Percorrer por autor "Oliveira, Susana"
A mostrar 1 - 6 de 6
Resultados por página
Opções de ordenação
- Car seat challenge test in the Neonatal Intensive Care UnitPublication . Brás, Ana; Pratinha, Cristina; Oliveira, Susana; Barbieri-Figueiredo, MC; Ramos, Madalena; Guimarães, HercíliaBackground: In Portugal, there is a Guideline of the Directorate General of Health that requires that newborns with hospital discharge should be transported home in a proper and safe restraint system, aligned with AAP policy statements. In the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) of Centro Hospitalar Universitário de S. João (Porto, Portugal), the Car Seat Challenge Test has been carried out since 2005, and there is not any study about its safety. Objective: This study aims to report the responses of preterm infants discharged home in 2015 and to develop a standardized procedure for its performance. Methods: This is a descriptive, retrospective, observational, nonexperimental study. Data was collected from the NICU nursing records with a form designed for this purpose. Study variables were: gender, gestational age, birth weight, and comorbidities. Saturation of oxygen in arterial blood (SpO2) and heart rate (HR) values were measured at rest (in the crib), in the car seat chair at time 0, 5, 15, 30, 45 and 60 minutes. Results: During the year 2015, 86 preterm infants were discharged home, and all had values of SpO2 and HR within the reference range for this age group, during the Car Seat Challenge Test. The values decrease slightly from the measurement at 15 minutes for both SpO2 and HR. Infants with and without comorbidities had similar values of SpO2 (97-99.5%) and HR (135- 155 beats per minute [bpm]), with a small decrease at 15 minutes. Infants with comorbidities did not regain saturation values after 30 minutes. Conclusion: The Car Seat Challenge Test has been performed systematically in the NICU since 2005. Data analyzed demonstrated it is safe. A standardized procedure was developed to provide harmonization of criteria.
- Determination of potential childhood asthma biomarkers using a powerful methodology based on microextraction by packed sorbent combined with ultra-high pressure liquid chromatography. Eicosanoids as case studyPublication . Berenguer, Pedro; Camacho, Irene C.; Câmara, Rita; Oliveira, Susana; Câmara, José S.Leukotrienes and prostaglandins are arachidonic acid bioactive derived eicosanoids and key mediators of bronchial inflammation and response modulation in the airways contributing to the pathophysiology of asthma. An easy-to-use ultra-high pressure liquid chromatography (UHPLC)-based strategy was developed to characterize biomarkers of lipid peroxidation: leukotrienes E (LTE4) and B4 (LTB4) and 11β-prostaglandin F2α (11βPGF2α), present in urine of asthmatic patients (N = 27) and healthy individuals (N = 17). A semi-automatic eVol®-microextraction by packed sorbent (MEPS) was used to isolate the target analytes. Several experimental parameters with influence on the extraction efficiency and on the chromatographic resolution, were evaluated and optimized. The method was fully validated under optimal extraction (R-AX sorbent, 3 conditioning-equilibration cycles with 250 μL of ACN-water at 0.1% FA, 10 extract-discard cycles of 250 μL of sample at a pH of 5.1, elution with 2 times 50 μL of MeOH and concentration of the eluate until half of its volume) and chromatographic conditions (14-min analysis at a flow rate of 300 μL min-1 in an UHPLC-PDA equipped with a BEH C18 column), according to IUPAC guidelines. The findings indicated good recoveries (>95%) in addition to excellent extraction efficiency (>95%) at three concentration levels (low mid and high) with precision (RSDs) less than 11%. The lack-of-fit test, goodness-of-fit test and Mandel's fitting test, revealed good linearity within the concentration range. Good selectivity and sensitivity were achieved with a limits of detection ranging from 0.04 μg L-1 for LTB4 to 1.12 μg L-1 for 11βPGF2α, and limits of quantification from 0.10 μg L-1 for the LTB4 to 2.11 μg L-1 for 11βPGF2α. The successful application of the fully validated method shows that, on average, the asthmatic patients had significantly higher concentrations of 11βPGF2α (112.96 μg L-1vs 62.56 μg L-1 in normal controls), LTE4 (1.27 μg L-1vs 0.89 μg L-1 in normal controls), and LTB4 (1.39 μg L-1vs 0.76 μg L-1 in normal controls). The results suggest the potential of the target eicosanoids on asthma diagnosis, however, a larger and more extensive study will be necessary to confirm the data obtained and to guarantee a greater robustness to the approach.
- Distribution of polymorphisms IL4 -590 C/T and IL4 RP2 in the human populations of Madeira, Azores, Portugal, CapePublication . Berenguer, Alberto; Câmara, Rita A; Brehm, António D; Oliveira, Susana; Fernandes, Ana TAbstract: The IL4 gene is located on chromosome 5q23.3-31.2. Polymorphisms within this cytokine gene, like the derivative allele T of IL4-590, have been reported as being associated to elevated IgE serum levels and asthma. In the present work, the allelic and genotypic frequency of the IL4-590 and IL4 RP2 polymorphisms was carried out in 599 individuals from Madeira, Azores, Portugal mainland, Cape Verde and Guinea-Bissau and in a sample of 101 asthmatics from Madeira population. In all populations the polymorphisms were in LD and presented a significant dissimilar allelic and genotypic distribution (p<0.05) except between mainland Portugal and Madeira when compared to Azores. Significant differences regarding both loci were found between Madeira population and the group of asthmatics. Genotype 183183TT frequency is higher for African populations while 253253CC prevails in Caucasian populations. The existence of a Hardy-Weinberg Disequilibrium in Guinea-Bissau population not observed in neutral markers leads to the hypothesis of natural selection occurring in these loci probably associated to a rapid population growth an hypothesis strengthened by neutral STRs D5S818 and CSF1PO gene diversity.
- Exploring the potential of a MEPS/UHPLC-based methodology on the Exploring the potential of a MEPS/UHPLC-based methodology on thePublication . Berenguer, Pedro; Camacho, Irene C; Câmara, José S.; Câmara, Rita; Oliveira, SusanaAsthma is a heterogeneous disease characterized by chronic inflammation and long term irreversible remodeling of the airways. The enzymatic peroxidation of the arachidonic acid is part of the pathophysiology of this disease and leads to the formation of powerful inflammatory mediators, characteristic of asthma. The present work aimed to develop an easy-to-use ultra-high pressure liquid chromatography (UHPLC)-based strategy in order to characterize lipid peroxidation biomarkers: leukotrienes E4 (LTE4) and B4 (LTB4) and 11β-prostaglandin F2α (11βPGF2α), eicosanoids present in the urine of asthmatic patients and healthy individuals (control group). A semi-automatic eVol®-microextraction by packed sorbent (MEPS) format was developed in order to isolate the target analytes. The method was fully validated under optimal extraction (R-AX sorbent, 3 conditioning-equilibration cycles with 250 μL of ACN-H2O at 0.1% FA, 10 extract-discard cycles of 250 μL of sample at a pH of 5.1, elution with 2 times 50 μL of MeOH and concentration of the eluate until half of its volume) and chromatographic conditions (14-min analysis at a flow rate of 300 μL min-1 in an UHPLCPDA equipped with a BEH C18 column). Our results indicated good recoveries (>95%) in addition to excellent extraction efficiency (>95%) at three concentration levels (low, mid and high) with precision (RSDs) less than 11%. The lack-of-fit, goodness-of-fit and Mandel’s fitting tests, revealed good linearity within the concentration range. Good selectivity and sensitivity were achieved with limits of detection ranging from 0.04 ng mL-1 for LTB4 to 1.12 ng mL-1 for 11βPGF2α, and limits of quantification from 0.10 ng mL- 1 for the LTB4 to 2.11 ng mL-1 for 11βPGF2α. The developed method was successfully applied to the urine of asthmatic patients and healthy individuals. On average, the urine of asthmatic patients present significantly higher concentrations of 11βPGF2α (112.96 ng mL-1 vs 62.56 ng mL-1 in control group), LTE4 (1.27 ng mL-1 vs 0.89 ng mL-1 in control group) and LTB4 (1.39 ng mL-1 vs 0.76 ng mL- 1 in control group). These results suggest the potential of the target eicosanoids and the developed method on asthma diagnosis and on the follow-up of the therapeutic response.
- Genetic polymorphisms and asthma: findings from a case–control study in the Madeira islandPublication . Berenguer, Anabela Gonçalves; Oliveira, Susana; Fernandes, Ana Teresa; Rodrigues, Mariana; Ornelas, Pedro; Ornelas, Pedro; Romeira, Diogo; Serrão, Tânia; Rosa, AlexandraBackground Asthma is a complex disease influenced by multiple genetic and environmental factors. While Madeira has the highest prevalence of asthma in Portugal (14.6%), the effect of both genetic and environmental factors in this population has never been assessed. We categorized 98 asthma patients according to the Global Initiative for Asthma (GINA) guidelines, established their sensitization profile, and measured their forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1) and forced vital capacity (FVC) indexes. Selected single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were analysed as potential markers for asthma susceptibility and severity in the interleukin 4 (IL4), interleukin 13 (IL13), beta-2-adrenergic receptor (ADRB2), a disintegrin and metalloprotease 33 (ADAM33), gasdermin-like (GSDML) and the signal transducer and activator of transcription 6 (STAT6) genes comparatively to a population reference set.
- “The Ark of Rights”: Development of a Board Game to Empower Older Adults Regarding Their RightsPublication . Fernandes, Carla Sílvia; Neto, Camila; Silva, Catarina; Dionísio, Sara; Oliveira, Susana; Amorim, Isabel; Matos, Alice Delerue; Martins, MMThere is an urgent need to ensure the rights of older adults. In particular, there is a lack of awareness of human rights by older adults themselves, for which intervention strategies should be developed. Due to the need for intervention at this level, a board game was created to empower older adults regarding their rights using a dynamic and interactive method. This article aims to describe the development stages of the board game “The Ark of Rights”® up to its pilot study. Its development followed three stages: A first phase to review the scientific literature and benchmarks on the rights of older persons, a second phase to define the game design and collect statements from older people for the game, and a third phase to test the game. The European Portuguese Validation of the System Usability Scale (SUS) was used to assess the latter phase. Approximately 200 older people contributed to the game’s contents (second phase), and 74 participated and positively evaluated the game’s usability and their satisfaction with its use (third phase). In summary, the game “The Ark of Rights” revealed itself to be a resource for empowering older adults regarding their rights. It also enables the identification of possible human rights violations among older adults and subsequent intervention.