Impacto psicológico da crise financeira

Tese de doutoramento, Psicologia, Faculdade de Ciências Humanas e Sociais, Universidade do Algarve, 2014Alguns países Europeus, incluindo Portugal, sofreram recentemente uma crise económica. Stressores económicos, como dificuldade económica, ameaça financeira e bem-estar financeiro, podem contribuir negativamente para a saúde psicológica dos indivíduos. Esta investigação teve como objectivo explorar a influência das variáveis dificuldade económica, ameaça financeira e bem-estar financeiro (stressores económicos) sobre as variáveis stresse, ansiedade e depressão (indicadores de saúde mental), bem como testar o efeito moderador do coping e do suporte social na relação acima mencionada. Um total de 729 participantes portugueses responderam a um questionário que é composto por instrumentos que avaliam os stressores económicos e os indicadores de saúde mental. Os resultados encontrados permitem verificar que, de uma forma geral, os stressores económicos têm um impacto significativo nos indicadores de saúde mental. Em tempos de crise económica, a dificuldade económica e a ameaça financeira são preditores significativos de ansiedade, depressão e stresse e o bem-estar financeiro está significativamente associado à ansiedade e à depressão. A influência dos stressores económicos sobre o stresse, ansiedade e depressão podem ser moderados pelo coping e pelo suporte social. Observa-se ainda que o coping e o suporte social em conjunto moderam as reacções aos stressores económicos reduzindo consideravelmente as experiências de stresse, ansiedade e depressão

Crosslinked bacterial cellulose hydrogels for biomedical applications

The skin, fundamental barrier that protects internal tissues, prevents pathogen invasion, and maintains the body fluid equilibrium, may be compromised upon traumas, such as incisions and burns. The healing process of such wounds is costly and usually hindered by the patient’s physiological conditions, associated diseases, inflammation and external factors, namely bacterial infections. Recently, increasing attention has been given to bacterial cellulose-based membranes to be applied as dressings for healing purposes. Bacterial cellulose is an attractive biomaterial due to its unique structural characteristics such as high porosity, high water retention capacity, high mechanical strength, low density, and biodegradability. One drawback of bacterial cellulose hydrogels is that, after the first dehydration, the water retention capacity is hindered. In this work we produced, modified, and characterized hydrated and de-hydrated BC membranes. Two crosslinking methods were adopted (using citric acid and epichlorohydrin as crosslinking agents), and the results obtained from the characterizations such as water retention capacity, mechanical properties or contact angle were compared to those of unmodified bacterial cellulose. We demonstrate that the cross-linked bacterial cellulose membranes present physical properties suitable to be used as surgical and burn wound dressings when hydrated, or as exuding wound dressings, diapers dressing or sanitary pads when dehydrated.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Selective Inhibition of Bruton's Tyrosine Kinase by a Designed Covalent Ligand Leads to Potent Therapeutic Efficacy in Blood Cancers Relative to Clinically Used Inhibitors.

Bruton's tyrosine kinase (BTK) is a member of the TEC-family kinases and crucial for the proliferation and differentiation of B-cells. We evaluated the therapeutic potential of a covalent inhibitor (JS25) with nanomolar potency against BTK and with a more desirable selectivity and inhibitory profile compared to the FDA-approved BTK inhibitors ibrutinib and acalabrutinib. Structural prediction of the BTK/JS25 complex revealed sequestration of Tyr551 that leads to BTK's inactivation. JS25 also inhibited the proliferation of myeloid and lymphoid B-cell cancer cell lines. Its therapeutic potential was further tested against ibrutinib in preclinical models of B-cell cancers. JS25 treatment induced a more pronounced cell death in a murine xenograft model of Burkitt's lymphoma, causing a 30-40% reduction of the subcutaneous tumor and an overall reduction in the percentage of metastasis and secondary tumor formation. In a patient model of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, the drug response of JS25 was higher than that of ibrutinib, leading to a 64% "on-target" efficacy. Finally, in zebrafish patient-derived xenografts of chronic lymphocytic leukemia, JS25 was faster and more effective in decreasing tumor burden, producing superior therapeutic effects compared to ibrutinib. We expect JS25 to become therapeutically relevant as a BTK inhibitor and to find applications in the treatment of hematological cancers and other pathologies with unmet clinical treatment