Expression profile of genes involved in hydrogen sulphide liberation by _Saccharomyces cerevisiae_ grown under different nitrogen concentrations

The present work aims to elucidate molecular mechanisms underlying hydrogen sulphide production in _S. cerevisiae_ associated to nitrogen deficiency. To assess, at a genome-wide level, how the yeast strain adapted to the progressive nitrogen depletion and to nitrogen re-feeding, gene expression profiles were evaluated during fermentation at different nitrogen concentrations, using the DNA array technology. The results showed that most MET genes displayed higher expression values at the beginning of both control and N-limiting fermentation, just before the time at which the release of sulphide was observed. MET genes were downregulated when yeast stopped growing which could associate MET gene expression levels with cell growth. The over expression of MET genes after nitrogen addition was confirmed by a new release of H2S during the new set of fermentation experiments. In addition, to confirm gene expression profiles observed from macroarray results, real time RT-PCR was performed on 6 genes using additional sets of biological replicates. These genes were selected based on the assumption that differences in sulphide production observed among strains are due to genetic variations of the expression of genes involved in the Sulphate Reduction Pathway. An integration of expression data of genes involved in sulphur assimilation and sulphur amino acid biosynthesis with hydrogen sulphide production is presented

O papel de crianças e adultos no desenvolvimento de um Trabalho de projeto: relato de um caso

Relatório de estágio de mestrado em Educação Pré-Escolar e Ensino do 1º Ciclo do Ensino BásicoO presente relatório de estágio apresenta o projeto de intervenção pedagógica desenvolvido no Centro Social Brito, durante a Prática de Ensino Supervisionada, no âmbito do Mestrado em Educação Pré-escolar e Ensino do 1º Ciclo do Ensino Básico. No contexto da intervenção pedagógica foi desenvolvido um trabalho de projeto tendo em conta as questões de um grupo de crianças de 4 anos, que ao longo de vários meses procuraram de diversas formas (pesquisas, visitas, entrevistas, inquéritos e construção de um livro) encontrar respostas para as suas questões. A intervenção pedagógica baseou-se em reconhecer as potencialidades da metodologia de trabalho de projeto, bem como, o papéis assumidos pelas crianças e pelos adultos nesta metodologia. Tendo em conta, que esta intervenção foi desenvolvida seguindo os princípios da metodologia de investigação ação, procurou evidenciar a pesquisa, a descoberta e um constante estudo, permitindo melhorar o processo de ensino-aprendizagem. A análise desta intervenção pedagógica procurou ser reflexiva e contínua ao longo de todo o processo. Assim, fui refletindo sobre as vantagens de trabalhar sobre esta metodologia. Esta intervenção pedagógica permitiu-me uma reconstrução da minha prática profissional, pois, através dos momentos de autorreflexão, de pesquisa e descoberta, fuime apercebendo da importância de criar momentos de qualidade para as crianças. Perante isto, ao longo desta intervenção foram discutidos e analisados conceitos e ideias fundamentais para o desenvolvimento de aprendizagens de qualidade. A intervenção pedagógica permitiu ainda conhecer as aprendizagens realizadas pelas crianças ao longo do projeto, visto que, à medida que o projeto se ia desenvolvendo as crianças e os adultos adquiriram conhecimentos, competências interpessoais, um espírito crítico e um melhoramento da capacidade de argumentação. Assim, a prática deste projeto contribuiu para um crescimento como pessoa e profissional.This internship report presents the pedagogical intervention project developed in the Centro Social de Brito, during Supervised Teaching Practice under the Master in Pre-School and Elementary School Teaching. In the context of educational intervention it was developed a project work, taking account the questions of a group of children 4 years old, they have sought, for several months, various ways to respond their questions (researches, visits, interviews, surveys and building a book). The pedagogical intervention was based on recognizing the potential of project work methodology, as well as the role played by children and adults in this methodology. Taking into account that this intervention was developed following the principles of action-research methodology, it sought to highlight the research, discovery and a constant study, thereby improving, the teaching-learning process. The analysis of this pedagogical intervention sought to be reflexive and continuous. Thus, I was reflecting on the advantages of working on this methodology. This pedagogical intervention allowed me a reconstruction of my professional practice, because I was noting the importance of creating quality time for children, through the moments of self-reflection, research and discovery. Thus throughout this intervention, were discussed and analyzed concepts and ideas for the development of quality learning. The educational intervention helped to meet the learning achieved by children throughout the project, since as the project was developing children and adults acquire knowledge, interpersonal skills, a critical spirit and an improvement of the reasoning capacity. Thus, the practice of this project contributed for a personal and professional growth

