Aim: To estimate the prevalence of chronic heart failure (CHF) in mainland Portugal in 1998. Methods and population: A community-based epidemiological survey involving subjects attending primary care centres selected by a combined two-stage sampling and stratified procedure. General practitioners (GPs) randomly selected in proportion to the population of the District, evaluated subjects attending primary care centres aged over 25 years, recruited consecutively and stratified by age. CHF cases were identified according to the Guidelines of the European Society of Cardiology for CHF diagnosis. Results: 5434 eligible subjects were evaluated by 365 GPs; 551 patients with CHF were identified. The overall prevalence and 95% CI of CHF in mainland Portugal is 4.36% (3.69-5.02%), 4.33% in males (3.19-5.46%), and 4.38% in females (3.64-5.13%). Age-specific CHF prevalence was as follows: 1.36% in the 25-49 years-old group (0.39-2.33%), 2.93% in the 50-59 years-old group (5.58-9.37%), 7.63% in the 60-69 years-old group (5.58-9.37%), 12.67% in the 70-79 years-old group (10.73-14.6%), and 16.14% in group over 80 years old (13.81-18.47%). The prevalence of CHF due to systolic dysfunction was 1.3% and the prevalence of CHF with normal systolic function was 1.7%. Conclusions: The overall prevalence of CHF in Portugal was slightly higher than that of other European studies and increases sharply with age. The prevalence of CHF due to systolic dysfunction is very similar to that reported by other recent European studies. The differences found may correspond to differences in methodology rather than actual differences in the population.

If you would like to write for this, or any other Emerald publication, then please use our Emerald for Authors service information about how to choose which publication to write for and submission guidelines are available for all. Please visit www.emeraldinsight.com/authors for more information. About Emerald www.emeraldinsight.comEmerald is a global publisher linking research and practice to the benefit of society. The company manages a portfolio of more than 290 journals and over 2,350 books and book series volumes, as well as providing an extensive range of online products and additional customer resources and services.Emerald is both COUNTER 4 and TRANSFER compliant. The organization is a partner of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and also works with Portico and the LOCKSS initiative for digital archive preservation. Research limitations/implications -The estimation procedure allowed only a partial validation of the proposed model because, although positive, the relationships between MAS and RC, between HC and performance and between RC and organizational performance were not statistically significant. Practical implications -The study highlights the role of MAS as information networks that collect, process and communicate information that influences the development of IC, as well as networks of relationships that support the establishment of conditions for the creation and integration of organizational knowledge and the development of IC. Originality/value -In this research, an arguably more complete framework of the relations between MAS, IC and performance is developed and empirically tested. Despite the existence of some literature addressing the relationship between MAS and IC, this is the first study, of which authors are aware, that focuses specifically on the relationships between MAS and the three dimensions of IC (HC, SC and RC), as well as their effects on organizational performance.

Uterine neoplasms of epithelial origin are rare in cats and most often are described in older females. Yet, in less than 2 years, four ovariohysterectomy specimens were submitted from different practices to the Laboratory of Histology and Anatomical Pathology, at UTAD (Vila Real, Portugal), that emitted a diagnosis of feline endometrial adenocarcinoma. Untypically, all the females were aged <1 year old at the surgery. Access to the clinical files was requested to document the clinical features of the four cases, including any complementary data available, to construct the present case reports. The clinical situation developed with discrete signs, but vulvar discharge was present in three cases, ranging from bloody to brownish or colourless, and from purulent to mucous. The females were in dioestrus, although the oestrus remained unperceived in most cases. In this study, the four clinical situations are described and discussed on the basis of available literature, highlighting the aspects that may impair an early diagnosis and that may favour the progression of the disease and also that age should not be an excluding criteria when analysing the differential diagnosis list.

Investigar a prevalência do aleitamento materno exclusivo ao nascer e seus fatores de risco. A população foi composta por todas as crianças nascidas vivas e suas respectivas mães no período de janeiro a dezembro de 2015, no alojamento conjunto de um hospital público do Piauí, totalizando 546 nascidos vivos. A pesquisa foi aprovada pelo Comitê de Ética com parecer 1.144.279. Das mães pesquisadas, 97,6% realizaram pré-natal, destas 67% receberam orientações sobre aleitamento materno. A prevalência de aleitamento materno exclusivo e aleitamento materno foi de 92,7 e 2,9%, respectivamente. Constatou-se que 20,7% das crianças faziam uso de chupeta e 4,4% de mamadeira. Faz-se necessário realizar intervenções de prevenção dos fatores de risco e desmame precoce por meio de atividades educativas que orientem mães e familiares envolvidos na amamentação.

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Studies have evidenced that zinc metabolism is altered in presence of Down syndrome, and zinc seems to have a relationship with the metabolic alterations usually present in this syndrome. In this work, the Zn-related nutritional status of adolescents with Down syndrome was evaluated by means of biochemical parameters and diet. A case-control study was performed in a group of adolescents with Down syndrome (n=30) and a control group (n=32), of both sexes, aged 10 to 19 years. Diet evaluation was accomplished by using a 3-day dietary record, and the analysis was performed by the NutWin program, version 1.5. Antropometric measurements were performed for evaluation of body composition. The Znrelated nutritional status of the groups was evaluated by means of zinc concentration determinations in plasma and erythrocytes, and 24-h urinary zinc excretion, by using the Biol Trace Elem Res (method of atomic absorption spectroscopy. The diet of both groups presented adequate concentrations of lipids, proteins, carbohydrates, and zinc. The mean values found for zinc concentration in erythrocytes were 49.2±8.5 μg Zn/g Hb for the Down syndrome group and 35.9±6.1 μg Zn/g Hb for the control group (p=0.001). The average values found for zinc concentration in plasma were 67.6±25.6 μg/dL for the Down syndrome group and 68.9± 22.3 μg/dL for the control group. The mean values found for zinc concentration in urine were 244.3±194.9 μg Zn/24 h for the Down syndrome group and 200.3±236.4 μg Zn/24 h for the control group. Assessment of body composition revealed overweight (26.7%) and obesity (6.6%) in the Down syndrome group. In this study, patients with Down syndrome presented altered zinc levels for some cellular compartments, and the average zinc concentrations were low in plasma and urine and elevated in erythrocytes.

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