Development of new oxygen therapeutics using fluorinated ionic liquids

Dissertação apresentada na Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia da Universidade Nova de Lisboa para obtenção do grau Mestre em Engenharia BiomédicaThe last decade of the 20th century has yielded a remarkable progress in the field of first generation artificial blood substitutes. Emulsions based on perfluorocarbons (PFCs) became one of the main candidates for a safe and reliable artificial blood substitute. The final objective of the present work is to study the fluorinated ionic liquids (FILs) with the purpose of replacing, partially or totally, the PFCs actually used as artificial blood substitutes, thus providing new fluids with tailored advanced properties. With this goal in mind, the thermophysical and thermodynamic characterization of several FILs, was carried out with the aim to select the most appropriate candidate. This characterization involves the measurement and analysis of the decomposition and melting temperature, density, viscosity, refractive index, and ionic conductivity at atmospheric pressure in a temperature range from 298.15 to 353.15 K. Furthermore, the liquid-liquid equilibria of binary mixtures of PFCs and FILs were studied, at atmospheric pressure in a temperature range usually from 293.15 to 343.15 K. The knowledge of the phase behaviour is crucial to the formulation of emulsions used nowadays as suitable oxygen carriers. Finally, Non-Random Two Liquid (NRTL) thermodynamic model was successfully applied to correlate the behaviour of the binary mixtures of PFCs and FIL

HERA - Environmental Risk Assessment of a contaminated estuarine environment: a case study

Sado River estuary is located in the west coast of Portugal. Previous environmental studies identified industrial contamination, non-point anthropogenic sources and contamination coming from the river, all promoting accumulation of polluted sediments with known impacts on the ecological system. Surrounding human populations have intense economic fishery activities. Together with agriculture, estuary fishing products are available to local residents. Food usage previously characterized through ethnographic studies suggests exposure to estuarine products, farming products, and water in daily activities, as potential routes of contamination. It is well established that long term exposure to heavy metals are associated with renal and neurological diseases, most heavy metals are classified as carcinogenic and teratogenic.Instituição Financiadora: FCT; Instituições participantes: IMAR -Instituto do Mar (coord.)e PRÓ-INSA, Associação para a Promoção da Investigação em Saúde, Instituto Nacional de Saúde Doutor Ricardo Jorg

Design and baseline characteristics of the finerenone in reducing cardiovascular mortality and morbidity in diabetic kidney disease trial

Background: Among people with diabetes, those with kidney disease have exceptionally high rates of cardiovascular (CV) morbidity and mortality and progression of their underlying kidney disease. Finerenone is a novel, nonsteroidal, selective mineralocorticoid receptor antagonist that has shown to reduce albuminuria in type 2 diabetes (T2D) patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) while revealing only a low risk of hyperkalemia. However, the effect of finerenone on CV and renal outcomes has not yet been investigated in long-term trials. Patients and Methods: The Finerenone in Reducing CV Mortality and Morbidity in Diabetic Kidney Disease (FIGARO-DKD) trial aims to assess the efficacy and safety of finerenone compared to placebo at reducing clinically important CV and renal outcomes in T2D patients with CKD. FIGARO-DKD is a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel-group, event-driven trial running in 47 countries with an expected duration of approximately 6 years. FIGARO-DKD randomized 7,437 patients with an estimated glomerular filtration rate >= 25 mL/min/1.73 m(2) and albuminuria (urinary albumin-to-creatinine ratio >= 30 to <= 5,000 mg/g). The study has at least 90% power to detect a 20% reduction in the risk of the primary outcome (overall two-sided significance level alpha = 0.05), the composite of time to first occurrence of CV death, nonfatal myocardial infarction, nonfatal stroke, or hospitalization for heart failure. Conclusions: FIGARO-DKD will determine whether an optimally treated cohort of T2D patients with CKD at high risk of CV and renal events will experience cardiorenal benefits with the addition of finerenone to their treatment regimen. Trial Registration: EudraCT number: 2015-000950-39; ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT02545049

Relatório estágio profissional

Relatório final do estágio profissionalizante do 6.º ano

Relatório estágio profissional

Relatório final do estágio profissionalizante do 6.º ano

Characterisation of microbial attack on archaeological bone

As part of an EU funded project to investigate the factors influencing bone preservation in the archaeological record, more than 250 bones from 41 archaeological sites in five countries spanning four climatic regions were studied for diagenetic alteration. Sites were selected to cover a range of environmental conditions and archaeological contexts. Microscopic and physical (mercury intrusion porosimetry) analyses of these bones revealed that the majority (68%) had suffered microbial attack. Furthermore, significant differences were found between animal and human bone in both the state of preservation and the type of microbial attack present. These differences in preservation might result from differences in early taphonomy of the bones. © 2003 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved