Browsing by Issue Date, starting with "2019-02-05"
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- Efficacy of Nutrition and WASH/Malaria Educational Community-Based Interventions in Reducing Anemia in Preschool Children From Bengo, Angola: Study Protocol of a Randomized Controlled TrialPublication . Fançony, Cláudia; Soares, Ânia; Lavinha, João; Barros, Henrique; Brito, MiguelAngola reports one of the highest infant mortality rates in the world, and anemia represents one of its important causes. Recent studies, in under-five children from the Bengo province of Angola, described high prevalence’s, suggesting malaria, undernutrition and urogenital schistosomiasis as important contributors for the occurrence and spatial variations of anemia. Educational community-based interventions, either in Nutrition and Water, Sanitation, Hygiene and Malaria are recommended to correct anemia. Herein, we designed a cluster-randomized controlled trial to study the efficacy of two educational-plus-therapeutic interventions in the reduction of anemia: one in nutrition and the other in WASH/Malaria. Socioeconomic, nutritional, anthropometric, parasitological and biochemical data will be collected from all willing-to-participate children, aging under four and resident in the Health Research Center of Angola study area. Considering the multifactorial causes of this condition, determining the efficacy of both interventions might help documenting weaknesses and opportunities for planning integrated strategies to reduce anemia.
- Combination anthelmintic/antioxidant activity against Schistosoma MansoniPublication . Gouveia, Maria João; Brindley, Paul J.; Rinaldi, Gabriel; Gärtner, Fátima; da Costa, José Manuel Correia; Vale, NunoSchistosomiasis is a major neglected tropical disease. Treatment for schistosomiasis with praziquantel (PZQ), which is effective against the parasite, by itself is not capable to counteract infection-associated disease lesions including hepatic fibrosis. There is a pressing need for novel therapies. Due to their biological properties, antioxidant biomolecules might be useful in treating and reverting associated pathological sequelae. Here, we investigated a novel therapy approach based on a combination of anthelmintic drugs with antioxidant biomolecules. We used a host-parasite model involving Bioamphalaria glabrata and newly transformed schistosomula (NTS) of Schistosoma mansoni. For in vitro drug screening assays, was selected several antioxidants and evaluated not only antischistosomal activity but also ability to enhance activity of the anthelmintic drugs praziquantel (PZQ) and artesunate (AS). The morphological alterations induced by compounds alone/combined were assessed on daily basis using an inverted and automated microscope to quantify NTS viability by a fluorometric-based method. The findings indicated that not only do some antioxidants improve antischistosomal activity of the two anthelmintics, but they exhibit activity per se, leading to high mortality of NTS post-exposure. The combination index (CI) of PZQ + Mel (CI = 0.80), PZQ + Resv (CI = 0.74), AS + Resv (CI = 0.34), AS + NAC (CI = 0.89), VDT + Flav (CI = 1.03) and VDT + Resv (CI = 1.06) reveal that they display moderate to strong synergism. The combination of compounds with discrete mechanisms of action might provide a valuable adjunct to contribution for treatment of schistosomiasis-associated disease.
- Metabolic Diseases: a differential diagnosis of primary progressive multiple sclerosisPublication . Nogueira, Célia; Vilarinho, Laura; Ribeiro, Diogo; Sá, Maria José; Macário, Maria do Carmo; Silva, AnaObjectives: The overall aim of our research project is to develop a Next Generation Sequencing strategy to identify metabolic disorders in 104 patients with a presumptive diagnosis of primary progressive MS.
- An Overview of Portuguese Olive Oils and Table Olives with Protected Designation of OriginPublication . Albuquerque, T.G.; Costa, H.S.; Oliveira, M.B.P.P.Over the years, consumers’ interest in the diet and health relationship has increased with a demand for high quality foods. To protect consumers, but also producers from unfair practices, European Union (EU) has launched legislation on different EU quality schemes, namely Protected Designation of Origin (PDO), Protected Geographical Indications (PGI), and Traditional Speciality Guaranteed (TSG). This work provides an overview of research concerning Portuguese PDO olive oils and table olives. EU quality schemes applied to agricultural products and foodstuffs are increasing over the years, Portugal being the fourth European country with the highest percentage of registered foods. Up to now, Portugal has registered six olive oils and two table olives as PDO. There is a lack of physicochemical data for Portuguese PDO olive products, especially for table olives. Nonetheless, differences linked to the origin of the olive oils are reported, including within the same region of origin. For instance, a range between 95.9 and 260 mg kg-1 for α-tocopherol was reported for PDO Azeite de Trás-os-Montes, while for PDO Azeites do Norte Alentejano it varied from 92.6 to 198 mg kg-1. Further studies, especially concerning parameters that allow confirming the authenticity and origin of Portuguese PDO olive oils and table olives, are crucial. Practical Applications: Six olive oils and two table olives from Portugal are already registered with PDO. Phytochemical data for these products is scarce. Further studies to evaluate authenticity are needed.