Pesquisas Internas

Mariana Barbosa and Raquel Matos, CEDH researchers, coauthored a chapter on "Moral Disengagement and police violence".

Soares, M., Barbosa, M., & Matos, R. (2017). Descomprometimento moral e violência policial: Análise dos discursos dos agentes de polícia portugueses. In L. Nunes, A. Sani, R. Estrada, F. Viana, S. Caridade& R. Maia (Coord.) "Crime e segurança nas cidades contemporâneas" (pp. 29 - 44). Porto: Fronteira do Caos.
(ISBN: 9789898647740)

A Clínica Universitária de Psicologia – CUP da Faculdade de Educação em Psicologia da Universidade Católica Portuguesa, no Porto, acaba de criar um serviço de apoio e acompanhamento psicológico gratuito aos familiares das vítimas dos incêndios no Centro de Portugal (Pedrógão Grande, Figueiró dos Vinhos e Castanheira de Pera) e aos profissionais que intervieram no local (residentes no Grande Porto).

Contactos: 22 619 62 00 - Ext. 235 | cup@porto.ucp.pt

O Professor Francisco Carvalho Guerra, primeiro Presidente do Centro Regional do Porto da Universidade Católica Portuguesa foi agraciado com a Medalha de Mérito de Ciência – 2017 em reconhecimento pela atividade que vem desenvolvendo ao serviço da ciência, nomeadamente nas áreas da Química Farmacêutica e da Bioquímica, tendo a sua ação sido decisiva para estimular a investigação científica em Portugal.

A cerimónia teve lugar no dia 3 de julho, em Lisboa, no Encontro Ciência 17, com a Presença do Senhor Ministro da Ciência, Tecnologia e Ensino Superior e de outros altos responsáveis da Ciência, em Portugal

Recorde-se que o Prof. Carvalho Guerra, por tantos conhecido e carinhosamente tratado por “Pai Guerra”, além de ter sido um dos fundadores do Centro Regional do Porto e seu primeiro Presidente, foi igualmente Bastonário da Ordem dos Farmacêuticos, Presidente da Sociedade Portuguesa de Bioquímica, Vice-Reitor da Universidade do Porto e Presidente do Conselho para a Cooperação Ensino Superior Empresa.

Muitas têm sido as instituições nacionais e internacionais em que tem trabalhado e cooperado, sempre de modo empenhado e apaixonado no desenvolvimento da Ciência e do Homem.

Parabéns, Professor!

This fluid hydrogel consists of a silk protein - sericin - and is being designed for non-infected and low exudate wounds (fluid that is often produced in the wound bed, detrimental to the progress of healing), said to Lusa Ana Leite Oliveira, a researcher at the Catholic University's Faculty of Biotechnology (ESB).

"It is important to point out that this protein constitutes a residue from the textile industry", which is "eliminated during the unrolling of the cocoon by immersion in hot water", a process which is called "degumming", he explained. According to Ana Oliveira, this possibility of transforming a waste that contaminates the effluents, as is the case of this protein, "in a product with high added value", is one of the relevant points of the project.

Complex wounds, particularly chronic wounds, are "difficult to heal," which represents "a challenge for clinical teams and has a huge impact on patients' quality of life," she added. "This type of wound can go through several stages", acquiring "different aspects, sizes and depths, causing the clinician to improvise, to adapt the dressing to the shape and the wound site since, commercially, the dressing materials have Limited formats, " she explained.

According to this expert, this practical knowledge is essential and, therefore, the team includes a clinician specializing in complex wounds, the nurse Paulo Alves, a researcher at the Institute of Health Sciences of the Catholic University (ICS), which helps to define and validate all parameters, which allow its applicability.
"The use of natural hydrogels in the treatment of wounds has been proposed because of their biocompatibility", "gelling ability (contributing to better wound occlusion and easy filling of the defect)" and the ease of incorporation of agents, such as cells and biomolecules, she said. According to the researcher, most hydrogels on the market, termed amorphous, have "high fluidity", requiring a secondary dressing to be retained in the wound bed.

There are also other products commercialized in powder form, capable of gelling when moistened by the exudate itself or after spraying with saline, but in the case of synthetic polymers, they are "less biocompatible" and "not biodegradable".
"The complete filling of the wound bed is an important issue, avoiding the waste like traditional dressings, which have to be cut to better adapt," she said.
The researchers believe that this product can be adapted for other uses, since sericin has been "widely marketed" in the area of cosmetics, given its antioxidant and moisturizing properties, and there are studies that demonstrate the antitumor properties of this protein. After developing the hydrogel, the team has already established a partnership with the Institute for Research and Innovation in Health (i3S) of Porto, to carry out advanced in vitro (cellular) and in vivo studies (animal wound models).

Ana Oliveira predicts that the project, called HYDROSER - Hydrogel Sericin Base and its Production Method, funded by the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT), will take at least another three years, when it expects to have enough data to enable the technology, for which the patent application is already in progress.
Source: Agência Lusa