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Carla Moutinho

Other affiliations: University of Minho
Bio: Carla Moutinho is an academic researcher from Fernando Pessoa University. The author has contributed to research in topics: Liposome & Micelle. The author has an hindex of 13, co-authored 35 publications receiving 873 citations. Previous affiliations of Carla Moutinho include University of Minho.

Papers
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Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: An ethnopharmacological study carried out in two councils belonging to Trás-os-Montes region a small area located in the northern of Portugal, finding that medicinal plants, most of the species wild, are still in use among farmers, shepherds and other people who live far from villages and built-up areas.

251 citations

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TL;DR: This review discusses and analyses several (potential) alternative strategies to current chemical antibiotics and identifies bacteriophage (or phage) therapy as an alternative, or a complement, in the antimicrobial treatment of bacterial infections.

193 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: An evaluation of the conceptual bases of different methodologies commonly used for cmc determination is made, since variations in the results obtained can be related mainly to different intrinsic features of the methods used (such as sensitivity or the need to include tracers or probes) or to the operational cmc definition applied.

151 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Production of lactoferrin derivatives (starting from a purified commercial extract), encompassing full stabilization of its three-dimensional structure, has been attempted via nanoencapsulation within lipid nanovesicles, integrating a multiple water-in-oil- in-water emulsion, proving the effectiveness of the encapsulation procedure.

94 citations

01 Sep 2019
TL;DR: The main effects of trace elements in human health, namely iron, zinc, copper, manganese and fluorine are reviewed, focusing on the physiopathology and consequences of lack or excess of these elements.
Abstract: Trace elements exist in the environment in small amounts but play an essential part in sustaining various physiological and metabolic processes occurring within living tissues, as enzymes structure and function, bone and blood maintenance, immune responses or transmission of nerve impulses. They must be obtained from diet, being a varied and balanced diet important for obtaining a series of elements necessary for our body. The total amount of a mineral in a food that is dependent on digestion, its release from the food matrix and the absorption rate by the intestinal cells. If minerals are not supplied in adequate quantities, signs and symptoms of trace elements deficiencies appear. Beyond the nutritional aspects, trace elements have applications in the pharmaceutical industry, integrating pharmacologically active compounds. Usually, in the form of metal complexes, these metal-based drugs are used as anticancer therapeutics, antiinflammatories, antidiabetic drugs or antimicrobial agents. This evolving field is developing metal complexes with remarkable actions, and new metal-based drugs are emerging every year. This article aims to review the main effects of trace elements in human health, namely iron, zinc, copper, manganese and fluorine, focusing on the physiopathology and consequences of lack or excess of these elements. Also, it offers an overview of research information published in recent years concerning the use of these metals in compounds that show promising pharmacological activities. Carla Sousa, Carla Moutinho, Ana F. Vinha, Carla Matos 1 FP-ENAS ((Unidade de Investigação UFP em Energia, Ambiente e Saúde), CEBIMED (Centro de Estudos em Biomedicina), Universidade Fernando Pessoa), Porto, Portugal. 2 REQUIMTE/LAQV, Departamento de Ciências Químicas, Faculdade de Farmácia, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal. 3 Unidade de Saúde Familiar de Ramalde, ACES Porto Ocidental, Porto, Portugal Submission: 26 August 2019 Accepted: 31 August 2019 Published: 30 September 2019 CORE Metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk Provided by B-Digital

42 citations


Cited by
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Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The objective of this review is to describe the alternative therapies reported to treat ESKAPE infections, their advantages and limitations, potential application in vivo, and status in clinical trials.
Abstract: The acronym ESKAPE includes six nosocomial pathogens that exhibit multidrug resistance and virulence: Enterococcus faecium, Staphylococcus aureus, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Acinetobacter baumannii, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Enterobacter spp. Persistent use of antibiotics has provoked the emergence of multidrug resistant (MDR) and extensively drug resistant (XDR) bacteria, which render even the most effective drugs ineffective. Extended spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL) and carbapenemase producing Gram negative bacteria have emerged as an important therapeutic challenge. Development of novel therapeutics to treat drug resistant infections, especially those caused by ESKAPE pathogens is the need of the hour. Alternative therapies such as use of antibiotics in combination or with adjuvants, bacteriophages, antimicrobial peptides, nanoparticles, and photodynamic light therapy are widely reported. Many reviews published till date describe these therapies with respect to the various agents used, their dosage details and mechanism of action against MDR pathogens but very few have focused specifically on ESKAPE. The objective of this review is to describe the alternative therapies reported to treat ESKAPE infections, their advantages and limitations, potential application in vivo, and status in clinical trials. The review further highlights the importance of a combinatorial approach, wherein two or more therapies are used in combination in order to overcome their individual limitations, additional studies on which are warranted, before translating them into clinical practice. These advances could possibly give an alternate solution or extend the lifetime of current antimicrobials.

749 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
Bruce A. Kerwin1
TL;DR: This review focuses on the chemical structure of the polysorbates, factors influencing micelle formation and factors and excipients influencing stability and degradation of thepolyethylene and fatty acid ester linkages.

638 citations

Journal Article
TL;DR: In this article, the authors propose a method for measuring the performance of a single node in a set of images.ING and INDEXING, e.g., this article.

490 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The family of bile acids includes a group of molecular species of acidic steroids with very peculiar physical-chemical and biological characteristics that have been used as the bases for the development of drugs and as pharmaceutical tools for the delivery of active agents.
Abstract: The family of bile acids includes a group of molecular species of acidic steroids with very peculiar physical-chemical and biological characteristics. They are synthesized by the liver from cholesterol through several complementary pathways that are controlled by mechanisms involving fine-tuning by the levels of certain bile acid species. Although their best-known role is their participation in the digestion and absorption of fat, they also play an important role in several other physiological processes. Thus, genetic abnormalities accounting for alterations in their synthesis, biotransformation and/or transport may result in severe alterations, even leading to lethal situations for which the sole therapeutic option may be liver transplantation. Moreover, the increased levels of bile acids reached during cholestatic liver diseases are known to induce oxidative stress and apoptosis, resulting in damage to the liver parenchyma and, eventually, extrahepatic tissues. When this occurs during pregnancy, the outcome of gestation may be challenged. In contrast, the physical-chemical and biological properties of these compounds have been used as the bases for the development of drugs and as pharmaceutical tools for the delivery of active agents.

428 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Three potential physicochemical mechanisms are proposed together with suggestions for in vitro experiments to test them and the nature of interactions between bile salt micelles and SDF that lead to incomplete BS re-absorption are poorly defined.
Abstract: A number of studies have shown a positive relationship between diets rich in soluble dietary fibres (SDF) such as β-glucan, pectin, guar gum and psyllium, and reduced serum cholesterol and thus a decreased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD). Three major biological mechanisms have been proposed to explain the cholesterol-reducing effects of SDF: prevention of bile salt (BS) re-absorption from the small intestine leading to an excess faecal BS excretion; reduced glycemic response leading to lower insulin stimulation of hepatic cholesterol synthesis; and physiological effects of fermentation products of SDF, mainly propionate. Evidence for the latter mechanism is inconclusive, whereas in vivo, ex vivo and in vitro experiments suggest that BS micelles “bind” to SDF preventing their re-absorption. Whereas, glycemic responses to SDF have been studied extensively, the nature of interactions between bile salt micelles and SDF that lead to incomplete BS re-absorption are poorly defined. Three potential physicochemical mechanisms are proposed together with suggestions for in vitro experiments to test them.

390 citations