A study of knowledge, attitudes, and practices on ticks and tick-borne diseases of cattle among breeders of two bovine Portuguese autochthonous breeds.

Beef cattle production in Portugal is an important sector of national agricultural production, with half of the herd being in the Alentejo region. Despite this, animal health is essential for its productivity, which may be compromised by ticks and tick-borne diseases. So far, no study has been conducted in Portugal to assess knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) on ticks and tick-borne diseases in cattle, which the authors are aware of. This type of questionnaire is a very useful tool in the development and application of effective and sustainable prevention and control measures. Therefore, a KAP questionnaire was applied to 44 cattle breeders of autochthonous Portuguese breeds, namely 14 breeders of the Alentejana breed and 30 of the Mertolenga breed, between January 1 and May 9, 2023. Based on the analysis criteria of these surveys, 64% of the Alentejana breeders and 63% of the Mertolenga breeders have an average level of knowledge about ticks and tick-borne diseases, and 21% of the Alentejana breeders and 33% of the Mertolenga breeders have a high level of knowledge. Although only 21.4% of the Alentejana and 36.7% of the Mertolenga breeders consider tick infestation as a major animal health problem, 71.4% of the Alentejana and 63.3% of breeders of the Mertolenga state that one of the main reasons for veterinary consultations on their farm is deworming of animals, and 92.9% of breeders of the Alentejana and 96.7% of breeders of the Mertolenga refer the use of dewormers as a strategy to control tick infestation. The results of this study contribute to highlighting the importance of correcting some identified knowledge gaps and improving knowledge, especially on the life cycle of this parasite, its local distribution and seasonality, resistance to acaricides, and alternative control strategies.

A Genome-Wide Association Study for Resistance to Tropical Theileriosis in Two Bovine Portuguese Autochthonous Breeds.

The control of Tropical Theileriosis, a tick-borne disease with a strong impact on cattle breeding, can be facilitated using marker-assisted selection in breeding programs. Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) using high-density arrays are extremely important for the ongoing process of identifying genomic variants associated with resistance to Theileria annulata infection. In this work, single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were analyzed in the Portuguese autochthonous cattle breeds Alentejana and Mertolenga. In total, 24 SNPs suggestive of significance (p ≤ 10-4) were identified for Alentejana cattle and 20 SNPs were identified for Mertolenga cattle. The genomic regions around these SNPs were further investigated for annotated genes and quantitative trait loci (QTLs) previously described by other authors. Regarding the Alentejana breed, the MAP3K1, CMTM7, SSFA2, and ATG13 genes are located near suggestive SNPs and appear as candidate genes for resistance to Tropical Theileriosis, considering its action in the immune response and resistance to other diseases. On the other hand, in the Mertolenga breed, the UOX gene is also a candidate gene due to its apparent link to the pathogenesis of the disease. These results may represent a first step toward the possibility of including genetic markers for resistance to Tropical Theileriosis in current breed selection programs.

Upper airway assessment in obstructive sleep apnea patients: can computed tomography with lateral cephalometry replace drug-induced sleep endoscopy (DISE)? / Evaluación de la vía aérea superior en pacientes con apnea obstructiva del sueño: ¿puede la tomografía computarizada con cefalometría lateral reemplazar endoscopia del sueño inducida por fármacos por fármacos?

Objective To evaluate the association between results from drug-induced sleep endoscopy (DISE) and computed tomography with lateral cephalometry (CTLC) of the pharynx in obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) patients, regarding the same anatomic level, in order to understand if CTLC could replace DISE in selected patients. Study design Cross-sectional. Setting Tertiary hospital. Methods A total of 71 patients who attended the Sleep Medicine Consultation in the Otorhinolaryngology Department of Hospital CUF Tejo between 1.6.2019 and 30.9.2021, performed a polysomnographic sleep study and were elected to undergo DISE and CTLC of the pharynx for diagnostic purposes were selected. Obstructions at the same anatomic levels – tongue base, epiglottis and velum - were compared in both exams. Results Patients with reduction of epiglottis-pharynx space on CTLC had also a complete obstruction at epiglottis level on the VOTE classification of DISE (p = 0,027). Reduction of velum-pharynx space or tongue base-pharynx space were not related to complete obstruction of the velum (P = 0,623) or the tongue base (p = 0,594) found in DISE. Those with two or more space reductions had a tendency to multilevel obstruction observed in DISE (p = 0.089). Conclusion When evaluating the obstruction level(s) of an OSA patient, efforts should be made to perform DISE, since CTLC measures, though regarding at the same structures, don´t correlate completely with obstructions observed in DISE. (AU)

Objetivo Evaluar la asociación entre los resultados de la endoscopia del sueño inducida por fármacos (DISE) y la tomografía computarizada con cefalometría lateral (TCCL) de faringe en pacientes con apnea obstructiva del sueño (AOS), en el mismo nivel anatómico, para comprender si la TCCL podría reemplazar DISE en pacientes seleccionados. Diseño del estudio Transversal. Lugar Hospital de tercer nivel. Métodos Un total de 71 pacientes que acudieron a la Consulta de Medicina del Sueño en el Servicio de Otorrinolaringología del Hospital CUF Tejo entre el 1.6.2019 y el 30.9.2021, a los que se les había realizado un estudio polisomnográfico del sueño y fueron elegidos para realizar DISE y TCCL de faringe con fines diagnósticos, fueron seleccionados. Las obstrucciones en los mismos niveles anatómicos (base de la lengua, epiglotis y velo) se compararon en ambos exámenes. Resultados Los pacientes con reducción del espacio epiglotis-faringe en TCCL también tenían una obstrucción completa a nivel de epiglotis en la clasificación VOTE de DISE (p = 0,027). La reducción del espacio velo-faringe o base de la lengua-faringe no se relacionó con la obstrucción completa del velo (P = 0,623) o de la base de la lengua (p = 0,594) encontrada en DISE. Aquellos con dos o más reducciones de espacio presentaron tendencia a la obstrucción multinivel observada en DISE (p = 0,089). Conclusión Al evaluar el o los niveles de obstrucción de un paciente con AOS, se debe intentar realizar DISE, ya que las medidas de TCCL, aunque se refieren a las mismas estructuras, no se correlacionan completamente con las obstrucciones observadas en DISE. (AU)

Prevalence and Risk Factors Associated with Theileria annulata Infection in Two Bovine Portuguese Autochthonous Breeds.

Tropical Bovine Theileriosis is an important tick-borne disease. This study aims to assess the occurrence of Theileria annulata infection in two indigenous Portuguese cattle breeds. A total of 843 blood samples collected from animals of Alentejana (n = 420) and Mertolenga (n = 423) breeds were analyzed. The detection of Theileria annulata was determined by amplification of a fragment of the merozoite-pyroplasm surface antigen gene with 319 base pairs (bp). The prevalence found (10.8%) is lower than that reported in previous studies (21.3%). A statistically significant difference was found for positivity between breeds (p < 0.05). There is also a higher probability of older animals being positive compared to younger ones (p < 0.05). The region where Mertolenga animals are located is shown to have a significant impact on positivity (p < 0.05). Thus, the development of sustainable T. annulata control strategies and their implementation, adapted to the epidemiological conditions of higher risk, will be extremely important.

Evaluation of Chute Exit, Novelty and Human Approach Tests in Mertolenga Beef Cattle.

Livestock behavior and welfare are increasingly recognized to be related, not only to the animals' handling, but also with productivity. The present work was carried out at the Mertolenga Breed Testing Center and its objective was to evaluate the behavior of Mertolenga breed young bulls when exiting the chute, the reaction to novelty and human approach tests, as well as to understand if the responses between these tests are related. Twenty-nine Mertolenga-bred young bulls from 16 different farms, aged between 8 and 13 months, entered the study farm from the end of May to the beginning of June 2021. Data was collected on six different days and analyzed with the SAS® 9.4 software. Older animals showed a tendency to leave the chute more calmly, take longer to touch the novelty ball and to touch the ball less often, with a consequent reduction in the likelihood of playing with it. In the human approach test, animals that came out of the chute more calmly allowed the human to come closer. These behavior tests should be further studied on potential sires, so as to increase docility and manageability of autochthonous beef breeds.

Upper airway assessment in obstructive sleep apnea patients: can computed tomography with lateral cephalometry replace drug-induced sleep endoscopy (DISE)?

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the association between results from drug-induced sleep endoscopy (DISE) and computed tomography with lateral cephalometry (CTLC) of the pharynx in obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) patients, regarding the same anatomic level, in order to understand if CTLC could replace DISE in selected patients. STUDY DESIGN: Cross-sectional. SETTING: Tertiary hospital. METHODS: A total of 71 patients who attended the Sleep Medicine Consultation in the Otorhinolaryngology Department of Hospital CUF Tejo between 1.6.2019 and 30.9.2021, performed a polysomnographic sleep study and were elected to undergo DISE and CTLC of the pharynx for diagnostic purposes were selected. Obstructions at the same anatomic levels - tongue base, epiglottis and velum - were compared in both exams. RESULTS: Patients with reduction of epiglottis-pharynx space on CTLC had also a complete obstruction at epiglottis level on the VOTE classification of DISE (p = 0,027). Reduction of velum-pharynx space or tongue base-pharynx space were not related to complete obstruction of the velum (P = 0,623) or the tongue base (p = 0,594) found in DISE. Those with two or more space reductions had a tendency to multilevel obstruction observed in DISE (p = 0.089). CONCLUSION: When evaluating the obstruction level(s) of an OSA patient, efforts should be made to perform DISE, since CTLC measures, though regarding at the same structures, don´t correlate completely with obstructions observed in DISE.

Chronic nasopharyngeal and otitis media tuberculosis: diagnosis and management difficulties.

Nasopharyngeal and otitis media tuberculosis are rare extrapulmonary manifestations of Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection. We present a case of a middle-aged woman with manifestations of both conditions along with a description of the anatomical and temporal evolution of the disease. This case also highlights the difficulty of diagnosis and management of this condition, requiring a multidisciplinary approach. Extrapulmonary tuberculosis must be considered in the differential diagnosis of multiple head and neck conditions, including refractory chronic rhinosinusitis and otitis.

On the clinical acceptance of black-box systems for EEG seizure prediction.

Seizure prediction may be the solution for epileptic patients whose drugs and surgery do not control seizures. Despite 46 years of research, few devices/systems underwent clinical trials and/or are commercialized, where the most recent state-of-the-art approaches, as neural networks models, are not used to their full potential. The latter demonstrates the existence of social barriers to new methodologies due to data bias, patient safety, and legislation compliance. In the form of literature review, we performed a qualitative study to analyze the seizure prediction ecosystem to find these social barriers. With the Grounded Theory, we draw hypotheses from data, while with the Actor-Network Theory we considered that technology shapes social configurations and interests, being fundamental in healthcare. We obtained a social network that describes the ecosystem and propose research guidelines aiming at clinical acceptance. Our most relevant conclusion is the need for model explainability, but not necessarily intrinsically interpretable models, for the case of seizure prediction. Accordingly, we argue that it is possible to develop robust prediction models, including black-box systems to some extent, while avoiding data bias, ensuring patient safety, and still complying with legislation, if they can deliver human- comprehensible explanations. Due to skepticism and patient safety reasons, many authors advocate the use of transparent models which may limit their performance and potential. Our study highlights a possible path, by using model explainability, on how to overcome these barriers while allowing the use of more computationally robust models.

Genetic Diversity in the Portuguese Mertolenga Cattle Breed Assessed by Pedigree Analysis.

The Mertolenga beef cattle, currently with 27,000 breeding females in Portugal, is the largest Portuguese native breed, despite some variation in the breeding stock over the last years. The purpose of this study was to estimate parameters related to the population structure and genetic diversity and to investigate the major factors affecting genetic erosion in the breed, based on the pedigree herdbook information collected since the 1950s, including records on 221,567 animals from 425 herds. The mean generation intervals were 6.4 years for sires and 7.1 years for dams, respectively. The rate of inbreeding per year was 0.183% ± 0.020% and the correspondent effective population size was 38.83. In the reference population (35,017 calves born between 2015 and 2019), the average inbreeding and relatedness were 8.82% ± 10% and 2.05% ± 1.26%, respectively. The mean relationship among animals from the same and from different herds was 29.25% ± 9.36% and 1.87% ± 1.53%, respectively. The estimates for the effective number of founders, ancestors, founding herds and herds supplying sires were 87.9, 59.4, 21.4 and 73.5, respectively. Although the situation of the Mertolenga breed is not alarming, these results indicate the need to adopt measures to maintain the genetic variability of the population.

