. Purpose:  To evaluate the changes of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) plasma levels after intravitreal injections of ranibizumab or bevacizumab in patients with exudative age‐related macular degeneration (AMD). Methods:  Forty‐three patients with exudative AMD and 19 age‐ and sex‐matched control patients without chorioretinal diseases were studied. Nineteen patients were treated with intravitreal ranibizumab 0.5 mg, 24 with intravitreal bevacizumab 1.25 mg. Blood samples were collected just before the first injection, and 28 days after three initial consecutive injections performed in 4‐weekly intervals (loading dose). Concentration of VEGF in the plasma was measured by ELISA. Results:  At baseline, the median VEGF concentrations in controls were 180.97 pg/ml, in the bevacizumab group 189.72 pg/ml and in the ranibizumab group 191.36 pg/ml. VEGF plasma concentrations in patients with wet AMD were comparable to controls (p = 0.225). Twenty‐eight days after the third injection, a significant reduction of 42% in the median VEGF plasma levels was found in bevacizumab‐treated patients (109.97 pg/ml; p = 0.0002) but not in ranibizumab‐treated patients (189.97 pg/ml; p = 0.198) where a reduction of 0.7% in the median value was found. Conclusions:  Intravitreal bevacizumab significantly reduced VEGF plasma levels until 28 days after intravitreal injection in patients with exudative AMD. Ranibizumab did not achieve a significant plasma VEGF reduction at the same time‐point. These findings alert to the potential systemic safety differences between the two drugs after intravitreal administration.

Background/Aims: To compare retrospectively the incidence of arterial thromboembolic events (ATEs) in patients treated with bevacizumab or ranibizumab for exudative age-related macular degeneration. Methods: Charts of 378 patients treated with at least 1 intravitreal injection of ranibizumab or bevacizumab were reviewed to calculate the incidence of ATEs. Only patients under monotherapy were analyzed. Results: ATEs occurred in 15 patients: 12 (12/97) with bevacizumab (12.4%) and 3 (3/219) with ranibizumab (1.4%) – odds ratio 10.16; 95% confidence interval 2.80–36.93; p < 0.0001. ATEs in the bevacizumab and ranibizumab cohorts included stroke, myocardial infarction, angina pectoris, peripheral thromboembolic disease, transient ischemic attack, sudden death and lethal stroke. Conclusion: In this series, bevacizumab raised the risk of ATEs when compared to ranibizumab. In an elderly population with multiple cardiovascular risk factors, the new ATEs may not be attributed exclusively to the intravitreal bevacizumab administration. These findings raise an issue that must be confirmed in randomized clinical trials.

A compra por impulso é um tema complexo e com variadas influências. Este estudo experimental tem por objetivo analisar o efeito da identidade social, das emoções e da marca do produto na tendência de jovens para comprar sapatilhas por impulso. Participaram 545 jovens portugueses, que responderam a um questionário online sobre um cenário experimental de compra de sapatilhas da marca Adidas. Os resultados indicam que o desconto influencia a compra impulsiva e as emoções positivas medeiam a relação entre identificação com jovens e compra por impulso. Também verificou-se uma propensão à apropriação da marca como um marcador identitário da juventude portuguesa. Assim, além das características do produto, os processos grupais poderão estar relacionados com este comportamento de compra.

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In June 2019, the University of Aveiro (UA), through the Library, Document Management and Museology Services and the Information Technology and Communication Services, in collaboration with the Research Support Office, took the first steps regarding the creation of the University of Aveiro Research Data Repository - DUnAs. The project aims to implement an open repository for the archive and publication of research data, promoting its visibility, impact and reproducibility. This work intends to highlight the strategy adopted while setting up the repository based on Dataverse, an open source platform, and the respective helpdesk service, addressing the initiatives and the phases for its implementation. The results obtained in the analysis of the Dataverse platform and the contact with researchers through the selection of pilot projects led to the definition of the deposit – curation – publication workflow and allowed the creation of a service adapted to the community.