Browsing by Issue Date, starting with "2025-04-02"
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- Sensação e funcionalidade na lesão nervosa periférica - a propósito de um estudo de casoPublication . Silva, Bruno; Sousa, Helena; Branco, Sandra; Portugal, Paula; Campolargo, Ana; Portugal, Paula; Sousa, Helena Maria Rocha de SousaLesões Nervosas Periféricas têm um impacto significativo na qualidade de vida e na independência, afetando tanto o movimento quanto a sensação da pessoa. A reintegração na rotina diária é particularmente desafiadora devido às mudanças na força e sensibilidade do membro afetado, que variam conforme o nervo lesionado. Embora seja reconhecido que a reeducação sensorial pode ter efeitos benéficos, há uma lacuna na literatura quanto à formulação de protocolos específicos para essa intervenção. Verificar o impacto do “Programa de Discriminação Sensorial” na reabilitação dos défices sensoriais na lesão do plexo braquial. Estudo de caso de nível micro focado num ator e do tipo multimetodológico. Caso ilustrativo da síndrome do túnel cárpico, com avaliações inicial, intermédia e final, assim como 14 sessões de intervenção. Utilizaram-se vários instrumentos de avaliação, tais como o Mini Mental State Examination, Questionário (3 secções), Índice de Barthel, Escala de Lawton & Broady, WHOQOL-Bref e Monofilamentos de Semmes-Weinstein. Os dados foram analisados através do Microsoft Excel, versão 2305. Após 14 sessões de intervenção com o “Programa de Discriminação Sensorial”, foram encontrados resultados positivos em relação à reabilitação sensorial em pessoas com STC, o que parece ter um impacto positivo na reabilitação sensorial em lesões nervosas periféricas. Apesar dos resultados positivos, é importante aumentar a amostra e continuar com a aplicação deste programa para apoiar o trabalho dos Terapeutas Ocupacionais nestes casos.
- Culinary plant-based decoctions: A promising approach for combatting neurodegenerative disordersPublication . Grosso, Clara; Martins, Rosário; Delerue-Matos, Cristina; Martins, RosarioThis study aimed to assess the effectiveness of nutritional therapy in preventing or treating neurodegenerative disorders. To achieve this, decoctions from 5 culinary plants - turmeric (Curcuma longa L.), rosemary (Salvia rosmarinus Spenn.), lemon basil (Ocimum basilicum L. var. citriodorum), spearmint (Mentha spicata L.) and winter savory (Satureja montana L.) - were evaluated for their ability to combat reactive oxygen species (ROS), reactive nitrogen species (RNS), and enzymes associated with Alzheimer’s disease. The total phenolic content ranged from 43.2 mg gallic acid equivalent (GAE)/g extract in turmeric to 327.3 mg GAE/g extract in rosemary. While lemon basil, spearmint, rosemary and winter savory decoctions displayed significant superoxide anion radical scavenging activity (IC50 values between 46.8 and 62.0 µg/mL), winter savory was the least active of this group against nitric oxide radical (IC50=314.5 µg/mL). Rosemary extract was the most active inhibitor of cholinesterases, exhibiting IC50=1068.4 µg/mL for acetylcholinesterase and IC50=858.8 µg/mL for butyrylcholinesterase. Turmeric decoction, with the lowest phenolic content, showed the least promising results among the tested extracts. This study demonstrates the potential of culinary plant decoctions as nutritional therapies for neurodegenerative disorders. Rosemary exhibited the most promising results, showing high activity in scavenging free radicals and inhibiting cholinesterases, suggesting its potential to be included in a functional food or food supplement.
- Brewing spent yeast as a sustainable solution for Tannin adsorptionPublication . Vieira, Elsa F.; Amaral, Tomás; Moreira, Jorge; Brandão, Tiago; Delerue-Matos, CristinaThis study explored the potential of brewing spent yeast (BSY) as an adsorbent for tannins from a chestnut shell extract (CS-tannin extract). The extract was obtained through an alkaline treatment (5% NaOH (v/v)) to recover cellulosic material from chestnut shells, which requires further valorisation. Various BSY treatments, including lyophilization, immobilization in calcium alginate beads, and alkaline and acid treatments, were tested to determine the best tannin adsorption capacity. The BSY material underwent characterization before and after the experiments, including point of zero charge (pHPZC) determination, Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) analysis, and scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive spectroscopy (SEM/EDS). Equilibrium was achieved within 10 minutes, with the highest biosorption capacity of CS-tannin extract observed in lyophilized BSY, which showed a value of 31.81 ± 3.08 mg Tannic Acid Equivalents g⁻¹ yeast. The Sips isotherm model fitted well to the data, suggesting that tannin biosorption onto residual yeast cells is a chemisorption process. FT-IR analysis revealed several functional groups in the BSY, particularly carboxyl, amino/hydroxyl, and amide groups, which play a key role in tannin biosorption. These results demonstrate that BSY, a valuable by-product of the brewing industry, is an effective biosorbent for tannins from the disposal solution resulting from chestnut shell cellulosic material extraction. Further research is needed to better understand the specific interaction mechanisms and explore the practical applications of tannin-enriched BSY.
