Browsing by Issue Date, starting with "2022-03"
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- The relevance of an ethics committee in a higher education institution in the health area: The experience of ESS-P.PORTOPublication . Monteiro, Pedro; Tavares, Diana; Cruz, Agostinho; Cabral, Ana Paula; Machado, Alberto; Curado, Henrique; Sousa, Helena; Faria, Isabel; Gonçalves, Maria João; Sousa, Maria; Marques, António; Lopes, Paula; Prudêncio, CristinaEthics Committees arose as consequence of medical-scientific advances made in an eminent demand to extend morality and ethics to the field of biomedicine, to expand and preserve autonomy and dignity of human beings. The Ethics Committee (EC) of Escola Superior de Saúde (ESS) was born in February 2011. The importance for this unit of P.PORTO in having such a committee, for ethical and not legal imperative, came to be corroborated by law (Decree-Law no. 80/2018).
- Cyanobacteria secondary metabolites as biotechnological ingredients in natural anti-aging cosmetics: potential to overcome hyperpigmentation, loss of skin density and UV radiation-deleterious effectsPublication . Favas, Rita; Morone, Janaína; Martins, Rosário; Vasconcelos, Vitor; Lopes, GracilianaThe loss of density and elasticity, the appearance of wrinkles and hyperpigmentation are among the first noticeable signs of skin aging. Beyond UV radiation and oxidative stress, matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) assume a preponderant role in the process, since their deregulation results in the degradation of most extracellular matrix components. In this survey, four cyanobacteria strains were explored for their capacity to produce secondary metabolites with biotechnological potential for use in anti-aging formulations. Leptolyngbya boryana LEGE 15486 and Cephalothrix lacustris LEGE 15493 from freshwater ecosystems, and Leptolyngbya cf. ectocarpi LEGE 11479 and Nodosilinea nodulosa LEGE 06104 from marine habitats were sequentially extracted with acetone and water, and extracts were analyzed for their toxicity in cell lines with key roles in the skin context (HaCAT, 3T3L1, and hCMEC). The non-toxic extracts were chemically characterized in terms of proteins, carotenoids, phenols, and chlorophyll a, and their anti-aging potential was explored through their ability to scavenge the physiological free radical superoxide anion radical (O2•−), to reduce the activity of the MMPs elastase and hyaluronidase, to inhibit tyrosinase and thus avoid melanin production, and to block UV-B radiation (sun protection factor, SPF). Leptolyngbya species stood out for anti-aging purposes: L. boryana LEGE 15486 presented a remarkable SPF of 19 (at 200 µg/mL), being among the best species regarding O2•− scavenging, (IC50 = 99.50 µg/mL) and also being able to inhibit tyrosinase (IC25 = 784 µg/mL), proving to be promising against UV-induced skin-aging; L. ectocarpi LEGE 11479 was more efficient in inhibiting MMPs (hyaluronidase, IC50 = 863 µg/mL; elastase, IC50 = 391 µg/mL), thus being the choice to retard dermal density loss. Principal component analysis (PCA) of the data allowed the grouping of extracts into three groups, according to their chemical composition; the correlation of carotenoids and chlorophyll a with MMPs activity (p < 0.01), O2•− scavenging with phenolic compounds (p < 0.01), and phycocyanin and allophycocyanin with SPF, pointing to these compounds in particular as responsible for UV-B blockage. This original survey explores, for the first time, the biotechnological potential of these cyanobacteria strains in the field of skin aging, demonstrating the promising, innovative, and multifactorial nature of these microorganisms.
- The portuguese Osteopathic Practitioners Estimates and RAtes (OPERA): A cross-sectional surveyPublication . Santiago, Rui José; Nunes, Alexandre; Esteves, Jorge Eduardo; Cerritelli, Francesco; Verbeeck, Johan; Lopes, Sónia; Paquete, Manuel; van Dun, PatrickA voluntary online-based survey was distributed across Portugal between February and June 2020. The survey, composed of 52 questions and seven sections, was formally translated from English to Portuguese and adapted from the original version. Two pilot tests evaluated cultural adaptation and reproducibility. Adult, self-defined osteopaths working in Portugal were eligible. Recruitment of participants was performed through social media and an e-based campaign. A total of 222 osteopaths participated in the study, 143 were male (64%), aging between 30 and 39 years (42%), mainly working in Lisbon (30%). Most respondents had preliminary healthcare training (68%), mainly as massage therapists. The majority of respondents were self-employed (83%), owner of a clinic (55%) and working alone (59%). The median number of consultations per week was 21–25 and respondents scheduled 46–60 min for each consultation. The majority of patients seek care for lumbar (52%), cervical (38%) and upper spine (38%) complaints. Although most respondents experience a strong osteopathic identity, they do not advertise themselves exclusively as osteopaths. This study represents the first nationwide document to determine osteopaths' characteristics in Portugal. The study results provide a basis for future surveys that will include cohorts with higher levels of education, as well as findings from other European countries.
