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The lipodystrophic syndrome in HIV is characterized by alterations in the distribution of body fat and metabolic alterations characterized by an increase in serum lipids; peripheral insulin resistance. The questionnaires applied were: a questionnaire for characterizing adults with HIV/AIDS. Most interviewees were male (66%), aged between 29 and 73 years old, as for the level of education, 44% had completed high school. They were predominantly of low socioeconomic status. As for marital status, only 14% were married. As for the anthropometric variables, the average of male weight (66.81 kg) was greater than that of female weight (63.3 kg) and in terms of height only 0.01 m difference in height between the two groups, with men of taller than women. The mean BMI had a small difference between the two groups, thus, only 2 patients were thin; eutrophy we had 22 patients; pre obesity we had 19 patients; obesity we had 7 patients. The research has implications for professional practice, with the perception of the importance of observing, improving and intervening so that the demands of service users are met, aiming to direct actions aimed at their resolution and strengthening the patient's bond with health. El síndrome lipodistrófico en el VIH se caracteriza por alteraciones en la distribución de la grasa corporal y alteraciones metabólicas caracterizadas por un aumento de los lípidos séricos; resistencia periférica a la insulina. Los cuestionarios aplicados fueron: un cuestionario de caracterización de adultos con VIH/SIDA. La mayoría de los entrevistados eran del sexo masculino (66%), con edades comprendidas entre 29 y 73 años, en cuanto al nivel de instrucción, el 44% tenía secundaria completa. Eran predominantemente de nivel socioeconómico bajo. En cuanto al estado civil, solo el 14% estaba casado. En cuanto a las variables antropométricas, el promedio de peso masculino (66,81 kg) fue mayor que el peso femenino (63,3 kg) y en cuanto a la altura solo 0,01 m de diferencia de altura entre los dos grupos, siendo los hombres más altos que las mujeres. El IMC promedio tuvo una pequeña diferencia entre los dos grupos, así, solo 2 pacientes eran delgados; eutrofia tuvimos 22 pacientes; pre obesidad tuvimos 19 pacientes; obesidad tuvimos 7 pacientes. La investigación tiene implicaciones para la práctica profesional, con la percepción de la importancia de observar, mejorar e intervenir para que las demandas de los usuarios de los servicios sean atendidas, visando encaminar acciones encaminadas a su resolución y fortaleciendo el vínculo del paciente con la salud. A síndrome lipodistrófica no HIV é caracterizada por alterações na distribuição da gordura corporal e alterações metabólicas caracterizadas pelo aumento dos lipídios séricos; resistência periférica à insulina. Os questionários aplicados foram: um questionário para caracterização de adultos com HIV / AIDS. A maioria dos entrevistados era do sexo masculino (66%), com idade entre 29 e 73 anos, quanto ao grau de instrução 44% possuíam o ensino médio completo. Eles eram predominantemente de baixo nível socioeconômico. Quanto ao estado civil, apenas 14% eram casados. Quanto as variáveis antropométricas, a média do peso masculino (66,81 kg) foi maior que o do peso feminino (63,3 kg) e quanto a altura apenas 0,01m de diferença de altura entre os dois grupos, sendo os homens de maior estatura que as mulheres. A média do IMC teve uma pequena diferença entre os dois grupos, sendo assim, apresentando magreza apenas 2 pacientes; eutrofia tivemos 22 pacientes; pré obesidade tivemos 19 pacientes; obesidade tivemos 7 pacientes. A pesquisa traz implicações para a prática profissional, com a percepção da importância de observar, aprimorar e intervir para que as demandas dos usuários dos serviços sejam atendidas, visando direcionar ações que visem a sua resolução e fortalecimento do vínculo do paciente com a saúde.

Salinity is a key variable in understanding several issues, from public health to food security. Measuring salinity in situ is traditionally done using conductivimetric methods, and can be challenging due to extreme temperatures, corrosive environment, and oxidation. Fiber-based methods and other alternatives proposed to date have brought a number of advantages, but present low sensor strength, complex or expensive setups, cross-influence of temperature, lack of portability, or prohibitively long response times. This work presents a simple, compact salinity sensing system that, associated with a modern interrogation technique, is capable of achieving good accuracy even in remote sensing and low salt concentrations. The sensor is a long-period grating fabricated using the point-by-point electric arc method. The interrogator is based on optical time-domain reflectometry aided by signal processing techniques inspired by audio processing. Experimental data show that the system is capable of estimating salinity in the range from 0 g/L to 80 g/L within 0.49 g/L on average, with the sensor 4 km away from the light source.

