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- Irish dancing injuries and associated risk factors : a systematic reviewPublication . Póvoa, Ana Rita; Costa, Cláudia Maria; Simões, Sérgio; Azevedo, Ana Morais; Oliveira, RaulIrish dance is growing in popularity, evolving to a more athletic and demanding dance style. The aim of this study is to conduct a systematic review, previously registered with PROSPERO, to identify the prevalence, incidence, and the injury pattern among Irish dancers and analyse the associated risk factors. Six online databases and two dance-specific science publications were searched systematically. Studies were included if the patterns of injuries among Irish dancers were evaluated or the factors associated with injury were analysed, published in English or Portuguese, in peer-reviewed scientific journals. Four reviewers assessed the quality and level of evidence using the Downs and Black criteria and a modified Oxford Centre of Evidence-Based Medicine 2009 model, respectively. Eleven articles were included, eight of Level 3c (cross-sectional) and three of Level 3b (prospective). Mean DB percentage score was 63% ± 7.2%. Prevalence ranged from 72.2% to 92.6%, affecting mostly the foot/ankle complex. Only two articles reported incidence, which ranged from 3.4 to 10.6 injuries/1000 h danced depending on injury definition. Psychological factors, elite level, and insufficient/poor sleep were associated with musculoskeletal injury. Injury prevalence and incidence is high in Irish dancers, with the foot and ankle being more affected. Due to heterogeneity in injury definitions, methods, and populations, along with the need for improvement in studies quality, recommendations were made for future research.
- Intra and inter-rater repeatability of brachial artery ultrasound estimates of flow-mediated slowing and flow-mediated dilationPublication . Marôco, João Luís; Silvestre, Tiago; Arrais, Inês; Pinto, Marco; Santa-Clara, Helena; Fernhall, Bo; Melo, XavierFlow-mediated slowing (FMS) is a non-invasive measure of endothelial function measured through reactive hyperemia-induced changes in pulse wave velocity (PWV). FMS is suggested to mitigate known pitfalls of flow-mediated dilation (FMD) including suboptimal repeatability and high-operator dependency. However, the few single-rater studies that examined FMS repeatability have shown controversial results and used only regional measurements of PWV, which might not reflect local brachial artery stiffness responses to reactive hyperemia. We assessed the inter- and intra-rater repeatability of ultrasound-based changes in local PWV (FMS) and diameter (FMD). Twenty-four healthy male participants aged 23–75 yr, were examined on two separate days. Reactive hyperemia-induced changes in PWV were calculated using a tailored R-script. The inter- and intra-rater repeatability were tested with the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC), coefficient of variation (CV), and the Bland-Altman plot estimates. The inter-rater repeatability of FMS (bias: -0.08%; ICC: 0.85; 95% CI: 0.65 to 0.93; CV: 11%) and FMD (bias: -0.02%; ICC: 0.98; 95% CI: 0.97 to 0.99; CV: 7%) showed overall good repeatability over different days. The intra-rater repeatability of FMD (1st rater: bias: 0.27%; ICC: 0.90; 95% CI: 0.78 to 0.96; CV: 14%; 2nd rater: bias: 0.60%; ICC: 0.85; 95% CI: 0.64 to 0.94; CV: 18%) was better than FMS (1st rater: bias: -1.03%; ICC: 0.76; 95% CI: 0.44 to 0.91; CV: 21%; 2nd rater: bias:-0.49%; ICC: 0.70; 95% CI: 0.34 to 0.80; CV: 23%) but not different between raters. Ultrasound-based local measurements of PWV deceleration reactive hyperemia were repeatable among the raters.
- Interaction of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon compounds in fish primary hepatocytes : from molecular mechanisms to genotoxic effectsPublication . Bramatti, Isabella; Matos, Beatriz; Figueiredo, Neusa; Pousão-Ferreira, Pedro; Branco, Vasco; Martins, MartaPolycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) are persistent pollutants normally found in the environment as complex mixtures. Although several individual PAHs are classified as mutagenic and carcinogenic pollutants, the interaction effects between compounds in a mixture may trigger different toxicological mechanisms and, consequently, yield different effects to organisms which are not accounted for in risk assessment guidelines. Given the ubiquity of PAHs, understanding the mechanistic features of their mixtures is a pressing research need. Therefore, the present work aimed to disclose the interaction effects of three PAHs with different carcinogenic potential and chemical structure, in primary hepatocyte cells of gilt-headed seabreams (Sparus aurata). Hepatocytes were exposed to Phenanthrene (Phe), Benzo[a]pyrene (B[a]P) and Benzo[b]fluoranthene (B[b]F) and their mixtures at different proportions and several cellular responses were analyzed: cellular viability, CYP1A1 activity (EROD assay) and protein expression level (Western blot); transcript (mRNA) levels of CYP1A1, EPXH1 and GST-3 (qRT-PCR); genotoxic effects (DNA strand breakage) by the Comet assay. Results show that B[a]P induced CYP1A1 gene and protein expression increasing its activity and, therefore, increasing the production of metabolites that trigger genotoxic DNA damage (%). Most importantly, mixtures containing Phe and B[a]P increased even further CYP1A1 mRNA levels and DNA damage (up to 70 %) which suggests that, although Phe is considered a non-carcinogenic PAH, it potentiates CYP1A1 synthesis induced by B[a]P, increasing its genotoxicity. These findings indicate that the upregulation of CYP1A1 by carcinogenic PAHs will not weaken even when in mixtures with non-carcinogenic PAHs. On contrary, non-carcinogenic PAHs may potentiate the genotoxic effect of carcinogenic PAH and therefore mixture composition should be taken in account when assessing PAH toxicity. In fact, our results point to the need of redefining Environmental Risk Assessment protocols for mixtures of carcinogenic pollutants.
- Insights on the performance of nickel foam and stainless steel foam electrodes for alkaline water electrolysisPublication . Santos, Ana L.; Cebola, Maria João; Antunes, Jorge; Santos, Diogo M. F.Green hydrogen production seems to be the best route to achieve a sustainable alternative to fossil fuels, as hydrogen has the highest energy density on a mass basis and its combustion does not produce greenhouse gases. Water electrolysis is the method of choice for producing green hydrogen. Among commercially available water electrolysis systems, alkaline water electrolysis (AWE) is the most well-established technology, which, nevertheless, still needs to improve its efficiency. Since the electrodes’ performance is of utmost importance for electrolysis efficiency, nickel foam (NF) and stainless steel foam (SSF) electrodes were analyzed via voltammetry to validate their catalytic activity toward the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER) in 30 wt.% NaOH electrolyte solution. Moreover, at a current density of 50 mA cm−2, the NF and the SSF exhibited good stability, with the potential for HER and OER stabilizing at −0.5 V and 1.6 V vs. reversible hydrogen electrode. A lab-scale electrolyzer attained current densities of 10, 20, and 50 mA cm−2 at small cell voltages of 1.70 V, 1.80 V, and 1.95 V. The results validated NF and SSF as electrodes for a high-performance AWE electrolyzer, especially at higher temperatures. They ensured the progress for the project’s next stage, i.e., constructing an electrolyzer at a pilot scale.
- Influence of low insertion torque values on survival rate of immediately loaded dental implants : a systematic review and meta-analysisPublication . Darriba, Iria; Seidel, Anna; Moreno, Federico; Botelho, João; Machado, Vanessa; Mendes, José João; Leira, Yago; Blanco, JuanAim: The aim was to systematically evaluate the effect of low insertion torque values on the survival rate of immediately loaded dental implants. Materials and Methods: The protocol was registered with PROSPERO (ID CRD42020189499). An electronic search was performed in PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials until June 2022 in English and Spanish. Studies analysing the failure or survival rate of immediately loaded dental implants according to different insertion torque values were included. Results: Five-hundred seventy-three articles were assessed for eligibility, of which seven articles, four randomized clinical trials (RCTs), one controlled clinical trial, and two prospective case series studies were included in the qualitative analysis. The RCTs were classified as having low risk of bias and the non-RCTs as having moderate and serious risk of bias. The mean survival rate for implants with low insertion toque (≤35 Ncm) was 96% (p > .001, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.91–0.98) and that for implants with medium or high insertion torque (>35 Ncm) was 92% (p > .001, 95% CI: 0.86–0.96) (incidence rate ratio [IRR] = 1.05, 95% CI: 0.79–1.39, p = .175, I2 = 0.0%). Splinted implants with insertion torque >20 Ncm and single implants with insertion torque >35 Ncm had a higher survival rate than implants with lower insertion torque values (IRR = 1.05, 95% CI: 0.78–1.43, p = .956, I2 = 0.0%, and RR = 0.92, 95% CI: 0.48–1.75, p = .799, I2 = 0.0%, respectively). Different insertion torque values achieved equivalent outcomes. The mean follow-up was 24 months. Conclusions: Low insertion torque values have no significant effect on survival rates of immediate loading implants at a mean follow-up of 24 months.
- Influence of awake bruxism behaviors on fatigue of the masticatory muscles in healthy young adultsPublication . Barragán Nuñez, Maria Isabel; Flores, Dyanne Medina; Canales, Giancarlo De la Torre; Quevedo, Henrique Müller de; Conti, Paulo Rodrigues; Costa, Yuri Martins; Bonjardim, Leonardo RigoldiThe present cross-sectional study aimed to analyze the relationship between awake bruxism and fatigue of masticatory muscles in healthy young adults. For this purpose, 121 graduate students participated in this study. Frequency of awake bruxism was collected for 7 consecutive days by ecological momentary assessment (EMA) using an online survey (mentimeter). Muscle fatigue was tested one day after EMA assessment, which consisted of voluntarily and continuously clenching at 30% (kgf/cm2) of maximum bite force (MBF) until exhaustion. The percentage of change in MBF after the clenching task, as compared to the MBF before the clenching task was measured. The average frequency of awake bruxism was 45.5% during 7 days. Sustained clenching resulted in a significant reduction in MBF values in the total sample (p < 0.05). Nevertheless, no significant correlation was found between frequency of awake bruxism behaviors and percent of change in MBF and endurance time during the fatigue test. Therefore, it can be concluded that young healthy adults present a relatively high frequency of awake bruxism behaviors that do not seem to impact the degree of masticatory muscle fatigue.
- Improving product safety for edible insects : toxicokinetics of Hg in Tenebrio molitor and Hermetia illucensPublication . Cardoso, Diogo N.; Silva, Ana Rita R.; Morgado, Rui G.; Mostafaie, Amid; Pereira, Andreia; Pinto, José; Lopes, Ivã G.; Murta, Daniel; Soares, Amadeu M. V. M.; Brooks, Bryan W.; Loureiro, SusanaSustainability, circularity, and Zero Waste policies are timely concepts for policy development and strategies in the European Union (EU) and other global regions. Insects can likely become key players in the bioconversion of waste to valuable material and promise one solution to achieve diverse societal goals. Insects further present strategic opportunities as food products; however, it is necessary to understand how insects accumulate and eliminate priority contaminants from different substrates where they can be reared. In the present study, we expanded beyond previous work with mercury (Hg) to examine bioaccumulation kinetics in Tenebrio molitor (YMW) and Hermetia illucens (BSF). Two-phase bioaccumulation assays, with an uptake (contaminated Hg substrate) and elimination phase (clean substrate), followed by toxicokinetic modeling, showed that both insects have a high capacity to regulate Hg, often reaching an internal steady-state concentration at level responding on the substrate concentration of Hg. Of importance for product safety, both insects quickly eliminated Hg after being transferred to clean substrate. Specifically, BSF eliminated half of the accumulated Hg in approximately 1 day (after 5 days of Hg exposure) and YMW in 4–5 days (after 21 days of Hg exposure). These results provide crucial product safety information for insect producers using possibly contaminated substrates, specifically informing the amount of time for Hg depuration prior to processing and commercialization for food and feed.
- Impact of shelf-life simulation on a self-adhesive composite : polymerization kinetics, chemical and color stabilityPublication . Seoane, Helena; Chasqueira, Filipa; Azul, Ana Mano; Polido, Mário; Delgado, António H. S.Purpose: To determine the polymerization kinetics and color stability of a self-adhesive and conventional resin composite after accelerated shelf-life simulation. Materials and Methods: Two composites were tested – universal Filtek Z250 (3M Oral Care) and self-adhesive Constic (DMG). They were stored for 2 months in an incubator to simulate an Arrhenius aging model (60ºC) and tested at 5 different time points. Polymerization kinetics (n = 3) were studied using an attenuated total reflectance technique (ATR), through continuous FTIR spectral acquisition (20 min). Spectra were obtained before, during and after 20 s of light curing. With the spectral data, qualitative analysis was performed yielding chemical stability, and quantitative data including extrapolated degree of conversion (DCmax) and polymerization rate (Rpmax) were assessed. To evaluate color stability (n = 3), a spectrophotometer was used to record CIELAB color parameters. Inferential statistics, including repeated measures two-way ANOVA were carried out at a significance level of 5%. Results: The composites did not appear to undergo significant chemical changes after 2 months of accelerated aging. There was a significant impact of aging on the mean DCmax (p < 0.001). Similarly, a reduction in Rpmax, measured for both composites, was also noted (ANOVA; Z = 203.7; p < 0.001). The two-way ANOVA confirmed that the composite had no influence on the color stability (F = 0.94; p = 0.34), while aging did (p = 0.013). Conclusion: Minimal changes in absorbance levels were noted for both composites, without overly affecting their chemical composition. The presence of an acidic monomer did not seem to potentiate the degradation of the self-adhesive composite. This composite even showed greater color stability after aging.
- Impact of poly-victimization and resilience on anxiety : delinquent and non-delinquent youth samplesPublication . Pires, Ana Rita; Almeida, Telma CatarinaVictims of poly-victimization reveal a higher negative impact than victims of a single type of violence. Exposure to multiple types of violence is a stronger predictor of developing worse mental health outcomes. The main objectives of this study are to verify the relationship between poly-victimization, anxiety, and resilience, compare delinquent and non-delinquent adolescents, and identify the predictors of anxiety. The sample comprises 143 adolescents between 12 and 17 years old (M = 14.93, SD = 1.63), of which 97 (67.8 %) were identified as young delinquents and 46 (32.2 %) as non-delinquents. Participants completed a socio-demographic questionnaire, the Juvenile Victimization Questionnaire (JVQ), the Resilience Scale (RS), and the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAIC C-2). Analysis showed a relationship between JVQ, the RS, and the STAIC C-2. Compared to non-delinquents, young delinquents reported more childhood victimization episodes, more anxiety, and less resilience. Additionally, gender, poly-victimization, and resilience are significant predictors of anxiety. The findings showed that poly-victimization and resilience affect anxiety.
- Hyaluronic acid as a mechanism to mitigate the effects of face lower third aging in dentistry : a reviewPublication . Martins, Helena; Carpinteiro, Inês; Mascarenhas, Paulo; Goes, Margarida; Oliveira, HenriqueAging can have a negative impact on the perioral region, affecting both appearance and self-esteem. Dentists offer various treatment options to address these changes, using surgical and non-surgical techniques. One such technique is facial filling with hyaluronic acid, a minimally invasive approach to improve the perioral region’s function and aesthetics and counteract aging effects. A literature review was conducted to collect scientific evidence on the subject, utilizing the mnemonic PI(C)O to refine the research question. The search for articles was accomplished on the EBSCOhost platform, specifically targeting those published between January 2009 and April 2023 in MEDLINE Complete, CINAHL Complete, and MedicLatina databases. Sixteen articles were carefully chosen, and the guidelines outlined in the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) method were followed throughout the process. The major findings reported in the selected articles suggest that using hyaluronic acid as a mechanism to mitigate the effects of face lower third aging following orofacial harmonization procedures in dentistry offers significant benefits to patients, improving the aesthetic appearance of the face, increasing patients’ self-esteem and satisfaction, and providing a better quality of life. Nevertheless, a weak evidence level was found in the selected articles due to methodological issues, highlighting the need to increase the methodological quality of future studies.