Repositório RCAAP

Um pressuposto da educação do século XXI é o desenvolvimento de aptidões e competências essenciais, que visam a formação de um cidadão munido de múltiplas literacias, capaz de analisar e questionar criticamente a realidade e tomar decisões fundamentadas no seu dia-a-dia. Com esta perspetiva, o presente estudo realizado no âmbito da Iniciação à Prática Profissional, teve como objetivo avaliar as potencialidades da abordagem Inquiry-based science education no ensino contextualizado da função excretora. De modo a dar resposta às questões da componente investigativa, foram avaliadas o tipo de competências desenvolvidas, as dificuldades evidenciadas e as apreciações dos alunos, quando se utiliza esta estratégia na sala de aula. Os instrumentos de recolha selecionados para a concretização desta investigação foram a observação, questionário e a análise de documentos. Nesta proposta, a abordagem IBSE foi implementada através de questões e atividades estruturadas e orientadas pelo professor, e delineadas com um grau de complexidade crescente. A análise dos dados sugere potencialidades da estratégia no desenvolvimento de competências ao nível do conhecimento substantivo, processual, raciocínio e atitudes. Destacam-se a seleção e análise da informação a partir de fontes e recursos diversificados. Para além disto, foram evidenciadas a aquisição de competências em áreas importantes como o bem-estar e saúde. As dificuldades mais relatadas pelos alunos relacionam-se à organização e síntese da informação. A seguir, aparecem dificuldades relativas à interpretação de dados e o cumprimento dos prazos. De modo geral, os alunos fazem um balanço positivo acerca das atividades desenvolvidas e dos recursos utilizados, sublinhando em especial, as vantagens da abordagem contextualizada no ensino da função excretora.

The lung is inhabited by a diverse microbiome that originates from the oropharynx by a mechanism of micro-aspiration. Its bacterial biomass is usually low; however, this condition shifts in lung cancer (LC), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and interstitial lung disease (ILD). These chronic lung disorders (CLD) may coexist in the same patient as comorbidities and share common risk factors, among which the microbiome is included. We characterized the microbiome of 106 bronchoalveolar lavages. Samples were initially subdivided into cancer and non-cancer and high-throughput sequenced for the 16S rRNA gene. Additionally, we used a cohort of 25 CLD patients where crossed comorbidities were excluded. Firmicutes, Proteobacteria and Bacteroidetes were the most prevalent phyla independently of the analyzed group. Streptococcus and Prevotella were associated with LC and Haemophilus was enhanced in COPD versus ILD. Although no significant discrepancies in microbial diversity were observed between cancer and non-cancer samples, statistical tests suggested a gradient across CLD where COPD and ILD displayed the highest and lowest alpha diversities, respectively. Moreover, COPD and ILD were separated in two clusters by the unweighted UniFrac distance (P value = 0.0068). Our results support the association of Streptoccocus and Prevotella with LC and of Haemophilus with COPD, and advocate for specific CLD signatures.

Measuring motor unit (MU) territory in health and disease has a long history of scientific interest. For the clinician, it is important to understand and describe the process of reinnervation. Perhaps surprisingly, reinnervation is not associated with great enlargement of the MU territory, no more than about 40% when using a multi-electrode technique, a finding concordant with the histological observation that terminal axonal sprouting is usually less than 2 mm.

Este Relatório tem como objetivo relatar a minha prática de ensino supervisionada que ocorreu na Escola Secundária Maria Amália Vaz de Carvalho e que culminou com o desenvolvimento e implementação de uma unidade didática intitulada de “Novas Tecnologias no processo de Ensino-Aprendizagem da História da Cultura e das Artes: Uma intervenção no 10º ano do Curso de Artes Visuais”. O projeto foi desenvolvido com uma turma de 10º ano do curso científico-humanístico de Artes Visuais, AV1, nas disciplinas de História da Cultura e das Artes (H.C.A.) e Desenho A, no ano letivo 2019/2020. Ao serem inseridas em contexto de sala de aula, podem as Novas Tecnologias, mais propriamente o telemóvel do aluno, contribuir para o processo de ensino aprendizagem da História da Cultura e das Artes? É sabido que o recurso a esta ferramenta em sala de aula está associado ao desinteresse que muitos alunos sentem em relação às disciplinas mais teóricas. Refugiam-se neste dispositivo na tentativa de escapar ao fastio que consideram que a exposição teórica pode trazer, sem muitas das vezes reconhecerem esse processo teórico como parte fundamental nos seus percursos predominantemente práticos e visuais. O presente relatório procura então apresentar as metodologias de trabalho dos alunos da turma AV1 em ambas disciplinas. Procura também refletir sobre o processo de aprendizagem da arquitetura românica e suas tipologias, através da criação de conteúdo textual e gráfico que, numa última fase do projeto, foi inserido no site mobile. Este projeto dividiu-se em três partes: a primeira foi realizada na disciplina de Desenho A, a segunda foi realizada no âmbito da disciplina de H.C.A. e, por fim, a terceira parte é a junção dos trabalhos realizados em ambas disciplinas e a sua colocação no site mobile.

With the increase of life expectancy, neurodegenerative disorders are becoming not only a health but also a social burden worldwide. However, due to the multitude of pathophysiological disease states, current treatments fail to meet the desired outcomes. Therefore, there is a need for new therapeutic strategies focusing on more integrated, personalized and effective approaches. The prospect of using neural stem cells (NSC) as regenerative therapies is very promising, however several issues still need to be addressed. In particular, the potential actions of pharmacological agents used to modulate NSC activity are highly relevant. With the ongoing discussion of cannabinoid usage for medical purposes and reports drawing attention to the effects of cannabinoids on NSC regulation, there is an enormous, and yet, uncovered potential for cannabinoids as treatment options for several neurological disorders, specifically when combined with stem cell therapy. In this manuscript, we review in detail how cannabinoids act as potent regulators of NSC biology and their potential to modulate several neurogenic features in the context of pathophysiology.

The field of rheumatology has witnessed astonishing progress in the understanding and management of rheumatic diseases since the second half of the twentieth century. The discovery and introduction of glucocorticoids and conventional synthetic disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (csDMARDs) into the therapeutic armamentarium of rheumatologists enabled, for the first time, to effectively change the natural course of disease and improve most clinical outcomes. The new millennium pushed the revolution further at an exponential level with the advent of sophisticated, biologically-engineered drugs—the so-called biologicals or bDMARDs—that targeted specific molecules in key pathogenic pathways and dramatically modified the prognosis of most patients with immune-mediated rheumatic diseases.

Despite well-established Parkinson’s disease (PD) diagnostic criteria, diagnosis can still be challenging, with a high rate of misdiagnosis in atypical cases, especially in early disease stages. The majority of misdiagnoses are related to the differential diagnosis of PD with atypical parkinsonian disorders (APD), such as multiple system atrophy–parkinsonian type (MSA-P), progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP), or corticobasal degeneration, as well as essential tremor (ET) and other forms of parkinsonism (drug-induced, vascular, functional).

Huntington’s disease (HD) is a devastating neurodegenerative condition caused by a triplet repeat expansion of the Huntingtin gene. Although rare it is amongst the most frequent autosomal dominant causes of dementia, frequently affecting individuals in the most productive decades of their lives. Clinically, it is characterized by a classic triad of fluctuating neuropsychiatric symptoms, and progressive movement and cognitive disorders, accompanied by other symptoms such as weight loss and sleep impairment. It is severely debilitating, has a huge impact on quality of life and is fatal, with a median survival after motor onset of around a quarter of a century.

A hibridação é um processo de mistura que justapõe diferenças e funde singularidades criando novas espécies. As suas instâncias podem ser mitológicas, religiosas, (Eliade, 1965), poéticas (Ovídeo), lendárias (Propp, 2003), oníricas, históricas, culturais (Hall, 1992; Bhabha, 1994), artísticas. E também se atualiza no que concerne à cultura pós moderna, cultura de massas e de supressão de privilégios, no contexto multicultural do Pós colonialismo (Bahbha, 1994) e da crítica do orientalismo (Said, 2001). A Revista Estúdio adensa-se na pluralidade de contributos e referências (Portugal, Espanha, Brasil, Argentina, Perú, Colômbia, Uruguai, Venezuela) e com esta pluralidade entretecem-se testemunhos artísticos de interpelação, descoberta e, inevitavelmente, hibridação. A Revista Estúdio começa a apresentar, ela mesma, alguns marcantes sinais de hibridação, no melhor dos seus sentidos: há aqui artistas e autores que estabeleceram, ao longo dos últimos cinco anos de publicação ininterrupta, teias de conhecimentos e cumplicidades com milhares de quilómetros de distância. São relações novas e inesperadas: brasileiros debruçam-se sobre jovens criadores portugueses, espanhóis debruçam-se sobre artistas venezuelanos, entre outras novas afinidades. É este um dos aspetos fundadores do projeto Estúdio. Nascida desta aventura artística, a Revista Estúdio é uma nave que transporta ideias, testemunhos, e perspetivas, trilhando novos horizontes.

Background: A few lineages of Group A streptococci (GAS) have been associated with a reemergence of severe invasive streptococcal disease in developed countries. However, the majority of the comparisons between invasive and non-invasive GAS isolates have been performed for collections of reduced genetic diversity or relied on limited typing information to distinguish clones. We characterized by several typing methods and compared a collection of 160 isolates recovered from normally sterile sites with 320 isolates associated with pharyngitis and recovered in the same time period in Portugal. Results: Although most of the isolates belonged to clones that were equally prevalent in invasive infections and pharyngitis, we identified markers of invasiveness, namely the emm types 1 and 64, and the presence of the speA and speJ genes. In contrast, emm4, emm75, and the ssa and speL/M genes were significantly associated with pharyngitis. There was a strong agreement between the emm type, the superantigen (SAg) genes and the clusters defined by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) profiling. Therefore, combinations of particular emm types and SAg genes frequently co-occurred in the same PFGE cluster, but there was no synergistic or antagonistic interaction between them in determining invasiveness. Only macrolide-susceptible PFGE clones were significantly associated with invasive infections or pharyngitis, while the clones of resistant isolates sharing all other molecular properties analyzed were equally prevalent in the two groups of isolates. Conclusions: This study confirmed the importance of the widely disseminated emm1-T1-ST28 clone in invasive infections but also identified other clones linked to either invasive infections (emm64-ST164) or pharyngitis (emm4-T4-ST39), which may be more limited in their temporal and geographical spread. Clonal properties like some emm types or SAg genes were associated with disease presentation, highlighting the importance of bacterial genetic factors to the outcome of GAS infections, although other, yet unidentified factors may also play an important role.

Non-invasive pneumococcal pneumonia (NIPP) is a frequent cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. The 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV13) was included in the national immunization program of children living in Portugal in 2015. Until then, PCV7 (since late 2001) and PCV13 (since early 2010) were given through the private market. We determined the serotype distribution and antimicrobial susceptibility of isolates causing adult NIPP in 2012-2015 and compared the results with previously published data (2007-2011). There were 50 serotypes among the 1435 isolates. The most common were serotypes: 3 (14%), 11A (8%), 19F (6%), 23A (5%), 6C (5%), 19A (4%), 23B (4%), 9N (4%) and non-typable isolates (4%). When considering data since the availability of PCV13 for children in the private market, the proportion of PCV13 serotypes declined from 44.0% in 2010 to 29.7% in 2015 (p < 0.001), mainly due to early decreases in the proportions of serotypes 3 and 19A. In contrast, during the same period, PCV7 serotypes (11.9% in 2012-2015) and the serotypes exclusive of the 23-valent polysaccharide vaccine (26.0% in 2012-2015), remained relatively stable, while non-vaccine types increased from 27.0% in 2010 to 41.9% in 2015 (p<0.001). According to the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI) breakpoints, penicillin non-susceptible and erythromycin resistant isolates accounted for 1% and 21.7%, respectively, of the isolates recovered in 2012-2015, with no significant changes seen since 2007. Comparison of NIPP serotypes with contemporary invasive disease serotypes identified associations of 19 serotypes with either disease presentation. The introduction of PCV13 in the national immunization program for children from 2015 onwards may lead to reductions in the proportion of NIPP due to vaccine serotypes but continued NIPP surveillance is essential due to a different serotype distribution from invasive disease.

A relação entre a arte e a transcendência é imemorial. Uma sociedade interroga-se sobre a vida e a morte, desenvolve rituais e estabelece mediações através da oferta de objetos, de sacrifícios, de representações, de práticas funerárias, de comportamentos que não surgem da necessidade biológica, surgem da necessidade pensada, ou melhor, surgem do espírito. A questão estabelece-se entre o pensamento e as coisas. As coisas, o seu destino, o seu processo, o seu devir, têm regularidades, e irregularidades. Sobre as regularidades, como a quantidade, a permanência, a repetição, podemos estabelecer representações, ou relações de conhecimento. Sobre as irregularidades, percebidas como arbitrárias, que provocam incerteza, vida e morte, destinos indeterminados, podemos pensar uma determinação exterior, que nos transcende na duração e no conhecimento. Ao lançar “Deus” como tema deste número da revista Estúdio teve-se a perceção inteira da sua profundidade. A condição humana faz-se da representação da sua finitude, na mesma medida da grandeza do que a transcende. Assim foi, neste número, o tema do desafio lançado pela Estúdio. Adicionou-se este tema ao escopo que a revista Estúdio sempre tem apresentado, e que a distingue, ao solicitar aos artistas e criadores que apresentem as suas perspetivas sobre as obras de seus companheiros de profissão, colocando um ênfase no estudo de artistas que são menos conhecidos, e dando prioridade aos originários dos países abrangidos pelos idiomas da revista, português e espanhol. Este número 10 da Estúdio, dedicado ao tema Deus, é constituído por 19 artigos, selecionados a partir de 46 submissões, a que se adicionou um dossier editorial, perfazendo assim um total de 21 artigos e 1 entrevista.

The 10-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV10) became available in Portugal in mid-2009 and the 13-valent vaccine (PCV13) in early 2010. The incidence of invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD) in patients aged under 18 years decreased from 8.19 cases per 100,000 in 2008–09 to 4.52/100,000 in 2011–12. However, IPD incidence due to the serotypes included in the 7-valent conjugate vaccine (PCV7) in children aged under two years remained constant. This fall resulted from significant decreases in the number of cases due to: (i) the additional serotypes included in PCV10 and PCV13 (1, 5, 7F; from 37.6% to 20.6%), particularly serotype 1 in older children; and (ii) the additional serotypes included in PCV13 (3, 6A, 19A; from 31.6% to 16.2%), particularly serotype 19A in younger children. The decrease in serotype 19A before vaccination indicates that it was not triggered by PCV13 administration. The decrease of serotype 1 in all groups, concomitant with the introduction of PCV10, is also unlikely to have been triggered by vaccination, although PCVs may have intensified and supported these trends. PCV13 serotypes remain major causes of IPD, accounting for 63.2% of isolates recovered in Portugal in 2011–12, highlighting the potential role of enhanced vaccination in reducing paediatric IPD in Portugal.

Our paper emphasizes the importance of the kitchen layout in facilitating consumers' food hygiene practices. A significant correlation was found between the sink placement (inside or outside the kitchen) and hygienic practices during food handling based on a survey performed on consumers from ten European countries, indicating that those who had the sink in the kitchen were more likely to perform proper hygiene practices than those who have not. The self-reported practices were supported by observed practices in 64 households from five European countries. The observational study combined with the examination of kitchen layouts revealed that the kitchen work triangle with its apexes represented by the kitchen sink, cooking stove and refrigerator, which is recommended for ergonomic reasons by architects and designers, did not necessarily support food hygiene practices in kitchens. Cross-contamination events were associated with the sink – countertop distances longer than 1 m. Based on this, a new kitchen triangle with its apexes represented by the kitchen sink, working place (usually countertop) and cooking stove, with the distance between the sink and the working place less than 1 m is proposed to be used as norm in kitchen designs for combining ergonomics with safety. This triangle is proposedly named the food safety triangle and is aimed to mitigate the risks of foodborne illnesses by creating an arrangement that facilitates hygiene practices. This study is the first to highlight the importance of implementing the concept of food safety in the kitchen design based on significant correlations between kitchen equipment placement and consumers’ food safety practices.

O presente estudo foi realizado no âmbito da prática de ensino supervisionado e teve por base a lecionação de seis aulas de 90 minutos, numa turma de 11.º ano do ensino secundário da Escola Secundária Padre Alberto Neto (ESPAN), integrada no Agrupamento de Escolas Queluz-Belas, abrangendo o tema Limites de Funções Reais de Variável Real, no domínio Funções Reais de Variável Real. O estudo teve como objetivo fundamental compreender como alunos do 11.º ano do Ensino Secundário aprendem e aplicam o conceito de limite, bem como as principais dificuldades que denotam em termos de ensino-aprendizagem. Para tal, foram formuladas as seguintes questões a que se procuraram dar resposta: Qual o significado do conceito de limite que os alunos apresentam ao longo do estudo? Com que conflitos cognitivos inibidores ou perturbadores da correta apreensão do conceito se confrontam alguns alunos? Como mobilizam os alunos o conceito de limite na resolução de tarefas? Quais as principais dificuldades evidenciadas pelos alunos? As conclusões do trabalho estão suportadas numa análise qualitativa dos dados recolhidos. Para o acervo de informação, recorreu-se à recolha de documentos escritos produzidos pelos alunos, à observação do trabalho dos alunos durante a resolução das tarefas propostas, com recurso a notas de campo, e à realização de algumas entrevistas, sendo estas duas últimas acompanhadas com registo áudio. O estudo confirma as dificuldades descritas na literatura sobre a aprendizagem do conceito de limite e a tendência dos alunos para se apropriarem de uma interpretação procedimental do conceito, sem previamente terem alcançado e consolidado a sua compreensão formal. Esta compreensão procedimental é suficiente para responder com sucesso a muitos exercícios de aplicação, ficando aquém da compreensão relacional, estruturação essencial ao entrosamento do conceito com outros domínios, seja da Matemática ou de outras ciências. Para o professor, o principal desafio é selecionar e preparar tarefas que promovam a comunicação sobre o tema, permitindo desse modo identificar obstáculos cognitivos à correta apreensão do conceito de limite pelos alunos e, ao mesmo tempo, sejam desafiantes e motivadoras para a turma, ilustrando sempre que possível a utilidade do conceito na resolução de problemas do mundo real.

Neurogenesis in the adult mammalian brain occurs mainly in two neurogenic niches, the subventricular zone (SVZ) and the subgranular zone (SGZ) of the dentate gyrus (DG). Cannabinoid type 1 and 2 receptors (CB1R and CB2R) have been shown to differently modulate neurogenesis. However, low attention has been given to the interaction between CB1R and CB2R in modulating postnatal neurogenesis (proliferation, neuronal differentiation and maturation). We focused on a putative crosstalk between CB1R and CB2R to modulate neurogenesis and cultured SVZ and DG stem/progenitor cells from early postnatal (P1-3) Sprague-Dawley rats. Data showed that the non-selective cannabinoid receptor agonist WIN55,212-2 promotes DG cell proliferation (measured by BrdU staining), an effect blocked by either CB1R or CB2R selective antagonists. Experiments with selective agonists showed that facilitation of DG cell proliferation requires co-activation of both CB1R and CB2R. Cell proliferation in the SVZ was not affected by the non-selective receptor agonist, but it was enhanced by CB1R selective activation. However, either CB1R or CB2R selective antagonists abolished the effect of the CB1R agonist in SVZ cell proliferation. Neuronal differentiation (measured by immunocytochemistry against neuronal markers of different stages and calcium imaging) was facilitated by WIN55,212-2 at both SVZ and DG. This effect was mimicked by either CB1R or CB2R selective agonists and blocked by either CB1R or CB2R selective antagonists, cross-antagonism being evident. In summary, our findings indicate a tight interaction between CB1R and CB2R to modulate neurogenesis in the two major neurogenic niches, thus contributing to further unraveling the mechanisms behind the action of endocannabinoids in the brain.

γδ T cells accumulate with age in adipose tissue and produce the cytokine IL-17, which controls the homeostasis of regulatory T cells and adaptive thermogenesis. Thus, maintenance of core body temperature unexpectedly relies on these adipose tissue–resident γδ17 T cells.

Primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC) is an autoimmune disease in which intrahepatic bile ducts are targeted by an immune-mediated injury. This disease tends to progress to fibrosis and cirrhosis with hepatic failure. The authors report a case of a 50-year-old rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patient, with erosions and seropositive for rheumatoid factor and anti-citrullinated peptide antibodies, with 18 years disease duration refractory to prednisolone and several disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs, either conventional or biological (adalimumab and etanercept). In April 2007, she started therapy with rituximab (RTX) with good European League Against Rheumatism response achieved 9 months later. In June 2008, she was admitted with intrahepatic cholestasis, steatorrhea, and spontaneous fractures of various ribs. After excluding cholelitiasis, as well as infectious and neoplastic diseases a liver biopsy was performed that was compatible with the diagnosis of PBC. The antinuclear antibodies (1/160) were positive as well as the antimitochondrial antibodies (1/640). Other antibodies were negative such as anti-SSA and anti-SSB. Afterwards, the patient started ursodesoxycholic acid 15 mg kg(-1) day(-1) with progressive improvement of cholestatic markers. A labial salivary gland biopsy was performed and showed findings compatible with the concomitant diagnosis of Sjögren's syndrome. Based on this clinical report, a detailed review of the clinical aspects of PBC is presented as well as its association with other immune-mediated inflammatory diseases, particularly, with RA.

In May 2019, the elections for the European Parliament (EP) saw populist parties obtain almost a third of the available seats, with populist radical right parties making the biggest gains compared to the 2014 elections. Despite the results were less resounding than some predictions anticipated, a considerable amount of Members of the EP represent a populist party. This article first presents the performance of populist parties in forty years of EP elections, from their first occurrence in 1979 until 2019, and then focuses on populist radical right parties. The analysis suggests that (i) the number of seats occupied by populist parties in the EP continues to grow over time; (ii) right-wing populist parties no longer struggle to form political groups within the EP; (iii) radical right populist parties have become the most common type of populist party within the EP.

Bone metastasis is a frequent finding in the natural history of several types of cancers. However, its anticipated risk, diagnosis and response to therapy are still challenging to assess in clinical practice. Markers of bone metabolism are biochemical by-products that provide insight into the tumor-bone interaction, with potential to enhance the clinical management of patients with bone metastases. In fact, these markers had a cornerstone role in the development of bone-targeted agents; however, its translation to routine practice is still unclear, as reflected by current international guidelines. In this review, we aimed to capture several of the research and clinical translational challenges regarding the use of bone metabolism markers that we consider relevant for future research in bone metastasis.