First stage of the development of an eco-friendly detergent formulation for efficient removal of carbonized soil

Detergent formulations for cleaning a carbonized soil-degreasers-typically comprise surfactants, organic solvents, phosphate-based cleaning agents, and alkaline agents, which results in high pH values (>11) that raise human and environmental risks. It is important to develop eco-friendly and safer degreasers, while maintaining their cleaning efficiency. In this work, simple degreaser formulations, with a pH below 11 and without phosphates, were developed by using a mixture of solvent, surfactant, and water to remove carbonized soil. The efficiency of the new degreaser formulations (with 5 wt% solvent, 5 wt% nonionic or ionic surfactant, and 90 wt% water) was evaluated by an abrasion test in the removal of carbonized soil from ceramic and stainless steel surfaces and compared with a commercial product. The results obtained show that the formulations comprising isopropylene glycol (IPG) with C11-C13 9EOs and diethylene glycol butyl ether (BDG) with octyltrimethylammonium octanoate ([N1118][C8O2]) present the best cleaning efficiency for both surfaces. The composition of these formulations was optimized for each surface using a mixture design. The resulting formulations, despite having a simpler composition, a pH lower than 11, and being phosphate-free, presented a cleaning efficiency equal or slightly higher than the commercial control. These results show that it is possible to design degreasers that are much less aggressive to the environment and user, while simultaneously fulfilling the market requirements.publishe

Novel liposomes for Alzheimers disease treatment

This work was supported by the strategic programme UID/BIA/04050/2019, funded by national funds through the FCT IP, and project FUN2CYT: Harnessing the potential for biomedical applications of pleiotropic cytokines LIF and oncostatin M (PTDC/BTM-MAT/30568/2017, POCI-01-0145-FEDER-030568) supported by POCI through FEDER and FCT IP.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Removal of the hormones 17β-estradiol and 17α-ethinylestradiol from aqueous solutions employing a decomposed peat as adsorbent material

REMOVAL OF THE HORMONES 17b-ESTRADIOL AND 17a-ETHINYLESTRADIOL FROM AQUEOUS SOLUTIONS EMPLOYING A DECOMPOSED PEAT AS ADSORBENT MATERIAL. This paper describes the adsorption of 17b-estradiol (E2) and 17a-ethinylestradiol (EE2) from aqueous solution by decomposed peat. The peat presented a good adsorption process, close to 76.2% for E2 removal and approximately 55.0% for EE2. Moreover, the results indicated a probable multi-layered process. Adsorption isotherms were well fitted by Freundlich model. The data were evaluated considering the pseudo-first-order and pseudo-second-order approaches, being the second more significant mechanism in the rate-controlling step. Thermodynamic data revealed that hormones adsorption onto peat is spontaneous under the employed experimental conditions. The results confirmed the potential of this adsorbent to be employed for effluents treatment

Are cyanobacteria a nearly immortal source of high market value compounds?

BACKGROUND: When the human population increases, so does the need to explore a wider range of feedstocks and biomasses, such as cyanobacteria. However, a deeper understanding of the growth patterns and pigment production is required to support the selection of the most beneficial species and conditions for industrial production. The growth and pigment production (i.e., chlorophyll a and C-phycocyanin) of three cyanobacterium species were evaluated following a three-fold aim. The first goal was to compare among a species commonly selected for exploitation (Arthrospira platensis) and two alternative species (Anabaena cylindrica and Nostoc muscorum). The second goal was analyzing pigment production in the long-term. The last goal involved comparing different methods (spectrophotometry and fluorimetry) to understand whether there is an appropriate proxy of biomass increase and pigment production that can be used for monitoring purposes. RESULTS: All species showed high longevity and proved capable of growing for more than 100 days without any additional supplementation. However, the maximum quantum yield of PS II (Fv /Fm) revealed that their photosynthetic efficiency varied over time with a clear decrease after 2 months. Pigment analysis showed a heterogeneous pattern during the growth periods of all three species that could only be captured by the parameter Fv /Fm, but the pattern was only present for A. cylindrica and N. muscorum in some stages of the culture period. CONCLUSION: N. muscorum was found to be the best chlorophyll a and C-phycocyanin producer, with the production peaking for all species at defined time periods within the growth profile. © 2022 The Authors. Journal of Chemical Technology and Biotechnology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Chemical Industry (SCI).publishe

Thermal stability and decomposition kinetics of NdNiO3− δ at 1 bar of O2

Despite the interest in rare-earth nickelates for applications, their processing under 1 bar of oxygen pressure is still challenging. In this work, we report the co-precipitation synthesis, thermal stability and thermally driven decomposition of NdNiO3 phase, in order to determine the synthesis parameters towards a pure perovskite phase. We concluded that using a 1% molar excess of Nd during preparation and posterior annealing at around 900 °C at 1 bar of O2 yields an almost pure NdNiO3−δ phase (with a hexagonal Nd2O3 phase below 0.6% molar), with an oxygen deficiency of δ = 0.082 ± 0.001. The decomposition of the NdNiO3−δ phase into Nd4Ni3O10 and NiO was found to start above 900 °C. On further heating, above 1050 °C, the Nd4Ni3O10 decomposes into Nd2NiO4 and NiO phases. Structural parameters and Raman spectra are provided for the NdNiO3, Nd4Ni3O10 and Nd2NiO4 compounds.The authors would like to acknowledge Fundacao para a Ciencia e Tecnologia (FCT) through projects NORTE/01/0145/FEDER/028538, CERN/FIS-PAR/0005/2017, CERN/FIS-TEC/0003/2019, PTDC/FIS-MAC/29454/2017 and when appropriate co-financed by FEDER under PT2020 Partnership Agreement: CQVR: UIDB/QUI/00616/2020; IFIMUP-IN: Norte-070124-FEDER-000070; NECL: NORTE-01-0145-FEDER-022096, UID/NAN/50024/2019. P. Machado and J. Oliveira acknowledge FCT through Ph.D. Grants SFRH/BD/108509/2015 and SFRH/BD/146886/2019 respectively. A special acknowledgment is made to CEMUP for XPS measurements

Quinone oxidoreductase from Staphylococcus aureus

Funding Information: Helena Gaspar is acknowledged for the HPLC analyses and Bruno Victor for advice on modelling. F.M.S. and M.S.S. are recipients of fellowships by Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (PD/BD/128213/2016 and PD/BD/128202/2016, respectively, both within the scope of the PhD program Molecular Biosciences PD/00133/2012). A.B. is recipient of a fellowship by Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia UI/BD/153052/2022. The work was funded by Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia ( PTDC/BIA-BQM/2599/2021 to M.M.P). The project was further supported by UIDB/04046/2020 and UIDP/04046/2020 Centre grants from FCT , Portugal (to BioISI), by LISBOA-01-0145-FEDER-007660 cofunded by FEDER through COMPETE2020-POCI and by Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia and by UIDB/04612/2020 and UIDP/04612/2020 research unit grants from FCT (to Mostmicro). The NMR spectrometers are part of the National NMR Network (PTNMR) and are supported by Infrastructure Project N° 022161 (co-financed by FEDER through COMPETE 2020, POCI, and PORL and FCT through PIDDAC). Funding Information: Helena Gaspar is acknowledged for the HPLC analyses and Bruno Victor for advice on modelling. F.M.S. and M.S.S. are recipients of fellowships by Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (PD/BD/128213/2016 and PD/BD/128202/2016, respectively, both within the scope of the PhD program Molecular Biosciences PD/00133/2012). A.B. is recipient of a fellowship by Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia UI/BD/153052/2022. The work was funded by Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (PTDC/BIA-BQM/2599/2021 to M.M.P). The project was further supported by UIDB/04046/2020 and UIDP/04046/2020 Centre grants from FCT, Portugal (to BioISI), by LISBOA-01-0145-FEDER-007660 cofunded by FEDER through COMPETE2020-POCI and by Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia and by UIDB/04612/2020 and UIDP/04612/2020 research unit grants from FCT (to Mostmicro). The NMR spectrometers are part of the National NMR Network (PTNMR) and are supported by Infrastructure Project N° 022161 (co-financed by FEDER through COMPETE 2020, POCI, and PORL and FCT through PIDDAC). Publisher Copyright: © 2022 The Author(s)Staphylococcus aureus is an opportunistic pathogen and one of the most frequent causes for community acquired and nosocomial bacterial infections. Even so, its energy metabolism is still under explored and its respiratory enzymes have been vastly overlooked. In this work, we unveil the dihydroorotate:quinone oxidoreductase (DHOQO) from S. aureus, the first example of a DHOQO from a Gram-positive organism. This protein was shown to be a FMN containing menaquinone reducing enzyme, presenting a Michaelis-Menten behaviour towards the two substrates, which was inhibited by Brequinar, Leflunomide, Lapachol, HQNO, Atovaquone and TFFA with different degrees of effectiveness. Deletion of the DHOQO coding gene (Δdhoqo) led to lower bacterial growth rates, and effected in cell morphology and metabolism, most importantly in the pyrimidine biosynthesis, here systematized for S. aureus MW2 for the first time. This work unveils the existence of a functional DHOQO in the respiratory chain of the pathogenic bacterium S. aureus, enlarging the understanding of its energy metabolism.publishersversionpublishe

Preclinical Evidence Supporting Early Initiation of Citalopram Treatment in Machado-Joseph Disease

Spinocerebellar ataxias are dominantly inherited neurodegenerative disorders with no disease-modifying treatment. We previously identified the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor citalopram as a safe and effective drug to be repurposed for Machado-Joseph disease. Pre-symptomatic treatment of transgenic (CMVMJD135) mice strikingly ameliorated mutant ataxin-3 (ATXN3) pathogenesis. Here, we asked whether citalopram treatment initiated at a post-symptomatic age would still show efficacy. We used a cohort of CMVMJD135 mice that shows increased phenotypic severity and faster disease progression (CMVMJD135hi) compared to the mice used in the first trial. Groups of hemizygous CMVMJD135hi mice were orally treated with citalopram. Behavior, protein analysis, and pathology assessment were performed blindly to treatment. Our results show that even when initiated after symptom onset, treatment of CMVMJD135hi mice with citalopram ameliorated motor coordination and balance, attenuating disease progression, albeit to a lesser extent than that seen with pre-symptomatic treatment initiation. There was no impact on ATXN3 aggregation, which contrasts with the robust reduction in ATXN3-positive inclusions observed in CMVMJD135 mice, when treated pre-symptomatically. Post-symptomatic treatment of CMVMJD135hi mice revealed, however, a limited neuroprotective effect by showing a tendency to repair cerebellar calbindin staining, and to increase the number of motor neurons and of NeuN-positive cells in certain brain regions. While supporting that early initiation of treatment with citalopram leads to a marked increase in efficacy, these results strengthen our previous observation that modulation of serotonergic signaling by citalopram is a promising therapeutic approach for Machado-Joseph disease even after symptom onset.European Regional Development Funds (FEDER), through the Competitiveness Factors Operational Programme (COMPETE), and by National funds, through the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT), under the scope of the project POCI-01-0145-FEDER-007038. This article has been developed under the scope of the project NORTE-01-0145-FEDER-000013, supported by the Northern Portugal Regional Operational Programme (NORTE 2020), under the Portugal 2020 Partnership Agreement, through the FEDER. This work was also supported by FCT and COMPETE through the projects [PTDC/SAU-GMG/112617/2009] (to PM) and [EXPL/BIM-MEC/0239/2012] (to AT-C), by FCT through the project [POCI-01-0145-FEDER-016818 (PTDC/NEU-NMC/3648/2014)] (to PM), by National Ataxia foundation (to PM and to AT-C), and by Ataxia UK (to PM). SE, SD-S, SO, and AT-C were supported by the FCT individual fellowships, SFRH/BD/78554/2011, SFRH/BD/78388/2011, PD/BD/127818/2016, and SFRH/BPD/102317/2014, respectively. FCT fellowships are co-financed by POPH, QREN, Governo da República Portuguesa, and EU/FSEinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Chronic treatment with 17-DMAG improves balance and coordination in a new mouse model of Machado-Joseph disease

Machado-Joseph disease (MJD) or spinocerebellar ataxia type 3 (SCA3) is a neurodegenerative disease currently with no treatment. We describe a novel mouse model of MJD which expresses mutant human ataxin-3 at near endogenous levels and manifests MJD-like motor symptoms that appear gradually and progress over time. CMVMJD135 mice show ataxin-3 intranuclear inclusions in the CNS and neurodegenerative changes in key disease regions, such as the pontine and dentate nuclei. Hsp90 inhibition has shown promising outcomes in some neurodegenerative diseases, but nothing is known about its effects in MJD. Chronic treatment of CMVMJD mice with Hsp90 inhibitor 17-DMAG resulted in a delay in the progression of their motor coordination deficits and, at 22 and 24 weeks of age, was able to rescue the uncoordination phenotype to wild-type levels; in parallel, a reduction in neuropathology was observed in treated animals. We observed limited induction of heat-shock proteins with treatment, but found evidence that 17-DMAG may be acting through autophagy, as LC3-II (both at mRNA and protein levels) and beclin-1 were induced in the brain of treated animals. This resulted in decreased levels of the mutant ataxin-3 and reduced intranuclear aggregation of this protein. Our data validate this novel mouse model as a relevant tool for the study of MJD pathogenesis and for pre-clinical studies, and show that Hsp90 inhibition is a promising therapeutic strategy for MJD.We would like to thank to Dr. Henry Paulson for providing the anti-ataxin-3 serum, Dr. Monica Sousa for the pCMV vector and to Eng. Lucilia Goreti Pinto, Lu s Martins, Miguel Carneiro and Celina Barros for technical assistance. This work was supported by Fundacao para a Ciencia e Tecnologia through the projects FEDER/FCT, POCI/SAU-MMO/60412/2004 and PTDC/SAU-GMG/64076/2006. This work was supported by Fundacao para a Ciencia e Tecnologia through fellowships SFRH/BPD/91562/2012 to A.S-F., SFRH/BD/78388/2011 to S. D-S., SFRH/BD/51059/2010 to A.N-C., and SFRH/BPD/79469/2011 to A.T-C.

Second Workshop on Atlantic chub mackerel (Scomber colias) (WKCOLIAS2)

The Atlantic chub mackerel Scomber colias has become an increasingly important commercial species in the European Atlantic waters in the last 10–15 years, probably through an expansion process from NW African waters and due to market needs. However, at present there are no assessment or advice requirements. In the WK framework, available information of the species in the West Atlantic waters has been compiled in order to evaluate possible geographical differences and trends, and the feasibility to describe its population structure. Though the Atlantic chub mackerel is not routinely included among the target species in the acoustic surveys performed in the Atlantic Iberian waters and the Mediterranean Sea, a synoptic overview of the species is possible over all its West Atlantic distribution. Moreover, the data available have indicated latitudinal trends, mainly in the landings’ length composition, L50 and the spawning periods. Nevertheless, even if some degree of connectivity likely exists and migrations are occurring between adjacent areas, some subunits could be considered for management purposes. From the assessment models’ trials carried out, the results or reference points obtained for the European fisheries cannot be retained at present. Therefore, continuing collating information from fisheries and biological sampling of the species, obtaining reliable biomass estimations from scientific surveys and identifying management units seem the main priorities to address in future research work and in case of assessment requirements

Limited effect of chronic valproic acid treatment in a mouse model of Machado-Joseph disease

Machado-Joseph disease (MJD) is an inherited neurodegenerative disease, caused by a CAG repeat expansion within the coding region of ATXN3 gene, and which currently lacks effective treatment. In this work we tested the therapeutic efficacy of chronic treatment with valproic acid (VPA) (200mg/kg), a compound with known neuroprotection activity, and previously shown to be effective in cell, fly and nematode models of MJD. We show that chronic VPA treatment in the CMVMJD135 mouse model had limited effects in the motor deficits of these mice, seen mostly at late stages in the motor swimming, beam walk, rotarod and spontaneous locomotor activity tests, and did not modify the ATXN3 inclusion load and astrogliosis in affected brain regions. However, VPA chronic treatment was able to increase GRP78 protein levels at 30 weeks of age, one of its known neuroprotective effects, confirming target engagement. In spite of limited results, the use of another dosage of VPA or of VPA in a combined therapy with molecules targeting other pathways, cannot be excluded as potential strategies for MJD therapeuticsPM received funding from Ataxia UK Grant (Project: Pharmacologic therapy for Machado-Joseph disease: from a C. elegans drug screen to a mouse model validation). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio