Browsing by Author "Vala, Helena"
Now showing 1 - 10 of 261
Results Per Page
Sort Options
- A 2-Year Longitudinal Seroepidemiological Evaluation of Toxoplasma gondii Antibodies in a Cohort of Autochthonous Sheep from Central PortugalPublication . Almeida, Daniela; Quirino, João; Barradas, Patrícia Ferreira; da Silva, Priscilla Gomes; Pereira, Maria; Cruz, Rita; Santos, Carla; Mega, Cristina; Esteves, Fernando; Nóbrega, Carmen; Vala, Helena; Gärtner, Fátima; Amorim, Irina; Mesquita, João R.Background: Toxoplasma gondii is an important zoonosis and one of the major causes of abortion in sheep worldwide. (2) Methods: We performed a 2-year longitudinal serological antiT. gondii IgG screening on a cohort of a spatially confined population of a Portuguese autochthonous sheep breed in central Portugal. (3) Results: From the screening of the 2015 and 2016 sera, an increase of seroprevalence was observed (57.7% (95% CI: 49.9–65.3%) versus 69.1% (95% CI: 61.5–75.9), from 2015 and 2016, respectively) (p = 0.031). (4) Conclusions The present study is the first to provide prospective data on the anti-T. gondii serological status of a sheep cohort in Portugal, showing an increase in the occurrence of T. gondii. There is a need to provide a clearer understanding of T. gondii epidemiology in Portugal, ideally by implementing monitoring programs on sentinel herds, not only due to the high impact of T. gondii on animal health but also for it being a zoonosis.
- ABC series on diagnostic parasitology part 1: the Willis methodPublication . Mesquita, João R.; Esteves, Fernando; Santos, Carla; Mega, Ana Cristina; Coelho, Catarina; Cruz, Rita; Vala, Helena; Nóbrega, CármenDiagnosis of parasitic infections in animals is an interesting task that can be developed by veterinary nurses. To perform direct identification of parasites, particularly ova present in faeces, it is possible to use faecal smears, flotation and sedimentation tests. Faecal flotation is fast and inexpensive, and can be quickly implemented as a measure for infection control. Herewith we describe the Willis method, one of the most used flotation methods.
- ABC series on diagnostic parasitology part 2: the McMaster methodPublication . Nóbrega, Cármen; Santos, Carla; Mega, Ana Cristina; Coelho, Catarina; Cruz, Rita; Vala, Helena; Esteves, Fernando; Mesquita, João R.Classical coprological methods allow for inexpensive, quick and reliable detection of parasitic elements. However, the detection of these parasitic elements may be insufficient and quantification of the parasitic burden may be required. As such, faecal egg counts can play a crucial role in providing these extra data. Herewith we describe the McMaster method, one of the most used faecal egg count methods described.
- ABC series on diagnostic parasitology part 3: the Baermann techniquePublication . Mesquita, João R.; Mega, Ana Cristina; Coelho, Catarina; Cruz, Rita; Vala, Helena; Esteves, Fernando; Santos, Carla; Nóbrega, CármenDiagnosis of parasitic larval forms is typically associated with complex, costly methods. As such, simple, low-cost diagnostic tools for larvae identification are of the utmost importance in diagnostic parasitology in the veterinary clinic. Herewith we describe the Baermann technique, one of the most used larvae identification methods
- Adaptação do modelo ABCDE para comunicar a má notícia ao proprietário do paciente oncológico em medicina veterináriaPublication . Vala, Helena; Esteves, Fernando; Mega, Ana Cristina; Santos, Carla; Nóbrega, Carmen; Mesquita, JoãoIntrodução: À semelhança do que ocorre na Medicina Humana, também em Medicina Veterinária, a prevalência da doença oncológica em animais de companhia tem vindo a aumentar significativamente. Desenvolvimento: A evolução da Medicina Veterinária, nas últimas décadas, veio trazer mudança nos paradigmas clínicos, nomeadamente no respeitante à relação com o animal mas também com o proprietário. Sendo a oncologia a especialidade em que há maior probabilidade de ter que comunicar uma má notícia, neste trabalho propõe-se a adaptação do modelo ABCDE da Medicina Humana para a Medicina Veterinária. Conclusões: A adaptação do modelo ABCDE para a Medicina Veterinária permite melhorar a comunicação com o proprietário cuidador e dotar os profissionais da equipe Médica Veterinária de melhores competências.
- Adaptation of the ABCDE model from human medicine to communicate bad news to the owner of the oncologic patient in veterinary medicinePublication . Vala, Helena; Esteves, Fernando; Mega, Ana Cristina; Santos, Carla; Nóbrega, Carmen; Mesquita, JoãoSimilar to what occurs in Human Medicine, also in Veterinary Medicine, the prevalence of oncological diseases has significantly increased. The evolution of Veterinary Medicine, in last decades has brought changes in clinical paradigms, particularly concerning the relationship with the animal and also with the owner. More than any other specialty, members of the Veterinary Medical Team that work in the oncology field, are unavoidably forced to break bad news. This paper proposes the adaptation of the ABCDE model from Human Medicine to Veterinary Medicine. The adaptation of the ABCDE model for Veterinary Medicine improves communication with the owner and offers all the members of the Veterinary Medical Team better communication skills.
- Age influence in BBN induced urothelial lesions in ICR male micePublication . Vasconcelos-Nóbrega, C.; Mega, C.; Arantes, R.; Talhada, D.; Teixeira-Guedes, C.; Faustino-Rocha, A.; Vala, Helena; Oliveira, P. A.
- Aging is associated with impaired renal function, INF-gamma induced inflammation and with alterations in iron regulatory proteins gene expressionPublication . Costa, E.; Fernandes, J.; Ribeiro, S.; Garrido, P.; Rocha-Pereira, P.; Coimbra, S.; Catarino, C.; Reis, F.; Belo, L.; Bronze-da-Rocha, E.; Vala, Helena; Alves, R.; Santos-Silva, A.Our aim was to contribute to a better understanding of the pathophysiology of anemia in elderly, by studying how aging affects renal function, ironmetabolism, erythropoiesis and the inflammatory response, using an experimental animal model. The study was performed in male Wistar, a group of young rats with 2 months age and an old one with 18 months age. Old rats presented a significant higher urea, creatinine, interferon (INF)-gamma, ferritin and soluble transferrin receptor serum levels, as well as increased counts of reticulocytes and RDW. In addition, these rats showed significant lower erythropoietin (EPO) and iron serum levels. Concerning gene expression of iron regulatory proteins, old rats presented significantly higher mRNA levels of hepcidin (Hamp), transferrin (TF), transferrin receptor 2 (TfR2) and hemojuvelin (HJV); divalent metal transporter 1 (DMT1) mRNA levels were significantly higher in duodenal tissue; EPO gene expression was significantly higher in liver and lower in kidney, and the expression of the EPOR was significantly higher in both liver and kidney. Our results showed that aging is associated with impaired renal function, which could be in turn related with the inflammatory process and with a decline in EPO renal production. Moreover, we also propose that aging may be associatedwith INF-gamma-induced inflammation and with alterations upon iron regulatory proteins gene expression.
- Aloysia citrodora extract as a chemopreventive agent against HPV16-induced lesions: findings from K14-HPV16 micePublication . Medeiros-Fonseca, Beatriz; Faustino-Rocha, Ana I.; Silva, Jéssica; Silva, Mónica G.; Pires, Maria João; Neuparth, Maria João; Vala, Helena; C, Vasconcelos-Nóbrega; Dias, Maria I.; Barros, Lillian; Gonçalves, Lio; Gaivão, Isabel; Bastos, Margarida M. S. M.; Félix, Luís; Venâncio, Carlos; Medeiro, Rui; Costa, Rui M. Gil da; Oliveira, Paula A.Aim: Aloysia citrodora has a long history of traditional use in treating various ailments. This study evaluated the in vivo chemopreventive efficacy and systemic toxicity of an extract of A. citrodora in a transgenic mouse model of HPV16 (human papillomavirus type 16)-induced cancer. Methods: The experiment involved six groups (n = 5): group 1 (G1, wild-type (WT), water), group 2 (G2, HPV, water), group 3 (G3, WT, 0.013 g/mL), group 4 (G4, HPV, 0.006 g/mL), group 5 (G5, HPV, 0.008 g/mL), and group 6 (G6, HPV, 0.013 g/mL). Throughout the assay, humane endpoints, body weight, food, and water consumption were recorded weekly. The internal organs and skin of the mice were collected for analysis after they were sacrificed. Toxicological parameters that were studied included hematological and biochemical blood markers, splenic and hepatic histology, and hepatic oxidative stress. Results: A. citrodora extract seems to reduce the incidence of dysplastic and in situ carcinoma skin lesions induced by HPV16 in this model, suggesting that dietary supplementation with concentrations of 0.008 g/mL and 0.013 g/mL may have beneficial chemopreventive effects. Conclusions: The extract did not induce any concentration-dependent toxicological effects on any of the parameters included in the study, indicating a favorable toxicological profile under these experimental conditions.
- AMONIAVEPublication . Pereira, José Luís; Marques, Francisco; Garcia, Carla; Vala, Helena