A Ni hyperaccumulator and a congeneric non-accumulator reveal equally effective defenses against herbivory

The defense hypothesis is commonly used to explain the adaptive role ofmetal hyperaccumulation. We tested this hypothesis using two Brassicaceae congeneric species: Alyssum pintodasilvae, a Ni hyperaccumulator, and the non-accumulator Alyssum simplex both growing on serpentine soils in Portugal. Artificial diet disks amended with powdered leaves from each plant species were used to compare the performance (mortality, biomass change) and feeding behavior of Tribolium castaneum in no-choice and choice tests. The performance of T. castaneum was not affected at several concentrations of A. pintodasilvae or A. simplex in no-choice tests. However, the consumption of plant-amended disks was significantly lower than that of control disks, irrespectively of the species fed. Accordingly, when insects were given an alternative food choice, disks of both plant species were significantly less consumed than control disks. Moreover, insects did not discriminate between disks in the combination “A. pintodasilvae + A. simplex”. Contrary to our expectations, these results suggest that both plant species have equally effective defenses against herbivory. While Ni is believed to be part of the deterrence mechanism in the hyperaccumulator A. pintodasilvae, it seems likely that organic compounds, possibly glucosinolates, play an important role in the defense of A. simplex or in both species.This study was fully supported by the Centre for Functional Ecology, University of Coimbra

Wasting, stunting, and anemia in angolan children after deworming with albendazole or a test-and-treat approach for intestinal parasites: binary longitudinal models with temporal structure in a four-arm randomized trial

Undernutrition, anemia, and intestinal parasitic infections are public health problems in Angola, especially in pre-school children. We analyzed binary data from a longitudinal four-arm randomized parallel trial conducted in Bengo Province, northern Angola, over the course of two years, with seven follow-up assessments to explore the effects of four interventions (deworming and a test-and-treat approach for intestinal parasites, at both the individual and household levels) on wasting and stunting, and to understand their indirect benefits for anemia, malaria, diarrhea, and vomiting. A total of 121 children with intestinal parasitic infections received baseline treatment, and were allocated to the four arms (1:1:1:1). Using continuous outcome variables of height-for-age (HAZ) and weight-for-height (WHZ) statistical approaches did not reveal a clear benefit of any particular arm (Pathogens 2021, 10, 309). Next, HAZ and WHZ were transformed into binary variables of stunting and wasting, respectively, considering their mild-to-severe (Z-score bild, fitted models revealed the potential benefit of a test-and-treat approach at the individual level for wasting compared with annual albendazole at the individual level, especially considering mild-to-severe forms (ORadj = 0.27; p = 0.007). All arms showed similar effects on stunting, compared with annual albendazole, at a 5% significance level. Time and age at baseline presented favorable effects in the percentage of stunting using both severity degrees. Results showed a decreased chance of having anemia and diarrhea over time, although with no significant differences between arms. Data from longitudinal studies are essential to study the direct and indirect effects of interventions, such as deworming, and to explore additional approaches aiming at better understanding the temporal structure of nutrition and health outcomes in children.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Breve caracterização da flora da Ilha Graciosa

XI Expedição Científica do Departamento de Biologia - Graciosa 2004.Uma breve caracterização da flora vascular espontânea da ilha Graciosa é feita a partir da análise do seu catálogo de plantas vasculares (Pereira et al. 2004). A flora vascular Graciosense compreende no momento 437 espécies, 283 géneros e 98 famílias. O número de espécies introduzidas representa 67,3% do total de espécies presentes, enquanto a percentagem de espécies nativas se cifra apenas pelos 22,2%. A distribuição das espécies nos grandes grupos taxonómicos (Pteridophyta, Gymnospermae, Dicotyledoneae e Monocotyledoneae) difere com significado estatístico entre as espécies nativas e introduzidas. A contribuição das espécies introduzidas é maior a nível das dicotiledóneas e menor a nível dos pteridófitos quando comparada com a distribuição das espécies nativas.ABSTRACT: A short characterization of the spontaneous vascular flora of Graciosa Island is made from the analysis of it’s checklist of vascular plants (Pereira et al. 2004). At the moment 437 species, 283 genus and 98 families are recorded. The number of introduced species represents 67.3% of the total species while the native species correspond only to 22,2 % of the vascular flora. The species distribution on the main taxonomic groups (Pteridophyta, Gymnospermae, Dicotyledoneae e Monocotyledoneae) is significantly different between native and introduced species. The contribution of introduced species is superior in the Dicotyledoneae and inferior in the Pteridophyta when compared with the native species

Growing evidence supporting the use of mesenchymal stem cell therapies in multiple sclerosis: a systematic review

Background: Multiple sclerosis (MS) typically arises in early/middle adulthood and is characterized by a progressive disability of the central nervous system (CNS). Currently approved therapies do not promote tissue repair or stop disease progression. Emerging data demonstrate that stem cells present a great potential in regenerative medicine and, consequently, have also been widely investigated as a potential treatment for MS. Therefore, the aim of this study was to conduct a systematic review to inquire into the safety, tolerability, and efficacy of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) therapies in MS. Methods: Three electronic databases (Web of Science, PubMed, and Cochrane) were searched from April until June 2019. Clinical trials or case reports with information related to the effects of MSC therapies in MS patients were considered for this review. Results: 10 manuscripts were selected, namely 7 uncontrolled clinical trials, 2 randomized controlled clinical trials, and 1 case report. The overall quality of the studies was considered good. Besides minor adverse events (AEs), it was reported one case of encephalopathy with seizures and two cases of iatrogenic meningitis, which were not related to the treatment, but with the administration route. The analyses of the expanded disability status scale (EDSS) in the uncontrolled clinical trials demonstrated that 48 patients improved, 39 maintained and 16 worsened their clinical condition. Regarding the randomized studies, one did not show statistically significant variations in the mean EDSS score and in the other the mean EDSS score was statistically significantly lower for the experimental group. The case report also showed an improvement in the EDSS score. Conclusions: MSCs transplantation proved to be a safe and tolerable therapy. Their potential therapeutic benefits were also validated. However, larger placebo controlled blinded clinical trials will be required to establish the long term safety and efficacy profile of these therapies for MS. Their translation into the clinical practice can provide a new hope for the patients of this highly debilitating disease

An integrative assessment to determine the genotoxic hazard of estuarine sediments: combining cell and whole-organism responses

The application of the Comet assay in environmental monitoring remains challenging in face of the complexity of environmental stressors, e.g., when dealing with estuarine sediments, that hampers the drawing of cause-effect relationships. Although the in vitro Comet assay may circumvent confounding factors, its application in environmental risk assessment (ERA) still needs validation. As such, the present work aims at integrating genotoxicity and oxidative DNA damage induced by sediment-bound toxicants in HepG2 cells with oxidative stress-related effects observed in three species collected from an impacted estuary. Distinct patterns were observed in cells exposed to crude mixtures of sediment contaminants from the urban/industrial area comparatively to the ones from the rural/riverine area of the estuary, with respect to oxidative DNA damage and oxidative DNA damage. The extracts obtained with the most polar solvent and the crude extracts caused the most significant oxidative DNA damage in HepG2 cells, as measured by the formamidopyrimidine-DNA glycosylase (FPG)-modified Comet assay. This observation suggests that metals and unknown toxicants more hydrophilic than polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons may be important causative agents, especially in samples from the rural part of the estuary, where oxidative DNA damage was the most significant. Clams, sole, and cuttlefish responded differentially to environmental agents triggering oxidative stress, albeit yielding results accordant with the oxidative DNA damage observed in HepG2 cells. Overall, the integration of in vivo biomarker responses and Comet assay data in HepG2 cells yielded a comparable pattern, indicating that the in vitro FPG-modified Comet assay may be an effective and complementary line-of-evidence in ERA even in particularly challenging, natural, scenarios such as estuarine environments

On the dynamics of a viral marketing model with optimal control using indirect and direct methods

The complexity of optimal control problems requires the use of numerical methods to compute control and optimal state trajectories for a dynamical system, aiming to optimize a particular performance index. Considering a real viral advertisement, this article compares the dynamics of a viral marketing epidemic model with optimal control under different cost scenarios and from two perspectives: using numerical methods based on the Pontryagin's Maximum Principle (indirect methods) and methods that treat the optimal control problem as a nonlinear constrained optimization problem (direct methods). Based on the trade-off between the maximization of information spreading and the minimization of the costs associated with it, an optimal control problem is formulated and studied. The existence and uniqueness of the solution are proved. Our results show not only that the cost of implementing control policies is a crucial parameter for the spreading of marketing messages, but also that low investment costs in control strategies fulfill the proposed trade-off without compromising the financial capacity of a company.Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT – Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia), through CIDMA – Center for Research and Development in Mathematics and Applications, within project UID/MAT/04106/2013; and through Algoritmi R&D Center, under COMPETE: POCI-01-0145-FEDER-007043 within the Project Scope: UID/CEC/00319/20

Water submetering system: how to determine the flow rates for water meters specification?

Este artigo tem como objetivo avaliar os resultados obtidos na estimativa das vazões de projeto para o dimensionamento de hidrômetros de sistemas prediais de água fria com medição individualizada, empregando um método probabilístico aberto e o método empírico recomendado na normalização brasileira. Como os resultados finais indicam grandes diferenças nas vazões de projeto estimadas pelos dois métodos, é importante realizar pesquisa de campo a fim de verificar os valores obtidos. O modelo probabilístico aberto permite que o projetista ajuste as variáveis relacionadas ao uso da água para refletir melhor a realidade das vazões no sistema predial em função de diferentes condições de utilização. Por isso, seu emprego apresenta-se mais vantajoso, principalmente em sistemas com medição individualizada, em que a especificação do hidrômetro é efetuada, entre outros parâmetros, em função da vazão de projeto.The objective of this paper is to compare the results obtained in the estimate of the design flow rates to the dimension water meters of water submetering systems in buildings by means not only from an open probabilistic model but also from the empirical method recommended by the Brazilian Standard. As the final results show considerable differences in the design flow rates estimated by both methods, it is extremely important to perform field survey in order to check the obtained values. The open probabilistic model enables the practitioner to adjust the variables related to the water use to better reflect the flow rates in the plumbing system according to the different conditions of use. Due to this advantage, its use appears to be more beneficial than the empirical method, mainly concerning submetering systems where the specification of the water meters takes into account the design flow rate

Importance of vitamin C evaluation in infant and follow-on formulas

A vitamina C tem um papel crucial no crescimento e desenvolvimento saudáveis de bebés. As fórmulas infantis são muito consumidas por esta faixa etária e como tal, é de extrema importância garantir que esta vitamina esteja presente em concentrações adequadas. No presente trabalho de investigação, determinou-se o teor de vitamina C total, ácido L-ascórbico e ácido desidroascórbico em fórmulas infantis e compararam-se os resultados obtidos com os limites estabelecidos no Regulamento Delegado (UE) 2016/127. Em 2016, foram adquiridas 7 fórmulas infantis, 4 fórmulas para lactentes e 3 fórmulas de transição. Os teores totais de vitamina C determinados variaram entre 65,4 ± 0,28 e 134 ± 1,27 mg/100 g de amostra, encontrando-se dentro dos limites estabelecidos pela legislação em vigor. Uma vez que este tipo de produtos alimentares é muito importante na alimentação de consumidores de uma faixa etária tão jovem e tão vulnerável como são os lactentes, impõe-se a sua regulamentação, segurança e controlo da qualidade.Vitamin C plays a very important role in the healthy growth and development of babies. Infant and follow-on formulas are frequently consumed by this age group and it is extremely important to ensure that this vitamin is present in adequate concentrations in this type of products. This research aimed to determine the total vitamin C, L-ascorbic acid and dehydroascorbic acid contents in infant foods, and compare the results obtained with the limits established in Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2016/127. In 2016, 7 infant foods, 4 infant formulas and 3 follow-on formulas, were acquired. All vitamin C contents obtained for the analysed samples, ranged from 65.4 ± 0.28 to 134 ± 1.27 mg/100 g of sample, and were within the established limits. Since this type of food products is very important to a group of consumers belonging to an age group as young and as vulnerable as the infants, regulation, safety and quality control of this type of products is of extreme importance.Este trabalho foi financiado pelo Instituto Nacional de Saúde Doutor Ricardo Jorge no âmbito do projeto BioCOMP (2012DAN730). Tânia Gonçalves Albuquerque agradece a bolsa de doutoramento (SFRH/BD/99718/2014) financiada pela Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia, Fundo Social Europeu e Ministério da Educação e Ciência.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Seed origin drives differences in survival and growth traits of cork oak (Quercus suber L.) populations

Cork oak (Quercus suber L.) has a high ecological and social value and supplies raw materials for the cork industry, a relevant contributor to the economies of Mediterranean countries. Understanding the adaptation potential of cork oak populations to cope with different environmental conditions is a key issue of forest management, particularly for selecting the most adapted genetic material for (re)forestation and assuring the long-term sustainability of the cork industry. Intraspecific variation in fitness surrogate traits (survival, height and stem diameter) was investigated in thirty-five cork oak populations sampled from the entire range of the natural distribution of the species. The study was conducted in two provenance field trials, established in Portugal under different edaphoclimatic conditions. Each trial was surveyed at four tree ages (two ages, 11 and 14 years, were sampled simultaneously in both trials). The trial located at a lower altitude, which had higher mean winter and annual temperatures, exhibited higher growth and survival rates. In both trials, significant genetic variation among cork oak populations was observed for the analyzed traits and evaluated ages. Moroccan populations displayed a higher probability of survival and higher growth rates, while local populations exhibited an intermediate performance. Low to moderate correlations were found between the analyzed traits and the environmental variables of seed origin, suggesting that factors other than climate are likely to be relevant for cork oak adaptation. Moderate to high values of population mean-basis broad-sense heritability (H2≥0.44) and high genetic correlations between traits (0.88–0.95) were found for growth traits. This information is crucial for the establishment of a breeding program for the species. With this study, we have improved the knowledge regarding how cork oak performs for fitness surrogate traits in different environments.The cork oak provenance field trials were funded by European (FAIR1-CT-95-0202) and national foundations (PBIC/AGR/2282/95, PAMAF 4027, PRAXIS/3/3.2/Flor/2110/95). The growth and survival measurements were assessed with the support of the European project: “CREOAK: Conservation and restoration of European cork OAK woodlands: a unique ecosystem in the balance” (QLK5–CT–2002–01594); and the “Repovoamento com sobreiro: Variabilidade genética e biologia da semente conservada (POCTI/41359/AGG/2001) national project. Research activities were also funded by Forest Research Centre (CEF), a research unit funded by Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia I.P. (FCT), Portugal (UID/AGR/00239/2013). Teresa Sampaio was funded by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology, Portugal through a doctoral grant under the SUSFOR Doctoral Programme (PD/ BD/52402/2013). The authors are thankful to Maria Carolina Varela who setting up the EU-concerted action on cork oak, FAIR I CT 95 0202 and to Carla Faria, Carla Leite and Regina Chambel that collaborated on the establishment of the Portuguese genetic trials. We also thanks to Ana Margarida Nunes, Lurdes Marçal, Madalena Silva, Maria João Lourenço and Sara Rocha for their support in field work.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Assessment of sediment contamination in an impacted estuary: differential effects and adaptations of sentinel organisms and implications for biomonitoring

Conferência realizada em Lisboa, de 6-9 November de 2013Estuarine pollution is reflected in the concentration of toxicants in sediments, depending on their geochemical properties, since sediments trap substances from the water column, either dissolved or bound to suspended matter. However, determining risk of sediment contaminants to biota has many constraints. For such reason, integrative approaches are keystone. Taking the Sado estuary (SW Portugal) as a case study, contrasted to a reference estuary (the Mira) within the same geographical location, the present study aimed at integrating sediment contamination with the effects and responses to pollutants in distinct benthic organisms with commercial and ecological value