Renin Angiotensin System, Gut-Lung Cross Talk and Microbiota. Lessons from SARS-CoV Infections

The two antagonistic systems of angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE)-1 and ACE-2 are in the “eye of the hurricane” of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2). The receptor of the SARS-CoV-2 is the same as ACE-2, which causes its under-expression after binding it, followed by the internalization of the complex virus-ACE-2. ACE-2 have multiple functions with specially relevance in cardiovascular diseases. Furthermore, the non-enzymatic role of ACE-2 gives rise to a Hartnup disease, a phenocopy involving microbiota. With this chapter, we intent to explore the key pathways involved in SARS-CoV-2 infection, from the host perspective, considering our hypothesis related to transporter of neutral amino acids, which includes tryptophan precursor of serotonin and kynurenine

Impact of anthropogenic noise on the survival and development of meagre (Argyrosomus regius) early life stages

The growth of human populations has been driving an unprecedent and widespread increase in marine traffic, posing a real threat to marine biodiversity. Even though we are now aware of the negative effects of shipping noise exposure on fish, information about the impact on their early life stages continues to lack. Meagre (Argyrosomus regius) is a vocal fish that uses estuaries with high levels of anthropogenic noise pollution as both breeding areas and nurseries. Here, the effects of boat noise exposure on the development and survival of meagre larvae were studied. Embryos and larvae were exposed to either noise (boat noise playback) or control treatments (coils producing a similar electric field to the speakers) and hatching rate, survival rate, morphometric traits and stress-related biomarkers, at hatching and at 2 days-post-hatching (dph) were analyzed. Results showed no conclusive effects of the impact of boat noise playback, even though there was an increased lipid droplet consumption and a decrease in body depth at 2dph larvae under this stressor. The assessment of oxidative stress and energy metabolism-related biomarkers at hatching showed a marginal decrease in superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity and no changes in DNA damage or electron transport system activity (ETS), although it cannot be disregarded that those effects could only be visible at later stages of larval development. Whether these morphological and developmental results have implications in later stages remains to be investigated. Further studies with longer exposure and wild meagre could help deepen this knowledge and provide a better understanding of how anthropogenic noise can impact meagre early stagesFundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia - FCTinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Influence of Face Masks on the Use of Contact Lenses

Background: The COVID-19 epidemic is largely controlled by the use of face masks. The use of a face mask has been indicated as a strong cause of dry eye, although it is not yet described in the literature. This study aims to compare the impact of the use of masks on the visual quality of patients. The symptoms in the human eye intensified during the pandemic versus the symptoms before the pandemic, in a Portuguese population. Methods: A fifteen-question questionnaire was conducted to find out what changes occurred in the use of soft contact lenses during the pandemic in relation to the use of masks. Statistical analysis was performed with SPSS 27.0 software (SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL, USA). Results: The use of contact lenses decreased compared with before the pandemic (p < 0.001). The number of hours of wear decreased significantly compared with before the pandemic (p < 0.001). The sensation of dry eyes was found to be worse in those using monthly replacement contact lenses (p = 0.034), and the need to remove contact lenses was more frequent in women (p = 0.026) after using a mask. Conclusions: Mask use increases dry eye symptoms in contact lens wearers, negatively impacting visual quality

Métodos para superação da dormência de sementes de quixabeira (Sideroxylon obtusifolium (Roem. & Schult.) T.D.Penn.).

http://dx.doi.org/10.5902/198050985090Due to absence of information about the methodology for the evaluation of the physiological quality of seeds of medicinal arboreal species seeds, the aim of the present work was to determine the most efficient method to overcome the seed coat dormancy in seeds of Sideroxylon obtusifolium (Roem.&amp; Schult.) T.D.Penn.. Besides the intact seeds, the ones which had not been submitted to any treatment, the following pre-germinating methods were used: chemical scarification: the seeds were immersed in pure sulfuric acid for 10, 20, 30, 40, 50 and 60 minutes at the environment temperature (27ºC ± 1ºC); mechanical scarification: the seeds were rubbed manually in sandpaper number 50, in the opposite side of micropyle, without and with soaking for 24 or 48 hours; thermal scarification:  immersion in water at 100ºC for 15 or 30 seconds; immersion in water to 80ºC until cooling. The effects of treatments were evaluated through tests of germination and vigor. There were significant differences among the treatments for all the evaluated parameters (percentage and speed of germination, length and dry weight of shoot and root), and the most evident cause of dormancy was the coat impermeability, which efficiency was overcame by the immersion of seeds in pure sulfuric acid for 30 minutes.http://dx.doi.org/10.5902/198050985090Devido à ausência de informações sobre a metodologia para avaliação da qualidade fisiológica de sementes das espécies arbóreas medicinais, o presente trabalho teve por objetivo determinar o método mais eficiente para superação da dormência tegumentar em sementes de Sideroxylon obtusifolium (Roem. &amp; Schult.) T.D.Penn.. Além das sementes intactas, sementes que não foram submetidas a nenhum tratamento, também foram utilizados os seguintes tratamentos pré-germinativos: escarificação química - as sementes foram imersas em ácido sulfúrico absoluto por 10, 20, 30, 40, 50 e 60 minutos; escarificação mecânica - as sementes foram friccionadas manualmente em lixa nº 50, do lado oposto à micrópila, sem ou com embebição por 24 ou 48 horas; imersão em água a 100ºC por 15 ou 30 segundos; imersão em água a 80ºC até o resfriamento. Os efeitos foram avaliados através de testes de germinação e vigor. Constatou-se que houve diferença significativa entre os tratamentos para todos os parâmetros avaliados (porcentagem e velocidade de germinação, comprimento e massa seca de parte aérea e raiz primária), e a causa mais evidente da dormência é a impermeabilidade do tegumento, a qual foi superada com maior eficiência pelo método de imersão em ácido sulfúrico por 30 minutos

METHODS FOR OVERCOMING DORMANCY OF QUIXABEIRA SEEDS ( Sideroxylon obtusifolium (Roem.&amp; Schult.) T.D.Penn.)

Devido \ue0 aus\ueancia de informa\ue7\uf5es sobre a metodologia para avalia\ue7\ue3o da qualidade fisiol\uf3gica de sementes das esp\ue9cies arb\uf3reas medicinais, o presente trabalho teve por objetivo determinar o m\ue9todo mais eficiente para supera\ue7\ue3o da dorm\ueancia tegumentar em sementes de Sideroxylon obtusifolium (Roem. &amp; Schult.) T.D.Penn.. Al\ue9m das sementes intactas, sementes que n\ue3o foram submetidas a nenhum tratamento, tamb\ue9m foram utilizados os seguintes tratamentos pr\ue9-germinativos: escarifica\ue7\ue3o qu\uedmica - as sementes foram imersas em \ue1cido sulf\ufarico absoluto por 10, 20, 30, 40, 50 e 60 minutos; escarifica\ue7\ue3o mec\ue2nica - as sementes foram friccionadas manualmente em lixa n\ub0 50, do lado oposto \ue0 micr\uf3pila, sem ou com embebi\ue7\ue3o por 24 ou 48 horas; imers\ue3o em \ue1gua a 100\ub0C por 15 ou 30 segundos; imers\ue3o em \ue1gua a 80\ub0C at\ue9 o resfriamento. Os efeitos foram avaliados atrav\ue9s de testes de germina\ue7\ue3o e vigor. Constatou-se que houve diferen\ue7a significativa entre os tratamentos para todos os par\ue2metros avaliados (porcentagem e velocidade de germina\ue7\ue3o, comprimento e massa seca de parte a\ue9rea e raiz prim\ue1ria), e a causa mais evidente da dorm\ueancia \ue9 a impermeabilidade do tegumento, a qual foi superada com maior efici\ueancia pelo m\ue9todo de imers\ue3o em \ue1cido sulf\ufarico por 30 minutos.Due to absence of information about the methodology for the evaluation of the physiological quality of seeds of medicinal arboreal species seeds, the aim of the present work was to determine the most efficient method to overcome the seed coat dormancy in seeds of Sideroxylon obtusifolium (Roem.&amp; Schult.) T.D.Penn.. Besides the intact seeds, the ones which had not been submitted to any treatment, the following pre-germinating methods were used: chemical scarification: the seeds were immersed in pure sulfuric acid for 10, 20, 30, 40, 50 and 60 minutes at the environment temperature (27\ub0C \ub1 1\ub0C); mechanical scarification: the seeds were rubbed manually in sandpaper number 50, in the opposite side of micropyle, without and with soaking for 24 or 48 hours; thermal scarification: immersion in water at 100\ub0C for 15 or 30 seconds; immersion in water to 80\ub0C until cooling. The effects of treatments were evaluated through tests of germination and vigor. There were significant differences among the treatments for all the evaluated parameters (percentage and speed of germination, length and dry weight of shoot and root), and the most evident cause of dormancy was the coat impermeability, which efficiency was overcame by the immersion of seeds in pure sulfuric acid for 30 minutes

Abordagem geriátrica ampla na promoção de um envelhecimento ativo e saudável: componentes do modelo de intervenção AGA@4life

info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

MAMMALS IN PORTUGAL : A data set of terrestrial, volant, and marine mammal occurrences in P ortugal

Mammals are threatened worldwide, with 26% of all species being includedin the IUCN threatened categories. This overall pattern is primarily associatedwith habitat loss or degradation, and human persecution for terrestrial mam-mals, and pollution, open net fishing, climate change, and prey depletion formarine mammals. Mammals play a key role in maintaining ecosystems func-tionality and resilience, and therefore information on their distribution is cru-cial to delineate and support conservation actions. MAMMALS INPORTUGAL is a publicly available data set compiling unpublishedgeoreferenced occurrence records of 92 terrestrial, volant, and marine mam-mals in mainland Portugal and archipelagos of the Azores and Madeira thatincludes 105,026 data entries between 1873 and 2021 (72% of the data occur-ring in 2000 and 2021). The methods used to collect the data were: live obser-vations/captures (43%), sign surveys (35%), camera trapping (16%),bioacoustics surveys (4%) and radiotracking, and inquiries that represent lessthan 1% of the records. The data set includes 13 types of records: (1) burrowsjsoil moundsjtunnel, (2) capture, (3) colony, (4) dead animaljhairjskullsjjaws, (5) genetic confirmation, (6) inquiries, (7) observation of live animal (8),observation in shelters, (9) photo trappingjvideo, (10) predators dietjpelletsjpine cones/nuts, (11) scatjtrackjditch, (12) telemetry and (13) vocalizationjecholocation. The spatial uncertainty of most records ranges between 0 and100 m (76%). Rodentia (n=31,573) has the highest number of records followedby Chiroptera (n=18,857), Carnivora (n=18,594), Lagomorpha (n=17,496),Cetartiodactyla (n=11,568) and Eulipotyphla (n=7008). The data setincludes records of species classified by the IUCN as threatened(e.g.,Oryctolagus cuniculus[n=12,159],Monachus monachus[n=1,512],andLynx pardinus[n=197]). We believe that this data set may stimulate thepublication of other European countries data sets that would certainly contrib-ute to ecology and conservation-related research, and therefore assisting onthe development of more accurate and tailored conservation managementstrategies for each species. There are no copyright restrictions; please cite thisdata paper when the data are used in publications.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio