Editorial: Recent Advances in the Controversial Human Pathogens Pneumocystis, Microsporidia and Blastocystis

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Removal of Cd(II), Zn(II) and Pb(II) from aqueous solutions by brown marine macro algae: kinetic modelling

Specific marine macro algae species abundant at the Portuguese coast (Laminaria hiperborea, Bifurcaria bifurcata, Sargassum muticum and Fucus spiralis) were shown to be effective for removing toxic metals (Cd(II), Zn(II) and Pb(II)) from aqueous solutions. The initial metal concentrations in solution were about 75-100 mg L-1. The observed biosorption capacities for cadmium, zinc and lead ions were in the ranges of 23.9-39.5 mg g-1, 18.6-32.0 mg g-1 and 32.3-50.4 mg g-1, respectively. Kinetic studies revealed that the metal uptake rate was rather fast, with 75% of the total amount occurring in the first 10 min for all algal species. Experimental data were well fitted by a pseudo-second order rate equation. The contribution of internal diffusion mechanism was significant only to the initial biosorption stage. Results indicate that all the studied macro algae species can provide an efficient and cost-effective technology for eliminating heavy metals from industrial effluents

The Use of Algae and Fungi for Removal of Pharmaceuticals by Bioremediation and Biosorption Processes: A Review

The occurrence and fate of pharmaceuticals in the aquatic environment is recognized as one of the emerging issues in environmental chemistry. Conventional wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) are not designed to remove pharmaceuticals (and their metabolites) from domestic wastewaters. The treatability of pharmaceutical compounds in WWTPs varies considerably depending on the type of compound since their biodegradability can differ significantly. As a consequence, they may reach the aquatic environment, directly or by leaching of the sludge produced by these facilities. Currently, the technologies under research for the removal of pharmaceuticals, namely membrane technologies and advanced oxidation processes, have high operation costs related to energy and chemical consumption. When chemical reactions are involved, other aspects to consider include the formation of harmful reaction by-products and the management of the toxic sludge produced. Research is needed in order to develop economic and sustainable treatment processes, such as bioremediation and biosorption. The use of low-cost materials, such as biological matrices (e.g., algae and fungi), has advantages such as low capital investment, easy operation, low operation costs, and the non-formation of degradation by-products. An extensive review of existing research on this subject is presented.This research was funded by the Associate Laboratory for Green Chemistry-LAQV which is financed by national funds from FCT/MCTES (UID/QUI/50006/2019) and co-financed by the ERDF under the PT2020 Partnership Agreement (POCI-01-0145-FEDER-007265). This research was funded also by the EU and FCT/UEFISCDI/FORMAS, in the frame of the collaborative international consortium REWATER financed under the ERA-NET Cofund WaterWorks2015 Call, this ERA-NET is an integral part of the 2016 Joint Activities developed by the Water Challenges for a Changing World Joint Program Initiative (Water JPI). Andreia Silva would like to thank FCT for her Ph.D. Grant SFRH/BD/138/780/2018.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

4th National Congress of Tropical Medicine and 1st Lusophone Meeting on AIDS, Tuberculosis and Opportunistic Diseases

The Institute of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine in Lisbon (IHMT) and the Association for the Development of Tropical Medicine (ADMT) organized the 4th National Congress of Tropical Medicine (CNMT) on April 19-21, 2017 in Lisbon in tandem with the 1st Lusophone Meeting on AIDS, Tuberculosis and Opportunistic Diseases, integrating the 115th anniversary of the IHMT. This biennial event brought toge-ther scientists and experts from CPLP member states, from Europe and all over the world, being the most important congress on global health and tropical medicine in Portugal. The main objective of the 2017’s edition was to establish a platform to discuss cosmopolitan themes and diseases with their own specificities in tropical countries, such as AIDS, Tuberculosis and Opportunistic Diseases, extending the interventions to the most traditional topics in tropical health like ma-laria, bilharziosis, leishmaniasis, trypanosomes, Zika virus disease and dengue, among others. This paper summarizes the main conclusions of this meeting where the state of the art was reviewed in terms of current knowledge and control strategies, covering aspects from basic research to issues related to implementation and health systems. O Instituto de Higiene e Medicina Tropical em Lisboa (IHMT) e a Associação para o Desenvolvimento da Medicina Tropical (ADMT) organizaram entre 19 e 21 de abril de 2017, em Lisboa, o 4º Congresso Nacional de Medicina Tropical (CNMT) associado ao 1º Encontro Lusófono de Sida, Tuberculose e Doenças Oportunistas, integrando as comemorações dos 115 anos do IHMT. Este evento bienal, reuniu cientistas e especialistas dos estados-membros da CPLP, da Europa e de todo o mundo, sendo o mais importante congresso sobre saúde global e medicina tropical em Portugal. O principal objetivo da edição de 2017 foi o de estabelecer uma plataforma para debater temas e doenças cosmopolitas com especificidades próprias em países tropicais, nomeadamente a Sida, a Tuberculose e as Doenças Oportunistas, alargando as intervenções ao conjunto dos temas mais tradicionais na saúde tropical como a malária, bilharziose, leishmanioses, tripanossomoses, Zica e dengue, entre outros. Neste trabalho resumem-se as principias conclusões deste encontro onde se reviu o estado da arte em termos de conhecimentos atuais e de estratégias de controlo, cobrindo aspetos desde a investigação básica às questões relacionadas com a implementação e sistemas de saúdepublishersversionpublishe

Management practices in creative tourism: narratives by managers from international institutions to a more sustainable form of tourism

This article analyses the managerial practices implemented by international organisations that provide platforms for promoting and carrying out creative tourism activities and workshops. The methodology of this research was conducted in four phases. The first phase consisted of Internet-based research to identify organisations involved in creative tourism and 24 institutions were found. In the second phase, we analysed the information provided on the institutions’ websites. In the third phase, we prepared an interview script and sent it to those institutions. We received 12 positive replies and held a semi-structured interview with those managers. In the last phase, the narratives of the interviews were subjected to content analysis. The 12 managers interviewed, between the ages of 35 and 56, belong to public and private entities and lead technical teams. The studied institutions displayed good practices for creative tourism and strategic lines to consolidate this tourist product in the future. This study is pertinent and original because no international study has analysed in detail the management practices implemented by creative tourism platforms and a consistent characterisation of the profile of the creative tourist is yet to be outlined. It can also help institutions involved in creative tourism to better understand the international state of the field in this tourism segment.This research was conducted within the project "CREATOUR -Creative Tourism Destination Development in Small Cities and Rural Areas" Project, funded by European Structural and Investment Funds (ESIF) through the Operational Programme of Competitiveness and Internationalisation -COMPETE 2020 and by National Funds through FCT -Foundation for Science and Technology under the project POCI-0145-FEDER-016437

Improved dsRNA isolation and purification method validated by viral dsRNA detection using novel primers in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

© 2023 Published by Elsevier B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)Accurate genomic sequencing demands high-quality double-stranded RNA (dsRNA). Existing methods for dsRNA extraction from yeast, fungi, and plants primarily rely on cellulose, suitable only for small volume extractions, or the time-consuming lithium chloride precipitation. To streamline the traditional phenol-chloroform-based dsRNA extraction method, the main challenge is the reduction of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) and Single Stranded RNA (ssRNA) to no detectable levels after gel electrophoresis. This challenge is successfully addressed through the modified approach described here, involving phenol extraction at low pH, followed by the addition of ammonium sulfate to the aqueous buffer. The dsRNA isolated using this novel method exhibits comparable quality to that obtained through cellulose purification, and it is readily amenable to RT-PCR. Moreover, a single batch of yeast cell RNA isolation requires only 2-3 h of hands-on time, thus simplifying and expediting the process significantly.•Buffers were redesigned from [32,33,35].•No DNASE, Ribonuclease A or beads were used during the purification.•Simple and inexpensive dsRNA extraction and purification method is described.This study was partially supported by FCT/MCTES for supporting Research Units GHTM - UID/04413/2020 and LA-REAL-LA/P/0117/2020.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Targeting Leishmania major Antigens to Dendritic Cells In Vivo Induces Protective Immunity

Efficient vaccination against the parasite Leishmania major, the causative agent of human cutaneous leishmaniasis, requires development of type 1 T-helper (Th1) CD4+ T cell immunity. Because of their unique capacity to initiate and modulate immune responses, dendritic cells (DCs) are attractive targets for development of novel vaccines. In this study, for the first time, we investigated the capacity of a DC-targeted vaccine to induce protective responses against L. major. To this end, we genetically engineered the N-terminal portion of the stress-inducible 1 protein of L. major (LmSTI1a) into anti-DEC205/CD205 (DEC) monoclonal antibody (mAb) and thereby delivered the conjugated protein to DEC+ DCs in situ in the intact animal. Delivery of LmSTI1a to adjuvant-matured DCs increased the frequency of antigen-specific CD4+ T cells producing IFN-γ+, IL-2+, and TNF-α+ in two different strains of mice (C57BL/6 and Balb/c), while such responses were not observed with the same doses of a control Ig-LmSTI1a mAb without receptor affinity or with non-targeted LmSTI1a protein. Using a peptide library for LmSTI1a, we identified at least two distinct CD4+ T cell mimetopes in each MHC class II haplotype, consistent with the induction of broad immunity. When we compared T cell immune responses generated after targeting DCs with LmSTI1a or other L. major antigens, including LACK (Leishmania receptor for activated C kinase) and LeIF (Leishmania eukaryotic ribosomal elongation and initiation factor 4a), we found that LmSTI1a was superior for generation of IFN-γ-producing CD4+ T cells, which correlated with higher protection of susceptible Balb/c mice to a challenge with L. major. For the first time, this study demonstrates the potential of a DC-targeted vaccine as a novel approach for cutaneous leishmaniasis, an increasing public health concern that has no currently available effective treatment