ESS - CM - Comunicações em eventos científicos
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- A avaliação de stress em saúde ocupacional numa equipa de urgência: um estudo pilotoPublication . Ribas, Cláudia; Ribas, Jorge; Abreu, Sofia; Fonte, Rosália; Moucho, Marina; Montenegro, Nuno; Prudêncio, CristinaO presente estudo constituiu um estudo preliminar que se debruçou sobre a avaliação do stress em Saúde Ocupacional em profissionais que integram o serviço de urgência de Obstétrica do Hospital de S. João no Porto. Esta avaliação visa a elaboração de estratégias que contribuam para a maximização dos cuidados de saúde e está diretamente associada à tríada recursos humanos, materiais e satisfação do utente.
- Bdnf-NRF2 crosstalk in depression disorderPublication . Santos, Marlene; Caldevilla, Renato; Morais, Stephanie; Carvalho, Serafim; Medeiros, Rui; Barroso, Maria FátimaThe World Health Organization estimates that major depressive disorder (MDD) affects over 264 million individuals globally, posing a significant public health challenge. Treatment-resistant depression (TRD) represents a severe form of MDD with poor treatment outcomes. Genetic variations are known to impact MDD treatment responses, yet genome-wide association studies have struggled to identify consistent marker alleles. Previous research has linked the Brain Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF) genetic polymorphism with TRD. BDNF is essential for neuronal survival and neuroplasticity, processes influenced by antidepressant treatment, and regulated by transcription factors like Nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (NRF2). NRF2 regulates antioxidant and anti-inflammatory responses and plays a crucial role in depression pathogenesis. NRF2 knockout mice exhibit reduced BDNF levels and depression-like behaviors, indicating that NRF2activation enhances BDNF expression and antidepressant efficacy. The BDNF rs6265 (Val66Met) polymorphism is associated with variations in antidepressant response rates. Research suggests that the interaction between BDNF and NRF2 pathways could enhance antidepressant effectiveness. NRF2 activation, such as through the compound sulforaphane, has demonstrated rapid antidepressant effects by increasing BDNF expression. Lower levels of NRF2 and BDNF are observed in stress-induced depression models, and ketamine treatment influences NRF2-related genes. Simultaneously, there is a growing need for efficient genotyping methods, and genosensors offer a promising solution. This presentation will address the interplay between BDNF and NRF2 in depression, explore its relationship in antidepressant response, and present a putative genosensor for BDNF rs6265 (Val66Met) polymorphism identification, improving antidepressant treatment outcome.
- Chronic toxicity of valproic acid in daphnia magnaPublication . Machado, Beatriz; Prudêncio, Cristina; Ferraz, Ricardo; Barros, PiedadeEnvironmental exposure to pharmaceuticals, have negative effects on the health of ecosystems and humans and numerous pharmaceuticals have been identified on surface watersall around the world. After administration, medicines are absorbed, metabolized,and excreted to the sewer system, but many are refractory to the traditional wastewater treatment and become widely distributed in freshwater riversand lakes. Valproic acid is a short-chain fatty acid,clinically used as a broad-spectrum antiepileptic drug, in neurological diseases, whose adverse effects in aquatic organisms are not fully studied. Daphnia magnaisa planktonic crustacean found in lakes and ponds and is one of the most used organisms in aquatic toxicology studies. The adverse effects of pharmaceuticals in Daphni ahave consequences in all the ecosystem. The aim of this study is to evaluate the influence of valproic acid in the reproduction of Daphnia magna. The chronic toxicity study had a duration of 21 days. It was evaluated the effect of five different concentrations of valproic acid(0,4 mg/L, 0,6 mg/L, 0,8 mg/L, 1,0 mg/L and 1,2 mg/L). The parameters evaluated were age at first, second and third posture; the number and mortality of juveniles of each posture. Valproic acid affected the age of the first posture in all the concentrations, it is notice able a delay comparatively to the control. In relation to the juveniles, all concentrations of valproic acid induced aborted eggs, and this number was higher at the highest concentrations (1,0 mg/L and 1,2 mg/L). The control didn’t have any aborted eggs. At the highest concentrations, juvenile mortality was higher,and postures were smaller than the control. Valproic acid interfere with the reproduction of Daphnia magna, causing a delay in reproduction and affecting the number and viability of the offspring.
