Potential causal association between gut microbiome and posttraumatic stress disorder

Funding Information: We thank the participants and working staff including the Psychiatric Genomics Consortium Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Working Group, the FinnGen consortium, and the MiBioGen consortium. Publisher Copyright: © 2024, The Author(s).Background: The causal effects of gut microbiome and the development of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are still unknown. This study aimed to clarify their potential causal association using mendelian randomization (MR). Methods: The summary-level statistics for gut microbiome were retrieved from a genome-wide association study (GWAS) of the MiBioGen consortium. As to PTSD, the Freeze 2 datasets were originated from the Psychiatric Genomics Consortium Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Working Group (PGC-PTSD), and the replicated datasets were obtained from FinnGen consortium. Single nucleotide polymorphisms meeting MR assumptions were selected as instrumental variables. The inverse variance weighting (IVW) method was employed as the main approach, supplemented by sensitivity analyses to evaluate potential pleiotropy and heterogeneity and ensure the robustness of the MR results. We also performed reverse MR analyses to explore PTSD’s causal effects on the relative abundances of specific features of the gut microbiome. Results: In Freeze 2 datasets from PGC-PTSD, eight bacterial traits revealed a potential causal association between gut microbiome and PTSD (IVW, all P < 0.05). In addition, Genus.Dorea and genus.Sellimonas were replicated in FinnGen datasets, in which eight bacterial traits revealed a potential causal association between gut microbiome and the occurrence of PTSD. The heterogeneity and pleiotropy analyses further supported the robustness of the IVW findings, providing additional evidence for their reliability. Conclusion: Our study provides the potential causal impact of gut microbiomes on the development of PTSD, shedding new light on the understanding of the dysfunctional gut-brain axis in this disorder. Our findings present novel evidence and call for investigations to confirm the association between their links, as well as to illuminate the underlying mechanisms.publishersversionpublishe

Introduction to the special issue

Funding Information: The author(s) disclosed receipt of the following financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: The authors express their sincere gratitude to all reviewers, whose efforts have contributed to improving the quality of this special issue. Institutionally, Miguel Pina e Cunha acknowledges support by Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (UID/ECO/00124/2019, UIDB/00124/2020 and Social Sciences DataLab, PINFRA/22209/2016), POR Lisboa and POR Norte (Social Sciences DataLab, PINFRA/22209/2016). Publisher Copyright: © The Author(s) 2024.publishe

Beyond reviews: The influence of incentives on consumer engagement regarding positive eWOM

Dissertation presented as the partial requirement for obtaining a Master's degree in Data Driven Marketing, specialization in Marketing IntelligenceIn the dynamic landscape of global markets, the shift to e-commerce has become imperative for companies striving to maintain competitiveness. With consumers increasingly turning to online shopping, web search has evolved into the primary source for product discovery. Within the cosmetic industry, electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM) has emerged as a decisive factor in consumer decision-making. Consumers rely on the experiences and opinions of others, especially those deemed trustworthy, to make informed choices in cosmetic product purchases. Marketers have harnessed the power of eWOM, particularly through consumer reviews on social networks, not only as feedback mechanisms but also as instructional guides for product usage. Despite the critical role of eWOM in the cosmetic industry, there exists a research gap concerning the impact of monetary and psychological incentives on consumer engagement in this context. This study aims to bridge this gap by investigating how both monetary incentives (such as discounts and cash-back offers) and psychological incentives (linked to self-enhancement motives) influence consumers' intention to create positive online reviews about cosmetic products. The research further explores the role played by engagement price sensitivity and self-enhancing conditions in shaping online reviews. Drawing on an extensive review of the literature on eWOM, consumer engagement, and incentives, the study proposes a conceptual model predicting that both monetary and psychological incentives positively influence consumer engagement in eWOM within the cosmetic industry. Additionally, the model suggests potential variations in the effects of these incentives across different consumer segments, based on demographic and psychographic characteristics. The paper's subsequent sections follow a structured approach: Section 2 provides a thorough review of relevant literature, while Section 3 details the research methodology, including sample selection and data analysis techniques. Section 4 presents empirical findings derived from descriptive statistics and regression analyses. Finally, Section 5 offers a comprehensive discussion of the research findings, their implications for marketers, and suggestions for future research. In conclusion, this study contributes significantly to the existing body of literature by unraveling the intricate impact of monetary incentives and psychological incentives on consumer engagement in positive eWOM within the cosmetic industry. The insights garnered can empower marketers to craft effective eWOM strategies, leveraging incentives to cultivate positive perceptions and generate interest in their brands and products

