Browsing by Author "Sanfins, Alexandra"
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- Connecting medical writers in Portugal through visual communicationPublication . Sanfins, Alexandra; Almeida, Maria JoãoPortugal, the westernmost country in mainland Europe, still experiences a lack of awareness of the medical writing profession. Most medical writers work for contract research organizations (CROs) or in the few pharmaceutical companies that exist in the country. The lack of medical/health communication agencies is another limitation for medical writers, which is compounded by the fact that these agencies mostly outsource work to freelancers. On top of these constraints, the absence of communication between experts creates additional barriers to emerging opportunities. Thus, there is an urgent need for national communication between medical writing professionals in Portugal. A collaborative group of Portuguese medical writers could tackle these difficulties together through education and networking, thereby developing better specialists and advancing the medical writing profession in Portugal. We want to share our experience in establishing a Portuguese medical writer group and how visual communications helped us during this process.
- GDF-9 and BMP-15 direct the follicle symphonyPublication . Sanfins, Alexandra; Rodrigues, Patricia; Albertini, David F.Understanding the physiology underlying the complex dialog between the oocyte and it's surrounding somatic cells within the ovarian follicle has been crucial in defining optimal procedures for the development of clinical approaches in ART for women suffering from infertility and ovarian dysfunction. Recent studies have implicated oocyte-secreted factors like growth differentiation factor 9 (GDF-9) and bone morphogenetic protein 15 (BMP-15), members of the transforming growth factor-beta (TGFβ) superfamily, as potent regulators of folliculogenesis and ovulation. These two factors act as biologically active heterodimers or as homodimers in synergistic cooperation. Through autocrine and paracrine mechanisms, the GDF-9 and BMP-15 system have been shown to regulate growth, differentiation, and function of granulosa and thecal cells during follicular development playing a vital role in oocyte development, ovulation, fertilization, and embryonic competence. The present mini-review provides an overview of recent findings relating GDF-9 and BMP-15 as fundamental factors implicated in the regulation of ovarian function and discusses they're potential role as markers of oocyte quality in women.