Health and Technology Research Center

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Pharmacological modulation of inflammation associated with inflammatory bowel disease : study in a model of chronic experimental colitis in rodent

Publication . Silva, Inês; Mateus, Vanessa Alexandra Pinho; Pinto, Rui Manuel Amaro

Inflammatory bowel disease is recognized as a group of chronic inflammatory disorders, localized in the gastrointestinal tract. This chronic disease become a global healthcare concern, with a rising incidence in newly industrialized countries, adversely impacting the quality of life for affected individuals. Inflammatory bowel disease does not have a cure known and existing therapies aim to induce and maintain remission in patients and alleviate the secondary effects of the disease. Indeed, the pharmacological approaches, commonly used, demonstrate significant toxicity, which highlights the need to investigate new possible treatments for the long-term management of inflammatory bowel disease. The objective of this work is to evaluate new pharmacological approaches for inflammatory bowel disease, such as erythropoietin, carbamoylated erythropoietin, topiramate, and hemin in a chronic trinitrobenzene sulfonic acid(TNBS)-induced colitis in mice. Experimental colitis was induced in female CD-1 mice through repeated rectal administration of TNBS over a weekly schedule, during 4 weeks. The colitic mice were subjected to two weeks of treatment with daily doses of erythropoietin, hemin, topiramate, and carbamoylated erythropoietin. Several parameters were evaluated, including physiological, biochemical, and histological. Data analysis was performed using one-way ANOVA followed by Tukey's post hoc test. The colitic mice exhibited moderate morbidity, along with changes in intestinal motility characterized by the presence of soft stools and diarrhea, as well as increased levels of fecal calprotectin, fecal hemoglobin, alkaline phosphatase, and tumor necrosis factor-alpha. All tested drugs demonstrated anti-inflammatory effect on the development of chronic experimental colitis, specially erythropoietin, and hemin, as evidenced by the improvements in all evaluated parameters, leading to a reduction in both the severity and extent of the disease while maintaining safety. In conclusion, the findings indicate that all the tested drugs attenuate the chronic inflammatory response associated with the TNBS-induced colitis model.

2024-05Doctoral thesis

Open access

Development of a chlorhexidine delivery system based on dental reline acrylic resins

Publication . Bettencourt, Ana; Costa, Joana; Ribeiro, Isabel A. C.; Gonçalves, Lídia; Arias-Moliz, Maria Teresa; Dias, Juliana R.; Franco, Margarida; Alves, Nuno M.; Portugal, Jaime; Neves, Cristina B.

The high recurrence rate of common denture stomatitis after antifungal treatment is still concerning. This condition is caused by low patient compliance and incomplete local elimination of the main etiological factor — Candida albicans, often associated with other microorganisms, such as Streptococcus species. Impregnating denture materials with antimicrobials for local delivery is a strategy that can overcome the side effects and improve the efficacy of conventional treatments (topical and/or systemic). In this work, we describe the development of three hard autopolymerizing reline acrylic resins (Kooliner, Ufi Gel Hard, and Probase Cold) loaded with different percentages of chlorhexidine (CHX). The novel formulations were characterized based on their antimicrobial activity, mechanical, morphological and surface properties, in-vitro drug release profiles, and cytotoxicity. The addition of CHX in all resins did not change their chemical and mechanical structure. Among all the tested formulations, Probase Cold loaded with 5 wt% CHX showed the most promising results in terms of antimicrobial activity and lack of serious detrimental mechanical, morphological, surface, and biological properties.

2023-01Journal article

Open access

Effects of the ketogenic diet in the treatment of gliomas: a systematic review

Publication . Sargaço, Beatriz; Oliveira, Patrícia; Antunes, Maria Luz; Moreira, Ana Catarina

The ketogenic diet (KD) is a restrictive therapeutic diet, distinguished by being hyperlipidic, normoproteic, and hypoglucidic. This diet simulates biochemical changes related to fasting periods to achieve systemic ketosis. The metabolic particularities of glioma tumors motivated the rise in investigations and nutritional strategies, such as KD, to modulate the glycemic response as a treatment. This systematic review followed the PRISMA recommendations and was published in PROSPERO, with the identification CRD42021264173. The databases used were EMBASE, PubMed/Medline, Scopus, and Web of Science, and the studies were analyzed using the web-based application Rayyan. To analyze the risk of bias, Cochrane RevMan 5 software was used. For the analysis and treatment of statistical data, Microsoft® Excel® was used. A total of nine original articles were included. Data on survival, symptomology, and quality of life were collected. Mean overall survival was 15.9 months. Constipation and fatigue were the most reported symptoms. In 44.4% of the studies, an improvement in the quality of life was found. The KD is supported by most published studies as an effective therapy in the treatment of malignant gliomas due to its positive effects on patient survival. It was not possible to conclude the effectiveness of KD on quality of life.

2022Journal article

Open access

Determinants influencing distance learning at health technology higher education institutions in Portugal

Publication . Teresa Ribeiro, Ricardo; Cunha, Gilda; Silva, Carina; Medeiros, Nuno; Viegas, Claúdia; Ferro, Amadeu; Poças, Ilda; Raposo, Hélder; Eiras, Margarida

Introducing distance learning within higher education institutions (HEIs) is a key societal issue, especially in the health sector, due to its in vivo learning nature. Public policies play an important role in these digital environments. This study aims to identify the determinants influencing national public policies that foster digital learning transformation in Health HEIs in Portugal. A prospective survey, using the structural analysis of Godet’s method, is conducted, and data are gathered from different health sector stakeholders. Despite the efforts to increase digital literacy and funding toward digital learning in HEIs, a weak strategy and implementation of a national plan for distance learning in Health HEIs are still prevalent. The driver to success is grounded on national and international cooperation between health professionals, hospitals, and HEIs through transferability processes of innovative practices.

2023-02-10Journal article

Open access

Bioburden in sleeping environments from Portuguese dwellings

Publication . Viegas, Carla; Dias, Marta; Monteiro, Ana; Faria, Tiago; Lage, Joana; Carolino, Elisabete; Caetano, Liliana Aranha; Gomes, Anita Q.; Almeida, Susana Marta; Verde, Sandra Cabo; Belo, Joana; Canha, Nuno

A wider characterization of indoor air quality during sleep is still lacking in the literature. This study intends to assess bioburden before and after sleeping periods in Portuguese dwellings through active methods (air sampling) coupled with passive methods, such as electrostatic dust cloths (EDC); and investigate associations between before and after sleeping and bioburden. In addition, and driven by the lack of information regarding fungi azole-resistance in Portuguese dwellings, a screening with supplemented media was also performed. The most prevalent genera of airborne bacteria identified in the indoor air of the bedrooms were Micrococcus (41%), Staphylococcus (15%) and Neisseria (9%). The major indoor bacterial species isolated in all ten studied bedrooms were Micrococcus luteus (30%), Staphylococcus aureus (13%) and Micrococcus varians (11%). Our results highlight that our bodies are the source of the majority of the bacteria found in the indoor air of our homes. Regarding air fungal contamination, Chrysosporium spp. presented the highest prevalence both in after the sleeping period (40.8%) and before the sleeping period (28.8%) followed by Penicillium spp. (23.47% morning; 23.6% night) and Chrysonilia spp. (12.4% morning; 20.3% night). Several Aspergillus sections were identified in air and EDC samples. However, none of the fungal species/strains (Aspergillus sections Fumigati, Flavi, Nidulantes and Circumdati) were amplified by qPCR in the analyzed EDC. The correlations observed suggest reduced susceptibility to antifungal drugs of some fungal species found in sleeping environments. Toxigenic fungal species and indicators of harmful fungal contamination were observed in sleeping environments.

2021Journal article

Restricted access