- Game-Based Learning, Gamification in Education and Serious GamesPublication . Vaz de Carvalho, Carlos; Coelho, AntónioVideo games have become one of the predominant forms of entertainment in our society, but they have also impacted many other of its social and cultural aspects. The new forms of interaction and communication in online multiplayer games, the millions of viewers of professional e-sports competitions, the huge following of gaming streamers through channels such as Twitch, and the communities of players that are formed around a specific title are just some examples of the impact of games in everyday life today.[...]
- P300 wave and the right against self-incrimination: Parallel with the evidence obtained by DNAPublication . Sousa, Maria; Tavares, DianaThe right against self-incrimination rests on the nemo tenetur se ipsum accusare principle, derived from the presumption of innocence. The possibility to extract information from a person`s body, based on the theory of passive collaboration, as it happens in DNA collection, means that a person is not self-incriminating but merely admitting an intervention. It is one of the most controversial issues among jurists, who are divided between those who allow some, even minimal, restriction on this right and those who do not allow any restriction. The present work seeks to answer two essential questions. Firstly, on the assumption of passive collaboration theory, to understand if it is open the possibility of using new ways of obtaining the knowledge only the suspect or accused (eventually) has. On the other hand, given the international censorship of the polygraph, to study the basis for the use of P300 Wave, as a new form of cognitive evocation, under the idea that someone is not actively collaborating, but merely tolerating an intervention in the body, as it is already applied in the US and Spain.
- Dosage, intensity and frequency of language therapy for aphasia: An individual participant data network meta-analysisPublication . Brady, Marian C.; Patrício, BrígidaOptimizing speech and language therapy (SLT) regimens for maximal aphasia recovery is a clinical research priority. We examined associations between SLT intensity (hours/week), dosage (total hours), frequency (days/week), duration (weeks), delivery (face to face, computer supported, individual tailoring, and home practice), content, and language outcomes for people with aphasia. Databases including MEDLINE and Embase were searched (inception to September 2015). Published, unpublished, and emerging trials including SLT and ≥10 individual participant data on aphasia, language outcomes, and time post-onset were selected. Patient-level data on stroke, language, SLT, and trial risk of bias were independently extracted. Outcome measurement scores were standardized. A statistical inferencing, one-stage, random effects, network meta-analysis approach filtered individual participant data into an optimal model examining SLT regimen for overall language, auditory comprehension, naming, and functional communication pre-post intervention gains, adjusting for a priori–defined covariates (age, sex, time poststroke, and baseline aphasia severity), reporting estimates of mean change scores (95% CI). Data from 959 individual participant data (25 trials) were included. Greatest gains in overall language and comprehension were associated with >20 to 50 hours SLT dosage (18.37 [10.58–26.16] Western Aphasia Battery–Aphasia Quotient; 5.23 [1.51–8.95] Aachen Aphasia Test–Token Test). Greatest clinical overall language, functional communication, and comprehension gains were associated with 2 to 4 and 9+ SLT hours/week. Greatest clinical gains were associated with frequent SLT for overall language, functional communication (3–5+ days/week), and comprehension (4–5 days/week). Evidence of comprehension gains was absent for SLT ≤20 hours, <3 hours/week, and ≤3 days/week. Mixed receptive-expressive therapy, functionally tailored, with prescribed home practice was associated with the greatest overall gains. Relative variance was <30%. Risk of trial bias was low to moderate; low for meta-biases. Greatest language recovery was associated with frequent, functionally tailored, receptive-expressive SLT, with prescribed home practice at a greater intensity and duration than reports of usual clinical services internationally. These exploratory findings suggest critical therapeutic ranges, informing hypothesis-testing trials and tailoring of clinical services.
- Functional connectivity as a neural correlate of cognitive rehabilitation programs’ efcacy: A systematic reviewPublication . Geraldo, Andreia ; Dores, Artemisa Rocha; Castro‑Caldas, Alexandre ; Barbosa, FernandoResearchers who have been assessing the efcacy of cognitive rehabilitation (CR) programs are expressing a growing concern with the validity of the assessment protocols and have tried to improve them by including multidomain measures in addition to cognitive and behavioral ones. Within this scope, changes in brain functioning associated with CR are being reported through the analysis of neural correlates. Nonetheless, the infuence of CR on functional connectivity (FC) and its relationship with the behavioral outcomes conventionally used are still unclear. A systematic review of the literature was performed, up to January 2021, through a search on EBSCOhost, PubMed, and Web of Science, which targeted empirical studies assessing the efcacy of CR programs in adults, with FC as an outcome. This review included 51 studies, whose methodological qual ity was assessed through Cicerone’s classifcation. We present the characteristics of the studies, the cognitive rehabilitation programs, as well as the techniques, protocols and methods used to measure FC. All of the CR programs used in the studies were associated with signifcant improvements in FC, and the majority of these programs were also related to signifcant improvements in behavioral outcomes. In addition, 32 studies that analyzed the relationship between behavioral and neural outcomes had reported that changes in FC were signifcantly associated with improvements in behavioral outcomes, namely in cognitive functioning, quality of life, and afective domains. Despite the high methodological heterogeneity of the stud ies, FC seems to be a proper indicator of the efcacy of CR programs, unveiling the importance of its use combined with behavioral outcomes.
