Fibromyalgia is characterized by widespread pain, fatigue, sleep disturbance, and psychological and cognitive problems. This disease affects mainly females in middle age and has a prevalence of 1.7% in Portugal. Treatment is symptomatic and consists of pharmacological and non-pharmacological interventions. Fibromyalgia has an important impact on patient's life and can negatively affect their quality of life. Given the impact of this disease on patient's quality life, is crucial to evaluate the true influence of the pharmacological approaches on Fibromyalgia outcome.
Revista: European Neuropsychopharmacology
JCR: 4.600 (2020)
Referência bibliográfica: Pereira, J. V., & Santos, M. (2021). Pharmacotherapy, treatment satisfaction and funcional impact among fibromyalgia patients: Characterization of a Portuguese sample. 34th ECNP Congress – Lisbon 2021 Hybrid, 53, S547–S548. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.euroneuro.2021.10.817
The role of milk and dairy products in supplying iodine to pregnant women is unknown in Portugal. The aim of this study was to evaluate the association between milk and dairy product consumption and the iodine status of pregnant women in the IoMum cohort of the Oporto region. Pregnant women were recruited between 10 and 13 weeks of gestation, when they provided a spot urine sample and information on lifestyle and intake of iodine-rich foods. Urinary iodine concentration (UIC) was determined by inductively coupled plasma MS. A total of 468 pregnant women (269 iodine supplement users and 199 non-supplement users) were considered eligible for analysis. Milk (but not yogurt or cheese) intake was positively associated with UIC, in the whole population (P = 0·02) and in the non-supplement users (P = 0·002), but not in the supplement users (P = 0·29). In non-supplement users, adjusted multinomial logistic regression analysis showed that milk consumption <3 times/month was associated with a five times increased risk of having UIC < 50 µg/l when compared with milk consumption ≥2 times/d (OR 5·4; 95 % CI 1·55, 18·78; P = 0·008). The highest UIC was observed in supplement users who reported consuming milk once per d (160 µg/l). Milk, but not yogurt or cheese, was positively associated with iodine status of pregnant women. Despite the observed positive association, daily milk consumption may not be sufficient to ensure adequate iodine intake in this population.
Título: The association of milk and dairy consumption with iodine status in pregnant women in Oporto region
Revista: British Journal of Nutrition
JCR: 3.718 (2020)
Referência bibliográfica: Ferreira, P., Pinheiro, C., Matta Coelho, C., Guimarães, J., Pereira, G., Xavier Moreira, N., . . . Keating, E. (2021). The association of milk and dairy consumption with iodine status in pregnant women in Oporto region. British Journal of Nutrition, 126(9), 1314-1322. doi:10.1017/S000711452100009X
The COVID- 19 pandemic led to striking changes in clinical care delivery and created an opportunity for digital health. Objectives: To characterize physicians’ use of telemedicine for patient follow- up during the first months of the COVID- 19 pandemic, to evaluate physician’s opinion and availability to participate in mHealth- related clinical studies with patient recruitment and assessment via telemedicine and to explore characteristics associated with the openness to participate.
JCR: 13.146 (2020)
Referência bibliográfica: Pereira, A., Almeida, R., Amaral, R., Alves- Correia, M., Mendes, S., Fonseca, J., & Jácome, C. (2021). Physicians’ perspective on telemedicine use during the COVID- 19 pandemic: is it feasible to recruit and assess participants in mhealth- related clinical studies? Allergy, 76, 189. https://doi.org/DOI: 10.1111/all.15095
A incontinência urinária afeta até um terço das mulheres em Portugal. O exercício pode ser fator precipitante/de exacerbação, mas também protetor, se for adequado. O objetivo deste estudo é determinar a prevalência de incontinência urinária em mulheres praticantes de exercício recreativo, avaliar a relação com o tipo de exercício e outros fatores de risco coexistentes, e aferir se o tema é abordado nos ginásios. Material e Métodos: Estudo transversal através de questionários de auto-preenchimento em ginásios do Porto e Vila Nova de Gaia. Resultados: Duzentas e noventa mulheres completaram os questionários. Destas, 67,6% tinham menos de 40 anos, 25,2% referiam incontinência e 53,4% tinham pelo menos um fator de risco não relacionado com exercício. Verificou-se uma associação estatisticamente significativa (p < 0,05) entre incontinência, obesidade e obstipação. Exercícios de alto impacto eram incluídos nos treinos de 62,1% das mulheres continentes e 50,9% das incontinentes. O tema incontinência e fortalecimento muscular do pavimento pélvico foi abordado em apenas 5,5% na avaliação inicial, 9,7% em treinos coletivos e em 13,5% das 37 mulheres com treinos individuais. Discussão: A maior proporção de mulheres continentes, comparativamente às incontinentes, que praticavam exercício extenuante, sugere que este era um fator provocativo para algumas, não se verificando, contudo, uma associação estatisticamente significativa entre incontinência e tipo de exercício. Conclusão: A incontinência urinária afeta mulheres praticantes de exercício recreativo, independentemente da idade e características do exercício. É raramente abordada nos ginásios, sendo necessário sensibilizar os profissionais para potenciar os efeitos preventivos/ terapêuticos do exercício na função do pavimento pélvico e no controlo de fatores de risco modificáveis
Título: A Incontinência Urinária em Mulheres Praticantes de Exercício Recreativo: Um Estudo Transversal
Revista: Acta Médica Portuguesa
JCR: 1.141 (2020)
Referência bibliográfica: Silva, M. F., Costa, R. P., Oliveira, C. M., & Moreira, S. (2021). A incontinência urinária em mulheres praticantes de exercício recreativo: um estudo transversal. Acta Médica Portuguesa, 34, 724 - 732. https://doi.org/10.20344/amp.14004
Topical and transdermal delivery systems are of undeniable significance and ubiquity in healthcare, to facilitate the delivery of active pharmaceutical ingredients, respectively, onto or across the skin to enter systemic circulation. From ancient ointments and potions to modern micro/nanotechnological devices, a variety of approaches has been explored over the ages to improve the skin permeation of diverse medicines and cosmetics. Amongst the latest investigational dermal permeation enhancers, ionic liquids have been gaining momentum, and recent years have been prolific in this regard. As such, this review offers an outline of current methods for enhancing percutaneous permeation, highlighting selected reports where ionic liquid-based approaches have been investigated for this purpose. Future perspectives on use of ionic liquids for topical delivery of bioactive peptides are also presented.
Revista: International Journal of Molecular Sciences
JCR: 5.294 (2020)
Referência bibliográfica: Gomes, A., Aguiar, L., Ferraz, R., Teixeira, C., & Gomes, P. (2021). The Emerging Role of Ionic Liquid-Based Approaches for Enhanced Skin Permeation of Bioactive Molecules: A Snapshot of the Past Couple of Years. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 22(21), 11991. https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/22/21/11991
Collation of aphasia research data across settings, countries and study designs using big data principles will support analyses across different language modalities, levels of impairment, and therapy interventions in this heterogeneous population. Big data approaches in aphasia research may support vital analyses, which are unachievable within individual trial datasets. However, we lack insight into the requirements for a systematically created database, the feasibility and challenges and potential utility of the type of data collated. To report the development, preparation and establishment of an internationally agreed aphasia after stroke research database of individual participant data (IPD) to facilitate planned aphasia research analyses. Data were collated by systematically identifying existing, eligible studies in any language (≥10 IPD, data on time since stroke, and language performance) and included sourcing from relevant aphasia research networks. We invited electronic contributions and also extracted IPD from the public domain. Data were assessed for completeness, validity of value-ranges within variables, and described according to pre-defined categories of demographic data, therapy descriptions, and language domain measurements. We cleaned, clarified, imputed and standardised relevant data in collaboration with the original study investigators. We presented participant, language, stroke, and therapy data characteristics of the final database using summary statistics. From 5256 screened records, 698 datasets were potentially eligible for inclusion; 174 datasets (5928 IPD) from 28 countries were included, 47/174 RCT datasets (1778 IPD) and 91/174 (2834 IPD) included a speech and language therapy (SLT) intervention. Participants’ median age was 63 years (interquartile range [53, 72]), 3407 (61.4%) were male and median recruitment time was 321 days (IQR 30, 1156) after stroke. IPD were available for aphasia severity or ability overall (n = 2699; 80 datasets), naming (n = 2886; 75 datasets), auditory comprehension (n = 2750; 71 datasets), functional
communication (n = 1591; 29 datasets), reading (n = 770; 12 datasets) and writing (n = 724; 13 datasets). Information on SLT interventions were described by theoretical approach, therapy target, mode of delivery, setting and provider. Therapy regimen was
described according to intensity (1882 IPD; 60 datasets), frequency (2057 IPD; 66 datasets), duration (1960 IPD; 64 datasets) and dosage (1978 IPD; 62 datasets). Our international IPD archive demonstrates the application of big data principles in the context of aphasia research; our rigorous methodology for data acquisition and cleaning can serve as a template for the establishment of similar databases in other research areas.