- Design of innovative electrochemical genosensors for honey fraud and quality detection by botanical origin authenticationPublication . Morais, Stephanie L.; Castanheira, Michelle; Pereira, Eduarda; Santos, Marlene; Domingues, Valentina F.; Delerue-Matos, Cristina; Barroso, M. Fátima; Santos, MarleneEnsuring food safety has become a concern for companies, consumers and the government alike, due to the increase of fraudulent and/or adulterated food products found in the global market [1,2]. Some common fraudulent strategies include mislabelling a product's geographical origin and blending it with lower-grade substances [3]. Among the frequently adulterated food products there is honey. Honey is a highly sought-after natural food with an elevated environmental, social and commercial value due to its rich nutritional profile and numerous health benefits. However, it is also vulnerable to adulteration [4]. Therefore, it is important to develop an analytical technique that can quickly, cheaply, and easily assess the quality and safety of honeys worldwide. In this work, an electrochemical genosensor for the detection of two plant species: Erica arborea and Castanea sativa in real honey samples was designed and optimized. The first step was the construction of the genosensor. For this, DNA-target probes capable of unequivocally detecting E. arborea and C. sativa DNA were selected and designed. As a sandwich-format strategy was adopted, their complementary probes were then cut into two smaller sequences to which a thiol group (DNA-capture) and a fluorescein (DNA-signalling) were attached. Using chronoamperometry, the enzymatic amplification of the electrochemical signal was achieved with a concentration range of 0.07 to 2.00 nM. These results were then compared to the DNA from certified E. arborea and C. sativa plant leaves, amplified by PCR, and 10 commercial honeys found in local Portuguese markets. The developed genosensor was successfully applied for the detection of the DNA from the extracted plant leaves and commercial honey samples. So, the developed genosensor is a promising cost-effective and innovative analytical method to detect the botanical origin of real honeys.
- Influence of dispersant and surfactant on nZVI characterization by dynamic light scatteringPublication . Fernandes, Filipe Jorge; Oliveira, Ana Isabel; Delerue-Matos, Cristina; Grosso, Clara; Oliveira, Ana IsabelThe agrifood industries generate tremendous amounts of waste. The valorisation of these wastes is of the utmost importance. Here, spent coffee ground (SCG) and Cistus ladanifer L. leaf (CLL) post-distillation residues were used to prepare 50:50 (v/v) hydromethanolic extracts for green zero-valent iron nanoparticle (nZVI) production. Then, the nZVIs’ size, polydispersity index (PDI) and zeta potential (ZP) were determined through dynamic light scattering (DLS). Since nZVIs are known to be heavily reactive and display a tendency to agglomerate, dispersant influence (water or methanol) and surfactant addition (Tween® 20) were studied. SCG NPs dispersed in water displayed a size of 565.6 ± 80.84 nm, with a PDI of ± 0.084, and a ZP of −19.57 ± 0.95 mV. Adding Tween®-20 resulted in much lower sizes for these NPs (14.64 ± 0.76 nm with a PDI of 0.238 ± 0.066) and an increase in ZP (−5.99 ± 1.71 mV). CLL nZVIs dispersed in water displayed similar results, with lower size and higher ZP after surfactant addition (766.43 ± 129.49 nm, 0.684 ± 0.151 PDI vs. 13.4 ± 4.26 nm, 0.31 ± 0.042 PDI, −5.51 ± 0.86 mV). Using methanol as the dispersant for nZVIs displayed far worse results, which shows that nZVIs are better dispersed in water, and the addition of Tween® 20 highly reduced agglomeration, increasing the zeta potential. These results allow for better understanding of the importance of dispersant and surfactant usage for an accurate characterization by DLS.