110 documents found, page 1 of 11
A contemporary systematic review on deterministic numerical simulations of ligh...
Fernandes, Filipa Gracinda Silva; Sousa, Nuno; Silva, Filipe Samuel; Carvalho, Óscar Samuel Novais; Catarino, Susana OliveiraUnderstanding how light interacts with the head’s tissues is relevant for several biomedical applications. Since in vivo studies involve ethical considerations, numerical simulations have become a recognised alternative method for studying light propagation in biological tissue. Although Monte Carlo methods are the gold standard for these studies, deterministic simulations are becoming more common due to their ...
Mechanical characterization of blood cells: microfluidics technology
Gonçalves, Margarida José Sousa; Melo-Fonseca, Francisca; Pinto, Inês Mendes; Catarino, Susana Oliveira; Pinho, DianaMechanical cell alterations, such as changes in stiffness and morphology, play a significant role in several blood diseases. Therefore, targeting cells’ physical properties presents opportunities for intervention and can help in the development of novel diagnoses and therapeutic strategies. The lack of clinical relevance of such biophysical parameters is due to the very low measurement throughput and tedious op...
Ultrasound stimulation increases cartilage synthesis and revert dedifferentiati...
Oliveira, Sofia; Ferreira, Débora Carina Gonçalves Abreu; Padrão, Jorge; Catarino, Susana Oliveira; Monteiro, Francisca Andreia Azevedo; Zille, AndreaTherapeutic ultrasound (US) holds promise as a potential therapy to treat articular cartilage; however, optimized and targeted US protocols are lacking. This study aimed at determining an appropriate set of US protocols for stimulating human chondrocyte activity. Human chondrocytes were exposed to various US parameters, including different central frequencies, power densities, operation modes, pulse parameters,...
Modeling microgravity using clinorotation in a microfluidic environment: a nume...
Fernandes, João; Machado, Dara; Minas, Graça; Catarino, Susana Oliveira; Pinho, DianaMicrogravity simulation is essential for studying particle dynamics in space-related applications where traditional gravitational effects are absent. This study presents a numerical investigation of particle behavior in a clinostat-driven microfluidic channel, aiming to simulate microgravity conditions. A computational model was developed in COMSOL Multiphysics to analyze the impact of channel size, particle di...
Models for light propagation in the head: trends and implementation of Finite E...
Fernandes, Filipa Gracinda Silva; Silva, Filipe Samuel; Sousa, Nuno; Carvalho, Óscar Samuel Novais; Catarino, Susana OliveiraThe simulation of light propagation in the head tissues has become of interest due to its applicability in transcranial photobiomodulation (tPBM). In silico studies appear as an effective way to research tPBM dosimetry and understand the light reach in the head tissues, as well as potential issues regarding tissue heating. Nonetheless, these computer models are still very simple and come with several limitation...
Unraveling the potential of transcranial photobiomodulation and ultrasound stim...
Fernandes, Nuno Alexandre Tavares Campos; Catarino, Susana Oliveira; Carvalho, Óscar Samuel NovaisThe human brain is the most sophisticated and the finest processing unit ever designed, but mental and neurological disorders are an imminent threat to its functioning. Indeed, brain disorders comprise one of the most challenging health issues of modern society due to their tremendous health, social, and economic impact. However, pharmacological therapies face a physical obstacle – the blood-brain barrier (BBB)...
Experimental and in silico models for studying light propagation in the head
Fernandes, Filipa Gracinda Silva; Silva, Filipe Samuel; Sousa, Nuno; Carvalho, Óscar Samuel Novais; Catarino, Susana OliveiraTranscranial photobiomodulation (tPBM) is an alternative therapy to conventional approaches, with clinical studies that show promising results for the treatment of several neurological pathologies, such as stroke and dementia related conditions. Despite its potential, the optimal light parameters and dosimetry for effective tPBM therapy remain uncertain, with most literature on this topic highlighting the need ...
Modelling the heat distribution in organ-on-a-chip systems using integrated mic...
Ferreira, Gabriel Malheiro; Sousa, Patrícia C.; Catarino, Susana Oliveira; Minas, Graça[Excerpt] Microfluidic systems with integrated heating transducers are of growing interest for applications in biochemical sensing, lab-on-a-chip and organ-on-a-chip (OoC) technologies [1]. Particularly, in OoC systems, temperature monitoring is crucial to maintain the cultured cells in a well-defined microenvironment for proper growth [2]. This monitoring can be achieved through temperature control systems com...
A review of SAW-based micro- and nanoparticle manipulation in microfluidics
Amorim, Débora; Sousa, Patrícia C.; Abreu, Carlos; Catarino, Susana OliveiraSurface acoustic wave (SAW)-based microfluidics has emerged as a promising technology for precisely manipulating particles and cells at the micro- and nanoscales. Acoustofluidic devices offer advantages such as low energy consumption, high throughput, and label-free operation, making them suitable for particle manipulation tasks including pumping, mixing, sorting, and separation. In this review, we provide an o...
Evaluating the response of malaria-infected RBCs to magnetic nanocarriers under...
Ferreira, Margarida Gomes; Freitas, Bruno José Ferreira; Baptista, Vitória Cunha; Pinho, Diana; Minas, Graça; Veiga, Maria IsabelMalaria still affects millions of people each year, posing a persistent public health challenge. One major hurdle is the increasing resistance of malaria parasite, Plasmodium falciparum, to the current therapeutic drugs, which calls for alternative treatment strategies. This work takes a first step in exploring whether targeted drug delivery systems using nanocarriers can provide a promising solution to mitigat...