Did you know that the month of July owes its name to Roman Emperor Julius Caesar?
Caius Julius Caesar was a great Roman military and political strategist who made a point of documenting the history of his military campaigns. Considered by many, until today, a true academic and a born leader, Julius Caesar earned great respect from his peers and even among his enemies. In the year 49 BC, disobedience to Rome and, therefore, to the Empire, led him to the position of Roman Emperor.
Here, we no longer live in an era of Emperors, but we always value those who, through their work, conquer their own battles. This is the case of Professor Carlos Calhaz Jorge – one of the specialists and pioneers of fertility in Portugal, who was elected Chairman of the European Society of Reproductive Medicine and Embryology (ESHRE).
Also, on 14 July, FMUL Gynaecology and Obstetrics Professor Diogo Ayres de Campos, became the representative of the largest Society of Obstetricians and Neonatologists in Europe.
Isabel Pavão Martins also deserves our admiration for her collaboration in a study published in the Journal Club section of the Stop Migraine platform, which focuses on the use of the drug fremanezumab in patients with episodic or chronic migraine.
Not least, La Caixa and FCT support 12 national health research projects with 7. 9 million Euros, some of which led by our professors: Miguel Castanho and Miguel Prudêncio.
July was also the month when the secondary effects of communication in the pandemic were the subject of analysis: “: “When Communication combats misinformation, or when it is itself a “side effect” and generates disease”. A webinar with 8 stakeholders was held. They reflected on the communication about the pandemic in the last year and a half.
Pedro Gaspar, Marc Veldhoen, Catarina Mota and Miguel Martins were the main players of a study carried out by Santa Maria Hospital and the Institute of Molecular Medicine (iMM). It was conducted with 72 cancer patients hospitalized in ward 2-A, and it allowed to conclude that cancer patients infected with COVID-19 are able to produce antibodies against the virus.
Still on the evolution of COVID-19, there was the famous “Freedom Day”, when Covid-19 mitigation measures in Great Britain were lifted. The decision shook the world’s medical and scientific community, which jointly sent a letter to the renowned Scientific Journal The Lancet, with the purpose of alerting policy makers to the consequences of the “Massive infection is not an option”. The letter was also signed by our Director Fausto J. Pinto, who spoke recently, in an interview to TSF, about the importance of vaccinating children, similarly to what was done in the United States.
And because Health continues to be at the forefront, this month we celebrated World Allergy Day, Transplantation Day, and World Brain Day. The latter was the topic of an article by Professor Luisa Lopes, where she highlights the latest scientific advances of her team on one of the most mysterious organs of the human body. Last but not least, there was World Sjögren’s Day, a syndrome characterized by a disturbance in the immune system that generates chronic inflammation, of which the greatest representative is tennis player Venus Williams.
Regarding science, the BIAL Foundation, together with the Medical Association, decided to increase the number of supported researchers and the global amount of the Maria de Sousa Prize, now distinguishing up to 5 winners and having a total amount of up to 125 thousand Euros.
We will return in September. Until then, we are preparing the beginning of the new academic year.
We wish you a great holiday, should you have one!
Isabel Varela
Editorial Team
