Experiência no curso de estudantes de 1º ano – um estudo no âmbito das tutorias de acompanhamento na Universidade de Évora

O presente estudo pretende conhecer a experiência no curso de estudantes de 1º ano que ingressaram na Universidade de Évora no final do 1º semestre. Estudos realizados sobre a percepção dos estudantes relativa ao contexto de aprendizagem no ensino superior indicam forte relação com as abordagens à aprendizagem e apresentam forte relevância para a compreensão da forma como os estudantes acedem ao conhecimento e para a definição de processos de aprendizagem de elevada qualidade (Entwistle, 2009; Chaleta & Entwistle, 2011). Os dados foram obtidos através da aplicação do CEQP (Ramsden, 2005; 2006; Chaleta et al, 2012) com 565 estudantes de diferentes cursos e áreas científicas. Os resultados indicaram que a experiência no curso é positiva para o conjunto dos estudantes havendo necessidade de observar com mais atenção as questões relacionadas com a avaliação. A grande maioria dos estudantes revela também satisfação com o curso que frequenta. Palavras-Chave: Experiência no Curso; Tutorias de Acompanhamento; CEQP; Ensino Superior. Abstract This study examine the experience in the course of the 1st year students who entered at the University of Évora. Studies on the perception of students on the learning environment in higher education indicate a strong relationship with the approaches to learning and have strong relevance to the understanding how students access the knowledge and the definition of high quality learning processes (Entwistle, 2009; Chaleta & Entwistle, 2011). The data were obtained by applying the CEQP (Ramsden, 2005, 2006; Chaleta et al, 2012) with 565 students from different courses and scientific areas. The results indicated that the course experience is positive for all the students but we need to look more closely at the issues related to assessment. The vast majority of students also reveals satisfaction with the course who attends Keywords: Course Experience; Mentor Monitoring; CEQP; Higher Education

Craniossinostoses Importância Clínica e Implicações Funcionais

Introdução: A craniossinostose é uma condição patológica que resulta do encerramento precoce de uma ou várias suturas cranianas, podendo, para além da questão estética, levar ao aparecimento de complicações neurológicas, mais frequente quando existe envolvimento de mais de uma sutura. Descrição dos Casos: Os autores apresentam dois casos clínicos de craniossinostose, com diferentes tempos de seguimento, ilustrando a problemática da intervenção cirúrgica e a necessidade de observação precoce e seguimento por Neurocirurgia. Discussão: Sendo uma patologia relativamente frequente na população pediátrica geral deverá constituir um motivo de atenção especial por parte do Pediatra/Médico Assistente na avaliação periódica em Consulta de Rotina, referenciando à Consulta de Neurocirurgia o mais precocemente possível

Foxj1a is expressed in ependymal precursors, controls central canal position and is activated in new ependymal cells during regeneration in zebrafish

© 2017 The Authors. Published by the Royal Society under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/, which permits unrestricted use, provided the original author and source are creditedZebrafish are able to regenerate the spinal cord and recover motor and sensory functions upon severe injury, through the activation of cells located at the ependymal canal. Here, we show that cells surrounding the ependymal canal in the adult zebrafish spinal cord express Foxj1a. We demonstrate that ependymal cells express Foxj1a from their birth in the embryonic neural tube and that Foxj1a activity is required for the final positioning of the ependymal canal. We also show that in response to spinal cord injury, Foxj1a ependymal cells actively proliferate and contribute to the restoration of the spinal cord structure. Finally, this study reveals that Foxj1a expression in the injured spinal cord is regulated by regulatory elements activated during regeneration. These data establish Foxj1a as a pan-ependymal marker in development, homeostasis and regeneration and may help identify the signals that enable this progenitor population to replace lost cells after spinal cord injury.This research was supported by FCT (Portugal) grants (PTDC/BIM-MED/1375/2012 and PTDC/BIM-MED/3295/2014) given to L.S. L.S. was supported by an IF contract from FCT (Portugal). A.R. was supported by a postdoctoral fellowship of the FCT (Portugal) (SFRH/BPD/100162/2014) and EMBO (605-2012)info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Elevated glucose changes the expression of ionotropic glutamate receptor subunits and impairs calcium homeostasis in retinal neural cells

