ESTGV - DMAT - Artigo em revista científica, indexada ao WoS/Scopus
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- Accuracy of ultrasound in the diagnosis of acute cholecystitis with coexistent acute pancreatitisPublication . Pereira, J.; Afonso, A.; Constantino, J.; Matos, A.; Henriques, C.; Zago, M.; Pinheiro, L.Acute cholecystitis and pancreatitis are acute forms of cholecystolithiasis. The presence of acute cholecystitis can lead to important changes in therapy in the early course of acute pancreatitis. The aim of this study was to identify the accuracy of ultrasonography in diagnosing acute cholecystitis with coexistent acute pancreatitis.
- Are Consumers Aware of Sustainability Aspects Related to Edible Insects? Results from a Study Involving 14 CountriesPublication . Guiné, Raquel P. F.; Florença, Sofia De Guiné E; Anjos, Ofélia; Boustani, Nada M.; Chuck-Hernández, Cristina; Sarić, Marijana Matek; Ferreira, Manuela; Costa, Cristina Amaro Da; Bartkiene, Elena; Cardoso, Ana Paula; Tarcea, Monica; Correia, Paula; Campos, Sofia; Papageorgiou, Maria; Camino, Daniel Abarquero; Korzeniowska, Malgorzata; Černelič-Bizjak, Maša; Kruma, Zanda; Damarli, Emel; Ferreira, Vanessa; Djekic, IlijaIn recent years, edible insects have been suggested as an alternative food that is more sustainable compared with other sources of animal protein. However, knowledge about the sustainability aspects associated with this source of food may play a role in convincing consumers to adopt insects as part of their diet. In this context, the present study investigated the level of knowledge about the sustainability of edible insects in a group of people originating from 14 countries, with some naturally entomophagous and others not. To measure the knowledge, 11 items were selected and the scores obtained were tested with statistical tools (t-test for independent samples, analysis of variance—ANOVA) to search for differences according to sociodemographic and socioeconomic characteristics, geographical origin, and consumption habits of edible insects. The obtained results showed that, in general, knowledge is moderate, with the values of the average scores for the 11 items investigated ranging from 0.23 ± 0.99 to 0.66 ± 1.02, on a scale ranging from –2 (=very low knowledge) to 2 (=very high knowledge). The highest scores were found for items relating to the lower use of animal feed and lower emission of greenhouse gases required for the production of insects compared with beef. When investigating the differences between groups of participants, significant differences were generally found, revealing a trend for higher knowledge among males and young adults, for participants residing in urban areas and in countries such as Spain, Mexico, and Poland, and for participants with higher education levels and higher incomes. When testing the influence of consumption variables on the level of knowledge, the results showed a higher knowledge for participants who had already consumed insects or are willing to consume them. Finally, it was observed that higher knowledge was found for participants whose motivation to consume insects related to curiosity, a wish to preserve the planet, the gastronomic characteristics of insects, and their nutritional value. In conclusion, these results clearly indicate a very marked influence of a number of variables on the knowledge about the sustainability of edible insects, and this may be helpful to delineate strategies to effectively raise knowledge and eventually increase the willingness to consider insects as a more sustainable alternative to partially replace other protein foods, even in countries where this is a not a traditional practice.
- Bank Credit and Trade Credit: The Case of Portuguese SMEs from 2010 to 2019Publication . Pinto, Pedro; Henriques, Carla; Cardoso, Carolina Esteves Oliveira da Silva; Neves, Maria Elisabete DuarteSmall companies face significant difficulties in accessing finance, and the use of bank credit and trade credit are the primary sources of financing, specifically in small countries, with little market liquidity, and focused on the banking system, as is the case of Portugal. The main objective of this article is to identify significant drivers of bank and trade credit, as well as investigate the complementary or substitutive relationship between them, considering that both constitute an essential source of financing for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). The sample comprises 5860 companies, and the analysis was performed using panel data methodology (2010–2019). The results suggest that, during the period in which the financial crisis was most felt in the country (2010–2013), companies intensified their demand for trade credit, and in the following years for bank credit. Our evidence does support the substitution hypothesis between trade and bank credit.
- A closer look at Santiago de Compostela's pilgrims through the lens of motivationsPublication . Amaro, Suzanne; Antunes, Angela; Henriques, CarlaThis study aims to identify pilgrims’ motivations to undertake the Camiño de Santiago and examine differences regarding socio demographics and other characteristics. An online questionnaire was used to collect data from pilgrims that had travelled the Camiño de Santiago. A total of 1,140 valid responses was collected from 45 different nationalities. The results indicate that pilgrims are mostly motivated by spiritual aspects, by wanting new experiences and for the nature and sports experience. Interestingly, religious motivations are the least important. The study also found that motivations differ according to several factors such as gender, nationality and the way the pilgrims undertook their journey. The findings of this study offer a better understanding of modern pilgrims, providing useful insights to stakeholders.
- Combined C4d and CD3 immunostaining predicts IgA nephropathy progressionPublication . Faria, Bernardo; Henriques, Carla; Matos, Ana; Daha, M.; Pestana, M.; Seelen, M.A number of molecules have been shown recently to be involved in the pathogenesis and progression of immunoglobulin (Ig)A nephropathy(IgAN). Among these, we have selected C4d (complement lectin pathway involvement), CD3 (T cell marker, traducing interstitial inflammation),transglutaminase 2 (TGase-2, involved in tissue fibrosis development) and p-extracelluar-regulated kinase (ERK)1/2 (protein kinase intracellular signaling molecule) to perform a panel of immunohistological biomarkers and assess its predictive value for disease progression. Immunohistochemical staining of these biomarkers was performed in paraffin sections from 74 renal biopsy cases with the clinical diagnosis of IgAN. Association between score analysis of these parameters and disease course was assessed through univariate and multivariate analysis, including baseline clinical and histological data. Univariate analysis showed that glomerular C4d,tubulointerstitial TGase2 and CD3 scores were associated with baseline proteinuria and disease progression. Multivariate analysis showed that only baseline estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR), C4d and CD3 were associated independently with progressive kidney disease (decline of at least 50% in the eGFR or progression to end-stage renal disease (ESRD) during the follow-up period). Establishing an accurate prediction model for IgAN progression is still a matter of research in clinical nephrology. The complement system, particularly lectin pathway activation, and T cell activation, have been shown previously to be potential modifiers of the disease course. Here we show that the combination of two histological biomarkers (C4d and CD3) can be a powerful predictor of IgAN progression and a potential useful tool for the clinical approach of this disease.
- Conical differentiability for bone remodeling contact rod modelsPublication . Figueiredo, Isabel; Leal, Carlos; Pinto, CecíliaWe prove the conical differentiability of the solution to a bone remodeling contact rod model, for given data (applied loads and rigid obstacle), with respect to small perturbations of the cross section of the rod. The proof is based on the special structure of the model, composed of a variational inequality coupled with an ordinary differential equation with respect to time. This structure enables the verification of the two following fundamental results: the polyhedricity of a modified displacement constraint set defined by the obstacle and the differentiability of the two forms associated to the variational inequality.
- Constructions of Solid HullsPublication . Adámek, Jirí; Sousa, LurdesFor each concrete category (K,U) an extension LIM(K,U) is constructed and under certain ‘smallness conditions’ it is proved that LIM(K,U) is a solid hull of (K,U), i.e., the least finally dense solid extension of (K,U). A full subcategory of Top_2 is presented which does not have a solid hull.
- Criteria to predict carriers of a novel SCN5A mutation in a large Portuguese family affected by the Brugada syndromePublication . Santos, L. F.; Rodrigues, B.; Moreira, D.; Correia, E.; Nunes, L.; Costa, A.; Elvas, L.; Pereira, T.; Machado, J. C.; Castedo, S.; Henriques, C.; Matos, A.; Santos, J. O.Brugada syndrome (BrS) is a life-threatening arrhythmia disorder associated with autosomal-dominant mutations in the SCN5A gene. We aimed to characterize the diagnostic challenges and clinical manifestations of a novel SCN5A mutation associated with BrS.
- Definition of Low Disease Activity State based on the SLE-DAS: Derivation and validation in a multicentre real-life cohortPublication . Assunção, Helena; Jesus, Diogo; Larosa, Maddalena; Henriques, Carla; Matos, Ana; Le Guern, Véronique; Rubiño, Francisco; Silva, José A P da; Rua-Figueroa, Iñigo; Costedoat-Chalumeau, Nathalie; Doria, Andrea; Inês, Luís SObjectives To derive and validate a definition of low disease activity (LDA) for SLE based on the SLE Disease Activity Score (SLE-DAS), in a real-life multicentre cohort of SLE patients. Methods Derivation was conducted using data from a monocentric cohort of SLE (Portugal), and validation was performed in a multicentre cohort (Italy, France and Spain). The Lupus Low Disease Activity State (LLDAS) was used as comparator. We applied receiver operating characteristics curve analysis against the LLDAS to determine the cut-off of SLE-DAS for LDA using bootstrap methodology. In a second step, we tested a definition of SLE-DAS LDA that included: (i) the statistically derived SLE-DAS upper threshold for LDA and (ii) prednisone dose ≤7.5 mg/day. In the multicentre validation cohort, we assessed the classification performance of this SLE-DAS LDA definition. Results We included 774 patients, 300 in the derivation and 474 in the validation cohort. In the derivation cohort, the optimal cut-off to identify patients in LLDAS was SLE-DAS ≤2.48, presenting an area under the curve of 0.965 (95% CI 0.935, 0.994). When applied to the multicentre validation cohort, the SLE-DAS LDA definition showed a sensitivity of 97.1% and a specificity of 97.7% for LLDAS and an almost perfect agreement (Cohen’s Kappa = 0.933; P < 0.001). McNemar’s test found no significant differences between the two definitions (P = 0.092). Conclusion The SLE-DAS LDA is a validated, accurate and easy-to-use definition for classifying SLE patients in LDA state.
- Let Games Begin and Go onPublication . Matos, Maria Cristina P.; Ferreira, Manuel Alberto M.; Filipe, José AntónioReal life is a bigger game in which what a player does early on can affect what others choose to do later on. In particular, we can strive to explain how cooperative behaviour can be established as a result of rational behaviour. When engaged in a repeated situation, players must consider not only their short-term gains but also their long-term payoffs. The general idea of repeated games is that players may be able to deter another player from exploiting his short-term advantage by threatening a punishment that reduces his long-term payoff. The aim of the paper that supports this abstract is to present and discuss dynamic game theory. There are three basic kinds of reasons, which are not mutually exclusive, to study what happens in repeated games. First, it provides a pleasant and a very interesting theory and it has the advantage of making us become more humble in our predictions. Second, many of the most interesting economic interactions repeated often can incorporate a phenomenon which we believe are important but which are not captured when we restrict our attention to static games. Finally, economics, and equilibrium-based theories more generally, do best when analysing routinised interactions. Copyright © 2018 Inderscience Enterprises Ltd.
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