The application of signal processing and feature extraction to reflectometry traces aiming at sensor interrogation is not sufficiently explored. In this work, traces produced by an optical time-domain reflectometer in experiments using a long-period grating in different external media are analyzed using signal processing techniques inspired by audio processing. The objective is to demonstrate that, using this type of analysis, it is possible to correctly identify the external medium through the characteristics of the reflectometry trace. Results show that the features extracted from the traces were able to produce good classifiers, one of them achieving 100% correct classification for the data set presently considered. This technology could be applied in scenarios where it is necessary to distinguish among a given set of gases or liquids nondestructively.

We propose a strain sensor based on a long-period fiber grating (LPFG) packaged in a 3D-printed structure made of polymer material. The proposed sensing structure was fabricated using a commercially available 3D printer by embedding a bare LPFG sensor inside the polymer material during the printing process. The raw material used for the fabrication of the polymer structure was Polylactic Acid (PLA). We experimentally investigated the strain-dependent spectral response of the produced sensor by observing the transmitted spectral profile. Finally, the results showed that a linear strain sensitivity of − 4.6 pm/μe with the range of 0–1000 μe was achieved, therefore indicating that the proposed sensing device is suitable for strain deformation measurement.

A síndrome lipodistrófica no HIV é caracterizada por alterações na distribuição da gordura corporal e alterações metabólicas caracterizadas pelo aumento dos lipídios séricos; resistência periférica à insulina. Os questionários aplicados foram: um questionário para caracterização de adultos com HIV / AIDS. A maioria dos entrevistados era do sexo masculino (66%), com idade entre 29 e 73 anos, quanto ao grau de instrução 44% possuíam o ensino médio completo. Eles eram predominantemente de baixo nível socioeconômico. Quanto ao estado civil, apenas 14% eram casados. Quanto as variáveis antropométricas, a média do peso masculino (66,81 kg) foi maior que o do peso feminino (63,3 kg) e quanto a altura apenas 0,01m de diferença de altura entre os dois grupos, sendo os homens de maior estatura que as mulheres. A média do IMC teve uma pequena diferença entre os dois grupos, sendo assim, apresentando magreza apenas 2 pacientes; eutrofia tivemos 22 pacientes; pré obesidade tivemos 19 pacientes; obesidade tivemos 7 pacientes. A pesquisa traz implicações para a prática profissional, com a percepção da importância de observar, aprimorar e intervir para que as demandas dos usuários dos serviços sejam atendidas, visando direcionar ações que visem a sua resolução e fortalecimento do vínculo do paciente com a saúde.

The capabilities of signal processing tools to extract high-level features of interest from fiber sensors measurements have not been properly explored for interrogation purposes. In this context, this paper advances an interrogation system for long-period grating sensors by means of a novel low-cost method that combines an optical time-domain reflectometer with suitable descriptors to classify the sample weight under test. The operation principle is based on the attenuation bands induced by cladding modes of a long-period grating, which are affected by the applied mechanical strain. The proposed interrogation system does not require an optical spectrum analyzer, since the measured reflectometry traces directly feed a feature extractor tailored for the intended classification. Experimental results show, for example, that this method is capable of successfully differentiating a load whose mass is 7.2 g from another one whose mass is 14.1 g, with the interrogation equipment located 10 km from the loads. This implies a high sensitivity that is quite unexpected to attain with the commercially available off-the-shelf devices required by the proposed scheme.

Etched fiber Bragg gratings (EFBGs) have been widely employed for refractive index (RI) measurements that can be used to monitor sugar consumption during the fermentation of alcoholic beverages. EFBGs are obtained by removing the cladding of a fiber Bragg grating, which is traditionally performed by a chemical attack with hydrogen fluoride, an extremely hazardous corrosive substance that causes severe wounds and even death. To overcome such drawbacks, this technical note presents a simple, practical, and low cost method for the diameter reduction of single mode optical fibers by mechanical polishing, employing a small scale computer numerical control device and an ad hoc 3D-printed rod. The sensor probe obtained was tested using sucrose aqueous solutions with RIs between 1.333 and 1.394, measured in an Abbe refractometer. The results show a linear shift of the Bragg wavelength with respect to RI with a correlation of 0.928.

Trabalho Final do Mestrado Integrado em Medicina apresentado à Faculdade de Medicina Introdução: A terapêutica híbrida (HT) é uma terapêutica quádrupla sem bismuto criada para ultrapassar a maior problemática no tratamento de Helicobacter pylori(Hp), as suas taxas de resistência aos antibióticos. A HT tem mostrado excelentes taxas de erradicação, bem como um excelente perfil de adesão e segurança. O objetivo deste trabalho é comparar a HT com as terapêuticas sequencial (ST) e concomitante(CT). Métodos: Esta revisão sistemática foi elaborada seguindo os princípios das recomendações do PRISMA 2015. A literatura foi pesquisada eletronicamente na biblioteca Cochrane CENTRAL, PubMed, Scopus, LILACS, e ClinicalTrials.gov. Foram apenas incluídos ensaios clínicos randomizados. O outcome primário avaliado foi a taxa de erradicação do Hp. Os outcomes secundários avaliados foram os efeitos adversos e as taxas de adesão à terapêutica. A meta-análise foi realizada através do Cochrane Review Manager 5.4. O método de Mantel-Haenszel foi utilizado para estimar o risco relativo partilhado, com um intervalo de confiança (IC) de 95%, das taxas de erradicação entre a HT e outros regimes terapêuticos. O mesmo método foi empregue para estudar os outcomes secundários. Resultados: 10 estudos foram incluídos, com um total de 2993 doentes. As taxas médias de erradicação atingidas pela HT com intenção de tratamento (ITT) e por-protocolo (PP) foram, respetivamente, 86% (79,2-90,8%) e 91,7% (82,6%-96,1%). Não foi encontrada nenhuma diferença estatisticamente significativa na taxa de erradicação entre a HT e a CT (risco relativo: 1; 95% CI: 0,96, 1,03) e entre a CT e a ST(risco relativo: 1,02; 95% CI: 0,92, 1,14), de acordo com análise ITT. A análise PP revelou resultados semelhantes. A HT foi associada a taxas de adesão à terapêutica superiores a CT, mas inferiores a ST (95,7% Vs 93% Vs 97,3%, respetivamente).Relativamente aos efeitos adversos, esta meta-análise demonstrou uma ocorrência ligeiramente maior deste outcome no grupo de doentes tratados com HT (30,7% Vs26% Vs 38,9%). Estas diferenças não foram estatisticamente significativas. Conclusão: A terapêutica híbrida tem taxas de erradicação, de adesão à terapêutica e de efeitos adversos semelhantes quando comparado com o regime sequencial e concomitante. Introduction: Hybrid therapy (HT) is a non-bismuth quadruple therapy created to surpass Helicobacter pylori’s (Hp) resistance rates to antibiotics. HT has excellent eradication rates, as well as an excellent compliance and safety profile. We aim to compare HT with sequential therapy (ST) and concomitant therapy (CT) for the eradication of Hp.Methods: This systematic review was conducted following the principles of the PRISMA 2015 guidelines. Literature was electronically searched on the Cochrane CENTRAL library, PubMed, Scopus, LILACS, and ClinicalTrials.gov. Only randomized controlled trials were included. Primary outcome evaluated was eradication rate of Hp. The secondary outcomes evaluated were adverse effects and compliance rates. Meta-analyses were performed with Cochrane Review Manager 5.4. The Mantel-Haenszel method was used to estimate the pooled relative risk and 95% CI of the eradication rates between HT and other eradication therapies, as well as the secondary outcomes. Results: 10 studies were included, including 2993 patients. The mean eradication rates achieved by HT with intention-to-treat (ITT) and per-protocol (PP) analyses were, respectively, 86% (range: 79.2-90.8%) and 91.7% (range: 82.6% to 96.1%). No statistically significant difference was found in ITT eradication rate between HT and CT (relative risk: 1; 95% CI: 0.96, 1.03) and between HT and ST (relative risk: 1.02; 95% CI: 0.92, 1.14). PP analysis showed similar results. HT was associated with higher compliance rates than CT, but lower than ST (95.7% Vs 93% Vs 97.3%, respectively). As far as adverse events are concerned, this meta-analysis revealed a slightly higher occurrence of adverse events on the group of patients treated with HT (30.7% Vs 26% Vs 38.9%). These differences were not statistically significant. Conclusion: HT has similar eradication, compliance and adverse event rates when compared to sequential and concomitant regimens.

