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Portuguese Population (portuguese + population)
Selected AbstractsBourgeois Males of the Peacock Blenny, Salaria pavo, Discriminate Female Mimics from Females?ETHOLOGY, Issue 6 2005David Gonçalves In a Portuguese population of Salaria pavo, two types of reproductively active males occur: large bourgeois males that defend nests and have fully developed secondary sex characters (SSC) and small sneaker males that mimic the females' morphology and behaviour to approach nests and parasitize fertilizations. These two alternative reproductive tactics are sequential, as sneakers develop into bourgeois males. We investigated whether bourgeois males were able to discriminate between sneakers and females of different sizes. In a laboratory experiment bourgeois males were sequentially presented with a female and a sneaker matched for size. Complementary field observations were conducted on the interactions between females and sneakers with bourgeois males. If bourgeois males discriminated females from sneakers, we predicted that they should direct more aggressive behaviours towards sneakers and more courtship acts towards females. In general, bourgeois males courted and attacked small females and sneakers equally. However, large sneakers were courted less and attacked more than large females. Larger sneakers, beginning to develop SSC, were attacked more and courted less by the bourgeois male than smaller sneakers, and larger females were attacked less and courted more than smaller females. These results strongly suggest that only small female-mimicking males were able to deceive bourgeois males. In S. pavo, if the sneakers' fertilization success correlates with their female-mimicking ability, a fitness decrease with an increasing body size can be predicted. [source] Influence of climatic factors in the incidence of multiple sclerosis relapses in a Portuguese populationEUROPEAN JOURNAL OF NEUROLOGY, Issue 4 2009A. C. Fonseca Background and purpose:, Environmental factors are thought to be important in multiple sclerosis (MS) pathophysiology. We aimed to evaluate if there was an association between MS relapses and some climatic factors in a Portuguese population. Methods:, Four year retrospective study analyzing 414 MS relapses in 249 consecutive relapsing,remitting patients. Non-parametric statistics were used to compare the distribution of relapses across months and seasons. Spearman's coefficient was determined to evaluate the correlation between relapses frequency and maximum and minimum atmospheric temperatures, humidity and atmospheric pressure. Results:, The mean number of relapses was not significantly different between months or seasons. No correlation was found between relapse frequency and any climatic factor. Conclusion:, Our series is one of the largest addressing the influence of specific climatic factors on MS relapses. The number of clinical MS relapses seems to be unrelated to climatic factors. [source] Trends and Determinants of Alcohol Consumption in Portugal: Results From the National Health Surveys 1995 to 1996 and 1998 to 1999ALCOHOLISM, Issue 1 2005Pedro Marques-Vidal Background: There is very little information on trends and determinants of alcohol consumption in the Portuguese population, which is usually characterized by high wine consumption. Methods: A cross-sectional studies was conducted in 1995/1996 and 1998/1999 in a representative sample of 0.5% of the mainland Portuguese population (49,768 participants in 1995/1996 and 48,606 in 1998/1999), aged 15 years or more. Alcohol consumption was assessed by asking whether the participants had consumed alcohol in the previous week and how many drinks of wine/beer/whiskey/Port wine they consumed on average during that week. Results: Prevalence of reported alcohol consumption decreased slightly between 1995/1996 and 1998/1999 (men: 65.7 vs. 64.0%, p < 0.001; women: 26.9 vs. 26.0%, p < 0.001). Among drinkers, the most frequently consumed alcoholic beverage was wine, followed by beer, whiskey, and Port wine. The amount of alcohol and wine consumed decreased in both sexes, whereas the amount of beer, whiskey, and Port wine consumed increased in men and the increase in beer consumption was borderline significant in women (p= 0.056). In both sexes, participants <50 years of age tended to consume less wine and more beer, whiskey, and Port wine than their older counterparts. Also, higher education was related to a higher frequency of alcohol consumption, whereas smoking was related to a lower consumption of wine odds ratio (OR): 0.69 (95% confidence interval CI: 0.62,0.77) for men and OR: 0.76 (95% CI: 0.61,0.95) for women and a higher consumption of beer OR: 1.43 (95% CI: 1.33,1.54) for men and OR: 2.13 (95% CI: 1.84,2.42) for women and whiskey OR: 1.28 (95% CI: 1.21,1.35) for men and OR: 2.61 (95% CI: 2.25,3.02) for women. Conclusions: The pattern of alcohol consumption is changing in Portugal: the prevalence of drinkers is decreasing, and younger generations are shifting from wine to beer and spirits. Educational level seems to be a powerful mediator in the choice of alcoholic beverage. [source] Prevalence of latex sensitization and allergy in Portuguese childrenPEDIATRIC ALLERGY AND IMMUNOLOGY, Issue 6 2006Arminda Jorge The prevalence of latex allergy has been increasing not only in risk groups but also in the general population, where it is accepted to average 1%. In children, latex sensitization prevalence studies are scarce and involve different population sampling and allergy testing methods, which makes it difficult to compare across studies. Nevertheless, existing studies point towards a low prevalence of latex allergy in children, which still needs to be confirmed in the Portuguese population. Aiming at studying the prevalence of latex sensitization and allergy in a sample of Portuguese children, we studied 182 children from two different hospital outpatient clinics. A standardized questionnaire focusing on atopic background, previous history and allergic signs or symptoms on exposure to latex or fruits was given to all children and parents. Skin prick testing was performed with a battery of common aeroallergens as well as latex. Serum total IgE, Phadiatop, F × 5E and latex-specific IgE were determined in all children. Specific IgE to latex-crossreacting fruits was determined in latex-sensitized children. Based upon the questionnaire, the prevalence of latex allergy would be 0.5%. The prevalence of latex sensitization would be 3.8%, when based solely upon skin prick testing, and 12.1% (,0.35 IU/ml) or 6.6% (,0.70 IU/ml) when based singly upon determination of latex-specific IgE. When positive results for either test were considered, the prevalence of latex sensitization was 14.3%. All latex-sensitized children were atopic. Sensitivity to latex-crossreacting foodstuffs was demonstrated in 61.5% of latex-sensitized children (16/26). This study shows that the prevalence of latex allergy and sensitization in Portuguese atopic and non-atopic children, as analysed using various diagnostic methods, is similar to that observed in other countries. In addition, the assessment of latex allergy and sensitization should always include skin prick testing and determination of serum IgE. [source] A genetic historical sketch of European Gypsies: The perspective from autosomal markersAMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY, Issue 4 2010Alfredo Gusmão Abstract In this study, 123 unrelated Portuguese Gypsies were analyzed for 15 highly polymorphic autosomal short tandem repeats (STRs). Average gene diversity across the 15 markers was 76.7%, which is lower than that observed in the non-Gypsy Portuguese population. Subsets of STRs were used to perform comparisons with other Gypsy and corresponding host populations. Interestingly, diversity reduction in Gypsy groups compared to their non-Gypsy surrounding populations apparently varied according to an East-West gradient, which parallels their dispersion in Europe as well as a decrease in complexity of their internal structure. Analysis of genetic distances revealed that the average level of genetic differentiation between Gypsy groups was much larger than that observed between the corresponding non-Gypsy populations. The high rate of heterogeneity among Gypsies can be explained by strong genetic drift and limited intergroup gene flow. However, when genetic relationships were addressed through principal component analysis, all Gypsy populations clustered together and was clearly distinguished from other populations, a pattern that suggests their common origin. Concerning the putative ancestral genetic component, admixture analysis did not reveal strong Indian ancestry in the current Gypsy gene pools, in contrast to the high admixture estimates for either Europeans or Western Asians. Am J Phys Anthropol 2010. © 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Pneumocystis jirovecii multilocus genotyping profiles in patients from Portugal and SpainCLINICAL MICROBIOLOGY AND INFECTION, Issue 4 2008F. Esteves Abstract Pneumonia caused by the opportunistic organism Pneumocystis jirovecii is a clinically important infection affecting AIDS and other immunocompromised patients. The present study aimed to compare and characterise the frequency pattern of DNA sequences from the P. jirovecii mitochondrial large-subunit rRNA (mtLSU rRNA) gene, the dihydropteroate synthase (DHPS) gene and the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) regions of the nuclear rRNA operon in specimens from Lisbon (Portugal) and Seville (Spain). Total DNA was extracted and used for specific molecular sequence analysis of the three loci. In both populations, mtLSU rRNA gene analysis revealed an overall prevalence of genotype 1. In the Portuguese population, genotype 2 was the second most common, followed by genotype 3. Inversely, in the Spanish population, genotype 3 was the second most common, followed by genotype 2. The DHPS wild-type sequence was the genotype observed most frequently in both populations, and the DHPS genotype frequency pattern was identical to distribution patterns revealed in other European studies. ITS types showed a significant diversity in both populations because of the high sequence variability in these genomic regions. The most prevalent ITS type in the Portuguese population was Eg, followed by Cg. In contrast to other European studies, Bi was the most common ITS type in the Spanish samples, followed by Eg. A statistically significant association between mtLSU rRNA genotype 1 and ITS type Eg was revealed. [source] Comparison of genetic diversity estimates within and among populations of maritime pine using chloroplast simple-sequence repeat and amplified fragment length polymorphism dataMOLECULAR ECOLOGY, Issue 5 2002M. M. Ribeiro Abstract We compared the genetic variation of Pinus pinaster populations using amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) and chloroplast simple-sequence repeat (cpSSR) loci. Populations' levels of diversity within groups were found to be similar with AFLPs, but not with cpSSRs. The high interlocus variance associated with the AFLP loci could account for the lack of differences in the former. Although AFLPs revealed much lower genetic diversity than cpSSRs, the levels of among-population differentiation found with the two types of marker were similar, provided that loci showing fewer than four null-homozygotes, in any population, were pruned from the AFLP data. Moreover, the French and Portuguese populations were clearly differentiated from each other, with both markers. The Mantel test showed that the genetic distance matrix calculated using the AFLP data was correlated with the matrix derived from the cpSSRs. Because of the concordance found between markers we conclude that gene flow was indeed the predominant force shaping nuclear and chloroplastic genetic variation of the populations within regions, at the geographical scale studied. [source] Genetic characterization of uniparental lineages in populations from Southwest Iberia with past malaria endemicityAMERICAN JOURNAL OF HUMAN BIOLOGY, Issue 5 2010Vânia Pereira Malaria endemicity in Southwest Iberia afforded conditions for an increase of sickle cell disease (SCD), which in the region follows a clinal pattern toward the south, where foci of high prevalence were found. SCD distribution is associated with specific geographical areas, and therefore, its introduction into Iberia may be related to the migration of different populations. We have analyzed the variation of uniparental markers in Portuguese populations with high frequency of SCD,Coruche, Pias, and Alcacer do Sal,to evaluate if their present-day pattern of neutral diversity could provide evidence about people inhabiting the area over different time periods. Two hundred and eighty-five individuals were sampled in Coruche, Pias, and Alcacer do Sal. All were analyzed for the control region of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA); males were additionally examined for Y-chromosome markers. Results were then compared with data from other Portuguese and non-Portuguese populations. In Coruche, the genetic profile was similar to the profile usually found in Portugal. In Alcacer do Sal, the frequency of sub-Saharan mtDNA L lineages was the highest ever reported (22%) in Europe. In Pias, mtDNA diversity revealed higher frequencies of Mediterranean haplogroups I, J, and T than usually found in surrounding populations. The presence of Sub-Saharan maternal lineages in Alcacer do Sal is likely associated with the influx of African slaves between the 15th and 19th centuries, whereas in Pias, the Mediterranean influence might be traced to ancient contacts with Greeks, Phoenicians, and Carthaginians, who established important trading networks in southern Iberia. Am. J. Hum. Biol. 22:588,595, 2010. © 2010 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] | |||||||||||||