Browsing by Author "Fernandes, Daniela"
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- Development of the concept of living thing through age: an exploratory study addressing pupils from two different years of schoolingPublication . Almeida, António; Fernandes, DanielaThis study sought to check the understanding of living thing in pupils from two different years of schooling. To this end, a questionnaire was applied to 20 pupils who were in the 3rd year of schooling (mean age 8.5) and 15 students in the 5th (mean age 11). In both groups, the topic had been addressed in a formal context through a traditional approach with interactive lectures and use of the textbook. In the questionnaire the pupils had to mark the living things presented in a series of images and to indicate the characteristics of this type of beings. The results showed a better performance of pupils from the 5th, who revealed fewer misconceptions related to the topic. However, some pupils in both groups have revealed more difficulty in the identification of the features common to all living beings. Some implications of the results for teaching practice are discussed at the end of the text.
- Environmental monitoring and biomarkers of exposure to styrene in chemical industryPublication . Fernandes, Daniela; Meneses, Márcia; Albuquerque, Paula; Barros, MiguelABSTRACT - Biomarkers of exposure to chemicals, such as styrene, allows to estimate the exposure to a particular compound by measuring the compound or it(s) metabolite(s) in body fluids. As an example, the determination of mandelic acid and phenylglyoxylic acid in urine. Indicators of genotoxicity are categorized as: (a) DNA and protein adducts; (b) DNA strand breaks. Styrene metabolism is initiated by Cytochrome P450 enzymes mediated by the oxidation of styrene to a reactive metabolite, the styrene-7,8-oxide. This study aims to review the environmental monitoring, complemented with biomarkers of exposure in order to understand its correlation and styrene genotoxicity. Systematic searches were performed to identify studies of occupational exposure to styrene and health effects in workers of chemical industries. To determine styrene air concentration, several studies used a personal air sampling method. A significant correlation has been found between styrene air concentration and mandelic and phenylglyoxylic acid concentration in urine. A significant relationship was found between individual levels of mandelic acid and phenylglyoxylic acid and styrene-7,8-oxide adducts to N-terminal valine in hemoglobin among exposed individuals. A strong correlation was also found between the frequency of DNA single-strand breaks, in mononuclear leukocytes, and styrene airborne level. The relationship between DNA damage, persistence and repair is complex, which complicates the relevance evaluation of potential genotoxic exposures difficult. There is conflicting evidence on the relationship between genotoxic response and exposure level. In future individual susceptibility studies, the individual genotypes associated with the metabolic route and DNA damage of styrene (metabolizing enzymes and DNA repair enzymes) should be analyzed. From the analysis of several studies it was found that indeed there is a strong correlation between the exposure levels and exposure biomarkers; however, no evidence was found regarding the styrene genotoxicity.
- Potential anti-inflammatory effect of Rosmarinus officinalis in preclinical in vivo models of inflammationPublication . Gonçalves, Catarina; Fernandes, Daniela; Silva, Inês; Mateus, VanessaThis systematic review aimed to evaluate the potential anti-inflammatory effect of Rosmarinus officinalis in preclinical in vivo models of inflammation. A search was conducted in the databases PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science, with related keywords. The inclusion criteria were inflammation, plant, and studies on rats or mice; while, the exclusion criteria were reviews, studies with in vitro models, and associated plants. The predominant animal models were paw edema, acute liver injury, and asthma. Rosemary was more commonly used in its entirety than in compounds, and the prevalent methods of extraction were maceration and hydrodistillation. The most common routes of administration reported were gavage, intraperitoneal, and oral, on a route-dependent dosage. The treatment took place daily, or was single-dose, on average for 21 days, and it more often started before the induction. The most evaluated biomarkers were tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-6, IL-10, myeloperoxidase (MPO), catalase (CAT), glutathione (GSH), glutathione peroxidase (GPx), malondialdehyde (MDA), and superoxide dismutase (SOD). The best results emerged at a dose of 60 mg/kg, via IP of carnosic acid, a dose of 400 mg/kg via gavage of Rosmarinus officinalis, and a dose of 10 mg/kg via IP of rosmarinic acid. Rosmarinus officinalis L. showed anti-inflammatory activity before and after induction of treatments.