Maria Teresa Herdeiro

By Magda Carvalho Henriques, Susana Loureiro, Margarida Fardilha and Maria Teresa Herdeiro

Endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) are exogenous compounds with natural or anthropogenic origin omnipresent in the environment. These compounds disrupt endocrine function through interaction with hormone receptor or alteration of hormone synthesis. Humans are environmentally exposed to EDCs through the air, water, food and occupation. During the last decades, there has been a concern that exposure to EDCs may contribute to an impairment of human reproductive function. EDCs affect male fertility at multiple levels, from sperm production and quality to the morphology and histology of the male reproductive system. It has been proposed that exposure to EDCs may contribute to an impairment of sperm motility, concentration, volume and morphology and an increase in the sperm DNA damage. Moreover, EDCs exert reproductive toxicity inducing structural damage on the testis vasculature and blood-testis barrier and cytotoxicity on Sertoli and Leydig cells. This chapter will explore the effects of EDCs in male reproductive system and in the decline of male fertility.

Part of the book: Male Reproductive Health

By Daniela A. Rodrigues, Maria Teresa Herdeiro, Adolfo Figueiras, Paula Coutinho and Fátima Roque

Population ageing is one of the most significant social transformations of the twenty-first century. The increase in average life expectancy was a successful challenge achieved in the modern world. However, nowadays a new challenge arises for all society: achieving a better quality of life for increasing people’s life. The comorbidities associated with ageing make elderly prone to polypharmacy. On the other hand, physiological and cognitive changes interfere with drugs’ pharmacodynamics and pharmacokinetics contributing to drug-related problems which have been reported to account for a large percentage of emergency treatment and hospitalizations of older people, increasing the costs with health in the most aged regions. In order to reduce the use of potentially inappropriate medicines in this population, strategies and tools have been developed in recent years to assess the appropriateness medication use in the elderly.

Part of the book: Frailty in the Elderly

By Maria Teresa Herdeiro, Tânia Magalhães Silva, Inês Ribeiro-Vaz, Eva Rebelo Gomes, Adolfo Figueiras and Fátima Roque

Part of the book: New Insights into the Future of Pharmacoepidemiology and Drug Safety

By Tânia Magalhães Silva, Eva Rebelo Gomes, Inês Ribeiro-Vaz, Fátima Roque and Maria Teresa Herdeiro

The World Health Organization (WHO) defines Pharmacovigilance as the science and activities relating to the detection, assessment, understanding and prevention of adverse drug effects. The aim is to promote the safety and effective use of medicines through an early detection and evaluation of drug safety risks. The pharmacovigilance system is essentially based in spontaneous reports of Adverse Drug Reactions (ADR). ADR can be associated with severe outcomes and significant mortality, besides, most of them are deemed to be preventable events. Globally, antibiotics are among the most widely prescribed medications and their extensive use is linked to antibiotic-associated ADR. This chapter aims to summarize available epidemiological data concerning antibiotic use related ADR and analyze the reports received by the EudraVigilance system regarding the exclusive usage of antibiotics.

Part of the book: New Insights into the Future of Pharmacoepidemiology and Drug Safety

By Daniel Gomes, Eva Rebelo Gomes, Inês Ribeiro-Vaz, Maria Teresa Herdeiro and Fátima Roque

Polypharmacy and physiological changes inherent to the aging process can cause significant modifications in the pharmacokinetic and dynamic regimens of drugs, making the elderly more susceptible to adverse drug effects. Adverse drug reactions (ADR) in older adults have a significant impact on hospital admissions, increasing hospital stay and healthcare costs. Most common ADR in this population are dose-related and predictable. However, they can be difficult to diagnose as they often have nonspecific symptoms. This could be minimized by decreasing the use and prescription of potentially inappropriate medication and being aware of possible drug interactions. Besides, being older patients underrepresented in clinical trials and due to their physiological modifications, serious or atypical ADR are more common in this age range. To minimize harm in older adults, effective pharmacovigilance must be encouraged.

Part of the book: New Insights into the Future of Pharmacoepidemiology and Drug Safety