Foveal avascular zone area measurement in diabetic patients: superficial, deep or combined retinal vascular complex?

This project was partially supported by an IDI&CA Grant, IPL/2021/DiffMeDiME_ESTeSL.Purpose: To compare differences in the foveal avascular zone (FAZ) area, measured in the Superficial Vascular Complex (SVC), Deep Vascular Complex (DVC), and a combined analysis of both (SDVC), using two Spectral Domain OCT angiography (OCT-A) protocols, High Speed (HS) and High Resolution (HR). Methods: A total of 26 eyes of diabetic patients, with and without macular oedema, were examined with two different fovea-centered OCT-A volume scans. The two protocols were HS and HR volume scans, and the foveal avascular zone was manually measured in the SVC, DVC, and SDVC slabs by two masked investigators. Inter and intraoperator variability was analysed using Intraclass Correlation Coefficient (ICC) and differences were compared between the HR and HS acquisitions throughout the different vascular slabs. Results: Intraoperator variability was low in all slabs (ICC > 0.9) and interoperator variability was lower for HR (ICC 0.835-0.911) compared to HS (ICC between 0.604 and 0.865). Comparing HS and HR measurements for the same slab, the correlation was only moderate in SVC and DVC (ICC was 0.640 and 0.568 respectively) but was good in the SDVC (ICC = 0.823). FAZ area measurement in SDVC also showed the smallest bias (mean difference 0.009 mm2) and the narrowest limits of agreement (-0.175 to 0.193 mm2). Conclusions: Even in cases of diabetic macular oedema, when measuring the FAZ area, the reproducibility was better between HS and HR protocols when using the SDVC slab, compared to the SVC or DVC slabs alone. Further studies should evaluate the use of the combined SDVC slab for the FAZ assessment, compared to the SVC and DVC slabs alone, in detecting and progressing different retinal diseases.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Measuring and mapping the effectiveness of the European Air Quality Directive in reducing N and S deposition at the ecosystem level

To protect human health and the environment (namely ecosystems), international air quality protocols and guidelines, like the Gothenburg protocol (1999) and the 2001 EU Air Quality Directive (NECD), conveyed national emission ceilings for atmospheric pollutants (Directive 2001/81/EC), including the reduction of sulfur (S) and nitrogen (N) emissions by 2010. However, to what degree this expected reduction in emissions had reflections at the ecosystem level (i.e. pollutant levels reaching and impacting ecosystems and their organisms) remains unknown. Here, we used lichens as ecological indicators, together with reported air and precipitation pollutant concentrations, to determine and map the consequences of the S and N atmospheric emission's reduction, during the implementation of the 2001 Directive (in 2002 and 2011), due primarily to the industrial-sector. The study area is a mixed-land-use industrialized Mediterranean agroforest ecosystem, in southwest Europe. The reduction of S emissions (2002−2011) was reflected at the ecosystem level, as the same S-declining trend was observed in atmospheric measurement stations and lichens alike (−70%), indicating that most S deposited to the ecosystem had an industrial origin. However, this was not the case for N with a slight N-reduction near industrial facilities, but mostly N-deposition in lichens increased in areas dominated by agricultural land-uses. Taken together, these results highlight the importance of going beyond emissions estimation and modeling, to assess the success of the implementation of the NECD in lowering pollutant accumulation in living organisms and their environment. This can only be achieved by measuring pollutant deposition at the ecosystem level (e.g. living organisms). By doing so, we were able to show that the 2001 NECD was successful in reducing S concentrations from Industry, whereas N remains a challenge. Despite the small reduction in N-emissions, deposition into ecosystems did not reflect these changes as agriculture and transport sectors must reduce NH3 and NOx emissions.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Following the trail: factors underlying the sudden expansion of the Egyptian mongoose (Herpestes ichneumon) in Portugal

Species range-limits are influenced by a combination of several factors. In our study we aimed to unveil the drivers underlying the expansion of the Egyptian mongoose in Portugal, a carnivore that was confined to southern Portugal and largely increased its range during the last three decades. We evaluated the expansion of the species in three periods (1980- 1990, 1990-2000 and 2000-2010), by projecting the presence/absence data of the species in each temporal range and proposed four hypotheses to explain this sudden expansion associated to changes in the barrier effects of human infrastructure and topographic features, and in the availability of suitable areas due to climate change or land use. An exploratory analysis was made using Spearman rank correlation, followed by a hierarchical partitioning analysis to select uncorrelated potential explanatory variables associated with the different hypotheses. We then ran Generalized Linear Models (GLM) for every period for each hypothesis and for every combination of hypotheses. Our main findings suggest that dynamic transitions of land-use coupled with temperature and rainfall variations over the decades are the main drivers promoting the mongoose expansion. The geographic barriers and the human infrastructures functioned as barriers for mongoose expansion and have shaped its distribution. The expansion of the Egyptian mongoose across the Portuguese territory was due to a variety of factors. Our results suggest a rapid shift in species range in response to land-use and climate changes, underlining the close link between species ranges and a changing environment

Escolha de gruas para construção de edificações verticais: Estudo de casos na Região Metropolitana do Recife, Brasil / Crane Selection for High-Rise Construction: Case Studies in the Metropolitan Region of Recife, Brazil

As gruas desempenham um importante papel dentro do canteiro das obras, ao realizar o transporte de cargas de elevado peso e volume de forma eficiente. A utilização da grua, além de diminuir o contingente de mão de obra e propiciar que os mesmos se dediquem a serviços de maior qualificação, possibilita a introdução de novas técnicas construtivas somente possíveis com a utilização destes equipamentos. Estudos realizados internacionalmente demonstraram que o processo de planejamento destes equipamentos é complexo, envolve vários intervenientes e é influenciado por duas classes de fatores: os hard factors, que envolvem as características técnicas do equipamento (dimensões físicas do local e capacidade de carga requerida) e os soft factors, que incluem especificações qualitativas e de natureza informal (aspectos de segurança da empresa, políticas de compra/aluguel e limitações ambientais). Neste contexto, o entendimento do processo de planejamento (escolha e localização) de gruas fixas utilizadas nos canteiros das obras de edificações em altura torna-se de fundamental importância para a melhoria dos sistemas de gestão destes equipamentos. Por isso, objetiva-se realizar um estudo acerca das práticas do uso de gruas fixas em canteiros das obras de edificações em altura na Região Metropolitana do Recife (RMR), a fim de diagnosticar o estágio atual da prática de seleção e uso destes equipamentos. O estudo foi realizado em dez edificações em altura (oito localizados em Recife e duas em Jaboatão – PE) pertencentes a oito construtoras distintas escolhidas por conveniência. O protocolo utilizado foi desenvolvido com ajuda de expert internacional no estudo de gruas, aprimorado a partir de aplicações em dezoito projetos de construções Portuguesas e adaptado a realidade das construções brasileiras a partir da aplicação piloto em duas edificações em altura do Recife. Os protocolos foram preenchidos a partir de visitas e entrevistas semi-estruturadas, pessoais com uma duração média de quatro horas. Foram entrevistados dois supervisores de obras, um engenheiro mecânico e dez engenheiros civis residentes nos canteiros dos projetos analisados. A fim de aumentar a confiabilidade da pesquisa utilizaram-se múltiplas fontes de dados complementares às entrevistas, como a documentação do canteiro, observação direta da operação da grua e registros fotográficos. A análise dos dados se deu por meio de planilhas Excel e indicou a existência de fatores culturas na seleção e localização dos equipamentos, evidenciando a predileção pelo uso de gruas do tipo ascencional localizadas no poço do elevador social dos empreendimentos. De acordo com os entrevistados, a escolha, planejamento e localização das gruas ocorrem exclusivamente na etapa de preparação e planejamento (preconstruction) do projeto construtivo, sendo o supervisor da construtora e o engenheiro residente os principais intervenientes envolvidos neste processo. O estudo apresentou limitações quanto à generalização dos resultados em função do tipo de amostragem adotado. Por isso, sugere-se a ampliação do número de canteiros de obras analisados e o desenvolvimento de um modelo multicritério de apoio à decisão que possa auxiliar o processo de seleção e localização de gruas na RMR. 

Estimation of sulfentrazone sorption in isolated application and mixed with glyphosate

The use of herbicides belonging to a single mechanism of action for several consecutive years in the same area may lead to the selection of weed biotypes resistant to herbicides. Weeds resistant to glyphosate have been problem worldwide. As an alternative control, farmers have used glyphosate mixed with sulfentrazone. When two herbicides are mixed, the parameters that govern the behaviour of herbicides in the soil can be altered. In this study, the sorption of sulfentrazone was estimated when applied in isolation with glyphosate formulations. For this, increasing doses of sulfentrazone were applied using Red-Yellow Latosol substrate and washed sand. Each dose of sulfentrazone was applied in a mixture with 1080 g a. e. ha-1 Roundup Ready®, Roundup Ultra® and Zapp Qi®. To evaluate the presence of sulfentrazone in the soil solution, Sorghum bicolor was used as an indicator species. Symptoms of intoxication were evaluated at 7, 14 and 21 days after sowing. At 21 days after sowing, the plants were collected and dried in an oven at 70 ± 10 °C to determine the dry matter. Based on the intoxication of the indicator plants, it was verified that, regardless of the formulation, the presence of glyphosate in the mixture increased the sorption of sulfentrazone in the Red-Yellow Latosol. However, based on dry matter accumulation, sulfentrazone sorption increased because of the mixture with Roundup Ultra®, but decreased due to the presence of Roundup Ready® and Zapp Qi®. Therefore, the application of sulfentrazone in mixture with glyphosate alters the sorptive forces of sulfentrazone in a Red-Yellow Latosol

Automated recognition of lung diseases in CT images based on the optimum-path forest classifier

The World Health Organization estimated that around 300 million people have asthma, and 210 million people are affected by Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD). Also, it is estimated that the number of deaths from COPD increased 30% in 2015 and COPD will become the third major cause of death worldwide by 2030. These statistics about lung diseases get worse when one considers fibrosis, calcifications and other diseases. For the public health system, the early and accurate diagnosis of any pulmonary disease is mandatory for effective treatments and prevention of further deaths. In this sense, this work consists in using information from lung images to identify and classify lung diseases. Two steps are required to achieve these goals: automatically extraction of representative image features of the lungs and recognition of the possible disease using a computational classifier. As to the first step, this work proposes an approach that combines Spatial Interdependence Matrix (SIM) and Visual Information Fidelity (VIF). Concerning the second step, we propose to employ a Gaussian-based distance to be used together with the optimum-path forest (OPF) classifier to classify the lungs under study as normal or with fibrosis, or even affected by COPD. Moreover, to confirm the robustness of OPF in this classification problem, we also considered Support Vector Machines and a Multilayer Perceptron Neural Network for comparison purposes. Overall, the results confirmed the good performance of the OPF configured with the Gaussian distance when applied to SIM- and VIF-based features. The performance scores achieved by the OPF classifier were as follows: average accuracy of 98.2%, total processing time of 117 microseconds in a common personal laptop, and F-score of 95.2% for the three classification classes. These results showed that OPF is a very competitive classifier, and suitable to be used for lung disease classification

Ação social durante a graduação médica: conhecimentos básicos e cuidados iniciais com a hansenías

Introdução: A hanseníase é uma doença infecciosa crônica causada pelo Mycobacterium leprae, que afeta primariamente a pele e o sistema nervoso periférico. A doença manifesta-se em dois polos estáveis e opostos: virchowiano, associada a resposta imunológica Th2 (humoral) e tuberculóide forma localizada associado a resposta imunológica do tipo Th1 (celular). O tratamento da hanseníase compreende: quimioterapia específica, supressão dos surtos reacionais, prevenção de incapacidades físicas e reabilitação física. Objetivo: Analisar a perspectiva acadêmica diante de uma ação sobre os principais aspectos da hanseníase. Relato de experiência: A primeira parte realizada pelo grupo consistia na distribuição de panfletos orientativos sobre a Hanseniase. Os panfletos foram elaborados com base em informações da literatura, ressaltando os principais sinais e sintomas, como é feito o tratamento e como é transmitida. Juntamente com a distribuição do folheto, ocorria a orientação ao paciente sobre a interpretação, principalmente no que tange as informações sobre transmissão e formas de prevenção. Nesta atividade, realizada no Parque Ipiranga, as pessoas foram abordadas e convidadas a receberem orientações sobre essa patologia, e neste momento o aluno dialogava, fazendo uma exposição oral do teor do panfleto. Um total de aproximadamente 80 pessoas receberam as informações acima referidas. A ação foi realizada no período noturno e foi bem aceita pelas pessoas abordadas. O local escolhido apresentava grande rotatividade, possibilitando a abordagem de um grande número de pessoas. A ação foi bem participativa, com inúmeras dúvidas e aparentemente bem absorvidas pelos participantes. Conclusão: Ações extensionistas são de extrema importância, em especial quando voltadas para comunidades carentes e também para os que provem tal ação. Os acadêmicos de medicina foram inseridos em meio à comunidade e utilizaram um pouco da teoria apreendida na prática, em uma atividade de promoção à saúde. Portanto, essa atividade se mostrou importante para um maior desenvolvimento de habilidades médicas, de relação entre os estudantes da área da saúde e a sociedade e também solidariedade com a comunidade

Development of an organic culture medium for autotrophic production of chlorella vulgaris biomass

Microalgal biomass has gained increasing attention in the last decade for various biotechnological applications, including human nutrition. Certified organic products are currently a growing niche market in which the food industry has shown great interest. In this context, this work aimed at developing a certified organic culture medium for the production of autotrophic Chlorella vulgaris biomass. A preliminary assay in 2 L bubble column photobioreactors was performed in order to screen di erent commercial organic substrates (OS) at a normalized concentration of N (2 mmol L1). The highest growth performance was obtained using EcoMix4 and Bioscape which showed similar biomass concentrations compared to the synthetic culture medium (control). In order to meet the nutrient needs of Chlorella, both OS underwent elemental analyses to assess their nutrient composition. The laboratory findings allowed the development of a final organic culture medium using a proportion of Bioscape/EcoMix4 (1:1.2, m/m). This organic culture medium was later validated outdoors in 125 L flat panel and 10 m3 tubular flow through photobioreactors. The results obtained revealed that the developed organic medium led to similar microalgal growth performance and biochemical composition of produced biomass, as compared to the traditional synthetic medium. Overall, the formulated organic medium was e ective for the autotrophic production of organic C. vulgaris biomass.Portugal 2020 program (grant agreement nº POCI-01-0247-FEDER-035234; LISBOA-01-0247-FEDER-035234; ALG-01-0247-FEDER-035234); FCT: UIDB/04326/2020info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Metabolomic profile and biological properties of sea lavender (Limonium algarvense Erben) plants cultivated with aquaculture wastewaters: implications for its use in herbal formulations and food additives

Water extracts from sea lavender (Limonium algarvense Erben) plants cultivated in greenhouse conditions and irrigated with freshwater and saline aquaculture effluents were evaluated for metabolomics by liquid chromatography-tandem high-resolution mass spectrometry (LC-HRMS/MS), and functional properties by in vitro and ex vivo methods. In vitro antioxidant methods included radical scavenging of 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and 2,2′-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid (ABTS), ferric-reducing antioxidant power (FRAP), and copper and iron chelating assets. Flowers’ extracts had the highest compounds’ diversity (flavonoids and its derivatives) and strongest in vitro antioxidant activity. These extracts were further tested for ex vivo antioxidant properties by oxidative haemolysis inhibition (OxHLIA), lipid peroxidation inhibition by thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) formation, and anti-melanogenic, anti-tyrosinase, anti-inflammation, and cytotoxicity. Extract from plants irrigated with 300 mM NaCl was the most active towards TBARS (IC50 = 81 µg/mL) and tyrosinase (IC50 = 873 µg/mL). In OxHLIA, the activity was similar for fresh- and saltwater-irrigated plants (300 mM NaCl; IC50 = 136 and 140 µg/mL, respectively). Samples had no anti-inflammatory and anti-melanogenic abilities and were not toxic. Our results suggest that sea lavender cultivated under saline conditions could provide a flavonoid-rich water extract with antioxidant and anti-tyrosinase properties with potential use as a food preservative or as a functional ingredient in herbal supplements.The authors acknowledge the Faculty of Pharmacy and Centre for Neurosciences and Cell Biology (University of Coimbra, Portugal) that kindly offered the murine RAW 264.7 macrophages, and the Functional Biochemistry and Proteomics, and the Marine Molecular Bioengineering groups (Centre of Marine Sciences, Portugal) that provided the human embryonic kidney (HEK) 293, and the human hepatocellular carcinoma (HepG2) cell lines.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Microscopia eletrônica de varredura do endotélio da córnea de avestruz

The aim of this study was to examine the endothelial surface morphology and perform a morphometric analysis of the corneal endothelial cells of ostrich (Struthio camelus) using scanning electron microscopy. Polygonality, mean cell area, cell density and coefficient of variation of mean cell area were analyzed. The normal corneal endothelium consisted of polygonal cells of uniform size and shape with few interdigitations of the cell borders. Microvilli appeared as protusions on the cellular surface. The average cell area was 269±18µm² and the endothelial cell density was 3717±240cells mm-2. The coefficient of variation of the cell area was 0.06, and the percentage of hexagonal cells was 75%. The parameters evaluated did not differ significantly between the right and the left eye from the same ostrich. The results of this study showed that the ostrich corneal endothelial cells appear quite similar to those of the other vertebrates.Objetivou-se examinar a superfície posterior do endotélio corneano e realizar análise morfométrica das células endoteliais da córnea de avestruz (Struthio camelus) valendo-se da microscopia eletrônica de varredura. Avaliaram-se o número de lados, a área celular média, a densidade celular e o coeficiente de variação da área celular. O endotélio corneano de avestruz constitui-se de células poligonais uniformes em tamanho e forma, e com poucas interdigitações das bordas celulares. Visibilizaram-se microvilosidades na superfície celular. A área celular média foi de 269±18µm² e a densidade celular foi de 3717±240 células mm-2. O coeficiente de variação foi de 0,06 e o percentual de células hexagonais de 75%. Não foram observadas diferenças significativas entre os parâmetros avaliados entre os olhos esquerdo e direito. Este estudo demonstrou que o endotélio corneano de avestruz é semelhante ao descrito em outros vertebrados