Browsing by Author "Portela, Mariana"
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- Cyberbullying in pre-adolescence - reality of a city in northern PortugalMelo, Vanda; Pacheco, Pedro; Portela, Mariana; Costa, Sandra; Ribeiro, HelenaIntroduction: The rapid evolution of communication technologies has enabled easy and premature access for children and young people to social networks, the internet, and smartphones. The indiscriminate use of these technologies has led to the emergence of cyberbullying. The objective was to analyse the prevalence of cyberbullying and the most frequent forms involved in this age group. Methods: A cross-sectional observational study was conducted through anonymous questionnaires distributed in primary schools (2nd and 3rd cycles) in the municipality. Results: The study included 482 students, with a median age of 12 years (9-15 years), and a similar gender distribution (55% female, 45% male). Regarding the daily screen time, 20.5% reported spending less than 1 hour, 47.7% between 1 to 3 hours, while 31.1% spent more than 3 hours per day. The prevalence of cyberbullying in the studied sample was 30.9%, with 34.9% of them admitting to being victims in the last 3 months, with only 50% requesting help. The most reported type of cyberbullying was being excluded from a chat or social network. In the subsample of children who experienced cyberbullying, a statistically significant relationship was found between victimization and being female (p-value 0.046) and between victimization and being an aggressor (p-value <0.001). Conclusion: According to this study, the exposure to digital technology in this age group is practically universal, with a cyberbullying prevalence of around 31%. This alarming victimization rate occurs during a crucial phase of the child’s social and emotional development.
- Gastroenterological clinical casePublication . Portela, Mariana; Barroso, Catarina; Carvalho, José Luís; Gomes, Maria MiguelGastrointestinal polyps are frequent in children and represent the most common cause of colorectal bleeding in this age group. Among those, juvenile polyps are the most frequently found. Intermittent mild hematochezia is the main symptom of colon polyps. Most polyps are pedunculated and, when located in the rectum, may prolapse. In most cases, juvenile polyps are solitary and located in rectosigmoid. Although malignancy risk of a solitary juvenile polyp is very small, excision is recommended to confirm benign nature. Total colonoscopy should be considered to exclude multiple or proximal polyps.
- Suspecting classical homocystinuria in an adolescent born before the newborn screening programPublication . Carvalho, Fábia; Campos, Teresa; Reis, Joana; Portela, Mariana; Vasconcelos, Carla; Ferreira, Carla; Cerqueira, Arnaldo; Oliveira, Ângela; Vilarinho, Laura; Leão-Teles, Elisa; Rodrigues, EsmeraldaIntroduction: Classical homocystinuria (HCU) is an autosomal recessive disorder caused by a deficiency in the cystathionine beta-synthase enzyme and associated with a high probability of vascular complications. Herein is presented the case of an adolescent diagnosed with HCU during cerebral venous sinus thrombosis (CVST) study. Case Report: A 14-year-old girl presented with thrombophilia screening tests suggestive of HCU during CVST study. After referral to an Inherited Metabolic Diseases Unit, she started supplementation with pyridoxine, folic acid, vitamin B12, betaine anhydrous, and cysteine and was advised to restrict natural proteins and methionine from diet. Genetic analysis revealed a homozygous CBS mutation (c.572C>T (p.T191M) with c.699C>T (p.Y233Y) polymorphism. Discussion: In adolescents born before 2004 (year of implementation of the Portuguese newborn screening program), HCU should be considered when studying hypercoagulability syndromes, as it is a treatable condition and treatment can prevent major morbidity and mortality causes.