Revista: Aphasiology
JCR: 2.773 (2020)
Referência bibliográfica: Williams, L. R., Ali, M., VandenBerg, K., Williams, L. J., Abo, M., Becker, F., Bowen, A., Brandenburg, C., Breitenstein, C., Bruehl, S., Copland, D. A., Cranfill, T. B., Di Pietro-Bachmann, M., Enderby, P., Fillingham, J., Galli, F. L., Gandolfi, M., Glize, B., Godecke, E., Hawkins, N., Hilari, K., Hinckley, J., Horton, S., Howard, D., Jaecks, P., Jefferies, E., Jesus, L. M. T., Kambanaros, M., Kyoung Kang, E., Khedr, E. M., Kong, A. P.-H., Kukkonen, T., Laganaro, M., Lambon Ralph, M. A., Laska, A. C., Leemann, B., Leff, A. P., Ribeiro Lima, R., Lorenz, A., MacWhinney, B., Marshall, R. S., Mattioli, F., Maviş, İ., Meinzer, M., Nilipour, R., Noé, E., Paik, N.-J., Palmer, R., Papathanasiou, I., Patricio, B. F., Pavão Martins, I., Price, C., Prizl Jakovac, T., Rochon, E., Rose, M. L., Rosso, C., Rubi-Fessen, I., Ruiter, M. B., Snell, C., Stahl, B., Szaflarski, J. P., Thomas, S. A., Van De Sandt-Koenderman, M., Van Der Meulen, I., Visch-Brink, E., Worrall, L., Wright, H. H., & Brady, M. C. (2021). Utilising a systematic review-based approach to create a database of individual participant data for meta- and network meta-analyses: the RELEASE database of aphasia after stroke. Aphasiology, 1-21. https://doi.org/10.1080/02687038.2021.1897081
Social frailty is a complex concept and there is still no consensus on the criteria that best define it, nor on the role that social dimensions play in well-established frailty models. Aim: To analyse the predictive value of social frailty dimensions on distinct frailty models. A non-probabilistic sample of 193 community-dwelling adults aged 65 years and over was recruited in 2016 and followed for three years. Frailty was assessed by the Tilburg Frailty Indicator, the Groningen Frailty Indicator, and the Fried Phenotype criteria. Questions about living alone, social network, social support, loneliness, and frequency of social activities engagement were used to assess social criteria. Bivariate correlations and sequential multiple hierarchical logistic regression analyses were performed.
At baseline, 22.2% older adults lived alone, 47.2% reported missing people around them, 21.1% reported lack of social support, 26.1% reported having reduced their participation in social activities recently and 52.2% reported loneliness. The percent of frail individuals varied across frailty measures, and social criteria showed significant correlations and increased the prediction of frailty status. Loneliness and social activities engagement were associated with frailty as assessed by the Tilburg frailty Indicator and by the Fried Phenotype criteria; the lack of social support is associated with frailty as assessed by the Groningen Frailty Indicator. Living alone and lack of social relationships did not predict frailty. Including social dimensions in a frailty model needs a consensual theoretical basis as they have different roles in predicting frailty, varying over time and across assessment tools.
Título: Social frailty dimensions and frailty models over time
Revista: Archives of Gerontology and Geriatrics
JCR: 3.250 (2020)
Referência bibliográfica: Bessa, B., Coelho, T., & Ribeiro, Ó. (2021). Social frailty dimensions and frailty models over time. Archives of Gerontology and Geriatrics, 97, 104515. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.archger.2021.104515
The umbilical cord has been proved to be an easy-access, reliable, and useful source of mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) for clinical applications due to its primitive, immunomodulatory, non-immunogenic, secretory and paracrine, migratory, proliferative, and multipotent properties. This set of characteristics has recently attracted great research interest in the fields of nanotechnology and regenerative medicine and cellular therapy. Accumulating evidence supports a pronounced therapeutic potential of MSC in many different pathologies, from hematology to immunology, wound-healing, tissue regeneration, and oncology. Diabetes mellitus, branded the epidemic of the century, is considered a chronic metabolic disorder, representing a major burden for health system sustainability and an important public health challenge to modern societies. The available treatments for type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) still rely mainly on combinations of oral antidiabetic agents with lifestyle and nutritional adjustments. Despite the continuous development of novel and better hypoglycemic drugs, their efficacy is limited in the installment and progression of silent T2DM complications. T2DM comorbidities and mortality rates still make it a serious, common, costly, and long-term manageable disease. Recently, experimental models, preclinical observations, and clinical studies have provided some insights and preliminary promising results using umbilical cord MSCs to treat and manage diabetes. This review focuses on the latest research and applications of human-derived umbilical cord MSC in the treatment and management of T2DM, exploring and systematizing the key effects of both umbilical cord MSC and its factor-rich secretome accordingly with the major complications associated to T2DM.
Revista: Cell & Tissue Research
JCR: 5.248 (2020)
Referência Bibliográfica: Gomes, A., Coelho, P., Soares, R., & Costa, R. (2021). Human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells in type 2 diabetes mellitus: the emerging therapeutic approach. Cell and Tissue Research, 385(3), 497-518. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00441-021-03461-4
Obesity is a risk factor for malignant melanoma. The lungs are main target organs for metastization and their immune response is a key modulator of this mechanism. The concept that the metastatic potential of some types of cancer is reduced or inhibited by obesity, known as the obesity paradox, drives major concerns on the prognosis of metastasized patients. The aim of this study was to investigate how high-fat diet (HFD)-induced obesity affects melanoma metastization. C57Bl6/J mice were fed with HFD or standard diet for 180 days and inoculated intravenously with B16F10 melanoma cells. Upon 21 days of inoculation, lung tissue of overweight and lean mice was assessed for histology and immunohistochemistry assays. Adipokine antibody arrays were performed in mice serum. In vitro RAW 264.7 macrophage cultures were established and incubated with FGF-21 and/or lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Conditioned media was added to B16F10 cells for viability quantification. HFD-fed mice presented a reduced number of metastases with lower proliferative rates. The high content of inflammatory foci observed in noninoculated obese mice was significantly decreased upon B16F10 inoculation, concurrent with a slight fibrosis reduction. Plasma levels of fibroblast growth factor-21 (FGF-21), an endocrine regulator, were elevated in noninoculated HFD mice and the expression of FGF receptor 1 (FGFR-1) was significantly upregulated after inoculation. FGF-21 reduced melanoma viability in LPS-stimulated macrophages. Altogether, these findings suggest that higher amounts of FGF-21 are able to counterbalance the proinflammatory effects associated with obesity, protecting the lungs from melanoma metastization.
Título: Lower melanoma pulmonary metastatic burden in obese mice: role of FGF-21
Revista: Melanoma Research
JCR: 3.599 (2020)
Referência Bibliográfica: Fonseca, M., Soares, R., & Coelho, P. (2021). Lower melanoma pulmonary metastatic burden in obese mice: role of FGF-21. Melanoma Research, 31(6), 515-525. https://doi.org/10.1097/cmr.0000000000000781
This work addresses the development of a disposable electrochemical genosensor for the detection of the toxic dinoflagellate, Alexandrium minutum. Analyzing public databases, a specific 70 bp DNA probe, targeting A. minutum, was selected and designed. The genosensor methodology implied the immobilization of a A. minutum-specific DNA-capture probe onto screen-printed gold electrodes (SPGE). To improve both the selectivity and to avoid strong secondary structures, that could hinder the hybridization efficiency, a sandwich format of the A. minutum gene was designed using a fluorescein isothiocyanate-labelled signaling DNA robe and enzymatic amplification of the electrochemical signal. Using this electrochemical enosensor, a concentration range from 0.12 to 1.0 nM, a LD of 24.78 pM with a RSD <5.2% was determined. The genosensor was successfully applied to the selective analysis of the targeted A. minutum specific region denatured genomic DNA extracted from toxic dinoflagellates resent in the Atlantic Ocean.
Título: Electrochemical genosensor for the detection of Alexandrium minutum dinoflagellates
Revista: Talanta
JCR: 6.057 (2020)
Referência Bibliográfica: Morais, S. L., Barros, P., Santos, M., Delerue-Matos, C., Gomes, A. C., & Fátima Barroso, M. (2021). Electrochemical genosensor for the detection of Alexandrium minutum dinoflagellates. Talanta, 222, 121416.
Despite the impressive innate physical abilities of horses, camels, greyhounds, or pigeons, doping agents might be administered to these animals to improve their performance. To control these illegal practices, anti-doping analytical methodologies have been developed. This review compiles the analytical methods that have been published for the detection of prohibited substances administered to animals involved in sports over 30 years. Relevant papers meeting the search criteria that discussed analytical methods aiming to detect and/or quantify doping substances in animal biological matrices published from 1990 to 2019 were considered. A total of 317 studies were included, of which 298 were related to horses, demonstrating significant advances toward the development of doping detection methods for equine sports. However, analytical methods for the detection of doping agents in sports involving other species are lacking. Due to enhanced accuracy and specificity, chromatographic analysis coupled to mass spectrometry detection is preferred over immunoassays. Regarding biological matrices, blood and urine remain the first choice, although alternative biological matrices, such as hair and feces, have been considered. With the increasing number and type of drugs used as doping agents, the analytes addressed in the published papers are diverse. It is very important to continue to detect and quantify these drugs, recognizing those that are most frequently used, in order to punish the abusers, protect animals' health, and ensure a healthier and genuine competition.
Título: Doping detection in animals: A review of analytical methodologies published from 1990 to 2019
Revista: Drug Testing and Analysis
JCR: 3.345 (2020)
Referência Bibliográfica: Moreira, F., Carmo, H., Guedes de Pinho, P., & Bastos, M. d. L. (2021). Doping detection in animals: A review of analytical methodologies published from 1990 to 2019. Drug Testing and Analysis, 13(3), 474-504.
Health and fitness apps have potential benefits to improve self-management and disease control among patients with asthma. However, inconsistent use rates have been reported across studies, regions, and health systems. A better understanding of the characteristics of users and nonusers is critical to design solutions that are effectively integrated in patients’ daily lives, and to ensure that these equitably reach out to different groups of patients, thus improving rather than entrenching health inequities.
Revista: Journal of Medical Internet Research
JCR: 5.428 (2020)
Referência Bibliográfica: Neves, A. L., et al. (2021). "Determinants of the Use of Health and Fitness Mobile Apps by Patients With Asthma: Secondary Analysis of Observational Studies." J Med Internet Res 23(9): e25472.
Three years of study showed that female and male vocational dancers displayed lower bone mass compared to controls, at forearm, lumbar spine and femoral neck. Energy intake was found to positively predict bone mass accruals only in female dancers at femoral neck. Vocational dancers can be a risk population to develop osteoporosis.
Revista: Archives of Osteoporosis
JCR: 2.617 (2020)
Referência Bibliográfica: Amorim, T., et al. (2021). "Associations between nutrition, energy expenditure and energy availability with bone mass acquisition in dance students: a 3-year longitudinal study." Archives of Osteoporosis 16(1): 141.
Tipo: Póster
Revista: European Psychiatry
JCR: 5.361 (2020)
Referência Bibliográfica: Dores, A., Carvalho, I., Burkauskas, J., Beretta, V., Ioannidis, K., Simonato, P., . . . Corazza, O. (2021). Exercise addiction, body dysmorphic disorder, and use of enhancement drugs during the COVID-19 pandemic confinement period: A transcultural study. European Psychiatry, 64(S1), S290-S291. doi:10.1192/j.eurpsy.2021.779
Tipo: Póster
Título: Web-based tools applied to therapy and counseling during the COVID-19 pandemic
Revista: European Psychiatry
JCR: 5.361 (2020)
Referência Bibliográfica: Dores, A. R., Geraldo, A., Carvalho, I., & Barbosa, F. (2021). Web-based tools applied to therapy and counseling during the COVID-19 pandemic. European Psychiatry, 64(S1), S293-S293. https://doi.org/10.1192/j.eurpsy.2021.786
Lack of knowledge about iodine has been suggested as a risk factor for iodine deficiency in pregnant women, but no studies have addressed this issue in Portugal. So, the aim of this study was to investigate iodine knowledge among Portuguese pregnant women and its association with iodine status. IoMum, a prospective observational study, included 485 pregnant women recruited at Centro Hospitalar e Universitário de S. João, Porto, between the 10th and 13th gestational weeks. Partial scores for knowledge on iodine importance, on iodine food sources or on iodised salt were obtained through the application of a structured questionnaire. Then, a total iodine knowledge score was calculated and grouped into low, medium and high knowledge categories. Urinary iodine concentration (UIC) was measured in spot urine samples by inductively coupled plasma MS. Of the pregnant women, 54 % correctly recognised iodine as important to neurocognitive development, 32 % were unable to identify any iodine-rich food and 71 % presented lack of knowledge regarding iodised salt. Of the women, 61 % had a medium total score of iodine knowledge. Knowledge on iodine importance during pregnancy was positively associated with iodine supplementation and also with UIC. Nevertheless, median UIC in women who correctly recognised the importance of iodine was below the cut-off for adequacy in pregnancy (150 µg/l). In conclusion, knowledge on iodine importance is positively associated with iodine status. Despite this, recognising iodine importance during pregnancy may not be sufficient to ensure iodine adequacy. Literacy-promoting actions are urgently needed to improve iodine status in pregnancy.
Revista: British Journal of Nutrition
JCR: 3.718 (2020)
Referência Bibliográfica: Pinheiro, C., Xavier Moreira, N., Ferreira, P., Matta Coelho, C., Guimarães, J., Pereira, G., Cortez, A., Bracchi, I., Pestana, D., Barreiros Mota, I., Prucha, C., Martins, C., Alves Ribeiro, C., Pinto, E., Almeida, A., Delerue-Matos, C., Montenegro, N., Dias, C. C., Moreira-Rosário, A., ... Keating, E. (2021). Iodine knowledge is associated with iodine status in Portuguese pregnant women: Results from the IoMum cohort study. British Journal Of Nutrition. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0007114521000155
Mental health and active aging are two of the main concerns in the 21st century. To search for new neuroprotective compounds, extracts of Codium tomentosum Stackhouse and Fucus vesiculosus L. were obtained through multi-step (four step) subcritical water extraction using a temperature gradient. The safety assessment of the extracts was performed by screening pharmaceutical compounds and pesticides by UHPLC-MS/MS, and iodine and arsenic levels by ICP-MS. Although the extracts were free of pharmaceutical compounds and pesticides, the presence of arsenic and high iodine contents were found in the first two extraction steps. Thus, the health-benefits were only evaluated for the fractions obtained in steps 3 and 4 from the extraction process. These fractions were tested against five brain enzymes implicated in Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and major depression etiology as well as against reactive oxygen and nitrogen species, having been observed a strong enzyme inhibition and radical scavenging activities for the step 4 fractions from both seaweed species. Regarding the variation of the chemical composition during the extraction, step 1 fractions were the richest in phenolic compounds. With the increase in temperature, Maillard reaction, caramelization and thermo-oxidation occurred, and the resulting products positively affected the antioxidant capacity and the neuroprotective effects.
Revista: Processes
JCR: 2.847 (2020)
Referência Bibliográfica: Soares, C., et al. (2021). "Multi-Step Subcritical Water Extracts of Fucus vesiculosus L. and Codium tomentosum Stackhouse: Composition, Health-Benefits and Safety." Processes 9(5): 893.
There are many controversies regarding the relationship between lead exposure andcomplications in pregnancy. Preeclampsia (PE) is a maternal hypertensive disorder which is one of the main causes of maternal and foetal mortality. The aim of our study was to assess blood lead level (BLL) in Polish women with PE (PE group, n = 66) compared with healthy, non-pregnant women (CNP group, n = 40) and healthy pregnant women (CP group, n = 40). BLL was determined by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). The systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP) and BLL in the CP group were significantly lower than in the PE group (p < 0.001). Logistic regression analyses of BLL showed a significant positive relationship with the presence of PE. Furthermore, both the SBP and DBP values were positively associated with BLL. This study indicates that preeclamptic women tend to present with significantly higher BLL compared to healthy pregnant women. There were no differences in the BLL between the CP and CNP groups.
Título: Lead Levels in Non-Occupationally Exposed Women with Preeclampsia
Revista: Molecules
JCR: 4.411 (2020)
Referência Bibliográfica: Gajewska, K., et al. (2021). "Lead Levels in Non-Occupationally Exposed Women with Preeclampsia." Molecules 26(10): 3051.
The capacity of skimmed milk to neutralise increased reactive oxygen species (ROS) and to attenuate nitric oxide (NO) production, as well as to present cytoprotective effect at the intestinal level was assessed after in vitro gastro-intestinal digestion. The impact on ROS modulation was evaluated at a non-cytotoxic concentration of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) in a co-culture of Caco-2 and HT-29 intestinal cells. In parallel, a cytotoxic concentration of H2O2 was used to study the effect of digested milk against induced cell apoptosis. Concerning induced NO production, it was evaluated using the model lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated RAW264.7 macrophage cells. Results showed that digested milk prevented the increase of basal ROS level in the intestinal epithelium and attenuated NO production by LPS-stimulated macrophage cells. In the H2O2-induced cytotoxicity assay, digested milk had no protection against apoptosis, confirmed by the failure in attenuating activated caspase-3/7.
Revista: International Dairy Journal
JCR: 3.032 (2020)
Referência Bibliográfica: Pinho, S. C. M., et al. (2021). "Effect of skimmed milk on intestinal tract: Prevention of increased reactive oxygen species and nitric oxide formation." International Dairy Journal 118: 105046.
Given the widespread use of glyphosate (GLY), this agrochemical is becoming a source of contamination in agricultural soils, affecting non-target plants. Therefore, sustainable strategies to increase crop tolerance to GLY are needed. From this perspective and recalling silicon (Si)’s role in alleviating different abiotic stresses, the main goal of this study was to assess if the foliar application of Si, either as bulk or nano forms, is capable of enhancing Solanum lycopersicum L. tolerance to GLY (10 mg kg−1). After 28 day(s), GLY-treated plants exhibited growth-related disorders in both shoots and roots, accompanied by an overproduction of superoxide anion (O2•−) and malondialdehyde (MDA) in shoots. Although plants solely exposed to GLY have activated non-enzymatic antioxidant mechanisms (proline, ascorbate and glutathione), a generalized inhibition of the antioxidant enzymes was found, suggesting the occurrence of great redox disturbances. In response to Si or nano-SiO2 co-application, most of GLY phytotoxic effects on growth were prevented, accompanied with a better ROS removal, especially by an upregulation of the main antioxidant enzymes, including superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT) and ascorbate peroxidase (APX). Overall, results pointed towards the potential of both sources of Si to reduce GLY-induced oxidative stress, without major differences between their efficacy.
Revista: Antioxidants
JCR: 6.312 (2020)
Referência Bibliográfica: Soares, C., et al. (2021). "Silicon Improves the Redox Homeostasis to Alleviate Glyphosate Toxicity in Tomato Plants—Are Nanomaterials Relevant?" Antioxidants 10(8): 1320.
Strategies to minimize the effects of glyphosate (GLY), the most used herbicide worldwide, on non-target plants need to be developed. In this context, the current study was designed to evaluate the potential of nitric oxide (NO), provided as 200 µM sodium nitroprusside (SNP), to ameliorate GLY (10 mg kg−1 soil) phytotoxicity in tomato plants. Upon herbicide exposure, plant development was majorly inhibited in shoots and roots, followed by a decrease in flowering and fruit set; however, the co-application of NO partially prevented these symptoms, improving plant growth. Concerning redox homeostasis, lipid peroxidation (LP) and reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels rose in response to GLY in shoots of tomato plants, but not in roots. Additionally, GLY induced the overaccumulation of proline and glutathione, and altered ascorbate redox state, but resulted in the inhibition of the antioxidant enzymes. Upon co-treatment with NO, the non-enzymatic antioxidants were not particularly changed, but an upregulation of all antioxidant enzymes was found, which helped to keep ROS and LP under control. Overall, data point towards the benefits of NO against GLY in tomato plants by reducing the oxidative damage and stimulating detoxification pathways, while also preventing GLY-induced impairment of flowering and fruit fresh mass.
