Amorphous nasal powder advanced performance: in vitro/ex vivo studies and correlation with in vivo pharmacokinetics

Henriques Patrícia,Bicker Joana,Carona Andreia,Miranda Margarida,Vitorino Carla,Doktorovová Slavomíra,Fortuna Ana 한국약제학회 2023 Journal of Pharmaceutical Investigation Vol.53 No.5

Purpose Amorphous solid dispersions (ASD) for nasal delivery offer the opportunity to increase drug release performance, while using polymers with mucoadhesive properties. The aim of the present study was to apply this solubility enhancement technique to a poorly soluble drug for nasal delivery, while comparing two particle engineering strategies, namely spray dried microparticles and chimeral agglomerates, with the corresponding physical blends with crystalline drug. Methods Formulations of piroxicam were manufactured using varied polymer and particle engineering strategies and evaluated through in vitro drug release and ex vivo permeation studies, as well as nasal deposition and in vivo pharmacokinetic studies. Results ASD with hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC) showed enhanced drug release and permeation, compared to polyvinylpyrrolidone/vinyl acetate formulations and blends. Nasal deposition of HPMC chimeral agglomerates suggested off-target deposition. In vivo pharmacokinetic studies revealed that spray-dried HPMC-containing microparticles exhibited the highest maximum plasma concentration (Cmax) and the lowest time to attain it (tmax). In vitro release rate and in vivo absorption rate were correlated as well as tmax and in vitro performance. When excluding the formulation with least nasal targeted deposition, in vitro release and ex vivo permeation performance were also correlated with Cmax and area under the drug concentration-time curve (AUC) from 0 to 1 h, with R2 > 0.89. Conclusion ASD for nasal delivery provide fast drug absorption, which depends on the supersaturation ability of the polymer employed. In vitro-in vivo correlations suggested that in vitro release and ex vivo permeation studies are predictive tools regarding nasal absorption.

tufA gene as molecular marker for freshwater Chlorophyceae

Helena Henriques Vieira,Inessa Lacativa Bagatini,Carla Marques Guinart,Armando Augusto Henriques Vieira 한국조류학회I 2016 ALGAE Vol.31 No.2

Green microalgae from the class Chlorophyceae represent a major biodiversity component of eukaryotic algae in continental water. Identification and classification of this group through morphology is a hard task, since it may present cryptic species and phenotypic plasticity. Despite the increasing use of molecular methods for identification of microorganisms, no single standard barcode marker is yet established for this important group of green microalgae. Some available studies present results with a limited number of chlorophycean genera or using markers that require many different primers for different groups within the class. Thus, we aimed to find a single marker easily amplified and with wide coverage within Chlorophyceae using only one pair of primers. Here, we tested the universality of primers for different genes (tufA, ITS, rbcL, and UCP4) in 22 strains, comprising 18 different species from different orders of Chlorophyceae. The ITS primers sequenced only 3 strains and the UCP primer failed to amplify any strain. We tested two pairs of primers for rbcL and the best pair provided sequences for 10 strains whereas the second one provided sequences for only 7 strains. The pair of primers for the tufA gene presented good results for Chlorophyceae, successfully sequencing 21 strains and recovering the expected phylogeny relationships within the class. Thus, the tufA marker stands out as a good choice to be used as molecular marker for the class.

Korea-Swedn Joint Symposium : Symposia ; Mechanisms for invasive pneumococcal disease

( Birgitta Henriques Normark ) 한국생화학분자생물학회 (구 한국생화학회) 2007 생화학분자생물학회 춘계학술발표논문집 Vol.2007 No.-

Thermal Conductivity of Barium Bismuthate at Low Temperatures

A. Henriques,D. M. N. Oliveira,M. Baksi,M. Naveed,W. H. Brito,J. Larrea-Jimenez,D. Kumah,S. Wirth,V. Martelli 한국물리학회 2023 새물리 Vol.73 No.12

The perovskite BaBiO₃ crystallizes in a cubic structure and undergoes structural transitions toward lower symmetry phases upon cooling. The two low-temperature monoclinic phases are insulating, and the origin of this unexpected non-metallic character has been under debate. Both monoclinic phases exhibit tilting and breathing distortions, which are connected with their insulating nature and may have important effects on phononic heat conductivity. Here, we report the first thermal conductivity measurement, κ(T), in pristine polycrystalline BaBiO₃ from 1.5 K to 310 K. At low and intermediate temperatures, we observe features reminiscent of a glass-like behavior, whereas at high-temperatures we find a downturn - typical of a crystalline solid. We compare our findings with available data of other recently investigated perovskite oxides displaying similar temperature dependence.

tufA gene as molecular marker for freshwater Chlorophyceae

Vieira, Helena Henriques,Bagatini, Inessa Lacativa,Guinart, Carla Marques,Vieira, Armando Augusto Henriques The Korean Society of Phycology 2016 ALGAE Vol.31 No.2

Green microalgae from the class Chlorophyceae represent a major biodiversity component of eukaryotic algae in continental water. Identification and classification of this group through morphology is a hard task, since it may present cryptic species and phenotypic plasticity. Despite the increasing use of molecular methods for identification of microorganisms, no single standard barcode marker is yet established for this important group of green microalgae. Some available studies present results with a limited number of chlorophycean genera or using markers that require many different primers for different groups within the class. Thus, we aimed to find a single marker easily amplified and with wide coverage within Chlorophyceae using only one pair of primers. Here, we tested the universality of primers for different genes (tufA, ITS, rbcL, and UCP4) in 22 strains, comprising 18 different species from different orders of Chlorophyceae. The ITS primers sequenced only 3 strains and the UCP primer failed to amplify any strain. We tested two pairs of primers for rbcL and the best pair provided sequences for 10 strains whereas the second one provided sequences for only 7 strains. The pair of primers for the tufA gene presented good results for Chlorophyceae, successfully sequencing 21 strains and recovering the expected phylogeny relationships within the class. Thus, the tufA marker stands out as a good choice to be used as molecular marker for the class.

Bridge deflection evaluation using strain and rotation measurements

Sousa, Helder,Cavadas, Filipe,Henriques, Abel,Bento, Joao,Figueiras, Joaquim Techno-Press 2013 Smart Structures and Systems, An International Jou Vol.11 No.4

Monitoring systems currently applied to concrete bridges include strain gauges, inclinometers, accelerometers and displacement transducers. In general, vertical displacements are one of the parameters that more often need to be assessed because their information reflects the overall response of the bridge span. However, the implementation of systems to continuously and directly observe vertical displacements is known to be difficult. On the other hand, strain gauges and inclinometers are easier to install, but their measurements provide no more than indirect information regarding the bridge deflection. In this context, taking advantage of the information collected through strain gauges and inclinometers, and the processing capabilities of current computers, a procedure to evaluate bridge girder deflections based on polynomial functions is presented. The procedure has been implemented in an existing software system - MENSUSMONITOR -, improving the flexibility in the data handling and enabling faster data processing by means of real time visualization capabilities. Benefiting from these features, a comprehensive analysis aiming at assessing the suitability of polynomial functions as an approximate solution for deflection curves, is presented. The effect of boundary conditions and the influence of the order of the polynomial functions on the accuracy of results are discussed. Some recommendations for further instrumentation plans are provided based on the results of the present analysis. This work is supported throughout by monitoring data collected from a laboratory beam model and two full-scale bridges.

Comfort and Infection Control of Chitosan-impregnated Cotton Gauze as Wound Dressing

Jefferson M. Souza,Mariana Henriques,Pilar Teixeira,Margarida M. Fernandes,Raul Fangueiro,Andrea Zille 한국섬유공학회 2019 Fibers and polymers Vol.20 No.5

The aim of this study was to evaluate the thermo-physiological comfort properties of surgical cotton gauze coatedwith chitosan (CH) and its effectiveness for the prevention of bacterial colonization. Gauze was coated with CH at massfractions of 0.50, 0.25, 0.125, 0.10, 0.063 wt% and the friction, flexibility, thermal, moisture management and mechanicalproperties were evaluated. The best performing gauze in terms of comfort (0.125 wt%) was further evaluated for its ability toinhibit the growth of microorganisms such as bacteria and yeast. Results indicate that the functionalized medical gauze couldinduce low friction on the wound bed allowing a good degree of moisture and high absorption capacity of wound exudates. Moreover, it shows antimicrobial properties against medical-relevant pathogens. This biofunctional medical gauzedemonstrates to deliver an efficient antimicrobial coating and promote the best conditions for maintenance of the woundmicroenvironment.

Bridge deflection evaluation using strain and rotation measurements

Helder Sousa,Filipe Cavadas,Abel Henriques,Joaquim Figueiras,João Bento 국제구조공학회 2013 Smart Structures and Systems, An International Jou Vol.11 No.4

Monitoring systems currently applied to concrete bridges include strain gauges, inclinometers,accelerometers and displacement transducers. In general, vertical displacements are one of the parameters that more often need to be assessed because their information reflects the overall response of the bridge span. However, the implementation of systems to continuously and directly observe vertical displacements is known to be difficult. On the other hand, strain gauges and inclinometers are easier to install, but their measurements provide no more than indirect information regarding the bridge deflection. In this context, taking advantage of the information collected through strain gauges and inclinometers, and the processing capabilities of current computers, a procedure to evaluate bridge girder deflections based on polynomial functions is presented. The procedure has been implemented in an existing software system –MENSUSMONITOR –, improving the flexibility in the data handling and enabling faster data processing by means of real time visualization capabilities. Benefiting from these features, a comprehensive analysis aiming at assessing the suitability of polynomial functions as an approximate solution for deflection curves,is presented. The effect of boundary conditions and the influence of the order of the polynomial functions on the accuracy of results are discussed. Some recommendations for further instrumentation plans are provided based on the results of the present analysis. This work is supported throughout by monitoring data collected from a laboratory beam model and two full-scale bridges.

Diversity minimization through part combination – a Portuguese railway infrastructure case study

Diogo Rechena,Luís Sousa,Virgínia Infante,Elsa Henriques 한국CDE학회 2020 Journal of computational design and engineering Vol.7 No.1

With increasing market needs for product and service variety, companies struggle to provide diversity in cost-effective ways. Through standardization of components with a low perceived added value, companies can take advantage of economies of scale while maintaining product diversity. Railway infrastructure managers face similar challenges of providing economically sustainable services while dealing with the costs of maintaining the system diversity. Typically, unintended design diversity stems from design practices in which existing solutions are not reused for new problems and new solutions are rarely planned considering the dynamics of requirement changes. In this paper we provide a methodology to assess how to standardize different designs to minimize design diversity and to assess design divergence in a product family. The developed methodology is able to take into account any set of standardization compatibility constraints that the user can define. The methodology was applied in the context of a small-scale railway infrastructure manager using a dataset of 223 unique designs of functionally similar components from its electrification system. Depending on the activated compatibility constraints, results indicate that over 60% of components can be reduced to a set of 86 unique designs.

Health Monitoring System (HMS) for structural assessment

e Matos, Jose Campos,Garcia, Oscar,Henriques, Antonio Abel,Casas, Joan Ramon,Vehi, Josep Techno-Press 2009 Smart Structures and Systems, An International Jou Vol.5 No.3

As in any engineering application, the problem of structural assessment should face the different uncertainties present in real world. The main source of uncertainty in Health Monitoring System (HMS) applications are those related to the sensor accuracy, the theoretical models and the variability in structural parameters and applied loads. In present work, two methodologies have been developed to deal with these uncertainties in order to adopt reliable decisions related to the presence of damage. A simple example, a steel beam analysis, is considered in order to establish a liable comparison between them. Also, such methodologies are used with a developed structural assessment algorithm that consists in a direct and consistent comparison between sensor data and numerical model results, both affected by uncertainty. Such algorithm is applied to a simple concrete laboratory beam, tested till rupture, to show it feasibility and operational process. From these applications several conclusions are derived with a high value, regarding the final objective of the work, which is the implementation of this algorithm within a HMS, developed and applied into a prototype structure.