Prostate Cancer Cell Lines Inhibition by Umbilical Cord Blood Serum

This study was funded by BebéVida-Ciências para a Vida S.A. and the FCT strategic project [reference number UID/BIM/04293/2013]

The efficacy of hyperbaric oxygen therapy in the treatment of central retinal artery occlusion

Central retinal artery occlusion (CRAO) is an ophthalmological emergency. Various treatment modalities have been tried, but none have shown to alter natural history of the disease. Hyperoxia can restore retinal oxygenation, and favourable results were obtained with hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT). We report two patients with sudden visual loss due to CRAO treated with HBOT. Case 1: a 61-year-old female, presented with CRAO in her left eye(OS). She was submitted to eight sessions of HBOT(2.4atmosphere absolute (ATA)). BCVA(Best corrected visual acuity) improved from counting fingers (CF) to 1.0 and fluorescein angiography (FA) showed a normalisation. Vascular study showed a value of 8.8% for HbA1c and ventricular extrasystoles. Case 2: a 69-year-old male presented with CRAO in his OS. Nine sessions of HBOT(2.4 ATA) were performed. Best corrected visual acuity (BCVA)improved from CF to 0.8 and the FA was normalised. Vascular study revealed an atheromatous carotid disease, and cardiac pathology. HBOT seems to be beneficial on the recovery of vision following CRAO.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Hydrodynamic Effects on Biofilm Development and Recombinant Protein Expression

Hydrodynamics play an important role in the rate of cell attachment and nutrient and oxygen transfer, which can affect biofilm development and the level of recombinant protein production. In the present study, the effects of different flow conditions on the development of Escherichia coli biofilms and the expression of a model recombinant protein (enhanced green fluorescent protein, eGFP) were examined. Planktonic and biofilm cells were grown at two different flow rates in a recirculating flow cell system for 7 days: 255 and 128 L h(-1) (corresponding to a Reynolds number of 4600 and 2300, respectively). The fluorometric analysis showed that the specific eGFP production was higher in biofilms than in planktonic cells under both hydrodynamic conditions (3-fold higher for 255 L h(-1) and 2-fold higher for 128 L h(-1)). In the biofilm cells, the percentage of eGFP-expressing cells was on average 52% higher at a flow rate of 255 L h(-1). Furthermore, a higher plasmid copy number (PCN) was obtained for the highest flow rate for both planktonic (244 PCN/cell versus 118 PCN/cell) and biofilm cells (43 PCN/cell versus 29 PCN/cell). The results suggested that higher flow velocities promoted eGFP expression in E. coli biofilms

Fabric magnético em red beds da Formação de Conraria, Portugal Central

The main goal of this study was to quantify the magnetic fabric on rock samples of the upper subunit of the Conraria Formation, Silves Group, in the region of Coimbra. Studies of Anisotropy of Magnetic Susceptibility (AMS) were carried out on 50 samples from 11 sites in order to characterise the magnetic fabric. The general parallelism between an oblate fabric and stratification may indicate a combination between the primary sedimentary arrangement and another one with origin in the diagenesis or even in components of earlier tectonic origi

Magnetic fabric of Red Beds from the Conraria Formation, Central Portugal

Poster apresentado ao VIII Congresso Nacional de Geologia, em Braga (9-16 de Julho 2010)O objectivo principal deste estudo consistiu em quantificar o fabric magnético em amostras da subunidade superior da Formação de Conraria, Grupo de Silves, na região de Coimbra. Foram efectuadas determinações de anisotropia da susceptibilidade magnética (ASM) em 50 amostras, obtidas em 11 sites, de forma a caracterizar o seu fabric magnético. O paralelismo geral entre um fabric achatado e a estratificação poderá indicar uma conjugação entre o arranjo sedimentar primário e outro com origem na diagénese ou mesmo em componentes de origem tectónica precoce.The main goal of this study was to quantify the magnetic fabric on rock samples of the upper subunit of the Conraria Formation, Silves Group, in the region of Coimbra. Studies of Anisotropy of Magnetic Susceptibility (AMS) were carried out on 50 samples from 11 sites in order to characterise the magnetic fabric. The general parallelism between an oblate fabric and stratification may indicate a combination between the primary sedimentary arrangement and another one with origin in the diagenesis or even in components of earlier tectonic origin

Groove Pancreatitis with Biliary and Duodenal Stricture: An Unusual Cause of Obstructive Jaundice

INTRODUCTION: Groove pancreatitis is an uncommon cause of chronic pancreatitis that affects the groove anatomical area between the head of the pancreas, duodenum, and common bile duct. CLINICAL CASE: A 67-year-old man with frequent biliary colic and an alcohol consumption of 30-40 g/day was admitted to the hospital complaining of jaundice and pruritus. Laboratory analysis revealed cholestasis and the ultrasound scan showed intra-hepatic biliary ducts dilatation, middle third cystic dilatation of common bile duct, enlarged Wirsung and pancreatic atrophy. The magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography showed imaging findings compatible with groove pancreatitis. An esophagogastroduodenoscopy later excluded duodenal neoplasia. He was submitted to a Roux-en-Y cholangiojejunostomy because of common bile duct stricture. Five months later a gastrojejunostomy was performed due to a duodenal stricture. The patient remains asymptomatic during follow-up. DISCUSSION: Groove pancreatitis is a benign cause of obstructive jaundice, whose main differential diagnosis is duodenal or pancreatic neoplasia. When this condition causes duodenal or biliary stricture, surgical treatment can be necessary.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Avaliação multicritério das opções de ligação aérea Rio-São Paulo.

O artigo apresenta uma análise das opções existentes na ligação aérea Rio-São Paulo. As opções existentes no mercado são descritas e avaliadas. A abordagem de avaliação escolhida é o Apoio Multicritério à Decisão. No caso investigado os critérios de decisão são preço, rota, frequência de voos, serviço de bordo, modelo de aeronave e características do programa de milhagem, avaliados segundo duas óticas, a do turista e a do executivo. Os critérios são agregados em um único critério síntese, com o uso de uma soma ponderada. Os critérios subjetivos e os pesos da soma ponderada são quantificados com o auxílio do método MACBETH

População de bactérias diazotróficas na Rizosfera de sorgo influenciada pela idade da planta e saturação de alumínio.

A eficiência da fixação biológica de N2 é afetada por fatores biótipos e abióticos. Objetivou-se avaliar a influencia da idade da planta e da toxidez de alumínio sobre a população de bactérias diazotróficas na rizosfera de plantas de sorgo no cerrado sob três níveis de AI 0%, 20% e 40%). Amostras de solo não rizosférico foi usado como controle. A população foi estimada utilizando-se o NMP e dois meios de cultura seletivos (NFb e LGI). Dentre 193 isolados obtidos de solo e de raízes, 27,27% foram positivos para o meio NFb; 17,05% para NFb e LGI, 12,5% para LGI e 43,18% negativos para ambos os meios (não diazotróficos). As populações destas bactérias variaram de 2,5x102 a 4,6x106 células g-1 solo, dependendo da saturação de AI da presença e da idade da planta (30 e 90 dias). A população bacteriana foi mais elevada aos 90 dias e reduzida pelo AI. Na presença de plantas, houve ligeira predominância das espécies Azospirillum brasilense, A. Lipoferum (positivo NFb) e, na ausência, de A. Amazonense (positivo LGI). A caracterização molecular demonstrou 78% das 14 seqüências analisadas foram identificadas como sendo do gênero Azospirillum

Long-term memory in financial prices: evidence from the Dutch stock market returns

Prepared for presentation at the Portuguese Finance Network International Conference 2014, Vilamoura, Portugal, June 18-20The purpose of this paper is to contribute to the discussion of long-term memory, focusing on the behavior of the main Dutch stock index.The analysis of the general characteristics of temporal frequency reveals that daily returns are non-ergodic, non-stationary and non-independent. Consequently, we have employed the rescaled-range analysis (R/S) and the detrended fluctuation analysis (DFA), under the fractional Brownian motion approach, and found slight evidence of long-term persistence. This suggests that this market is more prone to predictability ("Joseph effect"), but also trends that may be unexpectedly disrupted by discontinuities ("Noah effect"). Although the evidence of fractal dynamics has weak support, refutes the hypothesis of random walk with i.i.d. increments. This implies that the use of statistical limit arguments to determine conventional financial statistics, as used in the Capital Asset Pricing Model and option valuation models, is scientifically incorrect. Furthermore, a more localized (in time) study to identify the evolution of the degree of long-term memory over time showed a change in the characteristic index from persistent to anti-persistent, more evident after 2010. This suggests that the AEX market does not correspond to Efficient Market Hypotheis in strictly sense of Fama (1970), although it has progressed closer to this theoretical ideal during the worsening of the current international financial crisis