A população lésbica em estudos da saúde: contributos para uma reflexão crítica

Durante décadas, no pensamento e nas práticas das ciências da saúde e da psicologia a sexualidade lésbica foi associada à patologia. Ao longo do século XX, este posicionamento modificou-se. Este trabalho analisa essas mudanças numa reflexão teórica focada no domínio da saúde das lésbicas, no qual predominam as concepções e práticas heteronormativas e heterossexistas, tanto na investigação como na prestação de cuidados. Através de uma contextualização crítica da literatura, identificamos as necessidades específicas das lésbicas, questionamos as intervenções dos profissionais e serviços de saúde e propomos medidas de ação concretas de promoção da saúde e de erradicação da desigualdade e discriminação.Abstract: For decades, lesbian sexuality was associated with pathology in the attitudes to and practices of health sciences and psychology. During the twentieth century that position changed gradually. This article analyzes these changes in a theoretical reflection on the domain of lesbian health, dominated by heteronormative and heterosexist concepts and practices both in research and in health care. By means of a critical contextualization of the literature, specific health needs of lesbians were identified and the interventions of health care professionals and services were questioned. Specific concrete actions are proposed in the fields of health promotion and in the eradication of discrimination and inequality in health care

Osteossarcoma, quimioterapia HDMTX e reflexos laboratoriais

Mestrado em Biologia AplicadaO osteossarcoma ou sarcoma osteogénico (OS) é o tumor maligno primário mais comum de origem óssea que ocorre em crianças e adultos jovens. Este tumor surge a partir de células mesenquimais e é histologicamente caracterizado pela presença de células fusiformes e formação aberrante de osteóide. A incidência desta neoplasia apresenta uma distribuição bimodal, com um primeiro pico na adolescência e um segundo pico a ocorrer entre a 6ª e a 7ª década de vida. A maioria dos pacientes apresenta doença localizada à data do diagnóstico, e destes, aproximadamente 15 a 20% apresentam metástases detectáveis, em especial, pulmonares. A abordagem terapêutica ao OS engloba quimioterapia pré-operatória (neoadjuvante) seguida de ressecção cirúrgica do tumor primário e de todas as metástases visíveis e de quimioterapia pós-operatória (adjuvante). Historicamente, muitos agentes foram testados e usados no tratamento do OS, mas desde os anos 90 até à actualidade, o esquema de tratamento baseia-se na utilização de três agentes: Metotrexato (MTX), Doxorrubicina (A) e Ciclofosfamida (P), podendo ou não ser incluído um 4º agente, a Ifosfamida (I) ou o Ectopósido (E). Para surtir efeito, o MTX é administrado em alta dose, habitualmente de 12g/m2, podendo ir até 20g/m2, apresentando vários efeitos adversos. Como tal, outros agentes quimioterápicos têm sido testados, assim como outros tipos de tratamento e alvos, com o intuito de melhorar a performance e a sobrevida sem recorrência. A identificação de biomarcadores que permitam o diagnóstico, prognóstico e monitorização da terapia tem sido outra das principais linhas de investigação relacionadas com o OS. O objetivo deste trabalho centra-se na revisão da importância do tratamento neoadjuvante enquanto fator prognóstico do OS, e da monitorização laboratorial na utilização do MTX por forma a evitar efeitos secundários.Osteosarcoma or osteogenic sarcoma (OS) is the most common primary malignant tumor of bone origin that occurs in children and young adults. This tumor arises from mesenchymal cells and is histologically characterized by the presence of spindle cells, and aberrant osteoid formation. The incidence of this tumor shows a bimodal distribution with a first peak in adolescence and a second peak occurs between the 6th and 7th decade of life. The majority of patients have disease localized at diagnosis and of these, approximately 15 to 20% have detectable metastases, in particular lung. The therapeutic approach to the OS includes preoperative chemotherapy (neoadjuvant) followed by surgical resection of the primary tumor and metastases of all visible and postoperative chemotherapy (adjuvant). Historically, many agents have been tested and used in treatment of OS, but since the 90s until today, the treatment regimen is based on the use of three agents: methotrexate (MTX), doxorubicin (A) and cyclophosphamide (P), may or may not be included in a 4th agent, Ifosfamide (I) or Ectopósido (E). To take effect, MTX is administered in high doses, usually 12g / m2 and may go up to 20g / m2, with several adverse effects. As such, other chemotherapeutic agents have been tested, as well as other types of treatment targets, and, in order to improve performance and survival without relapse. The identification of biomarkers which allow the diagnosis, prognosis, and monitoring of therapy has been the other of the main lines of research related to the OS. This paper focuses on the review of the importance of neoadjuvant treatment as a prognostic factor of OS, and laboratory monitoring in the use of MTX in order to avoid side effects

A subcapitalização das sociedades comerciais: a perda grave do capital social e possíveis mecanismos de resposta

A vida societária resulta da conjugação de diferentes fatores, quer numa perspetiva puramente interna, quer externa. Muitas vezes resultam em situações de dificuldade elevada, podendo até fazer perigar a sua atividade. A Subcapitalização das Sociedades Comerciais constitui-se como um dos reflexos possíveis, quando abordamos essas dificuldades. De facto, a insuficiência de meios para que a sociedade possa prosseguir a sua atividade, pode e deve ser visto como um dos principais fatores que devem ser considerados, uma vez que os seus efeitos negativos, se acentuam, nomeadamente, durante os períodos de crise económicofinanceira. Efetivamente, sem os níveis de capital suficientes, a empresa vê-se impedida de concretizar o seu objeto social, pelo que importa aprofundar todos os seus efeitos, nomeadamente, quanto à situação de perda grave de capital, como um sinal evidente da premência de adoção de medidas, quer com uma perspetiva de curto como a médio-longo prazo. E é aí que o financiamento assume especial importância, quer procurando resolver os problemas “dentro de casa”, por exemplo, através do recurso aos suprimentos, que podem ser a solução para fazer face a necessidades de tesouraria, e ao mesmo tempo poder propiciar um bom investimento para os sócios. Externamente, existem cada vez mais opções em alternativa ao “tradicional” recurso a crédito bancário que se mostra cada vez mais exigente a cada dia que passa, pelo que o recurso a mecanismos inovadores com o aproveitamento de plataformas eletrónicas, como o crowdfunding ou as FinTech se pode mostrar vantajoso, inclusivamente, não só para ultrapassar uma situação de maior constrangimento, como para de seguida colocar a empresa noutro “patamar” de investimento.Corporate life results from the combination of different factors, both from a purely internal and external perspective. Often they result in situations of high difficulty, and may even jeopardize their activity. The undercapitalisation is one of the possible reflexes when we address these difficulties. In fact, the insufficient means for company to continue its activity can and must be seen as one of the main elements to be considered, since its negative effects are accentuated particularly during periods of financial crisis and negative economic growth. In fact, without sufficient capital levels, the company is prevented from carrying out its corporate purpose and, therefore, all its effects must be deepened, particularly as regards the situation of serious capital loss, as a clear sign of the urgency of taking the right measures in both a short-term or long-term perspective. And that is where funding is of particular importance, either by addressing "in-house" problems, for example through the use of supplies, which can be the solution to meet cash flow needs, and at the same time a good investment for the shareholders. Externally, there are more options as an alternative to the "traditional" feature of bank credit that is becoming more and more demanding each passing day, so using innovative mechanisms with the use of electronic platforms such as crowdfunding or even “Fintech” can prove to be advantageous, not only to overcome a situation of greater embarrassment, but also to drive the company to a higher investment level

