HSP60: Issues and Insights on Its Therapeutic Use as an Immunoregulatory Agent

Heat shock proteins 60 (HSP60) is one of the most well studied member of the HSP family. Although found to be a target self antigen in pathological autoimmunity and HSP60-reactive T and B cells are part of immune responses in several infectious diseases, there is consistent experimental evidence that HSP60 displays dominant immunoregulatory properties. There are a series of reports on animal models showing that the administration of HSP60 can modulate inflammatory diseases. However, HSP60 has both immune-regulatory and inflammatory properties placing it as an essentially homeostatic antigen, but with potentially harmful effects as well. There have been a series of reports on the successful use of HSP60 and its peptides as immune-modulatory agent for several models of autoimmune diseases and in some clinical trials as well. We believe that the potential risks of HSP60 as a therapeutic agent can be controlled by addressing important factors determining its effects. These factors would be route of administration, appropriate peptides, time point of administration in the course of the disease, and possible association with other modulatory agents

Life-cycle assessment of a single-family timber house

This paper aims to produce a “cradle-to-cradle” life-cycle assessment for a singlefamily timber house, prefabricated in northern Portugal, to be assembled in Paris area, France. The three-story building has concrete foundations and basement. Above ground level, all the structure is made of solid wood and OSB panels, with gypsum board finishing on the inside and red cedar wood on the outside. All the thermal insulation is made of rockwool. The tool used for the life-cycle assessment was GaBi software and extensive databases from several sources, including data supported directly from the building manufacturer. In addition, a sensitivity analysis is performed in order to identify the most influent parameters in the life cycle analysis

A sustentabilidade do uso da madeira na construção

Dissertação de mestrado em Construção e Reabilitação SustentáveisO presente trabalho aponta ao objetivo geral de explorar o potencial do uso da Madeira na Construção, sob a perspectiva da sustentabilidade e dos atuais métodos de Avaliação de Ciclo de Vida (ACV). Apresenta-se um enquadramento preliminar, que pretende situar a madeira nas várias dimensões e linhas de orientação para a Sustentabilidade da Construção. Em seguida, avaliam-se as possibilidades e limitações das Avaliações de Ciclo de Vida de edifícios de madeira, através da sua aplicação a casos de estudo segundo duas diferentes abordagens: a primeira estabelece uma comparação (ambiental e económica) entre dois sistemas estruturais: madeira e aço leve; a segunda, quantifica exaustivamente os impactos ambientais de uma solução-base, que é de seguida sujeita a uma análise de sensibilidade para aferição de quais as variáveis que provocam as maiores variações nos resultados da ACV. Por fim, em resultado da experimentação efectuada, apresenta-se uma lista de contributos para a formulação de uma Metodologia de Avaliação da Sustentabilidade adaptada às particularidades dos edifícios de madeira.This research work points to the main goal of exploring the potential associated with timber construction, under a Sustainability point of view, along with the available Life-cycle Assessment (LCA) methods. It starts with a state-of-the art that contextualizes timber in the three dimensions of sustainable development, and presents a guideline for a more sustainable construction industry. The possibilities and constraints of the LCA, applied to timber buildings, are assessed through two different case studies: the first one is a comparative assessment, which aims to compare timber frame and light steel framing as a structural option to a single-family house; on the second one, a single project is assessed in detail, performing a sensitivity analysis in order to determine which life-cycle options (end-of-life, transport...) produce the most noticeable impacts. As a summary, at the end of the essay some contributions are given, in order to a future definition of a Sustainability Assessment method that can be fully suitable for timber buildings

Mineral Monitorization in Different Tissues of Solanum tuberosum L. during Calcium Biofortification Process

Calcium is one of the 16 essential elements for plants, being required as Ca2+ and being involved in several fundamental processes (namely, in the stability and integrity of the cell wall, the development of plant tissue, cell division, and in stress responses). Moreover, Ca plays an important role in potato production. In this context, this study aimed to monitor the culture development (in situ and using an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV)) and the mineral content of four essential elements (Ca, P, K, and S) in different organs of Solanum tuberosum L. (roots, stems, leaves, and tubers) during a calcium biofortification process, carried out with two types of solutions (CaCl2 and Ca- EDTA) with two concentrations (12 and 24 kg ha1). The calcium content generally increased in the S. tuberosum L. organs of both varieties and showed, after the last foliar application, an increase in Ca content that varied between 5.7–95.6% and 20.7–33%, for the Picasso and Agria varieties, respectively. The patterns of accumulation in both varieties during the biofortification process were different between the variety and mineral element. Regarding the quality analysis carried out during the development of the tubers, only the Agria variety was suitable for industrial processing after the last foliar applicationinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Sustainability and cultural heritage buildings

[Excerpt from Introduction] Conservation of cultural heritage buildings is a demand from society, which recognizes this heritage as a part of their identity, but it is also an economical issue. In Europe, tourism accounts for 10% of the GDP and 12% of the employment, if linked sectors are considered [x.1]. The EU is the world's number one tourist destination, with 40 % of arrivals in the world and with 7 European countries among the top ten [x.2]. According to the WTO estimates, international tourist arrivals in Europe will increase significantly. The built European heritage, namely monuments or historical centres, is a main attractor for tourism, with 45% of the UNESCO World Heritage sites within the EU. Therefore, the need for their conservation is unquestionable. [...

Enrichment of Grapes with Zinc-Efficiency of Foliar Fertilization with ZnSO4 and ZnO and Implications on Winemaking

Grapes and wine are widely consumed in the world, yet their mineral content can be influenced by many factors such as the mineral composition of soils, viticulture practices and environmental conditions. In this context, considering the importance of Zn in the human physiology, the enrichment of Moscatel and Castelão grapes (white and red variety, respectively) with this nutrient prompted this study; further assessment of tissue deposition and some implications for wine production. Using two foliar fertilizers (ZnO or ZnSO4, at 150, 450 and 900 g ha1), decreases in net photosynthesis and stomatal conductance occurred in both varieties, suggesting that the physiological threshold of Zn toxicity was reached without visible symptoms. Following foliar spraying with both fertilizers, the content of Zn in leaves of the Castelão and Moscatel varieties showed higher values in all treatments relative to the control. Moreover, in grapes this tendency occurred only in Castelão. Concerning Cu, Fe, Ca, K, S and P, some significant differences also happened in leaves and grapes among treatments. At harvest, the indexes of Zn enrichment in grapes increased between 2.14- and 8.38-fold and between 1.02- and 1.44-fold in Castelão and Moscatel varieties, respectively. Zinc in the dried skin of Castelão only increased with ZnO and ZnSO4 sprayed at 900 g ha1 (ca. 2.71- and 1.5-fold relative to the control, respectively), but in Moscatel a clear accumulation trend could not be found. The dry weight of grapes ranged (in %) between 16 and 23 (but did not vary significantly among treatments of each variety or in each treatment between varieties), and total soluble solids (e.g., mainly soluble sugars and proteins) and color parameters showed some significant variations. Through winemaking, the contents of Zn increased in both varieties (1.34- and 3.57-fold, in Castelão and Moscatel, respectively) and in all treatments, although non-significantly in Castelão. It is concluded that, to increase the contents of Zn in grapes without reaching the threshold of toxicity ZnO or ZnSO4 can be used for foliar spraying of Castelão and Moscatel varieties until 900 g ha1 and that winemaking augments the level of this nutrientinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Wood dimensional changes as consequences of its hygroscopic behavior

Wood has a strong hygroscopic behavior, with a huge variation of moisture content and dimension stability caused by modifications of the relative humidity and temperature of the surrounding air. This moisture relationship has an important influence on wood properties and performance. Many of the challenges of using wood as an engineering material arise from changes in moisture content or an abundance of moisture within the wood. Wood is dimensionally stable when moisture content is greater than the fiber saturation point (MCfs). Below MCfs wood changes dimension as it gains moisture (swells) or loses moisture (shrinks), because volume of the cell wall depends on the amount of bound water. With respect to dimensional stability, wood is an anisotropic material. It shrinks (or swells) most in the direction of the annual growth rings (tangentially), about half as much across the rings (radially), and only slightly along the grain (longitudinally). In this work, an experimental program was defined with the aim to evaluate the dimensional stability of three coniferous wood species: maritime pine (Pinus pinaster), scots pine (Pinus sylvestris) and spruce (Picea abies). Comparing the wood species, it is the Spruce (A) that presents higher dimensional changes, while it is the Maritime pine (P) that is more stable under moisture content variation. Tests results allow to conclude that the most important dimensional variation occurs in the first 24 hours

Surface functionalization of cuttlefish bone-derived biphasic calcium phosphate scaffolds with polymeric coatings

Cuttlefish bone (CB) has been explored as biomaterial in the bone tissue-engineering field due to its unique porous structure and capacity of the aragonite mineral to be hydrothermally converted into calcium phosphates (CaPs). In the present study, undoped and ion (Sr2+, Mg2+ and/or Zn2+) doped biphasic calcium phosphate (BCP) scaffolds were prepared by hydrothermal transformation (HT, 200 °C, 24 h) of CB. The obtained scaffolds were sintered and then coated with two commercial polymers, poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL) or poly(DL-lactide) (PDLA), and with two synthesized ones, a poly(ester amide) (PEA) or a poly(ester urea) (PEU) in order to improve their compressive strength. The scaffolds were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD) coupled with structural Rietveld refinement, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The results demonstrate that CB could be entirely transformed into BCPs in the presence or absence of doping elements. The initial CB structure was preserved and the polymeric coatings did not jeopardize the interconnected porous structure. Furthermore, the polymeric coatings enhanced the compressive strength of the scaffolds. The in vitro bio-mineralization upon immersing the scaffolds into simulated body fluid (SBF) demonstrated the formation of bone-like apatite surface layers in both uncoated and coated scaffolds. Overall, the produced scaffolds exhibit promising properties for bone tissue engineering applications.publishe

Ciprofloxacin resistance in domestic wastewater treatment plants

The potential of domestic wastewater treatment plants to contribute for the dissemination of ciprofloxacin-resistant bacteria was assessed. Differences on bacterial counts and percentage of resistance in the raw wastewater could not be explained on basis of the size of the plant or demographic characteristics of population served. In contrast, the treated effluent of the larger plants had significantly more heterotrophs and enterobacteria, including ciprofloxacin-resistant organisms, than the smaller (p<0.01). Moreover, longer hydraulic retention times were associated with significantly higher percentages of resistant enterobacteria in the treated effluent (p<0.05). Independently of the size or type of treatment used, domestic wastewater treatment plants discharged per day at least 1010–1014 colony forming units of ciprofloxacin-resistant bacteria into the receiving environment.info:eu-repo/semantics/acceptedVersio

Automedicação numa cidade do norte de Portugal

A automedicação é definida como o consumo de um medicamento sem orientação ou prescrição de profissionais competentes, no qual o próprio paciente decide o produto que será utilizado, podendo ser realizada com produtos industrializados ou remédios caseiros. Objetivos: Determinar a prevalência e a frequência da automedicação; caracterizar a terapêutica usada, motivos, averiguar a comunicação ao médico, a ocorrência de efeitos indesejáveis e o conhecimento sobre os riscos; bem como determinar fatores associados à automedicação. Métodos: O estudo realizado foi do tipo transversal e descritivo-correlacional. Nele participaram 330 indivíduos, 57,0% do sexo feminino e 43,0% do sexo masculino, com idades compreendidas entre os 18 e os 88 anos (média 41,3). A recolha de dados foi realizada através de um questionário de autopreenchimento. Na análise estatística aplicaram-se medidas de tendência central e de dispersão, e o teste do qui-quadrado considerando o nível de significância de 5%. Resultados: Verificou-se que a prevalência da automedicação foi de 87,6%, dos quais 78,2% afirmam tê-lo feito no último ano; a maioria (81,2%) afirma automedicar-se apenas algumas vezes por ano, havendo uma minoria que o faz diariamente (0,9%). Recorrem com mais frequência ao Paracetamol e ao Ibuprofeno, sendo as cefaleias e constipações os principais motivos. Dos indivíduos que se automedicam, 52,1% admitem informar o seu médico dos medicamentos não prescritos que utilizam e 83,0% afirmaram não ter notado a ocorrência de efeitos indesejáveis. Da totalidade dos indivíduos inquiridos, 88,2% afirmam que a automedicação constitui algum tipo de risco para a saúde. O género e a escolaridade parecem estar associados à automedicação (p<0,001 e p=0,01, respetivamente). Conclusão: A automedicação é bastante prevalente, mas pouco frequente ao longo do ano. Os analgésicos e anti-inflamatórios são os medicamentos mais usados, devido a dores de cabeça e constipações. Apenas cerca de metade dos indivíduos que se automedicam informam o médico, e a maioria não sentiu efeitos indesejados. A automedicação é considerada como perigosa para a saúde e parece estar associada ao género e escolaridade