Browsing by Issue Date, starting with "2022-08-05"
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- In vitro cytotoxic activity of african plants: a reviewPublication . Canga, Isabel; Vita, Pedro; Oliveira, Ana Isabel; Castro, María Ángeles; Pinho, CláudiaIn African countries, cancer not only is a growing problem, but also a challenge because available funding and resources are limited. Therefore, African medicinal plants play a significant role in folk medicine and some of them are traditionally used for the treatment of cancer. The high mortality rate and adverse effects associated with cancer treatments have encouraged the search for novel plant-based drugs, thus, some African plants have been studied in recent years as a source of molecules with proven cytotoxicity. This review aims to discuss the cytotoxic activity, in vitro, of African plant crude extracts against cancer cell lines. For the period covered by this review (2017–2021) twenty-three articles were found and analyzed, which included a total of 105 plants, where the main cell lines used were those of breast cancer (MCF-7 and MDA-MBA-231) and colorectal cancer (HCT-116 and Caco-2), which are among the most prevalent cancers in Africa. In these studies, the plant crude extracts were obtained using different solvents, such as ethanol, methanol, or water, with variable results and IC50 values ranging from <20 µg/mL to >200 µg/mL. Water is the preferred solvent for most healers in African countries, however, in some studies, the aqueous extracts were the least potent. Apoptosis and the induction of cell cycle arrest may explain the cytotoxic activity seen in many of the plant extracts studied. Considering that the criteria of cytotoxicity activity for the crude extracts, as established by the American National Cancer Institute (NCI), is an IC50 < 30 μg/mL, we conclude that many extracts from the African flora could be a promising source of cytotoxic agents.
- Barriers to volunteering in the field of intellectual disability: a cluster analysisPublication . Cruz, Soraia; Ferreira, Marisa Roriz; Borges, Ana; Casais, BeatrizThis paper aims to characterise the profiles of individuals likely to feel discouraged to volunteer in the field of intellectual disability. The socio-emotional contours of intellectual disability hinder the involvement of volunteers in this field. There is evidence of the particular barriers to volunteering in activities involving intellectually disabled people, but there is a dearth of research on the characteristics of individuals that mention such barriers. A survey applied to 197 individuals allowed, through latent classes, to identify three clusters of individuals—assuming volunteering as having a negative impact; unawareness of the reality of intellectual disability; and no barriers to volunteering; and three groups of barriers to volunteering in the field of intellectual disability—characteristics of intellectually disabled people; awareness; introversion. Based on the characteristics of the clusters identified, the study addresses possible strategies to overcome the constraints, aiming at involving volunteers in activities targeting individuals with intellectual impairments and to better target the recruitment of volunteering actions in this field. The continuous understanding of barriers to donate time can allow institutions to minimise constraints and overcome hurdles by emphasising the value of experiences that meet the motivations of volunteers.
- Barriers to volunteering in the field of intellectual disability: a cluster analysisPublication . Cruz, Soraia; Ferreira, Marisa Roriz; Borges, Ana; Casais, BeatrizThis paper aims to characterise the profiles of individuals likely to feel discouraged to volunteer in the field of intellectual disability. The socio-emotional contours of intellectual disability hinder the involvement of volunteers in this field. There is evidence of the particular barriers to volunteering in activities involving intellectually disabled people, but there is a dearth of research on the characteristics of individuals that mention such barriers. A survey applied to 197 individuals allowed, through latent classes, to identify three clusters of individuals—assuming volunteering as having a negative impact; unawareness of the reality of intellectual disability; and no barriers to volunteering; and three groups of barriers to volunteering in the field of intellectual disability—characteristics of intellectually disabled people; awareness; introversion. Based on the characteristics of the clusters identified, the study addresses possible strategies to overcome the constraints, aiming at involving volunteers in activities targeting individuals with intellectual impairments and to better target the recruitment of volunteering actions in this field. The continuous understanding of barriers to donate time can allow institutions to minimise constraints and overcome hurdles by emphasising the value of experiences that meet the motivations of volunteers.