23 documents found, page 1 of 3
Land-use evolution in an island urban setting: A three-decade analysis of Machi...
Lousada, Sérgio; Naranjo Gómez, José Manuel; Fernandes, Mário; Raposo, Mauro; Alves, Raul; Jankauskiené, DainoraThe sustainable development of Madeira Island necessitates the implementation of more precise and targeted planning strategies to address its regional challenges. Given the urgency of this issue within the context of sustainability, planning approaches must be grounded in and reinforced by a comprehensive array of thematic studies to fully grasp the complexities involved. This research leverages Geographic Info...
Petrosamine isolated from marine sponge Petrosia sp. demonstrates protection ag...
RIbeiro, Joana Francisca Marinho Parente; Araújo-Silva, Henrique; Fernandes, Mário; Silva, Joilna Alves; Pinto, Francisco das Chagas L.According to The World Alzheimer Report 2023 by Alzheimer’s Disease International (ADI) estimates that 33 to 38.5 million people worldwide suffer from Alzheimer’s Disease (AD). A crucial hallmark associated with this disease is associated with the deficiency of the brain neurotransmitter acetylcholine, due to an affected acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activity. Marine organisms synthesize several classes of compou...
Valorisation of the invasive macroalgae Undaria pinnatifida (Harvey) Suringar f...
González-Ballesteros, Noelia; Fernandes, Mário; Machado, Raul; Sampaio, Paula; Gomes, Andreia C.; Cavazza, Antonella; Bigi, FrancaBacterial and fungal infections are a challenging global problem due to the reported increasing resistance of pathogenic microorganisms to conventional antimicrobials. Nanomaterials are a promising strategy to fight infections caused by multidrug-resistant microbes. In this work, gold (Au@UP) and silver (Ag@UP) nanoparticles were produced for the first time by green synthesis using an aqueous extract of the inv...
Hydraulic Planning in Insular Urban Territories: The Case of Madeira Island—São...
Lousada, Sérgio; Alves, Raul; Fernandes, Mário; Gonçalves, Leonardohis study’s primary goal was to conduct an analysis regarding the flood susceptibility of the main watercourse of the São João (Funchal) drainage basin. In addition, if proven necessary, we also aimed to suggest mitigation measures, such as sizing a detention basin and promoting adjustments of the riverbed’s roughness coefficient. This study also resorted to geomorphological data—obtained during the watershed c...
Hydraulic Planning in Insular Urban Territories: The Case of Madeira Island—Rib...
Lousada, Sérgio; Alves, Raul; Fernandes, Mário; Gonçalves, LeonardoThis study’s primary goal was to conduct an analysis of the flood propensity of the Tabua (Ribeira Brava) drainage basin’s main watercourse. In addition to that, this study also recommends two different methodologies in order to mitigate flood impacts, namely by dimensioning a detention basin and adjusting the riverbed roughness coefficient. Regarding the study on the flood propensity, it was necessary to resor...
Antimicrobial and anti-biofilm activity of silver nanoparticles biosynthesized ...
Fernandes, Mário; González-Ballesteros, Noelia; da Costa, André; Machado, Raul; Gomes, Andreia C; Rodríguez-Argüelles, Maria CarmenAntimicrobial resistance is an ever-growing global concern to public health with no clear or immediate solution. Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) have long been proposed as efficient agents to fight the growing number of antibiotic-resistant strains. However, the synthesis of these particles is often linked to high costs and the use of toxic, hazardous chemicals, with environmental and health impact. In this study,...
Nanotechnology to the rescue: therapeutic strategies based on brown algae for n...
Gonçalves, Anabela; Fernandes, Mário; Lima, Margarida; Gomes, João Pedro; Silva, Filipa; Castro, Sara; Sampaio, Filipa; Gomes, Andreia CIn the last decades, marine macroalgae have drawn attention mainly because of their bioactive constituents. Most brown algae are distributed over coastal areas of the Atlantic Ocean, Mediterranean Sea, Aegean Sea and Black Sea, and their composition varies with endogenous and exogenous factors. Phlorotannins, fatty acids, sterols and carbohydrates are some of the compounds responsible for biological activities ...
Exosomes and exosome-like nanoparticles: applications for biomedicine
Magalhães, Luana; Fernandes, Mário; Gomes, Andreia CWith the rise of the average life expectancy in the last century, the prevalence of life-threatening diseases has greatly increased. Thus, the need for effective, cost efficient and easy to produce therapeutic systems, combined with recent technological advances, boosted nanotechnology research. Since their discovery more than 30 years ago, naturally occurring exosomes are an increasingly interesting vehicle fo...
Novel concept of exosome-like liposomes for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease
Fernandes, Mário; Lopes, I.; Magalhães, Luana; Sárria, Marisa P.; Machado, Raul; Sousa, João Carlos; Botelho, Cláudia Manuela da Cunha FerreiraExosomes are cell-derived vesicles that act as carriers for proteins and nucleic acids, with therapeutic potential and high biocompatibility. We propose a new concept of exosome-like liposomes for controlled delivery. The goal of this work was to develop a new type of liposomes with a unique mixture of phospholipids, similar to naturally occurring exosomes but overcoming their limitations of heterogeneity and l...
Leukemia inhibitory factor: recent advances and implications in biotechnology
Pinho, Vanessa; Fernandes, Mário; da Costa, André; Machado, Raul; Gomes, Andreia CLeukemia inhibitory factor (LIF) is a pleiotropic cytokine with several functions in health and disease ranging from inflammation to cancer. LIF is also a potential target and/or therapeutic agent for diseases such as multiple sclerosis, stroke and even psychological disorders, where the function of LIF as a neurotrophic factor has only recently been explored. In recent years, a limited number of LIF clinical t...