Nutritional Knowledge about Maternal and Newborn Health among Physiotherapists during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Minas Gerais, Brazil

Publisher Copyright: © 2024 by the authors.Adequate nutrition before and during pregnancy, as well as postpartum, is among the major contributors to maternal and newborn health. Physiotherapists’ knowledge of this area is still scarce, although their clinical practice has been linked to newborns’ neuropsychomotor development, which, in turn, is influenced by maternal health and nutritional status. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the nutritional knowledge of physiotherapists regarding maternal and newborn health. A total of 70 Brazilian physiotherapists (32.2 ± 6.0 years; 72.9% females) were evaluated between November 2019 and February 2020 for their sociodemographic characteristics, professional experience, and nutritional knowledge about maternal and newborn health through a validated questionnaire personally administered by the same trained researcher. Most of the physiotherapists had graduated but had no specialization in maternal and child physiotherapy (96.1% of the females and all the males). The nutritional knowledge about maternal and newborn health was significantly different between the female and male health professionals, as well as between the less and more experienced participants, i.e., female physiotherapists and the more experienced ones had more correct answers on the nutritional questionnaire than the male and less experienced physiotherapists, respectively (p < 0.05). Our results open an interesting window for the future education and training of Brazilian physiotherapists in nutrition.publishersversionpublishe

a bibliometric analysis

Ramos, R., & Rita, P. (2024). Structure of REDEE and EJMBE research: a bibliometric analysis. European Journal of Management and Business Economics, 33(1), 1-19. https://doi.org/10.1108/EJMBE-04-2022-0109 --- Funding Information: This work was supported by national funds through FCT (Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia), under the project - UIDB/04152/2020 - Centro de Investigação em Gestão de Informação (MagIC)/NOVA IMS.Purpose: Evaluating existing literature can lead to a better understanding of a scientific journal's state of the art. In this sense, this study aims to analyze the global research evolution of the Revista Europea de Dirección y Economia de la Empresa (REDEE) and the European Journal of Management and Business Economics (EJMBE). Design/methodology/approach: A bibliometric analysis was conducted to acknowledge the most contributing authors, impactful articles, publication trends, keyword analysis, co-occurrence networks and collaboration networks. A total of 454 articles published between 2006 and 2022 were analyzed. Findings: The results suggest that the international strategy set in 2014 has resulted in a steadily growing number of publications and a significant increment in citations. Relationship marketing and the connections between innovation, performance and entrepreneurship are topics of interest for the EJMBE. Originality/value: Mapping existing EJMBE research through identifying the contributing authors, most impactful articles, publication trends, keyword analysis, co-occurrence networks and collaboration networks is missing to encourage new research projects.publishersversionpublishe

The Impact of Natural Language Processing in Disaster Management: A Systematic Literature Review

Dissertation presented as the partial requirement for obtaining a Master's degree in Information Management, specialization in Information Systems and Technologies ManagementIn an era where undeniably large amounts of data are produced at an unprecedented rate by a broad variety of sources, artificial intelligence and, more specifically, natural language processing present interesting solutions to today’s complex challenges. When properly implemented, natural language processing may play an essential role in all phases of the disaster management cycle by delivering timely and reliable information, optimizing resources and logistics, and assisting in reducing the effect that both natural and man-made disasters have on society. This paper presents a systematic literature review that aims to (1) identify the range of natural language processing methods used in disaster management, (2) explore the main challenges and opportunities in disaster management when using natural language processing, and (3) determine how this field impacts the four phases of disaster as well as the nature of such impact. The data was gathered using Scopus database and, with the help of Zotero citation manager tool, filtered by full-text peer-reviewed quartile 1 journal articles written in English and published between 2014 and 2023. Following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) 2020 guidelines, this review is based on 107 articles selected out of 548 search results obtained in February 2024. The findings indicate that social media and sentiment analysis have had an exponential growth in applications and importance within the field of disaster management. We analyze the current academic literature on the link between natural language processing and disaster management, identifying research gaps and potential for future research

Biological Activities from 2D and 3D Tumor Spheroids to In Vivo Models

This work was cofinanced by national funds from FCT-Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia, I.P., in the scope of the project UIDP/04378/2020 (doi: 10.54499/UIDP/04378/2020) and UIDB/04378/2020 (doi: 10.54499/UIDB/04378/2020) of the Research Unit on Applied Molecular Biosciences-UCIBIO and the project LA/P/0140/2020 of the Associate Laboratory Institute for Health and Bioeconomy-i4HB and doctoral grant 2021.08629.BD (S.C.), and project NANOHEAT (doi: 10.54499/2022.04315.PTDC) and the Research Excellence Initiative of the University of Silesia in Katowice (B.M.). K.C. acknowledges funding from the National Science Center of Poland grant MINIATURA no. 2022/06/X/ST4/00351. Publisher Copyright: © 2024 The Authors. Published by American Chemical Society.Eight 2,2′:6′,2″-terpyridines, substituted at the 4′-position with aromatic groups featuring variations in π-conjugation, ring size, heteroatoms, and methoxy groups, were employed to enhance the antiproliferative potential of [Cu2Cl2(R-terpy)2](PF6)2. Assessing the cytotoxicity in A2780 (ovarian carcinoma), HCT116 (colorectal carcinoma), and HCT116DoxR (colorectal carcinoma resistant to doxorubicin) and normal primary fibroblasts revealed that Cu(II) complexes with 4-quinolinyl, 4-methoxy-1-naphthyl, 2-furanyl, and 2-pyridynyl substituents showed superior therapeutic potential in HCT116DoxR cells with significantly reduced cytotoxicity in normal fibroblasts (42-129× lower). Besides their cytotoxicity, the Cu(II) complexes are able to increase intracellular ROS and interfere with cell cycle progression, leading to cell death by apoptosis and autophagy. Importantly, they demonstrated antimetastatic and antiangiogenic properties without in vivo toxicity. In accordance with their nuclear accumulation, the Cu(II) complexes are able to cleave pDNA and interact with bovine serum albumin, which is a good indication of their ability for internalization and transport toward tumor cells.publishersversionpublishe

Sustained PGC-1α2 or PGC-1α3 expression induces astrocyte dysfunction and degeneration

Funding Information: This work is funded by FEDER through the Lisbon Regional Operational Program Lisbon 2020 and by National Funds through Foundation for Science and Technology under the LISBOA-01-0145-FEDER-030104 ; PTDC/MEDFSL/030104/2017 project, and by the Swedish Research Council. Publisher Copyright: © 2023 The AuthorsPeroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma coactivator-1α (PGC-1α) transcriptional coactivators are key regulators of energy metabolism-related genes and are expressed in energy-demanding tissues. There are several PGC-1α variants with different biological functions in different tissues. The brain is one of the tissues where the role of PGC-1α isoforms remains less explored. Here, we used a toxin-based mouse model of Parkinson's disease (PD) and observed that the expression levels of variants PGC-1α2 and PGC-1α3 in the nigrostriatal pathway increases at the onset of dopaminergic cell degeneration. This increase occurs concomitant with an increase in glial fibrillary acidic protein levels. Since PGC-1α coactivators regulate cellular adaptive responses, we hypothesized that they could be involved in the modulation of astrogliosis induced by 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP). Therefore, we analysed the transcriptome of astrocytes transduced with expression vectors encoding PGC-1α1 to 1α4 by massively parallel sequencing (RNA-seq) and identified the main cellular pathways controlled by these isoforms. Interestingly, in reactive astrocytes the inflammatory and antioxidant responses, adhesion, migration, and viability were altered by PGC-1α2 and PGC-1α3, showing that sustained expression of these isoforms induces astrocyte dysfunction and degeneration. This work highlights PGC-1α isoforms as modulators of astrocyte reactivity and as potential therapeutic targets for the treatment of PD and other neurodegenerative disorders.publishersversionpublishe

Intergenerational Democratic Dialogue

Por forma a compreender em que medida pode existir diálogo intergeracional, socorro-me de uma teoria política, estudos empíricos e justificações morais para melhor conceber o papel do discurso na ação política enquanto ação que, sendo necessariamente plural ou coletiva, exige interações regulares e actuais, mas também a manutenção de laços de cooperação cuja sobrevivência no tempo é intrinsecamente dependente do sucesso das referidas interações. Esse sucesso podemos aferir pela identificação e consequente encontro e/ou negociação de preferências num quadro de intersubjetividade que, por sua vez, permite o desenvolvimento de normas sociais eficazes para a resolução de problemas. É esta a justificação moral e empírica para a asserção de um argumento normativo a favor da atualização e manutenção de um diálogo intergeracional, que requer que os seus participantes, não necessariamente contemporâneos, estejam dispostos a contribuir para a formação de uma razão pública de base comunitária, mesmo que de forma assíncrona ou diacrónica e até em sentido negativo ou alternativo. Os requisitos deste diálogo assumem-se facilitados por – mas não necessariamente facilitadores de – um contexto democrático. E, assim, por fim, procuro explorar as limitações desse contexto, considerando o seu impacto nas práticas e instituições de diferentes modelos.In order to understand to what extent can there be an intergenerational dialogue, I resort to political theory, empirical studies and moral justifications to try and ascertain the role of speech in political action as being necessarily collective or plural requiring regular and actualized interaction, but also the maintenance of cooperative relations, which survival is intrinsically dependent on the success of said interactions. Success in these terms may be assessed by the identification and consequent sharing and/or bargaining of preferences in an intersubjective framework which, in turn, allows for the development of social norms that are effective for problem solving. Here lies the moral and empirical justification for the assumption of a normative a rgument in favour of the existence and maintenance of intergenerational dialogue that requires that the not necessarily contemporary parties involved be willing to provide contributions of public reason with a communitarian justification, even if in an asy nchronous or diachronic manner and even if in negative or alternative sense. The assumption is taken that the requirements of this dialogue are better facilitated but do not necessarily facilitate a democratic context. Finally, I try to explore the lim itations of said context, considering its impact on the practices and institutions associated with different models

A Importância da Política de Coesão no Desenvolvimento de Portugal e os seus Impactos nos Anos de 1960 a 2000

Versão corrigida e melhorada após a sua defesa públicaAs políticas de coesão das últimas décadas contribuíram fortemente para a construção europeia e que a ideia de convergências e de coesão não é apenas um ideal, é também uma necessidade, como vimos na recente experiência da crise financeira. Por isso, é importante que a política regional europeia seja organizada em torno de objetivos europeus comuns, valorizando ideias e processo de construção europeia. Em Portugal as políticas de coesão revelam ganhos significativos, em áreas decisivas como a redução do abandono escolar, o número de pessoas em ensino superior e a volta do crescimento do produto interno bruto, per capita, apesar da crise financeira de 2008. Política de Coesão Económica, Social e Territorial (PCEST) da UE responde por cerca de um terço do orçamento do bloco e representa a política internacional mais avançada na área de diminuição de assimetrias. Esta foi desenhada no sentido de causar impactos socioeconómicos - entre eles, redução das disparidades regionais e convergência do PIB per capita das regiões para a média europeia - e políticos - aumento da participação democrática no âmbito comunitário, tendo em vista o debate sobre o défice democrático das instituições europeias.Cohesion policies in recent decades have made a strong contribution to European construction and that the idea of convergence and cohesion is not just an ideal, it is also a necessity, as we have seen in the recent experience of the financial crisis. Therefore, it is important that European regional policy be organized around common European objectives, valuing ideas and the process of European construction. In Portugal, cohesion policies reveal significant gains, in decisive areas such as the reduction of school dropouts, the number of people in higher education and the return of the growth of the gross domestic product, per capita, despite the financial crisis of 2008. Cohesion Policy Economic, Social and territorial (PCEST) of the EU accounts for about a third of the bloc's budget and represents the most advanced international policy in the area of reducing asymmetries. This was designed to cause socioeconomic impacts - among them, the reduction of regional disparities and convergence of the GDP per capita of the regions to the European average - and political - an increase in democratic participation at the community level, in view of the debate on the democratic deficit of the European institutions