Early and late preferences in relative clause attachment in Spanish and Portuguese

This study presents new data about the cross-language application of the Late Closure principle (Frazier, 1978), whose universality was put in question by data from Spanish (Cuetos & Mitchell, 1988). Using sentences containing a restrictive relative clause unambiguously modifying the first or the second noun of a complex NP (os cúmplices do ladrão/o cúmplice dos ladrões que fugiram), this study compares the behavior of Brazilian and European Portuguese speakers participating in a self-paced reading task. The data confirm that, in early phases of processing, attachment preferences are driven by a locality principle such as Late Closure. Based on a review of studies on Portuguese, Spanish and other Romance languages, we argue that the high- versus low-attachment difference across languages emerges cleanly only in off-line tasks, such as questionnaire studies, thus limiting the types of explanations for the crosslinguistic differences. We also advance an explanation for the high attachment preferences found in unspeeded questionnaire studies based on the Implicit Prosody Hypothesis (Fodor, 1998a, 2002)

Anti-aging activity of Lobophora variegata ethanolic and methanolic extracts and their fractions

Conference Report XVI International Symposium on Marine Natural Products | XI European Conference on Marine Natural Products, 1-5 September 2019, Peniche, Portugal.Seaweed have promising applications within food, cosmetic and health industries, which led to an increased interest in studying these organisms [1]. In several coastal areas, thousands of tons of macroalgae are cast on beaches and shorelines and it would be very interesting if this biomass could be managed, allowing the extraction of added-value compounds. In this context, polar extracts (methanol and ethanol) of a macroalgal beach cast sample mainly composed of “Lobophora variegate” were prepared and the anti-aging and antioxidant activities were evaluated. The preliminary results showed interesting results, and thus these crude extracts were then fractionated sequentially by their solubility in dichloromethane, acetone and ethyl acetate, resulting in 4 semi-pure fractions each, which were also tested. Fractions A1.1.1 and A1.2.3 were very good tyrosinase inhibitors (IC₅₀ = 37.87 and 24.01 μg/mL, respectively) and fractions A1.1.2 and A1.2.2 presented very good inhibition of elastase (IC₅₀ = 44.76 and 20.86 μg/mL, respectively). However, none of the fractions was active against collagenase. These results show that further purifications of these fractions can lead to the isolation of bioactive added-value compounds.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Genomic structure, promoter activity, and developmental expression of the mouse homologue of the Machado–Joseph disease (MJD) gene

Machado–Joseph disease (MJD) is a neurodegenerative disorder, caused by the expansion of the (CAG)n tract in the MJD gene. This encodes the protein ataxin-3, of unknown function. The mouse Mjd gene has a structure similar to that of its human counterpart and it also contains a TATA-less promoter. Its 5V flanking region contains conserved putative binding regions for transcription factors Sp1, USF, Arnt, Max, E47, and MyoD. Upon differentiation of P19 cells, the Mjd gene promoter is preferentially activated in endodermal and mesodermal derivatives, including cardiac and skeletal myocytes; and less so in neuronal precursors. Mouse ataxin-3 is ubiquitously expressed during embryonic development and in the adult, with strong expression in regions of the CNS affected in MJD. It is particularly abundant in all types of muscle and in ciliated epithelial cells, suggesting that it may be associated with the cytoskeleton and may have an important function in cell structure and/or motility.Fundação Luso-Americana para o Desenvolvimento - (Proc. 3.L./A.II/P.582/99Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT) - (Project POCTI/MGI 33759/99), BD/9759/ 2003).Fundo Social Europeu (FSE) - Fundo Europeu de Desenvolvimento Regional (FEDER)

Wood smoke exposure of Portuguese wildland firefighters: DNA and oxidative damage evaluation

Portugal is among the European Union countries most devastated by forest fires each year. In the last three decades, more than 3.8 million hectares of forest were burned. Wildland firefighters are exposed to a variety of hazards, including many toxic combustion products that may lead to deleterious health effects. Epidemiological studies showed a positive association between firefighting and several chronic diseases, including cancer. Results from biomonitoring studies in firefighters, particularly concerning genotoxicity evaluation, constitute a valuable tool for investigating important occupational hazards. Thus, the aim of this study was to assess genotoxicity in a group of wildland firefighters using the comet assay for DNA damage and oxidative stress. Both parameters were increased in firefighters compared to controls, but significance was only found for basal DNA damage. No significant influence was found regarding major confounding variables on the genotoxic endpoints studied, with the exception of age. Data obtained provide preliminary information on human health effects of wildland firefighting exposure at genetic and molecular levels. These findings may also provide new important data to serve as public awareness to the potential adverse health risks involving wildland firefighting. Implementation of security and hygiene measures in this sector as well as good practices campaigns may be crucial to decrease risk.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Neuroferritinopathy: missense mutation in FTL causing early-onset bilateral pallidal involvement

The authors identified a missense mutation in the FTL gene (474G>A; A96T) in a 19-year-old man with parkinsonism, ataxia, corticospinal signs, mild nonprogressive cognitive deficit, and episodic psychosis. This mutation was also present in his asymptomatic mother and younger brother, who had abnormally low levels of ferritin in the serum. The patient and his mother displayed bilateral involvement of the pallidum.Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia/Fundo Europeu de Desenvolvimento Regional (FCT)/(FEDER) - CBO/33485/99

Exposure assessment of extended-spectrum beta-lactamases/AmpC beta-lactamases-producing Escherichia coli in meat in Denmark

INTRODUCTION Extended-spectrum beta-lactamases (ESBL) and AmpC beta-lactamases (AmpC) are of concern for veterinary and public health because of their ability to cause treatment failure due to antimicrobial resistance in Enterobacteriaceae. The main objective was to assess the relative contribution (RC) of different types of meat to the exposure of consumers to ESBL/AmpC and their potential importance for human infections in Denmark. MATERIAL AND METHODS The prevalence of each genotype of ESBL/AmpC-producing E. coli in imported and nationally produced broiler meat, pork and beef was weighted by the meat consumption patterns. Data originated from the Danish surveillance program for antibiotic use and antibiotic resistance (DANMAP) from 2009 to 2011. DANMAP also provided data about human ESBL/AmpC cases in 2011, which were used to assess a possible genotype overlap. Uncertainty about the occurrence of ESBL/AmpC-producing E. coli in meat was assessed by inspecting beta distributions given the available data of the genotypes in each type of meat. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION Broiler meat represented the largest part (83.8%) of the estimated ESBL/AmpC-contaminated pool of meat compared to pork (12.5%) and beef (3.7%). CMY-2 was the genotype with the highest RC to human exposure (58.3%). However, this genotype is rarely found in human infections in Denmark. CONCLUSION The overlap between ESBL/AmpC genotypes in meat and human E. coli infections was limited. This suggests that meat might constitute a less important source of ESBL/AmpC exposure to humans in Denmark than previously thought - maybe because the use of cephalosporins is restricted in cattle and banned in poultry and pigs. Nonetheless, more detailed surveillance data are required to determine the contribution of meat compared to other sources, such as travelling, pets, water resources, community and hospitals in the pursuit of a full source attribution model

Adaptação aos impactos das mudanças climáticas na perspectiva do plano diretor da cidade do Recife

Defining measures for climate change adaptation is a complex task given the existence of social, environmental, and economic demands, particularly in cities with poor urban infrastructure. As a result of analyzing the revision process of the Recife Master Plan, it is possible to observe that a reduction in the social and environmental vulnerabilities has implied carrying out more consistent studies, which may entail the implementation of structuring measures, and that environmental sustainability requires multilevel governance, with policy reforms on a global, regional and local scale, difficult to implement in the short term, although necessary for refocusing climate policies and for overcoming the inability to provide resources for a tailored adaptation infrastructure. The path to building a resilient city that provides a safer environment for the future depends on an inclusive development model, which enables the population to improve urban conditions and minimize the impacts brought about by extreme weather events.É complexa a tarefa de definir medidas de adaptação às mudanças climáticas diante da existência de demandas sociais, ambientais e econômicas, sobretudo em cidades que apresentam infraestrutura urbana deficiente. Como resultado da análise do processo de revisão do Plano Diretor do Recife (PDDR), vê-se que a redução das vulnerabilidades socioambientais implica a realização de estudos mais consistentes, que possam acarretar a implementação de medidas estruturadoras, e que a sustentabilidade ambiental demanda uma governança multinível, com reformas políticas em escala global, regional e local, de difícil aplicação no curto prazo, mas necessárias para reorientar as políticas do clima e superar a inabilidade de prover os recursos para uma infraestrutura adequada à adaptação. O caminho para construir uma cidade resiliente, que proporcione um ambiente mais seguro para as futuras gerações, depende de um modelo de desenvolvimento inclusivo, que permita melhorar as condições urbanas para a população e minimizar os impactos ocasionados pelos eventos climáticos extremos

Antiagregantes e Anticoagulantes em Cirurgia Dermatológica. Um Protocolo Orientador da Prática Clínica

The increasing number of patients undergoing antithrombotic therapy and a higher prevalence of skin neoplasia implies an adequate management of these drugs in the perioperative period during dermatological surgery. The authors present and discuss the protocol for clinical practice followed in the Dermatology and Venereology Department of Centro Hospitalar Universitário São João. Suspension or maintenance of therapy with antiplatelet and/or anticoagulant drugs should be assessed individually, taking into account the patient and intervention’s bleeding risk and the degree of thrombotic risk of the patient. In these patients, local hemostatic measures are particularly relevant in the management of perioperative haemorrhage and should be thorough. The Immunohemotherapy Department provides collaboration in situations of difficult bleeding management.O aumento do número de doentes sob terapêutica antitrombótica aliado à maior prevalência de neoplasias cutâneas implica uma gestão adequada destes fármacos no período perioperatório. Os autores apresentam e discutem o protocolo orientador da prática clínica no serviço de Dermatologia e Venereologia do Centro Hospitalar Universitário de São João. A suspensão ou manutenção da terapêutica com antiagregantes plaquetários e/ou anticoagulantes deve ser avaliada de forma individual, tendo em conta o risco hemorrágico do doente e da intervenção e o grau de risco trombótico do doente. Nestes doentes, as medidas hemostáticas locais são particularmente pertinentes na gestão da hemorragia no perioperatório e devem ser minuciosas. O Serviço de Imunohemoterapia presta colaboração nas situações de difícil controlo da hemorragia

Motor uncoordination and neuropathology in a transgenic mouse model of Machado-Joseph disease lacking intranuclear inclusions and ataxin-3 cleavage products

Machado-Joseph disease (MJD) is a late-onset neurodegenerative disorder caused by a polyglutamine (polyQ) expansion in the ataxin-3 protein. We generated two transgenic mouse lineages expressing the expanded human ataxin-3 under the control of the CMV promoter: CMVMJD83 and CMVMJD94, carrying Q83 and Q94 stretches, respectively. Behavioral analysis revealed that the CMVMJD94 transgenic mice developed motor uncoordination, intergenerational instability of the CAG repeat and a tissue-specific increase in the somatic mosaicism of the repeat with aging. Histopathological analysis of MJD mice at early and late stages of the disease revealed neuronal atrophy and astrogliosis in several brain regions; however, we found no signs of microglial activation or neuroinflammatory response prior to the appearance of an overt phenotype. In our model, the appearance of MJD-like symptoms was also not associated with the presence of ataxin-3 cleavage products or intranuclear aggregates. We propose the transgenic CMVMJD94 mice as a useful model to study the early stages in the pathogenesis of MJD and to explore the molecular mechanisms involved in CAG repeat instability.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 for technical assistance. AS-F., M.C.C., S.S. and C.B. received FCT fellowships (SFRH/BD/15910/2005; SFRH/BPD/28560/2006; PTDC/SAU-GMG/64076/2006; SFRH/BPD/20987/2004). This research was funded by Fundacao para a Ciencia e Tecnologia through projects FEDER/FCT, POCI/SAU-MMO/60412/2004, PTDC/SAU-GMG/64076/2006; and Ataxia MJD Research Project