Leiomiosarcoma pleomórfico adrenal, un tumor suprarrenal maligno infrecuente / Adrenal pleomorphic leiomyosarcoma, an uncommon malignant suprarrenal tumour

No disponible

O Fado dançado do Brasil: trânsitos culturais / Fado danced in Brazil: cultural passer

Entre uma multiplicidade de possíveis filiações musicais e coreográficas, o lundu afro-brasileiro alcançou uma justificada relevância na história do fado, recentemente aprovado como Património Imaterial da Humanidade da Unesco. Nessa matriz, o fado dançado tinha marcas de uma grande sensualidade e, assim, surgiu nas tabernas e prostíbulos da Lisboa boémia de meados do século XIX. Ao aburguesar-se – e, sobretudo, com o advento da ditadura salazarista (1926) –, o fado lisboeta deixou de ser dançado, perdendo uma boa parte da sua expressividade corporal.Porém, na Baixada Fluminense, ainda sobrevive um fado que remonta aos tempos da escravatura, dançado com palmas, sapateado, pandeiros e violas. Recorrendo a fontes históricas e etnográficas, o presente contributo questiona as práticas corporais associadas ao fado por referência aos seus contextos ideológicos.

Among a multitude of possible affiliations to music and dance, african Brazilian lundu reached a justified importance in the history of fado, recently approved as IntangibleHeritage of Humanity by UNESCO. In this matrix, fate had danced marksa great sensuality and thus arose in taverns and brothels of bohemian Lisbon midnineteenth century. When aburguesar up and especially with the advent of the Salazar dictatorship (1926) fado from Lisbon no longer danced, losing much of itsexpressiveness body. However, in the Lowlands, a fate that still survives since the time of slavery, danced with palms, tap dancing, tambourines and guitars. Drawing on ethnographic and historical sources, this contribution argues against corporal practices associated with fado by reference to their ideological contexts

[Lymphocele after renal transplantation: case report and bibliographic review]. / Linfocele gigante tras trasplante renal. A propósito de un caso y revisión de la literatura.

OBJECTIVES: To report the case and iconography of a lymphocele after renal transplantation and to review the literature about the diagnosis and the treatment of this surgical complication. METHODS: 69 year-old woman status post renal transplantation who presents right lower extremity edema and worsening renal function. A liquid collection was demonstrated by ultrasound and computerized tomography, compatible with lymphocele after biochemical study of the liquid obtained by percutaneous puncture. RESULTS: The patient underwent laparoscopic intraperitoneal drainage of the lymphocele, with good surgical outcome. CONCLUSION: Lymphocele is a common pathology after a renal transplantation which needs to be treated depending on its clinical manifestations. There mainly are two therapeutic alternatives depending on the size of the lymphocele: sclerotherapy and surgical intraperitoneal drainage. Apart from very selected cases, laparoscopic approach is currently considered, because of its security and effectiveness, the first choice when a surgical treatment is prescribed.

Linfocele gigante tras trasplante renal. A propósito de un caso y Revisión de la literatura / Giant lymphocele after renal transplantation. Case report and bibliographic review

OBJETIVOS: Comunicar el caso y la iconografía de un linfocele postrasplante renal y revisar la literatura sobre diagnóstico y tratamiento de esta complicación quirúrgicaMÉTODOS: Mujer de 69 años sometida a trasplante renal, que se presenta con edema en miembro inferior derecho y deterioro de función renal. Se demostró con ecografía y TAC una colección líquida, compatible con linfocele tras estudio bioquímico del líquido obtenido por punción percutánea. RESULTADOS: Se somete a la paciente a una marsupialización del linfocele por vía laparoscópica, con buenos resultados quirúrgicos.CONCLUSIONES: El linfocele es una entidad frecuente tras el trasplante renal, precisando tratamiento según las manifestaciones clínicas. Existen fundamentalmente dos alternativas terapéuticas, dependiendo del tamaño: escleroterapia y marsupialización quirúgica. Salvo casos muy seleccionados, el abordaje laparoscópico se considera actualmente, por su seguridad y eficacia, de primera elección cuando se indica tratamiento quirúrgico(AU)

