Genetically engineered silk-based composite biomaterials functionalized with fibronectin type-II that promote cell adhesion

[Excerpt] Recombinant protein-based polymers (rPBPs) are an emerging class of biopolymers inspired by Nature and produced by synthetic protein biotechnology approaches. Due to their exceptional physical-chemical and biological characteristics, as well as their ability to be customized for specific applications, rPBPs have been explored for the development of advanced biomaterials [1]. Within rPBPs, silk-like polymers (SLP) are being utilized in a range of studies in materials science [2]. [...]This work was supported by FCT Funded Project “Chimera” (PTDC/EBB-EBI/109093/2008), by FCT/MEC through Portuguese funds (PIDDAC) – PEst-OE/BIA/UI4050/2014, by the strategic programme UID/BIA/04050/2013 (POCI-01-0145-FEDER-007569) funded by national funds through the FCT I.P. and by the ERDF through COMPETE2020 - Programa Operacional Competitividade e Internacionalização (POCI). TC is thankful to the FCT for its support through Investigador FCT 2015. ARibeiro thanks FCT for the SFRH/BPD/98388/2013 grant. RMachado and AdaCosta acknowledge FCT for SFRH-BPD/86470/2012 and SFRH/BD/75882/2011 grants, respectively

Advanced silk-based genetic polymers with improved cell adhesion properties

[Excerpt] Recombinant protein-based polymers (rPBPs) are an emerging class of genetic polymers inspired by Nature and produced by synthetic protein biotechnology approaches. Due to their exceptional physical-chemical and biological characteristics, as well as their ability to be customized for specific applications, rPBPs have been explored for the development of advanced biomaterials [1]. Most of the polymers used as biomaterials thus far have been chemically synthesized, originating random copolymers with diverse and uncontrolled distribution of molecular weight (MW) and composition. However, advances in recombinant DNA technology allow the biological synthesis of fine-tuned rPBPs with precise control of their composition, polymer size and structure [2]. Furthermore, with the development of recombinant protein engineering and biotechnology, it is now possible to design new bioactive rPBPs by combining active peptides/domains from different natural proteins in the same fusion protein. [...

A Cross-Sectional Survey-Based Study of Medical Oncologists

Funding Information: We would like to thank Andrea Bothwell who wrote the manuscript outline and first draft on behalf of Springer Healthcare Communications. We also thank Prof. Carina Silva (ESTEsL – Escola Superior de Tecnologias de Saúde de Lisboa) who performed the preliminary statistical analysis of this study. This medical writing assistance and statistical analysis was funded by CUF Oncologia. Funding Information: Diogo Alpuim Costa has received honoraria from the Portuguese Navy, CUF Oncologia, and NTT DATA, and has served as a speaker, advisory board member, or has received research or education funding from CUF Oncologia, AstraZeneca, Hoffmann-La Roche, Merck KGaA, Novartis, Pfizer, Uriage, Daiichi Sankyo, Gilead, Merck Sharp & Dohme, Nanobiotix, Puma Biotechnology Inc., Sanofi, and Seagen Inc. Margarida Brito has participated as advisory board member for Roche, Novartis, Merck Sharp & Dohme, and Pfizer. Mário Fontes-Sousa has served as a speaker or advisory board member for Bristol Myers Squibb, Daiichi Sankyo, Gilead, Lilly, Merck Sharp & Dohme, Novartis, Pfizer, Roche, and Servier. Diogo Martins-Branco received honoraria and advisory board fees from Janssen, Pfizer, Merck Sharp & Dohme, Angelini, AstraZeneca, and Novartis, meeting and travel grants from LEO Farmacêuticos, Merck Sharp & Dohme, Ipsen, Janssen, and Roche, and institutional grants from F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd. José Guilherme Gonçalves Nobre, João Paulo Fernandes, Marta Vaz Batista, Ana Simas, Carolina Sales, Helena Gouveia, Leonor Abreu Ribeiro, Andreia Coelho, Mariana Inácio, André Cruz, Mónica Mariano, Joana Savva-Bordalo, Ricardo Fernandes, André Oliveira, Andreia Chaves, Mafalda Sampaio-Alves, and Noémia Afonso have nothing to declare. Publisher Copyright: © 2022, The Author(s).Introduction: Cancer care providers have faced many challenges in delivering safe care for patients during the COVID-19 pandemic. This cross-sectional survey-based study investigated the impact of the pandemic on clinical practices of Portuguese medical oncologists caring for patients with breast cancer. Methods: An anonymous online survey comprising 42 questions gathered information regarding COVID-19 testing, treatment in (neo)adjuvant and metastatic settings, and other aspects of breast cancer management. Practices before and during the pandemic were compared, and potential differences in outcomes according to respondents’ regions, case volumes, and practice type were explored. Results: Of 129 respondents, 108 worked in the public health system, giving a representative national picture of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on breast cancer management. Seventy-one percent of respondents reported a reduction in visits for new cases of breast cancer, and there was a shift towards increased use of telemedicine. Clinical decision-making was largely unaffected in the most aggressive indications (i.e., triple-negative, HER2-positive, visceral crisis). The use of neoadjuvant therapy increased when access to surgery was difficult, whereas dose-dense regimens decreased, and cyclin-dependent kinase 4/6 inhibitor treatment decreased for less aggressive disease and increased for more aggressive disease. The use of oral formulations and metronomic chemotherapy regimens increased, and clinical trial participation decreased. Some differences by respondents’ region and case volume were noted. Conclusion: Medical oncologists in Portugal implemented many changes during the COVID-19 pandemic, most of which were logical and reasonable responses to the current healthcare emergency; however, the true impact on patient outcomes remains unknown.publishersversionepub_ahead_of_prin

A comprehensive assessment of the transcriptome of cork oak (Quercus suber) through EST sequencing

Background: Cork oak (Quercus suber) is one of the rare trees with the ability to produce cork, a material widely used to make wine bottle stoppers, flooring and insulation materials, among many other uses. The molecular mechanisms of cork formation are still poorly understood, in great part due to the difficulty in studying a species with a long life-cycle and for which there is scarce molecular/genomic information. Cork oak forests are of great ecological importance and represent a major economic and social resource in Southern Europe and Northern Africa. However, global warming is threatening the cork oak forests by imposing thermal, hydric and many types of novel biotic stresses. Despite the economic and social value of the Q. suber species, few genomic resources have been developed, useful for biotechnological applications and improved forest management. Results: We generated in excess of 7 million sequence reads, by pyrosequencing 21 normalized cDNA libraries derived from multiple Q. suber tissues and organs, developmental stages and physiological conditions. We deployed a stringent sequence processing and assembly pipeline that resulted in the identification of ~159,000 unigenes. These were annotated according to their similarity to known plant genes, to known Interpro domains, GO classes and E.C. numbers. The phylogenetic extent of this ESTs set was investigated, and we found that cork oak revealed a significant new gene space that is not covered by other model species or EST sequencing projects. The raw data, as well as the full annotated assembly, are now available to the community in a dedicated web portal at http://www.corkoakdb.org. Conclusions: This genomic resource represents the first trancriptome study in a cork producing species. It can be explored to develop new tools and approaches to understand stress responses and developmental processes in forest trees, as well as the molecular cascades underlying cork differentiation and disease response.Peer Reviewe

Outcomes from elective colorectal cancer surgery during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic

This study aimed to describe the change in surgical practice and the impact of SARS-CoV-2 on mortality after surgical resection of colorectal cancer during the initial phases of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic

Múltiplas Recidivas Oligometastáticas em Doente com Tumor de Pulmão Não-Pequenas Células

O tumor de pulmão não-pequenas células apresenta-se em estádio precoce, claramente cirúrgico, apenas em cerca de 20% dos casos. No entanto, até metade destes doentes vêm a recidivar sistemicamente, com rápida progressão de doença. Nalguns casos, no entanto, o padrão de metastização é limitado a um órgão, com um pequeno número de lesões (1-5) correspondendo ao conceito de recidiva oligometastática ou oligoprogressiva. Com tratamento local agressivo, têm sido documentadas longas sobrevivências nestes doentes, sugerindo uma biologia particular. Apresenta-se o caso de uma doente jovem, com recidiva de adenocarcinoma primário do pulmão oligoprogressiva, mas múltipla, na mama, pele e sistema nervoso central, dois, 12 e 27 meses após cirurgia curativa, tratada localmente com cirurgia e gamma knife, com longa sobrevivência e mantendo-se clinicamente assintomática. Recebido: 09/05/2017 - Aceite: 31/08/201

Paraneoplastic or treatment-associated dermatomyositis: a diagnostic challenge

Dermatomyositis (DM) is a systemic autoimmune disorder characterized by proximal myopathy and dermatological findings. Approximately 15-30% of DM cases emerge as a paraneoplastic syndrome caused by a concomitant malignancy. Although more rare, in cancer patients DM has also been reported as a possible result of toxicity of some antineoplastic agents, such as taxanes and monoclonal antibodies. Herein, we report a 35-year-old woman with metastatic breast cancer who presented with skin lesions after initiation of paclitaxel and anti-HER2 agents. Clinical, laboratory, and histological findings were consistent with the diagnosis of DM

Écriture et identités dans la nouvelle fiction romanesque

Les liens entre le littéraire et l’identitaire constituent le fil conducteur des travaux de spécialistes de différentes littératures des pays de langues romanes regroupés dans cet ouvrage. Ils interrogent la production romanesque actuelle (de 1980 à nos jours) tout en privilégiant la problématique identitaire et les rapports entre mémoire, histoire et fiction. Ainsi, cet ouvrage vise à établir un état des lieux de cette production à partir de paramètres formels et thématiques bien délimités. Ceux-ci concernent aussi bien l’identité du récit actuel – en se penchant sur les nouvelles stratégies d’écriture et les nouvelles formes romanesques – que les figurations identitaires qu’il produit ou qu'il déconstruit. C’est autour de ces deux grands axes que s’articulent les contributions réunies ici pour cerner les lignes directrices et les évolutions perceptibles de la production romanesque contemporaine. Cet ouvrage donne au lecteur quelques clés pour mieux comprendre les enjeux d'une modernité fictionnelle en phase avec son temps