Forgerers and martyrs : conflicting histories of the Portuguese Inquisition (1598-1647)

The lack of historical works on the Portuguese Inquisition (1536-1821) produced by its members might lead us to conclude that the ministers and officials of the tribunal gave no special value to this form of knowledge. On the contrary, by looking back to the first half of the seventeenth century and focusing on two case studies – that of the Dominican António de Sousa and that of Manuel do Vale de Moura – this article shows how the Portuguese inquisitors were often involved in a struggle to define a historical image of the Holy Office. Original documents, kept under lock and key in the archives of the tribunal, were examined quite early on, but actually gave support to opposing views regarding the interests of the Inquisition. In a complex balance, sometimes the executioners took up the arguments and justifications of their victims, revealing unexpected points of agreement between the two.peer-reviewe

A fundação da Inquisição em Portugal: um novo olhar

The article presents new sources about the foundation of the Holy Office in Portugal. Historians are still influenced by mid-nineteenth century factual reconstruction by Alexandre Herculano: a dramatic fight among the fanatical King D. João III, the corrupted world of the Papal Curia and the diplomatic ability of the New Christian agents in Rome. Without pretending to provide a new global interpretation of the complex episode of the introduction of the Inquisition in Portugal, the adoption of a wider perspective allows to focus on decisive aspects that passed unnoticed, from the pressure of the Spanish Inquisition so that the Portuguese crown prosecuted the New Christians, to the central role of the new group of counsellors in matters of faith, who entered D. João III’s court between the late 1520s and the beginning of the 1530s.O artigo procura apresentar novos dados sobre o contexto da fundação do Tribunal do Santo Ofício em Portugal (1536). A historiografia continua a ser influenciada pela reconstrução dos acontecimentos fornecida na segunda metade do século XIX, por Alexandre Herculano: uma dramática luta internacional entre um rei fanático, D. João III, o mundo corrupto da cúria papal e a capacidade diplomática dos agentes dos cristãos-novos em Roma. Sem pretensão de oferecer uma nova interpretação global do complexo episódio da introdução da Inquisição em Portugal, a adopção de uma perspectiva mais alargada aqui proposta permite colher aspectos decisivos que passaram despercebidos, desde a pressão da Inquisição espanhola sobre a coroa portuguesa para perseguir os cristãos-novos, até ao papel central do novo grupo de conselheiros em matéria de fé, que integraram a corte de D. João III entre o fim dos anos 20 e o início dos 30

Faith and empire: the inquisition in the Sixteenth-Century portuguese world

O artigo apresenta a primeira tentativa de reconstrução de estratégias di difusão do tribunal da Inquisição nas diferentes regiões do Império português durante o século XVI. Em particular, pretende-se estudar a formação de uma visão global do império nas autoridades centrais do Santo Ofício, as ligações entre Inquisição e expansão colonial, os modelos de atuação dos inquisidores e as suas relações com outros agentes eclesiásticos, nomeadamente os bispos e os missionários.This article attempts to reconstruct for the first time the strategies of propagation of the Inquisition in the different regions of the sixteenth-century Portuguese empire. In particular,  it will be analysed the shaping of a global view of the empire by the central authorities of the Holy Office, the connections between Inquisition and colonial expansion, the patterns of activity of the inquisitors, as well as their relationship with other ecclesiastic agents, starting from bishops from missionaires

Toward a History of the Portuguese Inquisition Trends in Modern Historiography (1974-2009)

The Portuguese Inquisition’s general history has yet to be written. This article explores the reason of such a surprising dearth, in a close comparison with the Italian and Spanish cases. A wide range of works is here discussed in order to promote a perspective from which the first critical synthesis on the Portuguese Inquisition could come to light. Firstly, classic historiography will be analyzed up to the ‘Carnation Revolution’ (1974). Since then, modern historiography has remarkably developed. So, the focus will be on the three main lines of research on a court that marked the religious life of early modern Portugal : the relationship of the Inquisition with State and society ; the collaboration between the inquisitors and other ecclesiastical agents, as well as the forms of resistance from inside the Church ; the multifaceted action of the Inquisition in the colonial empire.L’histoire générale de l’Inquisition portugaise attend encore d’être écrite. Le présent article sonde les raisons de cette étonnante absence, par comparaison avec les cas italien et espagnol. Une vaste sélection de travaux est discutée ici dans le but de dégager une perspective et de permettre une première synthèse critique sur l’Inquisition portugaise. Après un bref examen de l’historiographie classique jusqu’à la Révolution des Œillets (1974), on soulignera les remarquables progrès réalisés par l’historiographie moderne dans trois directions de recherche sur un tribunal qui a marqué profondément la vie religieuse portugaise à l’époque moderne : les relations de l’Inquisition avec l’État et la société ; la collaboration entre les inquisiteurs et d’autres membres du clergé, ainsi que les formes de résistance à l’intérieur de l’Église ; l’action aux multiples facettes de l’Inquisition dans l’empire colonial

A polyphenol rich extract from Solanum melongena L. DR2 peel exhibits antioxidant properties and anti-herpes simplex virus type 1 activity in vitro

DR2B and DR2C extracts, obtained by ethanolic maceration of peel from commercially and physiologically ripe aubergine berries, were studied for the antioxidative cytoprotective properties and anti-HSV-1 activity, in line with the evidence that several antioxidants can impair viral replication by maintaining reducing conditions in host cells. The antioxidative cytoprotective effects against tBOOH-induced damage were assessed in Caco2 cells, while antiviral activity was studied in Vero cells; polyphenolic fingerprints were characterized by integrated phytochemical methods. Results highlighted different compositions of the extracts, with chlorogenic acid and delphinidin-3-rutinoside as the major constituents; other peculiar phytochemicals were also identified. Both samples reduced reactive oxygen species (ROS) production and exhibited scavenging and chelating properties. DR2C partly counteracted the tBOOH-induced cytotoxicity, with a remarkable lowering of lactate metabolism under both normoxia and hypoxia; interestingly, it increased intracellular GSH levels. Furthermore, DR2C inhibited the HSV-1 replication when added for 24 h after viral adsorption, as also confirmed by the reduction of many viral proteins’ expression. Since DR2C was able to reduce NOX4 expression during HSV-1 infection, its antiviral activity may be correlated to its antioxidant properties. Although further studies are needed to better characterize DR2C activity, the results suggest this extract as a promising new anti-HSV-1 agent

Antioxidant activity and antiherpetic effects of a Solanum melongena L. genotype.

Herpes Simplex Virus type 1 (HSV-1) is a recurrent human virus, which develops quickly resistance to drugs commercially available, so increasing the need to study new sources of bioactive antiviral agents. To this end, extracts from medicinal plants, essential oils or fruits with antiviral properties are widely investigated in order to found the bioactive compounds. Among them, flavonoids and anthocyanins have been shown to inhibit the HSV-1, due to a probable virucidal action, likely antioxidant mechanisms (Khan et al., 2005). Besides, it is generally accepted that oxidative stress plays an important role in the pathogenesis of viral diseases (Peterhans, 1997). Also Solanaceae glycoalkaloids were found to be active against HSV-1 (Ikeda et al., 2000). On the basis of these evidences, in the present study, the antioxidant and antiherpetic properties of a DR2 eggplant (Solanum melongena L.) genotype (Mennella et al., 2012) were studied. Eggplant fruit is one of the most common vegetable consumed all around the world and an important source of both polyphenols and glycoalkaloids, including delphinidin, nasunin, chlorogenic acid and solamargine (Mennella et al., 2010). To perform the experiments, a 70% ethanol extract (pH 3) from the peel of the DR2 eggplant fruit, at both the commercial (B) and physiological (C) stage of ripeness, was prepared. The polyphenolic content was evaluated by high-performance thin-layer chromatography (HPTLC) and determined colorimetrically. Different antioxidant mechanisms, among which the radical scavenging power and the ability to block the ROS generation (by reducing and/or chelating mechanisms) were studied (Di Sotto et al., 2013). The antiherpetic activity of the extracts (DR2-B and DR2-C) was evaluated by the plaque assay in monkey kidney epithelial (Vero) cells, after infection with HSV-1 (Civitelli et al., 2014). In agreement with the colorimetric determinations, the HPTLC analysis showed the presence of different polyphenols in both the extracts, particularly the anthocyanin, delphinidin 3-O-β-rutinoside. The samples possessed antioxidant properties, being able to scavenge different radical species and to block the ROS generation by chelating mechanisms. As regard the antiherpetic activity, in spite of a null effect of DR2-B, the extract DR2-C inhibited the HSV-1 replication in a dose-dependent manner, reaching a 93% inhibition at concentration of 500 g/ml. When administered during different phases of the virus life-cycle, DR2-C inhibited the viral replication of about 50% during the adsorption period: these data were confirmed by the immunoblotting analysis, in which several herpetic proteins resulted inhibited. Present data highlight that DR2-C extract possess antiherpetic properties, likely due to an impairment of specific steps of the virus life-cycle. Taking into account that the HSV-1 replication requires an impairment of the intracellular redox status, the antioxidant properties of DR2-C extract, likely due to the presence of different polyphenolic compounds, could be involved in the antiviral effects found. In conclusion, the beneficial antioxidant and antiherpetic properties of DR-2C suggest a possible application of S. melongena as dietary supplement, or included in topical formulations, to treat the herpetic skin symptomatic lesions

Should parafibromin staining replace HRTP2 gene analysis as an additional tool for histologic diagnosis of parathyroid carcinoma?

Objective: HRPT2 gene mutations are associated with parathyroid carcinomas, and absence of parafibromin immunoreactivity has been suggested as a diagnostic marker of malignancy. The aim of our study was to extend parafibromin studies in a series of benign and malignant parathyroid tumors and cross-validate the results of immunohistochemistry with those of HRPT2 analysis. Design and patients: We performed parafibromin and cyclin D1 immunostaining and HRPT2 gene analysis using loss of heterozygosity studies and sequencing analysis in parathyroid specimens from 11 patients with carcinoma (eleven primary tumors, one skin, and four lung metastases), 22 with sporadic adenomas, and 4 with atypical adenomas. Results: Ten out of eleven parathyroid cancers were negative for parafibromin staining and showed HRPT2 gene abnormalities. The remaining sample was negative for immunostaining and genetic analyses. All but one sporadic adenomas showed parafibromin immunoreactivity and no HRPT2 gene abnormalities. The sample with negative immunostaining carried an HRPT2 mutation. Two atypical adenomas were positive and two negative with parafibromin staining. No HRPT2 abnormalities were found in these samples. Cyclin D1 expression was heterogeneous and there was no relationship between expression/expression level of cyclin D1 and parafibromin expression. Conclusions: We have shown that negative parafibromin staining is almost invariably associated with HRPT2 mutations and confirm that loss of parafibromin staining strongly predicts parathyroid malignancy. In clinical practice, these tests could be particularly useful in the subset of parathyroid tumors with equivocal histological examination. However, their diagnostic value in this setting remains to be proven