Publications by authors named "Leonor Almeida"

Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASDs) are a group of neurodevelopmental pathologies whose current treatment is neither curative nor effective. Anthocyanins are naturally occurring compounds abundant in blueberries and in other red fruits which have been shown to be successful in the treatment of several neurological diseases, at least in in vitro and in vivo disease models. The aim of the present work was to study the ability of an anthocyanin-rich extract (ARE) obtained from Portuguese blueberries to alleviate autism-like symptoms in a valproic acid (VPA) mouse model of ASD and to get insights into the underlying molecular mechanisms of such benefits.

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Osimertinib efficacy in pre-treated patients with epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) T790M-mutated non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) has been demonstrated in clinical trials, but real-world data, particularly regarding resistance profile, remains limited. This study aims to analyze the resistance mechanisms acquired after treatment with Osimertinib. Clinical outcomes and molecular results from re-biopsies at the time of osimertinib progression of EGFR T790M-mutated NSCLC patient were analyzed.

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Dietary polyphenols are multi-target compounds that have been considered promising candidates in strategies for the mitigation of neurological diseases, acting particularly through reduction of microglia-driven neuroinflammation. In this study, an anthocyanin-rich extract obtained from Portuguese blueberries was subjected to a simulated gastrointestinal digestion; after chemical characterisation, the potential of both non-digested and digested extracts to combat neuroinflammation was evaluated using a microglia N9 cell line. Although the extracts have markedly different chemical composition, both were efficient in reducing the production of either key inflammatory markers or reactive oxygen species and in enhancing reduced glutathione levels in activated cells.

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Anthocyanins are naturally occurring polyphenols commonly found in fruits and vegetables. Numerous studies have described that anthocyanin-rich foods may play a crucial role in the prevention and treatment of different pathological conditions, which have encouraged their consumption around the world. Anthocyanins exhibit a significant neuroprotective role, mainly due to their well-recognized antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.

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The modulation of the microbiota-gut-brain axis with a view to preventing and treating brain disorders became recently a hot topic for the scientific community. Dietary polyphenols are multifaceted compounds that have demonstrated to be highly advantageous to counteract inflammation, oxidative stress, and neurodegeneration, among other pathological conditions, being useful in the prevention and treatment of several chronic disorders. The potential of these compounds to prevent and treat brain disorders has not been only related to their capacity to reach the brain, depending on their chemical structure, and interact directly with brain cells, but also to their ability to modulate the communication between the brain and the gut, interfering with multiple branches of this axis.

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Dietary polyphenols are bioactive compounds with potential in preventing and treating several chronic disorders, mainly due to their ability to modulate key pro-inflammatory and pro-oxidant signalling pathways. Although some studies have expressed concern about their efficacy in vivo, accumulating evidence has suggested that these compounds may achieve large concentrations in the gastrointestinal tract, which may be important in the context of intestinal and of neurological disorders, via modulation of the "gut-brain axis". Autism Spectrum disorders (ASD) are a group of lifelong neurodevelopmental disorders in which many patients suffer from gastrointestinal impairments.

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It has been shown that the gut microbiota plays a crucial role in the maintenance of intestinal homeostasis. Additionally, it has been demonstrated that dysbiosis is closely correlated with chronic intestinal inflammation, contributing to the development of chronic intestinal diseases, and also of brain pathologies, including neurodegenerative, neurodevelopmental, and psychiatric disorders. Given the paramount importance of gut microbiota for the establishment of communication between the gut and the brain, the microbiota-gut-brain axis has been increasingly explored within the scope of neurosciences.

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Unlabelled: Boerhaave syndrome is rare, has an non-specific clinical presentation and most commonly develops after persistent vomiting. Septic shock dominates the clinical picture as a result of extensive infection of the mediastinum and pleural and abdominal cavities. The current management of Boerhaave syndrome includes conservative, endoscopic and surgical treatments.

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The altered expression and subcellular distribution of tight junction (TJ) proteins, leading to a dysfunctional intestinal barrier, is a key mechanistic feature of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Therefore, increasing the integrity of the intestinal barrier by manipulating the TJ may constitute an innovative and effective therapeutic strategy in IBD. In this context, recent studies showed that dietary polyphenols are able to protect the intestinal TJ barrier integrity.

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The Portuguese Severe Asthma Registry ( RAG) was developed by an open collaborative network of asthma specialists. RAG collects data from adults and pediatric severe asthma patients that despite treatment optimization and adequate management of comorbidities require step 4/5 treatment according to GINA recommendations. In this paper, we describe the development and implementation of RAG, its features, and data sharing policies.

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The familiar amyloid polyneuropathy (FAP) is a rare autosomal-dominant systemic amyloidosis. Amyloid deposition occurs more frequently and extensively in the vitq. The increase in intraocular pressure (IOP) is a result of deposition of transthyretin (TTR) in trabecular meshwork.

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Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the genes encoding the fatty acid desaturase (FADS) and elongase (ELOVL) enzymes affect long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acid (LC-PUFA) production. We aimed to determine if these SNPs are associated with body mass index (BMI) or affect fatty acids (FAs) in pregnant women. Participants (n = 180) from the PREOBE cohort were grouped according to pre-pregnancy BMI: normal-weight (BMI = 18.

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Despite the actual therapeutic approaches for inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), efficient and secure alternative options remain a research focus. In this context, anthocyanins seem promising natural anti-inflammatory agents, but their action mechanisms and efficacy as compared with established drugs still require more clarification. The main aim of this study was to compare the anti-inflammatory action of a chemically characterized anthocyanin-rich fraction (ARF), obtained from Portuguese blueberries (Vaccinium corymbosum L.

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A 36-year-old woman, with history of cutaneous papilomatosis and thyroid carcinoma presented with headache, transitory visual blurring and nausea. Funduscopy showed papilloedema. MRI showed a tumour of the right cerebellar hemisphere with a striated, tigroid pattern, typical of Lhermitte-Duclos disease (LDD).

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Current treatment strategies for inflammatory bowel diseases (IBDs) are associated with a lower efficacy and with several side effects that strongly affect the quality of life of IBD patients. Consequently, the development of new therapies, combining efficacy and safety is an important goal in the field of intestinal inflammation. In this context, evidence supports that polyphenols can be promising candidates due to their ability to modulate intracellular inflammatory signalling cascades.

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This study investigated the involvement of nuclear factor erythroid 2 (Nrf2) and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma (PPAR-γ) pathways in the protection afforded by two polyphenols abundant in diet, cyanidin-3-glucoside and resveratrol, against cytokine-induced inflammation and oxidative insult in HT-29 intestinal cells, in comparison with the drug 5-aminosalicylic acid (5-ASA). Our data show for the first time that in cytokine-challenged cells, cyanidin-3-glucoside and resveratrol induced Nrf2 activation, increased hemoxygenase-1 and glutamate cysteine ligase mRNA expression, enhanced reduced glutathione to oxidized glutathione ratio and inhibited reactive species production, at much lower concentrations than 5-ASA. Unlike cyanidin-3-glucoside, resveratrol and 5-ASA also increased nuclear levels of PPAR-γ in cytokine-stimulated cells.

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Tuberculosis imposes high human and economic tolls, including in Europe. This study was conducted to develop a severity assessment tool for stratifying mortality risk in pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) patients. A derivation cohort of 681 PTB cases was retrospectively reviewed to generate a model based on multiple logistic regression analysis of prognostic variables with 6-month mortality as the outcome measure.

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The development of therapeutic approaches combining efficacy and safety represents an important goal in intestinal inflammation research. Recently, evidence has supported dietary polyphenols as useful tools in the treatment and prevention of chronic inflammatory diseases, but the mechanisms of action are still poorly understood. We here reveal molecular mechanisms underlying the anti-inflammatory action of a non-alcoholic polyphenol red wine extract (RWE), operating at complementary levels the Janus kinase/signal transducer and activator of transcription (JAK/STAT) and Nuclear factor-erythroid 2-related factor-2 (Nrf2) pathways.

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Background: Many advances have been recently made focused on the valuable help of dietary polyphenols in chronic inflammatory diseases. On the other hand, current treatment options for intestinal bowel disease patients are unsatisfying and, for this reason, it is estimated that many patients use dietary supplements to achieve extra benefits.

Aim: The aim of this work was to analyze under a mechanistic perspective the anti-inflammatory potential of resveratrol, a natural polyphenolic compound, and to compare it with a pharmaceutical agent, 5-aminosalicylic acid, using the intestinal HT-29 cell line, as a cellular model.

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The potential use of polyphenols in the prevention and treatment of chronic inflammatory diseases has been extensively investigated although the mechanisms involved in cellular signaling need to be further elucidated. Cyanidin-3-glucoside is a typical anthocyanin of many pigmented fruits and vegetables widespread in the human diet. In the present study, the protection afforded by cyanidin-3-glucoside against cytokine-triggered inflammatory response was evaluated in the human intestinal HT-29 cell line, in comparison with 5-aminosalicylic acid, a well-established anti-inflammatory drug, used in inflammatory bowel disease.

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