Percorrer por autor "Mendes, Beatriz"
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- Assessing the role of CT imaging in identifying candidates for neoadjuvant chemotherapy in right colon cancer: a critical analysisPublication . Lopes, João Leão; Soares, Ana Sofia S.; Mendes, Beatriz; Tomada, Elisa Paoluzzi; Cunha, Miguel F.; Melina Fernandez, Laura; Amorim, Edgar; Azevedo, José; Parvaiz, AmjadBackground and purpose Standard treatment for localized right colon cancer is radical surgery, followed by adjuvant chemotherapy for stage III or intermediate MSS and high-risk stage II tumours. Recent studies suggest a benefit from neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC), particularly for T4b and/or N+tumours. Patient selection for NAC relies on CT-based clinical staging, but the accuracy of CT in detecting high-risk features is variable, raising concerns about potential overtreatment. The study aims to demonstrate the accuracy of CT staging of the right colon with the purpose of indicating neoadjuvant CT. Methods Patients undergoing curative right hemicolectomy between 2013 and 2023 at two Portuguese institutions were included. All had preoperative CT; those receiving NAC were excluded. Sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value of CT in identifying T4b and N+tumours were calculated by comparing clinical (cTNM) and pathological (pTNM) staging. Results Among 165 patients (48% male, mean age 70.5 years), CT showed low sensitivity (26%) but high specificity (91%) for pT4b tumours, with a tendency toward understaging. For nodal disease, sensitivity was 87% and specificity 41%. Only 57% of cT4b and/or cN+cases confirmed at least one unfavorable pathological factor, implying potential overtreatment in 43% of patients if NAC were applied solely based on CT findings. Conclusion CT remains the standard for clinical staging but demonstrates limited accuracy in identifying high-risk right colon cancers. NAC decisions should integrate additional criteria beyond CT findings to avoid overtreatment.
- Biologic disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs survival in late-onset axial spondyloarthritis — data from a Portuguese registryPublication . Silva, Susana P.; Monteiro, Beatriz; Oliveira, Cláudia Pinto; Costa, Roberto Pereira da; Matos, Carolina Ochôa; Lopes, Mariana Diz; Gomes, Carlos Marques; Bernardes, Miguel; Santos, Mariana Emília; Gago, Laura; Abreu, Catarina; Fraga, Vanessa; Mendes, Beatriz; Rocha, Margarida Lucas; Soares, Catarina Dantas; Silva, Cândida; Santos, Helena; Valente, Paula; Silva, Lígia; Eugénio, Gisela; Barcelos, AnabelaObjectives Although axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA) typically begins before age 45, late-onset axSpA (lo-axSpA) has been widely recognized. While existing literature describes this subgroup, data on therapeutic approaches remain limited. Therefore, we aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of biologic DMARDs in patients with lo-axSpA.Methods We conducted a retrospective, multicentre, national cohort study using data from the Rheumatic Diseases Portuguese Register. A cut-off age of 45 years was applied to define lo-axSpA. Group differences between early- and late-onset disease activity scores were evaluated, and drug survival was assessed over 12 months. Predictors of drug discontinuation were identified using a Cox proportional hazards model.Results In total, 2256 patients were included, of whom 260 (11.5%) had lo-axSpA. Patients with late-onset disease exhibited significantly higher scores in the Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Score, Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Index and Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Functional Index at baseline, 3, 6 and 12 months. Despite these differences, both groups showed proportional reductions in disease activity scores, indicating a continuous decrease in disease activity over time. Although the late-onset group had a higher discontinuation rate during the first 12 months of treatment, lo-axSpA was not associated with an increased risk of therapy discontinuation. The primary reason for treatment discontinuation in both groups was inefficacy, with low rates of infections and other adverse events observed across the cohort.Conclusion Our study demonstrated that lo-axSpA is not associated with reduced treatment efficacy or compromised safety.
- Broad-scale mapping of seafloor habitats in the north-east Atlantic using existing environmental dataPublication . Vasquez, Mickaël; Mata Chacón, D.; Tempera, Fernando; O'Keeffe, Eimear; Galparsoro, Ibon; Sanz Alonso, J. L.; Gonçalves, J. M. S.; Bentes, L.; Amorim, Patrícia; Henriques, Victor; McGrath, Fergal; Monteiro, Pedro; Mendes, Beatriz; Freitas, Rosa; Martins, Roberto; Populus, JacquesIf marine management policies and actions are to achieve long-term sustainable use and management of the marine environment and its resources, they need to be informed by data giving the spatial distribution of seafloor habitats over large areas. Broad-scale seafloor habitat mapping is an approachwhich has the benefit of producing maps covering large extents at a reasonable cost. This approach was first investigated by Roff et al. (2003), who, acknowledging that benthic communities are strongly influenced by the physical characteristics of the seafloor, proposed overlaying mapped physical variables using a geographic information system (GIS) to produce an integrated map of the physical characteristics of the seafloor. In Europe the method was adapted to the marine section of the EUNIS (European Nature Information System) classification of habitat types under the MESH project, andwas applied at an operational level in 2011 under the EUSeaMap project. The present study compiled GIS layers for fundamental physical parameters in the northeast Atlantic, including (i) bathymetry, (ii) substrate type, (iii) light penetration depth and (iv) exposure to near-seafloor currents andwave action. Based on analyses of biological occurrences, significant thresholds were fine-tuned for each of the abiotic layers and later used in multi-criteria raster algebra for the integration of the layers into a seafloor habitat map. The final result was a harmonised broad-scale seafloor habitat map with a 250 m pixel size covering four extensive areas, i.e. Ireland, the Bay of Biscay, the Iberian Peninsula and the Azores. The map provided the first comprehensive perception of habitat spatial distribution for the Iberian Peninsula and the Azores, and fed into the initiative for a pan- European map initiated by the EUSeaMap project for Baltic, North, Celtic and Mediterranean seas.