222 research outputs found
Searching for new thermally emitting isolated neutron stars in the 2XMMp catalogue - Discovery of a promising candidate
The group of 7 thermally emitting and radio-quiet isolated neutron stars
(INSs) discovered by ROSAT constitutes a nearby population which locally
appears to be as numerous as that of the classical radio pulsars. So far,
attempts to enlarge this particular group of INSs finding more remote objects
failed to confirm any candidate. We found in the 2XMMp catalogue a handful of
sources with no catalogued counterparts and with X-ray spectra similar to those
of the ROSAT discovered INSs, but seen at larger distances and thus undergoing
higher interstellar absorptions. In order to rule out alternative
identifications such as an AGN or a CV, we obtained deep ESO-VLT and SOAR
optical imaging for the X-ray brightest candidates. We report here on the
current status of our search and discuss the possible nature of our candidates.
We focus particularly on the X-ray brightest source of our sample, 2XMM
J104608.7-594306, observed serendipitously over more than four years by the
XMM-Newton Observatory. A lower limit on the X-ray to optical flux ratio of ~
300 together with a stable flux and soft X-ray spectrum make it the most
promising thermally emitting INS candidate. Beyond the finding of new members,
our study aims at constraining the space density of this population at large
distances and at determining whether their apparently high local density is an
anomaly or not.Comment: 3 pages, 2 figures, proceedings of the conference "40 Years of
Pulsars", 12-17 August 2007, Montreal, Canad
XMM-Newton reveals a candidate period for the spin of the "Magnificent Seven" neutron star RX J1605.3+3249
The group of thermally emitting isolated neutron stars (INSs) known as the
"Magnificent Seven" (M7) is unique among the various neutron star populations.
Crustal heating by means of magnetic field decay and an evolutionary link with
magnetars may explain why these objects rotate more slowly and have higher
thermal luminosities and magnetic field intensities than standard pulsars of
similar age. The third brightest INS, RX J1605.3+3249, is the only object
amidst the seven still lacking a detected periodicity. We observed the source
with the XMM-Newton Observatory for 60 ks aiming at unveiling the neutron star
rotation rate and investigating its spectrum in detail. A periodic signal at
P=3.387864(16) s, most likely the neutron star spin period, is detected at the
4-sigma confidence level. The coherent combination of the new data with a past
XMM-Newton EPIC-pn observation of the source constrains the pulsar spin-down
rate at the 2-sigma confidence level, implying a dipolar magnetic field of
B~7.4e13 G. If confirmed, RX J1605.3+3249 would be the neutron star with the
highest dipolar field amongst the M7. The spectrum of the source shows evidence
of a cool blackbody component, as well as for the presence of two broad
absorption features. Furthermore, high-resolution spectroscopy with the RGS
cameras confirms the presence of a narrow absorption feature at energy 0.57 keV
in the co-added spectrum of the source, also seen in other thermally emitting
isolated neutron stars. Phase-resolved spectroscopy, as well as a dedicated
observing campaign aimed at determining a timing solution, will give invaluable
constraints on the neutron star geometry and will allow one to confirm the high
value of spin down, which would place the source closer to a magnetar than any
other M7 INS.Comment: 12 pages, 6 figures; accepted for publication in A&A (revised version
after language editing; results unchanged
Biological activity of pumpkin byproducts: antimicrobial and antioxidant properties
Pumpkin fruits are widely appreciated and consumed worldwide. In addition to their balanced nutritional profile, pumpkin species also present valuable bioactive compounds that confer biological and pharmacological properties to them. However, the seeds, peels, and fibrous strands resulting from pumpkin processing are still poorly explored by the food industry. The current study used those fruit components from the genotypes of pumpkin that are economically significant in Portugal and Algeria to produce bioactive extracts. In order to support their usage as preservatives, their phenolic content (HPLC-DAD-ESI/MS) and antioxidant (OxHLIA and TBARS) and antimicrobial properties (against eight bacterial and two fungal strains) were assessed. In terms of phenolic profile, the peel of the Portuguese ‘Common Pumpkin’ showed the most diversified profile and also the highest concentration of total phenolic compounds, with considerable concentrations of (-)-epicatechin. Regarding the antioxidant capacity, the seeds of ‘Butternut Squash’ from both countries stood out, while the fibrous strands of Portuguese ‘Butternut Squash’ and the seeds of Algerian ‘Gold Nugget Pumpkin’ revealed the strongest antimicrobial activity. The bioactive compounds identified in the pumpkin byproducts may validate their enormous potential as a source of bio-based preservatives that may enhance consumers’ health and promote a circular economy.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio
Human naïve regulatory T-cells feature high steady-state turnover and are maintained by IL-7
Naïve FoxP3-expressing regulatory T-cells (Tregs) are essential to control immune responses via continuous replenishment of the activated-Treg pool with thymus-committed suppressor cells. The mechanisms underlying naïve-Treg maintenance throughout life in face of the age-associated thymic involution remain unclear. We found that in adults thymectomized early in infancy the naïve-Treg pool is remarkably well preserved, in contrast to conventional naïve CD4 T-cells. Naïve-Tregs featured high levels of cycling and pro-survival markers, even in healthy individuals, and contrasted with other circulating naïve/memory CD4 T-cell subsets in terms of their strong γc-cytokine-dependent signaling, particularly in response to IL-7. Accordingly, ex-vivo stimulation of naïve-Tregs with IL-7 induced robust cytokine-dependent signaling, Bcl-2 expression, and phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)-dependent proliferation, whilst preserving naïve phenotype and suppressive capacity. Altogether, our data strongly implicate IL-7 in the thymus-independent long-term survival of functional naïve-Tregs, and highlight the potential of targeting the IL-7 pathway to modulate Tregs in different clinical settings.This work was supported by Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia (FCT; POCI2010/IC/83068/2007
to RMMV; PTDC/SAU-MIC/109786/2009 to AES), and Gulbenkian Foundation (96526/2009 to JF; P132532/2013 to AES). SLS, ASA, RBF, ARP, PM and SMF received FCT scholarships
INOVPESCA - Redução de capturas acidentais de espécies marinhas protegidas em pescarias costeiras algarvias: inovação de procedimentos e técnicas de mitigação
Relatório técnico iNOVPESCA, Programa MAR2020, MAR-16-01-03-FMP-0020, Universidade do Algarve, CCMARO presente relatório é uma iniciativa do Projecto iNOVPESCA, com o objetivo de documentar o trabalho
desenvolvido ao longo do projeto (2018-2021) e incentivar a implementação voluntária de medidas que
contribuam para uma melhoria da relação entre as pescas e as espécies marinhas protegidas, especialmente
de cetáceos, contribuindo para a sustentabilidade ambiental com a redução de capturas acidentais e
sustentabilidade económica do sector das pescarias costeiras Algarvias, podendo servir de exemplo a nível
nacional.
Este trabalho pretende ser um documento de referência sobre o nível de interação que existe entre pescarias
costeiras ao longo da costa algarvia com espécies marinhas protegidas (cetáceos, aves marinhas e tartarugas),
e por outro lado, pode servir como aconselhamento para todas as entidades que beneficiam das pescas e que
necessitam desta atividade para o seu desenvolvimento económico e social. Para isso foi desenvolvida uma
linha de orientação sobre boas práticas assente em dois aspetos chave:
- Contribuir para a consciencialização, informação e treino de todas as partes interessadas, no que se
refere a medidas de mitigação de conflitos entre pescas e espécies marinhas protegidas;
- Promover o uso de práticas responsáveis de pesca e otimizar, em cooperação com o sector pesqueiro, soluções que ajudem a diminuir a mortalidade acidental de cetáceos ou outras espécies protegidas (ex. aves
marinhas e tartarugas marinhas) e evitar situações que contribuam para perdas económicas para o pescador
(como por exemplo, danos nas artes e perda ou danos no pescado por predação).
As interações entre espécies marinhas protegidas e as pescas são um problema mundial com duas componentes
importantes, a da conservação, quando os animais como captura não intencional ficam presos nas artes de
pesca acabando por morrer, e a socioeconómica quando os animais causam danos nas artes de pesca e na captura alvo dos pescadores.Programa MAR2020, MAR-16-01-03-FMP-0020info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio
Study of reactions induced by 6He on 9Be
We present the results of experiments using a 6He beam on a 9Be target at\ud
energies 7 − 9 times the Coulomb barrier. Angular distributions of the elastic, inelastic\ud
scattering (target breakup) and the -particle production in the 6He+9Be collision have\ud
been analysed. Total reaction cross sections were obtained from the elastic scattering\ud
analyses and a considerable enhancement has been observed by comparing to stable systems.FAPESPFundação Araucári
Pharmacological inhibition of lysine-specific demethylase 1 (LSD1) induces global transcriptional deregulation and ultrastructural alterations that impair viability in Schistosoma mansoni
Treatment and control of schistosomiasis still rely on only one effective drug, praziquantel (PZQ) and, due to mass treatment, the increasing risk of selecting for schistosome strains that are resistant to PZQ has alerted investigators to the urgent need to develop novel therapeutic strategies. The histone-modifying enzymes (HMEs) represent promising targets for the development of epigenetic drugs against Schistosoma mansoni. In the present study, we targeted the S. mansoni lysine-specific demethylase 1 (SmLSD1), a transcriptional corepressor, using a novel and selective synthetic inhibitor, MC3935, which was used to treat schistosomula and adult worms in vitro. By using cell viability assays and optical and electron microscopy, we showed that treatment with MC3935 affected parasite motility, egg-laying, tegument, and cellular organelle structures, culminating in the death of schistosomula and adult worms. In silico molecular modeling and docking analysis suggested that MC3935 binds to the catalytic pocket of SmLSD1. Western blot analysis revealed that MC3935 inhibited SmLSD1 demethylation activity of H3K4me1/2. Knockdown of SmLSD1 by RNAi recapitulated MC3935 phenotypes in adult worms. RNA-Seq analysis of MC3935-treated parasites revealed significant differences in gene expression related to critical biological processes. Collectively, our findings show that SmLSD1 is a promising drug target for the treatment of schistosomiasis and strongly support the further development and in vivo testing of selective schistosome LSD1 inhibitors
Hypoglycemic episodes in hospitalized people with diabetes in Portugal: the HIPOS-WARD study
Background
We intended to estimate the proportion hypoglycemic/hyperglycemic emergency episodes in treated diabetes mellitus (DM) patients admitted to a hospital ward, and calculate the prevalence of risk factors for hypoglycemia and diabetic complications.
Methods
In this cross-sectional, multicentered study, the observational data was collected by physicians from patient’s hospitalization to discharge/death. Statistical tests were 2-tailed considering 5% significance level.
Results
There were 646 ward admissions due to hyperglycemic emergencies and 176 hypoglycemic episodes with a ratio hypoglycemia/hyperglycemia 0.27 for all DM patients. In T2DM patients the ratio was 0.38. These were mainly female (55.1%), functionally dependent (61.4%) and retired/disabled (73.1%). Median age was 75 years and median duration of disease 11 years. Half the patients were on insulin-based therapy and 30.1% on secretagogue-based therapy. Approximately 57% of patients needed occasional/full assistance to manage the disease. The most frequent risk factor for hypoglycemia was polypharmacy (85.0%). Hypoglycemia in the 12 months before admission was higher in insulin-based therapy patients (66.1%; p = 0.001).
Conclusions
Hyperglycemic emergencies are the most frequent cause of hospitalization in Portugal, although severe hypoglycemic events represent a health and social problem in elderly/frail patients. There is still the need to optimize therapy in terms of the potential for hypoglycemia in this patient group and a review of anti-hyperglycemic agents to add on to insulin.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio
In Vitro and In Vivo High-Throughput Assays for the Testing of Anti-Trypanosoma cruzi Compounds
The treatment of Trypanosoma cruzi infection (the cause of human Chagas disease) remains a significant challenge. Only two drugs, both with substantial toxicity, are available and the efficacy of these dugs is often questioned – in many cases due to the limitations of the methods for assessing efficacy rather than to true lack of efficacy. For these reasons relatively few individuals infected with T. cruzi actually have their infections treated. In this study, we report on innovative methods that will facilitate the discovery of new compounds for the treatment of T. cruzi infection and Chagas disease. Utilizing fluorescent and bioluminescent parasite lines, we have developed in vitro tests that are reproducible and facile and can be scaled for high-throughput screening of large compound libraries. We also validate an in vivo screening test that monitors parasite replication at the site of infection and determines the effectiveness of drug treatment in less than two weeks. More importantly, results in this rapid in vivo test show strong correlations with those obtained in long-term (e.g. 40 day or more) treatment assays. The results of this study remove one of the obstacles for identification of effective and safe compounds to treat Chagas disease
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