OBJECTIVES: To report the case and iconography of a lymphocele after renal transplantation and to review the literature about the diagnosis and the treatment of this surgical complication.METHODS: 69 year-old woman status post renal transplantation who presents right lower extremity edema and worsening renal function. A liquid collection was demonstrated by ultrasound and computerized tomography, compatible with lymphocele after biochemical study of the liquid obtained by percutaneous puncture.RESULTS: The patient underwent laparoscopic intraperitoneal drainage of the lymphocele, with good surgical outcome.CONCLUSION: Lymphocele is a common pathology after a renal transplantation which needs to be treated depending on its clinical manifestations. There mainly are two therapeutic alternatives depending on the size of the lymphocele: sclerotherapy and surgical intraperitoneal drainage. Apart from very selected cases, laparoscopic approach is currently considered, because of its security and effectiveness, the first choice when a surgical treatment is prescribed(AU)

[Pulmonary fibrosis and endovesical mitomycin C]. / Mitomicina C endovesical y fibrosis pulmonar.

The Mitomycin C is a chemotherapeutic agent used in several types of carcinomas. In the superficial vesical carcinoma comes using since more than a quarter century in the form of endovesical instillations. It is a drug relatively safe, although there have been described adverse effects related to its systemic administration as myelosuppression, anaemia, kidney toxicity and less frequently pulmonary fibrosis. In this article we presented the case of a patient who suffers a respiratory illness compatible with interstitial lung disease that develops a respiratory severe insufficiency finishing with the death, after the administration of endovesical mitomycin C, being this adverse effect exceptional for this route of administration.

[Giant lymphocele after renal transplantation. Case report and bibliographic review]. / Linfocele gigante tras trasplante renal. A propósito de un caso y revisión de la literatura.

OBJECTIVE: To report the case and the iconography of a lymphocele after renal transplantation and to review the literature about the diagnosis and treatment of this surgical complication. METHODS: 69 year-old woman who undergone renal transplantation and presented right lower extremity edema and worsening renal function. It was demonstrated by ultrasound and computerized tomography a liquid collection, compatible with lymphocele after biochemical study of the liquid which was obtained by percutaneous puncture. RESULTS: The patient underwent a laparoscopic intraperitoneal drainage of the lymphocele, with good surgical outcomes. CONCLUSION: Lymphocele is a common pathology after a renal transplantation, which needs to be treated depending on its clinical manifestations. There are mainly two therapeutic alternatives, depending on the size of the lymphocele: sclerotherapy and surgical intraperitoneal drainage. Apart from highly selected cases, laparoscopic approach is currently considered first choice when a surgical treatment is prescribed due to its security and effectiveness.

A Juventude como Fase de Vida: dos ritos de passagem aos ritos de impasse / Youth as a Stage of Life: from rites of passage to rites of impasse

O curso de vida apresenta-se segmentado em diferentes fases. Porém, nas três últimas décadas - pelo menos em nível europeu - diversos estudos têm acentuado uma crescente variabilidade na determinação das fronteiras que as separam. No que respeita à juventude é certo que continuam a ser valorizados determinados marcadores de passagem para a chamada idade adulta, como é o caso da obtenção de um emprego, do casamento ou do nascimento do primeiro filho (European Social Survey de 2006/2007). Entretanto, as trajectórias de vida bloqueiam frequentemente encruzilhadas de impasse, determinadas por variáveis societais, apesar de os arranjos de transição cada vez mais se alinharem com estratégias de autonomização, na esteira das teses da individualização. Em sociedades de outrora, existiam ritos de passagem que demarcavam, de modo preciso, a transição dos jovens para a idade adulta. Hoje em dia, muitos desses ritos desapareceram embora alguns ainda sobrevivam. É o que acontece com a chamada festa dos rapazes, rito de iniciação à idade adulta que ocorre em muitas aldeias do nordeste de Portugal, onde a identidade masculina é celebrada de forma festiva, transgressora, orgiástica. Pesquisas etnográficas sobre a festa dos rapazes sugerem-nos que a complexidade do moderno não é redutível a manifestações do passado despidas de suas novas valências significativas. O objectivo deste artigo é, justamente, o de discutir como um antigo rito de expressão localizada se enfrenta a aragens da modernidade. A conclusão entreabre portas para a possibilidade de, entre os jovens, os ritos de passagem estarem a ceder lugar a ritos de impasse.