Sapientia
UAlg Scientific Repository
About Sapientia
The SAPIENTIA repository gathers an exhaustive set of Algarve University's (UAlg) teachers and researchers scientific publications with an express goal of maximising its visibility, ensure easy and universal access and amelliorate the overall public impact of the university scientific endeavors, as well as the ongoing preservation of its memory.
Recent Submissions
ESR Essentials: using the right scoring system in prostate MRI-practice recommendations by ESUR
Publication . Ponsiglione, Andrea; Brembilla, Giorgio; Cuocolo, Renato; Gutierrez, Patricia; Moreira, Ana Sofia; Pecoraro, Martina; Zawaideh, Jeries; Barentsz, Jelle; Giganti, Francesco; Padhani, Anwar R; Panebianco, Valeria; Puech, Philippe; Villeirs, Geert
MRI has gained prominence in the diagnostic workup of prostate cancer (PCa) patients, with the Prostate Imaging Reporting and Data System (PI-RADS) being widely used for cancer detection. Beyond PI-RADS, other MRI-based scoring tools have emerged to address broader aspects within the PCa domain. However, the multitude of available MRI-based grading systems has led to inconsistencies in their application within clinical workflows. The Prostate Cancer Radiological Estimation of Change in Sequential Evaluation (PRECISE) assesses the likelihood of clinically significant radiological changes of PCa during active surveillance, and the Prostate Imaging for Local Recurrence Reporting (PI-RR) scoring system evaluates the risk of local recurrence after whole-gland therapies with curative intent. Underlying any system is the requirement to assess image quality using the Prostate Imaging Quality Scoring System (PI-QUAL). This article offers practicing radiologists a comprehensive overview of currently available scoring systems with clinical evidence supporting their use for managing PCa patients to enhance consistency in interpretation and facilitate effective communication with referring clinicians. KEY POINTS: Assessing image quality is essential for all prostate MRI interpretations and the PI-QUAL score represents the standardized tool for this purpose. Current urological clinical guidelines for prostate cancer diagnosis and localization recommend adhering to the PI-RADS recommendations. The PRECISE and PI-RR scoring systems can be used for assessing radiological changes of prostate cancer during active surveillance and the likelihood of local recurrence after radical treatments respectively.
Does vitamin D supplementation impact serotonin levels? A systematic review and meta-analysis.
Publication . Alimohammadi-Kamalabadi, Malek; Ziaei, Somayeh; Hasani, Motahareh; Mohammadi, Shooka; Mehrbod, Milad; Morvaridi, Mehrnaz; Persad, Emma; Belančić, Andrej; Malekahmadi, Mahsa; Estêvão, Maria Dulce da Mota Antunes de Oliveira ; Daneshzad, Elnaz; Heshmati, Javad
Vitamin D deficiency impacts a significant proportion of the world's population, and this deficiency has been linked to various conditions characterized by imbalanced serotonin regulation. The objective of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to evaluate the effect of vitamin D supplementation on serum serotonin levels.
We conducted a comprehensive search of PubMed, Scopus, Cochrane Central for Randomized Clinical Trials, and Web of Science up to September 2022, without any language restrictions. The effect sizes were calculated using the standard mean difference (SMD) and 95% confidence interval (CI).
Six randomized clinical trials involving 356 participants were included in the analysis. Our findings indicated no significant changes in serotonin levels between the intervention and control groups (SMD: 0.24 ng/mL, 95% CI: -0.28, 0.75, > 0.10). Subgroup analysis also did not reveal any significant changes in serotonin levels among children, participants with autism spectrum disorders, interventions lasting 10 weeks or longer, or those receiving vitamin D doses below 4000 IU/day.
Although the results obtained in this systematic review are inconclusive, they support the need for further well-designed randomized trials to assess the potential role of vitamin D supplementation in regulating serotonin levels and potentially ameliorating depression and related disorders.
As Termópilas na poesia de Fernando Cabrita
Publication . Nogueira, Adriana
Como pode a poesia portuguesa contemporânea dialogar com a história grega? Como pode ultrapassar a barreira das referências genéricas eruditas? Poderá assumir-se como uma forma de ler a história contemporânea? Pretendemos encontrar respostas a estas perguntas, através do modo como o episódio das Termópilas surge na poesia de Fernando Cabrita. Começámos por enquadrar a batalha na fonte herodotiana e delineámos marcas da receção de alguns dos seus aspetos mais populares. Interessou-nos, ainda, analisar como este episódio concreto da história grega poderia ser uma forma de leitura de vivências da história portuguesa no último terço do século XX. Na análise do poema, procurámos as temáticas universais que nos permitem compreender a contemporaneidade, funcionando as referências históricas como catacreses poéticas.
The Escarpão Plateau (South of Portugal)—a study case of nested geosites from the aspiring Algarvensis Geopark
Publication . Veiga-Pires, Cristina; Jenkins Oliveira Fernandes, Sónia Alexandra; Moura, Delminda; Pereira, Luís
Flatfish species seem to require dietary taurine for normal growth and development. Although dietary taurine supplementation has been recommended for flatfish, little is known about the mechanisms of taurine absorption in the digestive tract of flatfish throughout ontogeny. This study described the cloning and ontogenetic expression of the taurine transporter (TauT) in the flatfish Senegalese sole (Solea senegalensis). Results showed a high similarity between TauT in Senegalese sole and other vertebrates, but a change in TauT amino acid sequences indicates that taurine transport may differ between mammals and fish, reptiles or birds. Moreover, results showed that Senegalese sole metamorphosis is an important developmental trigger to promote taurine transport in larvae, especially in muscle tissues, which may be important for larval growth. Results also indicated that the capacity to uptake dietary taurine in the digestive tract is already established in larvae at the onset of metamorphosis. In Senegalese sole juveniles, TauT expression was highest in brain, heart and eye. These are organs where taurine is usually found in high concentrations and is believed to play important biological roles. In the digestive tract of juveniles, TauT was more expressed in stomach and hindgut, indicating that dietary taurine is quickly absorbed when digestion begins and taurine endogenously used for bile salt conjugation may be recycled at the posterior end of the digestive tract. Therefore, these results suggest an enterohepatic recycling pathway for taurine in Senegalese sole, a process that may be important for maintenance of the taurine body levels in flatfish species.
Mediterranean Diet: a multidisciplinary approach to develop a new territorial strategy.
Publication . de Freitas, Ana; Dias Azinheira Rebelo Braz, Nídia Maria; BERNARDES, João Pedro; Cruz, Ana Lúcia; Quintas, Célia; Rodrigues Gonçalves, Alexandra; Romano, Anabela; Palma Mateus, Maria
Mediterranean Diet (MD) integrates territorial diversities, economic and lifestyle changes. These characteristics represent an enormous potential, for a sustainable food pattern and healthy lifestyles, biodiversity and to valorisation of local products. In 2013 Portugal joined the UNESCO MD application for Intangible Cultural Heritage. The University of Algarve, in a partnership with the Competence Centre for the Mediterranean Diet, 4 Regional Agriculture Directorates of mainland Portugal, Tavira City Council (Representative Community) and the Higher Education Institutions’ Network for MD Safe-guard, developed a set of activities with the aim of strengthening the national strategy for MD promotion and safeguard. The activities aimed to raise awareness of the MD characteristics in each territory and to enable effective articulation within the main stakeholders, in a quadruple helix – Agriculture, Health, Heritage and Tour-ism. It was possible to gather a wide range of actors with responsibility in preservation and promotion of MD in each Region. The created working groups are developing further work leading to a safeguard strategy for MD in each Region and the set-up of Regional Commissions for MD (CRDMs). Results point out the relevance of geographical indications (GI) registration of regional characteristic products as a key factor for MD safeguard.