Searching biocompounds in marine natural extracts with potential use in tumor prevention and treatment

Cancer is a multistage process characterized by three stages: initiation, promotion and progression; and is one of the major killers worldwide. Oxidative stress acts as initiator in tumorigenesis; chronic inflammation promotes cancer; and apoptosis inactivation is an issue in cancer progression. In this study, it was investigated the antioxidant, antiinflammatory and antitumor properties of hexane, ether, chloroform, methanol and water extracts of five species of halophytes: A. macrostachyum, P. coronopus, J. acutus, C. edulis and A. halimus. Antioxidant activity was assessed by DPPH��� and ABTS���+ methods, and the total phenolics content (TPC) was evaluated by the Folin-Ciocalteau method. The anti-inflammatory activity of the extracts was determined by the Griess method, and by evaluating the inhibition of NO production in LPS-stimulated RAW- 264.7 macrophages. The cytotoxic activity of the extracts against HepG2 and THP1 cell lines was estimated by the MTT assay, and the results obtained were further compared with the S17 non-tumor cell line. The induction of apoptosis of J. acutus ether extract was assessed by DAPI staining. The highest antioxidant activities was observed in C. edulis methanol and the J. acutus ether extracts against the DPPH��� radical; and J. acutus ether and A. halimus ether extracts against the ABTS���+ radical. The methanol extracts of C. edulis and P. coronopus, and the ether extract of J. acutus revealed a high TPC. Generally the antioxidant activity had no correlation with the TPC. The A. halimus chloroform and P. coronopus hexane extracts demonstrated ability to reduce NO production in macrophages (> 50%), revealing their anti-inflammatory capacity. The ether extract of J. acutus showed high cytotoxicity against HepG2 cancer cells, with reduced cellular viability even at the lowest concentrations. This outcome was significantly lower than the obtained with the non-tumor cells (S17). This result was complemented by the induction of apoptosis.

Percurso t��cnico e pedag��gico em educa����o ambiental

O presente Relat��rio T��cnico de Atividades Profissionais apresenta a minha experi��ncia profissional na ��rea da Educa����o Ambiental (EA), ap��s terminar a Licenciatura em Engenharia do Ambiente em 2001. Tem por objetivo documentar diversas formas de abordagem e de planeamento de a����es de educa����o ambiental, com vista a contribuir para o estabelecimento de linhas de a����o futuras a partir da identifica����o de poss��veis potencialidades e constrangimentos. Inclui tamb��m a evolu����o da educa����o ambiental a n��vel nacional e internacional, a fim de evidenciar a sua atual import��ncia como linha de orienta����o estrat��gica e prioridade das Pol��ticas de Ambiente. Encontram-se ainda apresentados no relat��rio os principais projetos em que estive envolvida, entre eles: o Projeto DIMEAGUA (relativo �� aplica����o da Diretiva Quadro da ��gua ��s massas de ��gua de transi����o e costeiras do Guadiana, e dinamizado com alunos do 3�� ciclo); o Projeto Coastwatch Europe (sob a tem��tica da Gest��o e Prote����o do Litoral, em que participaram alunos do 1��, 2�� e 3�� ciclos); o Projeto Interpreta����o Ambiental da Zona Ribeirinha de Faro (que abordou tem��ticas relacionadas com a fauna e flora dos sapais, a polui����o, o patrim��nio natural e arqueol��gico e a degrada����o do ambiente natural e foi dinamizado com alunos do 2�� ciclo); o Projeto H2Ooooh (Projeto UNESCO sobre o tema ��gua e os principais problemas relacionados com o seu uso, a sua explora����o e a sua oferta limitada, para alunos do 1�� ciclo); as celebra����es do Ano Internacional da Biodiversidade (no ��mbito do qual crie um jogo pedag��gico intitulado ���O meu Planeta e Eu���); e o Projeto Planeta Azul (com uma abordagem transversal aos conceitos da sustentabilidade, preven����o e seguran��a e em que participaram alunos do 1�� e 2�� ciclos). Globalmente pode-se concluir que em projetos de EA h�� necessidade de se efetuar um bom planeamento das a����es, construir uma proposta de projeto consistente, otimizar e articular parcerias, aplicar um processo avaliativo e efetuar uma abordagem interdisciplinar e global das tem��ticas em estudo.

The activity of mouse Cerberus like 2 during cardiogenesis - genetic and morphogenetic studies

Cardiogenesis is a delicate and complex process that requires the coordination of an intricate network of pathways and the different cell types. Therefore, understanding heart development at the morphogenetic level is an essential requirement to uncover the causes of congenital heart disease and to provide insight for disease therapies. Mouse Cerberus like 2 (Cerl2) has been defined as a Nodal antagonist in the node with an important role in the Left-Right (L/R) axis establishment, at the early embryonic development. As expected, Cerl2 knockout mice (Cerl2-/-) showed multiple laterality defects with associated cardiac failure. In order to identify the endogenous role of Cerl2 during heart formation independent of its described functions in the node, we accurately analyzed animals where laterality defects were not present. We thereby unravel the consequences of Cerl2 lossof- function in the heart, namely increased left ventricular thickness due to hyperplasia of cardiomyocytes and de-regulated expression of cardiac genes. Furthermore, the Cerl2 mutant neonates present impaired cardiac function. Once that the cardiac expression of Cerl2 is mostly observed in the left ventricle until around midgestration, this result suggest a specific regulatory role of Cerl2 during the formation of the left ventricular myoarchitecture. Here, we present two possible molecular mechanisms underlying the cardiac Cerl2 function, the regulation of Cerl2 antagonist in activation of the TGF��s/Nodal/Activin/Smad2 signaling identified by increased Smad2 phosphorilation in Cerl2-/- hearts and the negative feedback between Cerl2 and Wnt/��-catenin signaling in heart formation. In this work and since embryonic stem cells derived from 129 mice strain is extensively used to produce targeted mutants, we also present echocardiographic reference values to progressive use of juveniles and young adult 129/Sv strain in cardiac studies. In addition, we investigate the cardiac physiology of the surviving Cerl2 mutants in 129/Sv background over time through a follow-up study using echocardiographic analysis. Our results revealed that Cerl2-/- mice are able to improve and maintain the diastolic and most of systolic cardiac physiologic parameters as analyzed until young adult age. Since Cerl2 is no longer expressed in the postnatal heart, we suggest that an intrinsic and compensatory mechanism of adaptation may be active for recovering the decreased cardiac function found in Cerl2 mutant neonates. Altogether, these data highlight the role of Cerl2 during embryonic heart development in mice. Furthermore, we also suggest that Cerl2-/- may be an interesting model to uncover the molecular, cellular and physiological mechanisms behind the improvement of the cardiac function, contributing to the development of therapeutic approaches to treat heart failures.

Assessing soil erosion due to land use change at the Alqueva reservoir surrounding area

Tese de doutoramento, Ci��ncias do Mar, da Terra e do Ambiente, Faculdade de Ci��ncias e Tecnologia, Universidade do Algarve, 2015

Stresse e resili��ncia em situa����es de insufici��ncia econ��mica e de depress��o

Tese de doutoramento, Psicologia, Faculdade de Ci��ncias Humanas e Sociais, Universidade do Algarve, 2015

Effects of mixture of nanoparticles under different salinity in the clams Ruditapes philippinarum and Ruditapes decussatus

Disserta����o de mestrado, Biologia Marinha, Faculdade de Ci��ncias e Tecnologia, Universidadde do Algarve, 2015

Estudo dos fatores psicol��gicos de risco para o comportamento suicid��rio numa amostra de idosos do concelho de Odemira

Disserta����o de mestrado, Psicologia Cl��nica e da Sa��de, Faculdade de Ci��ncias Humanas e Sociais, Universidade do Algarve, 2015

Cancro colorretal e inflama����o - vias celulares e alvos farmacol��gicos

Disserta����o de mestrado, Ci��ncias Farmac��uticas, Faculdade de Ci��ncias e Tecnologia, Universidade do Algarve, 2015

Anticoagulantes orais: velho versus novo

Disserta����o de mestrado, Ci��ncias Farmac��uticas, Faculdade de Ci��ncias e Tecnologia, Universidade do Algarve, 2015

Incorporation of selenium on microalgae as supplement to artemia and zebrafish

Disserta����o de mestrado, Aquacultura, Faculdade de Ci��ncias e Tecnologia, Universidade do Algarve, 2015

Nanomedicina na terap��utica do cancro colo-retal: a aplica����o de lipossomas

Disserta����o de mestrado, Ci��ncias Farmac��uticas, Faculdade de Ci��ncias e Tecnologia, Universidade do Algarve, 2015

S��ntese de trioxolanos e avalia����o da sua atividade antiparasit��ria em Leishmania donovani e Toxoplasma gondii

Disserta����o de mestrado, Ci��ncias Farmac��uticas, Faculdade de Ci��ncias e Tecnologia, Universidade do Algarve, 2015

Impacto fisiol��gico do parasita dinoflagelado Amyloodinium ocellatum (Brown, 1931) em corvina-leg��tima (Argyrosomus regius, Asso, 1801) produzida em aquacultura

Disserta����o de mestrado, Biologia Marinha, Faculdade de Ci��ncias e Tecnologia, Universidade do Algarve, 2015

Avalia����o da efetidade dos pa��ses da OCDE no tratamento do cancro: uma aplica����o do data envelopment analysis

Disserta����o de Mestrado, Gest��o de Unidades de Sa��de, Faculdade de Economia, Universidade do Algarve, 2015

Redes de transmiss��o de dados em meios submarinos

Disserta����o de Mestrado, Engenharia Eletrica e Eletr��nica, Instituto Superior de Engenharia, Universidade do Algarve, 2015