Criticality evaluation to support maintenance management of manufacturing systems

This paper focuses on criticality evaluation for supporting daily equipment maintenance management and the definition of medium and long-term maintenance actions to improve equipment and, therefore, productivity. These two different purposes led to the development of two different methods for criticality evaluation, using criteria adjusted for each case. The first method is based on rules for defining priorities for corrective and preventive maintenance tasks. Since a failure mode of critical equipment is not necessarily critical, priorities for maintenance tasks are assigned to tasks rather than to equipment. The second method uses Analytic Hierarchy Process to prioritize equipment based on its performance. This method is based on the indicators commonly monitored by maintenance departments. In addition to assessing equipment performance, it considers the maintenance effort made to achieve the evaluated performance. The selection of the criticality criteria and the development of the methods was based on literature review and triggered by a case study in a multinational automotive company. With the integration of the proposed methods in a computerized maintenance management system, maintenance technicians and managers are able to know in real time the tasks that should be performed first and to monitor the overall performance of equipment in the plant, focusing improvements where they are more required.POFC - Programa Operacional Temático Factores de Competitividade (UID/CEC/00319/2013

Experimental Models as Refined Translational Tools for Breast Cancer Research

Breast cancer is one of the most common cancers worldwide, which makes it a very impactful malignancy in the society. Breast cancers can be classified through different systems based on the main tumor features and gene, protein, and cell receptors expression, which will determine the most advisable therapeutic course and expected outcomes. Multiple therapeutic options have already been proposed and implemented for breast cancer treatment. Nonetheless, their use and efficacy still greatly depend on the tumor classification, and treatments are commonly associated with invasiveness, pain, discomfort, severe side effects, and poor specificity. This has demanded an investment in the research of the mechanisms behind the disease progression, evolution, and associated risk factors, and on novel diagnostic and therapeutic techniques. However, advances in the understanding and assessment of breast cancer are dependent on the ability to mimic the properties and microenvironment of tumors in vivo, which can be achieved through experimentation on animal models. This review covers an overview of the main animal models used in breast cancer research, namely in vitro models, in vivo models, in silico models, and other models. For each model, the main characteristics, advantages, and challenges associated to their use are highlighted.This work was supported by Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia (FCT), Portugal under the Project Reference UID/DTP/04138/2019 and UIDB/00313/2020. T.F.-G. was supported by FCT, Portugal under the Reference SFRH/BD/147306/2019.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Cross-cultural adaptation of Hypertension Knowledge Test into European Portuguese

We aim to validate a European-Portuguese version of the Hypertension Knowledge Test (HKT) questionnaire and examine its factorial structure with a confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). A process of translation and back-translation was performed. A cross-sectional study was developed in which all adult patients taking at least one antihypertensive drug were invited to participate. Data on personal and family history were collected, and the HKT, Strelec, and the Batalla questionnaires were administered. We enrolled 304 patients with a mean age of 68.12±10.83 years. The mean score of HKT was 15.33±2.79. CFA indicated that the construct being tested was unidimensional, and Cronbach’s alpha (α=0.65) showed that the instrument had an acceptable internal consistency. When evaluating concurrent validity, HKT was significantly correlated with the Batalla and Strelec scores. Thus, the Portuguese version of HKT (HKT-pt-PT) can be used either in research or in clinical practice. With this version, a potential standard exists to evaluate knowledge about hypertension, which could avoid the practice of using non-validated questionnaires in Portugal and allow the cross-sectional and longitudinal comparability of studies

Medication follow-up in type 2 diabetes patients at a primary health care center

Artigo publicado no nº 2 do volume 16 e não do volume 17.Objetivos: Evaluar el impacto de un programa de seguimiento farmacoterapéutico de pacientes con diabetes mellitus en un centro desalud, mediante la evaluación de los resultados clínicos y humanísticos. Método: Estudio de intervención sobre una cohorte de pacientes en seguimiento farmacoterapéutico entre octubre 2011 y julio 2012.El médico de familia seleccionó todos los pacientes atendidos en el centro con diagnóstico de diabetes tipo 2. Una farmacéuticacomunitaria, desplazada al centro de salud, realizó seguimiento farmacoterapéutico a los pacientes que voluntariamente aceptaronparticipar en el estudio. Se realizaron 4 consultas de seguimiento, además de la inicial. Se registraron datos sociodemográficos, estilosde vida, medicación y comorbilidades, así como los biomarcadores que permitían evaluar la evolución de los pacientes. Resultados: De los 58 pacientes con diabetes en el centro de salud, los 22 que aceptaron participar tenían una edad de 70,4(DE=7,4) años, y 54,5% eran hombres.Todos los incluidos tenían hipertensión arterial, y el 59,1% hiperlipidemia.Se realizaron 128intervenciones, de las que 75 (58,6%) fueron aceptadas e implementadas por el médico. Se consiguieron diferencias significativas(Willcoxon Signed Ranks tests) en hemoglobina glicosilada A1c (p=0,049), glucemia en ayunas (p=0,007), presión arterial sistólica(p=0,006), conocimiento de la diabetes (cuestionario Berbés) (p=0,007), satisfacción con la enfermedad (dominio satisfacción DQOL)(p=0,009). Conclusiones: Un farmacéutico realizando seguimiento farmacoterapéutico en un centro de salud mejora, en estrecho contacto con elmédico de familia, la mayoría de los resultados clínicos y humanísticos de los pacientes con diabetes

Toxicological in vivo studies of an oral insulin nanosystem

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/B6TCR-4PKH640-7G/1/31df064ec957f50aa568d739cd5d741

A Step Forward in Breast Cancer Research: From a Natural-Like Experimental Model to a Preliminary Photothermal Approach

Supplementary Materials - The following are available online at https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/21/24/9681/s1, Figure S1: GNPs’ size distribution by intensity (%) obtained by DLS.Breast cancer is one of the most frequently diagnosed malignancies and common causes of cancer death in women. Recent studies suggest that environmental exposures to certain chemicals, such as 7,12-Dimethylbenzanthracene (DMBA), a chemical present in tobacco, may increase the risk of developing breast cancer later in life. The first-line treatments for breast cancer (surgery, chemotherapy or a combination of both) are generally invasive and frequently associated with severe side effects and high comorbidity. Consequently, novel approaches are strongly required to find more natural-like experimental models that better reflect the tumors’ etiology, physiopathology and response to treatments, as well as to find more targeted, efficient and minimally invasive treatments. This study proposes the development and an in deep biological characterization of an experimental model using DMBA-tumor-induction in Sprague-Dawley female rats. Moreover, a photothermal therapy approach using a near-infrared laser coupled with gold nanoparticles was preliminarily assessed. The gold nanoparticles were functionalized with Epidermal Growth Factor, and their physicochemical properties and in vitro effects were characterized. DMBA proved to be a very good and selective inductor of breast cancer, with 100% incidence and inducing an average of 4.7 tumors per animal. Epigenetic analysis showed that tumors classified with worst prognosis were hypomethylated. The tumor-induced rats were then subjected to a preliminary treatment using functionalized gold nanoparticles and its activation by laser (650–900 nm). The treatment outcomes presented very promising alterations in terms of tumor histology, confirming the presence of necrosis in most of the cases. Although this study revealed encouraging results as a breast cancer therapy, it is important to define tumor eligibility and specific efficiency criteria to further assess its application in breast cancer treatment on other species.The APC was funded by Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Coimbra and Coimbra Chemistry Centre, Department of Chemistry, University of Coimbra. This work was also supported by Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia (FCT), Portugal under the project’s references UIDB/00645/2020 and UID/DTP/04138/2019. TFG was supported by FCT, Portugal under the reference SFRH/BD/147306/2019. Thanks to FCT/MCTES for the financial support to CESAM (UIDP/50017/2020+UIDB/50017/2020), through national funds.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio