Contributo dos Interlocutores nas Atitudes dos Alunos do 3º Ciclo do Ensino Básico face à Sexualidade

Resumo Enquadramento: Tratar de educação sexual, para além da atualidade do tema, prende-se, sobretudo, com a necessidade de uma abordagem que leve à adoção de atitudes favoráveis face à sexualidade e a comportamentos saudáveis por parte dos adolescentes. Objetivos: Identificar as preferências dos alunos na escolha dos interlocutores em assuntos de sexualidade, bem como analisar a relação com as atitudes face à sexualidade dos alunos do 3º ciclo do ensino básico. Métodos: O estudo realizado é de natureza quantitativa, descritivo-correlacional e transversal. Amostra não probabilística, por conveniência, de 545 alunos (262 rapazes e 283 raparigas), idade média de 13,95 anos (Dp= 1,25), maioritariamente residentes na aldeia (53,1%) e a frequentar o 3º ciclo do ensino básico nas escolas do Concelho de Tabuaço e Fundão. Foi aplicado um questionário visando a caracterização sociodemográfica da amostra, o conhecimento das suas vivências da sexualidade; foi, ainda, aplicada a Escala de atitudes face à sexualidade em adolescentes (Nelas, Fernandes, Ferreira, Duarte & Chaves, 2010). Resultados: Da amostra global de alunos, os principais interlocutores da sexualidade são os amigos (59,8%), seguido da mãe (40,9%), pai (16,1%), namorado/a (14,7%), irmãos (13,8%), professores (12,5%), e, por último, do médico/enfermeiro (4,6%). A mãe influencia significativamente e favoravelmente as atitudes face à sexualidade (p=0,006) e, no reverso, os irmãos influenciam de forma significativa e desfavoravelmente as atitudes face à sexualidade (p=0,050). Conclusão: Este estudo sugere que o papel da figura materna e dos irmãos está diretamente relacionado com as atitudes face à sexualidade dos alunos do 3ºciclo do ensino básico e que aqueles têm uma importância essencial na avaliação que estes fazem da sexualidade.Abstract Background: Dealing with sex education, being a matter of full actuality, is related mainly with the need for an approach that leads to the adoption of positive attitudes towards sexuality and healthy behavior by adolescents. Objectives: Identify the preferences of students of the 3rd cycle of basic education in the choice of the interlocutors on matters of sexuality as well as analyse their relationship with attitudes towards sexuality. Methods: The fulfilled study is quantitative, descriptive-correlational and tranversal. It is a non-probabilistic sample by convenience of 545 students (262 boys and 283 girls), on average age of 13.95 years old (SD = 1.25), mostly living in the village (53.1%) and attend the 3rd cycle of basic education in schools of Tabuaço and Fundão. It was administered a questionnaire constitued by a socio-demographic characterization and the experiences of sexuality and by a scale of attitudes towards sexuality in adolescents (Nelas, Fernandes, Ferreira, Duarte & Chaves, 2010). Results: Of the global sample of students, the main interlocutors of the sexuality are friends (59.8%), followed by the mother (40.9%), father (16.1%), boyfriend/girlfriend (14.7%), siblings (13.8 %), teachers (12.5%) and, finally, the doctor/nurse (4.6%). The mother significantly and favorably influences the attitudes towards sexuality (p = 0.006) and, in reverse, the siblings influence significantly and adversely the attitudes towards sexuality (p = 0.050). Conclusion: This study suggests that the role of the mother and siblings is directly related to attitudes towards sexuality of students of the 3rd cycle of basic education and that those are vitally important in the evaluation of sexuality that they do

Modulation of the pharmacological effects of enzymatically-active PLA2 by BTL-2, an isolectin isolated from the Bryothamnion triquetrum red alga

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>An interaction between lectins from marine algae and PLA₂from rattlesnake was suggested some years ago. We, herein, studied the effects elicited by a small isolectin (BTL-2), isolated from <it>Bryothamnion triquetrum</it>, on the pharmacological and biological activities of a PLA₂isolated from rattlesnake venom (<it>Crotalus durissus cascavella</it>), to better understand the enzymatic and pharmacological mechanisms of the PLA₂and its complex.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>This PLA₂consisted of 122 amino acids (approximate molecular mass of 14 kDa), its pI was estimated to be 8.3, and its amino acid sequence shared a high degree of similarity with that of other neurotoxic and enzymatically-active PLA₂s. BTL-2 had a molecular mass estimated in approximately 9 kDa and was characterized as a basic protein. In addition, BTL-2 did not exhibit any enzymatic activity.</p> <p>The PLA₂and BTL-2 formed a stable heterodimer with a molecular mass of approximately 24–26 kDa, estimated by molecular exclusion HPLC. In the presence of BTL-2, we observed a significant increase in PLA₂activity, 23% higher than that of PLA₂alone. BTL-2 demonstrated an inhibition of 98% in the growth of the Gram-positive bacterial strain, <it>Clavibacter michiganensis michiganensis </it>(Cmm), but only 9.8% inhibition of the Gram-negative bacterial strain, <it>Xanthomonas axonopodis </it>pv <it>passiflorae </it>(Xap). PLA₂decreased bacterial growth by 27.3% and 98.5% for Xap and Cmm, respectively, while incubating these two proteins with PLA₂-BTL-2 inhibited their growths by 36.2% for Xap and 98.5% for Cmm.</p> <p>PLA₂significantly induced platelet aggregation in washed platelets, whereas BTL-2 did not induce significant platelet aggregation in any assay. However, BTL-2 significantly inhibited platelet aggregation induced by PLA₂. In addition, PLA₂exhibited strong oedematogenic activity, which was decreased in the presence of BTL-2. BTL-2 alone did not induce oedema and did not decrease or abolish the oedema induced by the 48/80 compound.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The unexpected results observed for the PLA₂-BTL-2 complex strongly suggest that the pharmacological activity of this PLA₂is not solely dependent on the presence of enzymatic activity, and that other pharmacological regions may also be involved. In addition, we describe for the first time an interaction between two different molecules, which form a stable complex with significant changes in their original biological action. This opens new possibilities for understanding the function and action of crude venom, an extremely complex mixture of different molecules.</p

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

Mammals in Portugal: a data set of terrestrial, volant, and marine mammal occurrences in Portugal

Mammals are threatened worldwide, with ~26% of all species being included in the IUCN threatened categories. This overall pattern is primarily associated with habitat loss or degradation, and human persecution for terrestrial mammals, and pollution, open net fishing, climate change, and prey depletion for marine mammals. Mammals play a key role in maintaining ecosystems functionality and resilience, and therefore information on their distribution is crucial to delineate and support conservation actions. MAMMALS IN PORTUGAL is a publicly available data set compiling unpublished georeferenced occurrence records of 92 terrestrial, volant, and marine mammals in mainland Portugal and archipelagos of the Azores and Madeira that includes 105,026 data entries between 1873 and 2021 (72% of the data occurring in 2000 and 2021). The methods used to collect the data were: live observations/captures (43%), sign surveys (35%), camera trapping (16%), bioacoustics surveys (4%) and radiotracking, and inquiries that represent less than 1% of the records. The data set includes 13 types of records: (1) burrows | soil mounds | tunnel, (2) capture, (3) colony, (4) dead animal | hair | skulls | jaws, (5) genetic confirmation, (6) inquiries, (7) observation of live animal (8), observation in shelters, (9) photo trapping | video, (10) predators diet | pellets | pine cones/nuts, (11) scat | track | ditch, (12) telemetry and (13) vocalization | echolocation. The spatial uncertainty of most records ranges between 0 and 100 m (76%). Rodentia (n =31,573) has the highest number of records followed by Chiroptera (n = 18,857), Carnivora (n = 18,594), Lagomorpha (n = 17,496), Cetartiodactyla (n = 11,568) and Eulipotyphla (n = 7008). The data set includes records of species classified by the IUCN as threatened (e.g., Oryctolagus cuniculus [n = 12,159], Monachus monachus [n = 1,512], and Lynx pardinus [n = 197]). We believe that this data set may stimulate the publication of other European countries data sets that would certainly contribute to ecology and conservation-related research, and therefore assisting on the development of more accurate and tailored conservation management strategies for each species. There are no copyright restrictions; please cite this data paper when the data are used in publications

Contributo dos Interlocutores nas Atitudes dos Alunos do 3º Ciclo do Ensino Básico face à Sexualidade

Enquadramento: Tratar de educação sexual, para além da atualidade do tema, prende-se, sobretudo, com a necessidade de uma abordagem que leve à adoção de atitudes favoráveis face à sexualidade e a comportamentos saudáveis por parte dos adolescentes. Objetivos: Identificar as preferências dos alunos na escolha dos interlocutores em assuntos de sexualidade, bem como analisar a relação com as atitudes face à sexualidade dos alunos do 3º ciclo do ensino básico. Métodos: O estudo realizado é de natureza quantitativa, descritivo-correlacional e transversal. Amostra não probabilística, por conveniência, de 545 alunos (262 rapazes e 283 raparigas), idade média de 13,95 anos  (Dp= 1,25), maioritariamente residentes na aldeia (53,1%) e a frequentar o 3º ciclo do ensino básico nas escolas do Concelho de Tabuaço e Fundão. Foi aplicado um questionário visando a caracterização sociodemográfica da amostra, o conhecimento das suas vivências da sexualidade; foi, ainda, aplicada a Escala de atitudes face à sexualidade em adolescentes (Nelas, Fernandes, Ferreira, Duarte & Chaves, 2010). Resultados: Da amostra global de alunos, os principais interlocutores da sexualidade são os amigos (59,8%), seguido da mãe (40,9%), pai (16,1%), namorado/a (14,7%), irmãos (13,8%), professores (12,5%), e, por último, do médico/enfermeiro (4,6%). A mãe influencia significativamente e favoravelmente as atitudes face à sexualidade (p=0,006) e, no reverso, os irmãos influenciam de forma significativa e desfavoravelmente as atitudes face à sexualidade (p=0,050). Conclusão: Este estudo sugere que o papel da figura materna e dos irmãos está diretamente relacionado com as atitudes face à sexualidade dos alunos do 3ºciclo do ensino básico e que aqueles têm uma importância essencial na avaliação que estes fazem da sexualidade

Health-enhancing? Products: development of yogurts containing ingredients with functional properties

INTRODUCTION The importance of yogurt as part of a balanced and healthy diet is recognized by regulatory authorities and scientific institutions in most countries. According to the Portuguese National Statistics Institute, there was an increase of 38% in the value of dairy sales in only four years. In addition, a study carried out by the Portuguese Society of Nutrition and Food Sciences reported that 26.8% of Portuguese adults consumed yogurts daily, ranging from 19% in the elderly to 35% in adults up to 30 years. Hence, this market represents a good opportunity to development new healthy yogurts. OBJECTIVES It was intended to develop yoghurts with improved health functionalities different than those already existing on the market, by adding several combinations of ingredients with established biological activities. METHODS Laboratorial experiments were done testing various combinations and different proportions of ingredients, to establish those that had potential for consumer acceptance. The ingredients tested included unconventional vegetables, fruits, herbs or seeds. After the laboratorial experiments with the formulations, those that resulted better were selected for a sensorial evaluation by an untrained panel simulating the consumers. Four final products were developed, corresponding to different combinations of ingredients, and having been identified with the four seasons of the year (Winter, Spring, Summer, Autumn). The final products were analysed as to their physico-chemical composition by using established methodologies. The nutritional information and energetic value was also evaluated. RESULTS The Winter yogurt possesses thermogenic and satiating properties and the ingredients used were apple, chia, cinnamon and ginger. The Spring yogurt presents properties capable of regulating intestinal transit, loss of appetite and is diuretic. The ingredients selected were pineapple, celery and mint. The Summer yogurt has antioxidant properties, regulates intestinal transit and diuresis. The ingredients included linseed, parsley, carrot, passion fruit and orange. The Autumn yogurt has diuretic and thermogenic properties. The ingredients used in its confection were watercress, pear and ginger. Protein, fibre and lipids varied, respectively, in the ranges 2.2-2.7, 0.4-1.5 and 0.5-0.7 g/100 g. The energetic value varied from 36 to 92 kcal/100 g and the calcium from 64 to 100 mg/100 g. CONCLUSIONS It is important that the food industry seeks to meet the needs of the consumers, which are more and more devoted to healthy eating practices, and who like to find also new and stimulating products to buy. The developed products were formulated to meet these challenges, and are believed to successfully enter the dairy products market because the evaluations of the sensorial panel were very positive. Hence, they have potential to be launched as a potential industrial opportunity in the line of yogurts with improved healthy functionalities. Furthermore, the putative effects of yogurt on the modulation of the gut microbiota and the prevention of obesity and cardiometabolic diseases will make them a successful new product.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

A Catalytically Inactive Lys49 Pla2 Isoform From Bothrops Jararacussu Venom That Stimulates Insulin Secretion In Pancreatic Beta Cells.

A new secretory phospholipase A2 (sPLA2) isoform from Bothrops jararacussu venom (BjVIII) has been characterized by causing platelet aggregation, an absent activity in BthTx-I, Prtx-I and PrTx-II sPLA2s. According to our results, BjVIII also enhances insulin release by the pancreatic beta cells. The complete amino acid sequence of the new isoform was determined by Edman degradation and de novo peptide sequencing. These analyses showed a G35K amino acid modification for BjVIII in comparison with BthTx-I, PrTx-I and Prtx-II, a structural difference that has been related to the conflicting biological activities among BjVIII and other Lys49 sPLA2s. The whole set of evidences collected in this work indicates that, besides the C-terminal region and B-wing of PLA2, the calcium binding loop in BjVIII should be considered as an important region, involved in the pharmacological effects of Lys49-sPLA2 isoforms from the Bothrops genus.181133-

Characterisation of microbial attack on archaeological bone

As part of an EU funded project to investigate the factors influencing bone preservation in the archaeological record, more than 250 bones from 41 archaeological sites in five countries spanning four climatic regions were studied for diagenetic alteration. Sites were selected to cover a range of environmental conditions and archaeological contexts. Microscopic and physical (mercury intrusion porosimetry) analyses of these bones revealed that the majority (68%) had suffered microbial attack. Furthermore, significant differences were found between animal and human bone in both the state of preservation and the type of microbial attack present. These differences in preservation might result from differences in early taphonomy of the bones. © 2003 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved

Delayed colorectal cancer care during covid-19 pandemic (decor-19). Global perspective from an international survey

Background The widespread nature of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has been unprecedented. We sought to analyze its global impact with a survey on colorectal cancer (CRC) care during the pandemic. Methods The impact of COVID-19 on preoperative assessment, elective surgery, and postoperative management of CRC patients was explored by a 35-item survey, which was distributed worldwide to members of surgical societies with an interest in CRC care. Respondents were divided into two comparator groups: 1) ‘delay’ group: CRC care affected by the pandemic; 2) ‘no delay’ group: unaltered CRC practice. Results A total of 1,051 respondents from 84 countries completed the survey. No substantial differences in demographics were found between the ‘delay’ (745, 70.9%) and ‘no delay’ (306, 29.1%) groups. Suspension of multidisciplinary team meetings, staff members quarantined or relocated to COVID-19 units, units fully dedicated to COVID-19 care, personal protective equipment not readily available were factors significantly associated to delays in endoscopy, radiology, surgery, histopathology and prolonged chemoradiation therapy-to-surgery intervals. In the ‘delay’ group, 48.9% of respondents reported a change in the initial surgical plan and 26.3% reported a shift from elective to urgent operations. Recovery of CRC care was associated with the status of the outbreak. Practicing in COVID-free units, no change in operative slots and staff members not relocated to COVID-19 units were statistically associated with unaltered CRC care in the ‘no delay’ group, while the geographical distribution was not. Conclusions Global changes in diagnostic and therapeutic CRC practices were evident. Changes were associated with differences in health-care delivery systems, hospital’s preparedness, resources availability, and local COVID-19 prevalence rather than geographical factors. Strategic planning is required to optimize CRC care