompted further corroborating investigations and early intensive care unit admission. With vigorous hydration and allopurinol, TLS completely resolved and the patient was discharged. Prophylaxis of subsequent TLS recurrence was complicated by biopsy-proven neutrophilic vasculitis secondary to allopurinol. Prevention of TLS with hydration and rasburicase was performed prior to each subsequent cycle of chemotherapy. This case report is intended to highlight risk factors for TLS in solid tumours and focus on treatment and secondary prophylaxis of TLS.

Effects of bevacizumab on autocrine VEGF stimulation in bladder cancer cell lines.

INTRODUCTION: A functional vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGF-A) autocrine loop is crucial for bladder cancer cell survival. We reasoned that treatment with the anti-VEGF antibody bevacizumab may result either in cell growth prevention or in the cell adaptation to compensate VEGF deprivation. METHODS: The cytotoxicity of different levels of bevacizumab and its effect on the gene expression was analyzed in human bladder cancer cell lines. RESULTS: Inhibition of bladder cancer cell proliferation was observed at >2.5 mg/ml of bevacizumab. Non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer cells expressed high concentrations of VEGF-A, and were less susceptible to bevacizumab inhibition. At 0.5 mg/ml (FDA approved concentration) of bevacizumab, cells increase their expression of VEGF-A, VEGF-A receptors and related growth factors. CONCLUSIONS: Bevacizumab cytotoxicity is only observed at high concentration, and it is inversely correlated with the basal VEGF-A expression of the bladder cancer cells. This is the first report showing that, at clinical bevacizumab concentrations, cancer cells compensate the VEGF-A blockade, by improving the expression of VEGF-A and related genes, highlighting the need to follow the patient's adaptation response to bevacizumab treatment.

Efficient pump beam shaping for high-power thin-disk laser systems.

We report a beam-shaping technique whereby the output power from a high-power laser-diode stack is efficiently coupled, reconfigured, and transmitted to a thin-disk laser by means of a compact optical fiber bundle. By using this technique, the power density is increased by a factor of 2 when compared to direct coupling with a octagonal fused silica rod while the numerical aperture is kept constant. Transmission efficiency of 80% was measured for the beam shaper without antireflection coating. The top-hat distribution is numerically calculated at the thin-disk laser crystal.

[Family caregivers and the transition process: a literature review]. / O membro da família prestador de cuidados e a transição para o seu novo papel: uma revisão da literatura.

Current demographic trends allied with the increase of chronic diseases grant family caregivers a more active role in the health system. The purpose of this article is to know the state of art in terms of role acquisition and preparation of family caregivers in order to take better care ofa dependent person. This literature review is based on electronic research (EBSCO and ELSEVIER) and manual research (Porto College of Nurse library). Increasing early hospital discharges lead to the adoption of caregiver role, within a short time, and thus difficult the process of transition and adaptation. Caregivers frequently have inadequate preparation, since their capacities to perform the caregiver's role are rarely evaluated. Besides, the adoption of caregiver's role often occurs in conditions that cannot allow an informed choice, nor the awareness of the true implications inherent in the role of taking care. To understand the process of adaptation lived by family caregivers is fundamental for nurses.

Analytical study of the chemical and physical changes induced by KrF laser cleaning of tempera paints.

The cleaning of paintings using UV lasers is a growing field of interest in the practice of conservation. In this work, we have studied the chemical and physical changes induced by KrF excimer laser at 248 nm of tempera paint dosimeter systems. The changes have been evaluated by using a range of analytical techniques. These include profilometry; colorimetry; optical and vibrational spectroscopies, such as laser-induced fluorescence (LIF), laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS), Fourier transform Raman (FTR), and infrared (FT-IR); and analytical mass spectrometric techniques, such as direct-temperature-resolved mass spectrometry (DTMS) and matrix-assisted laser desorption and ionization mass spectrometry (MALDI-MS). Integration of the results obtained by these techniques allowed the investigation of the nature and degree of change of the irradiated paint systems. Direct laser irradiation induces various degrees of discoloration that depend strongly on the nature of the pigment. This effect takes place mainly on the surface layer of the sample. Degradation of the binding medium occurs in the presence of inorganic pigments, and in some cases, evidence of alterations in the molecular composition of the pigment has been obtained. Varnished systems do not display this discoloration when a thin protective layer is left on the paint. A laser cleaning strategy for varnished paintings should be based on the partial removal of the varnish, leaving a residual layer that shields the underlying pigments from direct laser exposure.

Influence of body composition on the bone mass of postmenopausal women

Aims: To investigate the influence of body weight (BW), fat mass (FM) and lean mass (LM) on the bone mineral density (BMD) of several areas of the skeleton. Participants: Sixty one white postmenopausal women (50.1 + 4.8 years). Measurements: Measurement of BMD by dual energy x-ray absorptiometry. The results were analyzed by linear regression and the slopes of each curve were compared. Results: The results showed that the correlations between BW, FM and LM to BMD were positive, whilst the correlations between age and years since menopause to BMD were negative. LM was the main factor that influence BMD in almost all areas. Conclusions: FM and LM present a positive effect on BMD, although LM is the main determinant of bone mass. Moreover, higher values of LM and FM present a protective effect against the reduction of BMD combined with menopause. Therefore postmenopausal women with low BM, especially low LM, present serious risk for developing osteoporosis.