Algarve Biomedical Center

Expired endoscopic devices remain sterile and functional: an international multicentre study challenging current shelf-life criteria

Background and study aims Expired medical devices represent an environmental and economic concern, yet their magnitude and true shelf life remain poorly defined. We aimed to quantify the volume and cost of expired endoscopic devices and evaluate their sterility and functionality...

Metabolic dysfunction in chronic critical illness: mechanisms, clinical consequences and therapeutic perspectives

Advances in intensive care have improved survival from acute critical illness, leading to a growing population of patients with chronic critical illness (CCI), many of whom require prolonged organ support. This condition is associated with persistent catabolism, inflammation, and...

The gut microbiome of old people in a Portuguese population is associated with Rural-Urban residence: impact on the metabolic profile and functionality

Abstract Background The gut microbiome mirrors unique characteristics of different locations and lifestyle, and old adults experience alterations in the gut microbiome potentially associated with the living setting. This study aimed to characterize the intestinal microbiome and e...

Prognostic Role of Adverse Events in a Worldwide Population of Patients with Biliary Tract Cancer Treated with Chemo-Immunotherapy

Background: Biliary tract cancers (BTCs) are aggressive malignancies with limited treatment options. The addition of durvalumab or pembrolizumab to cisplatin–gemcitabine improves overall survival (OS), but validated biomarkers of benefit remain limited. Immune-mediated adverse ev...

Salience Network Dynamics Across Spontaneous Attacks, Interictal Rest and Interictal Pain Imagery in Menstrually Related Migraine

The persistent sensitivity to sensory and painful stimuli of people with migraine has been associated with disruption of the salience network (SN). Although migraine is characterized by severe head pain attacks, brain changes have been observed in people with migraine in between...

Dual effect of α-synuclein disease variants on condensate formation

Abstract α-synuclein is a pre-synaptic protein implicated in synucleinopathies including Parkinson’s disease, Parkinson’s disease dementia, and dementia with Lewy bodies, where it accumulates in intracellular aggregates termed Lewy bodies and Lewy neurites. Recent studies have re...

The geochronological landscape of Mozambique: absolute dates from archaeological and palaeoenvironmental contexts

This paper presents a systematic review of absolute dating data from Mozambique, drawing on a compiled database of 442 dates from 69 sites. The dataset spans archaeological and palaeoenvironmental contexts and encompasses dates ranging from the present day to close to a half a mi...

Radium - from discovery to the present day – narrative review

Following its discovery, radium was initially promoted as a therapeutic agent for a wide range of conditions, including skin disorders, allergies, visual problems, joint pain, and as a general health-enhancing remedy. However, subsequent research demonstrated its significant radi...

Empowering Solo Female Travellers: The Effect of Travel Motivation, Negotiation Skills, and Perceived Behavioural Control on Travel Intention

Despite the growing popularity of solo female travel, few studies have examined how empowerment-related factors combine to influence solo travel intention or the mediating role of perceived behavioural control in these relationships. Accordingly, this study investigates the effec...