Browsing by Author "Santos, Rita"
Now showing 1 - 4 of 4
Results Per Page
Sort Options
- Digital media as a driver of a more inclusive higher educationPublication . Almeida, Ana Margarida; Santos, Rita; Batista, João; Pereira, Dora; Sousa, Célia MariaDigital media may have a fundamental role in promoting more inclusive social and learning experiences, particularly when considering the challenge of widening participation that Higher Education Institutions (HEI) are currently facing. This article briefly overviews recent policies, initiatives and recommendations that address the use of digital media in promoting a more inclusive higher education (HE) system; the review focuses especially on actions involving HE students and that promote innovative uses of digital media solutions that provide flexible delivery models and alternative ways of communicating, helping students from a variety of non-traditional backgrounds and contexts to actively participate and engage with HE in a more open and inclusive approach. The article also presents preliminary results of an exploratory survey on how Portuguese public HEI websites present the challenge of inclusion, namely through digital media. The results of the review show the increasing importance for HE of ensuring open and inclusive student experiences through the use of digital media, although it seems that there is a lack of policies and information widely available about how this can be achieved, especially for publics other than the learners with disabilities or special education needs. Also, the analysis of the HEI websites does not seem to reveal a great concern in presenting HEI as open, flexible and inclusive for all learners, particularly using digital media. Drawing on the revision undertaken and on the collected data, the authors make recommendations for future research and propose an action plan towards the development of a future research project.
- Hybrid Cardiac Telerehabilitation After Acute Coronary Syndrome: Self-selection Predictors and OutcomesPublication . Ferreira, José Bernardo; Cabral, Margarida; Santos, Rita; Ferreira, Marta; Fonseca-Pinto, Rui; Antunes, Alexandre; Januário, FilipaAims: To evaluate the effectiveness of a hybrid cardiac telerehabilitation (HCTR) program after acute coronary syndrome (ACS) on patient quality of life (QoL) and physical activity indices throughout phases 2-3 and establish predictors for hybrid program self-selection. Methodology: This single-centre longitudinal retrospective study included patients who attended a cardiac rehabilitation program (CRP) between 2018-2021. Patients self-selected between two groups: Group 1 – conventional CRP (CCRP); Group 2 – HCTR. Baseline characteristics were registered. EuroQol-5D (EQ-5D) and International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) were applied at three times: T0 – phase 2 onset; T1 – phase 3 onset; T2 – 3 months after T1. Results: 59 patients participated (Group 1 – 27; Group 2 – 32). We found significant between-group differences regarding occupation (p=0.003). Diabetic patients were less likely to self-select into HCTR (OR=0.21; p<0.05). EQ-5D visual analogue scale and IPAQ result significantly improved between T0-T2 only for HCTR (p=0.001; p=0.021). Conclusions: HCTR was superior to CCRP on physical activity indices and QoL of ACS patients.
- Sea cucumber Holothuria forskali, a new resource for aquaculture? Reproductive biology and nutraceutical approachPublication . Santos, Rita; Dias, Simaura; Pinteus, Susete; Silva, Joana; Alves, Celso; Tecelão, Carla; Pedrosa, Rui; Pombo, AnaSea cucumbers are highly marketable as a food product due to their nutritional value. Also, it has been suggested that sea cucumbers possess a wide range of bioactive compounds that can be used in the pharmaceutical industry. In this study, the reproductive biology of Holothuria forskali was performed by evaluating the gonadosomatic index (GI) and histological analyses of the gonadal tubules. The biotechnological potential was assessed through the evaluation of the antioxidant, antimicrobial and antitumor potential. Finally, the fatty acid profile was also evaluated. These three subjects were chosen to increase the interest and to focus the economic potential of this species rearing, predicting that it can be sold in Europe or export to Asia to be used for human consumption or for the pharmaceutical industry. The GI and the histological analysis of the gonadal tubules revealed that the range from February to March corresponds to the peak of gonads maturation. Furthermore, the methanolic fraction revealed the highest antimicrobial potential against Candida albicans with an IC50 of 233.2 mg mL -1. Also, this fraction presented the highest cytotoxic and anti-proliferative activities through the method for measuring cell proliferation method in both cell lines, with an IC50 of 238.2 and 396.0 mg mL -1 for MCF-7 cells respectively and 260.3 and 218.7 mg mL -1 for HepG-2 cells respectively. Regarding the fatty acid profile, the total fat content was 4.83% and the highest values were obtained for palmitic acid (9.96%), stearic acid (11.23%), eicosapentaenoic acid (10.49%) and arachidonic acid (20.36%).
- The biotechnological and seafood potential of Stichopus regalisPublication . Santos, Rita; Dias, Simaura; Pinteus, Susete; Silva, Joana; Alves, Celso; Tecelão, Carla; Pombo, Ana; Pedrosa, RuiSea cucumbers are highly used not only for the production of the bêche-de-mer, but also recent studies have been showing the high potential of these marine invertebrates on the pharmaceutical industry, as they are rich in bioactive compounds with important functions. Stichopus regalis extracts (1 mg∙mL−1) were used in antioxidant, antimicrobial and antitumor assays. The lipid profile was also evaluated. No significant antioxidant activity was detected in both methanolic and dichloromethane extracts. The methanolic fraction showed the highest antimicrobial potential against Candida albicans with an IC50 of 475.4 μg∙mL−1. In the antitumor assays, the dichloromethane fraction showed a high potential for both cell lines, as revealed by the MTT method. The total fat content was 3.63% ± 0.11% and the fatty acid profile revealed the highest amount in C16:0 (9.43% ± 0.77%), C18:0 (12.43% ± 0.83%), C18:1 ω7 (5.63% ± 0.33%), EPA (12.49% ± 0.15%), DHA (7.35% ± 0.02%), ARA (19.29% ± 0.14%) and a ω3/ω6 ratio of 1.078. These findings led us to suggest the potential use of S. regalis as a new source of bioactive compounds with pharmacological potential and its nutritional benefits for human health.