Glittre-Activities daily living test: physiological response in heart failure patients

Background: Functional capacity and quality of life are measures of the heart failure (HF) patient’s health status and can demonstrate the impact of the disease on the ability to perform activities of daily living (ADL´s). The Glittre-ADL (TGlittre) test is supposed to evaluate patient´s functional capacity and their ability to perform activities of daily life. The physiological requirements of this test in HF patients are still unknown. Aim(s): Analyze and compare the cardiac, ventilatory and metabolic performance of the TGlittre, 6 minute walk test (6MWT) and cardiopulmonary exercise test (CPET) in patients with HF. Methods: A prospective cross-sectional study with 11 patients of both genders (median age of 65) with HF (median left ventricle ejection fraction of 40%) underwent anthropometric and lung function assessments and were submitted to a CPET. In separate day, with a maximum of 10 days apart, patients performed the TGlittre and 6MWT. Results: Baseline cardiopulmonary variables were similar between TGlittre and 6MWT (p>0,05). TGlittre induce significantly higher VE, VE/VO2, RER, HR and VE/MVV (p<0,05) compared to 6MWT. The other physiological variables were similar at the end of both tests. TGlittre showed a significant correlation with 6MWT distance (r=-0,64; p=0,04). In the final oxygen consumption (VO2), TGlittre showed a significant correlation with CPET (r=0,72; p=0,01) and 6MWT (r=0,67; p=0,02). TGlittre showed submaximal characteristics when compared with the CPET. Conclusion: TGlittre induce higher ventilatory and cardiovascular responses than the 6MWT, with similar metabolic adjustments

Interaction between gold nanoparticles and blood proteins

Abstract in proceedings of the Fourth International Congress of CiiEM: Health, Well-Being and Ageing in the 21st Century, held at Egas Moniz’ University Campus in Monte de Caparica, Almada, from 3–5 June 2019.This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Expedite SERS Fingerprinting of Portuguese White Wines Using Plasmonic Silver Nanostars

Surface-enhanced Raman Spectrosocopy (SERS) is a highly sensitive form of Raman spectroscopy, with strong selectivity for Raman-active molecules adsorbed to plasmonic nanostructured surfaces. Extremely intense Raman signals derive from “hotspots”, generally created by the aggregation of a silver nanospheres colloid. An alternative and cleaner approach is the use of anisotropic silver nanoparticles, with intrinsic “hotspots”, allowing a more controlled enhancement effect as it is not dependent on disordered nanoparticle aggregation. Here, a simple SERS-based test is proposed for Portuguese white wines fingerprinting. The test is done by mixing microliter volumes of a silver nanostars colloid and the white wine sample. SERS spectra obtained directly from these mixtures, with no further treatments, are analyzed by principal component analysis (PCA), using a dedicated software. Depending on the duration of the incubation period, different discrimination can be obtained for the fingerprinting. A “mix-and-read” approach, with practically no incubation, allows for a simple discrimination between the three white wines tested. An overnight incubation allows for full discrimination between varieties of wine (Verde or Maduro), as well as between wines from different Maduro wine regions. This use of SERS in a straightforward, fast and inexpensive test for wine fingerprinting, avoiding the need for prior sample treatment, paves the way for the development of a simple and inexpensive authenticity assay for wines from specific appellations

Star-Shaped Gold Nanoparticles as Friendly Interfaces for Protein Electrochemistry: the Case Study of Cytochrome c

