Legal Report on the Ecosystem Approach to Fisheries in Mozambique : An Analysis of the Ecosystem Approach to Fisheries in Selected National Policy and Legal Instruments of Mozambique

Legislating for the ecosystem approach to fisheries (EAF) is complex, due to the holistic nature of the EAF involving multiple factors that underpin the social, economic, environmental, and institutional aspects of fisheries sustainability. These factors include ecosystems integration, risks, inter-sectoral collaboration, research, participatory processes, monitoring, control, surveillance, and enforcement, among others. To assess how the EAF is being implemented through national policy and legal frameworks, FAO developed A diagnostic tool for implementing an ecosystem approach to fisheries through national policy and legal frameworks. The present legal report on the EAF used the diagnostic tool to assess the alignment of selected policy and legal instruments of Mozambique with the EAF. This assessment analysed the extent to which 82 EAF legal requirements, which are considered the minimum standards in legislating for the EAF, are reflected in Mozambique's policies and legislation relevant to the fisheries sector of the country and other relevant sectors (such as environment, wildlife, ecosystems, and maritime affairs). Based on this preliminary diagnosis, gaps were identified in the assessed instruments, and recommendations were made for improving the implementation of the EAF. This report was elaborated following a participatory approach with the involvement of the national competent authorities of Mozambique. Drafted in July 2021, the report was first submitted to the national authorities of Mozambique in October 2021, further revised in view of the adoption of new relevant legal instruments by Mozambique and re-submitted to the national authorities in June 2022. The Ministry of the Sea, Inland Waters and Fisheries of Mozambique endorsed this EAF Legal Report of Mozambique in September 2022

A variabilidade da frequência cardíaca está relacionada ao desempenho de resistência em jogadoras de futsal? / Do heart rate variability is relationed to endurance performance in female futsal players?

The study aimed to verify the correlation between resting heart rate variability (HRVrest ) and endurance performance in female futsal players, as well as to evaluate the reliability of this parasympathetic autonomic marker. A total of 16 female futsal players (age: 22 ± 3 years; VO2 max: 42.3 ± 2.0 ml.kg-1.min-1) were evaluated during the first week of preseason training. Vagal modulation was evaluated from the HRVrest (i.e., log-transformed root mean square of successive R-R interval differences-Ln-RMSSD) for two consecutive days, while endurance performance was evaluated by the Yo-Yo Intermittent Recovery Test, Level 1 (Yo-Yo IR1). Pearson correlation was used to analyze the relationship between the variables. Strong correlation between the HRVrest index and endurance performance (r = 0.643; p = 0.007). Reliability was tested through the intraclass correlation coefficient, coefficient of variation (CV), and Bland-Altman analysis of the agreement. Furthermore, acceptable repeatability of HRVrest, but with great inter-subject variability (ICC = 0.670, 95%CI = 0.056-0.885, CV = 15.8%). The current study demonstrated a strong correlation between Ln-RMSSD and endurance performance, and despite the acceptable values of intrasubject reliability,HRVrest presented high inter-individual variability in female futsal players. O objetivo do estudo foi verificar a correlação entre a variabilidade da frequência cardíaca de repouso (VFCRepouso) e o desempenho de resistência em jogadoras de futsal, bem como avaliar a confiabilidade do marcador parassimpático. No total, 16 jogadoras de futsal (idade: 22 ± 3 anos; VO2max: 42.3 ± 2.0 ml.kg-1.min-1) foram avaliadas durante a primeira semana de treinamento da pré-temporada. A modulação vagal foi avaliada a partir da VFC de repouso (isto é, raiz quadrada da média das diferenças sucessivas ao quadrado dos intervalos R-R adjacentes - Ln-RMSSD) por dois dias consecutivos, enquanto o desempenho da resistência foi avaliado pelo Yo-Yo Intermittent Recovery Test, Level 1 (Yo-Yo IR1). A correlação de Pearson foi utilizada para analisar a relação entre as variáveis. A confiabilidade foi testada através do coeficiente de correlação intraclasse, coeficiente de variação e análise de concordância de Bland-Altman. Observou-se uma forte correlação entre o índice de VFCrepouso e o desempenho de endurance (r = 0,643; p = 0,007). Por outro lado, repetibilidade aceitável dos índices de repouso vagal, mas com grande variabilidade interindividual (ICC = 0,670, IC = 0,056-0,885, CV = 15,8%). O presente estudo apresentou forte correlação entre Ln-RMSSD e desempenho de endurance, e mesmo com valores aceitáveis de confiabilidade intrasujeito, a VFC em repouso apresentou alta variabilidade interindividual em jogadoras de futsal

Mesenchymal Stromal Cells Primed with Paclitaxel Provide a New Approach for Cancer Therapy

BACKGROUND: Mesenchymal stromal cells may represent an ideal candidate to deliver anti-cancer drugs. In a previous study, we demonstrated that exposure of mouse bone marrow derived stromal cells to Doxorubicin led them to acquire anti-proliferative potential towards co-cultured haematopoietic stem cells (HSCs). We thus hypothesized whether freshly isolated human bone marrow Mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) and mature murine stromal cells (SR4987 line) primed in vitro with anti-cancer drugs and then localized near cancer cells, could inhibit proliferation. METHODS AND PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Paclitaxel (PTX) was used to prime culture of hMSCs and SR4987. Incorporation of PTX into hMSCs was studied by using FICT-labelled-PTX and analyzed by FACS and confocal microscopy. Release of PTX in culture medium by PTX primed hMSCs (hMSCsPTX) was investigated by HPLC. Culture of Endothelial cells (ECs) and aorta ring assay were used to test the anti-angiogenic activity of hMSCsPTX and PTX primed SR4987(SR4987PTX), while anti-tumor activity was tested in vitro on the proliferation of different tumor cell lines and in vivo by co-transplanting hMSCsPTX and SR4987PTX with cancer cells in mice. Nevertheless, despite a loss of cells due to chemo-induced apoptosis, both hMSCs and SR4987 were able to rapidly incorporate PTX and could slowly release PTX in the culture medium in a time dependent manner. PTX primed cells acquired a potent anti-tumor and anti-angiogenic activity in vitro that was dose dependent, and demonstrable by using their conditioned medium or by co-culture assay. Finally, hMSCsPTX and SR4987PTX co-injected with human cancer cells (DU145 and U87MG) and mouse melanoma cells (B16) in immunodeficient and in syngenic mice significantly delayed tumor takes and reduced tumor growth. CONCLUSIONS: These data demonstrate, for the first time, that without any genetic manipulation, mesenchymal stromal cells can uptake and subsequently slowly release PTX. This may lead to potential new tools to increase efficacy of cancer therapy

International Society of Human and Animal Mycology (ISHAM)-ITS reference DNA barcoding database - the quality controlled standard tool for routine identification of human and animal pathogenic fungi

Human and animal fungal pathogens are a growing threat worldwide leading to emerging infections and creating new risks for established ones. There is a growing need for a rapid and accurate identification of pathogens to enable early diagnosis and targeted antifungal therapy. Morphological and biochemical identification methods are time-consuming and require trained experts. Alternatively, molecular methods, such as DNA barcoding, a powerful and easy tool for rapid monophasic identification, offer a practical approach for species identification and less demanding in terms of taxonomical expertise. However, its wide-spread use is still limited by a lack of quality-controlled reference databases and the evolving recognition and definition of new fungal species/complexes. An international consortium of medical mycology laboratories was formed aiming to establish a quality controlled ITS database under the umbrella of the ISHAM working group on "DNA barcoding of human and animal pathogenic fungi." A new database, containing 2800 ITS sequences representing 421 fungal species, providing the medical community with a freely accessible tool at http://www.isham.org and http://its.mycologylab.org/ to rapidly and reliably identify most agents of mycoses, was established. The generated sequences included in the new database were used to evaluate the variation and overall utility of the ITS region for the identification of pathogenic fungi at intra-and interspecies level. The average intraspecies variation ranged from 0 to 2.25%. This highlighted selected pathogenic fungal species, such as the dermatophytes and emerging yeast, for which additional molecular methods/genetic markers are required for their reliable identification from clinical and veterinary specimens.This study was supported by an National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia (NH&MRC) grant [#APP1031952] to W Meyer, S Chen, V Robert, and D Ellis; CNPq [350338/2000-0] and FAPERJ [E-26/103.157/2011] grants to RM Zancope-Oliveira; CNPq [308011/2010-4] and FAPESP [2007/08575-1] Fundacao de Amparo Pesquisa do Estado de So Paulo (FAPESP) grants to AL Colombo; PEst-OE/BIA/UI4050/2014 from Fundacao para a Ciencia e Tecnologia (FCT) to C Pais; the Belgian Science Policy Office (Belspo) to BCCM/IHEM; the MEXBOL program of CONACyT-Mexico, [ref. number: 1228961 to ML Taylor and [122481] to C Toriello; the Institut Pasteur and Institut de Veil le Sanitaire to F Dromer and D Garcia-Hermoso; and the grants from the Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Cientifico e Tecnologico (CNPq) and the Fundacao de Amparo a Pesquisa do Estado de Goias (FAPEG) to CM de Almeida Soares and JA Parente Rocha. I Arthur would like to thank G Cherian, A Higgins and the staff of the Molecular Diagnostics Laboratory, Division of Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, Path West, QEII Medial Centre. Dromer would like to thank for the technical help of the sequencing facility and specifically that of I, Diancourt, A-S Delannoy-Vieillard, J-M Thiberge (Genotyping of Pathogens and Public Health, Institut Pasteur). RM Zancope-Oliveira would like to thank the Genomic/DNA Sequencing Platform at Fundacao Oswaldo Cruz-PDTIS/FIOCRUZ [RPT01A], Brazil for the sequencing. B Robbertse and CL Schoch acknowledge support from the Intramural Research Program of the NIH, National Library of Medicine. T Sorrell's work is funded by the NH&MRC of Australia; she is a Sydney Medical School Foundation Fellow.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Mechanisms of human telomerase reverse transcriptase (hTERT) regulation: clinical impacts in cancer

Background Limitless self-renewal is one of the hallmarks of cancer and is attained by telomere maintenance, essentially through telomerase (hTERT) activation. Transcriptional regulation of hTERT is believed to play a major role in telomerase activation in human cancers. Main body The dominant interest in telomerase results from its role in cancer. The role of telomeres and telomere maintenance mechanisms is well established as a major driving force in generating chromosomal and genomic instability. Cancer cells have acquired the ability to overcome their fate of senescence via telomere length maintenance mechanisms, mainly by telomerase activation. hTERT expression is up-regulated in tumors via multiple genetic and epigenetic mechanisms including hTERT amplifications, hTERT structural variants, hTERT promoter mutations and epigenetic modifications through hTERT promoter methylation. Genetic (hTERT promoter mutations) and epigenetic (hTERT promoter methylation and miRNAs) events were shown to have clinical implications in cancers that depend on hTERT activation. Knowing that telomeres are crucial for cellular self-renewal, the mechanisms responsible for telomere maintenance have a crucial role in cancer diseases and might be important oncological biomarkers. Thus, rather than quantifying TERT expression and its correlation with telomerase activation, the discovery and the assessment of the mechanisms responsible for TERT upregulation offers important information that may be used for diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment monitoring in oncology. Furthermore, a better understanding of these mechanisms may promote their translation into effective targeted cancer therapies. Conclusion Herein, we reviewed the underlying mechanisms of hTERT regulation, their role in oncogenesis, and the potential clinical applications in telomerase-dependent cancers.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Análise de curvas de agregação de hemácias obtidas por fotometria.

Foram investigadas as microestruturas do sangue de 50 amostras de doadores de sangue e 16 amostras de portadores de Anemia Falciforme utilizando duas pipetas diferentes e um equipamento de uso corrente, o Leitor de Microplacas, também chamado de “Leitor de E.L.I.S.A”. Apresentamos aqui a interpretação das curvas de absorbância (A) em função do tempo(s), obtidas com esta técnica. A técnica abrange o processo completo que ocorre com o sangue em repouso: primeiro os eritrócitos agregam-se formando rolos (roleaux) e esses rolos tendem a se unirem uns aos outros formando uma rede desorganizada (gel); o gel tende a densificar, se compactado e começa a sedimentar; por final, os agregados que se sedimentam tendem a tornarem-se cada vez mais compactos pela formação contínua de novos contatos entre os agregados e pela expulsão de plasma do seu interior. São apresentados a comparação entre os resultados para amostras de sangue de doadores e sangue de portadores de Anemia Falciforme, levando-se em consideração o gênero e o tipo de pipeta utilizada nos ensaios, bem como as análises estatísticas dos resultados. Não houve diferença entre os gêneros, entre os grupos apenas a etapa de agregação é diferente e entre as pipetas apenas os valores de absorbância diferenciam as curvas.We have investigated the microstructures of 50 blood samples from donors and 16 samples from patients with sickle cell disease using two types of different pipettes and one very well-known equipment, the Microplate Reader, also called "ELISA reader”. We presented the interpretation of the curves of absorbance (A) versus time (s), obtained with this technique. The technique covers the entire process that occurs in the blood at rest: first the red cells have to aggregate to form rolls (roleaux) and these rolls are joined to each other to forming a disorganized network (gel). Soon after formed this gel begins a process of contraction resulting from the continued formation of new contacts between the red cells. Along with the formation of new contacts, sedimentation of the gel also reinforces the tendency towards increasing densification with the expulsion of plasma from its interior. This is the stage of compaction which is increased on healthy (deformable) red blood cells. We also present and compared the results of essays employing this technique using blood samples from donors and carriers of sickle cell disease. Finally we show the optimization of some important parameters of the test such as temperature, type of pipette, time, gender, etc and present the statistical analysis of the results. There wasn’t difference between gender, between groups only the aggregation step is different and between pipettes only the absorbance values of the curves can differ each other