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This work is the first known report dealing with the heterogeneous Fenton-like process in a continuous stirred tank reactor. A Fe/ZSM-5 zeolite was used as catalyst for degradation of an azo dye (Orange II, OII)-containing solution.A parametric study was carried out to evaluate the effect of the main operating conditions in the basket reactor performance, namely temperature (in the range 10 - [H2O2]feed = 6 mM, W/Q = 200 mg.min/mL, dp2 and tresid = 90 min), it was achieved 91% of discoloration and 36% of mineralization, at steady-state. Moreover, it was found a removal of 29% in terms of the chemical oxygen demand (COD), being worth noting the improvement in the effluent biodegradability (k' -oxygen uptake rate -increased from 9.3 to 23.2 mgO2/(gVSS.h)) and the fact that the final effluent is non-toxic (0.0% of Vibrio fischeri inhibition).The stability of the catalyst performance was checked during five consecutive runs. The crucial factor for the catalyst long-term use is the leaching of iron, which in all runs reached very low levels (e.g. only 0.173 mg/L of iron for the run in the optimized conditions, corresponding to only 0.13% of leaching). The catalyst was characterized by different techniques before and after the reactions (namely SEM/EDS and N2 adsorption); textural and chemical transformations during its use can be considered negligible (except for very acidic conditions of pH = 1.5) favoring the catalytic stability of the Fe-zeolite.

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Background: Dysautonomia has been independently associated with training and exerciseinduced bronchoconstriction. In addition, neurogenic airway inflammation was recently associated with swimmers-asthma. We aimed to assess the relation between autonomic nervous system and airway responsiveness of asthmatic elite swimmers. Methods: Twenty-seven elite swimmers, 11 of whom had asthma, were enrolled in this exploratory cross-sectional study. All performed spirometry with bronchodilation, skin prick tests and methacholine challenge according to the guidelines. Pupillometry was performed using PLR-200 TM Pupillometer. One pupil light response curve for each eye was recorded and the mean values of pupil's maximal and minimal diameters, percentage of constriction, average and maximum constriction velocities (parasympathetic parameters), dilation velocity, and total time to recover 75% of the initial size (sympathetic parameters) were used for analysis. Asthma was defined using IOC-MC criteria; subjects were divided into airway hyperesponsiveness (AHR) severity according to methacholine PD 20 in: no AHR, borderline, mild, moderate and severe AHR. Differences for pupillary parameters between groups and after categorization by AHR severity were assessed using SPSS 20.0 (p ≤ 0.05). In individuals with clinically relevant AHR, correlation between PD 20 and pupillary parameters was investigated with Spearman's correlation test. Results: No statistically significant differences were observed between asthmatic and nonasthmatic swimmers regarding parasympathetic parameters. When stratified by AHR, maximal and minimal diameters and percentage of constriction were significantly lower among those with severe AHR. Among swimmers with clinically relevant AHR (n = 18), PD 20 correlated with parasympathetic activity: maximal (r = 0.67, p = 0.002) and minimal diameters (r = 0.75, p < 0.001), percentage of constriction (r = −0.59, p = 0.011) and latency (r = 0.490, p = 0.039).Exploratory study comparing dysautonomia between asthmatic and non-asthmatic elite swimmers 23 Conclusions: No significant differences were observed between asthmatic and non-asthmatic swimmers regarding parasympathetic parameters, but among those with relevant AHR an association was found. Although limited by the sample size, these findings support the relation between dysautonomia and AHR in asthmatic swimmers.

OBJECTIVES: Under current economic and financial framework, some important revisions were made to the National Pharmaceutical Policy in Portugal, aimed at decreasing prices and contributing to lower public expenditure in the Health Sector. The Decree-Law 112/2011 introduced a new margin system both for pharmacies and wholesalers. A linear margin scheme, expressed as a percentage mark-up on the consumer price before VAT was thus replaced by a regressive system combining: i) a fixed fee that increases with the ex-factory price of drugs; ii) a regressive margin expressed as a percentage of the ex-factory price. This paper aims to assess: costs associated to the pharmacy dispensing and other pharmacy services provided; the proportion of purchased medicines on total prescribed; the perception of pharmacists and patients regarding changes in access to medicines, namely possible shortages of medicines in Portuguese pharmacies, and other issues. METHODS: In order to access the effects of this policy measure, surveys were carried out to consumers and pharmacies across the country. Four surveys were administered in week 25 to 29 June: survey to Pharmacy Owner; survey following each prescription sale (one day census); survey about pharmacy services not associated to the dispensing of medicines (5-day census). Pharmacists were also requested to administer a survey to patients presenting a prescription. RESULTS: To be completed after analysis of the surveys (after 29 June) CONCLUSIONS: We will elaborate on a more efficient distribution of medicines in view of both the economic sustainability of pharmacies and the impact on patients. OBJECTIVES:To explore opinions among professionals in health economics and related fields on global trends in the use of health economic (HE) data in various market access decision-making processes. METHODS: An on-line survey was administered to professionals who work with HE data. The survey captured professional background characteristics and respondents' opinions on trends in the role of HE data in various decision-making areas and specifically in applying HE analysis to individualized medicine and orphan medications. RESULTS: Seventy three professionals completed the survey; 53% from Europe, 30% United States, and 16% from other countries. 25% were from the pharmaceutical/medical technology industry, while 75% were from academia/government and other institution types. The area where most respondents expected an increasing role for HE data was in reimbursement decisions (89%), followed by manufacturers' internal pricing (78%), clinical guideline development (70%), and clinical practice (59%). Opinions on whether cost-effectiveness analysis of individualized medicine will become a dominant approach in the next three years varied widely with 49% of respondents in agreement and 19% disagreeing. Equally, 37% of the respondents agree and 37% disagree that orphan drugs should be subjected to the same value-based assessments as other products, with 26% being neutral. CONCLUSIONS: While there is strong...