Transforming growth factor-β plasma levels and its role in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

Trabalho Final do Curso de Mestrado Integrado em Medicina, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de Lisboa, 2021A Esclerose Lateral Amiotrófica (ELA) é uma doença neurodegenerativa caracterizada por uma progressiva paralisia muscular. As complicações respiratórias são a principal causa de morte na ELA. Por essa razão, a avaliação do estado respiratório inicial e o seu declínio com a progressão da doença são fortes preditores independentes de sobrevida. O Riluzole, um inibidor da neurotransmissão glutamatérgica, é o único fármaco queprovou aumentar a sobrevida. Assim sendo, são necessários novos biomarcadores moleculares, assim como novas estratégias terapêuticas. As citocinas pertencentes à família Transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) são importantes reguladores celulares, influenciando tanto a neurogénese, como os processos neurodegenerativos. Vários estudos demonstraram que a sinalização do TGF-β protege os neurónios da excitotoxicidade mediada pelo glutamato, mecanismo este subjacente à patogénese diversas doenças neurodegenerativas, como a ELA. Estudos recentes demonstraram que a desregulação do sistema TGF-β é uma alteração comum em doenças neurodegenerativas. A sobrerregulação deste sistema foi correlacionada com a progressão da ELA. Quantificámos os níveis plasmáticos de TGF-β1, TGF-β2 e TGF-β3 em 25 doentes com ELA e em 12 controlos saudáveis, os nossos resultados preliminares apoiam a hipótese que os níveis de TGF-β3 podem ser um marcador de gravidade na ELA. Para confirmar esta hipótese será necessário testá-la numa maior população. Como resultado deste trabalho publicámos o seguinte artigo: Transforming growth factor-β plasma levels and its role in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, Med Hypotheses, 139, 109632.Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a neurodegenerative disease characterized by progressive muscle paralysis. Respiratory complications are the main cause of death in ALS. For this reason, initial respiratory status and its decline over disease progression are strong independent predictors of survival. Riluzole, a glutamatergic neurotransmission inhibitor, is the only drug that has shown to extend survival. Therefore, both novel molecular biomarkers and treatment strategies are needed. Transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) family cytokines are important regulators of cell fate affecting both neurogenesis and neurodegeneration. Several studies demonstrate that TGF-β signaling protects neurons from glutamate-mediated excitotoxicity, a recognized mechanism underlying the pathogenesis of various neurodegenerative disorders such as ALS. Recent studies report dysregulations of the TGF-β system as a common feature of neurodegenerative disorders. The upregulation of this system has been linked with ALS progression. We have quantified TGF-β1, TGF-β2 and TGF-β3 plasma levels in 25 ALS patients and 12 healthy controls, our preliminary results support the hypothesis that TGF-β3 levels can be a marker of disease severity in ALS. Further results are necessary to confirm this hypothesis. As a result of this work we published the following article: Duque, T., Gromicho, M., Pronto-Laborinho, A. C., de Carvalho, M., Transforming growth factor- β plasma levels and its role in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, 2020, Med Hypotheses, 139, 109632

Espírito Santo Saúde: the bidding war

This case study describes the current situation of Espírito Santo Saúde, which involved an eventful takeover process. The company initially went public on February 2014 and later that year, due to the financial situation of its holdings it had to be sold. The bidding war began in August 2014, after Ángeles announced the first offer. Other participants who also pitched bids include José de Mello Saúde, UnitedHealth and Fosun. Furthermore, the potential projects Espírito Santo Saúde was considering implementing prior to the sale and the current situation of the healthcare industry in Portugal, will also be analysed.UNL - NSB

DESIGN FOR INCLUSIVE COMMUNITIES: UNIVERSITIES AS DRIVERS OF SUSTAINABLE AND SOCIAL ENGAGEMENT NETWORKS IN LOCAL COMMUNITIES

Communities and networks constitute complex socio-cultural ecosystems wherein participatory design and art practices assume a central role in fostering collaborative creativity and addressing collective challenges. The infusion of participatory design into these networks serves as a catalyst for social innovation, facilitating the active engagement of community members in co-creating their shared environments. Social design emerges as a strong tool, transcending disciplinary boundaries to harness the capacities of art and design in responding to intricate societal issues. This interplay between participatory design and art practices becomes a dynamic mechanism instigating positive transformations within communities, fostering diverse perspectives and inclusive solutions. University-level students can play a crucial role in the convergence of art and design activism, enhancing the impact of interventions with a socio-political dimension. As active participants in civic engagement through art and design, these students become vital advocates for social justice, contributing substantively to community empowerment and proactive determination of future trajectories. The genesis of the "O Bairro está IN(clusivo)" [The Neighborhood is IN(clusive)] project exemplifies this synergy. Promoted by ESAD — College of Art and Design and rooted in the principles of dream, imagination, fabulation, and self-build, the project endeavors to contribute to societal betterment through design and architecture, emphasizing positive transformation of Cruz de Pau's (social housing community in Matosinhos, Portugal) urban space through active community participation. Financed under the “Healthy Neighborhoods Program”, a governmental initiative to enhance the quality of life in vulnerable territories, the project focuses on Cruz de Pau—a neighborhood with diverse demographic profiles and varying economic and social needs. The project engages in workshops and participatory activities involving three generations —seniors, young people, and adolescents —, aiming to improve the surrounding space and leverage local knowledge. Through art and creativity, the project activates social and urban "regeneration," fostering participation and identification between inhabitants and their surroundings, while showcasing the effective transformative power of a united communit

Videogames as Interactive Cinema - New Perspectives

The concept of interactive cinema has been explored in depth since the first incipient manifestations of (non- interactive) cinema. If our first attempts at creating interactive experiences out of narrative, linear film objects have been notoriously clunky and awkward, with the birth of videogames new attempts have been made, bringing fresh ideas and possibilities unto the table. Interactive works that include films as objects are common today. However, interactive cinema as a concept appears to have been abandoned. Cinema continues to be largely non interactive, this dimension seemingly relegated to videogames, apps and websites. We consider that some videogames can be considered interactive cinema. The Last of Us is an example that set the trend of mostly linear, narrative games. Other games have explored this model, achieving better and worse results. We propose that these games could be categorized as interactive cinema. In this paper we aim to continue an exploration of this idea - that there can be interesting, elegantly implemented creations we can name interactive cinema - distinguishing them from video games. We analyze two video games in this light, ‘Pentiment and Everything, trying to understand how they relate to, and differ from, classic cinema and the classic video game experience. We will also discuss the exhibition “Mundos Paralelos” (Parallel Worlds), on display at the the 25th edition of the Avanca Film Festival, to understand the cinematic characteristics of the artworks presented. We conclude by proposing that, perhaps, closed categories might not serve us when creating new objects, and that hybridization is beneficial, creative, and should occur.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Relatório final de estágio, realizado na Escola Básica e Secundária de Carcavelos, no ano letivo 2016-2017

O presente relatório traduz o trabalho desenvolvido ao longo do ano de Estágio Pedagógico, como professora de Educação Física, realizado na Escola Básica e Secundária de Carcavelos, no ano letivo de 2016/2017. Ao longo do documento são descritas e analisadas as atividades e ações desenvolvidas com base nos objetivos descritos no guia de estágio, definido em quatro áreas: Organização e Gestão do Ensino e da Aprendizagem (área 1), Inovação e Investigação Pedagógica (área 2), Participação na Escola (área 3) e Relação com a Comunidade (área 4). Todas as ações decorreram no contexto escolar da Escola Básica e Secundária de Carcavelos, pelo que se verificam algumas características deste estabelecimento educacional, com base na atividade docente vivenciada e descrita no presente documento. Desta forma, o relatório procura descrever e analisar as atividades e trabalho desenvolvidos ao longo do ano letivo, não deixando de evidenciar as respetivas conclusões e de que forma estas influenciaram o meu trajeto pessoal e formativo, enquanto docente de Educação Física.The current report reflects the work developed during the year of Pedagogical Practicum, as a Physical Education teacher, held in the Escola Básica e Secundária de Carcavelos, in the academic year 2016/2017. Throughout the document, the activities and actions developed are described and analysed, based on the goals described in the practicum guide, defined in four areas: Organization and Management of Teaching and Learning (area 1), Innovation and Pedagogical Research (area 2), Participation in the School (area 3) and Relationship with the Community (area 4). All actions were carried out in the school context of the Escola Básica e Secundária de Carcavelos, so some characteristics of this educational establishment are verified, based on the teaching activity experienced and described in this document. In this way, the report seeks to describe and analyse the activities and work developed throughout the school year, while noting their conclusions and how they influenced my personal and training path as a Physical Education teacher

Space models as a tool for sustainability development

Space Models are new space geometries that are created to emphasize the particularities of the geo-referenced data analysed. A Space Model integrates groups of regions that present similar behaviour attending to a specific characteristic. Each group represents a cluster aggregating regions that are similar regarding to the analysed characteristic, and regions in different clusters are as dissimilar as possible. This paper proposes the creation of Space Models, through the STICH (Space Models Identification Through Hierarchical Clustering) algorithm, as an alternative approach for data visualization, where the geometry of the maps is created from the data itself. Space Models are new space geometries that are created to emphasize the particularities of the analysed data, and integrate groups of regions that present similar behaviour attending to a specific characteristic. The achieved results are illustrated through a set of examples that are compared with conventional representations, showing that Space Models provide real added-value over conventional approaches, namely by facilitating the identification of peculiarities in the data.EPSILON Project, funded by the Information Society Technologies program from European Commission - IST-2001-32389

STICH: a hierarchical clustering algorithm

Clustering has been widely used to find homogeneous groups of data in datasets while looking at some specific metric. Several clustering techniques have been developed, each one presenting advantages and drawbacks to specific applications. This work addresses the development of a clustering technique for the creation of Space Models – STICH (Space Models Identification Through Hierarchical Clustering). Space Models are divisions of the space in which the elementary regions are grouped according to their similarities with respect to a specific indicator (value of an attribute). The identified models, which are formed by sets of clusters, point out particularities of the analysed data, namely the exhibition of clusters with outliers, regions which behaviour is strongly different from the other regions analysed. The results achieved with STICH and with the well known k-means algorithm are compared, allowing the validation of the work developed so far in STICH.European Commission - Information Society Technologies (IST) - contract IST-2001- 32389 = Environmental Policy via Sustainability Indicators On a European-wide NUTS-III Level (EPSILON)

Distance educational relationship and senses of belonging: the voices of students

In a viral society in which the social being claims the ability to maintain distance and the socially desirable representation of the body, in particular the face, claims its concealment, the distance educational relationship represents a critical area that deserves to be highlighted in the research agendas. This study aims to explore the sense of belonging of 98 students who attend a distance learning university. For this purpose, an open-ended questionnaire was applied, previously disclosed in closed groups on social networks. The students' sense of belonging was analysed through the types of connections they maintain with the campus, course, peers and teachers. The analysis of the narratives expresses a great diversity, density of experiences and expectations in the connections and senses of belonging. Attributing great importance to teachers in the appropriation of knowledge, it is essentially with their peers - other students - that the connections and sense of belonging acquire greater expressioninfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio