Comorbidades associadas às epilepsias e cefaleias

Comorbidities are often associated with chronic neurological diseases, such as headache and epilepsy. OBJECTIVES: To identify comorbidities associated with epilepsy and headaches, and to determine possible drug interactions. METHODS: A standardized questionnaire with information about type of epilepsy/headache, medical history, and medication was administered to 80 adult subjects (40 with epilepsy and 40 with chronic headache). RESULTS: Patients with epilepsy had an average of two comorbidities and those with headache of three. For both groups, hypertension was the most prevalent. On average, patients with epilepsy were taking two antiepileptic medications and those with headache were taking only one prophylactic medication. Regarding concomitant medications, patients with epilepsy were in use, on average, of one drug and patients with headache of two. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with chronic neurological diseases, such as epilepsy and headaches, have a high number of comorbidities and they use many medications. This may contribute to poor adherence and interactions between different medications.As comorbidades geralmente estão associadas a doenças neurológicas crônicas, tais como cefaleia e epilepsia. OBJETIVOS: Identificar comorbidades associadas à epilepsia e cefaleia e determinar as possíveis interações de drogas. MÉTODOS: Questionário padronizado com informações sobre o tipo de epilepsia/cefaleia, os antecedentes médicos e as medicações foi aplicado a 80 indivíduos adultos (40 com epilepsia e 40 com cefaleia crônica). RESULTADOS: Pacientes com epilepsia e cefaleia apresentaram uma média de duas e três comorbidades, respectivamente, sendo, para ambos, hipertensão arterial sistêmica a mais prevalente. Em média, os pacientes com epilepsia estavam em uso de duas medicações antiepilépticas; aqueles com cefaleia, uma medicação profilática. Em relação às medicações concomitantes, os pacientes com epilepsia estavam em uso, em média, de uma droga e os pacientes com cefaleia de duas. CONCLUSÕES: Pacientes com doenças neurológicas crônicas, como epilepsia e cefaleia, apresentam elevado número de comorbidades e utilizam grande número de medicações. Isso pode contribuir para diminuir a aderência ao tratamento e facilitar interações entre diversas medicações.27427

Optimization of gold core-mesoporous silica shell functionalization with TPGS and PEI for cancer therapy

Photothermal therapy (PTT) has captured the attention of different researchers around the world, since the application of NIR light responsive-nanomaterials has shown promising results in cancer therapy. Gold-core mesoporous silica shell (Au-MSS) nanoparticles allow the combination of gold mediated PTT with the drug delivery in order to improve their therapeutic potential. In this study, two different methodologies, electrostatic or chemical linkage, were explored to functionalize Au-MSS nanorods with TPGS and PEI. For that purpose, the TPGS and PEI were chemically coupled to each other or modified with 3-(triethoxysilyl)propyl isocyanate. The produced Au-MSS nanorods display a uniform morphology and a well-defined gold nucleus and silica shell. Further, the particles surface charge was dependent on the synthesis methodology. The particles modified by electrostatic interactions (Au-MSS/TPGS-PEI) were slightly negative (−16.9 and −5.1 mV) whereas the formulations produced by chemical linkage (Au-MSS/TPGS/PEI) resulted in positively charged nanoparticles (30.9 and 6.8 mV). The successful incorporation of the polymers was confirmed by Fourier Transformed Infrared spectroscopy and thermogravimetric analysis. Moreover, the Au-MSS functionalization did not affect the particles PTT capacity. However, the Au-MSS/TPGS/PEI nanorods displayed a decreased drug encapsulation efficiency. In vitro assays demonstrated the cytocompatibility of Au-MSS up to concentrations of 200 μg/mL, however the positively charged formulations only remained biocompatible until 100 and 125 μg/mL. Overall, the attained data confirm the successful modification of Au-MSS nanorods with TPGS and PEI as well as their applicability as PTT and drug delivery agents.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Cuerpo, discapacidad y trayectorias sociales: dos estudios de caso comparados

Our start points are some statistical evidences from Argentina National Enquiry on Disability (2003), Bourdieu theoretical framework and the histories of life of two males with disabilitymotorboat; from these, our proposal is a conception of disability as a domination situation determined by the structre of class paths and adquired habitus. Main reference is the body, as evidence of how predispositions conditioning disabled people experience, coming from structural standards imposition, cultural traditions and scientific expertise, not only are interiorized but also embodied. This embodied habitus is configured in the Health Field (an extention of Medical Field), and constrictions overcoming possibilities, constrictions whichimply domination, margination and subordination, are based on the translation throw Policy and Knowledge Fields.Partiendo de ciertas evidencias estadísticas de la Encuesta Nacional de Discapacidad, del marco analítico que provee la obra de Bourdieu y las historias de vida de dos varones condiscapacidad motora, en este trabajo se propone una concepción de la discapacidad como situación de dominación sujeta al marco estructural definido por las trayectorias de clase y el habitus adquirido. La referencia central es el cuerpo, en tanto que manifestación más evidente de cómo las predisposiciones que condicionan la existencia de las personas con discapacidad, y que provienen de la imposición de cánones estructurales, de tradiciones culturales y dedictámenes científicos expertos, no sólo se interiorizan, sino que se “encarnan”. Este habitus encarnado se organiza en el campo de la salud (ampliación del propio de la medicina) y las posibilidades de superar las constricciones que condenan a las personas con discapacidad a la dominación, la marginación y la subordinación pasan por su desplazamiento hacia los campos de la política y del conocimiento

Cuerpo y habitus: el marco estructural de la experiencia de la discapacidad

¿Establecer la distinción entre situación y condición de discapacidad no significará perpetuar la lógica del dualismo cartesiano cuerpo/ mente, proyectada en este caso —aunque no, obviamente, de manera mecánica— en la oposición individuo/ sociedad? ¿Podemos reflexionar en torno a la experiencia del cuerpo discapacitado sin pensarlo conjuntamente al cuerpo legítimo? ¿Por qué el cuerpo discapacitado es un cuerpo socialmente descalificado? ¿Es pertinente tomar como indicador de la precariedad de la situación de discapacidad la ausencia de certificación estatal? ¿En última instancia, no estaremos sosteniendo únicamente que el cuerpo discapacitado es un sujeto desvalido que requiere ser curado y objeto de asistencia? ¿No estará la clave para entender la falta de integración, más bien que en la ausencia de credenciales, en la ausencia de autonomía de las personas con discapacidad

Cuerpo y habitus: el marco estructural de la experiencia de la discapacidad

¿Establecer la distinción entre situación y condición de discapacidad no significará perpetuar la lógica del dualismo cartesiano cuerpo/ mente, proyectada en este caso —aunque no, obviamente, de manera mecánica— en la oposición individuo/ sociedad? ¿Podemos reflexionar en torno a la experiencia del cuerpo discapacitado sin pensarlo conjuntamente al cuerpo legítimo? ¿Por qué el cuerpo discapacitado es un cuerpo socialmente descalificado? ¿Es pertinente tomar como indicador de la precariedad de la situación de discapacidad la ausencia de certificación estatal? ¿En última instancia, no estaremos sosteniendo únicamente que el cuerpo discapacitado es un sujeto desvalido que requiere ser curado y objeto de asistencia? ¿No estará la clave para entender la falta de integración, más bien que en la ausencia de credenciales, en la ausencia de autonomía de las personas con discapacidad

Validation of a method to measure light distortion surrounding a source of glare

Our objective was to validate a new device dedicated to measure the light disturbances surrounding bright sources of light under different sources of potential variability. Twenty subjects were involved in the study. Light distortion was measured using an experimental prototype (light distortion analyzer, CEORLab, University of Minho, Portugal) comprising twenty-four LED arrays panel at 2 m. Sources of variability included: intrasession and intersession repeated measures, pupil size (3 versus 6 mm), defocus (þ0.50) correction for the working distance, angular resolution (15 deg versus 30 deg), temporal stimuli presentation, and pupil size. Size, shape, location, and irregularity parameters have been obtained. At a low speed of presentation of the stimuli, changes in angular resolution did not have an effect on the results of the parameters measured. Results did not change with pupil size. Intensity of the central glare source significantly influenced the outcomes. Examination time was reduced by 30% when a 30 deg angular resolution was explored instead of 15 deg. Measurements were fast and repeatable under the same experimental conditions. Size and shape parameters showed the highest consistency, whereas location and irregularity parameters showed lower consistency. The system was sensitive to changes in the intensity of the central glare source but not to pupil changes in this sample of healthy subjects.This study has been funded by the FEDER through the COMPETE Program and by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology in the framework of projects PTDC/ SAU-BEB/098391/2008, PTDC/SAU-BEB/098392/2008, and the Strategic Project PEST-C/FIS/UI607/2011

Dehydropeptide supramolecular hydrogels and nanostructures as potential peptidomimetic biomedical materials

Supramolecular peptide hydrogels are gaining increased attention, owing to their potential in a variety of biomedical applications. Their physical properties are similar to those of the extracellular matrix (ECM), which is key to their applications in the cell culture of specialized cells, tissue engineering, skin regeneration, and wound healing. The structure of these hydrogels usually consists of a di- or tripeptide capped on the N-terminus with a hydrophobic aromatic group, such as Fmoc or naphthalene. Although these peptide conjugates can offer advantages over other types of gelators such as cross-linked polymers, they usually possess the limitation of being particularly sensitive to proteolysis by endogenous proteases. One of the strategies reported that can overcome this barrier is to use a peptidomimetic strategy, in which natural amino acids are switched for non-proteinogenic analogues, such as D-amino acids, β-amino acids, or dehydroamino acids. Such peptides usually possess much greater resistance to enzymatic hydrolysis. Peptides containing dehydroamino acids, i.e., dehydropeptides, are particularly interesting, as the presence of the double bond also introduces a conformational restraint to the peptide backbone, resulting in (often predictable) changes to the secondary structure of the peptide. This review focuses on peptide hydrogels and related nanostructures, where α,β-didehydro-α-amino acids have been successfully incorporated into the structure of peptide hydrogelators, and the resulting properties are discussed in terms of their potential biomedical applications. Where appropriate, their properties are compared with those of the corresponding peptide hydrogelator composed of canonical amino acids. In a wider context, we consider the presence of dehydroamino acids in natural compounds and medicinally important compounds as well as their limitations, and we consider some of the synthetic strategies for obtaining dehydropeptides. Finally, we consider the future direction for this research area.This work was supported by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) in the framework of the Strategic Funding of CQUM (UID/QUI/00686/2019). FCT, FEDER, PORTUGAL2020 and COMPETE2020 are also acknowledged for funding under research project PTDC/QUI-QOR/29015/2017 (POCI-01-0145-FEDER-029015)