A fluência verbal na perturbação do espectro do autismo : processos executivos, análise temporal e tipicidade

Tese de mestrado, Ciência Cognitiva, Universidade de Lisboa, Faculdade de Ciências, Faculdade de Letras, Faculdade de Medicina, Faculdade de Psicologia, 2014A fluência verbal é uma tarefa cognitiva complexa que envolve processos linguísticos, mnésicos e executivos. As análises quantitativas, qualitativas e temporais da fluência verbal, assim como do nível de tipicidade das respostas produzidas, podem contribuir para a compreensão dos processos cognitivos característicos dos indivíduos com Perturbação do Espectro do Autismo (PEA). No presente estudo foi comparado o desempenho na fluência verbal fonémica (letras “P”, “M”, “R”) e na fluência verbal semântica (“animais”, “frutos”, “vestuário”), em adultos com Perturbação do Espetro do Autismo (n = 20) e um grupo de controlo neurotípico (n = 20). Todos os participantes foram pareados por idade, género, QI verbal e nível de escolaridade. Os resultados mostraram que os participantes com Perturbação do Espetro do Autismo (PEA) foram significativamente comprometidos no seu desempenho em ambos os testes de fluência verbal (fonémica e semântica), com uma produção de palavras inferior ao grupo de controlo. Relativamente às estratégias de agrupamento (semântico) e alternância (não semântico) não ocorreram diferenças estatisticamente significativas entre os grupos de estudo, quer na tarefa de fluência verbal fonémica, quer na fluência verbal semântica, assim como também não foi observada qualquer distinção entre o número e o tipo de erros produzidos, para ambas as fluências verbais, no total das tarefas aplicadas. As análises das tarefas em função do tempo (períodos de 15 segundos) revelaram dados significativamente divergentes entre grupos. Os indivíduos com PEA, apesar de apresentarem diminuição da produção de palavras à medida que o tempo aumenta (tal como acontece nos indivíduos normotípicos), têm deficitários os processos automáticos (primeiros 15 segundos) e praticamente todos os períodos correspondentes aos processos executivos ou controlados (restantes 45 segundos), em ambas as tarefas de fluência verbal. Quanto à tipicidade, não ocorreu qualquer diferença significativa entre os grupos, ambos a apresentar níveis de tipicidade semelhantes e com um número relativo de palavras não-classificadas também equivalente. Esta última constatação parece sugerir que os indivíduos adultos com PEA têm compensadas as dificuldades conceptuais e de níveis de organização lexical, por vezes verificadas em crianças com esta perturbação. Tal como previsto, os défices de fluência não foram atribuídos a uma falha na utilização de estratégias ou a dificuldades de alternância entre as estratégias, a confirmar estudos anteriores (Spek et al., 2009). A dificuldade na fluência verbal do grupo PEA pode ser resultante de um défice em processos automáticos e executivos de iniciação e ativação, a desencadear um processo mais lento na recuperação de itens.Verbal fluency is a complex cognitive task involving linguistic, mnesic and executive processes. Quantitative, qualitative and temporal analyzes of verbal fluency, as well as the level of typicality of responses produced, might contribute to understanding cognitive processes characteristic of individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). The present study compared the performance of phonemic verbal fluency (letters "P", "M", "R") and semantic verbal fluency ("animals" , "food", "clothing") , in adults with autism spectrum disorder (n = 20) and a neurotypical control group (n = 20). All participants were matched for age, gender, verbal IQ and educational level. The results showed that participants with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) had significantly compromised performance in both verbal fluency tests (phonemic and semantic), with less production of words than the control group. Regarding clustering (semantic) and switching (not semantic) strategies, there were no statistically significant differences between the study groups, neither in phonemic verbal fluency task (letter "P") nor semantic verbal fluency (category "animals"), and also there was no distinction between the number and type of errors produced for both verbal tasks, in the total applied fluency. The analysis of tasks as function of time (a period of 15 seconds) data revealed significant differences between groups. Individuals with ASD, despite showing reduced production of words as time increases (such as in normotipycal individuals) have automatic processes deficits (first 15 seconds) as well as in almost all the periods of executives or control processes (remaining 45 seconds), in both verbal fluency tasks. Regarding typicality there was no significant difference between groups, both having similar levels of typicality and a relative number of non-classified words also equivalent. This last finding seems to suggest that adults with ASD have offset the conceptual and lexical levels of organization difficulties sometimes observed in children with this disorder. As expected, the deficits of fluency were not attributed to a failure in the use of strategies or difficulties in switching between strategies, confirming previous studies (Spek et al., 2009). The difficulty in verbal fluency PEA group may be the result of a semantic deficit in automatic and executive processes, initiation and activation, and may lead to a slower process in recovering items

Challenges in the rabbit haemorrhagic disease 2 (RHDV2) molecular diagnosis of vaccinated rabbits

Molecular methods are fundamental tools for the diagnosis of viral infections. While interpretation of results is straightforward for unvaccinated animals, where positivity represents ongoing or past infections, the presence of vaccine virus in the tissues of recently vaccinated animals may mislead diagnosis. In this study, we investigated the interference of RHDV2 vaccination in the results of a RT-qPCR for RHDV2 detection, and possible associations between mean Cq values of five animal groups differing in age, vaccination status and origin (domestic/wild). Viral sequences from vaccinated rabbits that died of RHDV2 infection (n = 14) were compared with the sequences from the commercial vaccines used in those animals. Group Cq means were compared through Independent t-test and One-way ANOVA. We proved that RHDV2 vaccine-RNA is not detected by the RT-qPCR as early as 15 days post- vaccination, an important fact in assisting results interpretation for diagnosis. Cq values of vaccinated and non-vaccinated infected domestic adults showed a statistically significant difference (p < 0.05), demonstrating that vaccination-induced immunity reduces viral loads and delays disease progression. Contrarily, in vaccinated young rabbits higher viral loads were registered compared to non-vaccinated kittens. No significant variation (p = 0.3824) was observed between viral loads of non- vaccinated domestic and wild RHDV2-victimised rabbits. Although the reduced number of vaccinated young animals analysed hampered a robust statistical analysis, this occurrence suggests that passively acquired maternal antibodies may inhibit the active immune response to vaccination, delaying protection and favouring disease progression. Our finding emphasises the importance of adapting kitten RHDV2 vaccination schedules to circumvent this interference phenomenon

Tracking the Origin of a Rabbit Haemorrhagic Virus 2 Outbreak in a Wild Rabbit Breeding Centre in Portugal; Epidemiological and Genetic Investigation

As key prey, the wild rabbit downsize constitutes a major drawback on the endangered Iberian lynx (Lynx pardinus) re-introduction in the Iberia. Several captive breeding units mostly located in Alentejo, endeavour the wild rabbit repopulation of depleted areas assigned for the lynx re-introduction. Here we report an RHDV2 outbreak that occurred in early 2016 in a wild rabbit captive breeding unit located in Barrancos municipality. The estimated mortality rate between March and April 2016 was approximately 8.67%. Anatomopathologic examination was carried out for 13 victimized rabbits. Molecular characterization was based on the complete vp60 capsid gene. The 13 rabbit carcasses investigated showed typical macroscopic RHD lesions testing positive to RHDV2- RNA. Comparison of the vp60 nucleotide sequences obtained from two specimens with others publically available disclosed similarities below 98.22% with RHDV2 strains originated in the Iberia and Azores and revealed that the two identical strains from Barrancos-2016 contain six unique single synonymous nucleotide polymorphisms. In the phylogenetic analysis performed, the Barrancos-2016 strains clustered apart from other known strains, meaning they may represent new evolutionary RHDV2 lineages. No clear epidemiological link could be traced for this outbreak where the mortalities were lower compared with previous years. Yet, network analysis suggested a possible connection between the missing intermediates from which the strains from Barrancos 2013, 2014 and 2016 have derived. It is therefore possible that RHDV2 has circulated endemically in the region since 2012, with periodic epizootic occurrences. Still, six years after its emergence in wild rabbits, RHDV2 continues to pose difficulties to the establishment of natural wild rabbit populations that are crucial for the self-sustainability of the local ecosystems

Tuberculosis among the homeless: should we change the strategy?

BACKGROUND: Tuberculosis (TB) is a major concern among high-risk populations such as the homeless. OBJECTIVES: To evaluate TB incidence and treatment outcomes among homeless patients in Portugal and to identify predictors of unsuccessful TB treatment outcomes among the homeless. DESIGN: This was a retrospective cohort study of all TB patients notified in Portugal from 2008 to 2014. Characteristics of homeless TB patients were assessed and predictors of unsuccessful TB treatment were determined using logistic regression. RESULTS: TB incidence among the homeless was 122/100 000 homeless persons and was positively correlated with TB incidence among non-homeless persons. Homeless TB patients had a higher prevalence of alcohol and/or drug use, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) co-infection, cavitary TB and smear positivity. The rate of unsuccessful treatment outcomes among the homeless was 28.6%, and was significantly associated with increased age, injection drug use (IDU) and HIV co-infection. CONCLUSION: TB incidence among homeless persons was five times that among the non-homeless, and higher in regions with greater TB incidence among non homeless persons. The successful treatment outcome rate was lower. Predictors of unsuccessful treatment were age, IDU and HIV co-infection. Integrated TB programmes targeting homeless and non-homeless patients, with measures targeting specific characteristics, may contribute to TB elimination in Portugal.CONTEXTE : La tuberculose (TB) est un souci majeur dans les populations à haut risque comme les personnes sans domicile fixe. OBJECTIFS : Evaluer le taux d’incidence de la TB et les resultats du traitement parmi des patients sans domicile fixe au Portugal et identifier les facteurs de préediction d’ échec du traitement de la TB parmi ces patients. SCHÉMA : Etude rétrospective de cohorte incluant tous les patients TB notifies au Portugal entre 2008 et 2014. Les caractéristiques des patients sans domicile fixe ont été ́évaluées et les facteurs de prédiction d’ échec du traitement de la TB ont été déterminés par ŕegression logistique. RESULTATS : Le taux d’incidence de la TB parmi les personnes sans domicile fixe a été de 122/100 000, et il a été positivement corrélé avec l’incidence de la TB parmi le reste de la population. Les patients tuberculeux sans domicile fixe avaient une prévalence plus élevée de consommation d’alcool et/ou de drogues, de co- infection au virus de l’immunodéficience humaine (VIH), de forme caverneuse et de frottis positif. Le taux d’ ́echec du traitement a ́et ́e de 28,6% ; l’ ́echec a ́ et ́esignificativement associé à un âge plus avancé, à la consommation de drogues injectables et à la co-infection par le VIH. CONCLUSION : L’incidence dela TB parmi les personnes sans domicile fixe a été cinq fois plus élevée que celle du reste de la population et plus haute dans les régions ou l’incidence dans le reste de la population est egalement plus élevée. Leur taux d’ échec du traitement à été plus faible. Les facteurs de prédiction d’ échec du traitement ont été l´âge, la consommation de drogues injectables et la co-infection `a VIH. Des programmes de TB intégrés ciblant les patients sans domicile fixe et les autres, avec des mesures spécifiques adaptées à leurs caractéristiques particulières, pourrait contribuer à l’ élimination de la TB au Portugal.MARCO DE REFERENCIA: La tuberculosis (TB) constituye una gran preocupación en las poblaciones muy vulnerables como las personas sin hogar. OBJETIVOS: Evaluar la tasa de incidencia de TB y los desenlaces terapéuticos en las personas sin domicilio en Portugal y definir los factores pronósticos de fracaso terapéutico en este grupo de la población. MÉTODO: Fue este un estudio retrospectivo de cohortes de todos los pacientes con diagnóstico de TB notificados del 2008 al 2014 en Portugal. Mediante un análisis de regresión logística se analizaron las características de los pacientes tuberculosos sin hogar y los factores pronósticos de fracaso terapéutico. RESULTADOS: La tasa de incidencia de TB en la población sin hogar fue 122 por 100 000 personas y exhibió una correlación positiva con la incidencia de TB en las personas con domicilio. Los pacientes con diagnóstico de TB y sin hogar presentaron una prevalencia más alta de consumo de alcohol y/o de drogas, de coinfección por el virus de la inmunodeficiencia humana (VIH), de lesiones cavernosas y de resultados positivos de la baciloscopia. La tasa de fracaso terapéutico en esta población fue 28,6% y se asoción de manera significativa con una mayor edad, el consumo de drogas intravenosas y la coinfección por el VIH. CONCLUSIÓN: La incidencia de TB en las personas sin hogar fue cinco veces mayor que en las personas con domicilio y fue más alta en las regiones con una mayor incidencia de TB en las personas con domicilio. La tasa de éxito terapéutico en las personas sin hogar fue más baja. Los factores pronósticos de fracaso terapéutico fueron la edad, el consumo de drogas intravenosas y la coinfecció non por el VIH. La ejecución de programas integrados de atención de la TB dirigidos a las personas sin hogar y con domicilio, que comporten medidas específicas que aborden sus características particulares, podrıa contribuir a la eliminación de la TB en PortugalStudy Group for Infectious Diseases of Instituto de Saúde Púublica da Universidade do Porto who collaborated on this project: B Miranda, C Carvalho, C Matos, C Carvalho, G Rodrigues, J Goncalves, L Maio and T Rito. This work was supported by contributions from Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway through the European Economic Area Grants under the Public Health Initiatives Programme (PT 06, grant number 138DT1). RG was also partially supported by Centro de Matemática da Universidade do Porto (UID/MAT/00144/2013), which is funded by Fundação do Ministério de Ciência e Tecnologia(Portugal) with national (MEC) and European structural funds (Fonds europeen de d ́eveloppement economique et regional) under the PT2020 Partnership Agreementinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Os setubalenses e mercado do livramento de Setúbal: comportamentos de compra sustentáveis

info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Projetos de investigação aplicada: reflexões sobre o design e a metodologia de um projeto aplicado ao mercado do livramento, Setúbal

O objetivo deste estudo é discutir o design e metodologias para o desenvolvimento de projetos colaborativos e em rede entre as Instituições de Ensino Superior (IES) e a Administração Pública Local (APL), através de estudo de caso aplicado ao Mercado Municipal do Livramento Setúbal (MLS). Neste âmbito, este projeto envolve um conjunto diversificado de relacionados com o mercado e é consolidade em três grandes fases: diagnóstico de problemas, identificação de propostas de melhoria e disseminação de resultados. A complexidade dos problemas que atualmente a APL enfrenta (Klijn e Koppenjan, 2016), exige processos de governança e em rede com propostas de soluções inovadoras para infraestruturas locais como os mercados tradicionais que enfrentam pressões fortes, devido à concorrência das grandes superfícies comerciais e a alterações no modo de vida (Powe, 2012), com impacto na procura (Van Leeuwen e Rietveld, 2011) na rentabilidade (Kamunge et al, 2014).. Recorre-se à metodologia de estudo de caso para discutir o processo de design e implementação de um projeto de investigação aplicado em colaboração e em rede entre uma IES e a APL. Como resultados propõe-se uma metodologia para o desenvolvimento de projetos aplicados que descreve as etapas da sua implementação, bem como as ferramentas de recolha e validação de informação, para eventual replicação em contextos similares. Sendo uma investigação aplicada colaborativa reveste-se de algumas particularidades inerentes ao caso de estudo, envolvendo diversos e um processo participativo de recolha de informação.This study aims to discuss the design and methodologies for the development of collaborative and networking projects between Higher Education Institutions (IES) and Local Public Administration (APL), through a case study applied to the Municipal Market of Livramento Setúbal (MLS), Portugal. This project involves the collaboration with several stakeholders directly and indirectly related with MLS and propose a development according to three phases: diagnosis of problems, identification of proposals for improvement and dissemination of the results. The complexity of the problems that APL currently faces (Klijn and Koppenjan, 2016), requires governance and networking processes in order to identify innovative solutions for local infrastructures such as traditional markets that face strong pressure, due to competition from large commercial stores and the changes in the way of life (Powe, 2012), with an impact on demand (Van Leeuwen and Rietveld, 2011) and on profitability (Kamunge et al, 2014). This case study allows to discuss the design and implementation of a collaborative applied research project developed by a HEI and an APL. The results suggest a methodology for the development of applied projects and describes the stages of its implementation, as well as the tools for collecting and validating information that allows a possible replication in similar contexts.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

A New Perspective for Vineyard Terroir Identity: Looking for Microbial Indicator Species by Long Read Nanopore Sequencing

Grapevine is one of the most important fruit crops worldwide, being Portugal one of the top wine producers. It is well established that wine sensory characteristics from a particular region are defined by the physiological responses of the grapevine to its environment and thus, the concept of terroir in viticulture was established. Among all the factors that contribute to terroir definition, soil microorganisms play a major role from nutrient recycling to a drastic influence on plant fitness (growth and protection) and of course wine production. Soil microbiome from four different terroirs in Quinta dos Murças vineyard was analysed through long-read Oxford Nanopore sequencing. We have developed an analytical pipeline that allows the identification of function, ecologies, and indicator species based on long read sequencing data. The Douro vineyard was used as a case study, and we were able to establish microbiome signatures of each terroir.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Evaluation of the Polyphenolic Composition and Bioactivities of Three Native Cabo Verde Medicinal Plants

The use of medicinal plants in a variety of health conditions remains essential for the discovery of new treatments. The present study aimed to investigate the bioactive properties of three native plants from Cabo Verde Islands, namely Artemisia gorgonum Webb, Sideroxylon marginatum (Decne. ex Webb) Cout., and Tamarix senegalensis DC., contributing to the characterization of less-known medicinal plants and their potential benefits for human health. Known compounds, such as kaempferol, quercetin, caffeyolquinic, and apigenin derivatives, among others, were detected in the plant species under study. Overall, all species demonstrated good antioxidant capacity, especially the ethanolic extracts of A. gorgonum (EC50 = 0.149 mg/mL) in TBARS assay. Moreover, the ethanolic extracts of the studied plants showed cytotoxic properties against tumor cells, and again the A. gorgonum extract proved to be the most effective in inhibiting tumor growth, mainly in the CaCO2 (GI50 = 17.3 μg/mL) and AGS (GI50 = 18.2 μg/mL) cell lines. Only the ethanolic extracts of T. senegalensis and S. marginatum demonstrated anti-inflammatory activity, albeit weak (EC50 = 35 and 43 μg/mL, respectively). The present study contributed to increased knowledge about the bioactive properties of these plants commonly used in traditional medicine, some of which was discussed for the first time, opening new perspectives for their use in a wider range of health conditions, especially in African countries, where access to modern health care is more limited.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Evaluation of the Polyphenolic Composition and Bioactivities of Three Native Cabo Verde Medicinal Plants

The use of medicinal plants in a variety of health conditions remains essential for the discovery of new treatments. The present study aimed to investigate the bioactive properties of three native plants from Cabo Verde Islands, namely Artemisia gorgonum Webb, Sideroxylon marginatum (Decne. ex Webb) Cout., and Tamarix senegalensis DC., contributing to the characterization of lessknown medicinal plants and their potential benefits for human health. Known compounds, such as kaempferol, quercetin, caffeyolquinic, and apigenin derivatives, among others, were detected in the plant species under study. Overall, all species demonstrated good antioxidant capacity, especially the ethanolic extracts of A. gorgonum (EC50 = 0.149 mg/mL) in TBARS assay. Moreover, the ethanolic extracts of the studied plants showed cytotoxic properties against tumor cells, and again the A. gorgonum extract proved to be the most effective in inhibiting tumor growth, mainly in the CaCO2 (GI50 = 17.3 g/mL) and AGS (GI50 = 18.2 g/mL) cell lines. Only the ethanolic extracts of T. senegalensis and S. marginatum demonstrated anti-inflammatory activity, albeit weak (EC50 = 35 and 43 g/mL, respectively). The present study contributed to increased knowledge about the bioactive properties of these plants commonly used in traditional medicine, some of which was discussed for the first time, opening new perspectives for their use in a wider range of health conditions, especially in African countries, where access to modern health care is more limitedinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Pullulan microneedle patches for the efficient transdermal administration of insulin envisioning diabetes treatment

The present study reports the fabrication of dissolvable microneedle (MN) patches using pullulan (PL), a water-soluble polysaccharide with excellent film-forming ability, for the transdermal administration of insulin, envisioning the non-invasive treatment of diabetes. PL MNs patches were successfully prepared by micromoulding and revealed good thermal stability (Tdmax = 294 °C) and mechanical properties (>0.15 N needle-1), penetrating skin up to 381 μm depth, as revealed by in vitro skin tests. After application into human abdominal skin in vitro, the MNs dissolved within 2 h releasing up to 87% of insulin. When stored at 4, 20 and 40 °C for 4 weeks, insulin was able to retain its secondary structure, as shown by circular dichroism spectropolarimetry. The prepared PL MNs were non-cytotoxic towards human keratinocytes, being suitable for skin application. These findings suggest that PL MNs have potential to deliver insulin transdermally, thus avoiding its subcutaneous administration.publishe