Conocimientos acerca de plantas en la nueva ruralidad. Cambio social e agro ecología en en Parque Natural de Montesinho (Portugal)

Perifèria. Revista de recerca i formació en antropologia, N.10

Plantas do Neogénico e paleoclimas. Evidências em Portugal

Ciências Geológicas: Ensino e Investigação. Vol. I: 357-363

Immunoglobulins and C3 in the P. brasiliensis granuloma

The experimental model of paracoccidioidomycosis induced in mice by the intravenous injection of yeast-forms of P. brasiliensis (Bt2 strain; 1 x 10(6) viable fungi/animal) was used to evaluate sequentially 2, 4, 8, 16 and 20 weeks after inoculation: 1. The presence of immunoglobulins and C3 in the pulmonary granuloma-ta, by direct immunofluorescence; 2. The humoral (immunodiffusion test) and the cellular (footpad sweeling test) immune response; 3. The histopathology of lesions. The cell-immune response was positive since week 2, showing a transitory depression at week 16. Specific antibodies were first detected at week 4 and peaked at week 16. At histology, epithelioid granulomas with numerous fungi and polymorphonuclear agreggates were seen. The lungs showed progressive involvement up to week 16, with little decrease at week 20. From week 2 on, there were deposits of IgG and C3 around fungal walls within the granulomas and IgG stained cells among the mononuclear cell peripheral halo. Interstitital immunoglobulins and C3 deposits in the granulomas were not letected. IgG and C3 seen to play an early an important role in. the host defenses against P. brasiliensis by possibly cooperating in the killing of parasites and blocking the antigenic diffusion.

Thermodynamic and kinetic modelling of the redox properties of tetrahaem cytochromes C3

Dissertação apresentada para obtenção do grau de Doutor em Bioquímica,especialidade Bioquímica-Física, pela Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Faculdade de Cincias e Tecnologia

Utilização de PAM's e Medicamentos e/ou Produtos à base de Plantas pela População do Concelho de Bragança

Introdução: Entende-se por fitoterapia a terapêutica caracterizada pelo uso de plantas medicinais nas diferentes formas farmacêuticas com finalidade terapêutica, usada assim para prevenir, atenuar ou curar um estado patológico. Objetivos: Caracterizar a utilização de plantas aromáticas e medicinais (PAM´s), medicamentos e produtos à base de plantas pela população do concelho de Bragança, conhecer a fonte de indicação deste tipo de produtos, apurar a relação entre a fonte de indicação e o estado de saúde após a utilização, verificar a sua correta utilização relativa à indicação terapêutica, modo e frequência de utilização, identificar potenciais interacções medicamentosas, averiguar se os utentes informam o médico do seu uso, investigar a ocorrência de efeitos adversos e apurar a relação entre os efeitos adversos ocorridos e o género dos inquiridos. Métodos: Trata-se de um estudo observacional analítico-transversal. Nele participaram 404 indivíduos de ambos os géneros e com idades compreendidas entre os 18 e os 89 anos. A recolha de dados foi realizada entre os meses de abril e junho de 2014, através de um questionário estruturado de autopreenchimento, formado por 30 perguntas. Após a recolha dos dados procedeu-se à leitura óptica dos questionários, sendo os dados posteriormente exportados para SPSS permitindo assim o tratamento dos mesmos. Para análise estatística utilizou-se o teste do qui-quadrado considerando o nível de significância p <0,05. Resultados: Verificou-se que 53,7% dos inquiridos recorre terapeuticamente a PAM´s que inclui principalmente o uso de cidreira e camomila enquanto 33,8% faz uso de medicamentos e/ou produtos àbase de plantas nomeadamente Valdispert e Daflon. A utilização de PAM,s é motivada por autoconhecimento e indicação de familiares, amigos e vizinhos. Já os medicamentos e/ou produtos à base de plantas são utilizados maioritariamente por prescrição médica e indicação na farmácia. A ocorrência de efeitos indesejáveis foi sentida unicamente com a utilização de PAM´s e em pequena escala. Conclusão: O recurso a este tipo de produtos é uma prática bastante comum entre os moradores do concelho de Bragança, que utilizam uma grande diversidade de plantas e produtos à base de plantas para um variado leque de indicações terapêuticas, apontando a percentagem de respostas para um conhecimento dos seus efeitos terapêuticos.

Síndroma Nefrótico Corticorresistente

Os autores apresentam o caso clínico de uma criança de 18 meses, sexo masculino, raça branca,internada na Unidade de Nefrologia com o diagnóstico de síndroma nefrótico - crise inaugural. Atendendo à idade, aos parâmetros bioquímicos e estudo imunológico negativo, admite-se síndroma nefrótico de lesões mínimas e inicia corticoterapia na dose 60mg/m2/dia. Porqua às seis semanas mantinha edema refractário e comportava-se como corticorresistente, efectuou-se biópsia renal que revelou glomerunefrite membranosa com profileração de crescentes depósitos de IgG, IgA, IgM, C1, C3, C4, C1q, a favor da doença imunológica de base e sugestiva de nefropatia lúpica. O protocolo terapêutico foi revisto e iniciou terapêutica de seis ciclos mensais de ciclofosfamida endovenosa. A resposta clínica laboratorial foi favorável a partir do quarto ciclo e está em remissão após os seis ciclos efectuados e seguimento em ambulatório de 14 meses.

Metoxilação de α-pineno na presença de carvões activados

Dissertação para obtenção do Grau de Mestre em Engenharia Química e Bioquímica

Contribuição para o estudo da cultura do Kenaf (Hibiscus cannabinus, L.) em Portugal, para fins industriais e energéticos

Dissertação para obtenção do Grau de Doutor em Energia e Bioenergia

Deficiência de Factor C3 – Um Caso Clínico

O sistema do complemento é um componente essencial do sistema imunitário inato, pelo que as deficiências de proteínas da sua complexa cascata podem ter consequências mais ou menos graves, de acordo com a importância do factor afectado. As complicações mais usuais das deficiências do complemento são infecções recorrentes a bactérias encapsuladas e distúrbios autoimunes. Os autores apresentam um caso clínico de deficiência do factor C3, situação extremamente rara, discutindo a fisiopatologia, apresentação clínica, investigação laboratorial e abordagem terapêutica.

The Role of the Humoral Immune Response in the Molecular Evolution of the Envelope C2, V3 and C3 Regions in Chronically HIV-2 Infected Patients

BACKGROUND: This study was designed to investigate, for the first time, the short-term molecular evolution of the HIV-2 C2, V3 and C3 envelope regions and its association with the immune response. Clonal sequences of the env C2V3C3 region were obtained from a cohort of eighteen HIV-2 chronically infected patients followed prospectively during 2-4 years. Genetic diversity, divergence, positive selection and glycosylation in the C2V3C3 region were analysed as a function of the number of CD4+ T cells and the anti-C2V3C3 IgG and IgA antibody reactivity RESULTS: The mean intra-host nucleotide diversity was 2.1% (SD, 1.1%), increasing along the course of infection in most patients. Diversity at the amino acid level was significantly lower for the V3 region and higher for the C2 region. The average divergence rate was 0.014 substitutions/site/year, which is similar to that reported in chronic HIV-1 infection. The number and position of positively selected sites was highly variable, except for codons 267 and 270 in C2 that were under strong and persistent positive selection in most patients. N-glycosylation sites located in C2 and V3 were conserved in all patients along the course of infection. Intra-host variation of C2V3C3-specific IgG response over time was inversely associated with the variation in nucleotide and amino acid diversity of the C2V3C3 region. Variation of the C2V3C3-specific IgA response was inversely associated with variation in the number of N-glycosylation sites. CONCLUSION: The evolutionary dynamics of HIV-2 envelope during chronic aviremic infection is similar to HIV-1 implying that the virus should be actively replicating in cellular compartments. Convergent evolution of N-glycosylation in C2 and V3, and the limited diversification of V3, indicates that there are important functional constraints to the potential diversity of the HIV-2 envelope. C2V3C3-specific IgG antibodies are effective at reducing viral population size limiting the number of virus escape mutants. The C3 region seems to be a target for IgA antibodies and increasing N-linked glycosylation may prevent HIV-2 envelope recognition by these antibodies. Our results provide new insights into the biology of HIV-2 and its relation with the human host and may have important implications for vaccine design.

Stresse térmico em plantas de trigo. Alterações na composição do grão

Dissertação para obtenção do Grau de Mestre em Tecnologia e Segurança Alimentar

Avaliação do cádmio dos solos disponível para as plantas

Dissertação apresentada à Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia, para cumprimentos dos requisitos necessários à obtenção do grau de Doutor em Ciências do Ambiente

Gd(III) chelates as NMR probes of protein-protein interactions. Case study: rubredoxin and cytochrome c3

Inorganic Chemistry 50(21):10600-7

Juvenile Systemic Lupus Erythematosus in Portugal: Clinical and Immunological Patterns of Disease Expression in a Cohort of 56 Patients

Objective: To define the pattern of disease expression and to gain better understanding in patients with juvenile onset systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) in Portugal. Methods: The features of unselected patients with systemic lupus erythematosus who had disease onset before the age of 18 years were retrospectively analysed in three Portuguese centres with Pediatric Rheumatology Clinic over a 24-year period (1987-2011). Demographic, clinical and laboratory manifestations, therapy and outcome were assessed. Results: A cohort of 56 patients with a mean age at disease onset of 12.6±4.04 years (mean±1SD) (range, 1.0-17.0 years) and a mean period of follow-up of 5.5±5.4 years. Forty six (82.1%) patients were female. The most common disease manifestations were musculoskeletal (87.5%), mucocutaneous (80.3%) and haematological abnormalities (75%). Lupus nephritis was diagnosed in 46.4% of patients and consisted of glomerular ne - phritis in all cases. Neuropsychiatric manifestations occurred in 21.4% but severe central nervous system complications were uncommon, as brain infarcts and organic brain syndrome in 4 (7.1%) patients. Antinuclear antibodies and anti-double stranded DNA were positive in most patients in (98.2% and 71.4% respectively), as well as low C3 and/or C4 were observed frequently (85.7%). Generally, most patients had a good response to therapy as demonstrated by a significant decreasing of SLEDAI score from disease presentation to the last evaluation. The SLEDAI at diagnosis, the maximum SLEDAI and the incidence of complications were significantly higher in patients with neurolupus and/or lupus nephritis. Therapy included oral steroids (87.5%), hydroxychloroquine (85.7%), azathioprine (55.4%), IV cyclophosphamide (28.6%) along with other drugs. Six (10.7%) patients were treated with rituximab. Long-term remission was achieved in 32%, disease was active in 68%, adverse reactions to therapy occurred in 53.6% and complications/severe manifestations in 23.2%. Two patients died, being active disease and severe infection the causes of death. Conclusions: This study suggests that in our patients the clinical and laboratory features observed were similar to juvenile systemic lupus erythematosus patients from other series. Clinical outcome was favourable in the present study. Complications from therapy were frequent. Objective: To define the pattern of disease expression and to gain better understanding in patients with juvenile onset systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) in Portugal. Methods: The features of unselected patients with systemic lupus erythematosus who had disease onset before the age of 18 years were retrospectively analysed in three Portuguese centres with Pediatric Rheumatology Clinic over a 24-year period (1987-2011). Demographic,clinical and laboratory manifestations, therapy and outcome were assessed. Results: A cohort of 56 patients with a mean age at disease onset of 12.6±4.04 years (mean±1SD) (range, 1.0-17.0 years) and a mean period of follow-up of 5.5±5.4 years. Forty six (82.1%) patients were female. The most common disease manifestations were musculoskeletal (87.5%), mucocutaneous (80.3%) and haematological abnormalities (75%). Lupus nephritis was diagnosed in 46.4% of patients and consisted of glomerular ne - phritis in all cases. Neuropsychiatric manifestations occurred in 21.4% but severe central nervous system complications were uncommon, as brain infarcts and organic brain syndrome in 4 (7.1%) patients. Antinuclear antibodies and anti-double stranded DNA were positive in most patients in (98.2% and 71.4% respectively), as well as low C3 and/or C4 were observed frequently (85.7%). Generally, most patients had a good response to therapy as demonstrated by a significant decreasing of SLEDAI score from disease presentation to the last evaluation. The SLEDAI at diagnosis, the maximum SLEDAI and the incidence of complications were significantly higher in patients with neurolupus and/or lupus nephritis. Therapy included oral steroids (87.5%), hydroxychloroquine (85.7%), azathioprine (55.4%), IV cyclophosphamide (28.6%) along with other drugs. Six (10.7%) patients were treated with rituximab. Long-term remission was achieved in 32%, disease was active in 68%, adverse reactions to therapy occurred in 53.6% and complications/severe manifestations in 23.2%. Two patients died, being active disease and severe infection the causes of death. Conclusions: This study suggests that in our patients the clinical and laboratory features observed were similar to juvenile systemic lupus erythematosus patients from other series. Clinical outcome was favourable in the present study. Complications from therapy were frequent.

Plantas aromáticas e medicinais em contexto urbano: saberes madeirenses na cidade do Funchal

Dissertação apontada para cumprimentos dos requisitos necessários à obtenção do grau de Mestre em Antropologia – Natureza e Conservação