Identificação de polietilenoglicol em malha poliéster através de FTIR e RMN

Comunicação em painel P29 no IV Encontro em Técnicas de Caracterização e Análise Química, Braga, Portugal, 17 Junho 2016.Com o presente trabalho pretendeu-se detetar a presença de PEG em malhas têxteis de poliéster (PES), tendo-se para tal recorrido a uma extração sólido-líquido com refluxo (soxhlet) com água. Posteriormente à extração, foram utilizadas diferentes técnicas de análise espetroscópica, como a espetroscopia de infra-vermelho com transformada de Fourier (FTIR) e a espetroscopia de ressonância magnética (RMN). Através da análise dos resultados obtidos a partir destas técnicas, foi possível identificar o PEG na malha PES.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Photoactivable oxobenzopyranoxazole esters of 5-aminolevulinic acid

Comunicação em painel P51 no 1st European Young Chemists Meeting/ 5th Portuguese Young Chemists Meeting, Guimarães, Portugal, 26-29 Abril 2016.In this communication we report the synthesis of new oxobenzopyranoxazoles 1a,b as photolabile protecting groups and their conjugation with 5-(N-butyloxycarbonyl)aminolevulinic acid 2 via an ester bond. The study of the photolytic behaviour of the resulting conjugates in different conditions was carried out in a photochemical reactor by irradiation at 254, 300, 350 and 419 nm, monitored by HPLC-UV and 1H NMR.Thanks are due to the Foundation for Science and Technology (Portugal) for financial support through project PEstC/QUI/UI0686/2013 (F-COMP-01-0124-FEDER-037302) FEDER-COMPETE, FCT-Portugal. A PhD grant to A.M.S.S. (SFRH/BD/80813/2011) is also acknowledged. The NMR spectrometer Bruker Avance III 400 is part of the National NMR Network and was purchased in the framework of the National Program for Scientific Reequipment, with funds from POCI 2010 (FEDER) and FCT.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Procedures of user-centered usability assessment for digital solutions: scoping review of reviews reporting on digital solutions relevant for older adults

The assessment of usability is a complex process that involves several steps and procedures. It is important to standardize the evaluation and reporting of usability procedures across studies to guide researchers, facilitate comparisons across studies, and promote high-quality usability studies. The first step to standardizing is to have an overview of how usability study procedures are reported across the literature.publishe

Experts evaluation of usability for digital solutions directed at older adults: a scoping review of reviews

Background: it is important to standardize the evaluation and reporting procedures across usability studies to guide researchers, facilitate comparisons, and promote high-quality studies. A first step to standardizing is to have an overview of how experts-based usability evaluation studies are reported across the literature. Objectives: to describe and synthesize the procedures of usability evaluation by experts that are being reported to conduct inspection usability assessments of digital solutions relevant for older adults. Methods: a scoping review of reviews was performed using a five-stage methodology to identify and describe relevant literature published between 2009 and 2020 as follows: i) identification of the research question; ii) identification of relevant studies; iii) select studies for review; iv) charting of data from selected literature; and v) collation, summary, and report of results. The research was conducted on five electronic databases: PubMed, ACM Digital Library, IEEE, Scopus, and Web of Science. The articles that met the inclusion criteria were identified, and data extracted for further analysis, including evaluators, current usability inspection methods, and instruments to support usability inspection methods. Results: a total of 3958 articles were identified. After a detailed screening, 12 reviews matched the eligibility criteria. Conclusion: overall, we found a variety of unstandardized procedures and a lack of detail on some important aspects of the assessment, including a thorough description of the evaluators and of the instruments used to facilitate the inspection evaluation such as heuristics checklists. These findings suggest the need for a consensus framework on the experts’ assessment of usability that informs researchers and allows standardization of procedures.in publicatio

Methodological considerations in assessing interlimb coordination on poststroke gait: a scoping review of biomechanical approaches and outcomes

To identify and summarize biomechanical assessment approaches in interlimb coordination on poststroke gait. Interlimb coordination involves complex neurophysiological mechanisms that can be expressed through the biomechanical output. The deepening of this concept would have a significant contribution in gait rehabilitation in patients with an asymmetric neurological impairment as poststroke adults. Poststroke adults (>19 years old), with assessment of interlimb coordination during gait, in an open context, according to the Population, Concept, Context framework. A literature search was performed in PubMed, Web of Science™, Scopus, and gray literature in Google Scholar™, according to the PRISMA-ScR recommendations. Studies written in Portuguese or English language and published between database inception and 14 November 2021 were included. Qualitative studies, conference proceedings, letters, and editorials were excluded. The main conceptual categories were “author/year”, “study design”, “participant’s characteristics”, “walking conditions”, “instruments” and “outcomes”. The search identified 827 potentially relevant studies, with a remaining seven fulfilling the established criteria. Interlimb coordination was assessed during walking in treadmill (n = 3), overground (n = 3) and both (n = 1). The instruments used monitored electromyography (n = 2), kinetics (n = 2), and kinematics (n = 4) to assess spatiotemporal parameters (n = 4), joint kinematics (n = 2), anteroposterior ground reaction forces (n = 2), and electromyography root mean square (n = 2) outcomes. These outcomes were mostly used to analyze symmetry indices or ratios, to calculate propulsive impulse and external mechanical power produced on the CoM, as well as antagonist coactivation. Assessment of interlimb coordination during gait is important for consideration of natural auto-selected overground walking, using kinematic, kinetic, and EMG instruments. These allow for the collection of the main biomechanical outcomes that could contribute to improve better knowledge of interlimb coordination assessment in poststroke patients.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

The Role Of Videolaparoscopy In The Diagnostic And Therapeutic Approach Of Nonpalpable Testis.

Evaluate the results from the first 5 years of experience with laparoscopy for diagnosis and treatment of nonpalpable testes. Medical records of 51 patients submitted to laparoscopic testicular exploration, during a 5-year period, were retrospectively analyzed. Patients' mean age was 65.7 months (median = 48) on the first procedure. The youngest patient was 10 months and the oldest was 14 years old on the first surgery. Twenty-four (47%) patients presented nonpalpable testes bilaterally, 7 (14%) only at the right side and 20 (39%) at the left, totaling 75 testicular units assessed. Patients who had their testes palpated after anesthetic induction were excluded from the study, and in all other cases, surgical management was based on the testicular position and viability. During the post-operative follow-up, surgical success was classified as palpable testis in scrotal sac, with adequate consistency and volume. Nine (12%) testes were not localized, but their vessels and deferent duct were atrophic. Two (3%) testes were intra-abdominal and atrophic, and 2 (3%) gonads, in the same patient, had a dysmorphic aspect. Nineteen (25%) testicular units were located close to the internal inguinal ring (peeping testes) and, in 22 (29%) units, the spermatic vessels and deferent duct penetrated the internal inguinal ring. Eight (10%) testes were located at a distance of less than 2 cm from the internal inguinal ring and 13 (17%) at a distance greater than 2 cm. The 2 intra-abdominal atrophic testes were removed. Inguinotomy was performed in a total of 41 (54%) cases, reaching a surgical success of 89%. Laparoscopic orchiopexy in one stage, without vascular ligation, was performed in 9 (12%) testes, which presented a distance of less than 2 cm from the internal inguinal ring, also with a surgical success index of 89%. Orchiopexy in 2 stages, with ligation of the spermatic vessels, was performed in 13 (17%) testicular units located at a distance greater than 2 cm from the internal inguinal ring, reaching 77% of good results. Videolaparoscopy is a safe and effective method for diagnosis and treatment of nonpalpable testis.29345-51; discussion 351-

Light triggering of 5-aminolevulinic acid from fused coumarin ester cages

The evaluation of the photorelease of 5-aminolevulinic acid (5-ALA), a small molecule which has considerable interest in the areas of medicine as a photosensitizer prodrug in PDT and cosmetic treatments, and in agriculture as herbicide/insecticide, was carried out by using a series of fused coumarin derivatives with different substituents and ring fusions in the preparation of 5-ALA photosensitive ester cages, in order to tune the photophysical and photolytic properties of the resulting conjugates. This study was intended to assess the viability of photorelease of 5-ALA from lipophilic conjugates since it has hydrophilic character, does not penetrate efficiently through the skin or cell membranes and proper derivatisation can enhance its lipophilicity and its application scope in biological environment. Photolysis studies were performed on the ester cages by irradiation in a photochemical reactor at 254, 300, 350 and 419 nm, using methanol/HEPES buffer 80:20 solutions as solvent. The data obtained confirmed the suitability of the tested photosensitive moieties for the release of 5-aminolevulinic acid at the various wavelengths of irradiation. As well as the photolysis, the photophysics of the compounds were characterised by both steady state and time-resolved methods which uncovered the presence of different fluorescing species. Additionally, an on-off experiment was carried out by using two excitation sources (cleave and probe) to enable fluorescence to follow the kinetics of the process and to ascertain optical control over the bond scission.Thanks are due to the Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia (FCT, Portugal) for financial support to the NMR portuguese network (PTNMR, Bruker Avance III 400-Univ. Minho), FCT and FEDER (European Fund for Regional Development)-COMPETE-QREN-EU for funds provided through the Chemistry Research Centre of the University of Minho (Ref. UID/QUI/00686/2013 and UID/QUI/0686/2016). A PhD grant to A.M.S.S. (SFRH/BD/80813/2011) is also acknowledged.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio