Projects
IPGTROF_CESPU_2017: In vitro study of the invasive capacity and survival of Porphyromonas gingivalis (strain ATCC 33277) on trophoblasts from the first and third gestational trimester.
Increasing evidence suggests that maternal periodontal disease is associated with gestational outcomes, including low birth weight and preeclampsia. One of the major periodontal pathogen, Porphyromonas gingivalis, is a Gram-negative anaerobe that can invade and survive within epithelial cells, disrupts cytokine expression and increases cell proliferation while suppressing apoptosis. All of these properties could potentially disrupt homeostasis in the placental tissues. It is also potentially important that,during the first 10-12 weeks of gestation, the placenta is in a state of physiological hypoxia, which would facilitate growth of anaerobes such as P. gingivalis. Although several authors have isolated P. gingivalis from the placenta of pregnant women with preeclampsia, little is known about the ability of this bacterium to infect and survive in trophoblasts. The objective of this study is to evaluate in vitro the invasiveness and survival of P. gingivalis in human trophoblastic cultures of the first and third trimester of gestation.
DTM_Headaches_CESPU_2017: Temporomandibular disorders: Interrelationship between craniocervical posture, malocclusion, psychological factors and determinants of headache - Continuation.
TMD is the most common chronic orofacial pain condition, characterized by changes in the temporomandibular joint, the masticatory muscles and surroundig structures, or both. It is considered to have a multifactorial etiology with several contributing factors that may be the cause or contribute to its chronicity, namely neurobiological, neuromuscular, biomechanical and psychosocial factors. The literature has shown a relationship between craniomandibular and craniocervical systems, showing a relation between TMD and postural factors. Concomitantly with TMD, there have been described several comorbidities associated with pain, like headache, whose pathophysiology seems to indicate the existence of common mechanisms. Psychosocial factors also seem to be related to TMD. For these reasons, it is important to study the relationship between these variables.
Agenesias-tratamento_CESPU_2017: Treatment of maxillary lateral incisor agenesis: close vs open space.
Congenitally missing lateral incisors creates an esthetic problem with specific orthodontic and prosthetic considerations. Our goal is to analyse in vivo and in vitro the clinical performance of esthetical in MLIA orthodontic cases, as well as the treatment with direct composite additions and with resin-bonded bridgework in patients with dental agenesis of the maxillary lateral incisor, following orthodontic treatment to close or open the missing tooth space. Furthermore, we aim to develop an efficient virtual prototyping method to compare different preparation designs of resin-bonded bridgework. Bisphenol-A (BPA) has recently been shown to have endocrine disrupter action as an environmental hormone. For this reason, we also intend to monitor the presence of this monomer in artificial saliva storage and biological fluids collected before and after adhesive rehabilitation of young patients. We expect to obtain not only satisfactory esthetical and functional results with both techniques, but also consider them as a non-provisional approach.
NORTE-01-0145-FEDER-000035-INNOVMAR: Innovation and Sustainability in the Management and Exploitation of Marine Resource
INNOVMAR aims to develop and consolidate the main research lines of CIIMAR via the implementation of 3 RL / projects: NOVELMAR - Novel marine products with biotechnological applications, INSEAFOOD - Innovation and valorization of seafood products: meeting local challenges and opportunities and; ECOSERVICES - Assessing the environmental quality, vulnerability and risks for the sustainable management of NW coast natural resources and ecosystem services. The 3 RL will be implemented in a coherent manner, having multiple interconnections from the scientific and human resources points of view. NOVELMAR aims to increase knowledge on marine biodiversity (link with ECOSERVICES) to discover new natural products using a biorefiney approach producing zero residues (link with INSEAFOOD). Marine microorganisms that produce blooms will be analyzed and sampled (link with ECOSERVICES and INSEAFOOD), extracts will be valorized (link with INSEAFOOD). INSEAFOOD will focus on sustainable seafood production and management of related services (link with ECOSERVICES) and produce healthy and safe seafood items. ECOSERVICES will assess the ecological status of estuarine and coastal areas of the NW coast Portugal (link with NOVELMAR) and valorize biological resources and ecosystem services to improve food security, environmental sustainability and human wellbeing (link with INSEAFOOD).
PHARM4ADHER_CESPU_2017: Pharmaceutical intervention in promoting adherence to topical treatment of chronic dermatosis.
Dermatosis are high prevalent diseases that affect the quality of life. Most of the dermatological patients can be treated effectively and safely with topical medicines. However, low adherence to treatment leads to the clinical ineffectiveness of this therapeutic approach with implications not only from the point of view of patient health, but also economic on the health system due to direct and indirect costs. Adherence to topical treatment is often conditioned by factors specific for the topical administration of the medicines such as the difficulty of establishing posology instructions. The contribution of pharmaceutical intervention in posology counselling and in promoting adherence to dermatology treatment is insufficiently characterized. This study aims to identify the needs of educational intervention oriented to pharmacists and to evaluate the impact of a training activity on literacy about topical
treatment.
MicroFluiPro_CESPU_2017: Exploring microfluidics-based devices for next-generation probiotics encapsulation.
Gut bacteria such as Faecalibacterium prausnitzii and Akkermansia muciniphila have emerged from intestinal microbiome studies as candidates to the next generation of probiotics with great potential to prevent inflammatory and diet-related physiological disorders. However, these microorganism are difficult to handle because of their extreme sensitivity to traces of oxygen 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 in a polysaccharide 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 probiotic microorganism.
ChiralDrugs_CESPU_2017: Chiral Bioactive Substances in the Environment.
Procedures for monitoring and controlling bioactive substances such as pharmaceuticals and illicit drugs in the environment are a challenge because of the high number and diversity of compounds. Most of these substances are chiral and excreted as non racemic and biodegraded enantioselectively. Most analytical methods used for monitoring these substances are not enantioselective and therefore neglects the enantiomeric fraction. Enantiomers may have different biological activities and should be quantified separately in occurrence studies for a correct risk assessment. The main objectives of this work are to evaluate the presence of these substances in Portuguese surface waters, influents and effluents from wastewater treatment plants (WWTP) and to estimate their consumption through previously validated enantioselective analytical methods. Enantioselective ecotoxicity using acute and chronic exposure tests with daphnia will also be evaluated.
AZA-FR-NPS_CESPU_2017: Development of folate-receptor targeted nanoparticles formulations for azacitidine delivery.
Azacitidine is a potent inhibitors of DNA methylation used for the treatment of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) and may also be effective in solid tumours. After administration, azacitidine undergoes spontaneous hydrolysis and deamination by cytidine deaminase leading to its degradation, this drug has short half-life and is unable to remain long enough to affect cancer cells. One reported strategy to protect azacitidine from enzymatic deamination is the incorporation in solid lipid nanoparticles. Folate-receptor targeted nanoparticles have been found to increase cellular uptake and cell cytotoxicity of several anticancer drugs and this approach will be studied for the first time for azacitidine in the present work. The aim of the present study is to develop and characterize azacitidine-loaded folate-receptor nanoparticle formulations in order to overcome azacitidine instability and enhance the therapeutic index of this drug.
ANTIV_CESPU_2017: Antivirulence activity of natural extracts and synthetic compounds.
Faced with the increasing lack of activity by antimicrobial agents, novel avenues of research need to be explored. In this project, we propose to test several synthetic compounds and natural plant extracts to see if they have the potential to inhibit some characteristics that augment the virulence of 3 common bacterial pathogens (Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus epidermidis and Pseudomonas aeruginosa) and one fungal pathogen (Candida albicans). The compounds and extracts will be tested for their ability to hinder the formation of biofilm or to disrupt mature biofilm by the 4 species, or to inhibit the biosynthesis of pigments important for the virulent behaviour of S. aureus and P. aeruginosa. If any of these compounds shows any such ability, it may in the future be used as an adjuvant antimicrobial as it may lessen the virulence burden of the pathogen on the host and increase the chances of therapy to be successful and of the host’s immune system to counteract the infection.