Novos materiais e técnicas aplicadas ao bordado de Castelo Branco: uma aplicação prática no design têxtil e de vestuário

O objectivo central desta investigação é o de promover a articulação entre o designer têxtil/moda e as bordadoras do Bordado de Castelo Branco. Centra-­‐se no desenvolvimento de projectos conjuntos, partindo da gramática do bordado para produções inovadoras e criativas, na aplicação de novos suportes têxteis e novas tecnologias a partir da reciclagem da matéria-­‐prima de seda, para aplicação no bordado de Castelo Branco. Para a recriação desta modernidade, pretende-­‐se abordar quatro dimensões1: [1] De ordem material, permitindo ir ao encontro dos gostos e exigências de um público que, sente uma necessidade cada vez maior por produtos e matérias-­‐ primas inovadoras, bem como novas bases assentes na biotecnologia; [2] De ordem cultural, pois permite recuperar a tradição e contribuir para a sua sobrevivência; [3] De ordem ecológica, porque faz sentir que estamos a estimular uma reaproximação entre a cultura e a natureza, bem como uma utilização criteriosa de determinados recursos; [4] De ordem económica, na medida em que o trabalho na área dos têxteis/moda é uma actividade que permite criar riqueza e contribuir para o bem-­‐estar da sociedade

Andrological, pathologic, morphometric, and ultrasonographic findings in rams experimentally infected with Brucella ovis

AbstractBrucella ovis is considered the most important infectious cause of reproductive disorders in sheep. The disease is characterized by epididymitis, subfertility and infertility in rams. B. ovis occasionally results in abortion in ewes, as well. The aim of this study was to evaluate kinetic changes in the reproductive organs of rams experimentally infected with B. ovis. Nine rams were experimentally inoculated intrapreputially with 2mL of a suspension containing 1.2×109CFU (colony-forming units)/mL of B. ovis (strain ATCC25840). In addition, 50μL of a suspension containing 1.2×1010CFU/mL of the same B. ovis strain was inoculated into each conjunctival sac, resulting in 3.6×109CFU total per ram. Six of nine infected rams had developed clinical changes in the tail of the epididymis at 30 days post-infection (dpi), but these changes regressed in 50% of these rams. Ultrasound demonstrated an increase in the area of the tail of the epididymis (P<0.001), reduction in the area of the testes (P<0.001), and an increased length and width of the seminal vesicles (P<0.001) during the course of infection. A sperm granuloma was diagnosed on the basis of ultrasonography findings. Microscopically, there was epididymitis, testicular degeneration, and seminal vesiculitis. Inflammatory cells were detected in the semen even before the development of epididymitis. Moreover, inflammatory cells were also found in the semen of asymptomatic rams, indicating that the presence of leukocytes in the ejaculate is a valuable method for screening potential carriers of infections in the genital tract

EpiReumaPt- the study of rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases in Portugal: a detailed view of the methodology

Rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases (RMD) are prevalent and leading causes of disability and consumption of healthcare and social resources. EpiReumaPt is a national population-based survey developed by the Portuguese Society of Rheumatology that aimed to estimate the prevalence of RMDs and determine their impact on function, quality of life, mental health and use of healthcare resources. This article describes in detail the design, methodology and planned analyses of EpiReumaPt. Recruitment started in September 2011 and finished in December 2013. This study involved a three-stage approach. The first step was a face-to-face survey performed by trained interviewers at the household of 10,661 subjects who where randomly selected by a stratified multistage sampling. A highly sensitive screening questionnaire for RMDs was used. Secondly, participants who screened positive (64%) for at least one RMD as well as 20% of individuals with a negative screening were invited for assessment by a rheumatologist. In total, 3,877 subjects participated in this second phase, where they were also invited to donate a blood sample to be stored at the Biobanco-IMM. History and physical examination, followed by appropriate laboratory and imaging tests were performed. At the end of the visit, the rheumatologist established a diagnosis. Finally, a team of three experienced rheumatologists reviewed all the clinical data and defined the diagnoses according to previously validated criteria. The EpiReumaPt dataset, containing data from several questionnaires, various clinical measurements and information from laboratory and imaging tests, comprises an invaluable asset for research. The large amount of information collected from each participant and the large number of participants, with a wide age range covering and being representative of the adults from the entire country, makes EpiReumaPt the largest study of RMDs performed in Portugal

A selective ATP-binding cassette subfamily G member 2 efflux inhibitor revealed via high-throughput flow cytometry

Chemotherapeutics tumor resistance is a principal reason for treatment failure, and clinical and experimental data indicate that multidrug transporters such as ATP-binding cassette (ABC) B1 and ABCG2 play a leading role by preventing cytotoxic intracellular drug concentrations. Functional efflux inhibition of existing chemotherapeutics by these pumps continues to present a promising approach for treatment. A contributing factor to the failure of existing inhibitors in clinical applications is limited understanding of specific substrate/inhibitor/pump interactions. We have identified selective efflux inhibitors by profiling multiple ABC transporters against a library of small molecules to find molecular probes to further explore such interactions. In our primary screening protocol using JC-1 as a dual-pump fluorescent reporter substrate, we identified a piperazine-substituted pyrazolo[1,5-a]pyrimidine substructure with promise for selective efflux inhibition. As a result of a focused structure-activity relationship (SAR)-driven chemistry effort, we describe compound 1 (CID44640177), an efflux inhibitor with selectivity toward ABCG2 over ABCB1. Compound 1 is also shown to potentiate the activity of mitoxantrone in vitro as well as preliminarily in vivo in an ABCG2-overexpressing tumor model. At least two analogues significantly reduce tumor size in combination with the chemotherapeutic topotecan. To our knowledge, low nanomolar chemoreversal activity coupled with direct evidence of efflux inhibition for ABCG2 is unprecedented