Supporting direct care workers in dementia care: effects of a psycho-educational intervention

YesAn experimental study using a pre-posttest control group design was conducted to assess the effects of a person-centred care based psycho-educational intervention on direct care workers’ stress, burnout and job satisfaction. The intervention aimed to develop person-centred care competences and tools for stress management. Four aged care facilities were randomly assigned to a psycho-educational or an education-only intervention (control). Data were collected from fifty-six direct care workers (female, mean age 44.72±9.02) through measurements of burnout (Maslach Burnout Inventory), job satisfaction (Minnesota Satisfaction Questionnaire-short form) and stress (Perceived Stress Scale) and focus-group interviews. Results showed significant positive effects in emotional exhaustion (p=0.029) and positive but no significant effects in stress and job satisfaction. According to qualitative data, the experimental group perceived enhanced group cohesion, emotional management and self-care awareness. Psycho-educational interventions may contribute to reduce direct care workers’ burnout. Further work is needed to determine the extent of its benefits.Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technolog

Life history and morphological studies of Punctaria tenuissima (Chordariaceae, Phaeophyceae), a new record for the Azores

Copyright © 2010 by Walter de Gruyter.Punctaria tenuissima (Chordariaceae, Phaeophyceae) is reported for the first time from the Azores. Erect thalli were collected on the Island of Sa˜o Miguel; they were up to 3 cm long, flattened and often twisted. The plurilocular sporangia were formed from surface cells that were quadrate or rectangular in surface view. Unilocular sporangia were not observed in the field. In culture, the plurispores of P. tenuissima developed into Hecatonema-like, tufted, prostrate thalli that formed plurilocular sporangia. The plurispores of the prostrate thalli cultured at 158C with a long day (LD) photoperiod developed into new prostrate thalli, which in turn formed plurilocular sporangia. This cycle was repeated 5 times, resulting in several generations of reproductive prostrate thalli. When these cultures were cooled to 108C with a short day (SD) photoperiod, new erect thalli developed from the prostrate thalli resembling the thalli collected in the field. These erect blades produced unilocular and plurilocular sporangia on the same or on different thalli. The plurispores and unispores produced by the erect thalli at 108C under SD conditions once again developed into new prostrate thalli. This is the first report of unilocular sporangia formed in cultures of P. tenuissima. Sexual reproduction was not observed. The culture conditions, particularly temperature and daylength, appeared to influence the formation of erect blades. The Punctaria-like thalli were produced in 108C/SD conditions, whilst the Hecatonema-like thalli were produced under 108–158C/LD and SD conditions. These results are similar to those reported for P. tenuissima from other locations and suggest the occurrence of both direct and heteromorphic life histories in the Azorean algae

Ecosystem Service Mapping: A Management-Oriented Approach to Support Environmental Planning Process

Effective integration of ecosystem services (ESs) into spatial planning and decision-making processes has been advocated as an opportunity to improve current practices and to promote sustainable development. However, the actual uptake of ecosystem services is still challenging, in part due to the complexity of ES studies, data scarcity, and ES compartmentalization, and so on. This chapter presents a case of mapping and characterizing coastal ecosystem services in a way that deals with these issues in order to facilitate its integration in the decision-making and planning process. It gives an insight into which ESs are currently provided in Ria de Aveiro coastal region (Portugal), how are they distributed in space, and identifies multifunctional areas. We argue that the use of existing and available data, as well as tools and approaches that are similar to those used in spatial planning, notwithstanding its limitations, has the potential for bridging science and decision-making spheres. ES-related information could be thus gradually incorporated in the design of local strategies towards sustainable and transparent planning and management processes

Integrated platform resorting to ionic liquids comprising the extraction, purification and preservation of DNA

The large-scale production of therapeutically targeted-deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) has passed through several challenges, postponing the tangible implementation of an effective, economic and sustainable manufacturing system. Such challenges comprise the need to develop an integrative downstream process able to extract, purify and long-term preserve DNA, whilst reducing the risk of degradation by endonucleases that would compromise their effectiveness as therapeutic products. In this work, three-phase partitioning (TPP) systems formed by the application of aqueous biphasic systems (ABS) composed of several biocompatible cholinium-based ionic liquids (ILs), are proposed for the separation of double stranded DNA (dsDNA) from the endonuclease deoxyribonuclease I (DNase I). By taking advantage of the tailor-made properties of ILs, dsDNA can be completely extracted to the IL-rich phase, whereas DNase I is precipitated at the ABS interphase. The ABS/TPP formed by IL cholinium glycolate ([N 111(2OH) ][Gly]) fulfills the aim of this work, i.e. at ensuring the technical viability of IL-based ABS/ TPP for the “one-pot” extraction, purification and long-term preservation of dsDNA. The results reveal the potential of this system to be applied in the bioprocessing of DNA, particularly relevant when envisioning DNA- based therapeutic products.publishe

Neuronal deletion of GSK3beta increases microtubule speed in the growth cone and enhances axon regeneration via CRMP-2 and independently of MAP1B and CLASP2

BACKGROUND: In the adult central nervous system, axonal regeneration is abortive. Regulators of microtubule dynamics have emerged as attractive targets to promote axonal growth following injury as microtubule organization is pivotal for growth cone formation. In this study, we used conditioned neurons with high regenerative capacity to further dissect cytoskeletal mechanisms that might be involved in the gain of intrinsic axon growth capacity. RESULTS: Following a phospho-site broad signaling pathway screen, we found that in conditioned neurons with high regenerative capacity, decreased glycogen synthase kinase 3β (GSK3β) activity and increased microtubule growth speed in the growth cone were present. To investigate the importance of GSK3β regulation during axonal regeneration in vivo, we used three genetic mouse models with high, intermediate or no GSK3β activity in neurons. Following spinal cord injury, reduced GSK3β levels or complete neuronal deletion of GSK3β led to increased growth cone microtubule growth speed and promoted axon regeneration. While several microtubule-interacting proteins are GSK3β substrates, phospho-mimetic collapsin response mediator protein 2 (T/D-CRMP-2) was sufficient to decrease microtubule growth speed and neurite outgrowth of conditioned neurons and of GSK3β-depleted neurons, prevailing over the effect of decreased levels of phosphorylated microtubule-associated protein 1B (MAP1B) and through a mechanism unrelated to decreased levels of phosphorylated cytoplasmic linker associated protein 2 (CLASP2). In addition, phospho-resistant T/A-CRMP-2 counteracted the inhibitory myelin effect on neurite growth, further supporting the GSK3β-CRMP-2 relevance during axon regeneration. CONCLUSIONS: Our work shows that increased microtubule growth speed in the growth cone is present in conditions of increased axonal growth, and is achieved following inactivation of the GSK3β-CRMP-2 pathway, enhancing axon regeneration through the glial scar. In this context, our results support that a precise control of microtubule dynamics, specifically in the growth cone, is required to optimize axon regrowth

Valorization of fish by-products: physico-chemical properties of skin gelatins

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Glucocorticoids and neurodegeneration

Series: Endocrinology research and clinical developmentsGlucocorticoids (GCs) exert wide-spread actions in central nervous system ranging from gene transcription, cellular signaling, modulation of synaptic structure and transmission, glial responses to altered neuronal circuitry and behavior through the activation of two steroid hormone receptors, glucocorticoid receptor (NR3C1, GR) and mineralocorticoid receptor (NR3C2, MR). These highly-related receptors exert both genomic and non-genomic actions in the brain, which are context-dependent and essential for adaptive responses to stress resulting in modulations of behavior, learning and memory processes. Thus, GCs through their receptors are implicated in neural plasticity as they modulate the dendritic and synaptic structure of neurons as well as the survival and fate of newly-generated cells (neuro- and glio-genesis) in adult brain. GCs are also important in fetal brain programming as inappropriate variations in their levels during critical developmental periods are suggested to be casually related to the development of brain pathologies and maladaptive responses of hypothalamic-pituitary adrenal (HPA) axis to stress during adulthood. They regulate immune responses in brain, which have important consequences for neuronal survival. In situations of chronic stress and HPA axis dysfunction resulting in chronically high or low GCs levels, a multitude of molecular, structural and functional changes occur in the brain, eventually leading to maladaptive behavior. In fact, clinical studies suggest a causal relation of deregulated GC responses with development of neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer´s (AD) and Parkinson‘s (PD) diseases. AD and PD patients have high levels of circulating cortisol while animal studies suggest that this chronic GC elevation participates in neurodegenerative processes in both AD and PD pathologies. This chapter will focus on the role of HPA axis and GCs on neurodegenerative processes involved in AD and PD pathogenesis.(undefined

Pressurized syngas bioconversion: physiological and microbial characterization

ICBM-3 - 3rd International Conference on Biogas MicrobiologySyngas is composed mainly by CO, H2 and CO2 and its fermentation is a promising biological process to produce fuels or commodity chemicals. Experiments under increased initial syngas pressures, up to 5.2×105 Pa, were carried out to evaluate the effects on metabolites production and microbial communities structure. Two strategies were applied: NB non-adapted biomass and SB successively syngas-fed biomass. The rise of syngas pressure from 1.2×105 Pa up to 5.2×105 Pa led to a decrease on CO and H2 consumption rates and CH4 production rate. Moreover, when methanogenesis was partially inhibited, propionate and butyrate were the main metabolites produced from syngas. DGGE profiles showed differences on diversity and on similarity indices (SI) with changes in pressure. Regardless the syngas pressure employed, the archaeal communities had higher SI (above 70%) than bacterial community (48% to 62%). From the Illumina sequencing analysis, it was observed that the relative abundance of bacterial communities tend to decrease (72% to 46%), and archaeal communities increased (25% to 54%) by raising the pressure of syngas from 1.2×105 Pa to 5.2×105 Pa. In the inoculum and biomass incubated at 1.2×105 Pa syngas, 40% of total population were from Proteobacteria phylum and Deltraproteobacteria class and their abundance was reduced 4-fold at 5.2×105 Pa. As a direct effect of high pressures of syngas, organisms belonging to Firmicutes, Synergistetes and Thermotogae phyla increased over 10-fold. The predominant phylotypes at 3×105 Pa and 5.2×105 Pa were related to Methanobacterium genus (archaea) and to Eubacteriaceae, Synergistaceae and Syntrophobacteraceae families (bacteria). These results showed a microbial population enrichment suggesting a high specialization for the substrate.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Microbial diversity of anaerobic syngas-converting enrichments from a multi-orifice baffled bioreactor (MOBB)

Syngas fermentation can be used to produce fuels and chemicals from lignocellulosic biomass or other poorly biodegradable wastes. The aim of this study was to identify and characterize carboxydotrophic microorganisms in enrichments and evaluate their potential for syngas bioconversion. Anaerobic sludge that efficiently converted syngas (60% CO, 30% H2, 10% CO2) to methane, in a multi-orifice baffled bioreactor (MOBB), was used as inoculum to start enrichments with CO as carbon and energy source. Enrichments were started under a headspace containing 40% CO. Bottles amended with vancomycin and/or erythromycin were also inoculated to test the potential for enriching CO-converting methanogens. Methane and acetate were produced in the enrichment, but no growth or methane production was detected in incubation with antibiotics. In the enrichment, organisms related to Acetobacterium and Sporomusa species were the predominant bacterial species and Methanobacterium and Methanospirillum were the dominant archaea. The enrichment was subcultured and pasteurized to select for spore-forming bacteria and to inactivate methanogens. A stable enrichment culture was obtained that converted up to 100% CO. This enrichment produced hydrogen and acetate. The pasteurized culture showed a low microbial diversity; more than 90% of the community was related to Sporomusa ovata (97% identity). The results suggest that methane production from CO in the MOBB is a combined activity of carboxydotrophic acetogenic bacteria and hydrogenotrophic methanogens. Interestingly, growth of S. ovata with high concentrations of CO was never shown before.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio