Intrahepatic Colangiocarcinoma

Introdução: o colangiocarcinoma intra-hepático (CCIhp) é um tumor maligno raro, normalmente diagnosticado num estadio avançado. São objectivos deste estudo avaliar os resultados da terapêutica do CCIhp e os factores prognósticos com significado estatístico na sobrevida de doentes com esta entidade nosológica tratados no nosso Serviço. Material e métodos: Vinte e um doentes submetidos a tratamento por CCIhp nos últimos anos, dos quais onze foram operados com intuitos curativos: quatro hepatectomias esquerdas, duas hepatectomias esquerdas alargadas aos segmentos V e VIII, duas hepatectomias direitas, duas bissegmentectomias e uma trissegmentectomia. Resultados: a mortalidade per-operatória foi de 0% e a pós-operatória (três meses) de 6%. As sobrevidas cumulativas aos 5 anos foram de 14% no total da população, 26% nos doentes submetidos a cirurgia com intuitos curativos e 26% para a sobrevida cumulativa livre de doença. Observou-se recidiva tumoral hepática em cinco doentes, a qual ocorreu aos 1,09 ± 0,82 anos (limites: 0,24-2,08). Os factores que influenciaram a sobrevida da globalidade dos doentes foram o tratamento cirúrgico com intuitos curativos (p=0,028), a presença de invasão vascular (p=0,002) e o valor da fosfatase alcalina no momento do diagnóstico (p=0,044). Entre os doentes operados com intuitos curativos, a presença de invasão vascular influenciou a sobrevida global (p=0,025) e a sobrevida livre de doença (p=0,002). Conclusões: A ressecção cirúrgica com intuitos curativos aumentou, de forma estatisticamente significativa, a sobrevida dos doentes com CCIhp. No entanto, sendo o diagnóstico geralmente tardio, apenas uma pequena percentagem destes doentes pode beneficiar deste tratamento.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

An optical study of the GRB 970111 field beginning 19 hours after the Gamma-Ray Burst

We present the results of the monitoring of the GRB 970111 field that started 19 hours after the event. This observation represents the fastest ground-based follow-up performed for GRB 970111 in all wavelengths. As soon as the detection of the possible GRB 970111 X-ray afterglow was reported by Feroci et al. (1998) we reanalyzed the optical data collected for the GRB 970111 field. Although we detect small magnitude variability in some objects, no convincing optical counterpart is found inside the WFC error box. Any change in brightness 19 hours after the GRB is less than 0.2 mag for objects with B < 21 and R < 20.8. The bluest object found in the field is coincident with 1SAXJ1528.8+1937. Spectroscopic observations revealed that this object is a Seyfert-1 galaxy with redshift z=0.657, which we propose as the optical counterpart of the X-ray source. Further observations allowed to perform multicolour photometry for objects in the GRB 970111 error box. The colour-colour diagrams do not show any object with unusual colours. We applied a photometric classification method to the objects inside the GRB error box, that can distinguish stars from galaxies and estimate redshifts. We were able to estimate photometric redshifts in the range 0.2 < z < 1.4 for several galaxies in this field and we did not find any conspicuous unusual object. We note that GRB 970111 and GRB 980329 could belong to the same class of GRBs, which may be related to nearby sources (z ~1) in which high intrinsic absorption leads to faint optical afterglows.Comment: 10 pages with 11 encapsulated PostScript figures included. Uses Astronomy & Astrophysics LaTeX macros. Accepted for publication in Astronomy & Astrophysic

Germinação pré-colheita em trigo: grãos germinados e número de queda após simulação de chuva.

Editores técnicos: Joseani Mesquita Antunes, Ana Lídia Variani Bonato, Márcia Barrocas Moreira Pimentel

The impact of Mesenchymal Stem Cells and their secretome as a treatment for gliomas

In recent years, we have witnessed a significant increase in the amount of studies using Mesenchymal Stem Cells (MSCs) for cancer therapy, mostly as vectors for drug or gene delivery strategies. This is because of their intrinsic capacity of homing into tumor niches. However, the interactions between MSCs themselves and tumor cells is not fully understood, with contradictory results frequently being observed regarding their effects on cancer cell invasion and proliferation. This poses an important question of safety in respect to the application of these cells. The source of the MSC population used, as well as the type of cancer cells under study might strongly influence this interaction. Moreover, differences in isolation protocols, culture media compositions, time of culture and conditioned media collection, or even timing and mode of MSCs administration to in vivo models of cancer may also affect the interaction MSC-tumor cells. In this review, we drive our focus into malignant brain tumors, particularly gliomas, one of the deadliest forms of cancer. Moreover, we look with some detail into different studies using MSCs as a treatment for brain tumors and compare them, highlighting the main deviations and similarities among them.Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology: pre- doctoral fellowship to E.D. Gomes (SFRH/BD/103075/2014) and J. Vieira de Castro (SFRH/BD/88121/2012); FCT Investigator Starting Grant to B.M. Costa (IF/00601/2012); FCT Investigator Development Grant to A.J. Salgado (IF/00111/2013). This article has been devel- oped under the scope of the project NORTE-01-0145-FEDER- 000023, supported by the Northern Portugal Regional Operational Programme (NORTE 2020), under the Portugal 2020 Partnership Agreement, through the European Regional Development Fund (FEDER). This work has also been funded by FEDER funds, through the Competitiveness Factors Operational Programme (COMPETE), and by National funds, through the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT), under the scope of the project POCI-01-0145- FEDER-007038info:eu-repo/semantics/acceptedVersio

Adequação de metodologia para detecção de proteínas em casca do mamão verde utilizando eletroforese (SDS-PAGE).

bitstream/CTAA-2009-09/9973/1/ct95-2006.pd

Gamma-Ray Burst 980329 and its X-Ray Afterglow

GRB 980329 is the brightest gamma-ray burst detected so far with the Wide Field Cameras aboard BeppoSAX, both in gamma-rays and X-rays. With respect to its fluence (2.6 X 10**-5 erg/s/cm**2 in 50 to 300 keV) it would be in the top 4% of gamma-ray bursts in the 4B catalog (Meegan et al. 1998). The time-averaged burst spectrum from 2 to 20 and 70 to 650 keV can be well described by the empirical model of Band et al. (1993). The resulting photon index above the break energy is exceptionally hard at -1.32 +/- 0.03. An X-ray afterglow was detected with the narrow-field instruments aboard BeppoSAX 7 h after the event within the error box as determined with the Wide Field Cameras. Its peak flux is (1.4 +/- 0.2) X 10**-12 erg/s/cm**2 (2 to 10 keV). The afterglow decayed according to a power law function with an index of -1.35 +/- 0.03. GRB 980329 is characterized by being bright and hard, and lacking strong spectral evolution.Comment: 13 pages with 3 figures. Accepted for publication in ApJ Let