Mental health literacy program: misophonia

Os níveis de literacia são um fator determinante na existência de conhecimentos e de crenças adequadas, associados à prevenção e tratamento das perturbações mentais. Assim, o programa de promoção de literacia em misofonia reveste-se como ponto chave na educação e sensibilização face à condição. A prevalência estimada desta perturbação, conjugada com os baixos níveis de literacia, exacerbam a necessidade de uma nova abordagem sustentável e escalável nos programas de literacia. O objetivo é o empoderamento dos participantes para o reconhecimento e autogestão da misofonia e a melhoria de atitudes em relação à condição. O programa e-learning de promoção de literacia de misofonia que propomos implementar, recorre a uma abordagem inovadora, positiva e interativa, potenciando a assimilação e implementação da informação disponibilizada. Espera-se um aumento da literacia e consciencialização sobre misofonia, redução do estigma e aumento da eficácia na procura de ajuda. A capacitação da população permitirá diminuir o impacto da misofonia e permitir o acesso a cuidados de saúde especializado como a intervenção da terapia ocupacional.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Gender perception and masculinities in psychological intervention

Este artículo hace parte de un estudio doctoral realizado en la Universidad de Oporto titulado “Hegemonic Masculinity and Psychological Intervention in Ecuador: Positionings and Practice” y refleja los resultados obtenidos a partir de entrevistas cualitativas realizadas dentro del mismo. Se buscó vislumbrar la perspectiva de psicólogos en temas alrededor de o derivados de la masculinidad y el género, reflexionando sobre las formas en que se las trabaja en la consulta. A través de entrevistas cualitativas realizadas a 15 psicólogos se pudo obtener una perspectiva más clara alrededor de los posicionamientos que se mantienen en torno al género dentro de la terapia. Se observó que los psicólogos mantienen consciencia alrededor de los aspectos y efectos del género tanto en los pacientes como en sí mismos; no obstante, la conformidad, respeto al proceso terapéutico y/o falta de conocimiento alrededor de los mismos, impide que se realice un abordaje adecuado.This article is part of a doctoral study carried out at the University of Porto entitled “Hegemonic Masculinity and Psychological Intervention in Ecuador: Positionings and Practice” and reflects the results obtained from the qualitative interviews carried out within it. We sought to get a glimpse at the perspective of psychologists on issues around or derived from masculinity and gender, reflecting on the ways in which they are worked on in therapy. 15 qualitative interviews with psychologists were made to obtain a clearer perspective around the positions that are maintained around gender within therapy. It was observed that psychologists maintain awareness around the aspects and effects of gender both in patients and in themselves, however, conformity, respect for the therapeutic process and/ or lack of knowledge around them, prevents an adequate approach towards them.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

The circular economy in the perspective of sustainable joinery: a case study in the Amazon / A economia circular na perspectiva da carpintaria sustentável: um estudo de caso na Amazônia

This article explores the concept of the circular economy based on the use, as base material, of wood residues from the production process of a company that operates in the hygiene and cleaning products sector based at the Manaus Industrial Pole. These residues feed the manufacturing process of a Sustainable Joinery, which, in turn, manufactures custom products, as well as those from its catalog. It is intended to explore the manufacturing process, in the context of the pillars of the circular economy. The methodology of this work consisted of exploring the stages of its manufacturing process, the process flows, the chain involved, and the waste management of this process. In this study, the life cycle stages of raw material supply and end-of-life pathways of wooden pallets were assessed environmentally from different perspectives with lifecycle assessment (LCA). In addition, it reveals the potential to be explored in the region due to the economic opportunities and social and environmental impacts, since, considering only the year 2019, 21 tons of wood were reprocessed, representing an average monthly revenue in the order of $ 5,000

Evaluation of a novel Escherichia coli fusion system for overproduction of recombinant immunogenic proteins

Recombinant protein production has been widely applied for therapeutic and diagnostic applications, namely for polyclonal antibody production. Antibodies are usually raised against a specific protein by immunization of animals with the purified protein. The bacterium Escherichia coli is one of the most used host cells for the bio-production of proteins, but it still presents some drawbacks: many proteins of biomedical interest are difficult to express properly in this host system, resulting in insoluble protein aggregates. Gene fusion technology has been employed to optimize recombinant protein production in E. coli. Fusion partners have also been used to potentially increase protein immunogenicity. In this work, the overproduction and immunopotentiating properties of a novel fusion system were studied. Novel fusion tags, Fh8 and H, were fused to five target proteins with diagnostic interests: CP12, a 12 kDa surface protein from Cryptosporidium parvum oocysts; CWP, a cyst wall protein from Giardia lamblia; ENT, a surface protein from Entamoeba histolytica cysts; TgOWP, a Toxoplasma gondii oocyst wall protein; and Frutalin, a recombinant lectin from Artocarpus incisa seeds. Production yields of all Fh8-fused proteins, H-fused proteins and non-fused recombinant proteins were compared and polyclonal antibodies were raised against CP12, CWP and ENT nonfused and H-fused antigens. Overall, the results showed that the fusion of both Fh8 and H tags to all target proteins improved their production in comparison with the respective non-fused target proteins. Moreover, the H tag efficiently increased CP12, CWP and ENT specific immunogenicity without being removed from the fusion antigens and without coadministration of adjuvants, resulting in a more effective and earlier immune response. The overproduction and immunopotentiating effects observed for this novel fusion system make it a unique alternative for recombinant protein production in E. coli and for immunodiagnostic and immunoprophylactic purposes

Morphological characteristics of Schistosoma mansoni PZQ-resistant and -susceptible strains are different in presence of Praziquantel

Schistosomiasis is one of the most common human parasitic diseases whose socioeconomic impact is only surpassed by malaria. Praziquantel (PZQ) is the only drug commercially available for the treatment of all schistosome species causing disease in humans. However, there has been stronger evidences of PZQ-resistance on Schistosoma mansoni and thus it is very important to study the phenotypic characteristics associated with it. The aim of this study was to evaluate morphological alterations in S. mansoni PZQ-resistant adult worms and eggs, by comparing a PZQ- resistant strain obtained under PZQ drug pressure with a PZQ-susceptible strain. For this, scanning electronic microscopy was used to assess tegumental responsiveness of both strains under PZQ exposure, and optical microscopy allowed the monitoring of worms and eggs in the presence of the drug. Those assays showed that PZQ-susceptible worms exposed to the drug had more severe tegumental damages than the resistant one, which had only minor alterations. Moreover, contrary to what occurred in the susceptible strain, resistant worms were viable after PZQ exposure and gradually regaining full motility after removal of the drug. Eggs from resistant strain parasites are considerably smaller than those from susceptible strain. Our results suggest that there might be a difference in the tegument composition of the resistant strain and that worms are less responsive to PZQ. Changes observed in egg morphology might imply alterations in the biology of schistosomes associated to PZQ-resistance, which could impact on transmission and pathology of the disease. Moreover, we propose a hypothetical scenario where there is a different egg tropism of the S. mansoni resistant strain. This study is the first comparing two strains that only differ in their resistance characteristics, which makes it a relevant step in the search for resistance determinants.publishersversionpublishe

Low-cost GNSS technology for monitoring grazing sheep

Extensive livestock production is supported by natural and biodiverse pastures, characterized by marked seasonal variation of biomass, plant species and growth stage. The use of the food resources and the occupation of grazing space can be very heterogeneous in such conditions due to ruminants grazing behaviour. Successful grazing and pasture management requires an understanding of the adjustment mechanisms behind the grazing behaviour that enables adaptation to grazing conditions. Use of GNSS technology allows a quick and effective grazing data collection which is, however expensive, limiting its application to research purposes. This paper reviews the principles for the application of GNSS technology and evaluates the use of inexpensive commercial GNSS receivers (commercial of the shelf - COTS: CatTrackTM”). Six receivers were used for six data collection period over two months of continuous grazing on a natural pasture. The measured static and dynamic accuracy of the receivers is 14m and 40m, respectively. The precision was 3m and the reliability 80%. The tested equipment allows the differentiation between animal activities (grazing, resting and transit). It also determines sheep locations, allowing the characterization of patterns, pathways and preferred areas. It is concluded that the COTS equipment has a high quality / price ratio, so it can become an important support decision tool essential to a more precise pasture management