Revista: Plants
JCR: 3.935 (2020)
Referência Bibliográfica: Soares, C., et al. (2021). "Foliar Application of Sodium Nitroprusside Boosts Solanum lycopersicum L. Tolerance to Glyphosate by Preventing Redox Disorders and Stimulating Herbicide Detoxification Pathways." Plants 10(9): 1862.
This study aims to explore the use of force vs. time data obtained from an isometric handgrip test to match a frailty state based on the TFI score. BodyGrip, a novel prototype system, is used for handgrip strength over 10 s time interval tests. A cross-sectional study with a non-probabilistic sample of community-dwelling elderly women was conducted. The force/time data collected from the dominant handgrip strength test, together with the Tilburg Frailty Indicator (TFI) test results, were used to train artificial neural networks. Different models were tested, and the frailty matching of TFI scores reached a minimum accuracy of 75%. Despite the small sample size, the BodyGrip system appears to be a promising tool for exploring new frailty-related features. The adopted strategy foresees ultimately configuring the system to be used as an expedite mode for identifying individuals at risk, allowing an easy, quick, and frequent person-centered care approach. Additionally, it is suitable for following up of the elderly in particular, and it may assume a relevant role in the mitigation of the increase in frailty evolution during and after the imposed isolation of the COVID-19 pandemic. Further use of the system will improve the robustness of the artificial neural network algorithm.
Título: Handgrip Strength Time Profile and Frailty: An Exploratory Study
Revista: Applied Sciences
JCR (2019): 2.679
Referência Bibliográfica: Urbano, D., Restivo, M. T., Barbosa, M. R., Fernandes, Â., Abreu, P., Chousal, M. D., & Coelho, T. (2021). Handgrip Strength Time Profile and Frailty: An Exploratory Study. Applied Sciences, 11(11). https://doi.org/10.3390/app11115134
Título: Validation of App and Phone Versions of the Control of Allergic Rhinitis and Asthma Test (CARAT)
Revista: Journal of investigational allergology and clinical immunology
JCR (2019): 5.172
Referência Bibliográfica: Jácome C, Pereira R, Almeida R, Amaral R, Correia MA, Mendes S, Vieira-Marques P, Ferreira JA, Lopes I, Gomes J, Vidal C, López Freire S, Méndez Brea P, Arrobas A, Valério M, Chaves Loureiro C, Santos LM, Couto M, Araujo L, Todo Bom A, Azevedo JP, Cardoso J, Emiliano M, Gerardo R, Lozoya C, Pinto PL, Castro Neves A, Pinto N, Palhinha A, Teixeira F, Ferreira-Magalhães M, Alves C, Coelho D, Santos N, Menezes F, Gomes R, Cidrais Rodrigues JC, Oliveira G, Carvalho J, Rodrigues Alves R, Moreira AS, Costa A, Abreu C, Silva R, Morête A, Falcão H, Marques ML, Câmara R, Cálix MJ, Bordalo D, Silva D, Vasconcelos MJ, Fernandes RM, Ferreira R, Freitas P, Lopes F, Almeida Fonseca J; INSPIRERS group. Validation of App and Phone Versions of the Control of Allergic Rhinitis and Asthma Test (CARAT). J Investig Allergol Clin Immunol. 2021 Jun 22;31(3):270-273. doi: 10.18176/jiaci.0640. Epub 2020 Aug 26. PMID: 32856596.
The Designated Medical Event (DME) is a serious medical event that isoften causally associated with medicines. This way, EMA has developed a list of DME,through Medical Dictionary for Regulatory Activities (MedDRA). The list is used bythe EMA and Member States to focus on suspected adverse drug reaction(ADR) re-ports that deserve special attention, irrespective of statistical criteria used to pri-oritise safety reviews. DME search in ADR reports is one of the methods used todetect safety signals. The objective of our study is to identify and characterize thereports of ADR that contain the DME, in Portugal.Methods:A retrospective studywas conducted to identify and characterize the spontaneous ADR reports with DME,occurred in Portugal, between 2014 to 2019. A descriptive analysis was performed forthe following data: type of notifier (consumer or healthcare professional), medicinesclassified by the Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical Code, ADR coded with MedDRAand description of ADR in the summary of product characteristics (SmPC).Results:During this 5-year period, the Portuguese Pharmacovigilance Systemreceived 15344 reports, of these 1335 correspond to reports with DME (1305 byhealthcare professionals; 30 by consumers). The annual percentage of reports withDME has been increasing, with the exception of the last year. The most frequent ATCgroup with or without DME is“Antiinfectives For Systemic Use”. The most frequentSystem Organ Classes of the reports with the DME is“Skin and subcutaneous tissuedisorders”. Of the 1335 reports with DME terms, 130 of these reports are notdescribed in the SmPC.Conclusions:It is important to obtain real-word data,especially in the area of drug safety, because it is a way to prevent ADR. In this way,notifiers should be made aware of the importance of sharing data related to ADR,thus increasing knowledge about the safety profile of medicines.
Título: Real-World DATA of ADR Reports in Signal Detection - DME Perspective
Revista: Value in Health
JCR (2019): 5.725
Referência Bibliográfica: Marques Rodrigues, N., & Silva, A. (2021). PNS22 Real-World DATA of ADR Reports in Signal Detection - DME Perspective. Value in Health, 24, S176. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jval.2021.04.877
The interactivity of an immersive environment comes up from the relationship that is established between the user and the system. This relationship results in a set of data exchanges between human and technological actors. The real-time biofeedback devices allow to collect in real time the biodata generated by the user during the exhibition. The analysis, processing and conversion of these biodata into multimodal data allows to relate the stimuli with the emotions they trigger. This work describes an adaptive model for biofeedback data flows management used in the design of interactive immersive systems. The use of an affective algorithm allows to identify the types of emotions felt by the user and the respective intensities. The mapping between stimuli and emotions creates a set of biodata that can be used as elements of interaction that will readjust the stimuli generated by the system. The real-time interaction generated by the evolution of the user’s emotional state and the stimuli generated by the system allows him to adapt attitudes and behaviors to the situations he faces.
Revista: Applied Sciences
JCR (2019): 2.679
Referência Bibliográfica: Gomes, P. V., Marques, A., Donga, J., Sá, C., Correia, A., & Pereira, J. (2021). Adaptive Model for Biofeedback Data Flows Management in the Design of Interactive Immersive Environments. Applied Sciences, 11(11). https://doi.org/10.3390/app11115067
To examine retinal vessel closure metrics and neurodegenerative changes occurring in the initial stages of nonproliferative diabetic retinopathy (NPDR) and severity progression in a three-year period. Methods: Three-year prospective longitudinal observational cohort of individuals with type 2 diabetes (T2D), one eye per person, using spectral domain-optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) and OCT-Angiography (OCTA). Eyes were examined four times with one-year intervals. OCTA vessel density maps of the retina were used to quantify vessel closure. Thickness of the ganglion cell + inner plexiform layer (GCL + IPL) was examined to identify retinal neurodegenerative changes. Diabetic retinopathy ETDRS classification was performed using the seven-field ETDRS protocol. Results: A total of 78 eyes/patients, aged 52 to 80 years, with T2D and ETDRS grades from 10 to 47 were followed for 3 years with annual examinations. A progressive increase in retinal vessel closure was observed. Vessel density (VD) showed higher decreases with retinopathy worsening demonstrated by step-changes in ETDRS severity scale (p < 0.001). No clear correlation was observed between neurodegenerative changes and retinopathy progression. Conclusions: Retinal vessel closure in NPDR correlates with DR severity progression. Our findings provide supporting evidence that OCTA metrics of vessel closure may be used as a surrogate for DR severity progression.
Revista: Journal of Clinical Medicine
JCR (2019): 4.241
Referência Bibliográfica: Marques, I. P., Kubach, S., Santos, T., Mendes, L., Madeira, M. H., de Sisternes, L., Tavares, D., Santos, A. R., Lewis, W., Lobo, C., Durbin, M. K., & Cunha-Vaz, J. (2021). Optical Coherence Tomography Angiography Metrics Monitor Severity Progression of Diabetic Retinopathy—3-Year Longitudinal Study. Journal of Clinical Medicine, 10(11). https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm10112296
Arsenic (As), mercury (Hg), and copper (Cu) are among the major historical and contemporary metal pollutants linked to global anthropogenic activities. Enterococcus have been considered indicators of fecal pollution and antibiotic resistance for years, but its largely underexplored metallome precludes understanding their role as metal pollution bioindicators as well. Our goal was to determine the occurrence, diversity, and phenotypes associated with known acquired genes/operons conferring tolerance to As, Hg or Cu among Enterococcus and to identify their genetic context (381 field isolates from diverse epidemiological and genetic backgrounds; 3547 enterococcal genomes available in databases representing a time span during 1900–2019). Genes conferring tolerance to As (arsA), Hg (merA) or Cu (tcrB) were used as biomarkers of widespread metal tolerance operons. Different variants of metal tolerance (MeT) genes (13 arsA, 6 merA, 1 tcrB) were more commonly recovered from the food-chain (arsA, tcrB) or humans (merA), and were shared with 49 other bacterial taxa. Comparative genomics analysis revealed that MeT genes occurred in heterogeneous operons, at least since the 1900s, with an increasing accretion of antibiotic resistance genes since the 1960's, reflecting diverse antimicrobial pollution. Multiple MeT genes were co-located on the chromosome or conjugative plasmids flanked by elements with high potential for recombination, often along with antibiotic resistance genes. Phenotypic analysis of some isolates carrying MeT genes revealed up to 128× fold increase in the minimum inhibitory concentrations to metals. The main distribution of functional MeT genes among Enterococcus faecium and Enterococcus faecalis from different sources, time spans, and clonal lineages, and their ability to acquire diverse genes from multiple taxa bacterial communities places these species as good candidates to be used as model organisms in future projects aiming at the identification and quantification of bioindicators of metal polluted environments by anthropogenic activities.
Revista: Science of The Total Environment
JCR (2019): 7.963
Referência Bibliográfica: Rebelo, A., Mourão, J., Freitas, A. R., Duarte, B., Silveira, E., Sanchez-Valenzuela, A., Almeida, A., Baquero, F., Coque, T. M., Peixe, L., Antunes, P., & Novais, C. (2021). Diversity of metal and antibiotic resistance genes in Enterococcus spp. from the last century reflects multiple pollution and genetic exchange among phyla from overlapping ecosystems. Science of The Total Environment, 787, 147548. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.147548
The use of the CINtec® PLUS Cytology Kit as a complementary method of diagnosis is intended to contribute to a risk assessment of CIN II+ cervical lesions development, thus avoiding unnecessary colposcopy in negative cases. This method has proved to be effective in the follow-up of cervical lesions, although there is need for consistency in the approach of equivocal or negative cytological results, with persistent positive High-Risk Human Papillomavirus (HR-HPV) test. Aims: The present study intends to retrospectively evaluate the capacity of the CINtec® to add information to the clinical practice within the screening and follow-up of cervical lesions. Additionally, this study intends to define criteria for CINtec® referral in order to maximize its utilization in the Portuguese context. Materials and Methods: For this purpose, 225 cases with CINtec® PLUS Cytology Kit and histology results were used, and data were analysed and compared according to the cytology and HR-HPV molecular test results. Results: The data of this study show that CINtec® PLUS Cytology Kit is a valid test for the diagnosis of persistent HPV lesions (p = 0.0005), with excellent sensitivity and reliable values of specificity. Relevant patient groups to apply the kit are in agreement with the manufacturer recommendations: women with ASC-US/LSIL result and NILM cytology with HPV-positive test, essentially over 30 years old. Conclusions: Although clinical data and previous cytological information must help guiding, authors considered that CINtec® is a really valid test for the prognosis of persistent HPV infections in the female population.
Revista: Journal of Cytology
JCR (2019): 1.000
Referência Bibliográfica: Abreu ÂL, Silva RA, Fernandes S. Validation of CINtec® PLUS cytology kit in the diagnosis of persistent HPV infections - Cohort study in the Portuguese population. J Cytol [serial online] 2021 [cited 2021 Jul 21];38:94-100. Available from: https://www.jcytol.org/text.asp?2021/38/2/94/315771
The relevance of ionic liquids (ILs) is now well established in many fields, as their unique properties make them appealing as 1) greener alternatives to organic solvents (first-generation ILs), 2) tunable task-specific materials (second-generation ILs), and 3) multifunctional players in life and pharmaceutical sciences (third-generation ILs). This third wave of ILs encompasses a wide range of compounds, from bioactive molecules with single or even dual therapeutic action, to potential ingredient molecules for drug formulation and transport systems. In this context, the focus of this review is the emergent role of surface-active ionic liquids (SAILs) in drug development and delivery.
Revista: ChemMedChem
JCR (2019): 3.124
Referência Bibliográfica: Silva, A. T., Teixeira, C., Marques, E. F., Prudêncio, C., Gomes, P., & Ferraz, R. (2021). Surfing the Third Wave of Ionic Liquids: A Brief Review on the Role of Surface-Active Ionic Liquids in Drug Development and Delivery [https://doi.org/10.1002/cmdc.202100215]. ChemMedChem, n/a(n/a). https://doi.org/10.1002/cmdc.202100215
The number of patients surviving severe brain injury is increasing; however, many are left in a prolonged disorder of consciousness. With appropriate treatment, patients with prolonged disorders of consciousness can survive for years. Unless an advance directive exists, the treating clinicians can authorize withdrawal of clinically assisted nutrition and hydration for these patients, based on best interests. The classic terminology used in prolonged disorders of consciousness ranges from coma, vegetative state to minimally conscious state. However, a new group of patients with covert cognition has been identified in the last decade, making it necessary to revise the current taxonomy to better reflect our understanding of these conditions. With the introduction of a less ambiguous terminology, the challenges when it comes to withdrawal of clinically assisted nutrition and hydration of these patients may ease. A decision- making pathway for withdrawal of clinically assisted nutrition and hydration for patients with prolonged disorders of consciousness, based on a new taxonomy is proposed. These decisions should be based primarily on best interests. The adoption of a new classification for impairments of consciousness would clarify and improve how we think about these patients. Moreover, the development of accurate prognostic predictors would be a major step in the decision-making process, as it would influence the beneficent pathway towards the best clinical outcome.
Revista: Journal of Rehabilitation Medicine
JCR (2019): 2.046
Referência Bibliográfica: Teixeira, L. d. C. R., Nuno Barbosa; Nunes, Rui. (2021). NEW TAXONOMY FOR PROLONGED DISORDERS OF CONSCIOUSNESS MAY HELP WITH DECISIONS ON WITHDRAWAL OF CLINICALLY ASSISTED NUTRITION AND HYDRATION: A PROPOSED DECISION-MAKING PATHWAY. Journal of Rehabilitation Medecine, 53(5). https://doi.org/10.2340/16501977-2834
Analysis of retinal microaneurysm turnover (MAT) has been previously shown to contribute to the identification of eyes at risk of developing clinically significant complications associated with diabetic retinopathy (DR). We propose to further characterize MAT as a predictive biomarker of DR progression and development of vision-threatening complications. Methods: 212 individuals with type 2 diabetes (T2D; ETDRS grades 20 and 35) were evaluated annually in a 5-year prospective, longitudinal study, by color fundus photography and optical coherence tomography. Endpoints were diabetic macular edema (DME) or proliferative retinopathy (PDR). MAT analysis included determination of MA formation and disappearance rates, automatically assessed using the RetMarkerDR®. Retinopathy severity progression was evaluated using step increases in ETDRS severity levels. Of the 212 individuals, 172 completed the 5-year follow-up study or developed an endpoint (n = 27). MAT calculated at 1 year showed a significant difference between groups of endpoint developments (p = 0.018), particularly MA disappearance rate (p = 0.007). MAT also showed a significant difference between eyes with different ETDRS severity progression in the 5-year period (p = 0.035). MAT is an indicator of the development of DME and/or PDR as well as of DR severity progression in T2D individuals with mild retinopathy.
Revista: Journal of Clinical Medicine
JCR (2019): 3.303
Referência Bibliográfica: Santos, A. R., Mendes, L., Madeira, M. H., Marques, I. P., Tavares, D., Figueira, J., Lobo, C., & Cunha-Vaz, J. (2021). Microaneurysm Turnover in Mild Non-Proliferative Diabetic Retinopathy is Associated with Progression and Development of Vision-Threatening Complications: A 5-Year Longitudinal Study. Journal of Clinical Medicine, 10(10), 2142. https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0383/10/10/2142
The adherence to inhaled controller medications is of critical importance for achieving good clinical results in patients with chronic respiratory diseases. Self-management strategies can result in improved health outcomes and reduce unscheduled care and improve disease control. However, adherence assessment suffers from difficulties on attaining a high grade of trustworthiness given that patient self-reports of high-adherence rates are known to be unreliable. Aiming to increase patient adherence to medication and allow for remote monitoring by health professionals, a mobile gamified application was developed where a therapeutic plan provides insight for creating a patient-oriented self-management system. To allow a reliable adherence measurement, the application includes a novel approach for objective verification of inhaler usage based on real-time video capture of the inhaler's dosage counters. Methods This approach uses template matching image processing techniques, an off-the-shelf machine learning framework, and was developed to be reusable within other applications. The proposed approach was validated by 24 participants with a set of 12 inhalers models. performed tests resulted in the correct value identification for the dosage counter in 79% of the registration events with all inhalers and over 90% for the three most widely used inhalers in Portugal. These results show the potential of exploring mobile-embedded capabilities for acquiring additional evidence regarding inhaler adherence. This system helps to bridge the gap between the patient and the health professional. By empowering the first with a tool for disease self-management and medication adherence and providing the later with additional relevant data, it paves the way to a better-informed disease management decision.
Revista: Methods of Information in Medicine
JCR (2019): 1.574
Referência Bibliográfica: Vieira-Marques, P., Almeida, R., Teixeira, J. F., Valente, J., Jácome, C., Cachim, A., Guedes, R., Pereira, A., Jacinto, T., & Fonseca, J. A. (2021). InspirerMundi-Remote Monitoring of Inhaled Medication Adherence through Objective Verification Based on Combined Image Processing Techniques. Methods Inf Med. https://doi.org/10.1055/s-0041-1726277
Pain is the most feared and distressing symptom in palliative care. In advanced stages of cancer, its incidence is 70–80%. In Mozambique there is little published information concerning to the prevalence, intensity, and pain’s management in cancer patients. A cross-sectional observational study was conducted between August 2018 and January 2019, in Mozambique’s main hospitals, and in the only hospital with an isolated provision of palliative care service. The analyzed data included demographic data, pain intensity and its treatment. The Pain Management Index was used to calculate the adequacy of the analgesia. Results: A total of 294 patients were included. The mean patients’ age was 46.1 years old. Concerning to pain, 83.7% of the patients had pain, most of them moderate to severe pain. The prevalence of pain was frequent in women mainly in cervical cancer (84.3%) and in men with Kaposi sarcoma (80%). The main analgesic used for severe pain was paracetamol, and it was used alone in 40.9% of the patients. Morphine was used in 8.1% and adjuvants less than 10%. Pain Management Index was negative for 68.7% of the sample, meaning an inadequate analgesia. Significant differences were found in Pain Management Index levels between hospitals. The prevalence of pain in the main health institutions in Mozambique is high. Paracetamol was the analgesic most used in severe pain. Further studies are needed to understand the main reasons of patients’ suffering.
