ESS - TBIO/Rise Health - Posters apresentados em eventos científicos
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Percorrer ESS - TBIO/Rise Health - Posters apresentados em eventos científicos por autor "Almeida Vieira, Mónica Andreia"
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- Enhancing antifungal activity against Candida albicans using novel organic compoundsPublication . Alves, Beatriz; Silva, Rui; Vieira, Mónica; Ferraz, Ricardo; Fernandes, Silvia; Teixeira, Vitor; Pereira, Clara; Almeida Vieira, Mónica Andreia; Fernandes, SílviaCandida albicans is the predominant cause of inva-sive candidiasis, a major global health threat [1 The increasing emergence of resistance to commonly used antifungals (ex.:iazoles and polyenes) demonstrates an urgent need for alternative therapeutic strategies. The objective of this study was to evaluate the antifungal activity of novel organic derivatives from bioactive natural compound, including Naphthalene, Betulinic Acid (BA) [2]; Protocatechuic Acid (PCA) and Gallic Acid (GA), alone, or in combination with conventional antifungals to investigate synergistic effects that en-hance their efficacy. Antifungal susceptibility assays were performed in C. albicans ATCC 10231 using the broth microdilution method, according to CLSI M27 guidelines, to determine Minimum Inhibitory Concen-trations (MICs) and Minimum Fungicidal Concentra-tions (MFC). The interaction between BA derivatives and amphotericin B was assessed by checkerboard assay and fractional inhibitory concentration index (FICI). Naphthalene, PCA and GA derivatives showed low antifungal activity, falling within the moderate to weak bioactivity range (MIC ≥ 100 μg mL−1; [3]). Among BA derivatives, BA-4 and BA-5 exhibited the best antifungal activity, with MIC values of 0,95 and 1,91 μg mL−1, respectively, achieving 99% fungicidal activity at the same concentration. Furthermore, in combination assays, both compounds enhanced Am-photericin B activity, showing synergistic effects (FICI = 0.50), resulting in a decrease in MIC. Although most newly synthesized compounds exhibited limited anti-fungal potential, BA-4 and BA-5 demonstrated very strong bioactivity and fungicidal effects against C. albicans. The observed synergy with amphotericin B highlights their potential role as antifungal adjuvants and supports the further exploration of betulinic acid derivatives as viable approaches to overcoming anti-fungal resistance.
- Evaluation of adherence to different pureed diets in a hospital contextPublication . Serdoura, Sara; Lopes, Mariana; Gomes, Isabel; Rodrigues, João Costa; Vieira, Mónica Almeida; Almeida Vieira, Mónica Andreia; Costa-Rodrigues, JoaoFood waste in hospital settings is higher than in other food sectors. Hospital diets constitute the main food and nutritional source for patients, so that incomplete food intake can have negative clinical consequences. In the pureed texture diet, foods are presented in a homogeneous, moist, cohesive manner and without lumps or pieces, resembling the texture of a pudding. The aim of present study was to evaluate adherence to a homogeneous and tri-compartmentalized pureed diet in adult patients admitted to a public hospital. Observational study to assess adherence to a creamy diet at lunch and dinner, on three different days. The pureed tri-compartmentalized diet dish was provided at lunch and a homogeneous diet at dinner. The tricompartmental diet plate presented individualized macronutrients (protein, carbohydrates and vegetables) and in the homogeneous diet these components were mixed. As regards the soup and dessert provided, there was no distinction between the meals. To quantify food waste, the physical method of individual weighing was considered. A satisfaction questionnaire was applied to determine patient preferences. A total of 152 complete meals were evaluated from 76 patients with a mean age of 78.9 years (SD=9.4), of which 51.3% were male (n=39). Plate waste in the homogeneous diet was 71.0% and in the tri-compartmentalized diet it was 65.8%. Regarding the waste of soup and dessert, it was greater at lunch than at dinner. It was found that 33.3% of patients preferred the tri-compartmentalized pureed diet due to its improved presentation and flavor, however 45.1% of patients reported having no preference regarding the presentation of the dish in this diet (Table 1). The high food waste of the pureed diet requires intervention, so presenting the meal plate in a tri-compartmentalized format appears to be a possible action to improve food intake.