Trabalho Final do Mestrado Integrado em Medicina apresentado à Faculdade de Medicina Objectivos: Comparar o resultado composto de AVC e hemorragia grave, AVC, hemorragia grave e taxas de mortalidade por todas as causas entre anticoagulantes orais directos (DOAC) e antagonistas da vitamina K (VKA) e nenhuma anticoagulação em doentes com doença renal em fase terminal (DRT) ou em diálise com fibrilhação auricular não-valvular (FA).Métodos e resultados: Pesquisámos sistematicamente as bases de dados MEDLINE, Embase e Cochrane Controlled Register of Trials, em Novembro de 2021, para estudos comparativos entre VKA e DOAC e nenhuma anticoagulação em doentes com FA e DRT. Foram identificados doze estudos elegíveis: nove estudos compararam DOAC versus VKA e dois estudos examinaram DOAC versus nenhum tratamento com anticoagulação. Foi realizada uma meta-análise de efeitos aleatórios. Em comparação com os VKA, os DOAC foram associados a taxas mais baixas do resultado composto em geral (OR 0,59 [0,38, 0,93], p=0,02), taxa de AVC mais baixa (OR 0,63 [0,44, 0,89], p= 0,009) e menos complicações hemorrágicas (OR 0,65, [0,44, 0,98], p=0,04). O uso de DOAC também foi associado a uma diminuição da mortalidade por todas as causas em comparação com VKA (OR 0,54, [0,37, 0,80], p=0,002). Na análise de subgrupos de pacientes em hemodiálise, não foram observadas diferenças estatisticamente significativas entre DOAC e VKA para o resultado composto (OR 0,70 [0,33, 1,49], p=0,35). Em comparação com nenhuma anticoagulação, os DOAC mostraram uma incidência significativamente menor de AVC (OR 0,36, [0,19, 0,68], p=0,002) sem diferença nos principais eventos hemorrágicos. (OR 0,85, [0,48, 1,52], p=0,59)Conclusões: Em doentes com DRT e FA não valvular, os DOAC reduziram o AVC, hemorragia grave e mortalidade por todas as causas em comparação com os VKA. Em comparação com a ausência de anticoagulação, os DOAC reduziram a taxa de AVC sem aumentar significativamente a hemorragia grave. Aims: To compare the composite outcome of stroke and major bleeding, stroke, majorbleeding and all-cause mortality rates between direct oral anticoagulants (DOAC) and vitaminK antagonist (VKA) and no anticoagulation in end-stage renal disease (ESRD) and dialysispatients with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation (AF).Methods and Results: We systematically searched MEDLINE, Embase and CochraneControlled Register of Trials, in November 2021, for studies comparing VKA and DOAC andno anticoagulation in patients with AF and ESRD. Twelve eligible studies were included: ninestudies compared DOAC versus VKA and two studies examined DOAC versus noanticoagulation treatment. Random effects meta-analysis was performed. Compared withVKA, DOAC was associated with lower rates of the composite outcome overall (pooled OR0.59 [0.38, 0.93], p=0.02), lower stroke rate (pooled OR 0.63 [0.44, 0.89], p= 0.009) and lowerbleeding complications (OR 0.65, [0.44, 0.98], p=0.04). The DOAC use was also associatedwith decreased all-cause mortality compared to VKA (OR 0.54, [0.37, 0.80], p=0.002). Insubgroup analysis of hemodialysis patients, no statistically significant differences were notedbetween DOAC and VKA for the composite outcome (OR 0.70 [0.33, 1.49], p=0.35). Comparedwith no anticoagulation, DOAC showed a significant lower incidence of stroke (OR 0.36, [0.19,0.68], p=0.002) with no difference in major bleeding events. (OR 0.85, [0.48, 1.52], p=0.59)Conclusions: In ESRD patients with nonvalvular AF, DOAC reduced stroke, major bleedingand all-cause mortality as compared to VKA. Compared with no anticoagulation, the DOACreduced stroke rate without significantly increasing major bleeding.