- Fall risk prediction model for older men and women based on ambulatory physical activity level – A cross-sectional population-based study from the Oporto RegionPublication . Carmo, Paulo Jorge Quintela Cardoso do; Pontes, Adjane Maria; Manuel, César; Santos, Rubim; Carvalho, Maria Joana Mesquita Barbosa deFalls among the elderly are an important community health problem due to its high incidence, functional and social repercussion. Dissimilar results arose in recent studies con cerning fall risk and physical activity levels. This study measures the association between physical activity (PA) levels, and fall risk (FR), investigates which levels of PA are influential in FR and pre sents a fall risk prediction models for the elderly. One hundred and seventy elderly adults (72.34 ± 6.70 years old, 124 female), completed Performance-Orientated-Mobility-As sessment; PA was assessed by accelerometry. Pearson’s correlation verified the association between FR, Age, and PA. Multiple linear regression (MLR) was used to investigate the influence of variables on FR. PA, age are predictors of FR, with PA (moderate, negative) age (moderate, positive). MLR analysis showed FR variability explained by PA (42.0%) and by age (37.0%), and by gender, female FR explained by light PA (47.0%), while in male, FR explained by sedentary behaviour (44.1%) and age (22.7%) independently. Individuals with higher physical activity have lower fall risk. Older are prone to fall. Older women with light physical activity are less likely to fall. Older men with more sedentary behaviour are prone to fall.
- Evaluation of the biological potential of Himanthalia elongata (L.) S.F.Gray and Eisenia bicyclis (Kjellman) setchell subcritical water extractsPublication . Gomes, Inês; Rodrigues, Helena; Rodrigues, Carla; Marques, Marta; Paíga, Paula; Paiva, Alexandre; Simões, Pedro; Cruz Fernandes, Virgínia; Vieira, Mónica; Delerue-Matos, Cristina; Soares, Cristina; Grosso, ClaraNeuroprotection is a need that remains unmet in treating chronic neurodegenerative disorders, despite decades of extensive research. To find new neuroprotective compounds, extracts of Himanthalia elongata (L.) S.F.Gray and of Eisenia bicyclis (Kjellman) Setchell were obtained through subcritical water extraction applying a four-step temperature gradient. The fractions obtained were screened against brain enzymes involved in neurodegenerative etiology, namely in Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases, and against reactive oxygen and nitrogen species, all contributing factors to the progression of neurodegeneration. Results showed no significant enzyme inhibition but strong radical scavenging activities, particularly in the fourth fraction, extracted at the highest temperature (250 °C), highlighting their ability to retard oxidative and nitrosative stresses. At higher temperatures, fractions were composed of phenolic compounds and Maillard reaction products, a combination that contributed to their antioxidant activity and, consequently, their neuroprotective properties. All fractions were evaluated for the presence of iodine, 14 organochlorine and 7 organophosphorus pesticides, and pharmaceuticals used in Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases (14), psychiatric drugs (8), and metabolites (8). The fractions studied did not present any of the screened contaminants, and only fraction 1 of E. bicyclis should be used with caution due to iodine content.
- Methodological considerations in assessing interlimb coordination on poststroke gait: a scoping review of biomechanical approaches and outcomesPublication . Couto, Ana G. B.; Vaz, Mário A. P.; Pinho, Liliana; Félix, José; Silva, Sandra; Silva, Augusta; Sousa, Andreia S. P.To identify and summarize biomechanical assessment approaches in interlimb coordination on poststroke gait. Interlimb coordination involves complex neurophysiological mechanisms that can be expressed through the biomechanical output. The deepening of this concept would have a significant contribution in gait rehabilitation in patients with an asymmetric neurological impairment as poststroke adults. Poststroke adults (>19 years old), with assessment of interlimb coordination during gait, in an open context, according to the Population, Concept, Context framework. A literature search was performed in PubMed, Web of Science™, Scopus, and gray literature in Google Scholar™, according to the PRISMA-ScR recommendations. Studies written in Portuguese or English language and published between database inception and 14 November 2021 were included. Qualitative studies, conference proceedings, letters, and editorials were excluded. The main conceptual categories were “author/year”, “study design”, “participant’s characteristics”, “walking conditions”, “instruments” and “outcomes”. The search identified 827 potentially relevant studies, with a remaining seven fulfilling the established criteria. Interlimb coordination was assessed during walking in treadmill (n = 3), overground (n = 3) and both (n = 1). The instruments used monitored electromyography (n = 2), kinetics (n = 2), and kinematics (n = 4) to assess spatiotemporal parameters (n = 4), joint kinematics (n = 2), anteroposterior ground reaction forces (n = 2), and electromyography root mean square (n = 2) outcomes. These outcomes were mostly used to analyze symmetry indices or ratios, to calculate propulsive impulse and external mechanical power produced on the CoM, as well as antagonist coactivation. Assessment of interlimb coordination during gait is important for consideration of natural auto-selected overground walking, using kinematic, kinetic, and EMG instruments. These allow for the collection of the main biomechanical outcomes that could contribute to improve better knowledge of interlimb coordination assessment in poststroke patients.
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