O Serviço Social nas Autarquias e a sua Importância para o Desenvolvimento Social Local

Aprofundar o conhecimento do Serviço Social e reflectir sobre a prática profissional do Assistente Social e a criação de políticas sociais com vista ao desenvolvimento social local, nomeadamente, na Câmara Municipal da Batalha, constituíram o objectivo de estudo. A descentralização do Poder Central para o Poder Local, assente na proximidade ao cidadão, mantém-se em discussão na agenda política e ganha maior relevo na conjuntura actual, com a reforma do Poder Local. Contudo, até ao momento, as transferências no âmbito da Acção Social mantêm-se bastante genéricas e sem regulamentação. Por essa razão, o Poder Local intervém na área social sem que essas competências estejam delineadas pela tutela e muitas vezes sem o devido financiamento, deixando aos Executivos Municipais a decisão sobre a criação de políticas sociais. Neste sentido, com o intuito de assegurarem os interesses das suas populações, as Câmaras Municipais implementam medidas sociais de âmbito local, que se revelam mais ou menos intensas, consoante o importância que lhes é dada por cada Executivo, que define as áreas de intervenção prioritárias e quais os recursos disponíveis para investir no domínio social. O Serviço Social revela ser um importante recurso das autarquias na criação das políticas sociais locais, na medida em que o Assistente Social, ao conhecer o território e intervir mais próximo dos cidadãos, pode propor programas de desenvolvimento local, adequados aos interesses da população. No caso particular da Câmara Municipal da Batalha, reflectiu-se sobre a prática da Assistente Social e evocaram-se as políticas sociais por esta planeadas e desenvolvidas, revelando o seu contributo para o desenvolvimento social do concelho. Atestou-se, em género de conclusão, que, apesar do Assistente Social ter um papel cada vez mais preponderante na execução das políticas de desenvolvimento local, a sua prática profissional tem limitações por não ser capaz, por si só, de resolver problemas sociais de génese estrutural, influenciados pela conjuntura nacional e internacional

Silibinin alleviates intestinal inflammation via inhibiting JNK signaling in Drosophila

Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBDs) are characterized by chronic relapsing intestinal inflammation that causes digestive system dysfunction. For years, researchers have been working to find more effective and safer therapeutic strategies to treat these diseases. Silibinin (SIL), a flavonoid compound extracted from the seeds of milk thistle plants, possesses multiple biological activities and is traditionally applied to treat liver diseases. SIL is also widely used in the treatment of a variety of inflammatory diseases attributed to its excellent antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects. However, the efficacy of SIL against IBDs and its mechanisms remain unclear. In this study, using Drosophila melanogaster as a model organism, we found that SIL can effectively relieve intestinal inflammation caused by dextran sulfate sodium (DSS). Our results suggested that SIL supplementation can inhibit the overproliferation of intestinal stem cells (ISCs) induced by DSS, protect intestinal barrier function, acid-base balance, and intestinal excretion function, reduce intestinal reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels and inflammatory stress, and extend the lifespan of Drosophila. Furthermore, our study demonstrated that SIL ameliorates intestinal inflammation via modulating the c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) signaling pathway in Drosophila. Our research aims to provide new insight into the treatment of IBDs

Investigation of systemic immune-inflammation index, neutrophil/high-density lipoprotein ratio, lymphocyte/high-density lipoprotein ratio, and monocyte/high-density lipoprotein ratio as indicators of inflammation in patients with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder

BackgroundThe systemic immune-inflammation index (SII), system inflammation response index (SIRI), neutrophil/high-density lipoprotein (HDL) ratio (NHR), lymphocyte/HDL ratio (LHR), monocyte/HDL ratio (MHR), and platelet/HDL ratio (PHR) have been recently investigated as new markers for inflammation. The purpose of this research is to use large-scale clinical data to discuss and compare the predictive ability of the SII, SIRI, NHR, LHR, MHR, and PHR in patients with schizophrenia (SCZ) and bipolar disorder (BD), to investigate potential biomarkers.Materials and methodsIn this retrospective, naturalistic, cross-sectional study, we collected the hematological parameter data of 13,329 patients with SCZ, 4,061 patients with BD manic episodes (BD-M), and 1,944 patients with BD depressive episodes (BD-D), and 5,810 healthy subjects served as the healthy control (HC) group. The differences in the SII, SIRI, NHR, LHR, MHR, and PHR were analyzed, and a receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used to analyze the diagnostic potential of these parameters.ResultsCompared with the HC group, the values of the SII, SIRI, NHR, LHR, MHR, and PHR and the levels of neutrophils, monocytes, and triglycerides (TG) were higher in SCZ and BD groups, and levels of platelets, cholesterol (CHO), HDL, low-density lipoprotein (LDL), and apoprotein B (Apo B) were lower in SCZ and BD groups. Compared to the BD group, the values of the SIRI, lymphocytes, monocytes, and HDL were lower and the values of the SII, NHR, PHR, and platelet were higher in the SCZ group. In contrast to the BD-D group, the values of the SII; SIRI; NHR; and MHR; and levels of neutrophils, monocytes, and platelets were higher in the BD-M group, and the levels of CHO, TG, LDL, and Apo B were lower in the BD-M group. The MHR and NHR were predictors for differentiating the SCZ group from the HC group; the SIRI, NHR, and MHR were predictors for differentiating the BD-M group from the HC group; and the MHR was a predictor for differentiating the BD-D group from the HC group. The combination model of the indicators improved diagnostic effectiveness.ConclusionOur study highlights the role of systemic inflammation in the pathophysiology of SCZ, BD-M, and BD-D, the association between inflammation and lipid metabolism, and these inflammation and lipid metabolism indicators showed different variation patterns in SCZ, BD-D, and BD-M

Exercise ameliorates the FGF21–adiponectin axis impairment in diet-induced obese mice

Objective: The protective effects of exercise against glucose dysmetabolism have been generally reported. However, the mechanism by which exercise improves glucose homeostasis remains poorly understood. The FGF21–adiponectin axis participates in the regulation of glucose metabolism. Elevated levels of FGF21 and decreased levels of adiponectin in obesity indicate FGF21–adiponectin axis dysfunction. Hence, we investigated whether exercise could improve the FGF21–adiponectin axis impairment and ameliorate disturbed glucose metabolism in diet-induced obese mice. Methods: Eight-week-old C57BL/6J mice were randomly assigned to three groups: low-fat diet control group, high-fat diet group and high-fat diet plus exercise group. Glucose metabolic parameters, the ability of FGF21 to induce adiponectin, FGF21 receptors and co-receptor levels and adipose tissue inflammation were evaluated after 12 weeks of intervention. Results: Exercise training led to reduced levels of fasting blood glucose and insulin, improved glucose tolerance and better insulin sensitivity in high-fat diet-induced obese mice. Although serum FGF21 levels were not significantly changed, both total and high-molecular-weight adiponectin concentrations were markedly enhanced by exercise. Importantly, exercise protected against high-fat diet-induced impaired ability of FGF21 to stimulate adiponectin secretion. FGF21 co-receptor, β-klotho, as well as receptors, FGFR1 and FGFR2, were upregulated by exercise. We also found that exercise inhibited adipose tissue inflammation, which may contribute to the improvement in the FGF21–adiponectin axis impairment. Conclusions: Our data indicate exercise protects against high-fat diet-induced FGF21–adiponectin axis impairment, and may thereby exert beneficial effects on glucose metabolism

Giant reversible elongation upon cooling and contraction upon heating for a crosslinked cis poly(1,4-butadiene) system at temperatures below zero Celsius

Abstract Polymers with reversible elongation upon cooling (EUC) and contraction upon heating (CUH) enabled applications in actuators, fasteners, dampers, grippers, swimmers, sealants, etc. With the current working temperature being limited to mainly above zero Celsius, applications for subzero Celsius environments are obstructed. In addition, current reversible actuation needs a constant tensile load, or for the best case, under zero tensile load. Reversible EUC and CUH under compressive load is almost impossible and has not been explored. In this work, a cis poly(1,4-butadiene) based system has been developed. Actuated below zero Celsius, 69% EUC occurred under a tensile load; and 6.2% EUC and 17.9% CUH occurred under 0.05 MPa compressive load. The reversible actuation was driven by both entropy and enthalpy, which was validated by a series of characterization tools

Flexible Bistable Smectic-A Liquid Crystal Device Using Photolithography and Photoinduced Phase Separation

A flexible bistable smectic-A liquid crystal (SmA LC) device using pixel-isolated mode was demonstrated, in which SmA LC molecules were isolated in pixels by vertical polymer wall and horizontal polymer layer. The above microstructure was achieved by using ultraviolet (UV) photolithography and photoinduced phase separation. The polymer wall was fabricated by photolithography, and then the SmA LC was encapsulated in pixels between polymer wall through UV-induced phase separation, in which the polymer wall acts as supporting structure from mechanical pressure and maintains the cell gap from bending, and the polymer layer acts as adhesive for tight attachment of two substrates. The results demonstrated that all the intrinsic bistable properties of the SmA LC are preserved, and good electrooptical characteristics such as high contrast ratio and excellent stability of the bistable states were characterized. This kind of SmA bistable flexible display has high potential to be used as electronic paper, smart switchable reflective windows, and so forth