The Portuguese internal colonization: the country that could have been, but it was not

The policies of internal colonization played a fundamental role in the nation-state building process, as well as in the transformation of the rural landscape. In Portugal, the colonization of common lands (baldios) had the objective of increasing agricultural production, to stop the proletarianization of agrarian communities, encouraging small family farming, and land-ownership. Although already proposed at the end of the 19th century, this process of rural colonization was further implemented in the 1940s and 1950s, the period in which a small number of Agricultural Colonies were built. While such process had produced new landscapes that can be regarded today as a cultural and architectural heritage, they remain poorly known and poorly recognized as such. This paper intends to reflect about the models of internal colonization defined in the scope of the political and ideological framework of the Estado Novo fascist regime. Based on different types of sources, it aims to better understand the significance of these rural landscapes as urban and architectural experiments, as well as to contribute to the identification of such settlements as relevant elements of the Portuguese cultural patrimony. Our conclusions do not fail to take into account the modest scale of the colonizing project undertaken by the Portuguese State when compared, for example, to what happened in Spain and Italy. Far below from what was initially planned and conceived, the construction of only 7 Agricultural Colonies can only be seen as trial run for a much larger agrarian reform that never came – the country that could have been, but it was not – taking the rural settlement of Pegões as a model

A colonização interna portuguesa e as novas paisagens rurais, o caso de Milagres

As políticas de colonização interna tiveram um papel fundamental na afirmação dos Estados e na transformação dos espaços rurais. Em Portugal, a colonização, em terrenos baldios e incultos, teve como objetivos incrementar a produção agrícola, travar a proletarização e incentivar a pequena agricultura familiar. Embora venha a ser proposta no final do século XIX, a sua concretização só acontece a partir de 1926, com a instalação da Colónia Agrícola de Milagres, no concelho de Leiria. As obras de colonização interna produziram novas paisagens que constituem hoje um património único, apesar de tudo pouco conhecido e divulgado. Com este artigo propomo-nos abordar o tema no contexto nacional e apresentar alguma pesquisa que tem sido desenvolvida no âmbito do projeto de investigação europeu: MODSCAPES, Modernist Reinventions of the Rural Landscape. São nossos objetivos contextualizar a temática da colonização interna realizada no quadro político-ideológico do Estado Novo, apresentar alguma investigação feita sobre as colónias agrícolas – designadamente sobre o caso de Milagres, e mostrar a importância destas paisagens agrárias enquanto elementos do património cultural dos Estados. Em termos metodológicos, a pesquisa fundamenta-se na análise documental, em informação recolhida em arquivos e teses produzidas no contexto académico. As nossas conclusões preliminares não deixam de ter em conta a escala modesta da ação colonizadora empreendida pelo Estado português se comparada, por exemplo, com o que sucedeu em Espanha e Itália. Muito aquém do inicialmente previsto e desejado, a construção de apenas 7 colonias agrícolas não pode ser vista senão como um processo de experimentação e ensaio, mas que acabou por nos deixar um legado material e imaterial importante do ponto de vista paisagístico, do ponto de vista cultural e identitário, do ponto de vista da formação de uma estrutura tecnocrática e de uma agenda científica nacional, promotora de novos saberes e conhecimento.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Microbiological characterization of protected designation of origin Serra da Estrela cheese

Serra da Estrela is the oldest and most recognizable traditional protected designation of origin (PDO) cheese from Portugal. It has been extensively studied over the years, but the latest microbial characterization is 20 years old. Hence, this work aimed to perform an updated characterization of Serra da Estrela PDO cheeses and raw materials. Our analysis showed that lactic acid bacteria content on Serra da Estrela cheeses exceeded 8.8 log CFUsg−1 , in all analyzed samples, with lactococci, lactobacilli and Leuconostoc spp. predominating over enterococci strains. Moreover, lactococci and lactobacilli abundance increased across the production season, while enterococci dropped considerably in late manufactures. Lastly, Leuconostoc spp. content remained unchanged in all analyzed periods. A correspondence analysis showed that L. paracasei, L. lactis, E. durans, E. faecium and L. mesenteroides are transversal in Serra da Estrela cheese manufacturing and were closely associated with milk, curd and cheese matrices. Additionally, L. casei, L. plantarum and L. curvatus were specifically associated with cheese matrices, possibly active during ripening and contributing for the development of these cheeses’ organoleptic characteristics.9814-6B05-9C03 | Ricardo Miguel Pereira Pintoinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Fragaria vesca L. Extract: A Promising Cosmetic Ingredient with Antioxidant Properties

© 2020 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).Fragaria vesca L. (F. vesca), popularly known as wild strawberry, is a plant from the Rosaceae family, found in temperate and subtropical areas of the northern hemisphere. F. vesca leaves have been shown to have antiseptic, emollient, and dermatological protection properties, due to the presence of bioactive compounds, such as flavonoids, phenolic acids, ellagitannins, and proanthocyanidins. In this study, a F. vesca extract was obtained by an optimized extraction process, and was characterized by HPLC, ROS scavenging activity, cytotoxicity assays in HaCaT cells, and tyrosinase inhibitory activity determination. The most active extract was then incorporated in a hydrogel with hydroxyethylcellulose at 2% (w/w), which was characterized at the physicochemical, stability, cytotoxicity, and ROS scavenging activity levels to evaluate its quality, safety, and efficacy. In vivo studies, human repeat insult patch testing, and an assay to determine their antioxidant efficacy, were also performed. The results showed that the Fragaria vesca extracts had antioxidant activity and that the F. vesca extract-based hydrogel exhibited cutaneous compatibility, acceptability and antioxidant efficacy, being stable, and suitable for topical application.This work was supported by UID/QUI/50006/2019 with funding from FCT/MCTES through national funds, and by Programa de Cooperación Interreg V-A España—Portugal (POCTEP) 2014–2020 (project 0377_IBERPHENOL_6_E). This research was also funded by Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia, Portugal (UID/DTP/04138/2019 to iMedUlisboa) and by PhD Trials.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

The value of multiparametric prediction scores in heart failure varies with the type of follow‐up after discharge: a comparative analysis

© 2023 The Authors. ESC Heart Failure published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of European Society of Cardiology. This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited and is not used for commercial purposes.Aims: Multiple prediction score models have been validated to predict major adverse events in patients with heart failure. However, these scores do not include variables related to the type of follow-up. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of a protocol-based follow-up programme of patients with heart failure regarding scores accuracy for predicting hospitalizations and mortality occurring during the first year after hospital discharge. Methods and results: Data from two heart failure populations were collected: one composed of patients included in a protocol-based follow-up programme after an index hospitalization for acute heart failure and a second one-the control group-composed of patients not included in a multidisciplinary HF management programme after discharge. For each patient, the risk of hospitalization and/or mortality within a period of 12 months after discharge was calculated using four different scores: BCN Bio-HF Calculator, COACH Risk Engine, MAGGIC Risk Calculator, and Seattle Heart Failure Model. The accuracy of each score was established using the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC), calibration graphs, and discordance calculation. AUC comparison was established by the DeLong method. The protocol-based follow-up programme group included 56 patients, and the control group, 106 patients, with no significant differences between groups (median age: 67 years vs. 68.4 years; male sex: 58% vs. 55%; median ejection fraction: 28.2% vs. 30.5%; functional class II: 60.7% vs. 56.2%, I: 30.4% vs. 31.9%; P = not significant). Hospitalization and mortality rates were significantly lower in the protocol-based follow-up programme group (21.4% vs. 54.7%; P < 0.001 and 5.4% vs. 17.9%; P < 0.001, respectively). When applied to the control group, COACH Risk Engine and BCN Bio-HF Calculator had, respectively, good (AUC: 0.835) and reasonable (AUC: 0.712) accuracy to predict hospitalization. There was a significant reduction of COACH Risk Engine accuracy (AUC: 0.572; P = 0.011) and a non-significant accuracy reduction of BCN Bio-HF Calculator (AUC: 0.536; P = 0.1) when applied to the protocol-based follow-up programme group. All scores showed good accuracy to predict 1 year mortality (AUC: 0.863, 0.87, 0.818, and 0.82, respectively) when applied to the control group. However, when applied to the protocol-based follow-up programme group, a significant predictive accuracy reduction of COACH Risk Engine, BCN Bio-HF Calculator, and MAGGIC Risk Calculator (AUC: 0.366, 0.642, and 0.277, P < 0.001, 0.002, and <0.001, respectively) was observed. Seattle Heart Failure Model had non-significant reduction in its acuity (AUC: 0.597; P = 0.24). Conclusions: The accuracy of the aforementioned scores to predict major events in patients with heart failure is significantly reduced when they are applied to patients included in a multidisciplinary heart failure management programme.This work was supported by national funds, Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia, reference number UIDB/00306/2020.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Glucocorticoids promote breast cancer metastasis

Diversity within or between tumours and metastases (known as intra-patient tumour heterogeneity) that develops during disease progression is a serious hurdle for therapy(1-3). Metastasis is the fatal hallmark of cancer and the mechanisms of colonization, the most complex step in the metastatic cascade(4), remain poorly defined. A clearer understanding of the cellular and molecular processes that underlie both intra-patient tumour heterogeneity and metastasis is crucial for the success of personalized cancer therapy. Here, using transcriptional profiling of tumours and matched metastases in patient-derived xenograft models in mice, we show cancer-site-specific phenotypes and increased glucocorticoid receptor activity in distant metastases. The glucocorticoid receptor mediates the effects of stress hormones, and of synthetic derivatives of these hormones that are used widely in the clinic as anti-inflammatory and immunosuppressive agents. We show that the increase in stress hormones during breast cancer progression results in the activation of the glucocorticoid receptor at distant metastatic sites, increased colonization and reduced survival. Our transcriptomics, proteomics and phospho-proteomics studies implicate the glucocorticoid receptor in the activation of multiple processes in metastasis and in the increased expression of kinase ROR1, both of which correlate with reduced survival. The ablation of ROR1 reduced metastatic outgrowth and prolonged survival in preclinical models. Our results indicate that the activation of the glucocorticoid receptor increases heterogeneity and metastasis, which suggests that caution is needed when using glucocorticoids to treat patients with breast cancer who have developed cancer-related complications.Peer reviewe

Análise da eficiência da tinta de base epoxídica na proteção do concreto leve com argila expandida contra o ataque por ácido sulfúrico

Este trabalho tem como objetivo realizar uma análise da eficiência da tinta de base epoxídica utilizada como proteção superficial do concreto leve com argila expandida submetido ao ataque por ácido sulfúrico (H2SO4). Ataques ácidos externos podem promover reações expansivas e a degradação acelerada, comprometendo assim a durabilidade das estruturas de concreto leve. Dentre as proteções desenvolvidas, as tintas têm um importante destaque, por possuírem boa aderência à superfície do concreto, serem resistentes ao intemperismo e à fotodegradação, além de apresentar boa estabilidade química. O desempenho da tinta de base epoxídica foi avaliado por meio de inspeção visual e de ensaios de resistência à compressão, absorção de água e perda de massa do concreto antes e após ataque químico. A avaliação por inspeção visual demonstrou que os corpos de prova de concreto leve com proteção superficial epoxídica apresentaram uma diminuição da perda de coesão da pasta causada pelo ataque. Os resultados dos ensaios de absorção de água, de perda de massa e de resistência mecânica demonstraram o bom desempenho da tinta de base epoxídica, impedindo a penetração do agente agressivo nos concretos protegidos. A pesquisa permite concluir que a proteção epoxídica reduz significativamente o impacto causado pelo ácido sulfúrico ao concreto e que pode garantir a durabilidade das estruturas confeccionadas com concretos leves de argila expandida.Palavras-chave: concreto leve, durabilidade, tinta epoxídica

Non‐invasive telemonitoring improves outcomes in heart failure with reduced ejection fraction : a study in high‐risk patients

© 2020 The Authors. ESC Heart Failure published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of the European Society of Cardiology. This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited and is not used for commercial purposes.Aims: Non-invasive telemonitoring (TM) in patients with heart failure (HF) and reduced left ventricular ejection fraction (HFrEF) may be useful in the early diagnosis of HF decompensation, allowing therapeutic optimization and avoiding re-hospitalization. We describe a TM programme in this population and evaluate its effectiveness during a 12 month period. Methods and results: We conducted a single-centre study of patients discharged from hospital after decompensated HF, allocated into three groups: prospective TM programme, prospective HF protocol follow-up programme (PFP) with no TM facilities, and retrospective propensity-matched usual care (UC). TM effectiveness was assessed by all-cause hospitalizations and mortality; HF-related hospitalization (HFH), days lost to unplanned hospital admissions/death, functional capacity and quality of life (New York Heart Association, Kansas City Cardiomyopathy Questionnaire, 6 min walk test, and plasma N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide) were also evaluated. A total of 125 patients were included [65.9 ± 11.9 years, 32% female, left ventricular ejection fraction 27% (21-32)]. TM was similar to PFP regarding effectiveness; TM reduced all-cause hospitalization and mortality (HR 0.27; 95% CI 0.11-0.71; P < 0.01) and HFH (HR 0.29; 95% CI 0.10-0.89; P < 0.05) as compared with UC. TM reduced the average number of days lost due to unplanned hospital admissions or all-cause death as compared with PFP (5.6 vs. 12.4 days, P < 0.05) and UC (5.6 vs. 48.8 days, P < 0.01). Impact on quality of life was similar between TM and PFP (P = 0.36). Conclusions: In patients with HFrEF and recent HF hospitalization, non-invasive TM reduced 12 month all-cause hospitalization/mortality and HFH as compared with usual care. TM also reduced the number of days lost due to unplanned hospital admission/death as compared with either an optimized protocol-based follow-up programme or usual care.This work was supported by National Health System programme with specific budget attributed to non-invasive TM of HF patients. TM was performed in cooperation with Linde Healthcare®, which had no role in the data interpretation or writing of the report. The corresponding author had full access to all the data in the study and had the final responsibility for the decision to submit for publication.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Patient-physician discordance in assessment of adherence to inhaled controller medication: a cross-sectional analysis of two cohorts

We aimed to compare patient's and physician's ratings of inhaled medication adherence and to identify predictors of patient-physician discordance.(SFRH/BPD/115169/2016) funded by Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia (FCT); ERDF (European Regional Development Fund) through the operations: POCI-01-0145-FEDER-029130 ('mINSPIRERS—mHealth to measure and improve adherence to medication in chronic obstructive respiratory diseases—generalisation and evaluation of gamification, peer support and advanced image processing technologies') cofunded by the COMPETE2020 (Programa Operacional Competitividade e Internacionalização), Portugal 2020 and by Portuguese Funds through FCT (Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia).info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio