Pertinência da criação de um modelo geral de aceitação de tecnologia aplicado a terapias

Introdução: Conhecer os principais fatores que afetam a aceitação e utilização da tecnologia nos diferentes utilizadores e em diferentes contextos de saúde pode contribuir para o sucesso na implementação de novas ferramentas tecnológicas que permitam ajudar ao desempenho das diferentes tarefas. Objetivo: O presente estudo tem como objetivo obter a opinião de peritos na área de aceitação da tecnologia em contextos de saúde, relativa à pertinência de criação de um modelo geral de eTerapia que possa ser aplicado a diferentes utilizadores e com diferentes tarefas. Método: Inquérito por questionário a autores de literatura científica na área de aceitação da tecnologia em contextos de saúde. Resultados: Os resultados permitem verificar que seria importante a criação de um modelo de aceitação de tecnologia aplicado a terapias, que pudesse ser aplicado a diferentes tipos de utilizadores e que considerasse a diversidade de tarefas

Schizophrenic patients’ expectations facing technology in a cognitive rehabilitation therapy environment

eTherapy can bring numerous advantages, however people have to adapt to a different discourse. It would be interesting to know patients’ expectations regarding to this type of therapy. A questionnaire was developed with the most studied factors proved to have an important role in technology acceptance. The results allowed highlighting some important factors that influence behavioral intention, and made it possible to verify that some of these factors may be linked or influence others among different dimensions

Regul-A: A Technological Application for Sensory Regulation of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder in the Home Context

Background: Sensory processing disorder is now recognised as a core feature of autism spectrum disorder that influences children’s adaptive behaviours, which, in turn, may interfere with their participation in life situations. This study describes the process of developing a technological platform, in the form of an app, to help families regulate children with ASD, aged 3–6 years old, by applying sensory strategies to improve the child’s participation in daily routines in the home context. (2) Methods: A focus group formed by four specialised occupational therapists who intervene with children with ASD was selected in order to understand and discuss content that should be included in the app. At a later stage, a group of three was involved to ensure quality and veracity in technological platform elaboration. (3) Results: The purpose of the app, named Regul-A, is to help parents regulate children with ASD regarding their participation in home routines. The sensory strategies provided by the focus group in the three major occupations of the child were the first results obtained, followed by the development of the app structure. (4) Conclusions: The next phase of the study will be the use of the platform by families of children with ASD and occupational therapists. It is believed that, in the future, Regul-A will be used as a tool to gather, analyse and manage data on the occupational performance of children with ASD in the home context, particularly for activities of daily living, sleep, rest and play, facilitating the implementation of strategies and the sharing of information between parents and occupational therapistsinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Teenpower: an integrated architecture for an mHealth platform designed for e-Empowering teenagers to prevent obesity: a showcase of the TeenPower platform

2018 IEEE 20th International Conference on e-Health Networking, Applications and Services (Healthcom)Adolescents, reportedly, easily adopt a sedentary lifestyle and unhealthy behaviors. Furthermore, the use of smartphones, especially in this age group, is made on a daily basis. In this context, the TeenPower Project includes an mHealth platform integrated in an intervention programme to engage teenagers to embrace more healthier lifestyle behaviors. This paper describes the technical aspects of the development and implementation of the software applications that compose the TeenPower Platform. The platform consists of two applications: a mobile app (Android) to be used by adolescents, mainly for self-monitoring and educational purposes; and the backoffice (web) application to be used by teachers and health professionals. Both applications are integrated and work through a web service (REST-based) API, which allows them to exchange data seamlessly, keep all related contents updated and enhance communication between adolescents and health professionals.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Omics analyses in citrus reveal a possible role of RNA translation pathways and Unfolded Protein Response regulators in the tolerance to combined drought, high irradiance, and heat stress

Environmental changes derived from global warming and human activities increase the intensity and frequency of stressful conditions for plants. Multiple abiotic factors acting simultaneously enhance stress pressure and drastically reduce plant growth, yield, and survival. Stress combination causes a specific stress situation that induces a particular plant response different to the sum of responses to the individual stresses. Here, by comparing transcriptomic and proteomic profiles to different abiotic stress combinations in two citrus genotypes, Carrizo citrange (Citrus sinensis × Poncirus trifoliata) and Cleopatra mandarin (Citrus reshni), with contrasting tolerance to different abiotic stresses, we revealed key responses to the triple combination of heat stress, high irradiance and drought. The specific transcriptomic response to this stress combination in Carrizo was directed to regulate RNA metabolic pathways and translation processes, potentially conferring an advantage with respect to Cleopatra. In addition, we found endoplasmic reticulum stress response as common to all individual and combined stress conditions in both genotypes and identified the accumulation of specific groups of heat shock proteins (HSPs), such as small HSPs and HSP70s, and regulators of the unfolded protein response, BiP2 and PDIL2-2, as possible factors involved in citrus tolerance to triple stress combination. Taken together, our findings provide new insights into the acclimation process of citrus plants to multiple stress combination, necessary for increasing crop tolerance to the changing climatic conditions

Reduction of heat stress pressure and activation of photosystem II repairing system are crucial for citrus tolerance to multiple abiotic stress combination

Drought, heat and high irradiance are abiotic stresses that negatively affect plant development and reduce crop productivity. The confluence of these three factors is common in nature, causing extreme situations for plants that compromise their viability. Drought and heat stresses increase the saturation of the photosystem reaction centers, increasing sensitivity to high irradiance. In addition, these stress conditions affect photosystem II (PSII) integrity, alter redox balance of the electron transport chain and decrease the photosynthetic rate. Here, we studied the effect of the stress combinations on the photosynthetic apparatus of two citrus genotypes, Carrizo citrange (Citrus sinensis × Poncirus trifoliata) and Cleopatra mandarin (Citrus reshni). Results obtained showed that physiological responses, such as modulation of stomatal aperture and transpiration rate, aimed to reduce leaf temperature, are key to diminishing heat impact on photosynthetic apparatus and increasing tolerance to double and triple combinations of drought, high irradiance and high temperatures. By using transcriptomic and proteomic analyses, we have demonstrated that under these abiotic stress combinations, Carrizo plants were able to increase expression of genes and proteins related to the photosystem repairing machinery (which better maintained the integrity of PSII) and other components of the photosynthetic apparatus. Our findings reveal crucial physiological and genetic responses in citrus to increase tolerance to the combination of multiple abiotic stresses that could be the basis for breeding programs that ensure a sustainable citrus production.Funding for open access charge: CRUE-Universitat Jaume

The effect of chitosan on the in vitro biological performance of chitosan-poly(butylene succinate) blends

Chitosan blends with synthetic biodegradable polymers have been proposed for various biomedical applications due to their versatile mechanical properties and easier processing. However, details regarding the main surface characteristics that may benefit from the blending of these two types of materials are still missing. Hence, this work aims at investigating the surface properties of chitosan-based blends, illustrating the way these properties determine the material-proteins interactions and ultimately the behavior of osteoblast-like cells. The surface characteristics of modified and nonmodified blends were assessed using complimentary techniques such as optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR-ATR), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), contact angle measurements and surface energy calculations. The adsorption of human serum albumin (HSA) and human plasma fibronectin (HFN) onto the different surfaces was quantified by association of an indirect method with a colorimetric assay. It was found that the presence of chitosan on the surface promoted the adsorption of proteins. Moreover, a preferential adsorption of albumin over fibronectin was registered. The in vitro biological performance of the studied materials was further investigated by a direct contact assay with an osteoblastic-like cell line (SaOs-2). A synergistic effect of the two components of the blend was observed. While the synthetic polyester promoted the adhesion of SaOs-2, the presence of chitosan significantly enhanced the osteoblastic activity of these cells. This work further confirmed the interest in designing polymeric blends with natural polymers as a successful strategy to enhance the biological performance of a biomaterial

Catarina I. Reis 1,* , Cláudia Pernencar 2,3, Marta Carvalho 1 , Pedro Gaspar 1 , Ricardo Martinho 4,5 , Roberta Frontini 1,6, Rodrigo Alves 1 and Pedro Sousa

