Obesidade e diabetes mellitus tipo 2

Dissertação de mestrado em Medicina (Endocrinologia), apresentado à Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de CoimbraA obesidade é geralmente definida como uma doença crónica em que o excesso de gordura corporal acumulada pode atingir graus capazes de afectar a saúde. Os doentes obesos não se diferenciam apenas na percentagem de excesso de peso, mas também na distribuição regional de tecido adiposo. Assim, o excesso de tecido adiposo, a sua distribuição e as consequências associadas à saúde, variam consideravelmente entre indivíduos obesos. O risco de efeitos adversos para a saúde é maior em indivíduos obesos, em que o excesso de tecido adiposo se encontra maioritariamente a nível abdominal. Assim, a medição do perímetro abdominal é um método simples e prático na identificação destes pacientes. Várias doenças crónicas estão associadas à obesidade, destacando-se doenças cardiovasculares, hipertensão arterial, diabetes mellitus tipo 2, certos tipos de cancro, doenças da vesícula biliar e hepáticas. A acumulação de tecido adiposo abdominal, bem como a obesidade por si só, estão associadas com o aumento do risco de intolerância à glicose e resistência à insulina, sendo este último, um dos factores fisiopatológicos implícitos no desenvolvimento de diabetes mellitus tipo 2, bem como, o défice na secreção de insulina pelo pâncreas. Não se conhece qual dos dois factores é primário, ainda que, a maioria dos autores considere que a resistência à insulina é primária e que a hipersecreção de insulina, para compensar essa resistência, acaba por "esgotar" a capacidade da célula ß pancreática, levando à hiperglicémia. Estudos sobre perda de peso em doentes obesos com diabetes mellitus tipo 2 têm consistentemente demonstrado que uma diminuição de 10 a 20% do peso, resulta numa notável melhoria do controlo glicémico e da sensibilidade à insulina. Todavia, a perda de tecido adiposo abdominal, pode ser mais importante para a melhoria do doente diabético que, a perda de peso por si só.Obesity is generally defined as a chronic disease in which excess body fat accumulated can reach levels that can affect health. The obese patients not only differ in the percentage of excess weight, but also in the regional distribution of adipose tissue. Thus, excess fat, its distribution and the associated health consequences, vary considerably between obese individuals. The risk of adverse effects on health is higher in obese individuals, in which excess fat is mainly the abdominal level. Thus, measurement of waist circumference is a simple and practical method to identify these patients. Many chronic diseases are associated with obesity, especially cardiovascular disease, hypertension, type 2 diabetes mellitus, certain types of cancer, gallbladder and liver. The accumulation of abdominal fat and obesity itself is associated with increased risk of glucose intolerance and insulin resistance, the latter being one of the pathophysiological factors implicit in the development of type 2 diabetes mellitus and the deficit in insulin secretion by the pancreas. It is not known which of the two factors 4 is primary, although most authors consider that insulin resistance is primary and that the hypersecretion of insulin to compensate for the resistance, eventually "run out" the ability of pancreatic beta cells, leading to hyperglycemia. Studies of weight loss in obese patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus have consistently shown that a decrease of 10 to 20% of weight, resulting in remarkable improvement of glycemic control and insulin sensitivity. However, the loss of abdominal fat may be more important for the improvement of the diabetic patient that weight loss alone

Sustainable urban mobility in European cities

To conceive the performance of the sustainability level in relation to transport infrastructure and systems, the economic, social and environmental composite indicators (CIs) were created. Each one was composed by 3 sub-indicators. To do that, data of 16 European cities were analyzed for the year 2015. With the creation of these indicators it is possible to discern which characteristics stand out in terms of sustainability in the transport system. The whole sample play a key role in these procedures, once the analysis of each dimensions in each city depends of the sample dimension. The perception of the forces and weaknesses at the transport level was performed through the CIs, and the cluster analysis. Additionally, the Pearson’s correlations were performed to compare some city’s specifications with the created indicators. The main findings prove that, cities that are small and denser show better results in terms of sustainability. Furthermore, richer cities tend to have a better performance in sustainability. This way, it is intended to better understand the flaws and to create more specific and efficient policies for the improvement of urban mobility.Para conceber o desempenho do nível de sustentabilidade em relação às infraestruturas e sistemas de transporte, foram criados indicadores compostos (ICs), a saber: económico, social e ambiental. Cada um deles foi composto por três sub-indicadores. Para fazer isso, dados de 16 cidades europeias foram analisadas relativamente ao ano de 2015. Com a criação desses indicadores, é possível discernir quais as características se destacam em termos de sustentabilidade no sistema de transporte. Toda a amostra desempenha um papel fundamental neste procedimento, uma vez que a análise de cada dimensão em cada cidade depende da dimensão da amostra. A perceção das forças e fraquezas no nível de transporte foi realizada por meio dos ICs e da análise de cluster. Além disso, a correlação de Pearson foi realizada para comparar algumas especificações das cidades com os indicadores criados. Os principais resultados provam que cidades pequenas e mais densas apresentam melhores resultados em termos de sustentabilidade. Também, cidades mais ricas tendem a ter um melhor desempenho em sustentabilidade. Desta forma, pretende-se compreender melhor as falhas e criar políticas mais específicas e eficientes para o melhoramento da mobilidade urbana

Plant growth-promoting microbes impact on plant performance, resilience, and rhizosphere microbiome assembly

Tese de mestrado, Biologia Evolutiva e do Desenvolvimento, Universidade de Lisboa, Faculdade de Ciências, 2020Interactions between microorganisms and plants have occurred for millions of years. Combining the capacity of light and CO2 usage by the plants with the capacity of efficient substrate usage by their microbiota, the water-to-land-transition was possible. Since then, plants and plant microbiota have coevolved, and today, the microbiome is considered as an extension of the plant’s genetic assembly. However, the agricultural revolution led to progressive alterations in habitat, crop managing practices, and breeding to promote crop production changing their evolutionary trajectory. Moreover, the trajectory of the co-evolution between crops and their microbiome is also changed. The soil, the plant, and the microorganisms are connected and impact each other. The rhizosphere is considered to be the most dynamic interface on Earth, and the microorganisms that exist there might promote plant growth and resilience. These microorganisms are referred to as Plant Growth-Promoting Microbes (PGPM), including Plant Growth-Promoting Rhizobacteria (PGPR) and Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi (AMF). The experimental work is divided into three chapters according to the plant-model. In the first one, microorganisms (AMF and bacteria) were collected from a wild relative of chrysanthemum (Dendranthema grandiflora). Plant Growth Promoting Rhizobacteria (PGPR) was submitted for molecular analysis. Three of them (previously selected by plant growth-promoting traits) were inoculated on five chrysanthemum commercial cultivars to test their impact on plant performance and root microbiome assembly. AMF was also inoculated with the same propose. PGPR impacted the number of nodes and root biomass of commercial chrysanthemum cultivars. AMF affected the root biomass of cultivars of chrysanthemum cultivated in autoclaved and non-autoclaved soil. AMF root colonization was not found. All the treatments impacted the microbiome assembly in the tested commercial cultivars. Concluding, PGPR and AMF obtained from wild chrysanthemum impacted growth performance and microbiome assembly in five commercial cultivars. In the second one, AMF collected from wild chrysanthemum were proliferated using millet (Panicum miliaceum) as a host in order to have an inoculum of two morphotypes. The two morphotypes of AMF spores were successfully multiplied in millet roots and sorrowing soil. Millet appeared as a good host for the propagation of AMF spores. Lastly, in the third chapter, the same AMF were inoculated in sorghum (Sorghum bicolor) to test their impact on plant performance and resilience against Striga hermonthica, a parasitic weed. Sorghum growth performance and resilience were impacted by the presence of S. hermonthica and/or AMF in the soil. AMF root colonization on sorghum was observed and AMF treatments reduced S. hermonthica germination by 59%. However, the reduction of the germination of S. hermonthica seeds did not increase the sorghum growth performance, so more studies are needed to understand these mechanisms. Promising results were found, but additional work is needed to understand how these inocula are best applied in the field and the mechanisms behind it. It is also necessary to comprehend how the entire microbiome is affected by the inocula and how these changes impact growth performance and resilience in both, chrysanthemum, and sorghum species

DEVELOPMENTAL DYSPLASIA OF THE HIP: IN THE PEDIATRICIAN VIEW

Introdução:A displasia de desenvolvimento da anca é uma doença frequente que pode evoluir para artrose da anca com necessidade de artroplastia de substituição, quando não tratada atempadamente. Objetivos:Os autores pretendem realizar uma breve revisão bibliográfica da terminologia, epidemiologia, fatores de risco, manifestações clínicas, exames complementares de diagnóstico, tratamento e prognóstico da displasia de desenvolvimento da anca. Desenvolvimento:O seguimento de protocolos de rastreio baseados na observação clínica e na presença de fatores de risco permite o diagnóstico precoce e a referenciação atempada à consulta de ortopedia infantil. Conclusão: A deteção precoce da displasia de desenvolvimento da anca está associada a tratamentos menos invasivos e mais eficazes e a melhor prognóstico.Introduction:Developmental dysplasia of the hip is a common disease and if not treated timely can evolve to hip arthrosis and arthroplasty. Objective:The article attempts to review the terminology, epidemiology, risk factors, clinical presentation, complementary exams, treatment and prognosis of developmental dysplasia of the hip. Development:Routine screening based on clinical findings and risk factors allows early diagnosis and referral to a pediatric orthopedic surgeon. Conclusion: The early diagnosis of the developmental dysplasia of the hip is associated with less invasive and more effective treatments and a better prognosis.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Does export intensity affect corporate leverage? Evidence from Portuguese SMEs

This paper examines the effect of export intensity on a firm's capital structure using a sample of 7,676 Portuguese SMEs. Results obtained from a system GMM estimation method show that the leverage ratio is negatively affected by export intensity. We document that firms with more growth opportunities have a higher leverage, while firms that have more profits, higher asset tangibility and face higher business risk have lower debt ratios. Our results also show that the implementation of governmental mechanisms that support export firms’ borrowing activities are critical in economies facing a financial crisisinfo:eu-repo/semantics/acceptedVersio

Before, during and post-pandemic: what happens to cultural events? The case of Perlim - the biggest christmas theme park in Portugal

The importance of tourism nowadays is crucial for the strengthening of the economy, not only for tourist cities but also for the cities that promote some type of event to boost the economy, that is, using events to generate income and a different dynamic for the communities. However, the Covid-19 pandemic caused numerous barriers to the events market around the world. Portugal was no exception, with all events being cancelled or postponed. This article aims to highlight the differences and challenges of preparing an event before and during the pandemic, with a special emphasis on the lessons for future events, whether in a pandemic environment or not. As an illustrative example, the case of Perlim, the largest Christmas Theme Park in Portugal is used, which had to adjust to government measures when the event was already underway, after being cancelled in 2020. This article describes the strategic and operational adaptations that were necessary and the changes that should remain for future cultural events like Perlim.publishe

Innovation, technology and quality

The purpose of this study is to understand the relationship between innovation and technology with quality through the review of previous studies and the real perception of individuals. Project/Methodology/Approach: The research method used is qualitative. This study carried out based on a literature review and with the application of an online questionnaire, in order to understand the perception of individuals when these terms are addressed. Findings: The findings are useful for business managers as these three areas are increasingly interconnected, being the path the organization's success. This study contributed to develop this concepts that be so important on nowadays. The focus on quality as a competitive tool is crucial but insufficient, and innovation and technology emerge as a new way of meeting customer requirements and expectations. Research limitations/implications: The literature review was limited to a database. Future research despite the little bibliography available on this topic, where the innovation and the technology are related to the quality, it's a very pertinent topic to be deepened and suggested for future investigations. Conclusions: This research concludes that the higher the level of investment in areas such as innovation, technology and quality, the best competitiveness and production performance will have the organizations. With the application of the questionnaire, it verifies that there isn't consensus among individuals on the definition of innovation and quality and even on technology only half of the participants had the same opinion. Originality/Value: This study contributed to a better perception and systematization of the relationship between quality and innovation.- (undefined

Community pharmacy services during the COVID-19 pandemic: a systematic review

Background: As a central part of the healthcare system, the community pharmacies are afflicted by the repercussions of the pandemic. Therefore, they have to adapt their services according to the needs of their communities. Objective: This article presents a systematic review with the aim to identify the additional services that community pharmacies are providing during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: The PubMed, Web of Science, and ScienceDirect databases were searched systematically for relevant articles between December 2019 and April 2020, using “Community Pharmacy,” “Services,” “COVID-19,” “Coronavirus,” and “Pandemic” as the keywords. Fifty-nine articles in English, Portuguese, or Spanish were obtained and after applying the filtering criteria, nine of them were selected and included in the study. Results: Community pharmacies should provide pharmaceutical services that are according to the needs of the communities. During the COVID-19 pandemic, changes of these services must be in line with the common goal of preventing the spread of the disease. In addition to the pre-existing services such as medication dispensing and personalized care, community pharmacists must promote other types of services, for example, informing, advising, and educating the community, maintaining a stable supply of pharmaceuticals and health products, and screening of suspected cases. Conclusion: While remaining engaged in the coordinated efforts, community pharmacists should apply innovations in their practices to help prevent the spread of coronavirus.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Geometric contrast feature for automatic visual counting of honey bee brood capped cells

Assessment of honey bee colony strength by measuring adults or brood is often required for ecological studies. The brood has typically been estimated through a subjective mode (Lieberfelder method), although it can also be objectively determined by counting (manually or automatically) the brood cells (capped or uncapped) from digital images. The manual counting of capped cells is highly prone to errors and a time-consuming and tedious task. An automatic way to accomplish that task allows reducing those drawbacks. The main challenge for developing an automatic method is, however, the presence of intraclass color variation; it is not possible to make a reliable detection based just on the pixel color presented by the capped cells. While several researchers are using the Hough transform to solve that problem, at certain light, noise, and surface conditions the automatic detection fails. After carefully observing capped cell regions of several combs, we identified a set of geometrical relations that could be used to build a consistent contrast feature. That feature is the key to detect the capped cells with a high accuracy in our work. A functional optimizer is performing a searching on the image looking for the locations that maximize the contrast on that feature. Our experimental results are showing a good detection rate (over 96%), despite the wide intraclass color variation. This research is funded through the 2013-2014 BiodivERsA/FACCE-JPI Joint call for research proposals, with the national funders FCT (Portugal), CNRS (France), and MEC (Spain).info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Vine microbiome: a deep analysis of the natural microbial community of Vitis vinifera L.

Doutoramento em BiologiaA vinha, Vitis vinifera L., abriga naturalmente um ecossistema microbiano complexo ou microbioma, tais como microrganismos neutros, fitopatogenos ou benéficos. Entre os fitopatogenos, aqueles implicados nas doenças do lenho da videira (GTDs) são responsáveis pelas doenças mais destrutivas, para o qual não existem tratamentos altamente eficazes. Por outro lado, os microrganismos benéficos (BCAs) podem desempenhar papéis específicos na proteção das plantas contra estes agentes. Neste sentido, o atual desafio consiste em compreender como estes BCAs interagem com a planta e qual o seu potencial biotecnológico para o desenvolvimento de novas estratégias de proteção da planta. Neste contexto, o objetivo deste estudo visou primeiramente analisar profundamente as comunidades microbianas associadas com a videira ao longo do seu ciclo de crescimento até à fermentação do vinho e, em seguida, compreender as interações entre vinha-BCAs-GTDs. Para isso, dois potenciais BCAs isolados da videira foram testados contra diferentes espécies de Botryosphaeriaceae e, em seguida, caracterizados relativamente ao seu potencial de colonização, de indução dos mecanismos de defesa da planta, na presença ou não do fitopatogeno (D. seriata F98.1), e análise do respetivo genoma. Os resultados demonstraram que o microbioma da videira é altamente dinâmico ao longo do ciclo de crescimento da planta. Como esperado, a biodiversidade microbiana é maior nos solos, e estas comunidades diferem significativamente daquelas presentes nas folhas e mostos vínicos. Contudo, alguns destes microrganismos são partilhados, o que sugere a existência de um microbioma comum. Diferentes isolados foram obtidos, pertencendo na sua maioria ao género Bacillus, Streptomyces e Aureobasidium. A videira é naturalmente colonizada por microrganismos com potencial antagonista de várias espécies de Botryosphaeriaceae. Entre estes, destacam-se os isolados Streptomyces sp. Fito_S127B e A. pullulans Fito_F278, que foram selecionados como potenciais BCAs. Estes microrganismos produzem diferentes enzimas extracelulares importantes para as atividades de controlo biológico e são capazes de colonizar com sucesso a videira: Fito_S127B coloniza a rizosfera, enquanto que Fito_F278 coloniza desde as raízes até às folhas. A inoculação artificial da videira com D. seriata F98.1 mostrou que o comprimento das lesões necróticas causadas pelo fitopatogeno são significativamente reduzidas na presença de Fito_S127B. Em contrapartida, a espécie Fito_F278 foi menos eficaz. Estes BCAs ativaram algumas respostas de defesa específicas da videira, o que permitiu uma resposta mais rápida e sólida da planta contra o agente fitopatogénico. A análise do genoma destes microrganismos permitiu averiguar diferentes genes que codificam compostos bioativos altamente importantes para o controlo biológico. De uma forma geral, este estudo abrange novos conhecimentos relativos à estrutura das comunidades microbianas associadas à videira e às suas interações. Para além disso, destaca que a videira ostenta naturalmente microrganismos com um controlo biológico promissor e que estes podem promover respostas de defesa importantes na planta. Neste sentido, estes resultados permitem não só uma melhor compreensão das interações da videira-BCAs-GTDs, mas também representam um forte contributo e avanço para o desenvolvimento de novas estratégias da gestão da vinha, tais como as doenças do lenho.Vitis vinifera L. is a widely cultivated fruit crop, that naturally harbours a complex microbial ecosystem or plant microbiome, such as neutral, phytopathogenic or beneficial microorganisms. Among phytopathogens, those implied in Grapevine Trunk Diseases (GTDs) are responsible for the most destructive diseases worldwide, and currently no highly effective treatments are available. Beneficial microorganisms (BCAs) may play specific roles on plant protection against phytopathogens though, the present challenge is to understand how such BCAs interact with plant and their biotechnological potential for development of innovation strategies. In this context, the aim of this study was firstly to unveil the microbial communities associated with grapevine along its growth cycle until wine fermentation and, secondly, to better understand the grapevine – BCAs – GTDs interactions. Two potential BCAs isolated from grapevine were tested against Botryosphaeriaceae species and then deep characterized, namely for their colonisation potential, induction of defence mechanisms in grapevine, in the presence or not of D. seriata F98.1, and their genome analysis. Results showed that grapevine microbiome was very dynamic along the growth cycle. As expected, the microbial biodiversity was higher in soils, and these microbial communities differed significantly from those of leaves and wine musts. A proportion of microbial communities was shared within these structures, suggesting the existence of a core microbiome. Several isolates were then obtained from grapevine which mostly belonged to Bacillus, Streptomyces and Aureobasidium genera. Some of them significantly decreased in vitro the mycelium growth of several Botryosphaeriaceae species, such as Streptomyces sp. Fito_S127B and A. pullulans Fito_F278 which were highly effective and thus selected as potential BCAs. These strains showed to produce a high range of extracellular enzymes with biocontrol value, and were able to successfully colonize grapevine: Fito_S127B was an epiphyte from rhizosphere, while Fito_F278 colonised grapevine from roots to leaves. The artificial inoculation of green stems with D. seriata F98.1 on cutting plants showed that the necrotic lesions length caused by the pathogen was significantly reduced by Fito_S127B, in contrast to Fito_F278, which was less effective. Furthermore, these BCAs activated some specific defence responses of grapevine, allowing a more rapid and solid response of plant against the pathogen. The genome analysis also showed that these BCAs strains are an important source of bioactive compounds of biocontrol value. Overall, this study brought new insights on the structure of microbial communities of grapevine and their interactions. Moreover, highlighted that grapevine is a natural source of microorganisms with a promising biocontrol against GTDs, and that they can promote plant defence responses. Thus, these findings provide not only a better understand of the grapevine- BCAs- GTDs interactions but also a strong contribution to future GTDs management strategy