Country Report Portugal
The implementation of Directive 2001/20/EC changed considerably the legal regulation of clinical trials in Portugal. The rights of the participants in research, including minors and incompetent adults, are now more accurately described and the possibility of non-therapeutic research with minors was introduced. Moreover, the new administrative procedure and the role of ethics committees changed substantially, since the new National Ethics Committee for Clinical Research was given extensive power and the traditional local ethics committees have seen a decrease in their functions and activities.
The evolving notion of mutual recognition in the CJEU’s case law on detention
This article analyses the case law of the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) on detention and the possible evolution of the understanding of mutual recognition stemming therefrom. In the Lanigan, JZ, and Ognyanov decisions, the CJEU assimilated mutual recognition with the effectiveness of cooperation, which should be understood as maximum compliance with the issuing state’s interests. Arguably, this approach is detrimental to other important values, such as, for example, the rights arising from excessively long detention and a rational and meaningful approach to the enforcement of imprisonment. On the other hand, the Aranyosi and Căldăraru judgment has detached mutual recognition from the exclusive protection of the issuing state and has turned it into a neutral governance principle. If mutual trust is not a given and can be assessed on a case-by-case basis through common objective parameters, the decisions deserving recognition may be uttered either by the issuing or the executing authority.
Surgical management of facial paralysis resulting from temporal bone fractures
Abstract Conclusion: To achieve good facial reanimation in cases with facial paralysis resulting from temporal bone fractures, the ideal timing for surgical intervention is at least within 1 month of injury and an appropriate surgical approach should be selected depending on the site of facial nerve injury. Objective: This paper aimed to address the ideal time for surgical intervention and the appropriate surgical approach for patients with facial paralysis resulting from temporal bone fractures. Methods: We retrospectively investigated 60 patients with facial paralysis due to temporal bone fractures who underwent facial nerve decompression via different operative approaches within 1 month after trauma, of which 48 were surgically treated by the middle cranial fossa approach (80%), 8 by a pure transmastoid approach (13.3%), and four by a combined transmastoid and middle cranial fossa approach (6.7%). The House–Brackmann (H-B) grading system was used to evaluate the recovery of facial nerve function. Results: The follow-up period for all the patients was 1 year. Among 60 patients who were surgically treated, 39 achieved grade I of facial nerve function, 18 achieved grade II, two achieved grade III, and one achieved grade IV according to the H-B grading system.