Resumo O artigo discute a reforma territorial das freguesias portuguesas em 2013 inserida no acordo de resgate do Fundo Monetário Internacional, Banco Central Europeu e Comissão Europeia (Troika) ao Estado português, na sequência da crise da dívida soberana. Tem como objetivos: (i) enquadrar a reforma das freguesias em Portugal nas tendências de reorganização ao nível local em países europeus nas últimas décadas; (ii) situar a agregação à escala nacional, integrando-a na Reforma da Administração Local do XIX Governo (2011-2015); (iii) analisar, a partir do Algarve, as mudanças no exercício das suas competências, na prestação de serviços à população e na relação com o município; (iv) discutir os resultados alcançados. A metodologia apoia-se na revisão da literatura sobre reformas territoriais locais em países europeus, na leitura crítica do processo nacional, estando a abordagem empírica alicerçada na perspetiva dos eleitos, a partir de entrevistas semiestruturadas a todos os presidentes das juntas das freguesias agregadas no Algarve. O processo de agregação top down aplicado no país desencadeou na região uma reação de partilha e colaboração entre freguesias, atenuando tensões e fraturas entre comunidades (mas, noutras situações, expondo cisões ou fraturas antigas). O novo mapa está assimilado, mas subsistem críticas e já ocorreram duas reversões.

Abstract This paper discusses the territorial reform in Portuguese parishes in 2013 following the bailout from the International Monetary Fund, the European Central Bank and the European Commission (Troika). The purpose of this paper is (i) to frame the reform of the parishes in Portugal in the trends of reorganization at the local level in European countries in recent decades; (ii) to situate the aggregation at the national scale, integrating it in the Reform of Local Administration of the XIX Government (2011-2015); (iii) to analyze, from the Algarve, the changes in the exercise of its powers, in the provision of services to the population and in the relationship with the municipality; (iv) to discuss the results achieved. The methodology is based on the literature review on local territorial reforms in European countries, on the critical reading of the national process, and the empirical approach is based on the perspective of the elected representatives, based on semi-structured interviews with all the mayors of the aggregated parish councils in the Algarve. The top-down aggregation process applied in the country triggered in the region a reaction of sharing and collaboration between parishes, reducing tensions and fractures between communities (but, in other situations, exposing old divisions or fractures). The new map is assimilated, but criticism remains and two reversals have already occurred.

O artigo analisa os conteúdos dos documentos estratégicos para a Região do Algarve, as orientações fornecidas pelos planos de escala supra-municipal e a transposição destas para os instrumentos de gestão territorial, no que respeita à implementação de áreas para o acolhimento empresarial. Decorridas já duas décadas sobre a entrada em vigor do Plano Regional de Ordenamento do Território (PROT), os subsequentes planos directores municipais e a revisão do PROT, procura-se caracterizar o conteúdo das estratégias regionais e avaliar a eficácia dos instrumentos de gestão territorial que lhes dariam expressão. A análise efectuada permite adiantar que persistem quadros estratégicos vagos e pouco assertivos, frequentemente fundados em diagnósticos superficiais, que os instrumentos de gestão territorial não têm, regra geral, veiculado qualquer estratégia concertada, mas também que existem “modelos” de implementação e de funcionamento de áreas de acolhimento empresarial, fruto de iniciativas isoladas, que se apresentam como casos de sucesso e de recomendável adopção, para as entidades públicas ou privadas, em territórios mais dinâmicos ou mais periféricos.

The article looks into the contents of strategic documents for the Region of the Algarve, the orientations given by the supra-municipal plans and the way these orientations are reflected into the territorial planning instruments in terms of the implementation of economic development areas. After two decades since the Regional Plan (PROT) was issued, the succeeding municipal master plans and the revision of the PROT, the article aims to characterise the contents of the regional strategies and to evaluate the efficacy of the territorial planning instruments expressing these strategies. The analysis suggests that vague and inadequate assertive strategic objectives still persist based on superficial diagnosis. Thus, territorial planning instruments are not based on concerted strategies. Yet, models for the implementation and functioning of economic development areas do exist, resulting from isolated initiatives, which can be seen as success stories to be adopted by public and private entities, in more dynamic or peripheral territories.

Experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) is mediated by CD4+ Th1 cells that mainly secrete IFN-γ and TNF-α, important cytokines in the pathophysiology of the disease. Spontaneous remission is, in part, attributed to the down regulation of IFN-γ and TNF-α by TGF-β. In the current paper, we compared weight, histopathology and immunological parameters during the acute and recovery phases of EAE to establish the best biomarker for clinical remission. Female Lewis rats were immunised with myelin basic protein (MBP) emulsified with complete Freund's adjuvant. Animals were evaluated daily for clinical score and weight prior to euthanisation. All immunised animals developed the expected characteristics of EAE during the acute phase, including significant weight loss and high clinical scores. Disease remission was associated with a significant reduction in clinical scores, although immunised rats did not regain their initial weight values. Brain inflammatory infiltrates were higher during the acute phase. During the remission phase, anti-myelin antibody levels increased, whereas TNF-α and IFN-γ production by lymph node cells cultured with MBP or concanavalin A, respectively, decreased. The most significant difference observed between the acute and recovery phases was in the induction of TNF-α levels in MBP-stimulated cultures. Therefore, the in vitro production of this cytokine could be used as a biomarker for EAE remission.