Browsing by Issue Date, starting with "2022-12"
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- Importance of auditory training in the development and stimulation of skills in hearing aid users – a systematic review of the literaturePublication . Pereira, Maria José; Barbosa, Ana Catarina; Faria, VeraAuditory rehabilitation performed by psychoacoustic amplification allows for an increase in audibility, however, there may be difficulties in sound perception. Auditory training can be used to improve auditory performance, conse quently improving auditory skills affected by hearing loss. This study aims to understand which skills are developed and/ or stimulated by auditory training in hearing aid users and the importance of this type of training in these individuals.
- Cosmetic application of cyanobacteria extracts with a sustainable vision to skincare: role in the antioxidant and antiaging processPublication . Morone, Janaína; Lopes, Graciliana; Morais, João; Neves, Jorge; Vasconcelos, Vítor; Martins, RosárioNature-based and sustainably sourced cosmetics have been dominating the area of skincare products worldwide. Due to their antioxidant and antiaging properties, compounds from cyanobacteria, such as carotenoids and phycobiliproteins, may replace synthetic ingredients in cosmetic formulations and may be used in products such as sunscreens, skincare creams, and makeup. In this study, we evaluated the potential of acetonic and aqueous extracts from cyanobacteria strains of the genera Cyanobium and Leptothoe and from strains within Synechococcales and Oscillatori ales orders, for use in cosmetics. Extractions were sequentially performed with acetone and water. Extracts were firstly analyzed for their toxicity to keratinocytes, fibroblasts, and endothelial cells (HaCAT, 3T3L1 and hCMEC/D3, respectively). The non-cytotoxic extracts were characterized in terms of total proteins, carotenoids, chlorophyll, phenols, phycobiliproteins, and analyzed for their antioxidant potential against the superoxide anion radical (O2 •−), and for their ability to inhibit key enzymes associated with the skin aging process. Aqueous extracts were richer in total proteins and phycobiliproteins. The aqueous extracts of Synechococcales cyanobacterium LEGE 181157 and Synechococcales cyanobacterium LEGE 181150 showed the highest value for total proteins (760.81 and 695.25 µg BSA mL−1 dry extract, respectively) and the best values regarding O2 •− scavenging (IC50 = 63.24 and 112.18 µg mL−1 dry extract, respectively) with a significant negative correlation ob served (p < 0.01). Moreover, aqueous extracts of Synechococcales cyanobacterium LEGE 181150 and Synechococcales cyanobacterium LEGE 181157 inhibited hyaluronidase, (IC50 of 483.86 and 645.06 µg mL−1 dry extract, respectively), with a significant negative correlation with total proteins (p < 0.05), pointing out the contribution of these compounds to the biological activities observed. Acetonic extracts were richer in carotenoids and phenols. Zeaxanthin and β-carotene were pre dominant among all strains, being present in higher amount in Cyanobium sp. LEGE 07175 (53.08 µg mg−1 ) and Leptothoe sp. LEGE 181156 (47.89 µg mg−1 ), respectively. The same strains also showed the highest values for collagenase inhibition at 750 µg mL−1 dry extract (32.88 and 36.61%, respectively). Furthermore, Leptothoe sp. LEGE 181156 exhibited the lowest IC50 value for tyrosinase inhibition (465.92 µg mL−1 dry extract) and Synechococcales cyanobacterium LEGE 181157 presented the best values for elastase inhibition (IC50 of 380.50 and IC25 of 51.43 µg mL−1 dry extract). In general, cyanobacteria extracts demonstrated potential for being used for antiaging purposes, with aqueous extracts being more efficient at free radicals scavenging and acetonic ones at avoiding degradation of dermal matrix components.
- Survey on the knowledge of Portuguese society about Nuclear Medicine: A snapshot of the reality in the beginning of the decadePublication . Monteiro, Rafaela ; Costa, PedroNuclear Medicine has grown exponentially over the years, since it is useful in the early diagnosis and treatment of several pathologies. However, this field appears to be not widely recognized at the public level. An exploratory/descriptive cross-sectional study using a national survey assessed the Portuguese population's knowledge of Nuclear Medicine. A total of 211 questionnaires were collected and analyzed. The study population is made up of Portuguese adult citizens. The study revealed a lack of knowledge about Nuclear Medicine. Some respondents were aware of this field, however a significant number have low or no knowledge at all. Most individuals are not aware about the Nuclear Medicine Departments in their home districts. This project found limited knowledge within the Portuguese population about ionizing radiation in medical procedures, and mainly in Nuclear Medicine. Data highlighted the need to implement awareness campaigns to disseminate knowledge on this field. Health professionals should be aware about the lack of knowledge on this field by patients and public.
- Self-other distinction and individual differences in interoception, empathy, and alexithymiaPublication . Campos, Carlos; Silva, Cláudia; Rocha, Nuno; Barbosa, FernandoTheoretical models have argued for a complex interaction between self-other distinction, interoception, and social cognition, despite inconsistent evidence. To examine the associations between self-other distinction and individual differences in interoception, empathy, and alexithymia. 51 college students (21.82 years; 47.1% male) completed the Imitation-Inhibition Task to assess self-other distinction and an online survey with questionnaires to evaluate empathy (Questionnaire of Cognitive and Affective Empathy), alexithymia (Toronto Alexithymia Scale), interoceptive attention (Body Perception Questionnaire - BPQ) and accuracy (Interoceptive Accuracy Scale). Zero-order correlations, t-tests, and hierarchical linear regressions were implemented for statistical analysis (preregistered at https://osf.io/w4qt6). Self-other distinction (indexed by imitation-inhibition scores) was marginally related to affective empathy, although this association was not significant when controlling for sex (male subjects displayed enhanced self-other distinction and worst affective empathy) and baseline reaction times. Imitation-inhibition was not associated with any other variable of interest. Findings regarding interoceptive attention should be interpreted with caution as only 18 subjects correctly interpreted the BPQ. Despite the reduced sample size, the current findings suggest that self-other distinction, as measured by the Imitation-Inhibition Task, is not associated with individual differences in interoception, empathy, or alexithymia.
- Preschool hearing screening program: first evidence studyPublication . Neves, Vanessa; Ribeiro, Diana; Oliveira, Natália; Correia, Alexandra; Carvalho, CarlosAccording to the World Health Organization in 2020, 34 million children around the world have deafness or hearing loss, in which 60% of cases can be prevented. This study intends to identify hearing changes in preschoolers who attend the cluster of schools in the Centro Hospitalar Entre Douro e Vouga, CHEDV’s region and to emphasize the value of preschool hearing evaluation in order to prevent longterm effects on the child’s overall development. Currently, this type of screening is not carried out in our country.
- Powered smart textile-based exoskeleton for human support movementPublication . Ferreira, C.; Fertuzinhos, A.; Silva, R.; Ramalho, M.; Vale, B.; Silva, J.; Costa, L.; Oliveira, C.; Ramôa, A.; Aguiar, F.; Pilastri, A.; Matta, A.; Dias, P.; Sampaio, R.; Machado, D.; Costa, M.; Roças, A.; Madureira, P.; Moreira, Juliana; Pereira, J. R.; Pereira, C.; Pereira, F. B.Industrial environments require people’s physical efforts related to excessive force, poor posture, and repetitive tasks that increase the risk of developing musculoskeletal diseases. Due to the high prevalence of postural complaints and consequent global health burdens, a significant demand has been conducted to build and implement powered lower and upper limb devices for human enhancement, considering the working layout/position, anthropometric and ergonomic data to generate valuable information for posture correction guidance.
- Financial Contagion from the Subprime Crisis: A Copula ApproachPublication . Mendes, Rita I.L.; Gomes, Luís; Ramos, PatríciaThe magnitude of the subprime crisis effects caused recessions in several economies, giving rise to the global financial crisis. The scale of this major shock and the different recovery profiles of European economies motivated this paper. The main objective is to look for evidence of contagion between the North American financial market (S&P500) and the financial markets of Portugal (PSI20), Spain (IBEX35), Greece (ATHEX) and Italy (FTSEMIB), in the South of Europe, and the financial markets of Sweden (OMXS30), Denmark (OMX2C0), Finland (OMXH25) and Norway (OsloOBX), in the North of Europe. Considering the period from January 1, 2003 to December 31, 2013, the ARMAGARCH models were estimated to remove the autoregressive and conditional heteroscedastic effects from the time series of the daily returns. Then, the copula models were used to estimate the dependence relationships between the European stock indexes and the North American stock index, from the precrisis subperiod to the crisis subperiod. The results indicate financial contagion of the subprime crisis for all analyzed European countries. The North European markets intensified the relations of financial integration (both in negative and positive shocks) with the North American market, apart from the Danish against the Portuguese. In addition to the contribution made by the joint application of the ARMA-GARCH models, the findings are useful to identify channels of financial contagion between markets and to warn about the effects of possible new crisis, which will require different levels of adaptation by the companies’ financial managers and intervention by the authorities.
- Colon tumor CD31 expression is associated with higher disease-free survival in patients with metabolic syndromePublication . Silva, Ana; Pereira, Sofia S.; Brandão, José Ricardo; Brochado, Paulo; Monteiro, Mariana P.; Araújo, António; Faria, GilMetabolic syndrome (MS) is recognized as a risk factor for colon cancer (CC). However, how does the interplay between metabolic dysfunction caused by MS and its individual components affect CC microenvironment and prognosis remains unexplored. Angiogenesis and lymphangiogenesis are fundamental processes for tumor progression and dissemination, ensuring oxygen and nutrient delivery and supporting one of the most important pathways of tumor dissemination, contributing to metastasis. Thus, our aim was to evaluate whether the expression of molecular biomarkers involved in angiogenic and lymphangiogenic processes influenced CC clinicopathological features and prognosis in patients with MS. Clinical and pathological data of 300 patients submitted to CC surgical resection at a single tertiary hospital were retrospectively retrieved from hospital records. Tumor tissue microarrays of archived paraffin-embedded blocks were used to assess CD31, VEGF-A and D2–40 tissue expression by immunohistochemistry. The percentage of stained area was quantified by computerized morphometric analysis. No association between tissue expression of angiogenesis and lymphangiogenesis biomarkers and tumor clinical and pathological characteristics was found. However, in subgroup analysis of patients with MS, dysglycemia was associated with lower D2–40 expression (p = 0.007) and high waist-circumference was associated with higher D2–40 (p = 0.0029) and VEGF-A expression (p = 0.026). In an adjusted Cox proportional hazard model CD31 expression was significantly associated with greater disease-free survival (HR=0.62; 95% CI: 0.41–0.95, p = 0.028). No association was found between D2–40 and VEGF-A expression and CC prognosis. Our data reinforces previous reports that suggest the potential use of CD31 as a CC prognostic biomarker. Additionally, our data further supports the evidence for an interplay between metabolic dysfunction, tumor microenvironment, and vascularization pathways.
- Youth Entrepreneurship Among Higher Education Students – A Qualitative Research of Entrepreneurial Intention and EducationPublication . Mendonça, Pedro; Braga, Vítor; Ferreira, Marisa R.; Braga, Alexandra; Carvalho, AméliaThe area of entrepreneurship education is developing rapidly, potentially conveying positive effects to business education, innovation and economies. Our paper seeks to analyse the entrepreneurial intention of a group of higher education students, and the data includes 29 interviews, administered to students of Portuguese higher education institutions. The results obtained allowed to confirm some of the aspects described in the literature, although a few divergences were also found. It was also possible to clarify some of the theories associated with barriers to entrepreneurship. The main limitations are related with the sample size, opening space for future research with larger samples. The most important implications relate to the identified need for very specific topics in entrepreneurship education. However, the key contribution of the paper also lies in its qualitative research approach.
- Tumor de células pequenas, redondas e azuis do pulmão: o desafioPublication . Santos, Joana dos; Teixeira, C.; Amaro, T.O carcinoma de células pequenas do pulmão é um tumor neuroendócrino de alto grau que corresponde a cerca de 10-15% dos casos de cancro do pulmão. É de crescimento rápido e agressivo, surge predominantemente no hilo de doentes fumadores e tem mau prognóstico. Apesar das características citológicas desta entidade estarem bem descritas, pode ser um desafio distingui-la de outras neoplasias no exame citológico e esta distinção tem importância clínica significativa. Apresentamos o caso de um homem de 70 anos com uma lesão endobrônquica e conglomerados adenopáticos infracarinais. Na citologia em meio líquido (lavado e escovado brônquico) foi diagnosticado carcinoma de células pequenas, com recurso a estudo imunocitoquímico. O doente foi submetido a quimioterapia, radioterapia e corticoterapia, encontrando-se com metástases à distância e franca degradação do estado geral.