PO 8608 Established partnerships of the University of Cape Verde with the University of Leicester, UK and the Institute of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Portugal

Background The University of Cape Verde (Uni-CV) was founded in 2006 and since then has developed an effective international strategy that is enhancing the teaching and research culture of the university. To build capacity in the public health field, Uni-CV has established collaborations with the University of Leicester (UoL), UK, and with the Institute of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (IHTM – NOVA University), Portugal. These follow different approaches. Methods Different type of capacity building initiatives focused on researchers and postgraduate students. Results The collaboration with UoL was established in 2016 and builds on funded research programmes in infectious disease and evolution of antimicrobial drug resistance (AMR). These programmes have allowed technology development and transfer, which offer the opportunity for undergraduate students to lead laboratory–based research projects at Uni-CV. In these two years, we have successfully characterised the epidemiology and patterns of AMR underlying Helicobacter pylori infections in Cape Verde. Beyond the research outputs, we have trained four undergraduates in laboratory-based microbiology at Uni-CV. From this experience, we are currently designing new sustainable higher education programmes aligned with the MSc in Public health at Uni-CV that aim to support Uni-CV lecturers in the supervision of postgraduate students, either independently or in collaboration with UoL researchers. The collaboration with IHTM was established in 2008 with the main aim of developing the research capacity of Cape Verde researchers and health professionals in infection and vector-born diseases and in bioethics. These activities have also led to collaborative research in these areas. Since then, six training courses were taught that benefited ∼20 Uni-CV lecturers and ∼100 government professionals. Conclusion Although these collaborative approaches are different in nature, they have been successful in the training of health professionals, researchers and technicians in Cape Verde and have contributed to the establishment of mutually beneficial research programmes.publishersversionpublishe

Conformance-based doping detection for cyber-physical systems

We present a novel and generalised notion of doping cleanness for cyber-physical systems that allows for perturbing the inputs and observing the perturbed outputs both in the time– and value–domains. We instantiate our definition using existing notions of conformance for cyber-physical systems. We show that our generalised definitions are essential in a data-driven method for doping detection and apply our definitions to a case study concerning diesel emission tests

Relationship Between Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma and Blood Levels of Epstein-Barr Virus in Children in North-Western Tanzania: A Case Control Study.

Non-Hodgkin's Lymphomas (NHL) are common in African children, with endemic Burkitt's lymphoma (BL) being the most common subtype. While the role of Epstein-Barr Virus (EBV) in endemic BL is known, no data are available about clinical presentations of NHL subtypes and their relationship to Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) infection and Epstein Barr Virus (EBV) load in peripheral blood of children in north-western, Tanzania. A matched case control study of NHL subtypes was performed in children under 15 years of age and their respective controls admitted to Bugando Medical Centre, Sengerema and Shirati district designated hospitals in north-western, Tanzania, between September 2010 and April 2011. Peripheral blood samples were collected on Whatman 903 filter papers and EBV DNA levels were estimated by multiplex real-time PCR. Clinical and laboratory data were collected using a structured data collection tool and analysed using chi-square, Fisher and Wilcoxon rank sum tests where appropriate. The association between NHL and detection of EBV in peripheral blood was assessed using conditional logistic regression model and presented as odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI). A total of 35 NHL cases and 70 controls matched for age and sex were enrolled. Of NHLs, 32 had BL with equal distribution between jaw and abdominal tumour, 2 had large B cell lymphoma (DLBCL) and 1 had NHL-not otherwise specified (NHL-NOS). Central nervous system (CNS) presentation occurred only in 1 BL patient; 19 NHLs had stage I and II of disease. Only 1 NHL was found to be HIV-seropositive. Twenty-one of 35 (60%) NHL and 21 of 70 (30%) controls had detectable EBV in peripheral blood (OR = 4.77, 95% CI 1.71 - 13.33, p = 0.003). In addition, levels of EBV in blood were significantly higher in NHL cases than in controls (p = 0.024). BL is the most common childhood NHL subtype in north-western Tanzania. NHLs are not associated with HIV infection, but are strongly associated with EBV load in peripheral blood. The findings suggest that high levels of EBV in blood might have diagnostic and prognostic relevance in African children

OC 8535 An overview of research ethics committees operating in lusophone african countries

Background: In 2017, a North-South partnership was created, to strengthen Bioethics Committees in African Lusophone African countries (LAC), by joining the forces of National and Institutional Research Ethics Committees (REC) and Universities in Angola, Cape Verde, Mozambique and Portugal. This study is part of an EDCTP2-funded project and aims to describe key RECs operating in LAC, its establishment dates and further characteristics. Methods: Document analysis and interviews with REC representatives of five LAC were conducted in April 2018. Legal documents were obtained through official national sources. Results: We identified four National Ethics Committees, created between 2000 and 2008 by ministerial or governmental decree; only S. Tomé e Principe does not have an established REC. In Angola, the National REC was created in 2000, and since 2007, seven Institutional Committees were implemented at faculty level. National REC in Cape Verde and Guinee-Bissau (CNES) are unique and were founded in 2007 and 2009 respectively. In Mozambique, National REC (CNBS) dates to 2002, and since 2011, 8 Institutional Committees were formed; they functioned as a network under the umbrella of CNBS. Most National REC have representatives from health professional associations, lawyers, civil society and religious communities and have regular meetings (usually monthly). The number of members ranges between 6 (CNES) and 13 (CNBS). In 2007, around 200 protocols were reviewed by CNBS and 29 by CNES. Most of the National REC members attended training activities in bioethics but at different levels. Conclusion: Few publications described REC operating in LAC; this study fills this gap by reporting historical and functional characteristics of RECs in five Lusophone African countries. Additional tools based on quantitative and qualitative approaches are being developed to assess more in-depth REC operational characteristics and to identify their needs in order to target training and capacity building initiatives underlying our project.publishersversionpublishe

Predicting the Impact of Climate Change on Threatened Species in UK Waters

Global climate change is affecting the distribution of marine species and is thought to represent a threat to biodiversity. Previous studies project expansion of species range for some species and local extinction elsewhere under climate change. Such range shifts raise concern for species whose long-term persistence is already threatened by other human disturbances such as fishing. However, few studies have attempted to assess the effects of future climate change on threatened vertebrate marine species using a multi-model approach. There has also been a recent surge of interest in climate change impacts on protected areas. This study applies three species distribution models and two sets of climate model projections to explore the potential impacts of climate change on marine species by 2050. A set of species in the North Sea, including seven threatened and ten major commercial species were used as a case study. Changes in habitat suitability in selected candidate protected areas around the UK under future climatic scenarios were assessed for these species. Moreover, change in the degree of overlap between commercial and threatened species ranges was calculated as a proxy of the potential threat posed by overfishing through bycatch. The ensemble projections suggest northward shifts in species at an average rate of 27 km per decade, resulting in small average changes in range overlap between threatened and commercially exploited species. Furthermore, the adverse consequences of climate change on the habitat suitability of protected areas were projected to be small. Although the models show large variation in the predicted consequences of climate change, the multi-model approach helps identify the potential risk of increased exposure to human stressors of critically endangered species such as common skate (Dipturus batis) and angelshark (Squatina squatina)

Differential Patterns of Food Appreciation during Consumption of a Simple Food in Congenitally Anosmic Individuals: An Explorative Study

Food is evaluated for various attributes. One of the key food evaluation domains is hedonicity. As food is consumed, its hedonic valence decreases (due to prolonged sensory stimulation) and hedonic habituation results. The aim of the present study was to investigate changes in food pleasantness ratings during consumption of a simple food by individuals without olfactory experience with food as compared to normosmics. 15 congenital anosmics and 15 normosmic controls were each presented with ten 10 g banana slices. Each was visually inspected, then smelled and chewed for ten seconds and subsequently rated for hedonicity on a 21-point scale. There was a significant difference in pleasantness ratings between congenital anosmics and controls (F(1, 26) = 6.71, p = .02) with the anosmics exhibiting higher ratings than the controls, a significant main repeated-measures effect on the ratings (F(1.85, 48) = 12.15, p<.001), which showed a decreasing trend over the course of consumption, as well as a significant portion*group interaction (F(1.85, 48) = 3.54, p = .04), with the anosmic participants experiencing a less pronounced decline. The results of the present explorative study suggest that over the course of consumption of a simple food, congenitally anosmic individuals experience differential patterns of appreciation of food as compared to normosmics. In this particular case, the decrease of hedonic valence was less pronounced in congenital anosmics

Exosomes derived from mesenchymal stem cells enhance radiotherapy-induced cell death in tumor and metastatic tumor foci

We have recently shown that radiotherapy may not only be a successful local and regional treatment but, when combined with MSCs, may also be a novel systemic cancer therapy. This study aimed to investigate the role of exosomes derived from irradiated MSCs in the delay of tumor growth and metastasis after treatment with MSC + radiotherapy (RT). The tumor cell loss rates found after treatment with the combination of MSC and RT and for exclusive RT, were: 44.4% % and 12,1%, respectively. Concomitant and adjuvant use of RT and MSC, increased the mice surviving time 22,5% in this group, with regard to the group of mice treated with exclusive RT and in a 45,3% respect control group. Moreover, the number of metastatic foci found in the internal organs of the mice treated with MSC + RT was 60% less than the mice group treated with RT alone. We reasoned that the exosome secreted by the MSC, could be implicated in tumor growth delay and metastasis control after treatment. Our results show that exosomes derived form MSCs, combined with radiotherapy, are determinant in the enhancement of radiation effects observed in the control of metastatic spread of melanoma cells and suggest that exosome-derived factors could be involved in the bystander, and abscopal effects found after treatment of the tumors with RT plus MSC. Radiotherapy itself may not be systemic, although it might contribute to a systemic effect when used in combination with mesenchymal stem cells owing the ability of irradiated MSCs-derived exosomes to increase the control of tumor growth and metastasis.This work was supported by CNPq, Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico – Brasil, Junta de Andalucía, project of Excellence from Junta de Andalucía P12-CTS-383 to FJO, Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness SAF2015-70520-R to FJO and JMRdA, RTICC RD12/0036/0026 and CIBER Cáncer ISCIII CB16/12/00421 to FJO

Climate Change, Habitat Loss, Protected Areas and the Climate Adaptation Potential of Species in Mediterranean Ecosystems Worldwide

Mediterranean climate is found on five continents and supports five global biodiversity hotspots. Based on combined downscaled results from 23 atmosphere-ocean general circulation models (AOGCMs) for three emissions scenarios, we determined the projected spatial shifts in the mediterranean climate extent (MCE) over the next century. Although most AOGCMs project a moderate expansion in the global MCE, regional impacts are large and uneven. The median AOGCM simulation output for the three emissions scenarios project the MCE at the end of the 21st century in Chile will range from 129–153% of its current size, while in Australia, it will contract to only 77–49% of its current size losing an area equivalent to over twice the size of Portugal. Only 4% of the land area within the current MCE worldwide is in protected status (compared to a global average of 12% for all biome types), and, depending on the emissions scenario, only 50–60% of these protected areas are likely to be in the future MCE. To exacerbate the climate impact, nearly one third (29–31%) of the land where the MCE is projected to remain stable has already been converted to human use, limiting the size of the potential climate refuges and diminishing the adaptation potential of native biota. High conversion and low protection in projected stable areas make Australia the highest priority region for investment in climate-adaptation strategies to reduce the threat of climate change to the rich biodiversity of the mediterranean biome