- Compliance of publicly available mammographic databases with established case selection and annotation requirementsPublication . Moreira, Inês Castro; Bacelar Silva, G.; Rodrigues, P. P.Mammographic databases play an important role in the development of algoritms aiming to improve Computer-Aided Detection and Diagnosis systems (CAD). However, these often do not take into consideration all the requirements needed for a proper study, previously discussed at the Biomedical Image Processin Meeting in 1993.
- 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.
- Cytotoxicity of marine cyanobacteria extracts on osteosarcoma cellsPublication . Costa-Rodrigues, João; Costa, M. M.; Costa, S.; Garcia, M.; Fernandes, M. H.; Vasconcelos, V.; Barros, Piedade; Martins, RosárioMarine cyanobacteria have been identified as a rich source of secondary metabolites with potential pharmacological applications. Anti-inflammatory, antibacterial and anticancer activities are some examples of properties described for cyanobacteria compounds, being the cytoxicity against cancer cell lines one of the most documented. The Laboratory of Ecotoxicology Genomics and Evolution (LEGE) — CIIMAR, Porto, Portugal, possesses a large collection of cyanobacteria strains isolated from the Portuguese coast. In order to investigate the interest of genera such as Cyanobium, Synechocystis, Synechococcus, Leptolyngbya and Pseudoanabaena which are genera that have been largely overlooked in terms of bioactivity, we have been screening their ability to induce cytotoxicity on human cancer cell lines. Assays have been conducted with a crude extract obtained by a dichloromethane and methanol extraction of freeze dried biomass and three fractions obtained using Si column chromatography with a gradient from 100% hexane, to 100% ethyl acetate to 100% methanol. The cytotoxicity of cyanobacteria crude extract and fractions has been evaluated by the MTT assay at 24, 48 and 72 h. Here we present the results concerning the cytotoxicity of 24 cyanobacteria strains on the osteosarcoma cell line MG63. The results show both inhibitory and stimulatory effects on cell growth within the same cyanobacteria strain. However, five cyanobacteria strains were found to induce a decrease in cell viability that reached the 80% within the ethyl acetate fraction, which makes this fraction interesting for the isolation and characterization of new bioactive compounds.
- Cytotoxity induced by extracts of Pisolithustinctorius spores on human cancer and normal cell lines – evaluation of the anticancer potentialPublication . Alves, Ricardo; Preto, Marco; Oliveira, Rui S.; Martins, RosárioCancer is one of the most important causes of death and morbidity worldwide. According to the World Health Organization 8.2 million people have died from cancer in 2012. The treatment of this fast growing disease is regarded as a major challenge in health for the XXI century. Conventional anti-cancer therapy is usually aggressive to the patients due to systemic toxicity caused by lack of specificity of the chemotherapy drugs (Kidd, 2000). This has triggered the interest of the scientific community to search for new and more effective therapies, less aggressive than conventional treatments. Used since antiquity in oriental civilizations, fungi, in particular mushrooms have been shown to limit or reverse tumor growth (Kidd, 2000). Pisolithustinctorius (Basidiomycota) is a soil fungus with world-wide distribution that it known to form ectomycorrhizal symbioses in forest ecosystems (Kope & Fortin, 1990). The sporocarps of this fungus contain Pisosterol, a triterpene that has been shown to have antitumor activity against some cancer cell lines (Montenegro et al., 2004). Nevertheless, no studies have focused on the anticancer potential of other structures such as spores and thus the anticancer potential of P. tinctorius , remains largely unknown.
- Detecting toxic dinoflagellates (Dinophysis spp.) using electrochemical genosensorsPublication . Pereira, Eduarda; Barros, Piedade; Cruz, Agostinho; Santos, MarleneAquatic environments are important economic and ecological sources for human activities (e.g. fisheries, tourism, agriculture and aquaculture). However, the increase in those practices has, over the years, compromised the integrity of these ecosystems. Runoffs of terrestrial nutrients (from, for example, agricultural and industrial waste) and higher surface temperatures are believed to have transformed these ecosystems into favourable habitats for algae growth and proliferation. As a result, the frequency in phytoplankton microalgae blooms is rising worldwide. These microorganisms are mostly harmless, however certain species, namely belonging to dinoflagellates (e.g., Dinophysis spp.) produce toxins that pose a potential risk for human health. Therefore, the need for technological developments towards fast and precise detection of these toxin-producing microalgae is critical to prevent socioeconomical damages and assess the ecological status of marine ecosystems. In this work, an analytical approach based on an electrochemical genosensor device was developed to create a low-cost platform able to detect two dinoflagellate species from the genus Dinophysis: D. acuminata and D. acuta, which are lipophilic toxin producers responsible of diarrhetic shellfish poisoning (DSP) in humans. The design of this DNA-based sensor consists of several steps including: i) Sensing phase: consisted by a mixed self-assembled monolayer (SAM) composed by a linear DNA capture probe(DNA-CP) and mercaptohexanol (MCH) onto disposable screen-printed gold electrodes (SPGE) surface; ii) Hybridization of complementary DNA sequence (DNA target) by using a sandwich format assay with enzymatic labels and iii) Electrochemical detection by chronoamperometry using an enzymatic scheme to amplify the electrochemical signal. The best analytical conditions were used to study the relationship between electrochemical signal and DNA target concentration, to produce the best electrochemical genosensor device.
- DGCR8 microprocessor subunit mutation and expression deregulation in thyroid lesionsPublication . Rodrigues, Lia; Canberk, Sule; Macedo, Sofia; Soares, Paula; Vinagre, JoãoDeregulation of microRNA (miRNA) processing is a driver event in several tumours including thyroid cancer. DiGeorge Critical Region 8 (DGCR8) gene holds a critical role in miRNA biogenesis, as a microprocessor complex component, and in the development of the thyroid. Previous studies identified a DGCR8 mutation – the variant c.1552G>A p.(E518K) – in cases of thyroid cancer and proposed to cause a familial syndrome characterized by multinodular goitre (MNG) and schwannomatosis. The goal of this study was to characterize the variant p.(E518K) of DGCR8 in thyroid lesions and evaluate its expression.
- Does attention to cardiac sensations modulate heartbeat-evoked potentials even after controlling for cognitive demands?Publication . Braga, Patrícia Vilela; Vieira, Beatriz; Carina, Fernandes; Barbosa, Fernando; Santos, Fernando Ferreira; Pereira, Mariana R.; Rocha, Nuno Barbosa; Mazer, Prune; Pasion, Rita; Schütz-Bosbach, Simone; Paiva, Tiago Oliveira; Campos, Carlos; Campos, Carlos; Rocha, Nuno; Mazer, PruneHeartbeat-evoked potentials (HEP) have been shown to be modulated by attentional focus (cardiac vs. exteroceptive attention), suggesting that HEP are a neural correlate of interoceptive prediction errors. However, this effect has not been consistently replicated, and differences in cognitive effort when contrasting interoceptive vs. exteroceptive attention may be a confounding factor. We devised a modified Heartbeat Attention Task to examine whether cardiac attention can modulate HEP amplitude even when cognitive demands are matched across interoceptive and exteroceptive conditions. In exteroceptive blocks, subjects were required to count subtle bursts of volume increase embedded within a continuous white noise. The bursts’ volume was individually tailored for each participant (near absolute threshold) and were presented in a rhythmic pattern replicating a typical heart rate. In interoceptive blocks, participants were asked to count their heartbeats, whilst the white noise was still presented, ensuring that the neural effects were driven by the attention shift rather than sensory changes. The task was first completed by 50 participants (25F; 28.44y) during a 9-electrode EEG recording: frontal, central and parietal sites. No significant differences were found regarding counted heartbeats (M=122.00) vs white noise bursts (M=118.86) as well as on perceived attentional efforts (heart M=65.00 vs bursts M=67.00), indicating similar task demands across conditions. No significant differences between conditions were found on HEP amplitude across all electrodes (p > .137 for all), suggesting no attentional modulation of HEP amplitude after accounting for cognitive demands. Due to the reduced number of electrodes, a follow-up sample of 26 participants (13F; 21.73y) completed the task using a new EEG geodesic 64-channel sensor net. This dataset is currently under processing and will allow for a more comprehensive data-driven analytic approach (cluster-based permutation test) to ensure whether the attentional modulation of HEP amplitude is indeed absent when accounting for cognitive demands.