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Instituto de Higiene e Medicina Tropical

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2014

Brazil and the Shifting Consensus on Development Co-Operation: Salutary Diversions from the ‘Aid-Effectiveness’ Trail?

This article draws on research on Brazil’s technical co-operation and its health dimension to compare the Brazilian model with established aid-effectiveness’ principles and to discuss the appropriateness of the latter as standards against which to appraise emerging donors’ co-operation.
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Trichophyton erinacei skin infection after recreational exposure to an elephant in Southeast Asia

Zoophilic fungal infections are a prevalent disease in tropical countries and clinicians must consider them in the differential diagnosis of pruritic skin lesions. We report a clinical case of Trichophyton erinacei skin infection after recreational exposure to an Asian Elephant. As far as we were able to search the literature, it is the first case described after contact with elephants.
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Satellite-derived estimation of environmental suitability for malaria vector development in Portugal

This work focused on determining the current relationships between environmental factors and the density of the former malaria vector Anopheles atroparvus in Portugal, a previously endemic country. Adult females were sampled and vector density was estimated in 22 sites in Southern Portugal between 2001 and 2010 and related with land cover and satellite-derived air temperature and vegetation indices. The relationship between vector density and local larval habitat, temperature and, in a broader sense, to environmental suitability, was assessed using a statistical modelling approach.
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Prevention and battle against obesity in children and youngsters at a strategic planning level and their evolution in Portugal

Considered by WHO as a global epidemic and one of the greatest public health challenges of the twenty‐first century, Obesity is a chronic disease with multiple causes, especially behavioural changes like dietary changes and sedentary lifestyle. It is a risk factor for other conditions, such as diabetes or cardiovascular diseases, associated with the decrease of life quality of individual and the increase of health costs.
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Tick capillary feeding for the study of proteins involved in tick-pathogen interactions as potential antigens for the control of tick infestation and pathogen infection

Ticks represent a significant health risk to animals and humans due to the variety of pathogens they can transmit during feeding. The traditional use of chemicals to control ticks has serious drawbacks, including the selection of acaricide-resistant ticks and environmental contamination with chemical residues. Vaccination with the tick midgut antigen BM86 was shown to be a good alternative for cattle tick control. However, results vary considerably between tick species and geographic location.
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Seasonal genetic partitioning in the neotropical malaria vector, Anopheles darlingi

Anopheles darlingi is the main malaria mosquito vector in the Amazonia region. In spite of being considered a riverine, forest-dwelling species, this mosquito is becoming more abundant in peri-urban areas, increasing malaria risk. This has been associated with human-driven environmental changes such as deforestation.
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Global Dispersal Pattern of HIV Type 1 Subtype CRF01_AE: A Genetic Trace of Human Mobility Related to Heterosexual Sexual Activities Centralized in Southeast Asia

Human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) subtype CRF01_AE originated in Africa and then passed to Thailand, where it established a major epidemic. Despite the global presence of CRF01_AE, little is known about its subsequent dispersal pattern.
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Assessing Maternal Healthcare Inequities among Migrants: A Qualitative Study

Considering pregnancy and motherhood as periods of increased vulnerability in migrant women, to characterize the healthcare provided to this collective, we sought to identify and understand patterns of satisfaction and demand of maternal and child healthcare, assessing women’s perceptions about its quality. The study followed a qualitative methodology (semi-structured interviews) for collecting and analysing data (content analysis) and was conducted in Porto, the second largest city of Portugal.
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HIV-2 Integrase Polymorphisms and Longitudinal Genotypic Analysis of HIV-2 Infected Patients Failing a Raltegravir-Containing Regimen

To characterize the HIV-2 integrase gene polymorphisms and the pathways to resistance of HIV-2 patients failing a raltegravir-containing regimen, we studied 63 integrase strand transfer inhibitors (INSTI)-naïve patients, and 10 heavily pretreated patients exhibiting virological failure while receiving a salvage raltegravir-containing regimen.
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