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- Sociodemographic, clinical, and behavioral factors associated with sexual transmitted infection among HIV-1 positive migrants in Portugal: Are there differences between sexes?Publication . Miranda, Mafalda N. S.; Pimentel, Victor; Graça, Jacqueline; Seabra, Sofia G.; Sebastião, Cruz S.; Diniz, António; Faria, Domitília; Teófilo, Eugénio; Roxo, Fausto; Maltez, Fernando; Germano, Isabel; Oliveira, Joaquim; Ferreira, José; Poças, José; Mansinho, Kamal; Mendão, Luís; Gonçalves, Maria João; Mouro, Margarida; Marques, Nuno; Pacheco, Patrícia; Proença, Paula; Tavares, Raquel; Abreu, Ricardo Correia de; Serrão, Rosário; Faria, Telo; Martins, M. Rosário O.; Gomes, Perpétua; Abecasis, Ana B.; Pingarilho, MartaIntroduction: Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) continue to occur at high levels. According to the WHO, each year there are an estimated 374 million new infections with syphilis, gonorrhea, chlamydia, and trichomoniasis. STIs are associated with an increased risk of acquiring HIV infection. Migrants are reportedly highly affected by STIs. Objectives: This study aims to characterize factors associated with STIs in a population of HIV-positive migrants living in Portugal. Methodology: This is a cross-sectional observational study of 265 newly diagnosed HIV-1 positive migrants, who were defined as individuals born outside Portugal. This group of people were part of the BESTHOPE study that was developed in 17 Portuguese hospitals between September 2014 and December 2019, and included information collected through sociodemographic and behavioral questionnaires filled in by the migrant patients, clinical questionnaires filled in by the clinicians and HIV-1 genomic sequences generated through resistance testing (Sanger sequencing). A multivariable statistical analysis was used to analyze the association between sociodemographic characteristics, sexual behaviors, HIV testing and sexual infections. Results: Most HIV-1 positive individuals included in the study were men (66.8%) and aged between 25 and 44 years old (59.9%). Men had a higher proportion of STIs when compared to women (40.4% vs. 14.0%) and the majority of men reported homosexual contacts (52.0%). Most men reported having had two or more occasional sexual partners in the previous year (88.8%) and 50.9% reported always using condoms with occasional partners, while 13.2% never used it. For regular partners, only 29.5% of the women reported using condoms, compared to 47.3% of men. Other risk behaviors for acquiring HIV, such as tattooing and performing invasive medical procedures, were more prevalent in men (38.0% and 46.2%, respectively), when compared to women (30.4% and 45.1% respectively) and 4.7% of men reported having already shared injectable materials, with no data for comparison in the case for women. Additionally, 23.9% of women reported having had a blood transfusion while only 10.3% of men reported having had this medical procedure. Meanwhile, 30.9% of the individuals reported having been diagnosed with some type of STI in the last 12 months. In addition, 43.3% of individuals that answered a question about hepatitis reported to be infected with hepatitis B, while 13.0% reported having hepatitis C infection. According to the multivariable analysis, the only transmission route was significantly associated with reports of previous STI infection: men who have sex with men (MSM) were 70% more likely to have been diagnosed with an STI in the past 12 months compared to the heterosexual route. Conclusion: HIV-1 infected men were more likely to report previous STIs than women. On the other hand, most migrant women had a regular sexual partner and never or only sometimes used condoms. This somewhat discrepant findings suggest that gender inequalities may make women unable to negotiate safe sexual practices, resulting in increased susceptibility to infection. However, since migrant women report less STIs, we cannot exclude that these STIs may remain undiagnosed. The implementation of safer sex awareness campaigns for condom use and screening for STIs in women is crucial. On the other hand, health education campaigns for STI knowledge need to be implemented for both MSM and women and their partners.
- Are marine anoxic events recorded in the late devonian-carboniferous boundary in the south portuguese zone?Publication . Lucero, Dylan Christopher; Fernandes, Paulo; Lopes, GildaThe Devonian-Carboniferous Boundary (DCB) marks a mass extinction event that coincided with an oceanic anoxic event recognized worldwide. The stratigraphic sequence of the Pedra Ruiva sea cliff in the South Portuguese Zone near the Bordeira village dates back to the end of the Devonian and the start of the Carboniferous periods. To date, no study has been conducted to investigate the presence of oceanic anoxic events at this location during the DCB. Twenty rock samples were collected and analyzed from two outcrops from the Pedra Ruiva sea cliff. This thesis aims to identify and describe any anoxic event in this area. The results showed that during the DCB, the Southern Outcrop went through a decrease in the CIA values. An abundance of SiO₂, changes in the ratio of V/Cr, as well as an increase in the abundances of the heavy metals V, Cr, U, Al₂O₃, and the ratio of V/(V+Ni) were also observed. The Northern Outcrop does not show the same relation between the DCB and the calculated values and abundances. However, it does show a major spike in the CIA values after the DCB that corresponds to an increase in the V/C and V/(V+Ni) ratios, an abundance of SiO₂ and a decrease in Al₂O₃.The sedimentary facies of the two outcrops indicate that the proxies used to detect OAEs were deposited in non-ideal conditions for their preservation. Due to this the findings do not provide a definitive answer; however proxies indicate that a study in the more northern portions of the Tercenas Formation may yield better results.