Adaptação à doença oncológica e qualidade de vida

O diagnóstico de doença oncológica desencadeia um impacto na adaptação à doença oncológica e na qualidade de vida do doente oncológico. O presente estudo visa explorar a associação entre a adaptação à doença oncológica e a qualidade de vida dos doentes oncológicos e fatores subjacentes para a sua compreensão, tais como sociodemográficos e clínicos. A amostra do estudo é constituída por 34 participantes, com diagnóstico de doença oncológica das Unidades da Liga Portuguesa Contra o Cancro. Os instrumentos utilizados foram o questionário sociodemográfico, a escala de adaptação à doença oncológica (Mini-Mac) e a escala de avaliação da qualidade de vida da Organização Mundial de Saúde (WHOQOLBref). Com base nos resultados obtidos conclui-se que, quanto maior a adaptação à doença oncológica maior é a qualidade de vida do doente oncológico. Por outro lado os doentes oncológicos estão adaptados à doença oncológica e têm qualidade de vida, independentemente, da faixa etária, do género, da fase em que encontram e do tipo de diagnóstico. Quanto ao tipo de tratamento, indivíduos submetidos à cirurgia evidenciam dificuldades na adaptação à doença oncológica, enquanto que, os indivíduos submetidos à hormonoterapia evidenciam uma melhor qualidade de vida, comparando com os que não foram submetidos a esta modalidade de tratamento.The diagnosis of an oncologic disease implies an adaptation process which can affect the patient’s quality of life. This study aims to explore the association between the adjustment to cancer and the quality of life of oncologic patients, and the role of underlying factors such as sociodemographic and clinical variables. The study sample consists of 34 participants diagnosed with cancer who attend units of the Portuguese League Against Cancer. The instruments used were a sociodemographic questionnaire, Mental Adjustment to Cancer Scale (Mini-Mac), and the World Health Organization Scale for Quality of Life – Bref (WHOQOL-bref). The results achieved allow us to conclude that the oncologic patient's quality of life is proportional to his/her degree of adaptation to the illness. This adaptation is not related to the patient's age group, the illness' progression stage and the type of diagnosis attributed. As it relates to types of treatment, individuals who submit to surgical interventions face greater difficulties while adapting to the illness, while individuals who experience hormone therapy show greater quality of life, when compared to those who didn't submit to this therapeutic process

Empowering staff in dementia long-term care: A psychoeducational approach

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Characterizing the potential of the non-conventional yeast Saccharomycodes ludwigii UTAD17 in winemaking

Non-Saccharomyces yeasts have received increased attention by researchers and winemakers, due to their particular contributions to the characteristics of wine. In this group, Saccharomycodes ludwigii is one of the less studied species. In the present study, a native S. ludwigii strain, UTAD17 isolated from the Douro wine region was characterized for relevant oenological traits. The genome of UTAD17 was recently sequenced. Its potential use in winemaking was further evaluated by conducting grape-juice fermentations, either in single or in mixed-cultures, with Saccharomyces cerevisiae, following two inoculation strategies (simultaneous and sequential). In a pure culture, S. ludwigii UTAD17 was able to ferment all sugars in a reasonable time without impairing the wine quality, producing low levels of acetic acid and ethyl acetate. The overall effects of S. ludwigii UTAD17 in a mixed-culture fermentation were highly dependent on the inoculation strategy which dictated the dominance of each yeast strain. Wines whose fermentation was governed by S. ludwigii UTAD17 presented low levels of secondary aroma compounds and were chemically distinct from those fermented by S. cerevisiae. Based on these results, a future use of this non-Saccharomyces yeast either in monoculture fermentations or as a co-starter culture with S. cerevisiae for the production of wines with greater expression of the grape varietal character and with flavor diversity could be foreseen. View Full-Textinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

EFICÁCIA DO TRATAMENTO COM OMALIZUMAB NA URTICÁRIA CRÓNICA ESPONTÂNEA RESISTENTE À TERAPÊUTICA HABITUAL COMBINADA

Chronic urticaria (CU) is characterized by an evanescent, itchy wheal and flare reaction that does not resolve completely after 6 weeks. It is a relatively frequent disease that causes significant morbidity. Its therapy with drugs other than H1-antihistamines has not yet been exhaustively studied, but recently some promising treatment options have been described. We describe a case of severe, corticosteroid-dependent CU that was resistant to conventional treatment with high doses of H1-antihistamines. In this case, treatment with omalizumab, an anti-IgE monoclonal antibody, allowed control of urticaria symptoms and permitted corticosteroid interruption. No adverse reactions were reported and the drug remained effective during 18 months of therapy. We present a review of the available literature concerning the use of omalizumab in CU, emphasizing information about its long-term efficacy.A urticária crónica (UC) consiste num quadro cutâneo de duração superior a 6 semanas, caracterizada pelo aparecimento de lesões máculo-papulares eritematosas e pruriginosas, com uma duração individual inferior a 24 horas. É uma patologia relativamente frequente que causa morbilidade significativa. Atualmente, o seu tratamento com fármacos para além dos anti-histamínicos-H1 não foi exaustivamente estudada. Descrevemos um caso de UC grave, resistente à terapêutica convencional com doses elevadas de anti-histamínicos-H1, corticodependente, no qual o tratamento com o anticorpo monoclonal anti-IgE omalizumab permitiu o controlo da urticária e a interrupção de corticoides sistémicos. Não se observaram reações adversas e o fármaco permaneceu eficaz ao longo de 18 meses de terapia. É posteriormente apresentada uma revisão da literatura relativa à utilização deste fármaco, com ênfase nas suas características a longo prazo

Early intervention in obstetric brachial palsy: a review/ Intervenção precoce na paralisia braquial obstetrica: uma revisão

Obstetric brachial paralysis is the end of an injury to the nerve fibers of the brachial plexus during obstetric maneuvers during childbirth. The injury has a great impact on the functionality of the injured upper limb of the newborn. The signs and symptoms vary, depending on the location of the lesion. The early intervention of the physiotherapist in the rehabilitation process is essential to prevent complications and improve motor function. Physiotherapeutic treatment has a very important contribution to the rehabilitation of children with obstetric brachial palsy, however, it is important to respect the neuropsychomotor development process normal child. The physiotherapy objectives basically consists on avoiding contractures and adhesions; promoting motor and sensory stimulation; maintaining range of motion and functional training. Among the techniques that these professionals have, we can highlight passive and active kinesiotherapy, electrostimulation, proprioceptive stimulation, hydrotherapy and Movement Induction and Containment Therapy (MICT), always creating the best possible conditions for the recovery of this individual's functional capacity

Influence of the TAS2R38 gene single nucleotide polymorphisms in metabolism and anthropometry in thyroid dysfunction

© 2023 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).The gene TAS2R38 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs-P49A, A262V and V296I) can condition bitter tasting by PAV (proline–alanine–valine) and non-bitter-tasting by AVI (alanine–valine–isoleucine) homozygosity. We evaluated this polymorphisms association with thyroid function, metabolism and anthropometry parameters determined by: Endpoint analysis (SNPs); DXA (fat mass-%, total fat mass—kg, lean mass—kg); Standard methods (lipid metabolism parameters, HbA1c-%, glycemia—mg/dL, insulinemia—µIU/mL, HOMA-IR, uricemia—mg/dL, calcemia—mg/dL and BMI—kg/m2); ELISA (leptinemia—ng/mL); Spectrophotometry (Angiotensin Converting Enzyme activity—UI/L). Statistics: SPSS program; OR [IC95%]; p < 0.05. Sample: 114 hypothyroid, 49 hyperthyroid, and 179 controls. An association between A262V-valine–valine and hypothyroidism/hyperthyroidism was verified (OR = 2.841; IC95% [1.726–4.676]), p < 0.001/OR = 8.915; IC95% [4.286–18.543]), p < 0.001). Protector effect from thyroid dysfunction: A262V-alanine–valine (OR = 0.467; IC95% [0.289–0.757], p = 0.002/OR = 0.132; IC95% [0.056–0.309], p < 0.001) and PAV (OR = 0.456; IC95% [0.282–0.737], p = 0.001/OR = 0.101; IC95% [0.041–0.250], p < 0.001). Higher parameter values associated with genotypes were: fat-mass-% (V296I-valine–isoleucine), lean-mass (P49A-proline–proline; PVI), leptin (AVI), HbA1c (A262V-alanine–valine) and lower values in lean-Mass (AVI; PVV), leptin (A262V-alanine–alanine), HbA1c (PVV), uricemia (V296I-valine–isoleucine), glycemia (A262V-alanine–alanine; AAV) and plasma triglycerides (PVV). In conclusion, TAS2R38 influences thyroid function, body composition and metabolism. Bitter taste perception (PAV) and the genotype A262V-alanine–valine can protect from thyroid dysfunction. AVV, PVV and genotype A262V-valine–valine may confer higher predisposition for thyroid dysfunction, particularly PVV for hyperthyroidism.The writing of the manuscript was also supported by funds from the Foundation for Science and Technology to ISAMB (ref. UIDB/04295/2020 and UIDP/04295/2020).info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio