Publications by authors named "Sousa P"

The development of low-temperature piezoresistive materials provides compatibility with standard silicon-based MEMS fabrication processes. Additionally, it enables the use of such material in flexible substrates, thereby expanding the potential for various device applications. This work demonstrates, for the first time, the fabrication of a 200 nm polycrystalline silicon thin film through a metal-induced crystallization process mediated by an AlSiCu alloy at temperatures as low as 450 °C on top of silicon and polyimide (PI) substrates.

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The application of three-dimensional (3D) printing/bioprinting technologies and cell therapies has garnered significant attention due to their potential in the field of regenerative medicine. This paper aims to provide a comprehensive overview of 3D printing/bioprinting technology and cell therapies, highlighting their results in diverse medical applications, while also discussing the capabilities and limitations of their combined use. The synergistic combination of 3D printing and cellular therapies has been recognised as a promising and innovative approach, and it is expected that these technologies will progressively assume a crucial role in the treatment of various diseases and conditions in the foreseeable future.

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Objective: To identify the best evidence on the efficacy of treatment interventions for inclusion body myositis (IBM) and to describe their safety.

Methods: Systematic review of randomised controlled trials (RCTs) of pharmacological treatments of adults with IBM, conducted according to the Cochrane Handbook, updating a previous Cochrane review. The search strategy was run on Cochrane Neuromuscular Disease Group Specialized Register, CENTRAL, MEDLINE and EMBASE, ClinicalTrials.

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The differential mechanisms between proteinopathies and neurodegeneration in Alzheimer's disease (AD) and dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) remain unclear. To address this issue, we conducted a voxel-based morphometry and cerebrospinal fluid biomarker (α-synuclein, Aβ42, t-Tau and p-Tau) level correlation study in patients with DLB, AD and mixed cases (AD + DLB). Cerebrospinal fluid samples obtained by lumbar puncture and whole-brain T1-weighted images were collected in the AlphaLewyMA cohort.

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Objective: To develop a nursing intervention model for adolescents and parents experiencing parental cancer.

Method: Multimethod research, which integrated five studies: a scoping review and four qualitative studies. Considering the results of these studies, a nursing intervention model was constructed based on two theoretical frameworks, such as the A Model of Children's Adjustment to Parental Cancer, for adolescents, and Neuman Systems Model, for parents, and on a semantic framework, such as Nursing Ontology.

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The objective of this study was to analyze the sensory changes reported by patients after lateral nasal wall surgery and to assess the prevalence and severity of sensory disturbances, the factors that influence their occurrence, and their impact on patients' quality of life. The methodology adopted in this study was PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis), as well as the PICO (Population, Intervention, Comparison, Outcomes) strategy, which assisted in the development of the study's objectives. Based on the inclusion and exclusion criteria, among all the articles retrieved in the searched databases (PubMed and Google Scholar), we selected 15 articles, considered to be pertinent and relevant to the present investigation.

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Retinal diseases are characterized by progressive damage to retinal cells, leading to irreversible vision loss. Among these, glaucoma stands out as a multifactorial neurodegenerative disease involving elevated intraocular pressure, retinal ganglion cell apoptosis, and optic nerve damage, ultimately resulting in blindness in both humans and dogs. Stem cell-based therapies have emerged as a promising therapeutic option for such conditions due to their regenerative and neuroprotective potential.

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Stem cells are capable of self-renewal and differentiation into various specialized cells, making them a potential therapeutic option in regenerative medicine. This study establishes a comprehensive methodology for isolating, culturing, and characterizing rat hair follicle stem cells. Hair follicles were harvested from Sprague-Dawley rats and subjected to two different isolation techniques.

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Background: The second victim (SV) experience limits the performance of health and care workers and places patients at risk. Peer support is recognised as the most effective, feasible and acceptable intervention to mitigate its impact.

Objective: To define a set of success factors when designing interventions to support SVs in health and care facilities based on expertise in different European countries.

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Recently, Organ-on-a-Chip (OoC) platforms have arisen as an increasingly relevant experimental tool for successfully replicating human physiology and disease. However, there is a lack of a standard technology to monitor the OoC parameters, especially in a non-invasive and label-free way. Photoacoustic (PA) systems can be considered an alternative and accurate assessment method for OoC platforms.

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Introduction Chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) presents with different clinical patterns with variable responses to treatment. Clear criteria for specifying disease severity and assessing symptom control are lacking in the current literature. We aimed to perform a cross-cultural adaptation of the chronic rhinosinusitis patient-reported outcomes (CRS-PRO), creating a Portuguese version to use as a routine questionnaire in the evaluation of patients with CRS.

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An automatic system for pathology classification in chest X-ray scans needs more than predictive performance, since providing explanations is deemed essential for fostering end-user trust, improving decision-making, and regulatory compliance. CLARE-XR is a novel methodology that, when presented with an X-ray image, identifies the associated pathologies and provides explanations based on the presentation of similar cases. The diagnosis is achieved using a regression model that maps an image into a 2D latent space containing the reference coordinates of all findings.

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The comfort of the elderly in hospital settings requires special attention from the health care professionals involved, particularly nurses, since hospitalization often generates suffering and discomfort. In such contexts, it is essential to consider the specific characteristics of the elderly, taking into account their life experiences and their needs, to promote the health, well-being, and comfort of this population. Hence, the present work aimed to explore the nursing interventions that promote comfort among the elderly in hospital settings.

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Three-dimensional (3D) models with improved biomimicry are essential to reduce animal experimentation and drive innovation in tissue engineering. In this study, we investigate the use of alginate-based materials as polymeric inks for 3D bioprinting of osteogenic models using human bone marrow stem/stromal cells (hBMSCs). A composite bioink incorporating alginate, nano-hydroxyapatite (nHA), type I collagen (Col) and hBMSCs was developed and for extrusion-based printing.

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Cancer remains the second leading cause of death worldwide, surpassed only by cardiovascular disease. From the different types of cancer, pancreatic cancer (PaC) has one of the lowest survival rates, with a survival rate of about 20% after the first year of diagnosis and about 8% after 5 years. The lack of highly sensitive and specific biomarkers, together with the absence of symptoms in the early stages, determines a late diagnosis, which is associated with a decrease in the effectiveness of medical intervention, regardless of its nature - surgery and/or chemotherapy.

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Taking the structural information into account, we were able to tune the TEAD selectivity for a specific chemotype. However, different TEAD selectivity profiles did not affect the compound potency or efficacy in the NCI-H226 viability assay. Amides based on or analogues showed improved viability efficacy compared with the corresponding acids.

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Background: Morphological and functional cardiac involvement is rarely described in patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) but there is evidence that they have an increased risk of cardiovascular (CV) events despite the lower prevalence of traditional CV risk factors.

Objectives: Our systematic review and meta-analysis examined the relationship between IBD and cardiac function, namely the incidence of heart failure (HF) and subclinical echocardiographic changes.

Data Sources And Methods: Two medical databases, PubMed and Scopus, were systematically searched up to September 2022 to identify all studies reporting HF and/or echocardiographic changes in IBD patients.

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Background: Surgical-related incidents are a common cause of in-hospital adverse events. Surgical patient safety would benefit from evidence-based practices, but a comprehensive collection of patient safety recommendations is still lacking. This study aimed to compile and assess the perioperative patient safety recommendations for adults.

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Background And Aims: Predicting the treatment outcomes of biological therapies is an unmet need in Crohn's Disease. In this study, we explored the potential of serum neutrophil-related biomarkers to predict infliximab therapeutic results and disease progression in Crohn's Disease patients, over a 2-year period, in a real-world setting.

Methods: The study included 100 asymptomatic Crohn's Disease patients in the IFX maintenance phase from the prospective, observational, multicenter DIRECT study.

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Background: Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) still has a relatively high complication rate, underscoring the importance of high-quality training. Despite existing guidelines, real-world data on training conditions remain limited. This pan-European survey aims to systematically explore the perceptions surrounding ERCP training.

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