Crescer a par contigo : a relação entre o apoio social, a gratificação parental e a interacção pais-filhos

Tese de mestrado, Psicologia (Secção de Psicologia Clínica e da Saúde - Núcleo de Psicologia Sistémica), Universidade de Lisboa, Faculdade de Psicologia, 2010A presente investigação insere-se no âmbito do Projecto A Par em Portugal, inspirado pelo Peers Early Education Partnership de Inglaterra. Pretende analisar o desenvolvimento da função parental, de pais com crianças entre os três e os cinco anos, ao nível da Gratificação Parental, Actividades de Interacção Pais-Filhos e Apoio Social através de três instrumentos, em fase de adaptação. Nos estudos preliminares foram realizadas análises acerca da qualidade psicométrica de cada um dos instrumentos separadamente, com diferentes amostras de sujeitos, através dos quais encontrámos bons índices de precisão e validade. Os instrumentos revelaram-se como pluridimensionais. No estudo principal, que pretendia averiguar a relação entre as variáveis, analisámos as respostas de 68 pais (mães ou pais). As correlações permitiramnos verificar a existência de relações positivas entre todas as variáveis: um aumento da Gratificação Parental será acompanhado de mais Actividades de Interacção e maior percepção de Apoio Social por parte dos pais. Além disso, evidenciaram-se resultados significativos ao nível de algumas variáveis sócio-demográficas, como a idade da criança (com o Apoio Social e a Gratificação Parental), as habilitações académicas da mãe, a idade da mãe, a idade do pai (com o Apoio Social), e o número de irmãos (com o Apoio Social e as Actividades de Interacção Pais-Filhos). Este estudo levanta ainda algumas considerações no que respeita a importância do apoio prestado às famílias nesta etapa de vida, nomeadamente a criação de redes sociais de ajuda de pessoas mais próximas que permitam aos pais, sentirem-se apoiados no seu papel parental.A presente dissertação teve o apoio financeiro da Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT) do Ministério da Ciência, Tecnologia e Ensino Superior, no âmbito do PTDC/CED/69219/2006

Removal of Hydrophobic Organic Pollutants and Copper by Alginate-Based and Polycaprolactone Materials

Funding Information: This research was funded by the FUNDAÇÃO PARA A CIÊNCIA e TECNOLOGIA (FCT—Portugal), grant number PTDC/BIA-MIB/31864/2017 and by LA/P/0045/2020 (ALiCE), UIDB/50020/2020 and UIDP/50020/2020 (LSRE-LCM), funded by national funds through FCT/MCTES (PIDDAC) and by FEDER funding CENTRO-01-0246-FEDER-000044. Publisher Copyright: © 2022 by the authors.Organic pollutants (OPs) and heavy metals are environmental toxicants associated with great concerns. Decontamination processes are urgent for both, and the possibility to achieve their simultaneous removal from polluted waters is highly interesting. Additionally, in many cases, the effect of organic matter in the removal process is overlooked and must be considered. This work aimed to study the potential of alginate-based and polycaprolactone (PCL) materials to remove OPs and copper ions in the absence and presence of organic matter. The OPs investigated were the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons anthracene and benzo[a]pyrene, and the pesticide chlorpyrifos, both hydrophobic compounds. Copper (II) ions were used as a model of heavy metals. Alginate-based spheres were prepared by gelation, and PCL microparticles were obtained by oil/water emulsion solvent evaporation. The materials with the highest efficiencies for OP removal from aqueous solutions were those with activated carbon and PCL. Furthermore, the spheres with activated carbon could remove anthracene and copper simultaneously, even in the presence of humic acid. This work points to activated carbon–alginate spheres as a multifunctional adsorbent able to remove different pollutants and to PCL for potential applications in OP decontamination processes.publishersversionpublishe

Pesquisa de microdeleções AZF em homens inférteis na população portuguesa

A infertilidade conjugal, definida como a incapacidade de conceção de um casal ao fim de um ano de relações sexuais desprotegidas, afeta 10 a 15% dos casais em idade reprodutiva, sendo que as causas masculinas constituem 30 a 40% das causas de infertilidade dos casais. Etiologicamente, a infertilidade masculina pode ter origem genética e não genética. De entre as causas genéticas mais frequentes destacam-se as alterações numéricas ou estruturais dos cromossomas, as mutações no gene CFTR e as microdeleções do cromossoma Y. No braço longo do cromossoma Y, em Yq11.2, localizam-se três regiões AZF (Azoospermia factor), AZFa, AZFb e AZFc, fundamentais para a fertilidade masculina uma vez que possuem múltiplos genes com expressão testicular implicados nas diferentes etapas da espermatogénese (1,2). As microdeleções do Y podem abranger uma ou mais destas regiões, e dependendo da região AZF delecionada ou ausente, a fertilidade pode ser mais ou menos afetada, observando-se diferentes padrões histológicos testiculares, que vão desde o síndrome de só-células-de-sertoli (deleção de AZFa), a paragem de maturação dos gâmetas durante a meiose (deleção AZFb) e a hipoespermatogénese (deleção de AZFc). Estas microdeleções representam a segunda causa genética mais frequente de falha espermatogénica em homens inférteis a seguir ao síndrome de klinefelter (cariotipo 47,XXY). O diagnóstico molecular das microdeleções AZF no cromossoma Y é um teste genético recomendado por rotina em homens inférteis que apresentem oligozoospermia grave (<5x106 espermatozoides/ml de sémen ejaculado) ou azoospermia secretora de causa desconhecida

Efeito de dentifrícios clareadores na rugosidade superficial de resina composta nanoparticulada

Introdução: atualmente, existem no mercado diversos dentifrícios com composições e funções distintas para atender à crescente demanda estética por métodos clareadores. Determinadas empresas desenvolveram produtos de uso simplificado e acessíveis aos pacientes, como os dentifrícios clareadores. Alguns estudos relacionam o uso desses dentifrícios ao desgaste acentuado do esmalte dental e das restaurações com resinas compostas. Contudo, novos materiais são regularmente lançados no mercado, e a interação entre eles, assim como os seus efeitos, devem ser investigados. Objetivo: avaliar, in vitro, o efeito da escovação com dentifrícios clareadores sobre a rugosidade superficial de uma resina composta nanoparticulada. Material e Métodos: foram confeccionados 40 corpos-de-prova em resina composta (Filtek Z350XT, 3M ESPE), medindo 0,8mm de diâmetro e 0,2mm de espessura. Em seguida, os corpos-de-prova foram fixados na máquina de escovação e submetidos ao efeito individual de quatro dentifrícios clareadores, simulando um período de seis meses de aplicação. A rugosidade superficial (Ra) foi avaliada em dois momentos, antes e após a escovação, sendo que cada corpo de prova funcionou como o seu próprio controle.  Resultados: as médias dos valores obtidos foram tabuladas e submetidas ao teste estatístico ANOVA One Way, não apresentando diferença estatisticamente significante entre os grupos. Conclusão: nas condições em que foram realizados os ensaios, os dentifrícios clareadores avaliados in vitro revelaram graus de abrasividade semelhantes sobre a resina composta nanopartícula testada

Stochastic combinations of actin regulatory proteins are sufficient to drive filopodia formation.

Assemblies of actin and its regulators underlie the dynamic morphology of all eukaryotic cells. To understand how actin regulatory proteins work together to generate actin-rich structures such as filopodia, we analyzed the localization of diverse actin regulators within filopodia in Drosophila embryos and in a complementary in vitro system of filopodia-like structures (FLSs). We found that the composition of the regulatory protein complex where actin is incorporated (the filopodial tip complex) is remarkably heterogeneous both in vivo and in vitro. Our data reveal that different pairs of proteins correlate with each other and with actin bundle length, suggesting the presence of functional subcomplexes. This is consistent with a theoretical framework where three or more redundant subcomplexes join the tip complex stochastically, with any two being sufficient to drive filopodia formation. We provide an explanation for the observed heterogeneity and suggest that a mechanism based on multiple components allows stereotypical filopodial dynamics to arise from diverse upstream signaling pathways.Herchel Smith Fellowship, Funai Foundation scholarship, Austrian Science Fun

Stochastic combinations of actin regulatory proteins are sufficient to drive filopodia formation

Assemblies of actin and its regulators underlie the dynamic morphology of all eukaryotic cells. To understand how actin regulatory proteins work together to generate actin-rich structures such as filopodia, we analyzed the localization of diverse actin regulators within filopodia in Drosophila embryos and in a complementary in vitro system of filopodia-like structures (FLSs). We found that the composition of the regulatory protein complex where actin is incorporated (the filopodial tip complex) is remarkably heterogeneous both in vivo and in vitro. Our data reveal that different pairs of proteins correlate with each other and with actin bundle length, suggesting the presence of functional subcomplexes. This is consistent with a theoretical framework where three or more redundant subcomplexes join the tip complex stochastically, with any two being sufficient to drive filopodia formation. We provide an explanation for the observed heterogeneity and suggest that a mechanism based on multiple components allows stereotypical filopodial dynamics to arise from diverse upstream signaling pathways

Nutritive Value and Bioactivities of a Halophyte Edible Plant: Crithmum maritimum L. (Sea Fennel)

Research funded by FEDER/COMPETE and Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia (FCT) via grants UIDB/00313/2020 and UIDP/00313/2020 to CQC, LA/P/0045/2020 to ALiCE, UIDB/50020/2020 and UIDP/50020/2020 to LSRE-LCM, and UIDB/MAR/04292/2020 to MARE, and to the Integrated Programme of SR&TD “Smart Valorization of Endogenous Marine Biological Resources Under a Changing Climate” (Centro-01-0145-FEDER-000018) and to Rede Nacional de Ressonância Magnética Nuclear (RNRMN, UC-NMR).Crithmum maritimum L. (sea fennel), an edible xerophyte of coastal habitats, is considered an emerging cash crop for biosaline agriculture due to its salt-tolerance ability and potential applications in the agri-food sector. Here, the nutritional value and bioactive properties of sea fennel are described. Sea fennel leaves, flowers, and schizocarps are composed of carbohydrates (>65%) followed by ash, proteins, and lipids. Sea fennel’s salty, succulent leaves are a source of omega-6 and omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, especially linoleic acid. Extracts obtained from flowers and fruits/schizocarps are rich in antioxidants and polyphenols and show antimicrobial activity against Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus epidermis, Candida albicans, and Candida parapsilosis. Plant material is particularly rich in sodium (Na) but also in other nutritionally relevant minerals, such as calcium (Ca), chlorine (Cl), potassium (K), phosphorus (P), and sulfur (S), beyond presenting a potential prebiotic effect on Lactobacillus bulgaricus and being nontoxic to human intestinal epithelial Caco-2 model cells, up to 1.0% (w/v). Hence, the rational use of sea fennel can bring nutrients, aroma, and flavor to culinary dishes while balancing microbiomes and contributing to expanding the shelf life of food products.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Implementation of Exome Sequencing in Prenatal Diagnosis and Impact on Genetic Counseling: The Polish Experience

This article belongs to the Special Issue Novel Insights into Prenatal Genetic Testing.Background: Despite advances in routine prenatal cytogenetic testing, most anomalous fetuses remain without a genetic diagnosis. Exome sequencing (ES) is a molecular technique that identifies sequence variants across protein-coding regions and is now increasingly used in clinical practice. Fetal phenotypes differ from postnatal and, therefore, prenatal ES interpretation requires a large amount of data deriving from prenatal testing. The aim of our study was to present initial results of the implementation of ES to prenatal diagnosis in Polish patients and to discuss its possible clinical impact on genetic counseling. Methods: In this study we performed a retrospective review of all fetal samples referred to our laboratory for ES from cooperating centers between January 2017 and June 2021. Results: During the study period 122 fetuses were subjected to ES at our institution. There were 52 abnormal ES results: 31 in the group of fetuses with a single organ system anomaly and 21 in the group of fetuses with multisystem anomalies. The difference between groups was not statistically significant. There were 57 different pathogenic or likely pathogenic variants reported in 33 different genes. The most common were missense variants. In 17 cases the molecular diagnosis had an actual clinical impact on subsequent pregnancies or other family members. Conclusions: Exome sequencing increases the detection rate in fetuses with structural anomalies and improves genetic counseling for both the affected couple and their relatives.This research was funded by the Ministry of Health, granted to the Center of Postgradu- ate Medical Education, Poland, grant number Minigrant-501-1-106-44-20/MG4 to J.B., and by the National Science Centre, Poland, grant number Miniatura 2—Dec2018/02/X/NZ2/00709 to D.M.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Factors associated with health status and exacerbations in COPD maintenance therapy with dry powder inhalers

Funding Information: J.K. reports grants, personal fees and non-financial support from AstraZeneca, GSK and Boehringer Ingelheim; grants and personal fees from Chiesi Pharmaceuticals and TEVA; grants from Mundipharma; personal fees from MSD and COVIS Pharma; and also holds 72.5% of shares in the General Practitioners Research Institute. H.W. has received grants from Boehringer Ingelheim, which is the financial and scientific partner of GPRI for the submitted study, and from AstraZeneca, Novartis and Chiesi for scientific projects in the area of COPD/asthma. S.B.-A. has received grants from TEVA, and personal fees from TEVA, Boehringer Ingelheim, AstraZeneca, GSK, Sanofi and Mylan. J.C.d.S. reports or personal fees from AstraZeneca, Bial, Boehringer Ingelheim, GSK, Medinfar, Mundipharma and Sanofi. B.C. received honorarium from GSK and Sanofi. J.v.C., L.D., I.v.G.-P., I.v.d.H., Y.J., M.K., B.M., K.S., N.S., M.H., B.M. and M.T.L. were employed by General Practitioners Research Institute (GPRI) at the time of the study. In the past three years (2019–2021), GPRI conducted investigator- and sponsor-initiated research funded by non-commercial organizations, academic institutes, and pharmaceutical companies (including AstraZeneca, Boehringer Ingelheim, Chiesi, GSK, Mundipharma, Novartis, and Teva). R.D. has received grants and personal fees from TEVA, Boehringer Ingelheim, AstraZeneca, GSK, Chiesi, Focus Care, and Glenmark. R.G. has received personal fees from AstraZeneca, GSK and Chiesi. E.D. holds 27.5% of shares in the General Practitioners Research Institute. M.G.P. receives grants from AstraZeneca, GSK and Boehringer Ingelheim. A.G. and A.d.l.H. are employees of Boehringer Ingelheim. F.L. received grants and personal fees from GSK, personal fees from AstraZeneca, Boehringer Ingelheim, Chiesi, Menarini International, Novartis, Orion, and Trudell International, outside the submitted work. T.M. is an Assoicate Editor at npj Primary Care Respiratory Medicine. J.M. received grants from Boehringer Ingelheim, during the conduct of the study; and grants from AstraZeneca, Chiesi, Novartis, and GSK, outside the submitted work. D.P. reports grants and personal fees from AstraZeneca, Boehringer Ingelheim, Chiesi, Mylan, Novartis, Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Sanofi Genzyme, Theravance and Zentiva (Sanofi Generics); grants from the British Lung Foundation, Respiratory Effectiveness Group, UK National Health Service, and AKL Research and Development Ltd; personal fees from Cipla, GlaxoSmithKline, Kyorin, Merck, Mundipharma, Airway Vista Secretariat, EPG Communication Holdings Ltd, FIECON Ltd, Fieldwork International, OM Pharma SA, PeerVoice, Phadia AB, Spirosure Inc, Strategic North Limited, Synapse Research Management Partners S.L., Talos Health Solutions, and WebMD Global LLC; non-financial support from Efficacy and Mechanism Evaluation programme and Health Technology Assessment; stock/stock options from AKL Research and Development Ltd, which produces phytopharmaceuticals; owns 74% of the social enterprise Optimum Patient Care Ltd (Australia and UK) and 92.61% of Observational and Pragmatic Research Institute Pte Ltd (Singapore); and 5% shareholding in Timestamp, which develops adherence monitoring technology. M.R.-R. receives grants and personal fees from AstraZeneca and GSK; and personal fees from Boehringer Ingelheim, Chiesi, Menarini, Mundipharma, Novartis, Pfizer, TEVA and BIAL. I.T. reports grants and personal fees from GSK, AstraZeneca, Boehringer Ingelheim, Menarini, Novartis, Chiesi and Elpen. O.U. reports grants and personal fees from AstraZeneca, Boehringer Ingelheim, Edmond Pharma, Chiesi and GSK; grants from Edmond Pharma; and personal fees from Napp, Mundipharma, Sandoz, Takeda, Cipla, COVIS, Novartis, Mereobiopharma, Orion, and Menarini. S.B.-A. and T.M. are Associate Editors at npj Primary Care Respiratory Medicine, and I.T. is Editor in Chief. These authors were not involved in the journal’s review of, or decisions related to, this manuscript.Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Clinical recommendations for dry powder inhaler use in the management of COPD in primary care

Acknowledgements The study sponsor was the General Practitioners Research Institute; data collection and analysis were performed by General Practitioners Research Institute. Boehringer Ingelheim was the funding and scientific partner. The members of the PIFotal study group would like to acknowledge Dr. Jaco Voorham from Data to Insights Research Solutions for his assistance with the statistical analyses, Dr Wilma Zijlema for her assistance with the review, drafting and editing of the paper, and Dr. Hans Wouters for his contribution to the project administration in the initial phase of the project. They would also like to thank all contributing researchers: Maria João Barbosa, Ana Margarida Cruz, Liliana Silva, Duarte Araújo, Eurico Silva, Daniel Castro, João Ramires, Ana Fernandes, Catarina Carvalho, Raquel Castro, Jerzy Zientek, Ewa Pasko, Witold Drzastwa, Tomasz Kachel, Kornelia Ciekalska, Krzysztof Wytrychowski, Bernard Panaszek, Krzysztof Kowal, Ebian Brill, Willemien Feenstra, Geert Struik, Hans Schuurman, Mariette van Oostrum, Hennie Holwerda Meekma, Boudewijn Dierick, George Amofa, Esther Kuipers, Lennard Ringnalda, Boris Tyndall, Mark Drenth, Peter Mast, Hilbert Talsma, Raoul Wolfs, Cobie Hoogeboom, Hanneke van Andel, Paul Stoutenberg, Nancy van de Laak, Tessa Hillaert, Laura Holtzer, Natascha Fehrmann, Anniek Makkinga – Maassen van den Brink, Annemarie Hilbink, Erik Feenstra, Murat Tek, Sabrina Burer, Jan van Ginkel, Rinze Boersma, Alyssa Bonger, Miguel Roman Rodriguez, Marina García Pardo, Alejandra Valero Suau, Laura López Velasco, Cecilia Amato, Francisco Palmer Simó, Alberto Abenza, Rosa Llull Vila, Bartolomé Llompart Van Belzen, Silvia Jimeno Martínez, Francesc Moranta Ribas, Margarita Perelló Oliver, Yolanda Gómez López, Patricia Ibañez Gómez, María Nieves Mendieta Lagos, Laura Bueno López, Virginia María Mirabal Sánchez, Ana Delia Rodríguez Delgado, Nils Fischer, Alicia González Sansó, Nayra Ramírez Mendoza, Valeria Gazzaneo, Paula Merced Guillama Rodríguez, Virginia Naranjo Guerrero, Jose Angel Suarez Caballero, Isidoro Souto Bethencourt, Juan R. Dominguez Beatell, Elena Vanesa Rojas Manrique, Maria Jose Sanz Orejas, Cary Perez Lorenzo, Jesús Antonio Pérez Jiménez, Silvia 480 Lara Afonso Trujillo, Bartolomé Dominguez Del Río Boada, Stavroula Papageorgakopoulou, Eleytheria Vakouti, Claire Gkatzoudi, Thodoris Krasanakis, Dimitris Kounalakis , Izoldi Bouloukaki , Nikolaos Tsakountakis, Emmanouela Chronaki, Katherine Mary Borg and Kamila Abutalieva for their time and efforts to perform the study measurements and complete patient inclusion, even in the challenging times of the pandemic. Finally, they would like to thank the participants who generously gave their time to participate in the study.Peer reviewedPublisher PD