54 research outputs found
Frequency of micronuclei and of other nuclear abnormalities in erythrocytes of the grey mullet from the Mondego, Douro and Ave estuariesāPortugal
Fish are bioindicators of water pollution, and an
increased rate of their erythrocyte nuclear morphological abnormalities
(ENMAs)āand particularly of erythrocyte
micronuclei (EMN)āis used as a genotoxicity biomarker.
Despite the potential value of ENMAs andMN, there is scarce
information about fish captured in Iberian estuaries. This is the
case of the Portuguese estuaries of the Mondego, Douro and
Ave, suffering from different levels of environmental stress
and where chemical surveys have been disclosing significant
amounts of certain pollutants. So, the aim of this study was to
evaluate genotoxicants impacts and infer about the exposure
at those ecosystems, using the greymullet (Mugil cephalus) as
bioindicator and considering the type and frequency of nuclear
abnormalities of erythrocytes as proxies of genotoxicity.
Sampling of mullets was done throughout the year in the
important Mondego, Douro and Ave River estuaries (centre
and north-western Portugal). The fish (total n=242) were
caught in campaigns made in springāsummer and autumnā
winter, using nets or fishing rods. The sampled mullets were
comparable between locations in terms of the basic biometric
parameters. Blood smears were stained with Diff-Quik to assess
the frequencies of six types of ENMAs and MN (given per
1,000 erythrocytes). Some basic water physicochemical parameters
were recorded to search for fluctuations matching the
ENMAs. Overall, the most frequent nucleus abnormality was
the polymorphic type, sequentially followed by the blebbed/
lobed/notched, segmented, kidney shaped, vacuolated,MNand
binucleated. The total average frequency of the ENMAs ranged
from 73ā°in the Mondego to 108ā°in the Ave. The polymorphic
type was typically ā„50 % of the total ENMAs, averaging
about 51ā°, when considering all three estuaries. The most
serious lesionāthe MNāin fish from Mondego and Douro
had a similar frequency (ā0.38ā°), which was significantly
lower than that in the Ave (0.75ā°). No significant seasonal
differences existed as to the MN rates and seasonal differences
existed almost only in the Douro, with the higher values in AW.
In general, the pattern of ENMAs frequencies was unrelated
with the water physicochemical parameters. Considering the
data for both the total ENMAs and for each specific abnormality,
and bearing in mind that values of MN in fish erythrocytes
>0.3ā° usually reflect pollution by genotoxicants, it is suggested
that mullets were likely being chronically exposed to
such compounds, even in the allegedly less polluted ecosystem
(Mondego). Moreover, data supported the following pollution exposure gradient: Mondego<Douro<Ave. The scenario and
inferences nicely agree with the published data from chemical
monitoring.This work was partially supported by the European
Regional Development Fund (ERDF) funds through the Competitiveness
and Trade Expansion Program (COMPETE), and by National Funds
provided by FundaĆ§Ć£o para a CiĆŖncia e a Tecnologia (FCT), via the
research projects PTDC/MAR/70436/2006, PEst-C/MAR/LA0015/
2011, PEst-C/MAR/LA0015/2013, and also by the PhD grant
SFRH/BD/25746/2005
Technical Report: Technique of Bladder Catheterization in Female Mice and Rats for Intravesical Instillation in Models of Bladder Cancer
Animal models offer a system that enables a better understanding of basic biological questions. Urinary bladder catheterization is a common procedure in models of female urothelial tumours and yet the technique does still need to be described further. The methods described in the existing literature do not outline how the procedure should be adapted for different research goals. In this report, we describe systematically catheterization of female mice and rats as well as analysing several anaesthetic protocols, which can be used to carry out this technical procedure
Acoustic barriers as an acoustic deterrent for native potamodromous migratory fish species
This study focused on the use of sound playbacks as acoustic deterrents to direct native potamodromous
migratory species away from all kind of traps. The effects of two acoustic treatments,
a repeated sine sweep up to 2 kHz (sweep-up stimulus) and an intermittent 140 Hz tone,
were tested in three fish species native to Iberia: Salmo trutta, Pseudochondrostoma duriense and
Luciobarbus bocagei. In contrast with S. trutta, the endemic cyprinids P. duriense and L. bocagei
exhibited a strong repulse reaction to the frequency sweep-up sound. The 140 Hz stimulus did
not seem to alter significantly the behaviour of any of the studied species. These results highlight
the potential of acoustic stimuli as fish behavioural barriers and their application to in situ
conservation measures of native Iberian fish populations, to protect them from hydropower
dams. In addition, this study shows that acoustic deterrents can be used selectively on target
species.The project n 13737: Original Solutions - ENI
and CITAB-UTAD was funded project:
ANI/QREN/FEDER. The Science and
Technology Foundation, Portugal funded
M.C.P.A. (strategic projects
UID/MAR/04292/2013 granted to MARE) and
P.J.F. (UID/BIA/00329/2013 granted to cE3c).
The scientific plan was achieved under
European Investment Funds by FEDER/
COMPETE/POCIā Operational
Competitiveness and Internationalization
Programme, under Project POCI-
01-0145-FEDER-006958 and National Funds
by FCT - Portuguese Foundation for Science
and Technology, under the project
UID/AGR/04033.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio
Metabolic Signatures of Lung Cancer in Biofluids: NMR-Based Metabonomics of Blood Plasma
In this work, the variations in the metabolic profile of blood plasma from lung cancer patients and healthy controls were investigated through NMR-based metabonomics, to assess the potential of this approach for lung cancer screening and diagnosis. PLS-DA modeling of CPMG spectra from plasma, subjected to Monte Carlo Cross Validation, allowed cancer patients to be discriminated from controls with sensitivity and specificity levels of about 90%. Relatively lower HDL and higher VLDL + LDL in the patients' plasma, together with increased lactate and pyruvate and decreased levels of glucose, citrate, formate, acetate, several amino acids (alanine, glutamine, histidine, tyrosine, valine), and methanol, could be detected. These changes were found to be present at initial disease stages and could be related to known cancer biochemical hallmarks, such as enhanced glycolysis, glutaminolysis, and gluconeogenesis, together with suppressed Krebs cycle and reduced lipid catabolism, thus supporting the hypothesis of a systemic metabolic signature for lung cancer. Despite the possible confounding influence of age, smoking habits, and other uncontrolled factors, these results indicate that NMR-based metabonomics of blood plasma can be useful as a screening tool to identify suspicious cases for subsequent, more specific radiological tests, thus contributing to improved disease management.ERDF - Competitive Factors Thematic Operational ProgrammeFCT/PTDC/ QUI/68017/2006FCOMP-01-0124-FEDER-007439SFRH/BD/ 63430/2009National UNESCO Committee - L'OrƩal Medals of Honor for Women in Science 200Portuguese National NMR Network - RNRM
Stab Injury to the Preauricular Region With Laceration of the External Carotid Artery Without Involvement of the Facial Nerve: a Case Report
BACKGROUND:
Open injuries to the face involving the external carotid artery are uncommon. These injuries are normally associated with laceration of the facial nerve because this nerve is more superficial than the external carotid artery. Hence, external carotid artery lesions are usually associated with facial nerve dysfunction. We present an unusual case report in which the patient had an injury to this artery with no facial nerve compromise.
CASE PRESENTATION:
A 25-year-old Portuguese man sustained a stab wound injury to his right preauricular region with a broken glass. Immediate profuse bleeding ensued. Provisory tamponade of the wound was achieved at the place of aggression by two off-duty doctors. He was initially transferred to a district hospital, where a large arterial bleeding was observed and a temporary compressive dressing was applied. Subsequently, the patient was transferred to a tertiary hospital. At admission in the emergency room, he presented a pulsating lesion in the right preauricular region and slight weakness in the territory of the inferior buccal branch of the facial nerve. The physical examination suggested an arterial lesion superficial to the facial nerve. However, in the operating theater, a section of the posterior and lateral flanks of the external carotid artery inside the parotid gland was identified. No lesion of the facial nerve was observed, and the external carotid artery was repaired. To better understand the anatomical rationale of this uncommon clinical case, we dissected the preauricular region of six cadavers previously injected with colored latex solutions in the vascular system. A small triangular space between the two main branches of division of the facial nerve in which the external carotid artery was not covered by the facial nerve was observed bilaterally in all cases.
CONCLUSIONS:
This clinical case illustrates that, in a preauricular wound, the external carotid artery can be injured without facial nerve damage. However, no similar description was found in the reviewed literature, which suggests that this must be a very rare occurrence. According to the dissection study performed, this is due to the existence of a triangular space between the cervicofacial and temporofacial nerve trunks in which the external carotid artery is not covered by the facial nerve or its branches.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio
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