UID/QUI/50006/2019 POCI‐01‐0145‐FEDER‐007265 UID/Multi/04378/2019 POCI‐01‐0145‐FEDER‐007728 PTDC/NAN‐MAT/30589/2017 grant NORTE‐01‐0145‐FEDER‐000011 SFRH/BD/132057/2017Gold nanostars with an average tip-to-tip length of 52±6 nm were functionalized with different capping agents and used as electrode modification materials for protein electrochemistry. Direct electron transfer between cytochrome c and nanostar-coated pyrolytic graphite electrodes was observed with the protein in solution. The electrochemical response was improved at nanostars functionalized with a 1 : 1 mixture of 11-mercaptoundecanoic acid and 4-mercaptobenzoic acid in comparison with gold nanospheres coated with a similar functionalization. Further immobilization of cytochrome c on pyrolytic graphite while conjugated with the same nanostars guaranteed the maintenance of the protein's native properties, whereas direct adsorption on the bare or nanostar-modified electrodes resulted in an altered conformational state. The pseudo-peroxidase activity of the altered cytochrome c was enhanced in the presence of the nanostars.publishe

The Influence of Size

Funding Information: This work was financed by national funds from FCT – Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia, I.P., in the scope of the following Projects: UIDP/04378/2020 and UIDB/04378/2020 of the Research Unit on Applied Molecular Biosciences – UCIBIO; LA/P/0140/2020 of the Associate Laboratory Institute for Health and Bioeconomy – i4HB; UIDB/50006/2020 and UIDP/50006/2020 of the Associate Laboratory for Green Chemistry – LAQV; and PTDC/NAN‐MAT/30589/2017 (NANOMODE). Dr. Rocío Jurado is acknowledged for initial work under the scope of the NANOMODE Project. Publisher Copyright: © 2022 The Authors. Particle & Particle Systems Characterization published by Wiley-VCH GmbH.Gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) are widely used in biomedical diagnostics due to their unique plasmonic properties, with larger AuNPs showing higher extinction coefficients for the plasmon band and, consequently, more intense colors than the more commonly used spherical 20 nm AuNPs. Other factors can be important in the performance of different-sized AuNPs, including surface area, colloidal stability, and curvature effects. Here, the properties of spherical 20 nm AuNPs and 35 nm AuNPs functionalized with a specific thiol-modified oligonucleotide–Au nanoprobes are compared when used on a colorimetric assay for the detection of a single nucleotide polymorphism related to lactose intolerance in humans. Successful functionalization of AuNPs is assessed by UV–vis spectroscopy, agarose gel electrophoresis, dynamic and electrophoretic light scattering, and nanoparticle tracking analysis. Statistical differences between Au-nanoprobe DNA target groups are calculated using analysis of variance and a post hoc Tukey's test. These results show that both 35 and 20 nm Au nanoprobes have similar detection limits using a 0.15 nmol dm−3 nanoprobe concentration compared to 2.5 nmol dm−3. Interestingly, the use of 35 nm Au nanoprobes allows a reduction of 80% and 48% in the amount of gold and oligonucleotide used in the assay, respectively.publishersversionpublishe

Silver Nanostar-Based SERS for the Discrimination of Clinically Relevant Acinetobacter baumannii and Klebsiella pneumoniae Species and Clones

And project HEALTH-UNORTE I&D&I NORTE-01-0145-FEDER-000039 cofinanced by European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), through the NORTE 2020 (Programa Operacional Regional do Norte 2014/2020). AN was supported by Portuguese funds through FCT in the context of the CEEC program (2021.02252.CEECIND/CP1662/CT0009). FG was supported by Portuguese funds through FCT in the context of the transitional norm (DL57/2016/CP1346/CT0034). NL acknowledges support from a grant of the Romanian Ministry of Research and Innovation, CCCDI-UEFISCDI, project number PN-III-P4-ID-PCE-2020-1292, within PNCDI III. Publisher Copyright: © 2023 by the authors.The development of rapid, reliable, and low-cost methods that enable discrimination among clinically relevant bacteria is crucial, with emphasis on those listed as WHO Global Priority 1 Critical Pathogens, such as carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii and carbapenem-resistant or ESBL-producing Klebsiella pneumoniae. To address this problem, we developed and validated a protocol of surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) with silver nanostars for the discrimination of A. baumannii and K. pneumoniae species, and their globally disseminated and clinically relevant antibiotic resistant clones. Isolates were characterized by mixing bacterial colonies with silver nanostars, followed by deposition on filter paper for SERS spectrum acquisition. Spectral data were processed with unsupervised and supervised multivariate data analysis methods, including principal component analysis (PCA) and partial least-squares discriminant analysis (PLSDA), respectively. Our proposed SERS procedure using silver nanostars adsorbed to the bacteria, followed by multivariate data analysis, enabled differentiation between and within species. This pilot study demonstrates the potential of SERS for the rapid discrimination of clinically relevant A. baumannii and K. pneumoniae species and clones, displaying several advantages such as the ease of silver nanostars synthesis and the possible use of a handheld spectrometer, which makes this approach ideal for point-of-care applications.publishersversionpublishe