- Fungal-mediated biodegradation of microplastics: Evaluation of degradative potential and pathogenic traitsPublication . Barbosa, Joel; Fernandes, Virgínia Cruz; Rufo, João; Vieira, Mónica; Prudêncio, Cristina; Pereira, Clara; Fernandes, Virgínia; Cavaleiro Rufo, João; Almeida Vieira, Mónica Andreia; Prudêncio, CristinaThe increasing accumulation of plastics and micro-plastics in the environment represents a major global concern due to their persistence, widespread distribu-tion, and potential impact on ecosystems and human health1. Microbial biodegradation has emerged as a promising and sustainable strategy for plastic reme-diation, particularly through the use of fungi with en-zymatic degradative capacity. This project aims to test the biodegradative potential of different fungal spe-cies against the widely used microplastics Polypropyl-ene, Polystyrene and Poly(ehylene-co-cinyl acetate), under optimized growth conditions. The fungi, Mucor spp, Rhizopus spp, Scedosporium spp. and Nigrospora spp. were specifically selected because they have nev-er previously been investigated as plastic degraders, thereby offering the opportunity to identify novel bio-degradation capabilities. Aspergillus flavus will also be included as a control, since this species has recognized degradative capacity against some types of microplas-tics2.To identify growth conditions that maximize bio-degradation, preliminary studies using Scedosporiumspp. were performed under different glucose concen-trations and medium replacement intervals. Low-glu-cose media combined with fortnightly medium renew-al promoted the highest degradative activity and were selected for the subsequent biodegradation assays. Biodegradation will be assessed through microplastic mass loss determination, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and Raman spectroscopy, allow-ing the identification of structural and chemical mod-ifications on microplastic surfaces. Fungal adherence to microplastics will be evaluated by microscopic ob-servation and surface colonization analysis, providing insight into biofilm formation and the role of fungal activity in the degradation process. Additionally, fun-gal pathogenicity-related traits, including biofilm for-mation and antifungal susceptibility, will be evaluated to determine whether long-term exposure to micro-plastics influences fungal virulence. This study may support the development of sustainable plastic bio-degradation strategies and improve understanding of fungal adaptation to plastic-rich environments.
- Profiling airway microbiome composition through volatilomicsPublication . Neto, Filipa; Ferraz, Ricardo; Vieira, Mónica; Prudêncio, Cristina; Rufo, João; Almeida Vieira, Mónica Andreia; Cavaleiro Rufo, JoãoThe airway microbiome is known to mediate respi-ratory health. However, current available methods for microbiome analysis are time-consuming and/or rep-resent significant costs for a generalized application in clinical practice. Volatilomics has been suggested as a rapid and low-cost approach to screen microbial pro-files in human samples. Therefore, we aimed to study the efficacy of volatilomics in discriminating microbi-al isolates collected from human breath condensate samples. Bacterial strains showing significant growth under conditions simulating the respiratory environ-ment were isolated. Each strain was standardised to an inoculum of 10⁸ CFU/mL and analysed using an elec-tronic nose equipped with a six-sensor matrix. Data were explored through principal component analysis, cluster analysis, pattern analysis, random forests and recursive partitioning regression. One sensor was re-moved from the analysis due to high collinearity. Prin-cipal component analysis was able to separate strains and the control mainly through the second principal component (p = 0.024), characterized by high MQ3 and MQ8 sensor responses. Sensor profile maps showed distinct volatile patterns across strains (Fig-ure 1), suggesting the presence of distinct microbial signatures. However, reproducibility was low between replicas and time since culture. Recursive partitioning for separating sterile controls from inoculated sam-ples showed the highest accuracy (AUC = 0.73). These results show the potential of separation of microbial strains based on volatilomics. Nonetheless, relative robustness was only achieved for the discrimination of sterile vs inoculated samples.
- Reduction of gallic acid by in situ BHPublication . Silva, Rui Pedro; Prudêncio, Cristina; Vieira, Mónica; Almeida Vieira, Mónica AndreiaLithium aluminum hydride (LiAlH₄, LAH) is one of the most widely used reducing agents in organic synthesis due to its high reactivity and broad applicability. It effi-ciently reduces carbonyl-containing compounds such as esters, carboxylic acids, amides, and nitriles to the corresponding alcohols or amines, whereas sodium borohydride (NaBH₄) is generally limited to reducing aldehydes and ketones1 under mild conditions. The superior reactivity of LAH arises from the highly po-lar Al-H bond, which enables hydride transfer to less reactive carbonyl groups.2 However, LAH presents important drawbacks: it is highly moisture-sensitive, reacts violently with water or protic solvents, and re-quires strictly anhydrous conditions, aprotic solvents such as THF or diethyl ether, and an inert atmosphere. On the other hand, some studies are shown a new al-ternative to use NaBH4 in the presence of an electro-phile, as iodine, generating new alternatives to the use of LAH.3 This work presents a safer and more conve-nient alternative for the reduction of carboxylic acids using gallic acid as a model substrate. The methodolo-gy employs NaBH₄ in the presence of boron trifluoride diethyl etherate (BF₃·Et₂O), which generates borane (BH₃) in situ, a much stronger reducing species capable of efficiently converting carboxylic acids into primary alcohols.4 Compared with LAH, this approach offers milder reaction conditions, improved operational safe-ty, and easier handling, since in situ generation of BH₃ avoids direct manipulation of highly reactive reducing agents while maintaining high reduction efficiency. The reduction of gallic acid is particularly significant due to its multiple hydroxyl groups and the sensitivity of the aromatic structure, making selectivity essential. Controlled addition of gallic acid to the BH₃ solution proved effective for conversion into 3,4,5-trihydroxy-benzyl alcohol while minimizing possible interactions between free BF₃ and phenolic groups. Overall, this methodology represents a practical and valuable al-ternative for safer and milder organic reductions with good functional-group tolerance.
