Browsing by Author "Miranda, Vasco"
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- Effects of statins therapy on LDL subfractions and inflammation in end-stage renal disease patients on dialysisPublication . Coimbra, Susana; Reis, Flávio; Nunes, Sara; Viana, Sofia; Valente, Maria João; Rocha, Susana; Catarino, Cristina; Rocha-Pereira, Petronila; Bronze-da-Rocha, Elsa; Oliveira, José Gerardo; Madureira, José; Fernandes, João Carlos; Do Sameiro-Faria, Maria; Miranda, Vasco; Belo, Luís; Santos-Silva, Alice
- Event monitoring in a small and business enterprisePublication . Quaresma, Nuno; Almeida, Fernando; Miranda, Vasco; Baixinha, AntónioThis paper presents an overview of the role and responsibilities of the system administrator, focusing on the need to monitor its technological infrastructure. The informatics infrastructure monitoring is, nowadays without a doubt, one of the main key points in business support. Large enterprises are no longer the only ones to feel the need to use these monitoring tools, but small and medium-sized enterprises, which also have IT environments of an increasing complexity, feel such a need. This results directly from the operation of how the business is supported on IT platforms as support for people and processes. When a system, which is vital to the organization, fails either at the hardware or software level, compromises the operating capacity and consequently the business continuity. Having this always in mind, it is extremely important to adopt monitoring systems that proactively or reactively, reduce the overall time of breaks caused by failures. A monitoring system is the way to ensure confidence in all components and the operational readiness of IT infrastructure.
- Main Determinants of PON1 Activity in Hemodialysis PatientsPublication . Ribeiro, Sandra; do Sameiro Faria, Maria; Mascarenhas-Melo, Filipa; Freitas, Isabel; Mendonca, Maria Isabel; Nascimento, Henrique; Rocha-Pereira, Petronila; Miranda, Vasco; Mendonça, Denisa; Quintanilha, Alexandre; Belo, Luís; Costa, Elísio; Reis, Flávio; Santos-Silva, AliceCardiovascular diseases are the major cause of morbidity and mortality in hemodialysis (HD) patients. These patients present reduced paraoxonase 1 (PON1) activity that depends on genetic and non-genetic factors; however, how these factors influence PON1 activity in HD patients is poorly clarified. Our aim was to evaluate the influence of two polymorphisms and non-genetic factors on PON1 activity in HD patients.
- The protective role of adiponectin for lipoproteins in end-stage renal disease patients: relationship with diabetes and body mass indexPublication . Coimbra, Susana; Reis, Flávio; Nunes, Sara; Viana, Sofia; Valente, Maria João; Rocha, Susana; Catarino, Cristina; Rocha-Pereira, Petronila; Bronze-da-Rocha, Elsa; Sameiro-Faria, Maria; Oliveira, José Gerardo; Madureira, José; Fernandes, João Carlos; Miranda, Vasco; Belo, Luís; Santos-Silva, AliceCardiovascular disease (CVD) events are the main causes of death in end-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients on dialysis. The number and severity of CVD events remain inappropriate and difficult to explain by considering only the classic CVD risk factors. Our aim was to clarify the changes and the relationship of lipoprotein subfractions with other CVD risk factors, namely, body mass index (BMI) and adipokines, inflammation and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) oxidation, and the burden of the most prevalent comorbidities, diabetes mellitus (DM) and hypertension (HT). We studied 194 ESRD patients on dialysis and 22 controls; lipid profile, including lipoprotein subpopulations and oxidized LDL (oxLDL), C-reactive protein (CRP), adiponectin, leptin, and paraoxonase 1 activity were evaluated. Compared to controls, patients presented significantly lower levels of cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDLc), LDLc, oxLDL, and intermediate and small HDL and higher triglycerides, CRP, adiponectin, large HDL, very-low-density lipoprotein (VLDL), and intermediate-density lipoprotein- (IDL) B. Adiponectin levels correlated positively with large HDL and negatively with intermediate and small HDL, oxLDL/LDLc, and BMI; patients with DM (n = 17) and with DM+HT (n = 70), as compared to patients without DM or HT (n = 69) or only with HT (n = 38), presented significantly higher oxLDL, oxLDL/LDLc, and leptin and lower adiponectin. Obese patients (n = 45), as compared to normoponderal patients (n = 81), showed lower HDLc, adiponectin, and large HDL and significantly higher leptin, VLDL, and intermediate and small HDL. In ESRD, the higher adiponectin seems to favor atheroprotective HDL modifications and protect LDL particles from oxidative atherogenic changes. However, in diabetic and obese patients, adiponectin presents the lowest values, oxLDL/LDLc present the highest ones, and the HDL profile is the more atherogenic. Our data suggest that the coexistence of DM and adiposity in ESRD patients on dialysis contributes to a higher CVD risk, as showed by their lipid and adipokine profiles.