Structural insights into the human multifunctional protein RuvBL2

"RuvB-Like transcription factors, RuvBL1 and RuvBL2, function in cell cycle regulation and development. They have been attributed the functions of chaperone, transcription regulator and helicase, sometimes in an ATP-dependent fashion, but just how these functions are regulated in each protein is still a mystery, that many groups have been working to understand. There is already a vast, albeit scattered amount of knowledge gathered about RuvBL1 and RuvBL2 proteins.(...)

A participação dos alunos nas aulas de educação física e nas sessões de actividade física e desportiva no 1.º ciclo do ensino básico

A participação dos alunos nas aulas de Educação Física (EF) e nas Actividades Físicas e Desportivas (AFD) no 1.º Ciclo do Ensino Básico tem vindo a ser um tema objecto de estudo e investigação por autores desta área. Partindo da problemática - Será que os alunos participam de igual forma nas aulas de EF e nas sessões de AFD? – estabelecemos como objectivos do nosso estudo: i) conhecer as expectativas e percepções dos alunos face às aulas EF e às sessões de AFD; ii) identificar os níveis de participação dos alunos nas aulas de EF e nas sessões de AFD; iii) caracterizar as formas de participação dos alunos ao longo das aulas de EF e nas sessões de AFD; iv) promover nos alunos a reflexão sobre a sua participação nas aulas de EF e nas sessões de AFD e v) compreender se as sessões de AFD substituem as aulas de EF. O grupo de estudo era constituído por seis alunos de ambos os sexos. Foram observados ao longo de um mês em quatro aulas de EF e quatro sessões de AFD, com diferenciadas actividades dominantes. Para a recolha dos dados, a par dos instrumentos audiovisuais recorreu-se a um instrumento de observação já validado (Sarmento et al. 1993), constituído por onze categorias de análise das actividades dominantes (AM – Actividade Motora, D – Demonstração, Aj – Ajuda, M – Manipulação do Material, DI – Deslocamentos, Ai – Atenção à Informação, E – Espera, Cft – Comportamento Fora da Tarefa, Iv – Interacções Verbais, Af – Afectividade, Oc – Outros Comportamentos). No final de cada aula de EF e sessão de AFD, os alunos realizaram registos pessoais reflexivos sobre as suas prestações e do que se propunham fazer numa próxima aula ou sessão, construindo desta forma um diário pessoal. Aplicou-se ainda um inquérito a todos os alunos, com o objectivo de recolher informação acerca das expectativas e percepções dos alunos perante esta área do currículo. O estudo evidenciou que os alunos participaram mais nas aulas de EF do que nas sessões de AFD e que a sua participação foi maior nas aulas com actividade dominante centrada no bloco programático Actividades Rítmicas e Expressivas e participando menos nas dos blocos Jogos e Ginástica.The participation of students in the Physical Education (PE) lessons and Sport and Physical Activities (SPA) sessions in the 1st cycle of basic education has been a topic increasingly discussed and reflected by authors in this area. On the question - Do the students participate equally in the PE lessons and in the SPA sessions? - were established for purposes of this study research: to know the expectations and perceptions of students regarding the PE class and the SPA sessions; identifying the level of participation of students in this classes and sessions; characterize the forms of participation of students during the PE lessons and SPA sessions; promoting student’s reflection about their participation in the PE lessons and SPA sessions; and understand if the SPA sessions replace the PE lessons. The study group was constituted by six students of both sexes. They were observed over a month in four classes of PE and four sessions of SPA, with different activities dominant. For data collection, along with audiovisual tools was used an observation instrument already validated by Sarmento, et al (1993), constituted by eleven categories of analysis activities dominant (AM - motor activity; D – demonstration; Aj – help; M - the material handling; DL – displacements; Ai – attention to the information; E – Wait; Cft - behavior outside task; Iv - verbal interactions; Af – affection; Oc - other behaviors). At the end of each PE lessons and SPA sessions, all students achieved personal records reflective about their participation and what they proposed to do in the next class or session, thus they built a personal diary. It was also applied a questionnaire to all students, in order to gather information about the expectations and perceptions of students in this area of the curriculum. This study showed that students participated more in the PE lessons than in the SPA sessions and that students participate more in classes where the programming block is rhythmic and expressive activities, and participate less in blocks Games and Gymnastics