Título: Pain management in cancer patients in the main hospitals in Mozambique
Revista: Annals of Palliative Medicine
JCR (2019): 1.681
Referência Bibliográfica: Pinto, E., Gonçalves, F., Sacarlal, J., Castro, L., & Rego, G. (2021). Pain management in cancer patients in the main hospitals in Mozambique. Annals of Palliative Medicine, 10(4), 4069-4079. https://apm.amegroups.com/article/view/67519
Neurodegenerative diseases (NDs) represent a drawback in society given the ageing population. Dementias are the most prevalent NDs, with Alzheimer’s disease (AD) representing around 70% of all cases. The current pharmaceuticals for AD are symptomatic and with no effects on the progression of the disease. Thus, research on molecules with therapeutic relevance has become a major focus for the scientific community. Cyanobacteria are a group of photosynthetic prokaryotes rich in biomolecules with confirmed activity in pathologies such as cancer, and with feasible potential in NDs such as AD. In this review, we aimed to compile the research works focused in the anti-AD potential of cyanobacteria, namely regarding the inhibition of the enzyme β-secretase (BACE1) as a fundamental enzyme in the generation of β-amyloid (Aβ), the inhibition of the enzyme acetylcholinesterase (AChE) lead to an increase in the availability of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine in the synaptic cleft and the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects, as phenomena associated with neurodegeneration mechanisms.
Revista: Marine Drugs
JCR (2019): 4.073
Referência Bibliográfica: Castaneda, A., Ferraz, R., Vieira, M., Cardoso, I., Vasconcelos, V., & Martins, R. (2021). Bridging Cyanobacteria to Neurodegenerative Diseases: A New Potential Source of Bioactive Compounds against Alzheimer’s Disease. Marine Drugs, 19(6), 343. https://www.mdpi.com/1660-3397/19/6/343
Classification of asthma phenotypes has a potentially relevant impact on the clinical management of the disease. Methods for statistical classification without a priori assumptions (data-driven approaches) may contribute to developing a better comprehension of trait heterogeneity in disease phenotyping. This study aimed to summarize and characterize asthma phenotypes derived by data-driven methods. We performed a systematic review using three scientific databases, following Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) criteria. We included studies reporting adult asthma phenotypes derived by data-driven methods using easily accessible variables in clinical practice. Two independent reviewers assessed studies. The methodological quality of included primary studies was assessed using the ROBINS-I tool. We retrieved 7446 results and included 68 studies of which 65% (n = 44) used data from specialized centers and 53% (n = 36) evaluated the consistency of phenotypes. The most frequent data-driven method was hierarchical cluster analysis (n = 19). Three major asthma-related domains of easily measurable clinical variables used for phenotyping were identified: personal (n = 49), functional (n = 48) and clinical (n = 47). The identified asthma phenotypes varied according to the sample's characteristics, variables included in the model, and data availability. Overall, the most frequent phenotypes were related to atopy, gender, and severe disease. This review shows a large variability of asthma phenotypes derived from data-driven methods. Further research should include more population-based samples and assess longitudinal consistency of data-driven phenotypes.
Título: A Systematic Review of Asthma Phenotypes Derived by Data-Driven Methods
Revista: Diagnostics
JCR (2019): 3.110
Referência Bibliográfica: Cunha, F., Amaral, R., Jacinto, T., Sousa-Pinto, B., & Fonseca, J. A. (2021). A Systematic Review of Asthma Phenotypes Derived by Data-Driven Methods. Diagnostics, 11(4). https://doi.org/10.3390/diagnostics11040644
Cyanobacteria are a group of photosynthetic prokaryotes that pose a great concern in the aquatic environments related to contamination and poisoning of wild life and humans. Some species of cyanobacteria produce potent toxins such as microcystins (MCs), which are extremely aggressive to several organisms, including animals and humans. In order to protect human health and prevent human exposure to this type of organisms and toxins, regulatory limits for MCs in drinking water have been established in most countries. In this regard, the World Health Organization (WHO) proposed 1 µg MCs/L as the highest acceptable concentration in drinking water. However, regulatory limits were not defined in waters used in other applications/activities, constituting a potential threat to the environment and to human health. Indeed, water contaminated with MCs or other cyanotoxins is recurrently used in agriculture and for crop and food production. Several deleterious effects of MCs including a decrease in growth, tissue necrosis, inhibition of photosynthesis and metabolic changes have been reported in plants leading to the impairment of crop productivity and economic loss. Studies have also revealed significant accumulation of MCs in edible tissues and plant organs, which raise concerns related to food safety. This work aims to systematize and analyze the information generated by previous scientific studies, namely on the phytotoxicity and the impact of MCs especially on growth, photosynthesis and productivity of agricultural plants. Morphological and physiological parameters of agronomic interest are overviewed in detail in this work, with the aim to evaluate the putative impact of MCs under field conditions. Finally, concentration-dependent effects are highlighted, as these can assist in future guidelines for irrigation waters and establish regulatory limits for MCs
Revista: Plants
JCR (2019): 2.762
Referência Bibliográfica: Campos, A., Redouane, E. M., Freitas, M., Amaral, S., Azevedo, T., Loss, L., Máthé, C., Mohamed, Z. A., Oudra, B., & Vasconcelos, V. (2021). Impacts of Microcystins on Morphological and Physiological Parameters of Agricultural Plants: A Review. Plants, 10(4). https://doi.org/10.3390/plants10040639
No specific guidelines for the management of functional electrical stimulation (FES) parameters in post stroke patients have been defined yet, despite its frequent use. The purpose of this study is to characterize the optimal FES parameters that assist the reaching phase of drinking task (“drinking task - reaching phase”) on post stroke subjects and to analyze the related upper limb (UL) movement quality indicators repeatability. An observational study with a test and re-test design involving ten post stroke subjects with UL dysfunction was performed. End-point and joint kinematics of contralesional UL were assessed during the “drinking task - reaching phase” with FES through a test and retest design. FES parameters were adjusted to improve UL function according to a consensus between physiotherapists‟ and patients‟ perspective. Findings: It was possible to establish reliable FES parameters that assisted the “drinking task - reaching phase”. All FES parameters presented high to very high repeatability and led to moderate to very high repeatability in almost UL movement quality indicators during the “drinking task - reaching phase”. Interpretation: These findings show that the main characteristics of FES parameters that improves patient perception of change are quiet stable, which facilitate its implementation in clinical practice by allowing consistence between intervention sessions.
Revista: Journal of Hand Therapy
JCR (2019): 1.504
Referência Bibliográfica: Sousa, A. S. P., da Silva, C. I. C., Mesquita, I. A., Silva, A., Macedo, R., Imatz-Ojanguren, E., Hernandez, E., Keller, T., Moreira, J., da Fonseca, P. F. P., & Santos, R. (2021). Optimal Multi-Field Functional Electrical Stimulation Parameters for the “Drinking Task - Reaching phase” and Related Upper Limb Kinematics Repeatability in Post stroke Subjects. Journal of Hand Therapy. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jht.2021.05.002
The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effects of radiofrequency (RF) on sagging skin. This is a case series study with five volunteers who received a single application of capacitive RF (BTL-6000 TR-Therapy Pro®) in the right infraumbilical abdominal region, with epidermal temperature above 40°C, for 10 min (2 min per applicator area), and the skin of the contralateral region was used as control. After 30 days, on average, the skin of the abdominal region was collected for histological analysis and stained with hematoxylin and eosin, Picro-sirus, and Verhoff. The percentage of collagen and elastic fibers found was marked by the Image J®. The statistical analysis was performed in the SPSS program (version 20), with a significance level of 95%. This was registered with the ethics and research comitee of UFTM n 3.461.688 on Jul 12, 2019 and clinical trial registration n. NCT04182542, retrospectively registered. Morphometric analysis demonstrated a remodeling of collagen and elastic fibers on the side treated with RF; however, the morphometry for collagen showed no significant difference, with an average percentage of 60.94 ± 0.32 for the control side and 61.97 ± 2.80 for the treated with p=0.32. Similarly, elastic fibers also showed no significant difference between groups, with a mean percentage of 5.67 ± 2.70 for control and 6.21 ± 2.01 for treated with p=0.19. The RF with the parameters used in this study was able to cause morphological changes in collagen and elastic fibers of the abdominal region skin; however, it showed no change in the percentage of these fibers.