Office paper decorated with silver nanostars-an alternative cost effective platform for trace analyte detection by SERS

FCT (Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology) under the project DISERTOX number PTDC/CTM-NAN/2912/2014 and CENIMAT/i3N by FEDER funds through the COMPETE 2020 Programme and National Funds through FCT under the project number POCI-01-0145-FEDER- 007688, Reference UID/CTM/50025/2013. Unidade de Ciencias Biomoleculares Aplicadas-UCIBIO was financed by Portuguese national funds from FCT/MEC (UID/Multi/04378/2013) and co-financed by the ERDF under the PT2020 Partnership Agreement (POCI-01-0145-FEDER-007728). LAQV-Laboratorio associado para a Quimica Verde was partly financed by the European Union (FEDER funds through COMPETE) and National Funds (FCT, Fundacao para a Ciencia e Tecnologia), under the Partnership Agreement PT2020 through project UID/QUI/50006/2013-POCI/01/0145/FEDER/007265 (LAQV/REQUIMTE) and Programa Operacional Regional do Norte (ON. 2), under the Quadro de Referencia Estrategico Nacional (QREN) and funded by Fundo Europeu de Desenvolvimento Regional (Feder) NORTE-01-0145-FEDER-000011. A Araujo was funded by the Portuguese Science Foundation (FCT-MCTES) through grant SFRH/BD/85587/2012. M Almeida was funded by the Portuguese Science Foundation (FCT-MCTES) through grant SFRH/BD/95983/2013 in program POCH. The authors thank the Conservation and Restoration Department, FCT/UNL and LAQV, REQUIMTE for the use of the Raman spectrometer.For analytical applications in portable sensors to be used in the point-of-need, low-cost SERS substrates using paper as a base, are an alternative. In this work, SERS substrates were produced on two different types of paper: A high porosity paper (Whatman no. 1); and a low porosity paper (commercially available office paper, Portucel Soporcel). Solutions containing spherical silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) and silver nanostars (AgNSs) were separately drop-casted on hydrophilic wells patterned on the papers. The porosity of the paper was found to play a determinant role on the AgNP and AgNS distribution along the paper fibres, with most of the nanoparticles being retained at the illuminated surface of the office paper substrate. The highest SERS enhancements were obtained for the office paper substrate, with deposited AgNSs. A limit of detection for rhodamine-6G as low as 11.4 ± 0.2 pg could be achieved, with an analytical enhancement factor of â ‰107 for this specific analyte. The well patterning technique allowed good signal uniformity (RSD of 1.7%). Besides, these SERS substrates remained stable after 5 weeks of storage (RSD of 7.3%). Paper-induced aggregation of AgNPs was found to be a viable alternative to the classical salt-induced aggregation, to obtain a highly sensitive SERS substrates.publishersversionpublishe

Identification of Eschweilenol C in derivative of Terminalia fagifolia Mart. and green synthesis of bioactive and biocompatible silver nanoparticles

A green synthetic route was developed to prepare silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) in aqueous solution for biological applications. Eschweilenol C, a compound derivative ellagic acid was identified as the main constituent of the aqueous fraction of the ethanolic extract of Terminalia fagifolia Mart. by NMR analysis. In the green synthesis, the ethanolic extract of T. fagifolia and its aqueous fraction were used to promote silver reduction and nanoparticle stabilization. The synthesized AgNPs presented a spherical or polygonal morphology shape by TEM analysis and AgNPs showed high levels of antioxidant and considerable antibacterial and antifungal activities. Synthesized nanoparticles presented significant antioxidant activity by sequestration of DPPH and ABTS radicals, in addition to iron reduction (FRAP assay) and measurement of antioxidant capacity in ORAC units, in addition, AgNP synthesized with the aqueous fraction also demonstrated antioxidant potential in microglial cells. Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria were susceptible to growth inhibition by the nanoparticles, among which the AgNPs formed by the ethanolic extract was the most effective. The data obtained by AFM images suggested that AgNPs could lead to the lysis of bacteria and subsequent death. The antifungal assays showed high efficiency against yeasts and dermatophytes. This work represents the first description of antifungal activity by AgNPs against Fonsecaea pedrosoi, the etiologic agent of chromoblastomycosis. In relation to biocompatibility, the AgNPs induced lower haemolysis than AgNO3.We thank Herbert Kogler and Reinhard Wimmer for the identification of Eschweilenol C. The NMR laboratory at Aalborg University is supported by the Obel Family, SparNord and Carlsberg foundations.The authors are grateful to Carla Eiras (LIMAV/CT/UFPI) and to FCT and EU for financial support through project UID/QUI/50006/2013– POCI-01-0145-FEDER-007265 from COMPETE and projectNORTE-01-0145-FEDER-000011 from COMPETE. Thanks to Andreia Pinto for help with the TEM measurements at Instituto de Medicina Molecular (IMM). This work was supported by the Histology and Comparative Pathology Laboratory of the IMMinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Acetylated cashew gum-based nanoparticles for the incorporation of alkaloid epiisopiloturine

The natural alkaloid epiisopiloturine has recently become the focus of study for various medicinal properties, particularly for its anti-inflammatory and antischistosomal effect. The incorporation of active molecules in natural polymeric matrices has garnered increasing interest during recent decades. A new derivative of cashew gum successfully obtained by gum acetylation has shown great potential as a carrier in controlled drug release systems. In this work, epiisopiloturine was encapsulated in acetylated cashew gum nanoparticles in order to increase solubility and allow slow release, whereas the morphology results were supported by computer simulations. The particles were produced under a variety of conditions, and thoroughly characterized using light scattering and microscopic techniques. The particles were spherical and highly stable in solution, and showed drug incorporation at high levels, up to 55% efficiency. Using a dialysis-based in vitro assay, these particles were shown to release the drug via a Fickian diffusion mechanism, leading to gradual drug release over approximately 6 h. These nanoparticles show potential for the use as drug delivery system, while studies on their potential anti-inflammatory action, as well as toxicity and efficacy assays would need to be performed in the future to confirm their suitability as drug delivery candidates.This work was conducted in partnership with the Polymer Laboratory of the Federal University of Ceará for polymer modification. The authors thanks Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) for the fellowships SFRH/BD/97995/2013 (AP) and SFRH/BD/95983/2013 (MPA), in the context of the POCH program. The work at UCIBIO/REQUIMTE was supported by FCT through project UID/MULTI/04378/2013 – POCI/01/0145/FEDER/007728 with financial support from FCT/MCTES through national funds and co-financed by FEDER, under the Partnership Agreement PT2020. The work at REQUIMTE/LAQV received financial support from the European Union (FEDER funds through COMPETE) and National Funds (FCT) through project UID/QUI/50006/2013. The computational time was provided by GRID-Unesp, SICC/IFSP and CENAPAD/SP. The authors also acknowledge CNPq and CAPES for a scholarship and financial aid.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio