The Center for Health Sciences (CCS/UFRJ) will hold the Inaugural Lecture for the 2025-2 academic term on August 21, at 11 a.m. The event will take place at the Professor Rodolpho Paulo Rocco Auditorium, in the CCS building, and is open to the entire academic community and the general public.

With the theme “Challenges and opportunities of artificial intelligence algorithms in healthcare: building a critical perspective for responsible innovation”, the lecture will address the impacts and advancements of emerging technologies, as well as the ethical and scientific reflections necessary for their application in healthcare.

The keynote will be delivered by Full Professor Marcus Oliveira, from the Institute of Medical Biochemistry Leopoldo de Meis (UFRJ), a leading researcher in the field.

The event represents a moment of integration, updating, and scientific debate for students, faculty, staff, and other participants, reinforcing the role of CCS as a space for interdisciplinary dialogue and innovation in health.

Date: August 21, 2025
Time: 11:00 a.m.
Location: Professor Rodolpho Paulo Rocco Auditorium – CCS Building, Block K, Av. Carlos Chagas Filho, 373, University City.

Source: CCS UFRJ

Doctoral student Nelyana Oliveira presented the study entitled “Impacts of maternal exposure to bisphenol F (BPF) and AF (BPAF) on thyroid function in Wistar rats: Effects during lactation and adulthood” at the XXXIX Annual Meeting of the Federation of Experimental Biology Societies (FeSBE 2025), promoted by the Brazilian Society of Physiology (SBFis). Supervised by professors Andrea Ferreira and Patricia Lisboa (UERJ), and professor Leandro Miranda-Alves, the study was a finalist for the SBFis - Álvaro Ozório de Almeida Award and received an honorable mention.

The research investigates the effects of maternal exposure to bisphenol A analogs, BPF and BPAF, on thyroid function in Wistar rats, focusing on the periods of lactation and adulthood in the offspring. These compounds, classified as endocrine disruptors, have the potential to interfere with thyroid function and induce metabolic programming when exposure occurs during critical developmental windows. The mothers were exposed to two doses of BPF and BPAF (10 µg and 50 µg) during lactation. Thyroid, oxidative, and hormonal parameters were evaluated in mothers and offspring of both sexes at weaning and in adulthood.

The results show that females exposed to BPF had a significant reduction in DUOX enzyme activity, while males showed an increase in this activity. Mothers treated with the lower dose of BPF exhibited an increase in enzymes involved in hormone synthesis. BPAF, on the other hand, caused changes in the expression of thyroid genes. In adulthood, males exposed to BPAF showed reduced expression of key thyroid genes, increased levels of T4 and TSH, and heightened oxidative stress. Conversely, adult females exposed to BPAF had a reduction in antioxidant enzyme activity, although their thyroid hormone levels remained unchanged.

These findings indicate that early exposure to BPF and BPAF can induce thyroid dysfunctions with sex- and life stage-dependent effects. The persistent effects, even at low doses, combined with oxidative stress and hormonal dysregulation, reinforce the risk of metabolic programming of thyroid function. The results contribute to the ongoing discussion about the safety of BPA substitutes and highlight the need for stricter toxicological assessments regarding their developmental impacts.

PhD Students of the Graduate Program in Endocrinology!

Applications for “3 Minutes Thesis at UFRJ – Innovation on Stage” are open until August 22, 2025. This initiative is aimed at doctoral students at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ) and is inspired by the international model Three Minute Thesis (3MT®), developed by the University of Queensland, Australia. The competition challenges PhD candidates to present their theses in just three minutes, in a clear, accessible, and creative way to a non-specialist audience.

Organized by the Forum of Science and Culture (FCC), in partnership with the Office of Graduate Studies and Research (PR-2), the event aims to strengthen the culture of scientific communication within the university and to promote academic excellence. The initiative seeks to transform complex research into impactful presentations, valuing communication skills and expanding the reach of the scientific work developed at UFRJ.

Applications are open until August 22, and more information can be found on the official channels of FCC and PR-2. This is a unique opportunity to make your research more widely known and to show the impact of your work beyond the academic setting.

Access the call for applications HERE
Register HERE!

Source: Forum.UFRJ

The Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ) has risen 70 positions in the global ranking by the Center for World University Rankings (CWUR), reaching 331st place among 21,462 institutions evaluated across 94 countries. UFRJ is now the second-best university in Brazil, behind only USP (ranked 118th worldwide), which leads in Latin America. Notably, UFRJ ranked highest in Brazil for the "quality of education" criterion, placing 504th globally in that category.

Despite these advances, Rector Roberto Medronho emphasized that the university still faces budgetary constraints, which affect its performance. He highlighted the dedication of the academic community in the face of limited resources and criticized the funding disparity compared to state institutions, such as those in São Paulo. In the overall ranking, Harvard leads, followed by MIT, Stanford, Cambridge, and Oxford.

Click HERE to read the full article!

Sources: Conexão UFRJ; G1.