Título: Effect of capacitive radiofrequency on the dermis of the abdominal region
Revista: Lasers in Medical Science (2.342)
JCR (2019): 2.342
Referência Bibliográfica: Monaretti, G. L., Costa, M. C. F., Rocha, L. B., Cintra, M. M. M., da Cunha, M. T. R., Pinheiro, N. M., Noites, A., & Mendonça, A. C. (2021). Effect of capacitive radiofrequency on the dermis of the abdominal region. Lasers in Medical Science. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10103-021-03311-3
Physical distancing under the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic had a significant impact on lifestyles, including exercise routines. In this study, we examined the relationship between mental health and addictive behaviors, such as excessive exercise and the use of image and performance enhancing drugs (IPEDs) across 12 sport disciplines. Materials and methods: A large cross-sectional sample of the adult population (N = 2,295) was surveyed. The mean age was 33.09 (SD = 11.40). The number of male participants was 668 (30.0%). The use of IPEDs was assessed in conjunction with psychometric measures such as the Exercise Addiction Inventory (EAI) and the Shibata et al. Sports Disciplines and IPEDs Appearance Anxiety Inventory (AAI). The participants were grouped into activity group (AG) and non-activity group (NAG) according to the presence or absence of their exercise habits. The results were compared between these groups, as well as across sport disciplines, while taking into account the relationship between different psychological measures and IPEDs consumption. Results: The frequency of IPEDs use was higher among AG (34.6%) than NAG (14.6%), although AG participants reported less history of addictions (7.1%) than NAG (11.8%). The logistic regression analysis revealed that scores equal to or above cutoff points, in both the EAI and AAI, predicted the IPEDs use. Regarding the differences across the various sport disciplines, those who were involved in practicing Weight Lifting and Cross Fit were found to be more at risk of excessive exercising and more inclined to use a wide range of IPEDs. Conclusions: Although exercise could help to increase well-being and prevent addictions during the COVID-19 pandemic, our results show that those in the AG are particularly vulnerable to excessive IPEDs use. Sport disciplines associated with higher EAI and AAI scores have also shown a higher tendency to excessive IPEDs use. Furthermore, the factor of having above the cutoff scores in EAI or AAI in each sport could indicate larger IPEDs consumption regardless of the discipline. In light of the current findings, it is necessary to better define the “non-excessive” levels of exercise in various sport disciplines and an adequate intake of IPEDs to ensure the safety and well-being of people during a pandemic
Revista: Frontiers in Psychology
JCR (2019): 2.990
Referência Bibliográfica: Shibata, M., Burkauskas J., Dores A. R.*, Kobayashi K., Yoshimura, S., Simonato, P., … Corazza, O. (2021). Exploring the relationship between mental wellbeing, exercise routines and the intake of Image and Performance Enhancing Drugs during the COVID-19 pandemic: a comparison across sport disciplines, Frontiers in Psychology, section Movement Science and Sport Psychology https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.689058
In this study we examined whether parents’ perceptions of students’ anxiety as well as perceived support from both teachers and classmates were predictive of changes in students’ academic motivation during the first wave of COVID-19. To this end, we used a retrospective pretest-posttest design together with a latent change score model to analyze our data.
Título: Anxiety and social support as predictors of student academic motivation during the COVID-19
Revista: Frontiers in Psychology
JCR (2019): 2.067
Referência Bibliográfica Camacho, A., Correia, N., Zaccoletti, S., & Daniel, J. R. (2021). Anxiety and social support as predictors of student academic motivation during the COVID-19. Frontiers in Psychology, 12(1894). https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.644338
The COVID-19 global pandemic brought several challenges to occupational safety and health practice. One of these is the need to (re)assess the occupational risks, particularly, biological risks.
Revista: WORK
JCR (2019): 1132
Referência bibliográfica: Carvalhais, Carlos et al. ‘Biological Risk Assessment: A Challenge for Occupational Health and Safety Practitioners During the COVID-19 (SARS-CoV-2) Pandemic’. 1 Jan. 2021 : 1 – 11
The coronavirus disease 2019 outbreak forced most of the world’s population to be confined at home to prevent contagion.
Revista: Frontiers in psychology
JCR (2019): 2.067
Referência Bibliográfica: Infants and Children Aged Younger Than 7 Years Related to Screen Time Exposure During the Coronavirus Disease 2019 Confinement? An Exploratory Study in Portugal [Brief Research Report]. Frontiers in Psychology, 12(344). https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.590279
O artigo apresenta uma revisão das principais características das tarefas de Integração Multissensorial e sua utilidade na avaliação cognitiva e da funcionalidade de idosos com ou sem comprometimento neurocognitivo. Além disso, analisa o potencial da inclusão de tarefas de avaliação da Integração Multissensorial no aumento da validade ecológica dos protocolos de avaliação neuropsicológica de idosos, tendo como enquadramento teórico o modelo neurocognitivo de Luria.
Revista: Expert review of neurotherapeutics
JCR (2019): 3.743
Referência bibliográfica: Joana O. Pinto, Bruno B. Vieira De Melo, Artemisa R. Dores*, Bruno Peixoto, Andreia Geraldo & Fernando Barbosa (2021) Narrative review of the multisensory integration tasks used with older adults: inclusion of multisensory integration tasks into neuropsychological assessment, Expert Review of Neurotherapeutics, DOI: 10.1080/14737175.2021.1914592. https://doi.org/10.1080/14737175.2021.1914592
This research work aims the development and optimization of an electrochemical biosensor based on molecularly-imprinted polymers [MIPs], for monitoring a melanoma biomarker, Galectin-3 (Gal-3).
Título: Development of an electrochemical biosensor for Galectin-3 detection in point-of-care
Revista: Microchemical Journal
JCR (2019): 3.594
Referência bibliográfica: Cerqueira, S. M. V., Fernandes, R., Moreira, F. T. C., & Sales, M. G. F. (2021). Development of an electrochemical biosensor for Galectin-3 detection in point-of-care. Microchemical Journal, 164, 105992. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.microc.2021.105992
Auditory event-related potentials (ERP) may serve as diagnostic tools for schizophrenia and inform on the susceptibility for this condition.
Revista: Frontiers in Psychiatry
JCR (2019): 2.849
Referência Bibliográfica: Mazer, P., Macedo, I., Paiva, T. O., Ferreira-Santos, F., Pasion, R., Barbosa, F., Almeida, P., Silveira, C., Cunha-Reis, C., & Marques-Teixeira, J. (2021). Abnormal Habituation of the Auditory Event-Related Potential P2 Component in Patients With Schizophrenia [Brief Research Report]. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 12(297). https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2021.630406
Chester step test (CST) estimates the exercise capacity through a submaximal response, which can limit its application in the prescription of exercise.
Revista: Healthcare
JCR (2019): 1.960
Referência bibliográfica: Characteristics for the Assessment of Exercise Capacity in Young Women. Healthcare, 9(3), 308. https://www.mdpi.com/2227-9032/9/3/308
This study aims to determine the guidelines for the design of a social skills training programme for people with schizophrenia using virtual reality.
Revista: British Journal of Occupational Therapy
JCR (2019): 0.960
Referência bibliográfica: Oliveira, C., Simões de Almeida, R., & Marques, A. (2021). Virtual reality in social skills training programs for people with schizophrenia: A systematic review and focus group. British Journal of Occupational Therapy. https://doi.org/10.1177/03080226211011391
A empatia é reconhecida como um elemento essencial da comunicação clínica e na prestação de cuidados de saúde. É importante que as instituições de Ensino Superior a valorizem nos seus curricula e preparem os estudantes para as exigências académicas e da futura atividade profissional, nomeadamente através do recurso a estratégias de coping adaptativas.
Este estudo teve como objetivo estudar os padrões de associações entre empatia e coping, em estudantes do género feminino e masculino, da área de Tecnologias da Saúde.
Título: Empathy and coping strategies in allied health sciences: Gender patterns
Revista: Healthcare
JCR (2019): 1.916
Referência bibliográfica: Dores, A. R.*, Martins, H., Reis, A.C., & Carvalho, I. P. (2021). Empathy and coping strategies in allied health sciences: Gender patterns. Healthcare, 9, 497. https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare9050497 (ANEXO PUBL_16) https://www.mdpi.com/2227-9032/9/5/497
Este estudo analisou as relações estruturais entre duas variáveis motivacionais (viz., autoeficácia e atitudes face à escrita), frequência de escrita e qualidade textual em alunos portugueses do 5.º ao 8.º ano de escolaridade. Os resultados evidenciaram que atitudes mais positivas face à escrita estão associadas com uma maior frequência de escrita dos alunos, bem como com melhores textos narrativos e de opinião. Por seu turno, maior autoeficácia para autorregular o comportamento durante a escrita também contribui de forma significativa para melhores textos narrativos. Globalmente, este estudo aponta para a necessidade de os professores adotarem práticas motivacionais no ensino da escrita, que promovam atitudes positivas face à escrita e a autoeficácia de alunos de diferentes níveis de escolaridade.
Revista: British Journal of Educational Psychology
JCR (2019): 2.506
Referência bibliográfica: Camacho, A., Alves, R. A., De Smedt, F., Van Keer, H., & Boscolo, P. (2021). Relations among motivation, behaviour, and performance in writing: A multiple-group structural equation modeling study. British Journal of Educational Psychology. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1111/bjep.12430
Título: Revista: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
JCR (2018): 2.468
Referência bibliográfia: Amaral, R., Jácome, C., Almeida, R., Pereira, A. M., Alves-Correia, M., Mendes, S., Rodrigues, J. C., Carvalho, J., Araújo, L., Costa, A., Silva, A., Teixeira, M. F., Ferreira-Magalhães, M., Alves, R. R., Moreira, A. S., Fernandes, R. M., Ferreira, R., Pinto, P. L., Neuparth, N., Bordalo, D., Bom, A. T., Cálix, M. J., Ferreira, T., Gomes, J., Vidal, C., Mendes, A., Vasconcelos, M. J., Silva, P. M., Ferraz, J., Morête, A., Pinto, C. S., Santos, N., Loureiro, C. C., Arrobas, A., Marques, M. L., Lozoya, C., Lopes, C., Cardia, F., Loureiro, C. C., Câmara, R., Vieira, I., Silva, S. D., Silva, E., Rodrigues, N., & Fonseca, J. A. (2021). Profiling Persistent Asthma Phenotypes in Adolescents: A Longitudinal Diagnostic Evaluation from the INSPIRERS Studies. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18(3). https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18031015
Título: Revista: Pharmaceuticals
JCR (2019): 4.286
Referência bibliográfica: Vojtek, M., Gonçalves-Monteiro, S., Pinto, E., Kalivodová, S., Almeida, A., Marques, M. P. M., Batista de Carvalho, A. L. M., Martins, C. B., Mota-Filipe, H., Ferreira, I. M. P. L. V. O., & Diniz, C. (2021). Preclinical Pharmacokinetics and Biodistribution of Anticancer Dinuclear Palladium(II)-Spermine Complex (Pd2Spm) in Mice. Pharmaceuticals, 14(2). https://doi.org/10.3390/ph14020173
Título: Effect of Metabolic Syndrome and Individual Components on Colon Cancer Characteristics and Prognosis
Revista: Frontiers in Oncology
JCR (2019): 4.848
Referência Bibliográfica: Silva, A., Pereira, S. S., Monteiro, M. P., Araújo, A., & Faria, G. (2021). Effect of Metabolic Syndrome and Individual Components on Colon Cancer Characteristics and Prognosis. Frontiers in oncology, 11, 631257-631257. https://doi.org/10.3389/fonc.2021.631257
*ATC de CSH, Dra Ana Camacho
Este estudo teve como objetivo estudar a associação entre stresse percebido, coping, desregulação emocional, afeto e sintomas psicossomáticos no Ensino Superior. Os participantes preencheram a Escala de Stresse Percebido, o Brief-COPE, a Escala de Dificuldades na Regulação Emocional, o PANAS e o Questionário de Manifestações de Desconforto Físico. Foram identificadas diferenças de género significativas no stresse percebido e nos sintomas psicossomáticos (ambos mais elevados nas mulheres), e no coping (estratégias de apoio emocional vs humor mais altas em mulheres e homens, respetivamente). Os resultados podem encorajar as instituições a promover programas de desenvolvimento que visem a regulação emocional para apoiar os estudantes na transição para o ensino superior.
Título: Academic stress, coping, emotion regulation, affect and psychosomatic symptoms in higher education
Revista: Current Psychology
JCR (2019): 2.051
Referência bibliográfica: Teixeira, R.J., Brandão, T. & Dores, A.R.* Academic stress, coping, emotion regulation, affect and psychosomatic symptoms in higher education. Curr Psychol (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-020-01304-z
*Artemisa R Dores - artemisa@ess.ipp.pt
Home page: https://www.springer.com/journal/12144
Título: Azadirachta indica A. Juss. In Vivo Toxicity—An Updated Review
Revista: Molecules
JCR (2019): 3.267
Referência bibliográfica: Braga, T. M., Rocha, L., Chung, T. Y., Oliveira, R. F., Pinho, C., Oliveira, A. I., Morgado, J., & Cruz, A. (2021). Azadirachta indica A. Juss. In Vivo Toxicity—An Updated Review. Molecules, 26(2). https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules26020252
O objetivo deste estudo foi calcular a validade de constructo, consistência interna e dados normativos do Teste de Fluência Verbal Fonológica (letras F, A, S e M), do Teste de Fluência Verbal Semântica (categorias Animais, Frutas e Profissões), e do Teste de Nomeação de Boston. Os dados normativos consideram a idade, educação e sexo. Uma amostra de 293 adultos portugueses europeus participou no estudo. Os dados normativos disponibilizados contribuirão para a melhoria da prática clínica na área da neuropsicologia em Portugal.
Revista: Applied Neuropsychology: Adult
JCR (2019): 1.488
Referência bibliográfica: Selene G. Vicente, Itziar Benito-Sánchez, Fernando Barbosa, Nuno Gaspar, Artemisa R. Dores*, Diego Rivera & Juan Carlos Arango-Lasprilla (2021) Normative data for Verbal Fluency and Object Naming Tests in a sample of European Portuguese adult population, Applied Neuropsychology: Adult, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/23279095.2020.1868472
* Artemisa R Dores, ATC de CSH - artemisa@ess.ipp.pt
O confinamento aumenta a ansiedade com a aparência física, levando à utilização problemática de produtos para melhorar a imagem e o desempenho. O estudo, liderado pela Universidade de Hertfordshire, do Reino Unido, revelou que 20% dos participantes utilizaram produtos para melhorar a imagem e o desempenho durante a pandemia da COVID-19, tendo sido esse valor de 18% em Portugal.
JCR (2019): 2.849
Revista: Frontiers in Psychology
Referência Bibliográfica: Dores, A. R., Carvalho, I. P., Burkauskas, J., Simonato, P., De Luca, I., Mooney, R., Ioannidis, K., Gómez-Martínez, M. Á., Demetrovics, Z., Ábel, K. E., Szabo, A., Fujiwara, H., Shibata, M., Ventola, A. R. M., Arroyo-Anlló, E. M., Santos-Labrador, R. M., Griskova-Bulanova, I., Pranckeviciene, A., Kobayashi, K., Martinotti, G., Fineberg, N. A., Barbosa, F., & Corazza, O. (2021). Exercise and Use of Enhancement Drugs at the Time of the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Multicultural Study on Coping Strategies During Self-Isolation and Related Risks [Original Research]. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 12(165). https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2021.648501
Bisphosphonates are a class of drugs widely used for the treatment of several pathologies associated with increased bone resorption. Although displaying low oral bioavailability, these drugs have the ability to accumulate in bone matrix, where the biological effects are exerted. In the present work, four mono- and dianionic Etidronate-based Organic Salts and Ionic Liquids (Eti-OSILs) were developed by combination of this drug with the superbases 1,1,3,3-tetramethylguanidine (TMG) and 1,5-diazabicyclo(4.3.0)non-5-ene (DBN) as cations, aiming to improve not only the physicochemical properties of this seminal bisphosphonate, but also its efficacy in the modulation of cellular behavior, particularly on human osteoclasts and osteoblasts. It was observed that some of the developed compounds, in particular the dianionic ones, presented very high water solubility and diminished or absent polymorphism. Also, several of them appeared to be more cytotoxic against human breast and osteosarcoma cancer cell lines while retaining low toxicity to normal cells. Regarding bone cells, a promotion of an anabolic state was observed for all Eti-OSILs, primarily for the dianionic ones, which leads to an inhibition of osteoclastogenesis and an increase in osteoblastogenesis. The observed effects resulted from differential modulation of intracellular signaling pathways by the Eti-OSILs in comparison with Etidronate. Hence, these results pave the way for the development of more efficient and bioavailable ionic formulations of bisphosphonates aiming to effectively modulate bone metabolism, particularly in the case of increased bone resorption.
Título: Etidronate-based organic salts and ionic liquids: In vitro effects on bone metabolismo
Revista: International Journal of Pharmaceutics
JCR: 5.875 (2020)
Referência bibliográfica: Teixeira, S., Santos, M. M., Branco, L. C., & Costa-Rodrigues, J. (2021). Etidronate-based organic salts and ionic liquids: In vitro effects on bone metabolism. International Journal of Pharmaceutics, 610, 121262. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijpharm.2021.121262
The recommended way to assess consciousness in prolonged disorders of consciousness is to observe the patient's responses to sensory stimulation. Multiple assessment sessions have to be completed in order to reach a correct diagnosis. There is, however, a lack of data on how many sessions are sufficient for validity and reliability. The aim of this study was to identify the number of Sensory Modality Assessment and Rehabilitation Technique (SMART) assessment sessions needed to reach a reliable diagnosis. A secondary objective was to identify which sensory stimulation modalities are more useful to reach a diagnosis. A retrospective analysis of all the adult patients (who received a SMART assessment) admitted to a specialist brain injury unit over the course of 4 years was conducted (n = 35). An independent rater analyzed the SMART levels for each modality and session and provided a suggestive diagnosis based on the highest SMART level per session. For the vast majority of patients between 5 and 6 sessions was sufficient to reach the final clinical diagnosis. The visual, auditory, tactile, and motor function modalities were found to be more associated with the final diagnosis than the olfactory and gustatory modalities. These findings provide for the first time a rationale for optimizing the time spent on assessing patients using SMART.
Revista: Frontiers in Human Neuroscience
JCR: 3.169 (2020)
Referência bibliográfica: da Conceição Teixeira, L., Blacker, D., Campos, C., Garrett, C., Duport, S., & Rocha, N. B. (2021). Repeated Clinical Assessment Using Sensory Modality Assessment and Rehabilitation Technique for Diagnosis in Prolonged Disorders of Consciousness [Original Research]. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, 15. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnhum.2021.728637
Título: Electrochemical genosensor for the detection of Alexandrium minutum dinoflagellates
JCR: 5.339 (2019)
Revista: Talanta
Referência Bibliográfica: Morais, S. L., Barros, P., Santos, M., Delerue-Matos, C., Gomes, A. C., & Fatima Barroso, M. (2021, Jan 15). Electrochemical genosensor for the detection of Alexandrium minutum dinoflagellates. Talanta, 222, 121416. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.talanta.2020.121416
Título: Quercetin-biapigenin nanoparticles are effective to penetrate the blood–brain barrier
Revista: Drug Delivery and Translational Research
JCR (2019): 2.669
Referência Bibliográfica: Oliveira, A. I., Pinho, C., Sarmento, B., & Dias, A. C. P. (2021). Quercetin-biapigenin nanoparticles are effective to penetrate the blood–brain barrier. Drug Delivery and Translational Research. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13346-021-00917-6