- Sustainable development: an educational laboratory exercise using bacteriophagesPublication . Teixeira, Dulce; Vieira, Mónica; Prudêncio, Cristina; Almeida Vieira, Mónica Andreia; Prudêncio, CristinaSustainable development is a model that seeks to balance growth, social inclusion, and environmental protection, ensuring present and future well-being. The United Nations 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) guide this goal until 2030. Sustainable biotechnology is a branch that refers to the set of tech-niques and processes that use living organisms, their parts, or derivatives to develop products and solutions that provide economic, social, and environmental ben-efits. The growing development of the techniques that use living organisms, alongside the multidisciplinary nature of a career in medicinal biotechnology, under-scores the need for students in this sector to acquire a robust understanding of sustainable biotechnology as a fundamental component of their education. To this end, we propose a class focused on bacteriophages and their added value, covering five laboratory ses-sions: (i) design of a strategy for the recovery, enrich-ment, and isolation of a bacteriophage; (ii) extraction and recovery of bacteriophages from an environ-mental water sample; (iii) bacteriophage enrichment (Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 6538P, Staphylococcus epidermidis ATCC 1457, Escherichia coli ATCC 25922, and E. coli ATCC 8739); (iv) isolation and propagation of bacteriophages; and (v) research on the applicabili-ty of bacteriophages in the field of sustainable devel-opment. The major goals of the present work were (i) to provide students with the necessary tools to adapt protocols in the context of a laboratory class; (ii) to assess the students’ skills to carry out the assays in accordance with the expected results, and (iii) to fos-ter awareness for sustainable development. All assays were performed by students of the B.Sc in Medicinal Biotechnology. The results showed that Escherichia coli ATCC 8739 was the only strain that allowed the isolation of bacteriophages. Overall, these laboratory sessions demonstrated the practical implementation of sustainability concepts while also expanding the knowledge of biotechnological laboratory techniques.
- Use of natural compounds in obesity: A study on knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding supplementsPublication . Castro, Bruno; Vieira, Mónica; Prudêncio, Cristina; Fernandes, Sílvia; Fernandes, Sílvia; Almeida Vieira, Mónica Andreia; Prudêncio, CristinaObesity represents a major public health challenge, being associated with high morbidity, mortality, and significant socioeconomic impact [1]. Consequently, there has been growing interest in the use of natural compounds with potential anti-obesity effects, driven by the perception that these compounds may repre-sent a safer and more accessible alternative to conven-tional therapies. Considering that scientific evidence regarding their efficacy and safety remains limited [2], the present study aims to analyze the knowledge, at-titudes, and practices of the Portuguese population regarding the use of natural compounds in obesity management. Following institutional ethical approval, data collection was carried out through an anonymous questionnaire developed on the Microsoft Forms plat-form and disseminated online through the academ-ic community of E2S|IPP. The questionnaire includes questions designed to obtain information on sociode-mographic variables, patterns of use, perceptions of efficacy and safety, level of knowledge about natural compounds, and the occurrence of adverse effects. Data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics in SPSS v31 to explore possible associations between variables. To date, 683 individuals have par-ticipated in the study, the majority being female (79%), with the 45–65 age group (40%) being the most rep-resented. The results show that 52% of participants reported having heard about natural compounds used for weight loss, while approximately 10% reported us-ing them, with the most common being Conjugated Linoleic Acid, Berberine, and Caffeine. Among individ-uals who reported use, 7% indicated the occurrence of adverse effects associated with consumption. The data obtained contribute to a better understanding of population behaviors and perceptions regarding nat-ural compounds, fostering the development of new educational strategies and promoting more informed, safe, and evidence-based use.