PURPOSE. Altered glutamatergic neurotransmission and calcium homeostasis may contribute to retinal neural cell dysfunction and apoptosis in diabetic retinopathy (DR). The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of high glucose on the protein content of -amino-3-hydroxy-5-methylisoxazole-4-propionic acid (AMPA) and kainate glutamate receptor subunits, particularly the GluR2 subunit, because it controls Ca2 permeability of AMPA receptor-associated channels. The effect of high glucose on the concentration of cytosolic free calcium ([Ca2 ]i) was also investigated. METHODS. The protein content of GluR1, GluR2, GluR6/7, and KA2 subunits was assessed by Western blot. Cobalt staining was used to identify cells containing calcium/cobalt-permeable AMPA receptors. The [Ca2 ]i changes evoked by KCl or kainate were recorded by live-cell confocal microscopy in R28 cells and in primary cultures of rat retina, loaded with fluo-4. RESULTS. In primary cultures, high glucose significantly decreased the protein content of GluR1 and GluR6/7 subunits and increased the protein content of GluR2 and KA2 subunits. High glucose decreased the number of cobalt-positive cells, suggesting a decrease in calcium permeability through AMPA receptor-associated channels. In high-glucose–treated cells, changes in [Ca2 ]i were greater than in control cells, and the recovery to basal levels was delayed. However, in the absence of Na , to prevent the activation of voltage-sensitive calcium channels, the [Ca2 ]i changes evoked by kainate in the presence of cyclothiazide, which inhibits AMPA receptor desensitization, were significantly lower in high-glucose–treated cells than in control cultures, further indicating that AMPA receptors were less permeable to calcium. Mannitol, used as an osmotic control, did not cause significant changes compared with the control. CONCLUSIONS. The results suggest that elevated glucose may alter glutamate neurotransmission and calcium homeostasis in the retina, which may have implications for the mechanisms of vision loss in DR.Foundation for Science and Technology, Portugal and FEDER (Grant POCTI/CBO/38545/01), The Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, The American Diabetes Association and the Pennsylvania Lions Sight Conservation and Eye Eye Research Foundation

Cardiac resynchronization therapy is effective even in elderly patients with comorbidities

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to compare the effects of cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) in elderly patients (> or =65 years) with younger patients and to assess the impact of comorbidities in CRT remodeling response. METHODS: This is a prospective study of 87 consecutive patients scheduled for CRT who underwent clinical and echocardiographic evaluation before and 6 months after CRT. A reduction in left ventricular end-systolic volume (LVESV) > or =15% after CRT defined remodeling responders, and a reduction of at least one New York Heart Association class defined clinical responders. Multivariate analysis was used to identify independent predictors of non-response to CRT in terms of reverse remodeling. RESULTS: The mean age was 62 +/- 11 years, with 36 elderly patients (41%). The baseline QRS duration was 145 +/- 32 ms. After CRT, there were significant and similar improvements of left ventricular (LV) ejection fraction, LVESV, LV dP/dt, and mitral regurgitation jet area (JA) between elderly (> or =65 years) and younger (74 mm, and JA >10 cm(2) before CRT, but not comorbidities. CONCLUSION: This work suggests that being elderly is not an impediment to CRT success even in the presence of comorbidities

Rodent models of Parkinson's disease: beyond the motor symptomatology

Parkinson's disease (PD) is classically characterized by motor symptoms; however, non-motor symptoms (NMS) are increasingly recognized as relevant in disease-state, given the associated alterations in mood (depression and anxiety) and cognition. Here, particularly in regards to NMS, we aimed to compare the motor, emotional and cognitive behavior of three animal models of PD that trigger dopaminergic (DAergic) degeneration on both brain hemispheres: (i) the 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA, 8 or 6 µg) lesion model; (ii) the paraquat (PQ) induced model, and (iii) a genetic model based on a-synuclein overexpression (a-syn). 6-OHDA and a-syn vector were injected bilaterally in the substantia nigra pars compacta (SNpc) of adult male Wistar rats; as for PQ delivery, micro-osmotic pumps were implanted in the interscapular region. Motor deficits were observed in all models, with histological analysis of tyrosine hydroxylase positive cells in the SNpc revealing a significant loss of DAergic neurons in all animal models. In addition, the a-syn animal model also presented a reduction in exploratory activity, and the 6-OHDA and PQ animals displayed a significant increase in both depressive- and anxiety-like behavior. Interestingly, cognitive impairment (working memory) was only observed in the 6-OHDA model. Overall, these PD models are suitable for mimicking the motor symptoms associated to PD, with each encompassing other relevant NMS components of the disorder that may prove beneficial for further studies in PD.We would like to acknowledge the funds attributed by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT), the PhD scholarships to E L. Campos (SFRH/BD/47311/2008) and M. M. Carvalho (SFRH/BD/51061/2010) and the Post-Doctoral fellowship to A. C. Cristovao (SFRH/BPD/69643/2010), and to Fundacao Calouste de Gulbenkian-Programme to Support Cutting Edge Research in Life Sciences and ICVS for funding this work. We want to further acknowledge Joao Cerqueira and Nadine Correia Santos for their contribution to this work

Identification of 'super-responders' to cardiac resynchronization therapy: the importance of symptom duration and left ventricular geometry

AIMS: Some patients show such an important clinical improvement and reverse remodelling after cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) that anatomy and function approach normal. These patients have been called 'super-responders'. The aim of our study was to identify predictors of becoming a super-responder after CRT. METHODS AND RESULTS: Eighty-seven consecutive patients who underwent CRT were prospectively studied. Before CRT and 6 months after, clinical and echocardiographic evaluation was performed. Patients with a decrease in New York Heart Association functional class >or=1, a two-fold or more increase of left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) or a final LVEF >45%, and a decrease in LV end-systolic volume >15% were classified as super-responders. There were 12% super-responders. At baseline, there were no significant differences between super-responders and the other patients, except for the fact that super-responders had significantly smaller mitral regurgitation and LV end-diastolic diameter (LVEDD) and a shorter duration of heart failure symptoms. Mitral regurgitation jet area, LVEDD, and duration of heart failure symptoms were correlated with this super-response. Moreover, an evolution of symptoms for <12 months was an independent predictor of super-response to CRT. CONCLUSION: Patients in earlier phases of the cardiomyopathy, with a less altered ventricular geometry, seem to have a greater probability of becoming super-responders

Formação continuada de professores: curso de capacitação ou grupo colaborativo?

Este trabalho narra a história de um Grupo Colaborativo de Estudos em Educação Matemática (GCEEM), escrita sob o ponto de vista de seus próprios participantes. A intenção inicial era apenas ter por escrito o registro desta história, para que o tempo não apagasse experiências importantes e significativas da trajetória desse grupo que julgamos diferente de outros que conhecemos, por não possuir vínculo com qualquer instituição de ensino privada ou pública, sem nenhuma remuneração ou dispensa de nossas atividades escolares. Decidimos, então, que cada integrante contaria de que forma o grupo surgiu em sua vida, as contribuições e as mudanças provocadas em sua prática enquanto educador. Como o grupo, desde seu início, em 2005, já possuía a prática de ter memórias (atas), escritas pelos seus próprios participantes, optou-se, também, por revisá-las. Ao escrevermos e analisarmos nossa própria história, (re)visitando as memórias do grupo e as narrativas pessoais, percebemos que além de divulgar nossa experiência para inspirar novos grupos, seria importante obtermos o reconhecimento e a validação da nossa prática pelas políticas públicas como uma valiosa alternativa de formação continuada.&nbsp;Grupos colaborativos, como o nosso, são espaços de reflexões que promovem aperfeiçoamento e mudança de nossas práticas pedagógicas. São espaços em que temos alcançado a “verdadeira” formação continuada

Contexto arqueológico y cultural

UIDB/00749/2020 UIDP/00749/2020En el ámbito del proyecto de investigación IGAEDIS (Da civitas Igaeditanorum à Egitânia. A construção e evolução da cidade e a definição dos seus territórios da Época Romana até à doação dos Templários - séculos I a XII) se han realizado diferentes actuaciones arqueológicas en la actual aldea histórica de Idanha-a-Velha (Portugal). Además, la revisión de anteriores intervenciones, complementadas con la realización de dataciones absolutas, han permitido atribuir una cronología más temprana de la asignada hasta ahora a los dos “baptisterios” documentados en el yacimiento. Esta nueva lectura nos lleva a plantear un renovado marco de reflexión y crítica histórica, tanto de estas construcciones - piscinas bautismales - como del contexto en el que se insertan. Un ejercicio presentado en este trabajo de manera diacrónica, con el objetivo de mejorar el conocimiento sobre la evolución histórica de este sitio arqueológico entre los siglos IV-VIII.publishersversionpublishe