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- New computational solution to compute the uptake index from 99m Tc-MDP bone scintigraphy imagesPublication . Araújo, Vânia; Faria, Diogo; Tavares, João Manuel R. S.The appearance of bone metastasis in patients with breast or prostate cancer makes the skeleton most affected by metastatic cancer. It is estimated that these two cancers lead in 80% of the cases to the appearance of bone metastasis, which is considered the main cause of death. 99mTc-methylene diphosphonate (99mTc-MDP) bone scintigraphy is the most commonly used radionuclide imaging technique for the detection and prognosis of bone carcinoma. With this work, it was intended to develop a new computational solution to extract from 99mTc-MDP bone scintigraphy images quantitative measurements of the affected regions in relation to the non-pathological regions. Hence, the uptake indexes computed from a new imaging exam are compared with the indexes computed from a previous exam of the same patient. Using active shape models, it is possible to segment the regions of the skeleton more prone to be affected by the bone carcinoma. On the other hand, the metastasis is segmented using the region-growing algorithm. Then, the uptake rate is calculated from the relation between the maximum intensity pixel of the metastatic region in relation to the maximum intensity pixel of the skeletal region where the metastasis was located. We evaluated the developed solution using scintigraphic images of 15 patients (7 females and 8 males) with bone carcinoma in two distinct time exams. The bone scans were obtained approximately 3 h after the injection of 740 MBq of 99mTc-MDP. The obtained indexes were compared against the evaluations in the clinical reports of the patients. It was possible to verify that the indexes obtained are according to the clinical evaluations of the 30 exams analyzed. However, there were 2 cases where the clinical evaluation was unclear as to the progression or regression of the disease, and when comparing the indexes, it is suggested the progression of the disease in one case and the regression in the other one. Based on the obtained results, it is possible to conclude that the computed indexes allow a quantitative analysis to evaluate the response to the prescribed therapy. Thus, the developed solution is promising to be used as a tool to help the technicians at the time of clinical evaluation.
- Food product introduction failure: reasons and remediesPublication . Costa, Ana Isabel A.; Monteiro, Maria João P.This article reviews the causes of product introduction failure in the Food & Beverage industry, focusing on consumer and marketing factors, and advances potential remedies. It first introduces key concepts in product acceptance/adoption theories: the consumer decision-making process, main drivers (product, adopter and social system) and barriers (passive/active resistance), and the evolution of hedonic responses to new products. It then discusses specific reasons for failure: food neophobia, novel technology rejection, optimal stimulation level, sensory/consumer research shortcomings and poor marketing support. Lastly, it describes the development of hibiscus beverages of African tradition for the European market to illustrate some practical challenges and solutions.
- Migration from packaging and food contact materials into foodsPublication . Poças, FátimaPackaging is a key factor in food quality and safety as it provides protection and preservation through the food supply chain. However, packaging and other contact materials are also a potential source of food chemical contamination resulting from migration. This article addresses the major factors that influence migration and the different approaches that can be followed for its determination, from calculations based on total mass transfer assumptions to measurement in the food. Recent issues involving migration such as printing inks, mineral oils hydrocarbons, NIAS and nanomaterials are briefly discussed.
- Enzymes in Physiological SamplesPublication . Pimentel, Lígia L.; Rodríguez-Alcalá, Luís M.; Gomes, Ana M.; Freitas, Ana C.
- Strategies for Biodegradation of Fluorinated CompoundsPublication . Moreira, Irina S.; Amorim, Catarina L.; Murphy, Cormac D.; Castro, Paula M. L.
- Alginate: Pharmaceutical and Medical ApplicationsPublication . Batista, Patrícia; Morais, Alcina M. M. B.; Pintado, Maria Manuela; Morais, Rui M. S. C.Due to their outstanding properties in terms of mild gelation conditions and simple functionalization, biocompatibility, low toxicity, biodegradability, non-antigenicity and chelating ability, as well as relatively low cost, alginates have been widely used in a variety of biomedical applications including tissue engineering and drug delivery systems. Smart alginate hydrogels for on-demand drug release in response to environmental stimuli and 3D bioprinting will play an important role in the future. These and the introduction of appropriate cell interactive features will be crucial for many tissue engineering applications. The focus of the present chapter is to highlight the great potential of the alginates as biomaterial for biomedical applications and to discuss the role that alginate-based materials are likely to play in biomedical applications in the future.
- Família, alimentação e bem-estarPublication . Pinto, Elisabete; Teixeira, Paula; Gomes, Ana M. P.
- O pensamento crítico na Universidade Católica do Porto: um projeto em construçãoPublication . Costa, Maria Helena da Silva Gil da; Andrade, Ana; Fernandes, Aida; Soares, Conceição; Pereira, Henrique Manuel; Amado, João; Couto, José António; Castro, Maria Guilhermina; Silva, Margarida; Teixeira, VítorEm 2011, emergiu, no Centro Regional do Porto da Universidade Católica Portuguesa, um plano pedagógico pioneiro e inovador. Tem como meta primordial a promoção de uma reflexão contínua, ampla, aprofundada e transversal, por forma a instituir como marca da comunidade académica o compromisso com o Pensamento Crítico. Este plano tem como alicerces maiores o entendimento do Ser Humano como entidade complexa e pluridimensional e o da Educação como um processo continuado de formação integral e integrada. Neste sentido as coordenadas são: dignidade da pessoa e desenvolvimento humano; liberdade de pensamento, sentimento e expressão crítico-criativa; cultura da cidadania e de participação; solidariedade e respeito pela alteridade; trabalho colaborativo de intercâmbio de saberes e culturas; transformação do conhecimento em consciência e compromisso social. Esta comunicação tem por objetivo apresentar o processo de implementação do referido projeto que, com base num modelo multi e interdisciplinar, se desenvolve em dois grandes eixos: 1. Ensino – por um lado, formação de docentes e colaboradores da Católica Porto; por outro, seminários para todos os alunos de licenciatura das suas unidades académicas, no intuito de: (i) munir os aprendentes de instrumentos que lhes permitam refletir de um modo mais estruturado, abrangente, profundo e crítico; (ii) melhorar a aprendizagem reflexiva e pessoal, num ambiente de aprendizagem em que todos assumam um papel ativo; (iii) estimular a consciência da necessidade de cidadãos atuantes numa sociedade em mudança em busca de alternativas. 2. Investigação – com uma vertente inter e transdisciplinar, traduz-se num trabalho de equipa capaz de contribuir para a criação de um espaço de reflexão permanente e para a diversidade de perspetivas e formas de ser e estar no mundo.
- Lactobacillus delbrueckii ssp. bulgaricusPublication . Teixeira, Paula
- Lactobacillus brevisPublication . Teixeira, Paula