A helmintofauna dos vertebrados terrestres da ilha de S. Miguel (Açores) : lista anotada das espécies conhecidas

O presente trabalho refere-se aos resultados de pesquisas helmintológicas realizadas em 1746 hospedeiros, incluindo 14 espécies de vertebrados terrestres, envolvendo a quase totalidade das espécies domésticas e selvagens da ilha de S. Miguel. Foram assinaladas 77 espécies respeitantes a NEMATODA, PLATYHELMINTHA e ACANTHOCEPHALA, a maioria das quais (65) pertencentes a NEMATODA. Nos PLATYHELMINTHA consideram-se as classes CESTODA e DlGENEA representadas por 8 e 2 espécies respectivamente. Quanto a ACANTHOCEPHALA inclui apenas 2 espécies. Com excepção de Fasciola hepatica L., 1758 e Strongylus vulgaris (Looss, 1800), todas as espécies são pela primeira vez assinaladas na região. A lista anotada é apresentada por hospedeiro e segundo ordem alfabética, referindo-se ainda a prevalência e localização dos parasitas, assim como as localidades da ilha em que os hospedeiros foram analisados.ABSTRACT: The helminth fauna in 1746 hosts, comprising 14 different species, which included almost all species of domestic and wild terrestrial vertebrates from S. Miguel Island, were studied. Of the classes NEMATODA, PLATYHELMINTHA and ACANTHOCEPHALA, 77 species were identified; most of them (65) were NEMATODA. PLATYHELMINTHA including CESTODA and DlGENEA are represented by 8 and 2 species, respectively. ACANTHOCEPHALA includes 2 species only. Excluding Fasciola hepatica L., 1758 and Strongylus vuLgaris (Looss, 1800), all the reported species are new records for the Azores Archipelago. The checklist is presented according to host and in alphabetical order. Frequency of occurrence and site within the host, as well as the localities where the host animal occurred, are presented

The impact of foreign aid on economic development in fragile states

Over the past decade, fragile states has become a resonant term in the development lexicon, frequently employed to draw attention to the need to assist these countries. Among other reasons, external intervention has been justified by their lagging performance in the achievement of development outcomes and the threats they impose to global security and stability. Still, fragile states impose a dilemma. Although they are in great need of development assistance, aid towards these countries is expected to be less effective. This is the starting point of this thesis, which contributes to the understanding of the effect of foreign aid on economic development in fragile states, using political economy theory and standard econometric techniques. A review of existing measures of state fragility highlights that most of them lack a strong theoretical grounding, thus confusing causes and outcomes of fragility. This thesis suggests an alternative measurement approach that draws on Besley and Persson’s (2011a) theoretical model, and uses principal component analysis to derive an index for each of the two core dimensions of fragility: state ineffectiveness and political violence. This distinction follows a recent call for using multidimensional approaches and finds support in an exploratory cluster analysis. This thesis then contributes to the quantitative studies examining the fragility-growth link by replacing the CPIA with the two obtained indices as proxies for fragility and considering the effects of distinct dimensions separately. Using data for the period 19932012, the results from regression analysis show distinct effects for each dimension and find no significant impact of fragility on growth when employing a single index. Finally, inspired by the empirical aid effectiveness literature, this thesis tests the proposition that aid is less effective in promoting growth in countries with higher levels of state ineffectiveness or political violence. The results show no support for this hypothesis

Youth and urban violence in San Salvador, Rio de Janeiro and Praia: public policies, community-based responses and recommendations

Overall, despite the differences between Rio de Janeiro, San Salvador and Praia in terms of the incidence of youth violence, historical approaches and experience in dealing with the issue, Brazil, El Salvador and Cape Verde have all favoured an enforcement-based approach, focusing primarily on repression and law-enforcement mechanisms (police action, specific youth violence legislation, and prosecution, prison and socio-educational systems), instead of interventions aimed at the root causes of violent behaviour. However, recent changes in federal government approaches to public security in Brazil, coupled with state level changes, suggest the materialisation of a discourse shift in the field of youth violence, which has been in the making since the late 1990s. Another common feature in these countries is the incomplete availability of qualified information systems on violence and violent criminality, especially on organised crime and female involvement in urban violence. Civil society actions to prevent and combat urban violence are very diverse. In Brazil, especially Rio de Janeiro, NGOs, associations and grassroots organisations have a fairly long track record when dealing with the issue of youth violence, promoting initiatives and programmes mostly aimed at youth violence prevention, especially at the primary level. These initiatives and programmes have been based on skills training, sports, culture, empowerment and, to lesser extent, professional training and labour market integration. In San Salvador, despite the severity of youth violence, civil society approaches are less diversified and effective. Like any other violence-afflicted country in Central America, violence prevention and especially intervention programmes, namely those aimed at the perpetrators of violence, face greater disadvantages and less funding and support from the region’s crime-weary population. In Praia, the involvement of civil society in this matter has been slow. However, in recent years, the experiences of civil society organisations, sometimes in partnership with public institutions, have been singled out as good examples and as having had some direct impact on youth involved in violence in the Cidade da Praia. Responding to and effectively preventing youth urban violence requires a comprehensive approach which takes into account the intra-social forms of violence committed by and against youth, as well as the structural conditions which determine the marginalisation of youth. This includes prevention programmes which help young people in vulnerable situations, intervention programmes which offer alternatives for those attracted to violence, rehabilitation prospects for those who wish to leave violent groups, and those leaving prison and socioeducational systems. Capable and accountable law-enforcement bodies, protection and support mechanisms for victims of violence, adequate arms control policies, up-to-date data collection and analysis systems on youth and violence, and whole-of-government and multi-disciplinary approaches to violence are also key

Youth and urban violence in San Salvador, Rio de Janeiro and Praia: public policies, community-based responses and recommendations

Overall, despite the differences between Rio de Janeiro, San Salvador and Praia in terms of the incidence of youth violence, historical approaches and experience in dealing with the issue, Brazil, El Salvador and Cape Verde have all favoured an enforcement-based approach, focusing primarily on repression and law-enforcement mechanisms (police action, specific youth violence legislation, and prosecution, prison and socio-educational systems), instead of interventions aimed at the root causes of violent behaviour. However, recent changes in federal government approaches to public security in Brazil, coupled with state level changes, suggest the materialisation of a discourse shift in the field of youth violence, which has been in the making since the late 1990s. Another common feature in these countries is the incomplete availability of qualified information systems on violence and violent criminality, especially on organised crime and female involvement in urban violence. Civil society actions to prevent and combat urban violence are very diverse. In Brazil, especially Rio de Janeiro, NGOs, associations and grassroots organisations have a fairly long track record when dealing with the issue of youth violence, promoting initiatives and programmes mostly aimed at youth violence prevention, especially at the primary level. These initiatives and programmes have been based on skills training, sports, culture, empowerment and, to lesser extent, professional training and labour market integration. In San Salvador, despite the severity of youth violence, civil society approaches are less diversified and effective. Like any other violence-afflicted country in Central America, violence prevention and especially intervention programmes, namely those aimed at the perpetrators of violence, face greater disadvantages and less funding and support from the region’s crime-weary population. In Praia, the involvement of civil society in this matter has been slow. However, in recent years, the experiences of civil society organisations, sometimes in partnership with public institutions, have been singled out as good examples and as having had some direct impact on youth involved in violence in the Cidade da Praia. Responding to and effectively preventing youth urban violence requires a comprehensive approach which takes into account the intra-social forms of violence committed by and against youth, as well as the structural conditions which determine the marginalisation of youth. This includes prevention programmes which help young people in vulnerable situations, intervention programmes which offer alternatives for those attracted to violence, rehabilitation prospects for those who wish to leave violent groups, and those leaving prison and socioeducational systems. Capable and accountable law-enforcement bodies, protection and support mechanisms for victims of violence, adequate arms control policies, up-to-date data collection and analysis systems on youth and violence, and whole-of-government and multi-disciplinary approaches to violence are also key

Estridor e laringomalácia no recém-nascido

Trabalho Final do Curso de Mestrado Integrado em Medicina, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de Lisboa, 2020O estridor é um som produzido por um fluxo de ar turbulento, numa via aérea superior parcialmente obstruída e que origina vibrações nos tecidos circundantes. Devido às características anatómicas da laringe pediátrica, em especial do recémnascido, o estridor é mais comum nesta faixa etária. Este som pode ter diversas causas pelo que se torna importante a sua investigação e avaliação das suas características. Para fazer o diagnóstico etiológico do estridor é importante realizar uma anamnese cuidada e um exame objetivo geral do recém-nascido. O exame complementar de diagnóstico mais utilizado para avaliar o estridor é a laringobroncoscopia flexível. O tratamento do estridor deve ser dirigido à doença subjacente. A laringomalácia é uma anomalia congénita da laringe que leva ao colapso das vias respiratórias supraglóticas, sendo a causa mais comum de estridor inspiratório no período neonatal. A sua fisiopatologia tem por base as características anatómicas da laringe pediátrica e alterações no desenvolvimento dos nervos periféricos e núcleos do tronco cerebral que controlam a patência das vias aéreas superiores. A laringomalácia geralmente tem um curso benigno resolvendo-se, na maior parte dos casos, até aos dois anos de idade sem a necessidade de intervenção cirúrgica. Contudo, nos casos mais severos a supraglotoplastia tem-se revelado a intervenção cirúrgica de eleição.Stridor is a sound produced by the turbulent airflow that passes through an upper airway partially obstructed and that originates vibrations in surrounding tissues. Due to the anatomical characteristics of the pediatric larynx, specially those of the newborn, stridor is more common in this age group. This sound may have several causes, so it is important to investigate and evaluate its characteristics. In order to establish the correct etiological diagnosis it is important to perform a careful clinical history and a physical examination of the head, neck and chest. The most commonly used diagnostic exam to evaluate stridor is flexible laryngobronchoscopy. The treatment of stridor should be targeted at the underlying disease. Laryngomalacia is a congenital anomaly of the larynx that leads to supraglottic airway collapse and is the most common cause of inspiratory stridor in the neonatal period. Its pathophysiology is based on the anatomical characteristics of the pediatric larynx and in disturbances in the development of the peripheral nerves and brainstem nuclei that control upper airway patency. Laryngomalacia usually has a benign course, resolving in most cases in up to two years of age without the need for surgical intervention. However, in more severe cases supraglottoplasty has been the surgical intervention of choic

Zircónia, uma alternativa estética para implantes na zona anterior

A utilização de implantes dentários para a substituição de espaços edêntulos é, atualmente, uma opção terapêutica bastante válida e bem documentada. Por mais de quatro décadas, o titânio convencional tem sido o material padrão para o fabrico dos mesmos. Apesar do sucesso clínico dos implantes em titânio, complicações biológicas e técnicas podem ocorrer. Em adição, complicações estéticas são frequentes uma vez que este tipo material apresenta uma cor acinzentada. Na região anterior, principalmente se existir uma linha labial alta, a presença de descoloração da mucosa peri-implantar é considerada uma desvantagem do titânio, comprometendo a estética. Consequentemente, todos estes fatores culminaram na ascensão dos implantes cerâmicos. Estes não são uma descoberta recente no campo da implantologia oral, uma vez que já tinham sido introduzidos nos anos sessenta. Inicialmente, os implantes cerâmicos eram fabricados em óxido de alumínio, mas, devido às suas fracas propriedades mecânicas, foram removidos do mercado e substituídos por implantes fabricados em zircónia tetragonal estabilizada com ítria. Assim, a zircónia é atualmente o material de escolha para o fabrico de implantes dentários de cerâmica. Além da seleção do material do implante, o tratamento de superfície à qual o implante é sujeito costuma ser realizado para se obter uma superfície rugosa. Esta mesma demonstrou melhorar o contato osso-implante e, consequentemente, a osteointegração. No entanto, da mesma forma que nos implantes convencionais, estão reportadas em diversos casos clínicos a existência de complicações técnicas e biológicas que condicionam as taxas de sucesso e de sobrevivência dos implantes em zircónia. Neste contexto, a presente revisão narrativa tem como objetivo analisar as características e indicações da reabilitação com recurso a implantes em zircónia na zona anterior comparando-as com as reabilitações com implantes convencionais de titânio.The use of dental implants to replace edentulous spaces is currently a very valid and welldocumented therapeutic option. For more than four decades, conventional titanium implants have been used as standard material for their manufacture. Despite the clinical success of titanium implants, biological and technical complications can occur. In addition, aesthetic complications are frequent as this type of material has a grayish color. In the anterior region, especially if there is a high lip line, the presence of discoloration of the peri-implant mucosa is considered a disadvantage of titanium, compromising aesthetics. Consequently, all these factors culminated in the rise of ceramic implants. These are not a recent discovery in the field of oral implantology, as they were already introduced in the sixties. Initially, ceramic implants were made of aluminum oxide, but due to their poor mechanical properties, they were removed from the market and replaced by implants made of tetragonal zirconia stabilized with yttria. Thus, zirconia is currently the material of choice for the manufacture of ceramic dental implants. In addition to the selection of the implant material, the surface treatment in which the implant is subjected is usually carried out to obtain a rough surface. It has been shown to improve bone-implant contact and, consequently, osseointegration. However, as with conventional implants, the existence of technical and biological complications that affect the success and survival rates of zirconia implants are reported in several clinical cases. In this context, this narrative review aims to analyze the characteristics and indications of rehabilitation using implants in zirconia in the anterior zone, comparing them with rehabilitations with conventional titanium implants.Dissertação para obtenção do grau de Mestre no Instituto Universitário Egas Moni

Total tree weight for Eucalyptus globulus Lab.

Este estudo foi executado no sentido de quantificar as várias componentes da biomassa eucaliptal potencialmente utilizáveis na indústria de pasta de papel. O estudo em referência diz respeito à Serra de Ossa que se pode iconsiderar representativa da região sub-mediterrânea. Do presente estudo conclui-se que para o eucaliptal em estudo, os valores de desperdícios em bicadas e casca em relação à exploração tradicional atingem 2,3 e 17% respectivamente, o que representa para as duas componentes 2,17 t/ha e 11,6 t/ha. Os modelos preditivos dos desperdícios na idade do l.° corte (10 anos) revelaram que os vários componentes considerados podem ser preditos com inteira segurança, utilizando como variável descritiva o DAP ou a variável combinada (DAP)2Hinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Bioinspired and Sustainable Chitosan Based Monoliths for Antibody Capture and Release

The authors would like to thank the financial support from Fundacao para a Ciencia e Tecnologia, Portugal, through contracts MIT-Pt/BS-CTRM/0051/2008, PTDC/EBB-BIO/102163/2008, PTDC/EBB-BIO/098961/2008 and PTDC/EBB-BIO/118317/2010 and doctoral grant SFRH/BD/62475/2009 (T. B.), Bioengineering Systems Focus Area, Fundacao Calouste Gulbenkian, FEDER and FSE. We wish to thank the Analytical Services Laboratory of REQUIMTE for the characterization of materials. Authors are also thankful to Lonza Biologics, UK (Dr Richard Alldread) and the Animal Cell Technology Unit of ITQB-UNL/IBET (Dr Paula M Alves and Dr Ana Teixeira) for providing the cell culture bulks of antibodies.Chitosan-based monoliths activated by plasma technology induced the coupling of a robust biomimetic ligand, previously reported as an artificial Protein A, with high yields while minimizing the environmental impact of the procedure. Due to the high porosity, good mechanical and tunable physicochemical properties of the affinity chitosan-based monoliths, it is possible to achieve high binding capacities (150 ± 10 mg antibody per gram support), and to recover 90 ± 5% of the bound protein with 98% purity directly from cell-culture extracts. Therefore, the chitosan-based monoliths prepared by clean processes exhibit a remarkable performance for the one-step capture and recovery of pure antibodies or other biological molecules with biopharmaceutical relevance.authorsversionpublishe

Antibody-Conjugated Nanoparticles for Therapeutic Applications

Ines Peca is grateful for financial support from Fundacao para a Ciencia e a Tecnologia through contract SFRH/BD/48773/2008. This work has been supported by Fundacao para a Ciencia e a Tecnologia through grant no. PEst-C/EQB/LA0006/2011.A great challenge to clinical development is the delivery of chemotherapeutic agents, known to cause severe toxic effects, directly to diseased sites which increase the therapeutic index whilst minimizing off-target side effects. Antibody-conjugated nanoparticles offer great opportunities to overcome these limitations in therapeutics. They combine the advantages given by the nanoparticles with the ability to bind to their target with high affinity and improve cell penetration given by the antibodies. This specialized vehicle, that can encapsulate several chemotherapeutic agents, can be engineered to possess the desirable properties, allowing overcoming the successive physiological conditions and to cross biological barriers and reach a specific tissue or cell. Moreover, antibody-conjugated nanoparticles have shown the ability to be internalized through receptor-mediated endocytosis and accumulate in cells without being recognized by the P-glycoprotein, one of the main mediators of multi-drug resistance, resulting in an increase in the intracellular concentration of drugs. Also, progress in antibody engineering has allowed the manipulation of the basic antibody structure for raising and tailoring specificity and functionality. This review explores recent developments on active drug targeting by nanoparticles functionalized with monoclonal antibodies (polymeric micelles, liposomes and polymeric nanoparticles) and summarizes the opportunities of these targeting strategies in the therapy of serious diseases (cancer, inflammatory diseases, infectious diseases, and thrombosis).authorsversionpublishe

A scalable method to purify reflectins from inclusion bodies

Associate Laboratory Institute for Health and Bioeconomy – i4HB (LA/P/0140/2020). 2022.11305.BD for C.S. Publisher Copyright: © 2023 The Author(s)Structural proteins are an attractive inspiration for functional biobased materials. In nature, cephalopods skin colour modulation is related to the dynamic self-assembly of a family of structural proteins known as reflectins. To fully reach their potential as engineered bio-based materials, reflectins need to be produced by biotechnological means. One of the challenges is associated with establishing and optimizing reflectin purification processes to achieve the highest yield and productivity. Here, we studied purification strategies for two reflectin sequences from different organisms which were recombinantly expressed in a bacterial host at laboratory scale. Reflectins purification was then assessed by two chromatographic and one non-chromatographic methods. Methods were compared considering final purity and yield, productivity, cost and sustainability. The non-chromatographic method based on inclusion bodies washing presented the most promising results (protein purity > 90% and purification yields up to 88%). Our results contribute to define bioprocessing strategies to address the vision of biodegradable and sustainable protein-based materials.publishersversionpublishe