Browsing by Author "Carvalho, A."
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- Assessing radiobiological effects of low doses of ionizing radiation on zebrafish muscle by two-dimensional gel electrophoresisPublication . Lemos, Joana; Campos, A.; Carneiro, M.; Ribeiro, T.; Ponte, F.; Costa, Pedro; Cunha, L.; Carvalho, A.; Metelo, Luís FranciscoThis work relates with the application of zebrafish - Danio rerio - to the study of radiobiological effects of low doses of ionizing radiation. In recent years, the use of zebrafish has grown considerably, pointing more and more as a very interesting model in biomedical research, essentially because of the level of homology shared with the human genome, complemented by an easy and reasonably affordable practical side.
- Development of New Canned Chub Mackerel Products Incorporating Edible Seaweeds—Influence on the Minerals and Trace Elements CompositionPublication . Vieira, Elsa F.; Soares, Cristina; Machado, Susana; Oliva-Teles, MT; Correia, Manuela; Ramalhosa, Maria João; Carvalho, A.; Domingues, Valentina; Antunes, Filipa; Morais, Simone; Delerue-Matos, CristinaThis study aimed to develop new canned chub mackerel products incorporating edible seaweeds (Ascophyllum nodosum, Fucus spiralis, Saccorhiza polyschides, Chondrus crispus, Porphyra sp. and Ulva sp.) harvested in the Portuguese North-Central coast, with simultaneous sensory improvement and minerals enrichment. Two processes were compared, namely the addition of seaweeds in i) the canning step and ii) in the brining step (as the replacement for salt). The concentrations of four macrominerals (Na, K, Ca and Mg), chloride, and twelve trace elements (Co, Cu, Fe, I, Li, Mn, Mo, Rb, Se, Sr, V and Zn) were determined by high-resolution continuum source flame atomic absorption spectrometry (HR-CS-FAAS) and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS), respectively. Results showed that canned chub mackerel incorporating C. crispus and F. spiralis was found to be the preferred sensory option, also exhibiting contents enriched with Cl, Co, Cu, Fe, I, Li, Mg, Mn, Mo, Na, Rb, Se, and Sr. This effect was more pronounced when both seaweed species were added to replace the salt added in the brining step.
- Effects of gold nanoparticles in gilthead seabream—A proteomic approachPublication . Barreto, A.; Carvalho, A.; Campos, A.; Osório, H.; Pinto, Edgar; Almeida, A.; Trindade, T.; Soares, A. M. V. M.; Hylland, H.; Loureiro, S.; Oliveira, M.Despite the widespread use of nanoparticles (NPs), there are still major gaps of knowledge regarding the impact of nanomaterials in the environment and aquatic animals. The present work aimed to study the effects of 7 and 40 nm gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) – citrate and polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) coated – on the liver proteome of the estuarine/marine fish gilthead seabream (Sparus aurata). After 96 h, exposure to AuNP elicited alterations on the abundance of 26 proteins, when compared to the control group.
- Effects of single and combined exposures of gold (nano versus ionic form) and gemfibrozil in a liver organ culture of Sparus aurataPublication . Barreto, A.; Carvalho, A.; Silva, D.; Pinto, E.; Almeida, A.; Paíga, P.; Correia-Sá, L.; Delerue-Matos, C.; Trindade, T.; Soares, A.M.V.M.; Hylland, K.; Loureiro, S.; Oliveira, M.In vitro methods have gained rising importance in ecotoxicology due to ethical concerns. The aim of this study was to assess the single and combined in vitro effects of gold, as nanoparticle (AuNPs) and ionic (Au+) form, and the pharmaceutical gemfibrozil (GEM). Sparus aurata liver organ culture was exposed to gold (4 to 7200 μg·L−1), GEM (1.5 to 15,000 μg·L−1) and combination 80 μg·L−1 gold +150 μg·L−1 GEM for 24 h. Endpoints related with antioxidant status, peroxidative/genetic damage were assessed. AuNPs caused more effects than Au+, increasing catalase and glutathione reductase activities and damaging DNA and cellular membranes.
- Polymorphisms and haplotypes of TOLLIP and MUC5B are associated with susceptibility and survival in patients with fibrotic hypersensitivity pneumonitisPublication . Mota, P.C.; Soares, M.L.; Ferreira, A.C.; F. Santos, Rita; Cavaleiro Rufo, J; Vasconcelos, D.; Carvalho, A.; Guimarães, S.; Vasques-Novo, F.; Cardoso, C.; Melo, N.; Alexandre, A.T.; Coelho, D.; Novais-Bastos, H.; Morais, A.Hypersensitivity pneumonitis (HP) is an interstitial lung disease with diverse clinical features that can present a fibrotic phenotype similar to idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) in genetically predisposed individuals. While several single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) have been associated with IPF, the genetic factors contributing to fibrotic HP (fHP) remain poorly understood. This study investigated the association of MUC5B and TOLLIP variants with susceptibility, clinical presentation and survival in Portuguese patients with fH. A case-control study was undertaken with 97 fHP patients and 112 controls. Six SNPs residing in the MUC5B and TOLLIP genes and their haplotypes were analyzed. Associations with risk, survival, and clinical, radiographic, and pathological features of fHP were probed through comparisons among patients and controls. MUC5B rs35705950 and three neighboring TOLLIP variants (rs3750920, rs111521887, and rs5743894) were associated with increased susceptibility to fHP. Minor allele frequencies were greater among fHP patients than in controls (40.7% vs 12.1%, P<0.0001; 52.6% vs 40.2%, P = 0.011; 22.7% vs 13.4%, P = 0.013; and 23.2% vs 12.9%, P = 0.006, respectively). Haplotypes formed by these variants were also linked to fHP susceptibility. Moreover, carriers of a specific haplotype (G-T-G-C) had a significant decrease in survival (adjusted hazard ratio 6.92, 95% CI 1.73–27.64, P = 0.006). Additional associations were found between TOLLIP rs111521887 and rs5743894 variants and decreased lung function at baseline, and the MUC5B SNP and radiographic features, further highlighting the influence of genetic factors in fHP. These findings suggest that TOLLIP and MUC5B variants and haplotypes may serve as valuable tools for risk assessment and prognosis in fibrotic hypersensitivity pneumonitis, potentially contributing to its patient stratification, and offer insights into the genetic factors influencing the clinical course of the condition.
- Study of radiobiological effects of low doses of ionizing radiation using comet assay on zebrafish modelPublication . Lemos, Joana; Costa, Pedro; Cunha, Lídia; Carvalho, A.; Neuparth, T.; Vasconcelos, Vítor; Genésio, P.; Ponte, F.; Costa, P.; Crespo, P.; Metelo, Luís F.Present paper relates with the analysis of radiobiological effects, in a context of ionizing radiation low doses, using an advanced biological model, the zebrafish - Danio rerio - and comet assay based analytical methodology. The use of zebrafish has grown considerably in recent years, assuming more and more is role as a very promising model in biomedical research, both because of the high level of homology shared with the human genome, and an assumedly easy - and reasonably priced - practical side. To obtain the data here mentioned, it has been used a population of circa 300 animals, divided in four groups of 75 each, all having been externally irradiated with three distinct dose protocols: 100, 500 and 1.000 mGy. The postures of the irradiated fish were collected and groups of adult animals were killed in three different moments: 1, 4 and 7 days after the irradiation. DNA damage in adults and in larvae were studied using comet assay. The results related to damages were processed and presented in terms of percentual of DNA in tail, allowing an approximation to the relative number of DNA breaks induced by the radiation exposure.