Proteostasis networks in aging: novel insights from text-mining approaches

Aging is a topic of paramount importance in an increasingly elderly society and has been the focus of extensive research. Protein homeostasis (proteostasis) decline is a hallmark in aging and several age-related diseases, but which specific proteins and mechanisms are involved in proteostasis (de)regulation during the aging process remain largely unknown. Here, we used different text-mining tools complemented with protein–protein interaction data to address this complex topic. Analysis of the integrated protein interaction networks identified novel proteins and pathways associated to proteostasis mechanisms and aging or age-related disorders, indicating that this approach is useful to identify previously unknown links and for retrieving information of potential novel biomarkers or therapeutic targets.info:eu-repo/semantics/acceptedVersio

Design of double-walled carbon nanotubes for biomedical applications

Double-walled carbon nanotubes (DWNTs) prepared by catalytic chemical vapour deposition were functionalized in such a way that they were optimally designed as a nano-vector for the delivery of small interfering RNA (siRNA), which is of great interest for biomedical research and drug development. DWNTs were initially oxidized and coated with a polypeptide (Poly(Lys:Phe)), which was then conjugated to thiol-modified siRNA using a heterobifunctional cross-linker. The obtained oxDWNT–siRNA was characterized by Raman spectroscopy inside and outside a biological environment (mammalian cells). Uptake of the custom designed nanotubes was not associated with detectable biochemical perturbations in cultured cells, but transfection of cells with DWNTs loaded with siRNA targeting the green fluorescent protein (GFP) gene, serving as a model system, as well as with therapeutic siRNA targeting the survivin gene, led to a significant gene silencing effect, and in the latter case a resulting apoptotic effect in cancer cells

Physicians’ beliefs and attitudes about Benzodiazepines : a cross-sectional study

© The Author(s). 2019 Open Access This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license, and indicate if changes were made. The Creative Commons Public Domain Dedication waiver (http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/) applies to the data made available in this article, unless otherwise stated.Background: In 2015, Portugal was the OECD country with the highest reported consumption of BZD. Physician’s perceptions and attitudes regarding BZD are main determinants of related prescription habits. This study aimed to characterize beliefs and attitudes of Portuguese physicians regarding the prescription, management challenges, benefits, risks and withdrawal effects of BZD. Methods: A cross-sectional, observational study with online data collection through anonymous self-administered questionnaire. Physicians registered with the Portuguese Medical Association were invited to participate through direct e-mail message. Physicians were asked to give their opinion (using a 5-points Likert scale) regarding the prescription of BZD, their benefits and risks in the management of insomnia and anxiety, the possible adverse effects of chronic use and alternative non-pharmacologic approaches. Descriptive statistics were used and groups were compared through logistic regression. Results: A total of 329 physicians participated in the study (56% family physicians). Mean age was 44.10 ± 15.2 years, with 19.03 ± 14.9 years of clinical experience. Fifty eight percent of participants were female. Physicians reported BZD’s negative impact on cognitive function (89%), association with road traffic accidents (88%) and falls (79%). Also, 58% shared the belief that chronic use is justified if the patient feels better and without adverse events. Although 68% reported to feel capable of helping patients to reduce or stop BZD, 55% recognized difficulties in motivating them. Compared to other medical specialists (altogether), family physicians were significantly more aware about the adverse effects of BZD and considered that chronic use may not be justified. Conversely, more family physicians expressed concerns about their skills to motivate patients engaging in withdrawal programs and to support them during the process. Conclusion: Our results show that physicians’ awareness about risks of BZD chronic use is adequate though their attitudes and self-perceived skills towards promoting BZD withdrawal can be improved. Interventions in primary care are needed to capacitate physicians to better motivate patients for BZD withdrawal.Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation funded this study. The funder had no role in the study design, data collection, data analysis, interpretation of data, presentation of results, or decision to submit for publication.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Diagnosis of Asymptomatic Biliary Ascariasis by Abdominal Ultrasound in a Non-Endemic Area

Biliary ascariasis is rare in non-endemic areas. This infection is associated with severe complications of the biliary tract, which can become a medical emergency. Treatment with oral anthelmintics is often effective, but, in some cases, surgery is required. We describe an unusual case of ultrasound diagnosis of biliary ascariasis in the gallbladder in a patient who, besides residing in a low-prevalence area of the infection, did not present with biliary tract manifestations. We intend to raise awareness of this clinical entity in non-endemic areas, where this diagnosis is not usually considered. A brief review of the subject is also presented.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

NÚCLEO TEATRAL PARA CRIANÇAS E ADOLESCENTES: UMA PROPOSTA DE EXTENSÃO DO PROJETO IURUPARI – GRUPO DE TEATRO – UFOPA

O Projeto Iurupari – Grupo de Teatro “Núcleo de Crianças e Adolescentes” no ano de 2017 objetivou primeiramente formar um grupo de pessoas, dispostas ao fazer cênico, focando na utilização do jogo dramático como elemento catalisador da imaginação criativa e do comportamento lúdico. O jogo dramático está caracterizado pelo discurso espontâneo e criativo e pela possibilidade de vivenciar com o grupo atividades de improvisação, enriquecidas pela interpretação livre, para que elas possam exercer o fazer teatral, desse modo apresentando-os a esse novo universo, que posteriormente e como consequência, concretiza com resultados, como apresentações e intervenções direcionadas para a comunidade em geral. As atividades visam desenvolver as habilidades do teatro entre os participantes, estimular a autodisciplina e a cooperação com os outros, com o propósito de possibilitar o desenvolvimento da autoconfiança explorando situações de caráter lúdico, despertando-os para que cada qual explore sua potencialidade, e posteriormente coloque-a em prática com o grupo, identificando sua capacidade corporal, vocal e interpretativa direcionadas ao teatro. O projeto tem como foco promover a inserção da universidade no processo de desenvolvimento cultural dos participantes com a implementação de oficinas e jogos teatrais direcionadas à integração dos mesmos, à produção artístico-cultural e, posteriormente, com as apresentações artísticas para a comunidade. Palavras-chave: artes cênicas; ensino; formação

TEATRO NA EXTENSÃO UNIVERSITÁRIA: EM CENA A ARTE DRAMÁTICA E SEU JOGO

O Projeto Iurupari tornou-se um grupo teatral formado por pessoas dispostas, que exercem o fazer cênico e teatral entre si, e se empenham para as apresentações, a fim de efetivar o projeto de extensão com atividades artísticas no âmbito acadêmico, mas que também se concretiza com resultados direcionados para a comunidade em geral. Atualmente o grupo conta com a participação de aproximadamente vinte pessoas, dentre elas, acadêmicos da Ufopa, estudantes de escolas do município e pessoas da comunidade, presentes nos encontros, oficinas e ensaios. Os encontros ocorrem aos sábados das 14h às 19h, no Auditório Wilson Fonseca, do Campus Rondon da Ufopa, ajudam desenvolver as habilidades do teatro entre os participantes, estimulando-os para que cada qual explore sua potencialidade, e posteriormente coloque-a em prática com o grupo, identificando sua capacidade corporal, vocal e interpretativa direcionadas ao teatro.Palavras-chave: projeto; desenvoltura; artes cênicas; grupo de teatro

Combined therapy with m-TOR-dependent and -independent autophagy inducers causes neurotoxicity in a mouse model of Machado-Joseph disease

A major pathological hallmark in several neurodegenerative disorders, like polyglutamine disorders (polyQ), including Machado-Joseph disease (MJD), is the formation of protein aggregates. MJD is caused by a CAG repeat expansion in the ATXN3 gene, resulting in an abnormal protein, which is prone to misfolding and forms cytoplasmic and nuclear aggregates within neurons, ultimately inducing neurodegeneration. Treatment of proteinopathies with drugs that up-regulate autophagy has shown promising results in models of polyQ diseases. Temsirolimus (CCI-779) inhibits the mammalian target of rapamycin (m-TOR), while lithium chloride (LiCl) acts by inhibiting inositol monophosphatase, both being able to induce autophagy. We have previously shown that chronic treatment with LiCl (10.4 mg/kg) had limited effects in a transgenic MJD mouse model. Also, others have shown that CCI-779 had mild positive effects in a different mouse model of the disease. It has been suggested that the combination of mTOR-dependent and -independent autophagy inducers could be a more effective therapeutic approach. To further explore this avenue toward therapy, we treated CMVMJD135 transgenic mice with a conjugation of CCI-779 and LiCl, both at concentrations known to induce autophagy and not to be toxic. Surprisingly, this combined treatment proved to be deleterious to both wild-type (wt) and transgenic animals, failing to rescue their neurological symptoms and actually exerting neurotoxic effects. These results highlight the possible dangers of manipulating autophagy in the nervous system and suggest that a better understanding of the potential disruption in the autophagy pathway in MJD is required before successful long-term autophagy modulating therapies can be developed.Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia through the projects [FEDER/FCT, POCI/SAU-MMO/60412/2004], [PTDC/SAU-GMG/64076/2006]. This work was supported by Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologi