Projects
PCERTS-PFT-IINFACTS-2019: Behavioral Profile of the 3rd Grade Students from Schools of Tamega and Sousa Region - Penafiel.
It is in adolescence that the acquirement of skills can be more significant and produce more impact towered to building skills, attitudes and behaviours, designated by behavioural profile (BP), that enable them to grow up healthy, in order to be accomplished and socially competent adults. Although it is a complex development phase and of considerable risk regarding the adoption of unhealthy behaviors, it is also a very favorable period for health education and health promotion interventions. We propose, through a Health Planning work, involving the students of the degree in Nursing, to draw the BP of the 1008 adolescents attending the 3rd School cycle at the schools of Tâmega and Sousa Region, to design action plans and tools of assessment of the intervention and towards the resolution of identified problems.
ComeTax-PFT-IINFACTS-2019: Targeting the mitotic protein p31comet for cancer therapy
Interfering with mitosis in cancer cells leads to mitotic arrest and, very often, to cell death. This explains the proven success of the antimicrotubule drugs like taxanes in the treatment of many cancers. However, their clinical efficacy has been impaired by side effects and drug resistance, highlighting the need of search for new anticancer agents.
MVOS-PFT-IINFACTS-2019: Microbiological validation of an oral health scale of infectious-inflammatory potential through 16S rDNA metagenomic techniques
Little has been published in the dental literature on the combination of distinct variables in the design of oral health scales. Particular interest in the idea of representing the oral health status in a single numerical value arose with the development of “Periodontal Medicine”, which aims to establish correlations between infectious/inflammatory disorders of the oral cavity and the appearance of certain systemic diseases. In this thesis, we propose a new global oral health scale that establishes a single value for the infectious potential of the oral cavity, which has its clinical expression in the form of local and focal infections. The scale incorporates dental and periodontal variables organised according to objective and tested indices that reflect to a certain degree the presence of the principal infectious disorders of the oral cavity, caries and periodontal disease. The different grades of the scale have been correlated with the presence and concentration of various bacterial species of the salivary flora.
TMD&Hdache-CESPU-2018: Temporomandibular disorders, headache and psychosocial factors: a characterization and genetic study
TMDs is the most common chronic orofacial pain condition, being accepted that it has a multifactorial etiology with several contributing factors that may be the cause or contribute to its chronicity, namely neurobiological, neuromuscular, biomechanical and psychosocial factors. With this project, we aim to deepen the link between TMDs and associated comorbidities as primary headaches, regarding the shared common mechanisms between the two pathologies. We will apply a Next Generation approach to explore genetic variations that may act on the pathogenesis of TMDs and migraine and we expect to provide new insights regarding shared genetic risk for these conditions. Understanding the mechanisms underlying migraine and TMDs pathophysiology could lead to the development of more effective and better-tolerated therapeutic approaches to avoid the overlay of painful events. Furthermore, a deepest understanding about the presence of psychosocial factors in these patients may contribute to more efficient interventions, in the light of bio-psycho-social model.
bedGPR-CESPU-2018: Feasibility study of buried explosive detection using GPRs (Ground Penetrating Radars)
The detection and identification of buried materials (e.g.weapons, explosives) are routine practices in various forensic investigation scenarios, ideally occurring in an expeditious and safe manner. Due to its non-invasive nature concerning the geological matrix where the materials may be buried, forensic geophysics enables a fast response to this kind of needs. In many countries, explosive devices are a threat to public safety, their detection and identification being unexpendable for the subsequent removal and destruction under ideal safety conditions. Consequently, the current study aims to analyze the versatility of two georadars (2D-Easyrad and 3D-radar) in order to meet the above mentioned needs. For that purpose several scans will be processed with the two equipments, both in a soil and a sediment, during the 4 seasons of the year and against variables related to the explosive device (type,shape and size). The main aim of this project is the development of certified protocols suitable for the characteristics of the national soils and sediments in order to be implemented, by police and military forces, in real cases involving the detection of underground explosive devices.
LASERORAL-CESPU-2018: Evaluation of Biologic effects of Laser Treatment of Benign and Potentially Malignant Diseases in Oral Cavity
everal tissue interactions could be observed in oral tissues. At high power level, lasers can ablate and vaporize the tissues promoting not only the elimination or cut of a tissue but also to destroy bacteria. There is increasing popularity of high-power lasers for surgical debridement and antimicrobial therapy in the management of peri-implantitis and periodontal therapy. A recent method of low energy uses Er:YAG laser to contract oropharynx and decrease snoring. It would be necessary to evaluate the biological effect on fibroblasts and collagen to explain the mechanisms of this proposed treatment. The general objective is to understand the biological effect of Lasers in cells of lesions or diseases of the oral cavity. Our longterm goal is to explore the potential to use lasers in the treatment of several diseases of oral cavity. We will analyse the effect Laser in cells lines and evaluate proliferative markers, apoptotic markers and hypoxia markers. We will also perform a clinical prospective study of the use of Lasers groups of patients treated in CESPU Clinic. We will analyse the outcome in terms of recurrence/success of treatment or malignant transformation.
CHIRALXANT-CESPU-2018: Synthesis of new chiral derivatives of xanthones and antimicrobial evaluation
Xanthone derivatives and synthetic intermediates have demonstrated great potential in diverse biological/pharmacological activities. Among them, carboxyxanthones are interesting chemical building blocks for preparation of a variety of derivatives, including chiral derivatives of xanthones (CDXs). Xanthone derivatives with chirality associated and enantioselective studies have been explored in our group with promising results. Preliminary studies with carboxyxanthones coupled with proteinogenic amino acids demonstrated grow inhibition of some bacteria strains, namely Staphylococcus aureus and Staphylococcus epidermidis. In this work we aim to synthesize a new library of CDXs as pure enantiomers by coupling carboxyxanthones to enantiomerically pure proteinogenic amino esters. Antimicrobial activity of these CDXs will be evaluated in different microorganisms, including different bacterial species, Cryptosporidium and Leishmania. Considering that biological activity is dependent on the stereochemistry in many ways, both pure enantiomers as well as the racemates will be evaluated.
Microgut-CESPU-2018: Application of microfluidic devices for the encapsulation of beneficial gut bacteria
In recent years, some gut bacteria like Faecalibacterium prausnitzii and Akkermansia muciniphila, been identified from microbiome studies as potential probiotics or therapeutic microorganisms that could be used to treat or prevent inflammatory and diet-related physiological disorders. However, these microorganisms are difficult to handle because of their sensitivity of oxygen traces and low pH and so their successful use in food dietary supplements or drugs will depend on their stability and efficacy in humans. This project proposes to use microencapsulation to improve the viability and stability at atmospheric air and to achieve the intestinal delivery of these probiotics. Microfluidic-based techniques will be developed to encapsulate the model bacteria Bifidobacterium longum (a gut bacterium sensitive to oxygen and low pH values) in a polysaccharide-based matrix supplemented with protective agents (antioxidants and prebiotics). Different types of microfluidic devices and formulations will be studied. The microcapsules developed will be characterized and tested for stability, viability and control delivery of the beneficial microorganism.
TamEndMet-CESPU-2018: Effects of long-term tamoxifen therapy in endocrine regulation of metabolism in cycling female rats
Tamoxifen (TAM) is a selective estrogen receptor (ER) modulator that can alter the overall endocrine response. It is also an ER antagonist in breast cancer, being widely used in the treatment of this disease. Due to its undeniable success in the treatment and prevention of breast cancer in postmenopausal women, the prophylactic use of TAM for 5-10 years, has been proposed for premenopausal women, aiming the prevention/reduction of the disease. However, TAM therapy has several side effects associated with endocrine disruption at the neural, cardiovascular and systemic levels, and the risk/ benefit ratio of this preventive measure is still unknown. The liver and thyroid gland are important metabolic regulators with high endocrine modulation, making them preferential targets of systemic endocrine disruptors. Thus, to understand the effect of prolonged TAM therapy on endocrine regulation of metabolism, this project will study the liver and thyroid gland in premenopausal female rats using an animal model of long-term TAM. The studies of this project will able us to find answers to this current problem and help to outline new strategies in the prevention of breast cancer.
BIOENVIROM-CESPU-2018: Biological effects of environmental contaminants.
The adverse effects caused by the exposure to anthropogenic chemicals released into the aquatic environment were reported in various species. Due to their negative impact, the use of some of these chemicals was banned or their emission controlled. Nevertheless, new contaminants are continuously released and the undesirable effects are still unknown. Some pharmaceuticals and illicit drugs (PID) have been recognized as contaminants of emerging concern. Knowledge of the impact of these compounds, their metabolites and transformation products in living organisms is scarce but crucial for an accurate risk assessment and for the implementation of new directives and policies. Besides, most PID are chiral and enantiomers may differ in their biological responses. Thus, the aim of this project is to evaluate the ecotoxicological effects of the enantiomers of several PID as well as to investigate their enantioselective biodegradation and occurrence in aquatic matrices.