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- The Bologna Era and the Nuclear Medicine Technologists Education: three years afterPublication . Metello, Luís F.; Cunha, LídiaAllied Health Technologies in general and Medical Imaging in particular are medical specialities where the intrinsic dynamic nature and the absolute need for the related health professionals to entirely comply with an external environment in constant evolution, with technical and regulatory issues obliging the provision of a solid basic education to be complemented with an adequate long-life learning attitude. At our institution the “Bologna Process” was considered as a great opportunity to re-think all the educative process, and the Nuclear Medicine Degree Course chose the moment to work on its adaptation regarding the real nature of the competences perceived as needed – and so naturally expected as an intrinsic characteristic from the new graduates - as well as the possible best solutions to optimize the correlation between the formal and informal education received, the “real world” needs and the preparation towards its predictable evolution.
- Acetyl-L-Carnitine Improves Cell BioenergeticsPublication . Cunha, Lídia; Bravo, Joana; Costa, Pedro; Fernandes, Sílvia; Oliveira, Marta; Castro, Rosa; Metello, Luís F.; Summavielle, TeresaIntroduction: Acetyl-L-Carnitine (ALC), a natural occurring compound in all mammalian species, plays a variety of vital functions in the body. The most important are related to mitochondria, namely the transport of fatty acids for energy production through β oxidation and the control of acyl-CoA/CoA ratio. Due to this close interaction with cell bioenergetics, it plays a role in many diseases, especially those related to the mitochondria. We propose to characterize the action of ALC in mitochondrial bioenergetics and functional integrity.
- Low dose irradiation impact on proliferation rate and genetic damage in three-dimensional HepG2 cell culturesPublication . Costa, Pedro; Lemos, Joana; Kocevar, Barbara; Cunha, Lídia; Genésio, Paula; Ponte, Fernanda; Costa, Paulo S.; Sersa, Gregory; Metello, Luís F.Biological effects of low doses of ionizing radiation are not yet consistently studied and documented. In this context, more advanced and complex biological models should be applied to obtain relevant data. Recognizing the need to evolve and develop advanced biological models, in order to try overcome as much as possible known limitations and difficulties of the current monolayer cellular models, as well as the increasing difficulties to use advanced biological models, our group has been working to develop distinct advanced biological alternative models, namely three-dimensional cell cultures.
- Modern Radiobiology: Study of Ionizing Radiation Biological Effects using ThreeDimensional Cell CulturesPublication . Costa, Pedro; Lemos, Joana; Cunha, Lídia; Carvalho, António P.; Vasconcelos, Vítor; Genésio, Paula; Ponte, Fernanda; Costa, Paulo S.; Crespo, Paulo; Metello, Luís F.Biological effects of high doses of ionizing radiation are reasonably well studied and documented. Nevertheless, there is a clear lack of information and/or evidence concerning biological effects of Low Doses, namely at medical imaging levels, as those characterizing Nuclear Medicine and Radiology typical environments. Our group has being involved in the in vitro study of these low dose radiobiological effects. Preliminary experimental results with 100mGy external gamma irradiation of HepG2 monolayer cells showed a slight increase in the proliferation rate 24h, 48h and 72h post irradiation. These preliminary results also pointed into the presence of some Bystander effects 72h post irradiation, constituting the starting point and motivation for the need of a more accurate analysis , here presented.
- Study of Mechanisms for Acetyl-L-Carnitine Neuroprotective ActionPublication . Cunha, Lídia; Damiani, Danira; Alves, Cecília J.; Metello, Luís F.; Summavielle, TeresaIntroduction: Acetyl-L-Carnitine (ALC) has been proposed to have beneficial effects in chronic neurodegenerative disorders caused by production of abnormal proteins, mitochondrial dysfunction and oxidative stress. Recently, our group demonstrated that pre-treatment with ALC confers effective neuroprotection against 3,4- methylenedioximethamphetamine (MDMA)-induced neurotoxicity. These pre-clinical studies reinforce the beneficial potential of ALC as a neuroprotectant in neurodegenerative disorders. However, little is known about the molecular mechanisms underlying ALC action.
- O uso de Ferramentas Tecnológicas no Ensino Superior Moderno: abordagem integrada e perspectivas de aplicação em caso práticoPublication . Vieira, Domingos; Costa, Pedro; Cunha, Lídia; Lemos, Joana; Ferreira, Sara; Metello, Luís F.A utilização de ferramentas tecnológicas no Ensino Superior como metodologia de ensino/aprendizagem apresenta-se cada vez mais generalizada. Consciente do facto, a Área Técnico-Científica de Medicina Nuclear da ESTSP.IPP, tem vindo a evoluir na integração gradual de algumas ferramentas tecnológicas na sua realidade específica quotidiana, sempre no sentido de aumentar a qualidade dos serviços que presta e a eficiência do processo, encarado na sua globalidade, acreditando na importante contribuição que podem vir a representar em termos de aumento da competitividade e da facilitação do alcance dos objectivos assumidos, particularmente em termos de ensino à distância e de internacionalização dos diversos projectos pedagógicos em que esta Área se encontra envolvida. Este trabalho tem como objectivo partilhar a experiência adquirida e o estado actual do uso de ferramentas tecnológicas no quotidiano, assim como os próximas etapas previstas no desenvolvimento de este projecto, considerado, por definição, como de longo-prazo. Serão apresentadas uma série de considerações, particularmente em termos da eficácia, inerentes à utilização quotidiana das várias ferramentas que foram já implementadas, sendo ainda tecidas uma série de recomendações e alertas, decorrentes da nossa experiência prática e potencialmente úteis aos que se estão a (ou pretendem) iniciar. O Espaço Europeu do Ensino Superior é declaradamente um desafio major para o qual temos que nos preparar da forma mais eficaz e competitiva, acreditando que a adopção de ferramentas tecnológicas – de uma forma atempada e sobretudo adequada aos objectivos específicos concretos de cada projecto pedagógico – pode vir a constituir um factor decisivo em termos do respectivo sucesso.
- Study of the Influence of Patient Hydration in Bone ScintigraphyPublication . Ferreira, Sara; Cunha, Lídia; Osório, Soraia; Matias, Mariana; Lemos, Joana; Vieira, Domingos; Soares, Sofia; Fonseca, Abigaíl; Silva, José Alexandre; Amorim, Inês; Castro, Rosa; Metello, Luís F.The bone scintigraphy is a diagnosis method noninvasive and sensitive in detecting early bone lesions, constituting about 35% of all tests performed in the Service of Nuclear Medicine, of the Hospital of Santo Antonio, in the city of Porto, where the following study took place. One of the important technical details in preparing the patient for this examination is the hydration following the administration of the radiopharmaceutical. The aim of this study focused on assessing the value of hydration on the quality of the image in a bone scintigraphy.
- Cuidados associados à radioiodoterapia em regime de internamentoPublication . Lemos, Joana; Cunha, LídiaObjectivos – Saber em que contexto um doente com carcinoma diferenciado da tiróide é proposto para terapia com Iodo-131 (I131). Conhecer os motivos que levam a que um doente deixe de poder ser tratado em regime ambulatório e passe a estar em regime de internamento. Nomear e explicar os principais cuidados associados ao doente antes, durante e após a dita terapia, em regime de internamento. Avaliar, de um ponto de vista técnico, os cuidados referidos nas várias fontes bibliográficas pesquisadas.
- Is there a need for attenuation correction in the 99mTc-DMSA scans on pediatric patients?Publication . Nogueira, Fábio; Lemos, Joana; Oliveira, Marta; Silva, José A.; Sousa, Maria C.; Cunha, Lídia; Metello, Luís F.Introduction: The quantification of th e differential renal function in adults can be difficult due to many factors - on e of the se is the variances in kidney depth and the attenuation related with all the tissue s between the kidney and the camera. Some authors refer that t he lower attenuation i n p ediatric patients makes unnecessary the use of attenuation correction algorithms. This study will com pare the values of differential renal function obtained with and with out attenuation correction techniques . Material and Methods: Images from a group consisting of 15 individuals (aged 3 years +/ - 2) were used and two attenuation correction method s were applied – Tonnesen correction factors and the geometric mean method . The mean time of acquisition (time post 99m Tc - DMSA administration) was 3.5 hours +/ - 0.8h. Results: T he absence of any method of attenuation correction apparently seems to lead to consistent values that seem to correlate well with the ones obtained with the incorporation of methods of attenuation correction . The differences found between the values obtained with and without attenuation correction were not significant. Conclusion: T he decision of not doing any kind of attenuation correction method can apparently be justified by the minor differences verified on the relative kidney uptake values. Nevertheless, if it is recognized that there is a need for a really accurate value of the relative kidney uptake, then an attenuation correction method should be used.
- 99mTc-MAA for Lung Perfusion Scintigraphy: Impact of Counting Method on the Effective Number of Particles Administered and Particle Aggregation Over TimePublication . Costa, Pedro; Cunha, Lídia; Soares, Sofia; Mendes, Ângela; Queiroz, Ana; Nunes, Amélia; Ferreira, Elisabete; Botelho, Elisa; Sousa, Maria C.; Castro, Rosa; Pires, Laucena; João, M. Faria; Metello, Luís F.: 99mTc-MAA (macroaggregates of albumin) is the selected radiopharmaceutical for the Lung Perfusion Scintigraphy. It is retained in lung capillaries by mechanical blockage resulting in local microembolization. Care should be taken concerning not only particle size but also the number of particles administered to patients, particularly those who present with special conditions (pulmonary hypertension, shunt or lung transplant). European Pharmacopoeia only requires the assessment of particle size. This work aims to characterize particle size and particle aggregation of two commercial brands of MAA kits and to compare particle counting methods