TRAIL, DR5 and Caspase 3-dependent Apoptosis in Vessels of Diseased Human Temporomandibular Joint Disc. An Immunohistochemical Study

To evaluate the apoptosis involvement in the angiogenesis as a self-limiting process in patients with temporomandibular joint (TMJ) degenerated disc vessels, we assessed, by immunohistochemistry, the detection of TRAIL, its death receptor DR5 and caspase 3. TRAIL, its death receptor DR5 and caspase 3 expression were studied by immunohistochemistry in 15 TMJ discs displaced without reduction and in 4 unaffected discs. These apoptosis molecules were detected in the intima and media layers of newly formed vessels affected discs. In conclusion, vessels apoptosis activation in TMJ disc with ID could be regarded as a self-limiting process that try to leads to vessel regression; in this way an inhibition of angiogenic vessels may prove a key strategy in limiting pathological angiogenesis, by cutting off blood supply to tumors, or by reducing harmful inflammation

Citizens involvement in the assessment of atmospheric contamination in an industrial area

Trabalho apresentado em 25th International Clean Air and Environment Conference CASANZ 2021, 17-21 de maio 2021, onlineN/

Nanocellulose-based antifungal nanocomposites against the polymorphic fungus Candida albicans

The design of functional materials capable of fighting fungal infections is of paramount importance given the intricate problem of multidrug-resistant pathogenic fungi. Herein, nanocomposites consisting of cross-linked poly([2-(methacryloyloxy)ethyl]trimethylammonium chloride) (PMETAC) and bacterial nanocellulose (BNC) were prepared, characterized and tested towards the polymorphic fungus Candida albicans. The BNC three-dimensional network enabled the in-situ polymerization of the non-toxic and bioactive quaternary-ammonium monomer, which originated transparent nanocomposites containing 10 and 40 wt.% of cross-linked PMETAC. Furthermore, the nanocomposites exhibit UV-A and UV-B blocking properties, high water-uptake capacity, thermal stability up to 200 °C, good viscoelastic (storage modulus > 1.7 GPa) and mechanical (Young's modulus ≥2.4 GPa) properties and are non-cytotoxic to human keratinocytes (HaCaT cells). The fungal inactivation reached a 4.4 ± 0.14-log CFU reduction for the nanocomposite containing only 10 wt.% of cross-linked PMETAC. Hence, these bioactive and non-cytotoxic materials can constitute potentially effective systems for the treatment of C. albicans infections.publishe

Influence of the PAni morphology deposited on the carbon fiber: An analysis of the capacitive behavior of this hybrid composite

AbstractCF/PAni composites were synthesized using the polymerization chemistry. Three different deposition times were used in the synthesis, such as: 30, 60 and 90min. The morphology and the structure of composites were analyzed by SEM and Raman spectroscopy, respectively. The influence of the mass of polymer deposited on the carbon fiber, with respect to the values of specific capacitance (Csp) was analyzed by electrochemical experiments. The optimum value of the Csp was obtained for CF/PAni-30min (Csp=188Fg−1). This fact is related to the lower charge transfer resistance, due to its more homogeneous morphology and thin layer polyaniline

Oxidative potential of fine aerosols from a Portuguese urban-industrial area

Trabalho apresentado em NInTec Science Days, 6-7 October 2022, Lisboa, PortugalN/

Citizens’ involvement in air biomonitoring with strawberry plants

Trabalho apresentado em EUDRES Citizen Science Conference, 28-29 de junho 2023, Barreiro, PortugalN/

Ser diplomado do ensino superior: escolhas, percursos e retornos

Textos selecionados a partir de comunicações apresentadas no 3.º Seminário “Ser Diplomado do Ensino Superior: Escolhas, Percursos e Retornos”, realizado pelo ObservatoriUM - Observatório dos Percursos Académicos dos Estudantes da Universidade do Minho (Campus de Gualtar, 9 de junho de 2017).Este trabalho é financiado pelo CIEd - Centro de Investigação em Educação, projetos UID/CED/1661/2013 e UID/CED/1661/2016, Instituto de Educação, Universidade do Minho, através de fundos nacionais da FCT/MCTES-PT.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Surface chemistry and spectroscopy studies on 1,4-naphthoquinone in cell membrane models using Langmuir monolayers

Investigating the role of drugs whose pharmaceutical activity is associated with cell membranes is fundamental to comprehending the biochemical processes that occur on membrane surfaces. in this work, we examined the action of 1,4-naphthoquinone in lipid Langmuir monolayers at the air-water interface, which served as a model for half of a membrane, and investigated the molecular interactions involved with tensiometry and vibrational spectroscopy. the surface pressure-area isotherms exhibited a noticeable shift to a lower area in relation to 1,2-dipalmitoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (DPPC) and 1,2-dihexadecanoyl-sn-glycero-3-phospho-L-serine (DPPS) lipid monolayers, which indicated a disruption of the monolayer structure and solubilisation of the lipids towards the aqueous subphase. To better correlate to the action of this drug in biological membrane events, cell cultures that represented tumorigenic and non-tumorigenic cells were spread onto the air-water interface, and 1,4-naphthoquinone was then incorporated. While only slight changes were observed in the non-tumorigenic cells upon drug incorporation, significant changes were observed in the tumorigenic cells, on which the organisation of the Langmuir monolayers was disrupted as evidenced by tensiometry and vibrational spectroscopy. This work then shows that this drug interacts preferentially for specific surfaces. in simplified models, it has a higher effect for the negative charged DPPS rather than the zwitterionic DPPC; and for complex cell cultures, 1,4-naphthoquinone presents a more significant effect for that representing tumorigenic cells. (c) 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.Universidade Federal de São Paulo, Diadema, SP, BrazilUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, Diadema, SP, BrazilWeb of Scienc