Impacto da vivência de rua nas amizades de crianças em idade escolar

OBJETIVO: Trata-se de um estudo para avaliar as relações de amizade em meninos de rua de 7 a 11 anos da cidade de Porto Alegre, RS, Brasil. MÉTODOS: Uma amostra de 30 meninos de rua foi comparada com outra de 51 meninos de 7 a 11 anos que viviam com suas famílias de baixa renda, utilizando-se a Entrevista Sobre Amigos e Companheiros da Cornell (Cornell Interview of Peers and Friends). RESULTADOS: Os dois grupos apresentaram escores globais na entrevista significativamente diferentes, sendo que o grupo de meninos de rua obteve o escore médio mais alto. Da mesma forma, os meninos de rua apresentaram escores de adequação do desenvolvimento, autoestima e habilidades sociais significativamente menores do que os meninos com família. CONCLUSÕES: Levando-se em conta os resultados, é enfatizada a urgência do desenvolvimento de intervenções com as crianças com vivência de rua, especialmente com os meninos de rua.OBJECTIVE: This is a study to evaluate friendships in latency street boys of Porto Alegre, RGS, Brazil. METHODS: A sample of 30 latency street boys was compared with a sample of 51 latency boys living with their low income families, using the Cornell Interview of Peers and Friends (CIPF). RESULTS: The two groups had a significantly different CIPF global scores, and the boys of the street group had the highest mean score. Also, boys of the street had significantly lower developmental appropriateness, self-esteem and social skills scores than boys living with a family. CONCLUSIONS: The urgent need for intervention street children, especially on boys of the street, is emphasized

Chitosan/PVA Based Membranes Processed by Gamma Radiation as Scaffolding Materials for Skin Regeneration

Some of the current strategies for the development of scaffolding materials capable of inducing tissue regeneration have been based on the use of polymeric biomaterials. Chitosan, in particular, due to its recognized biological activity has been used in a number of biomedical applications. Aiming the development of chitosan-based membranes with improved cell adhesion and growth properties to be used as skin scaffolds allowing functional tissue replacement, different formulations with chitosan of different molecular weight, poly (vinyl alcohol) and gelatin, were evaluated. To meet the goal of getting ready-to-use scaffolds assuring membranes’ required properties and sterilization, preparation methodology included a lyophilization procedure followed by a final gamma irradiation step. Two radiation dose values were tested. Samples were characterized by TGA, FTIR, and SEM techniques. Their hydrophilic properties, in vitro stability, and biocompatibility were also evaluated. Results show that all membranes present a sponge-type inner structure. Chitosan of low molecular weight and the introduction of gelatin are more favorable to cellular growth leading to an improvement on cells’ morphology and cytoskeletal organization, giving a good perspective to the use of these membranes as potential skin scaffolds.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Aqueous extracts of fish roe as a source of several bioactive compounds

Regular consumption of seafood and, in particular, fish has been associated with important health benefits. A fish product that has been increasingly included in the human nutrition is roe. Despite its nutritional value has been established (fatty acid profile and protein content), the knowledge of the composition of its aqueous extracts is still limited. This work describes the bioactive compounds profile in the roe-derived aqueous extracts of three different marine species (sardine, horse mackerel and sea bass) using a method based on liquid chromatography coupled to high-resolution mass spectrometry with an electrospray ionisation source (LC-ESI/HRMS). The presence of substances with well-known nutritional and functional properties (e.g., antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties) was demonstrated, namely essential amino acids (e.g., taurine), peptides (e.g., anserine and carnosine), B-group vitamins (e.g., nicotinamide) and gadusol. Therefore, roe-derived aqueous extracts are excellent sources of bioactive compounds and may be used as a font of functional components for several medical and veterinary applications.This research was funded by FCT/MCTES and FSE/POCH, grant numbers PD/169/2013, PD/BD/113795/2015, PTDC/CTM-BIO/4388/2014, and the NORTE 2020 Structured Project within the R&D&I Structured Project, co-funded by Norte2020—Programa Operacional Regional do Norte, grant number NORTE-01-0145-FEDER-000021 and national funds by FCT through the projects UIDB/04423/2020 and UIDP/04423/2020 (Group of Natural Products and Medicinal Chemistry— CIIMAR) and ERDF, through the COMPETE-POFC program in the framework of the program PT2020

Antimicrobial activity of a 3D-printed polymethylmethacrylate dental resin enhanced with graphene

The present study aimed to test, in vitro, the antimicrobial activity against Candida albicans and Streptococcus mutans and the surface roughness of a 3D-printed polymethylmethacrylate dental resin enhanced with graphene. A 3D-printed polymethylmethacrylate dental resin was reinforced with four different concentrations of graphene: 0.01, 0.1, 0.25 and 0.5 wt%. Neat resin was used as a control. The specimens were printed in a liquid crystal display printer. Disc specimens were used in antimicrobial evaluation, and bar-shaped specimens were used to measure surface roughness. The study of antimicrobial activity included the inhibition of the growth of C. albicans and S. mutans and their adhesion to the resin’s surface. Surface roughness increased with the increase in the graphene concentration. The growth inhibition of C. albicans was observed in the different concentrations of graphene after 24 h, with no recovery after 48 h. The specimens doped with graphene were capable of inactivating S. mutans after 48 h. The surface-adhesion studies showed that the density of microbial biofilms decreases in the case of specimens doped with graphene. Graphene, despite increasing the resin’s surface roughness, was effective in inhibiting the growth and the adhesion to the resin’s surface of the main inducers of prosthetic stomatitis.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Estuarine ecological risk based on hepatic histopathological indices from laboratory and in situ tested fish

Juvenile Senegalese soles were exposed through 28-day laboratory and field (in situ) bioassays to sediments from three sites of the Sado estuary (W Portugal): a reference and two contaminated by metallic and organic contaminants. Fish were surveyed for ten hepatic histopathological alterations divided by four distinct reaction patterns and integrated through the estimation of individual histopathological condition indices. Fish exposed to contaminated sediments sustained more damage, with especial respect to regressive changes like necrosis. However, differences were observed between laboratory- and fieldexposed animals, with the latest, for instance, exhibiting more pronounced fatty degeneration and hepatocellular eosinophilic alteration. Also, some lesions in fish exposed to the reference sediment indicate that in both assays unaccounted variables produced experimental background noise, such as hyaline degeneration in laboratory-exposed fish. Still, the field assays yielded results that were found to better reflect the overall levels of contaminants and physico-chemical characteristics of the tested sediments.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Evaluation of the potential of the common cockle (cerastoderma edule l.) for the ecological risk assessment of estuarine sediments: Bioaccumulation and biomarkers

Common cockles (Cerastoderma edule, L. 1758, Bivalvia: Cardiidae) were subjected to a laboratory assay with sediments collected from distinct sites of the Sado Estuary (Portugal). Cockles were obtained from a mariculture site of the Sado Estuary and exposed through 28-day, semi-static, assays to sediments collected from three sites of the estuary. Sediments from these sites revealed different physico-chemical properties and levels of metals and organic contaminants, ranging from unimpacted (the reference site) to moderately impacted, when compared to available sediment quality guidelines. Cockles were surveyed for bioaccumulation of trace elements (Ni, Cu, Zn, As, Cd and Pb) and organic contaminants (PAHs, PCBs and DDTs). Two sets of potential biomarkers were employed to assess toxicity: whole-body metallothionein (MT) induction and digestive gland histopathology. The bioaccumulation factor and the biota-to-soil accumulation factor were estimated as ecological indices of exposure to metals and organic compounds. From the results it is inferred that C. edule responds to sediment-bound contamination and might, therefore, be suitable for biomonitoring. The species was found capable to regulate and eliminate both types of contaminants. Still, the sediment contamination levels do not account for all the variation in bioaccumulation and MT levels, which may result from the moderate metal concentrations found in sediments, the species’ intrinsic resistance to pollution and from yet unexplained xenobiotic interaction effects.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Are coffee silverskin extracts safe for topical use? An in vitro and in vivo approach

Recent changes in regulatory requirements and social views on animal testing have incremented the development of reliable alternative tests for predicting skin and ocular irritation potential of products based on new raw materials. In this regard, botanical ingredients used in cosmetic products are among those materials, and should be carefully reviewed concerning the potential presence of irritant constituents. In particular, cosmetic products used on the face, in vicinity of the eyes or that may come in contact with mucous membranes, should avoid botanical ingredients that contain, or are suspected to contain, such ingredients. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the effect of a new cosmetic ingredient, namely, coffee silverskin (CS), with an in vitro skin and ocular irritation assay using reconstructed human epidermis, EpiSkin™, and human corneal epithelial model, SkinEthics™ HCE, and an in vivo assay. Three different extracts of CS were evaluated. The histology of the models after extracts applications was analysed. The in vitro results demonstrated that extracts were not classified as irritant and the histological analyses proved that extracts did not affect both models structure. The content of caffeine, 5-hydroxymethyl furfural and chlorogenic acid was quantified after the epidermal assay. The in vivo test carried out with the most promising extract (hydroalcoholic) showed that, with respect to irritant effects, these extracts can be regarded as safe for topical application

Abstracts

Tradução, para a língua inglesa, dos artigos publicados nesta edição

Genotoxic damage in Solea senegalensis exposed to sediments from the Sado Estuary (Portugal): effects of metallic and organic contaminants

Juvenile Solea senegalensis (Senegalese sole) were exposed to freshly collected sediments from three sites of the Sado Estuary (West-Portuguese coast) in 28-day laboratory assays in order to assess the ecological risk from sediment contaminants, by measuring two genotoxicity biomarkers in peripheral blood: the percentage of Erythrocyte Nuclear Abnormalities (ENA) by use of an adaptation of the micronucleus test, and the percentage of DNA strand-breakage (DNA-SB) with the Comet assay. Sediments were surveyed for metallic (Cr, Ni, Cu, Zn, As, Cd and Pb) and organic (PAHs (polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons), PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls) and DDTs (dichloro-diphenyl-trichloroethane)) contaminants. Sediments from site A (farthest from hotspots of contamination) were found to be the least contaminated and weaker inducers of genotoxic damage, whereas sediments from sites B (urban influence) and C (affected by industrial effluents and agricultural runoffs) were responsible for a very significant increase in both ENA and DNA-SB, site B being most contaminated with metals and site C mainly with organic pollutants, especially PAHs and PCBs . Analysis of genotoxic effects showed a strong correlation between the concentrations of PAHs and PCBs and both biomarkers at sampling times T14 and T28, while the amounts of Cu, As, Cd and Pb were less strongly correlated, and at T28 only, with ENA and DNA-SB. These results show that organic contaminants in sediment are stronger and faster acting genotoxic stressors. The results also suggest that metals may have an inhibitory effect on genotoxicity when interacting with organic contaminants, at least during early exposure. ENA and DNA-SB do not show a linear relationship, but a strong correlation exists between the overall increase in genotoxicity caused by exposure to sediment, confirming that they are different, and possibly non-linked effects that respond similarly to exposure. Although the Comet assay showed enhanced sensitivity, the two analyses are complementary and suitable for the biomonitoring of sediment contaminants in a benthic species like S. senegalensis.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio