Detection of Diarrheic Shellfish Poisoning and Azaspiracid Toxins in Moroccan Mussels: Comparison of the LC-MS Method with the Commercial Immunoassay Kit

Diarrheic shellfish poisoning (DSP) is a recurrent gastrointestinal illness in Morocco, resulting from consumption of contaminated shellfish. In order to develop a rapid and reliable technique for toxins detection, we have compared the results obtained by a commercial immunoassay-“DSP-Check” kit” with those obtained by LC-MS. Both techniques are capable of detecting the toxins in the whole flesh extract which was subjected to prior alkaline hydrolysis in order to detect simultaneously the esterified and non esterified toxin forms. The LC-MS method was found to be able to detect a high level of okadaic acid (OA), low level of dinophysistoxin-2 (DTX2), and surprisingly, traces of azaspiracids 2 (AZA2) in mussels. This is the first report of a survey carried out for azaspiracid (AZP) contamination of shellfish harvested in the coastal areas of Morocco. The “DSP-Check” kit was found to detect quantitatively DSP toxins in all contaminated samples containing only OA, provided that the parent toxins were within the range of detection and was not in an ester form. A good correlation was observed between the two methods when appropriate dilutions were performed. The immunoassay kit appeared to be more sensitive, specific and faster than LC-MS for determination of DSP in total shellfish extract

Emergent biotoxins in European waters and new public health risks

RESUMO - Na Europa os problemas de saúde pública relacionados com biotoxinas marinhas têm estado largamente associados ao consumo de bivalves contaminados por microalgas tóxicas, à semelhança de outras zonas temperadas do planeta. No entanto, nos países mediterrâneos novos riscos para a saúde pública têm vindo a tornar-se recorrentes desde o início do século xxi. As alterações climáticas parecem estar a favorecer a ocorrência de biotoxinas que habitualmente apenas afectavam zonas tropicais, em latitudes progressivamente superiores. Nesta revisão pretende-se resumir os principais problemas de biotoxinas emergentes que tem estado a afectar progressivamente o sul da Europa, em que estão envolvidas as palitoxinas, as tetrodotoxinas e as ciguatoxinas. A presença de palitoxinas levou à inclusão da via respiratória na transferência de biotoxinas para o Homen. Até recentemente apenas a via alimentar era conhecida na Europa. Já ocorreram diversos episódios graves do foro respiratório em Itália e Espanha. As biotoxinas envolvidas são produzidas pela microalga Ostreopsis ovata. Estes problemas surgiram em baías abrigadas, modificadas artificialmente, em períodos do verão em que se atingiram temperaturas elevadas da água do mar, afectando habitantes e veraneantes. A abertura do Canal do Suez permitiu a migração para o Mediterrâneo oriental do peixebalão Lagocephalus sceleratus oriundo do Mar Vermelho, contaminado com tetrodotoxinas. Já foram capturados por diversas vezes no mar Egeu e já causaram intoxicações em Israel, pelo que terão constituído populações permanentes no Mediterrâneo oriental. Os juvenis podem ser confundidos com outros peixes comerciais e consumidos por engano. Até 2004, as intoxicações por ciguatera registadas em países europeus derivavam de viagens prévias a zonas de risco como ilhas das Caraíbas ou do Oceano Índico ou Pacífico. Peixe contaminado com toxinas ciguatéricas foi capturado pela primeira vez em 2004 nas Ilhas Canárias. A recorrência do fenómeno mais a norte em meados de 2008, com peixe capturado nas Ilhas Selvagens do Arquipélago da Madeira, e em finais de 2008 com peixe novamente capturado nas Ilhas Canárias, levou ao estabelecimento de limites de captura para certas espécies de peixes. O peixe implicado nas intoxicações mais graves foi o charuteiro (Seriola spp.). A recente identificação de toxinas ciguatéricas em Seriola fasciata, e o registo progressivo da presença desta espécie desde o Mediterrâneo ocidental até ao Mar Egeu, levantam também preocupações sobre a futura expansão de peixes ciguatéricos no Mediterrâneo. Um caso isolado de uma intoxicação grave por búzios contaminados com tetrodotoxinas também questiona qual a possível extensão futura do problema causado pelas biotoxinas emergentes nesta região.ABSTRACT - In Europe, public health problems related to marine biotoxins have been largely related to consumption of bivalve contaminated by toxic microalgae, like in other temperate zones of the planet. However, in Mediterranean countries new public health risks have starting to be recurrent since the first decade of the xxi century. Climate changing seems to be favouring the appearance of biotoxins common only in tropical zones at progressively higher latitudes. In this review the problems that progressively emergent biotoxins have been causing in Southern Europe, including palytoxins, tetrodotoxins and ciguatoxins, will be summarised. The presence of palytoxins in the Mediterranean sea led to the inclusion of the aerosol exposure route in the transfer of biotoxins to man. Until recently, only food ingestion was a known route. Exposure to marine aerosol was already responsible for a few outbreaks of respiratory symptoms in Italy and Spain. These biotoxins are produced by the microalgae Ostreopsis ovata. These problems occurred in summer time in sheltered bays, affecting inhabitants and tourists. The opening of the Suez Channel created the appropriate conditions for the establishment in the east Mediterranean Sea of the puffer–fish Lagocephalus sceleratus, originating in the Red Sea, bearing tetrodotoxins. Specimens were captured in the Aegan Sea on several occasion and caused some food poisonings in Israel, having constituted permanent populations in this area. Juvenile specimens might be confused with other edible fish and consumed by mistake. Until 2004, the registered cases of ciguatera fish poisoning in European countries originated from previous travel to risk areas, such as Caribbean Sea, Indic or Pacific Oceans. Fish contaminated with ciguatera toxins was first captured in 2004 at the Canary Islands. Recurrence of the phenomena further north in 2008, with fish captured at Selvagens Islands (Madeira Arquipelago), and in end of 2008 again in Canary Islands, led to the establishment of size limits for fish harvest. The species implicated in the most severe outbreaks always belonged to Seriola spp (amberjack). The recent identification of ciguatera toxins in Seriola fasciata, and the progressive presence of this species from the eastern Mediterranean until the Aegean sea, raise concern about the future expansion of ciguateric fish in the Mediterranean. An isolated case of food poisoning after trumpet shell contaminated with tetrodotoxins, also questions what will be the possible future extension of emergent biotoxins in the Mediterranean.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Post‐industrial urban shrinkage in Lisbon: planning challenges for former manufacturing sites

The paper aims are twofold: This paper develops a new approach to measure physical change outcomes of urban shrinkage (No Void project). The paper showcases Lisbon city, which has suffered depopulation, explained by economic restructuring, and suburbanization and the effects of economic cycles (boom and bust) mingled with political options, comparing two manufacturing areas (East and Southwest) with different fortunes.info:eu-repo/semantics/draf

Ruínas e espaços abandonados da desindustrialização em Lisboa: a anatomia de uma crise urbana

The paper aims are twofold: This paper develops a new approach to measure physical change outcomes of urban shrinkage (NoVoid project). The paper showcases Lisbon city, which has suffered depopulation, explained by economic restructuring, and suburbanization and the effects of economic cycles (boom and bust) mingled with political options, comparing two manufacturing areas (East and Southwest) with different fortunes.info:eu-repo/semantics/draf

Smart Specialisation Strategies and Regional Convergence: Spanish Extremadura after a Period of Divergence

Smart specialization strategies are a new EU approach to cohesion policy, meant to deliver growth and development at EU national and regional level. Bearing in mind its focus on place-based development strategies, this paper intends to shed some light on its appropriateness to tackle uneven development and regional growth divergence. The paper showcases Spanish Extremadura growth trajectory. Extremadura is a poor region in the European context that between 2008 and 2014 diverged from the EU average, despite being eligible for EU funding as a convergence region by cohesion policy. In the 2014–2020 programming period, there was a positive dynamic at the beginning, but from 2017 onwards convergence stopped, which indicates that thematic and regional programmes have not delivered results or have not compensated for higher growth level of other Spanish regions. Moreover, research and innovation strategies for smart specialization (RIS3) seem to have limited impacts on place-based economic transformation in less developed regions. From this example, the suitability of the smart specialisation strategy as the core of cohesion policy in the programming period is discussed. It concludes that this strategy is interesting for intermediate development regions with some industrial base but does not seem appropriate as a convergence driver for poorer regions.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Sporotrichoid cutaneous leishmaniasis: atypical form

Leishmaniasis comprises a heterogeneous and extensive group of infectious and non-contagious diseases caused by protozoa of the genus Leishmania spp. It is a disease considered endemic in 92 countries, with at least 1 million new cases of integumentary forms annually. Cutaneous leishmaniasis is endemic in the tropics and neotropics. It is often referred to as a group of diseases because of the varied spectrum of clinical manifestations, which range from small cutaneous nodules to gross mucosal tissue destruction. Cutaneous leishmaniasis can be caused by several Leishmania spp. and is transmitted to human beings and animals by sandflies. Despite its increasing worldwide incidence, because it is rarely fatal, cutaneous leishmaniasis has become one of the so-called neglected diseases, In endemic countries, diagnosis is often made clinically and, if possible, by microscopic examination of lesion biopsy smears to visually confirm leishmania parasites as the cause. Cutaneous leishmaniasis often presents as an ulcerated lesion, with raised, infiltrated edges, classically described as frame-like edges at the site of the mosquito bite. We report an uncommon case of a patient who presented with a lesion on the face, sporotrichoid in appearance, and thigh, which appeared simultaneously, of clinical lesions of cutaneous leishmaniasis, laboratory-confirmed and which showed excellent clinical evolution with the use of liposomal amphotericin B

O tipo de modelação dos pneus dos veículos pesados na avaliação do desempenho dos pavimentos

Os veículos pesados são os principais responsáveis pela degradação dos pavimentos rodoviários provocando principalmente fendilhamento por fadiga e deformações permanentes. Os pavimentos rodoviários são dimensionados para suportar o tráfego de projecto, o qual é composto por diferentes tipos de veículos com diferentes tipos de eixos e rodas, sendo a carga total do veículo função de vários factores. Alguns destes veículos pesados causam maiores degradações nos pavimentos devido ao tipo de suspensão, tipo de pneu, localização dos eixos ou pressão de enchimento dos pneus. No entanto, em termos de dimensionamento, esta diversidade de veículos é considerada de modo semelhante pela atribuição de uma área onde é aplicada a carga dos veículos, verificando-se que a configuração desta área não representa correctamente o contacto dos pneus com o pavimento. Deste modo, este trabalho pretende estudar a acção dos veículos pesados na avaliação do comportamento do pavimento considerando a carga dos veículos pesados modelada de forma mais aproximada da real, nomeadamente, considerando os sulcos dos pneus e a variação não uniforme da pressão de contacto pneu-pavimento. Assim, neste trabalho é modelado um pavimento representativo da rede rodoviária no qual são aplicadas diferentes configurações de carga sendo obtido o estado de tensão/deformação instalado no pavimento. A modelação numérica do pavimento foi realizada utilizando um modelo elástico linear de elementos finitos em três dimensões desenvolvido para analisar a influência de um veículo pesado possuindo uma configuração de pneus duplos com 245mm de largura. Neste estudo foram consideradas duas configurações de distribuição de pressões de contacto, em que foram considerados as seguintes pressões totais: 700, 800, 900, 1200 e 1500 kPa. Com base nos resultados obtidos é possível observar as diferenças significativas no estado de tensão/deformação do pavimento, principalmente à superfície a qual poderá ser responsável pelo fendilhamento com origem à superfície.Road pavements have been designed to support the design traffic which is composed by different type of vehicles with different axle configurations, load magnitudes, wheel types and tire inflation pressures. Traffic loads are the major source of pavement damage by causing fatigue, which leads to cracking and permanent deformation. Heavy vehicles do not cause equal damage because the differences in wheel loads, number and location of axles, types of suspensions and tires. Furthermore, the damage is specific to the pavement properties, operating conditions and environmental factors. This research proposes a model for predicting the mechanical behaviour of flexible pavement subjected to heavy load vehicle with dual-tire configuration using a numerical simulation. An elastic finite element model in three dimensions (3D) was developed to analyze the influence of a heavy vehicle with dual-tire configuration featuring 245 mm wide on each tire. This research studied three configurations of contact pressure considering the following pressures: 700, 800, 900, 1200 and 1500 kPa. The results show that it is possible to observe significant differences in the state of stress/strain on the pavement, especially on the surface which is responsible for cracking originating at the surface. The simulation model present here will be useful for future pavement design and material selection

Inequality and space in contemporary capitalism: a question of territorial (in)justice?

A ideia de territórios (in)justos e o conceito de justiça espacial podem ser perspetivados a várias escalas. Neste texto, discute-se a génese da ideia de justiça territorial e a sua aplicação à escala regional, à luz também das ideias subjacentes às políticas de coesão da UE, incluindo a de coesão territorial. Como exemplo de (in)justiça territorial, são apresentadas sumariamente as dinâmicas socioeconómicas nas regiões da UE na fase mais intensa da globalização neoliberal contemporânea. Finalmente, discute-se a relação fundamental entre capitalismo, direito à cidade e justiça territorial, com relação às principais variedades do capitalismo e as suas variações nacionais e sua repercussão no desempenho económico e social das regiões.La idea de los territorios injustos y el concepto de justicia espacial se pueden plantear a diferentes escalas. En este artículo, se discuten los orígenes de la idea de justicia territorial y su aplicación a nivel regional, a la luz también de las ideas que subyacen las políticas de cohesión de la UE, incluida la política de cohesión territorial. Como ejemplo de la (in)justicia territorial, se presentan brevemente las dinámicas socio-económicas de las regiones de la UE en la fase más intensa de la globalización contemporánea. Finalmente, se discute la relación fundamental entre el capitalismo, el derecho a la ciudad y la justicia territorial, teniendo en cuenta la literatura sobre las variedades del capitalismo y sus variaciones nacionales y su efecto sobre el desempeño económico y social de las regiones.The idea of unjust territories and the spatial justice concept can be envisaged at different scales. In this paper, we discuss the origins of the territorial justice idea and its implementation at the regional level, in the light also of the ideas behind the EU cohesion policies, including the territorial cohesion policy. As an example of territorial (in)justice, are briefly presented the socio-economic dynamics of EU regions in the most intense phase of contemporary neoliberal globalization. Finally, we discuss the fundamental relationship between capitalism, the right to city and territorial justice, bearing in mind the literature on the varieties of capitalism and its national variations and their effect on the regional economic and social performance.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio