L'image de la prostituée dans le roman du XIXe siècle : Le cas de Boule de suif de Maupassant

Ce mémoire de fin d’études se propose de montrer la façon dont Guy de Maupassant a contribué à la revalorisation de l’image de la prostituée dans la littérature du XIXe siècle, en se concentrant principalement sur la nouvelle Boule de suif. Sujet tabou depuis toujours, la prostitution a suscité une grande curiosité dans des domaines différents, notamment dans le social, scientifique et culturel. Au moment de l’apogée de la prostitution, la littérature a examiné ce thème sous la plume de divers auteurs et diverses formes, allant des courtisanes aux filles de rue. Maupassant se distingue par son approche humaniste et nuancée des filles publiques en s’éloignant des préjugés de son époque. Elisabeth Rousset incarne le patriotisme et l’héroïcité contrastant avec la lâcheté et l’égoïsme des autres personnages. À travers ses récits empreints de réalisme et de compassion, Maupassant donne aux prostituées une dignité et un courage souvent ignorés

Differences in susceptibility of deciduous and permanent teeth to erosion exist, albeit depending on protocol design and method of assessment.

Controversial results showing that deciduous teeth are more susceptible to erosion than permanent teeth might be related to study designs. We investigated how different conditions (pH: 3.0, 4.0, 5.0; acid agitation: gentle or vigorous; acid exposure times: 1-5 min) affect the susceptibility of both teeth to erosion. Enamel specimens (90 deciduous, 90 permanent) were distributed into groups (n = 15 permanent, n = 15 deciduous) according to acid pH (pH 5, 4 or 3) and agitation (gentle or vigorous) during erosive challenge. Both milder (less incubation time, gentle agitation, and higher pH) and more severe (longer incubation times, vigorous shaking, and lower pH) conditions were used. Demineralization was measured by relative surface microhardness (rSMH) and calcium released to the acid. Demineralization increased gradually for both teeth with increasing incubation time, agitation (gentle or vigorous), and with decreasing acid pH. The differences between deciduous and permanent teeth depended on the protocol design and assessment method. Under milder conditions, demineralization was better detectable with rSMH. Under more severe conditions, differences were more perceptible with calcium analyses. Differences exist in the susceptibility to erosion between deciduous and permanent teeth, but they are only distinguishable when the appropriate assessment method is used for the specific erosive condition

Assessing cognitive function in older adults using a videoconference approach

Background: The use of communication technologies is an emerging trend in healthcare and research. Despite efficient, reliable and accurate neuropsychological batteries to evaluate cognitive performance in-person, more diverse and less expensive and time consuming solutions are needed. Here we conducted a pilot study to determine the applicability of a videoconference (VC, Skype (R)) approach to assess cognitive function in older adults, using The Telephone Interview for Cognitive Status-Modified - Portuguese version (TICSM-PT). Methods: After inclusion and exclusion criteria, 69 individuals (mean age = 74.90 +/- 9.46 years), selected from registries of local health centers and assisted-living facilities, were assessed on cognitive performance using videoconference, telephone and in-person approaches. Findings: The videoconference administration method yielded comparable results to the traditional application. Correlation analyses showed high associations between the testing modalities: TICSM-PT VC and TICSM-PT telephone (r=0.885), TICSM-PT VC and MMSE face-to-face (r=0.801). Using the previously validated threshold for cognitive impairment on the TICSM-PT telephone, TICSM-PT VC administration presented a sensitivity of 87.8% and a specificity of 84.6%. Interpretation: Findings indicate for the range of settings where videoconference approaches can be used, and for their applicability and acceptability, providing an alternative to current cognitive assessment methods. Continued validation studies and adaptation of neuropsychological instruments is warranted.This work was funded by the European Commission (FP7): "SwitchBox" (Contract HEALTH-F2-2010-259772), and co-financed by the Portuguese North Regional Operational Program (ON.2 - O Novo Norte), under the National Strategic Reference Framework (QREN), through the European Regional Development Fund (FEDER), and by the Fundacao Calouste Gulbenkian (Portugal) (Contract grant number: P-139977; project "Better mental health during ageing based on temporal prediction of individual brain ageing trajectories (TEMPO)"). TCC and LA are recipients of a doctoral fellowship from the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT, Portugal; SFRH/BD/90078/2012 and SFRH/BD/101398/2014, respectively, the latter from the POCH program and co-financed by the Fundo Social Europeu and MCTES); PSM is supported by the FCT fellowship grant (PDE/BDE/113601/2015 from the PhD-iHES program); and, NCS of a Research Assistantship by FCT through the "FCT Investigator Programme (2008 Ciencia)".info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Longitudinal measurement invariance of memory performance and executive functioning in healthy aging

In this work, we examined the longitudinal measurement invariance of a battery composed of distinct cognitive parameters. A sample of 86 individuals (53.5% females; mean age = 65.73), representative of the Portuguese older population, with respect to sex, age and level of education was assessed twice over an average of two years. By means of a confirmatory factor analysis approach, we tested whether a two-factor solution [corresponding to measures of memory performance (MEM) and executive functioning (EXEC)] was reliable over time. Nested models of longitudinal invariance demonstrated the existence of partial strong invariance over time. In other words, this indicates that there is an equivalence of the factorial structure and factor loadings for all items; this was also observed for the item intercepts for all the items, except for one of the items from the EXEC dimension. Stability coefficients revealed high associations between the dimensions over time and that, whereas there was a significant decline of the MEM across time, this was not observed for the EXEC dimension. These findings reveal that changes in MEM and EXEC scores can be attributed to true changes on these constructs, enabling the use of this battery as a reliable method to study cognitive aging.PSM (ref: PDE/BDE/113601/2015 - PhD-iHES program), TCC (ref: SFRH/BD/90078/2012), LA (SFRH/BD/101398/2014) and CPN (ref: PD/BD/106050/2015 - PhDOC program) were supported by FCT fellowship grants. The work has been developed under the scope of the projects NORTE-01-0145-FEDER-000013 supported by the Northern Portugal Regional Operational Programme (NORTE 2020), under the Portugal 2020 (P2020) Partnership Agreement, through the European Regional Development Fund (FEDER) and POCI-01-0145-FEDER-016428 supported by the Operational Programme Competitiveness and Internationalization (COMPETE 2020) and the Regional Operational Program of Lisbon and National Funding through Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT, Portugal); and, by the Portuguese North Regional Operational Programme (ON.2 - O Novo Norte), under the National Strategic Reference Framework (QREN), through FEDER, the Fundação Calouste Gulbenkian (Portugal) (contract grant number: P-139977; project "TEMPO - Better mental health during ageing based on temporal prediction of individual brain ageing trajectories") and SwitchBox-FP7-HEALTH-2010-grant 259772-2info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

A non-genetic model of vascular shunts informs on the cellular mechanisms of formation and resolution of arteriovenous malformations

Arteriovenous malformations (AVMs), a disorder characterized by direct shunts between arteries and veins, are associated with genetic mutations. However, the mechanisms leading to the transformation of a capillary into a shunt remain unclear and how shunts can be reverted into capillaries is poorly understood. Here, we report that oxygen-induced retinopathy (OIR) protocol leads to the consistent and stereotypical formation of AV shunts in non-genetically altered mice. OIR-induced AV shunts show all the canonical markers of AVMs. Genetic and pharmacological interventions demonstrated that changes in endothelial cell (EC) volume of venous origin (hypertrophic venous cells) are the initiating step promoting AV shunt formation, whilst EC proliferation or migration played minor roles. Inhibition of mTOR pathway prevents pathological increases in EC volume and significantly reduces the formation of AV shunts. Importantly, we demonstrate that ALK1 signaling cell-autonomously regulates EC volume, demonstrating that our discoveries link with hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia (HHT)-related AVMs. Finally, we demonstrate that a combination of EC volume control and EC migration is associated with the regression of AV shunts. We demonstrate that an increase in the EC volume is the key mechanism driving the initial stages of AV shunt formation, leading to asymmetric capillary diameters. Based on our results, we propose a coherent and unifying timeline leading to the fast conversion of a capillary vessel into an AV shunt. Our data advocates for further investigation into the mechanisms regulating EC volume in health and disease as a way to identify therapeutic approaches to prevent and revert AVMs.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Iodine supplementation: compliance and association with adverse obstetric and neonatal outcomes

Free PMC article: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/pmid/34981750/Objectives: Over 1.9 billion people worldwide are living in areas estimated to be iodine insufficient. Strategies for iodine supplementation include campaigns targeting vulnerable groups, such as women in pre-conception, pregnancy and lactation. Portuguese women of childbearing age and pregnant women were shown to be mildly-to-moderately iodine deficient. As a response, in 2013, the National Health Authority (NHA) issued a recommendation that all women considering pregnancy, pregnant or breastfeeding, take a daily supplement of 150-200 μg iodine. This study explored how the iodine supplementation recommendation has been fulfilled among pregnant and lactating women in Portugal, and whether the reported iodine supplements intake impacted on adverse obstetric and neonatal outcomes. Design and methods: Observational retrospective study on pregnant women who delivered or had a fetal loss in the Braga Hospital and had their pregnancies followed in Family Health Units. Results: The use of iodine supplements increased from 25% before the recommendation to 81% after the recommendation. This was mostly due to an increase in the use of supplements containing iodine only. Iodine supplementation was protective for the number of adverse obstetric outcomes (odds ratio (OR) = 0.791, P = 0.018) and for neonatal morbidities (OR = 0.528, P = 0.024) after controlling for relevant confounding variables. Conclusion: The recommendation seems to have succeeded in implementing iodine supplementation during pregnancy. National prospective studies are now needed to evaluate the impact of iodine supplementation on maternal thyroid homeostasis and offspring psychomotor development and on whether the time of the beginning of iodine supplementation (how early during preconception or pregnancy) is relevant to consider.This work has been funded by National funds, through the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) – project UIDB/50026/2020 and UIDP/50026/2020 and by the project NORTE-01-0145-FEDER-000039, supported by Norte Portugal Regional Operational Programme (NORTE 2020), under the PORTUGAL 2020 Partnership Agreement, through the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). Funding agencies did not participate in any part of the research or in data or manuscript preparationinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Synthesis of Nitrostyrylthiazolidine-2,4-dione Derivatives Displaying Antileishmanial Potential

A series of 61 thiazolidine-2,4-diones bearing a styryl group at position 5 was synthesized in 2–5 steps and their structure was proved by elemental and spectral analyses. The compounds obtained were evaluated in vitro against the promastigote stage of the kinetoplastid parasite Leishmania infantum and the human HepG2 cell line, to determine selectivity indices and to compare their activities with those of antileishmanial reference drugs. The study of structure–activity relationships indicated the potential of some derivatives bearing a nitro group on the phenyl ring, especially when located at the meta position. Thus, among the tested series, compound 14c appeared as a hit compound with good antileishmanial activity (EC50 = 7 µM) and low cytotoxicity against both the hepatic HepG2 and macrophage THP-1 human cell lines (CC50 = 101 and 121 µM, respectively), leading to good selectivity indices (respectively, 14 and 17), in comparison with the reference antileishmanial drug compound miltefosine (EC50 = 3.3 µM, CC50 = 85 and 30 µM, SI = 26 and 9). Regarding its mechanism of action, among several possibilities, it was demonstrated that compound 14c is a prodrug bioactivated, predominantly by L. donovani nitroreductase 1, likely leading to the formation of cytotoxic metabolites that form covalent adducts in the parasite. Finally, compound 14c is lipophilic (measured CHI LogD7.7 = 2.85) but remains soluble in water (measured PBS solubility at pH7.4 = 16 µM), highlighting the antileishmanial potential of the nitrostyrylthiazolidine-2,4-dione scaffold.<br/

Synthesis of Nitrostyrylthiazolidine-2,4-dione Derivatives Displaying Antileishmanial Potential

A series of 61 thiazolidine-2,4-diones bearing a styryl group at position 5 was synthesized in 2–5 steps and their structure was proved by elemental and spectral analyses. The compounds obtained were evaluated in vitro against the promastigote stage of the kinetoplastid parasite Leishmania infantum and the human HepG2 cell line, to determine selectivity indices and to compare their activities with those of antileishmanial reference drugs. The study of structure–activity relationships indicated the potential of some derivatives bearing a nitro group on the phenyl ring, especially when located at the meta position. Thus, among the tested series, compound 14c appeared as a hit compound with good antileishmanial activity (EC50 = 7 µM) and low cytotoxicity against both the hepatic HepG2 and macrophage THP-1 human cell lines (CC50 = 101 and 121 µM, respectively), leading to good selectivity indices (respectively, 14 and 17), in comparison with the reference antileishmanial drug compound miltefosine (EC50 = 3.3 µM, CC50 = 85 and 30 µM, SI = 26 and 9). Regarding its mechanism of action, among several possibilities, it was demonstrated that compound 14c is a prodrug bioactivated, predominantly by L. donovani nitroreductase 1, likely leading to the formation of cytotoxic metabolites that form covalent adducts in the parasite. Finally, compound 14c is lipophilic (measured CHI LogD7.7 = 2.85) but remains soluble in water (measured PBS solubility at pH7.4 = 16 µM), highlighting the antileishmanial potential of the nitrostyrylthiazolidine-2,4-dione scaffold.<br/

Exercise training modalities for heart transplant recipients : a systematic review and network metaanalysis protocol

Introduction Heart transplantation is the gold standard treatment for selected patients with end-stage heart failure. Although this procedure can improve quality and prolong life expectancy, several of these patients persist with decreased exercise tolerance. Evidence suggests that exercise training can bring multifactorial benefits to heart transplant (HTx) recipients. However, it is unclear that exercise modality should be preferred. Therefore, the aim of this systematic review and network meta-analysis is to compare the efficacy and safety of different training modalities in HTx recipients. Methods and analysis We will perform a comprehensive literature search in PubMed/MEDLINE, Embase, The Cochrane Library, CINAHL, Scopus, SportDISCUS, Web of Science Core Collection and PEDro from inception until November 2020. Two registries (ClinicalTrials.gov and REBEC) will also be searched for potential results in unpublished studies. There will be no restriction on language, date of publication, publication status or sample size. We will include randomised controlled trials enrolling adult HTx recipients with the presence of at least one exercise training group, which might be compared with another training modality and/or a non-exercise control group for a minimum of 4 weeks of intervention. The primary outcomes will be peak oxygen consumption and occurrence of adverse events. As secondary outcomes, the interaction between pulmonary ventilation, pulmonary perfusion and cardiac output, oxygen uptake efficiency slope, heart rate response, oxygen pulse, peak blood pressure and peak subjective perception of effort. In addition, we will evaluate the 6min walking distance, health-related quality of life, endothelial function, muscle strength, body fat percentage and lean mass. Risk of bias will be assessed using the Cochrane RoB V.2.0 tool, and we plan to use the Confidence in Network Meta-Analysis tool to assess confidence in the results