Explore the vast range of titles available.

Since 2011, five of Austria’s 29 known prehistoric pile dwellings have been part of the transnational UNESCO World Heritage Site “Prehistoric Pile Dwellings around the Alps”. These remarkable archaeological sites have been preserved for over 7000 years in lakes and moors. Due to their hidden location underwater or in the soil of bogs, the sites are inaccessible to the public, making it difficult to convey the full scope of this heritage. To address this, the national project “Surfaced—the digital pile dwellings” was launched, aiming to create a virtual bridge connecting the sites, collections, and exhibitions across Austria. It involved digitizing 500 objects, scanned in high resolution, and presenting them as 3D models in an open-access web application. The web application PfahlbauKompass allows users to explore these 3D models, view information about the artefacts and the sites, and create digital collections. It provides access to finds from national museums, regional heritage houses, and private collections. The project offers scientific potential as well as opportunities for virtual exhibitions and educational initiatives. It aims to preserve and visualize an essential part of Austria’s cultural heritage and was designed not only to archive finds but also to raise awareness of the hidden sites among the public.

Inclusion is considered a foundation for quality education, and teachers’ inclusive practices are essential for success in mainstream classrooms. Portugal has been making progressive improvements in its policies for inclusive education, although there is little consistency in school practices within or between schools. Moreover, data identifying the personal and career variables relevant to teachers’ inclusive practices in Portugal are scarce. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between teachers’ inclusive practices and personal and career-based characteristics, including gender, level of teaching, years of experience, roles performed at school, and perception of inclusive resources. The participants were 924 teachers who worked in private and public schools in Portugal. Regression analysis showed that perceived inclusive resources, level of teaching, and gender predicted variance in inclusive practices. Mean difference analyses revealed that teachers at the lower levels of teaching, females, and teachers reporting more inclusive resources had the highest scores for inclusive practices. These findings are discussed in terms of their practical relevance for inclusive school systems.

Endothelial dysfunction (ED) is critical in the development and progression of cardiovascular (CV) disorders, yet effective therapeutic targets for ED remain elusive due to limited understanding of its underlying molecular mechanisms. To address this gap, we employed a systems biology approach to identify potential targets for ED. Our study combined multi omics data integration, with siRNA screening, high content imaging and network analysis to prioritise key ED genes and identify a pro‐ and anti‐ED network. We found 26 genes that, upon silencing, exacerbated the ED phenotypes tested, and network propagation identified a pro‐ED network enriched in functions associated with inflammatory responses. Conversely, 31 genes ameliorated ED phenotypes, pointing to potential ED targets, and the respective anti‐ED network was enriched in hypoxia, angiogenesis and cancer‐related processes. An independent screen with 17 drugs found general agreement with the trends from our siRNA screen and further highlighted DUSP1 , IL6 and CCL2 as potential candidates for targeting ED. Overall, our results demonstrate the potential of integrated system biology approaches in discovering disease‐specific candidate drug targets for endothelial dysfunction. Synopsis Multi‐omics data integration, genetic and pharmacological perturbations, and network analysis on endothelial cells are combined to identify endothelial dysfunction network signatures and prioritise candidate therapeutic targets. Multi‐omics data integration of endothelial cells treated with mimics of major cardiovascular disease factors identified 81 putative endothelial dysfunction (ED) genes. Upon siRNA‐mediated gene knockdown, 83% of ED gene candidates affected at least one ED phenotype (26 exacerbating and 31 ameliorating the ED phenotypes). The analyses reveal emergent properties of disease networks, distinguishing between adaptation and rewiring for survival and those associated with deregulation that can be targeted for ED treatment. An orthogonal drug screen on treated endothelial cells provided additional support for DUSP1, IL6 and CCL2 as putative targets for ED. Graphical Abstract Multi‐omics data integration, genetic and pharmacological perturbations, and network analysis on endothelial cells are combined to identify endothelial dysfunction network signatures and prioritise candidate therapeutic targets.

We evaluated the longitudinal dynamics of antibody response to the SARS-CoV-2 vaccine CoronaVac and the effect of a booster dose of BNT162b2 vaccine. We found a robust antibody response after the second dose of CoronaVac that wanes over time. The response was recovered by BNT162b2, which boosted anti-spike antibody titers.

•Persistent SARS-CoV-2 infection and shedding in a vaccinated individual.•SARS-CoV-2 infection for 40 days following symptom onset.•Persistent SARS-CoV-2 infection underlines the need to revaccinate or update COVID-19 vaccines. We describe a case of a 24-year-old Brazilian woman previously vaccinated with CoronaVac and a booster dose of Pfizer-BioNTech, with mild-to-moderate COVID-19, with persistent viral shedding. We evaluated viral load, antibody dynamics for SARS-CoV-2 and performed genomic analysis to identify the viral variant. The female remained positive for 40 days following symptom onset (cycle quantification mean: 32.54 ± 2.29). The humoral response was characterized by absence of IgM for the viral spike protein, increased IgG for the viral spike (1800.60 to 19558.60 AU/mL) and for the nucleocapsid (from 0.03 to 8.9 index value) proteins, and high titers of neutralizing antibodies (>488.00 IU/mL). The variant identified was the sublineage BA. 5.1. of Omicron (B.1.1.529). Our results suggest that even though the female produced an antibody response against SARS-CoV-2, the persistent infection can be explained by antibody decline and/or the immune evasion by the Omicron variant, illustrating the need to revaccinate or update vaccines.

SARS-CoV-2 has caused global disruptions, prompting studies on immune responses to COVID-19 vaccines, particularly antibodies against the Spike (S) protein. However, responses to the Nucleocapsid (N) protein remain less explored. This study evaluated whether CoronaVac induces anti-N antibodies, and analyzed antibody dynamics after a BNT162b2 booster, given that CoronaVac targets both S and N proteins, while BNT162b2 targets only the S protein. Serum samples were collected at multiple intervals post-vaccination. The percentage of participants with positive anti-N antibodies increased from 40.26% to 62.09% after two doses of CoronaVac, but declined over time, reaching 29.07% and 18.87% after the second and third doses, respectively. However, seropositivity rose to 43.48% three months after the booster. Anti-S antibody levels peaked at 31,394 AU/mL after the booster, compared to 723.4 AU/mL after the first dose. These findings indicate that CoronaVac stimulates antibody responses against both S and N proteins. Monitoring antibody dynamics is crucial for optimizing vaccination strategies, particularly for high-risk populations, to help control COVID-19.

The Portuguese Neonatal Screening Program (PNSP) conducts nationwide screening for rare diseases, covering nearly 100% of neonates and screening for 28 disorders, including 24 inborn errors of metabolism (IEMs). The study’s purpose is to assess the epidemiology of the screened metabolic diseases and to evaluate the impact of second-tier testing (2TT) within the PNSP. From 2004 to 2022, 1,764,830 neonates underwent screening using tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) to analyze amino acids and acylcarnitines in dried blood spot samples. 2TT was applied when necessary. Neonates with profiles indicating an IEM were reported to a reference treatment center, and subsequent biochemical and molecular studies were conducted for diagnostic confirmation. Among the screened neonates, 677 patients of IEM were identified, yielding an estimated birth prevalence of 1:2607 neonates. The introduction of 2TT significantly reduced false positives for various disorders, and 59 maternal cases were also detected. This study underscores the transformative role of MS/MS in neonatal screening, emphasizing the positive impact of 2TT in enhancing sensitivity, specificity, and positive predictive value. Our data highlight the efficiency and robustness of neonatal screening for IEM in Portugal, contributing to early and life-changing diagnoses.

Motivational interviewing (MI) is an effective method to promote weight loss that can be delivered by non-mental health providers. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether MI was superior to conventional counseling to improve the anthropometric outcomes of adolescents with obesity/overweight. It was a controlled cluster randomized trial with parallel design in a school setting. The study included two groups: Motivational Interviewing Group (MIG) and control group (Conventional Intervention Group, CIG). Students participated in three face-to-face 30-min inter- views, 3 months apart. Outcomes were BMI z-score, abdominal circumference, percentages of fat mass and muscle mass, and blood pressure. Sessions were coded with the Motivational Interviewing Treatment Integrity (MITI) manual. Mixed repeated-measures ANOVAs were used to assess the group versus time interaction. Effect sizes were calculated for each ANOVA with eta-squared measures (η2). Eighty-three adolescents finished the protocol. While MIG participants showed a significant improvement in all anthropometric scores at 6 months, CIG participants showed an unfavorable change in those variables. Conclusion: Our results provide additional evidence of the short-term usefulness of a school-based MI intervention on anthropometric outcomes of adolescents with obesity/overweight, demonstrating that pediatricians can play an important role in the prevention and management of pediatric obesity.

Skins infections caused by Mycobacterium marinum occur only rarely. We report one case of chronic and extensive M. marinum cutaneous infection simulating chromoblastomycosis and review the pertinent literature. A 52-year-old farmer reported a 32-year chronic skin problem on his right lower limb, resulting from contact with cacti. It consisted of skin lesion presenting with dyschromic atrophic center plate and verrucous borders with hematic crusts, extending from the knee anteriorly to the inferior third of the right leg. Mycobacterium marinum infection was detected by histopathological examination of a skin fragment, culture for mycobacteria and genetic mapping of the culture material. The patient was successfully treated with Ethambutol, Rifampicin and Trimethoprim-Sulfamethoxazole. The clinical and histopathological findings of M. marinum infection is nonspecific showing clinical polymorphism and bacilli are rarely evident on histopathological examination. Given these difficulties, it is essential to perform tissue culture in a suspicious case and it is important keep this infection in mind in patients with long-lasting indolent verrucous lesions and a history of exposure to sea water, freshwater, aquaria or fish.

Rational prescribing of medicines requires evidence from clinical trials on efficacy, safety and the dose to be prescribed, based on clinical trials. Regulatory authorities assess these data and information is included in the approved summary of product characteristics. Regulatory guidelines on clinical investigation of medicinal products in the paediatric population generally propose that studies are done in defined age groups but advise that any classification of the paediatric population into age categories is to some extent arbitrary or that the age groups are intended only as a guide. The pharmaceutical companies tend to plan their studies using age groups the regulatory guidelines suggest, to avoid problems when applying for marketing authorisation. These age bands end up in the paediatric label, and consequently into national paediatric formularies. The age bands of the most commonly used age-subsets: neonates, infant/toddlers, children and adolescents, are more historical than based on physiology or normal development of children. Particularly problematic are the age bands for neonates and adolescents. The age of 12 years separating children from adolescents, and the upper limit of the adolescents set by the definition of paediatric age in healthcare, which varies according to the region, are particularly questionable. Modern pharmacometric methods (modelling and simulation) are being increasingly used in paediatric drug development and may allow assessment of growth and/or development as continuous covariables. Maybe time has come to reconsider the rational of the currently used age bands.