Browsing by Issue Date, starting with "2023-11"
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- Antimicrobial activity of food-isolated fungi extractsPublication . Ferreira, Diogo; Areal-Hermida, Lara; Baylina, Pilar; Fernandes, Rúben; Sieiro, CarmenOne major source for drug discovery are microbial metabolites. Fungi, renowned for their ability to produce an array of broad and diverse secondary metabolites, due to their extensive dispersion and diversity, offer a rich resource for drug discovery. Antibiotic resistance is a major concern. Rapid increase of resistant bacteria worldwide, dampens antibiotic efficiency, burdens healthcare services and increase morbidity and mortality. Antibiotic misuse and lack of new drug development are the main responsible for this health crisis. So, the creation of fungal libraries to find and study new compounds is essential to tackle the rising of antimicrobial resistance and continue with industrial efforts of drug discovery and production. Isolation from chestnuts, chestnut flour and sunflower seeds allowed us to obtain a collection of 165 fungal isolates. Bioactivity of fungal extracts were screened against different antibiotic resistant bacteria. Bacteria grown overnight, adjusted to 1.5 x 108 CFU/mL was exposed to fungal extracts, at a concentration of 100 μg/mL for 24 hours and inhibition rates were calculated. Several extracts showed activity against antimicrobial resistant bacteria and further studies should be made in order to find if new molecules could be responsible for our fungi antimicrobial activity.
- Game on: a cross-sectional study on gamers’ mental health, game patterns, physical activity, eating and sleeping habitsPublication . Matias, Catarina N. ; Cardoso, Joana ; Cavaca, Margarida L. ; Cardoso, Sofia ; Giro, Rita ; Vaz, João ; Couto, Pedro A. ; Dores, Artemisa Rocha; Ferreira, Tiago B. ; Tinsley, G.M. ; Teixeira, Filipe J.Problematic gaming patterns have been associated with mental disorders and an unhealthy lifestyle pattern characterized by poor physical activity, nutritional habits, and sleep patterns. Thus, our objective was to characterize highly engaged Portuguese gamers by assessing the prevalence of these health issues and patterns, including Internet Gaming Disorder. A sample of 235 gamers (83.3% male) recruited online (through mailing list and social media) participated in online questionnaires to assess sociodemographic and health information, gaming and nutritional habits, physical activity patterns, sleep hygiene, and mental health. The highly engaged gamers showed a mean playing time of 3.5 h/day (SD = 2.1) and 5.5 h/day (SD = 3.0) in other screen-related activities. Most of the players reported not consuming snacks while gaming. Physical activity practice was observed in 63.8% of the players. Most of the participants (66.3%) reported poor sleep quality and a “moderately and definitely evening” chronotype (60.4%). Gamers showed low scores of IGD, with only three reported cases, and half of the gamers reporting good psychological well-being. The mean of BSI scores was 1.6 (SD = 0.6), close to the cut-off point of 1.7. Poor sleep quality was observed in Portuguese gamers. Despite this, gamers seem to display a healthy lifestyle consisting of regular physical activity, a healthy diet during gaming time, and an unproblematic gaming behavior, as well as an emotionally healthy profile and state of well-being. Future studies should conduct a more thorough analysis of these variables and further explore possible correlations.
- Potential anticancer activity from food-isolated fungi extractsPublication . Ferreira, Diogo; Rocha, Ana Catarina; Baylina, Pilar; Sieiro, Carmen; Fernandes, RúbenFungal species have demonstrated great potential to produce a wide range of metabolites, including enzymes, antibiotics, and other bioactive compounds with therapeutic interest. Prostate cancer (PCa) is one of the most frequent cancers in men. This type of tumors have high levels of heterogeneity, leading to therapeutic failures and increasing resistance against chemotherapeutic drugs. Hence, is essential to research new therapeutic agents against PCa. Exploring the rich reservoir of fungal diversity, this study aims to uncover bioactive compounds that may serve as valuable candidates for developing novel therapeutics against prostate cancer. Isolation from chestnuts, chestnut flour and sunflower seeds led to the creation of a fungal collection of 165 isolates. Fungi isolates grew in flask cultures for 15 days, and culture broths were extracted with ethyl acetate. Human prostate epithelial cells (HPepiC) and the human prostate cancer cell line (PC3) were exposed to the fungal extracts at a concentration 100 μg/mL, and cell viability was evaluated by MTT assay. Results show that several fungal extracts significantly reduce the viability of tumor cells, with some showing little to no effect on healthy human cells, however, species identification is essential to carry on our studies.
- Construction and optimization of an electrochemical genosensor for the detection of BDNF gene Val66Met polymorphismPublication . Caldevilla, Renato; Santos, Marlene; Barroso, M. FátimaMajor depression disorder (MDD) is the most prevalent psychiatric condition worldwide. Currently, antidepressants constitute the main pharmacological treatment for this condition. Despite the growing arsenal of antidepressant medications, almost half of MDD patients have insufficient remission rates during their treatments. A growing body of scientific evidence points to genetic factors as having a crucial role in patients’ response to antidepressant treatments. One of these genetic components is the BDNF gene, that codes for the BDNF neurotrophin, an important player in neuroplasticity and neurogenesis.
- Synthesis and physicochemical characterization of antimalarial surface-active ionic liquidsPublication . Silva, Ana Teresa; Oliveira, Isabel; Ferraz, Ricardo; Marques, Eduardo F.; Gomes, PaulaIonic liquids are a particular class of compounds that attract interest in medicinal chemistry due to the simplicity of their preparation. Novel structures with biological activity can be achieved through simple, cost-effective reactions.1 Reusing old ionizable drugs and improving their characteristics can be achieved economically and simply by mixing them with molecules of opposite charge. This approach is attractive for reviving old antimalarials, not only because of the prevalence of malaria in low- to middle-income countries, but also because several of these drugs are associated with malaria parasite resistance. In this context, our work has been focusing on synthesizing ionic liquids with potential antimalarial activity by mixing antimalarial aminoquinolines, specifically chloroquine, and primaquine, with natural lipids.2, 3 More recently, using an acid-base reaction between chloroquine and bile acids (Figure 1), we synthesized surface-active ionic liquids (SAILs), which proved to possess significant antiplasmodial activity in vitro. The presence of an amphiphilic anion in the ionic pair confers surfaceactive and self-aggregation properties to the ionic liquids. The interfacial and aggregations properties of these SAILs have been characterized by surface tension, electric conductivity, dynamic light scattering, and differential scanning microcalorimetry. Moreover, the interactions of SAILs with micelles of the block copolymer F127 have been studied with the aim of designing an efficient, robust, and biocompatible nanocarrier system for the encapsulation and in vivo release of these antimalarial ionic liquids.
- Revealing the immunomodulatory potential of pyrazoles and exploring structure-activity relationshipsPublication . Silva, Jorge Miguel Almeida; Rocha, S.; Silva, V. L. M.; Silva, A. M. S.; Moreira, Fernando; Fernandes, E.; Freitas, M.Inflammation is a complex and tightly regulated process by a cascade of events that involves the production of prostaglandins (PG) by the inducible isoform cyclooxygenase 2 (COX-2) and the production of reactive pro-oxidant species. Conversely, COX-1, which is consistently present in a variety of tissues, has traditionally been categorized as the primary isoform responsible for maintaining the balance of prostaglandin production. Given the adverse effects associated with currently employed antiinflammatory agents, there is an urgent need to develop novel and efficacious compounds capable of regulating the inflammatory cascade. In this sense, a panel of 28 structurally related pyrazoles were evaluated through the inhibition of human COX-2 and ovine COX-1 activity; the ex vivo production of PGE2 in human whole blood; COX-2 expression in human leukocytes; and human leukocytes’ oxidative burst. The results revealed that some of the tested pyrazoles had a significant inhibitory effect on COX- 2 activity. Pyrazoles 4 and 11B (Fig. 1) stood out as the most potent inhibitors. Pyrazole 11B exhibited greater inhibitory activity against COX-2 than COX-1, while pyrazole 14 displayed selective inhibition of COX-1, with an IC50 value lower than 1 μM. Interestingly, pyrazoles 14 and 16 (Fig. 1) downregulated the COX-2 expression in human leukocytes. Several of the tested pyrazoles, namely compound 4, showed a potential suppressive effect (IC50 5 μM) against human leukocytes’ oxidative burst. In addition, various pyrazoles were able to inhibit both COX-2 activity and oxidative burst, particularly the pyrazoles 1B, 4 and 11B.
- Is it possible to prevent Harmful Algal Blooms? An electrochemical genosensor that detects dinoflagellates could be the answerPublication . Pereira, Eduarda; Silva, Aurora; Morais, Stephanie L.; Costa-Rama, Estefanía; Moreira, Patrícia R.; Fraga-Corral, M.; Torrado, Ana M.; Rodríguez, Francisco; Barros, Piedade; Cruz, Agostinho; Delerue-Matos, Cristina; Prieto, M. A.; Simal-Gandara, J.; Silva, Nádia F. D.; Santos, Marlene; Barroso, M. FátimaHarmful Algal Blooms (HABs) are a very common phenomenon in the last few years that results from the accumulation of microalgae, such as dinoflagellates of the Dinophysis genus. Hence, the development of analytical technologies capable of detecting these microorganisms and thereby avoiding environmental and public health crisis, has become a major priority. Biosensors have been gaining recognition lately given their notable assets: they are fast, sensitive and allow in situ analysis.
- CYTED Network: GEnoPsySEn - Development of genosensors for pharmacogenomic targets in the central nervous systemPublication . Santos, Marlene; Caldevilla, Renato; Grosso, Clara; Simal-Gandara, J.; Molina, Patricia G.; Pinto, Giovanny R.; Villa, Cristian C.; Serra, Gloria; Feria-Romero, Iris A.; Solano, Ovidio; Sanabria, Diana P. Dresseler; Souto, Pilar Villaverde; Comba, Fausto N.; Barroso, M. FátimaThe GenoPsySEN thematic network is a newly CYTED approved collaborative project between institutions and investigators from Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, El Salvador, Mexico, Spain, Paraguay, Portugal, and Uruguay, aimed at incorporating their expertise in various scientific disciplines into the successful development of genosensors for the detection of genetic variations affecting drug response in neuropsychiatric diseases. This project seeks to transfer scientific and technological results that can be applied to improve the Ibero-American Public Health Systems and contribute to reducing the number of patients without adequate treatment.
- Authenticating honey origin from Natural Park of Montesinho: innovative electrochemical genosensor devices assembled in paper-based transducersPublication . Pereira, Eduarda; Morais, Stephanie L.; Seguro, Isabel; Silva, Nádia F. D.; Santos, Marlene; Pacheco, João G.; Delerue-Matos, Cristina; Barroso, M. FátimaThe Natural Park of Montesinho (NPM) has a diverse ecosystem that is home to countless species of trees and plants characteristic of this area, including Castanea sativa. The honey produced in this region is highly appreciated for its taste and nutritional value, but it also has a wide range of health benefits. The geographical origin of the honey is a very important aspect in assessing the quality and authentication of the final product. Currently, several approaches are being explored to determinethese parameters, among which deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA)-based methods stand out.
- Escola de Outono de 2023. Cartografias do Presente: explorando o ensino de música numa sociedade em mudança. Livro de resumosPublication . Lopes, Fiilpe; Mota, Graça (ed); Costa, Jorge Alexandre (ed)A criação do CIPEM e a organização da I escola de outono: 25 anos de trabalho científico, educacional e artístico, a Escola de Outono teve, desde a sua origem, como pressupostos fundamentais constituir-se, primeiro, como um espaço de encontro e diálogo entre os saberes da Música, da Educação Artística, das Ciências da Educação e da Psicologia da Música. E, segundo, como um espaço de apresentação e debate de investigações e práticas de ensino-aprendizagem emergentes que se desenvolvem nos domínios científicos a que se dedica. Pressupostos simples e objetivos, mas desde sempre ambiciosos e que ainda hoje, volvidos vinte e cinco anos de existência, demonstram uma atualidade e uma pertinência significativa para o meio académico musical, educacional e artístico nacional, e justificam, por si só, tanto o papel do Centro de Investigação em Psicologia da Música e Educação Musical (CIPEM), como o da Escola de Outono. Recorde-se, e já agora, celebre-se, que a primeira Escola de Outono foi realizada entre os dias 30 de setembro e 3 de outubro de 1998, há vinte e cinco anos, com o propósito de apresentar, institucional e publicamente, o CIPEM criado, nesse mesmo ano, pela então Área de Música do Departamento de Artes e Motricidade Humana, hoje, Unidade Técnico-Científica de Música e Drama, da Escola Superior de Educação do Politécnico do Porto. [...]