Obesity is a chronic condition that influences the quality of life of patients and families while increasing the economic burden for the world population. Multidisciplinary prevention programs are crucial to address it, allowing an early introduction of healthy behaviors into daily habits. Mobile health interventions provide adequate support for these programs, especially considering the gamification techniques used to promote users’ engagement. TeenPower is a multidisciplinary mHealth intervention program conducted in Portugal during 2018 to empower adolescents, promoting healthy behaviors while preventing obesity. An agile software development process was applied to the development of the digital platform that holds a web-based application and a mobile application. We also propose a model for future developments based on the user-centered design approach adopted for this development and the assessment conducted in each phase. The user-centered design approach model proposed has three distinct phases: (1) design study; (2) pre-production usability tests; and (3) post-production data. Phase 1 allowed us to obtain the high-fidelity version of the graphical user interfaces (n = 5). Phase 2 showed a task completion success rate of 100% (n = 5). Phase 3 was derived from statistical analysis of the usage of the platform by real end users (n = 90). We achieved an average retention rate of 35% (31 out of 90 participants). Each technique has provided input for the continuous design and improvement of the platform. This allowed the creation of a tailored platform that could meet users’ expectations. Nevertheless, the retention rate decreased significantly over a short period of time, revealing the need for further work in the improvement of the gamification experience.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

An alternative hybrid lipid nanosystem combining cytotoxic and magnetic properties as a tool to potentiate antitumor effect of 5-fluorouracil

The authors acknowledge the support of FCT-Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia, I.P., in the scope of the projects LA/P/0037/ 2020. The authors acknowledge the support of FCT Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia, I.P.Aims: Colorectal cancer is the third most frequent type of cancer and the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide. The majority of cases are diagnosed at a later stage, leading to the need for more aggressive treatments such as chemotherapy. 5-Fluorouracil (5-FU), known for its high cytotoxic properties has emerged as a chemotherapeutic agent. However, it presents several drawbacks such as lack of specificity and short half-life. To reduce these drawbacks, several strategies have been designed namely chemical modification or association to drug delivery systems. Materials and methods: Current research was focused on the design, physicochemical characterization and in vitro evaluation of a lipid-based system loaded with 5-FU. Furthermore, aiming to maximize preferential targeting and release at tumour sites, a hybrid lipid-based system, combining both therapeutic and magnetic properties was developed and validated. For this purpose, liposomes co-loaded with 5-FU and iron oxide (II, III) nanoparticles were accomplished. Key findings: The characterization of the developed nanoformulation was performed in terms of incorporation parameters, mean size and surface charge. In vitro studies assessed in a murine colon cancer cell line confirmed that 5-FU antiproliferative activity was preserved after incorporation in liposomes. In same model, iron oxide (II, III) nanoparticles did not exhibit cytotoxic properties. Additionally, the presence of these nanoparticles was shown to confer magnetic properties to the liposomes, allowing them to respond to external magnetic fields. Significance: Overall, a lipid nanosystem loading a chemotherapeutic agent displaying magnetic characteristics was successfully designed and physicochemically characterized, for further in vivo applications.publishersversionpublishe

Nanostructured hollow tubes based on chitosan and alginate multilayers

The design and production of structures with nanometer-sized polymer fi lms based on layer-by-layer (LbL) are of particular interest for tissue engineering since they allow the precise control of physical and biochemical cues of implantable devices. In this work, a method is developed for the preparation of nanostructured hollow multilayers tubes combining LbL and template leaching. The aim is to produce hollow tubes based on polyelectrolyte multilayer fi lms with tuned physical-chemical properties and study their effects on cell behavior. The final tubular structures are characterized by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), microscopy, swelling, and mechanical tests, including dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) in physiological simulated conditions. It is found that more robust films could be produced upon chemical cross-linking with genipin. In particular, the mechanical properties confi rms the viscoelastic properties and a storage and young modulus about two times higher. The water uptake decreases from about 390% to 110% after the cross-linking. The biological performance is assessed in terms of cell adhesion, viability, and proliferation. The results obtained with the cross-linked tubes demonstrate that these are more suitable structures for cell adhesion and spreading. The results suggest the potential of these structures to boost the development of innovative tubular structures for tissue engineering approaches.The authors acknowledge the financial support by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) through the doctoral and post-doctoral grants with the reference numbers SFRH/BD/81372/2011 (J.M.S.), SFRH/BD/61390/2009 (C.A.C.), SFRH/BD/73119/2010 (I.N.), and SFRH/BPD/489948/2008 (P.S.), respectively, co-financed by the Operational Human Potential Program (POPH) developed under the scope of the National Strategic Reference Framework (QREN) from the European Social Fund (FSE). The authors would also like to acknowledge the project novel smart and biomimetic materials for innovative regenerative medicine approaches (Ref.: RL1 - ABMR - NORTE-01-0124-FEDER-000016) co-financed by North Portugal Regional Operational Programme (ON.2 - O Novo Norte), under the National Strategic Reference Framework (NSRF), through the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF)