Browsing by Author "Alves, Ana"
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- CINtec PLUS cytology as a cervical cancer screening test at the IPO of PortoPublication . Alves, Ana; Lopes, Ana Paula; Granja, Sara; Quintela Vieira, Filipa; Silva, Regina AugustaCervical squamous cell carcinoma of the cervix is the fourth most common cancer between women and seventh globally. There are many women undergoing colposcopy without real need, so more effective screening tests are needed to decide who among HPV-positive women should receive additional diagnostic evaluation to avoid unnecessary colposcopies. So, this study is intended to evaluate CINtec PLUS cytology as a screening test for cervical cancer in the IPO-FG of the Port of women with hpv test positive other than 16/18, improving the referral for colposcopy. CINtec PLUS cytology is an immunocytochemistry kit that simultaneously detects p16 and Ki-67 proteins. The presence of these proteins in the same cell indicates a deregulation of the cell cycle, and may be a marker of the persistence of HPV infections, their greater probability of progression and the severity of lesions secondary to the infection. An experimental research was carried out, in which the immunostaining of 73 non-16/18 HPV cervico-vaginal hpv samples was performed from 73 women integrated in cervical cancer screening in the North region carried out at the IPO-FG of Porto. The results obtained in CINtec PLUS were compared with those of cytology. 2 samples present unsatisfactory cytology for evaluation, being excluded. Cintec Plus cytology would reduce by 17% the number of women sent for colposcopy (7 (about 10%) by Cintec Plus vs 19 (about 27%) by cytology). Of the 52 NILM samples, 3 (about 6%) were positive for Cintec Plus, so they should have been referred for colposcopy and were not. Of the 10 ASC-US samples 100% are negative for Cintec Plus, as well as 5 LSIL 4 (80%) are negative, of the 3 HSIL 2 (about 67%) are negative. So, 16 women (about 23%) made colposcopy unnecessarily. In conclusion, Cintec Plus cytology would be an interesting tool as a second screening test in non-16/18 hpv cases in place of cytology, decreasing the number of women sent for colposcopy.
- Discovery of a New Xanthone against Glioma: Synthesis and Development of (Pro)liposome FormulationsPublication . Alves, Ana; Correia-da-Silva, Marta; Nunes, Claúdia; Campos, João; Sousa, Emília; Silva, Patrícia; Bousbaa, Hassan; Rodrigues, Francisca; Ferreira, Domingos; Costa, Paulo; Pinto, MadalenaFollowing our previous work on the antitumor activity of acetylated flavonosides, a new acetylated xanthonoside, 3,6-bis(2,3,4,6-tetra-O-acetyl-β-glucopyranosyl)xanthone (2), was synthesized and discovered as a potent inhibitor of tumor cell growth. The synthesis involved the glycosylation of 3,6-di-hydroxyxanthone (1) with acetobromo-α-d-glucose. Glycosylation with silver carbonate decreased the amount of glucose donor needed, comparative to the biphasic glycosylation. Xanthone 2 showed a potent anti-growth activity, with GI50 < 1 μM, in human cell lines of breast, lung, and glioblastoma cancers. Current treatment for invasive brain glioma is still inadequate and new agents against glioblastoma with high brain permeability are urgently needed. To overcome these issues, xanthone 2 was encapsulated in a liposome. To increase the well-known low stability of these drug carriers, a proliposome formulation was developed using the spray drying method. Both formulations were characterized and compared regarding three months stability and in vitro anti-growth activity. While the proliposome formulation showed significantly higher stability, it was at the expense of losing its biocompatibility as a drug carrier in higher concentrations. More importantly, the new xanthone 2 was still able to inhibit the growth of glioblastoma cells after liposome formulation.
- How social performance indicators and leadership contribute to the development of non-profits an approach to long-term care homesPublication . Alves, Ana; Carvalho, Amélia; Ferreira, Marisa R.Presently, non-profit organisations (NPOs) are increasingly representative in society and largely contribute to the economic and social development of countries. This development is linked to the creation of social value through their proximity to citizens, flexibility, and sensitive format, since most NPOs are service providers. Our paper focuses on long-term care (LTC) homes, a very particular type of NPO, and aims to understand how social performance indicators and leadership contribute to the development of such organisations. For that purpose, we will identify the most important social performance indicators and the main leadership characteristics. Our results provide a better understanding of the non-profit sector, and we intend to raise awareness to the importance of NPO boards' characteristics and leadership traits, emphasising the need for a more professionalised NPO management style.