The rock carvings of Bouça da Cova da Moura (Ardegães, Maia, Northern Portugal) in the context of Late Prehistory in the Leça basin

Este texto pretende dar a conhecer o conjunto de gravuras rupestres da Bouça da Cova da Moura. A análise efetuada ao conjunto de signos permitiu denotar, a presença de composições gráficas pertencentes à tradição artística que se convencionou denominar de arte atlântica, representações de cariz mais esquemático e motivos de época histórica. Na envolvência dos afloramentos gravados descobriram-se monumentos megalíticos, áreas de dispersão de materiais cerâmicos datáveis do Calcolítico, uma ocupação da Idade do Bronze, além de materiais dispersos deste período genérico, relevantes para a análise da biografia deste lugar numa pequena escala de análise. A inserção deste locus numa escala mais ampla de análise, ou seja, os Montes do Leandro, pequeno contraforte da serra do Bougado, permite admitir que este complexo de gravuras rupestres faria parte de um vasto território de ampla significação simbólica durante a Pré-história Recente. Neste sentido as diferentes materialidades seriam, resultado de um processo aditivo que resulta da frequência do planalto, da sua da reutilização e reinterpretação, num templo cíclico.The aim of this paper is to offer an overview of the rock art assemblage at Bouça da Cova da Moura in its local and regional contexts. The site is located in Ardegães, parish of Águas Santas, municipality of Maia, district of Porto, in north-western Portugal. Fieldwork carried out in the end of the 20th century and the beginning of the 21st century, resulted in the discovery of new carved surfaces in the place where the well-known ‘pedra partida de Ardegães’ had been found; it was not only possible to unveil aspects related to its topographical context but also to discover other materialities which are spatially related to the rock carvings. Stylistic analysis undertaken to the set of carvings allow us to consider that we are beyond an assemblage which is partly constituted of rock art compositions belonging to the prehistoric art tradition conventionally called atlantic art, there is one schematic human figure and other motifs that belong to historical periods. In the vicinities of the carved outcrops there are megalithic monuments dated to the Neolithic, scatters of pottery fragments probably dated to the Copper Age, evidence for a Bronze Age occupation site, as well as clusters of surface finds from the same period. Overall, the field data recovered so far is extremely relevant for the analysis of the biography of this place at a small scale of analysis. The integration of this locus in a wider spatial scale, i.e. in the plateau that cuts across the territory in the north-south direction linking it to the Bougado hills, allow us to admit that this rock art complex would be part of a vast territory of symbolic significance in Late Prehistory. Thus, the distinct archaeological remains may be the materialisation of the importance of this geomorphological unit in the cognitive map and ideological universe of the prehistoric communities who dwelled, over a long period of time, along the middle basin of the River Neiva. These different materialities would result from a process of addition in the occupation of the plateau, of its reuse and reinterpretation in a cyclical time.Este texto insere-se no projeto Bronze Age Landscapes in the west of Iberian Peninsula / Paisagens da Idade do Bronze no ocidente peninsular (SFRH/BSAB/ 986/10) apoiado e financiado pela FCT no âmbito de uma Bolsa de Licença Sabática.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Theoretical study of the gas-phase reaction between formyl cation and aromatics

Theoretical calculations of the reaction of formyl cation (CHO+) with toluene, cumene and p-cresol showed that proton transfer is thermodynamically preferred over acylation. For toluene, acylation of the aromatic ring, to form the Wheland complex, is 11.7 kcal mol-1 higher in energy (ΔH) than protonation, at MP4(SDTQ)/6-31++G(d,p)//MP2(full)/6-31G(d,p) level of theory. This difference reduces upon introduction of a hydroxy group in the ring (p-cresol) or replacing the methyl group by an isopropyl group (cumene). Protonation of toluene by H3+ and isoformyl cation is 88.6 and 84.5 kcal mol-1, respectively, more exothermic than acylation, at MP4(SDTQ)/6-31++G(d,p)//MP2(full)/6-31G(d,p). The proton affinity of p-cresol was calculated to be 195.4 kcal mol-1

A Multi-Analytical study of Rock Paintings from Leandro 5 Megalithic Barrow, North-Weastern Portugal

The colourant composition of a northern Portugal megalithic barrow decorated with ‘solar’ motifs was studied using a multi-analytical approach, allowing the characterisa- tion of the painting techniques, pigments and binders. The red pigment was prepared with iron oxide minerals, using vegetal oils as organic additives, while the black pigment was char- coal without any organic additives or binders. The solar motif was first drawn with charcoal and subsequently painted with a red pigment.The work was supported by UID/QUI/50006/2019 with funding from FCT/MCTES through national funds. César Oliveira acknowledges Instituto de Ciências e Tecnologias Agrárias e Agro-Alimentares, Porto (ICETA), for his contract under project NORTE-01-0145-FEDER-000011. This work was also developed under the project ‘Funerary and ceremonial practices between the Neolithic and the Bronze Age approached by archaeometry’ (ARQUEOM/Project-Sept2014)

Associação de antibióticos e contraceptivos orais

The Oral Contraceptives have been more and more prescribed in medical practice for the treatment of several pathologies like dismenorreia and Ovarian Policystics Syndrome (OPS), quite frequent in the women in fertile age. However, the main use of this drug is, undoubtedly, in the prevention of the no wanted pregnancy, through the suppression of the stimulating folicule hormone (SFH) in the ovarian cycle. This hormonal blockade can suffer interference for the concomitant use of other medicines - fact this denominated Drug Interaction. They stand out the Antibiotics, medicines progressively more used in the treatment of infections. The objective of this work is, therefore, to discuss and to explain the mechanisms of occurrence of the Drugs Interaction among Oral Contraceptives and Antibiotic, being pointed out the drugs more involved in the reduction of the contraceptive effect.Os contraceptivos orais vêm sendo cada vez mais prescritos na prática médica para o tratamento de várias patologias, dentre elas a dismenorréia e a Síndrome do Ovário Policístico (SOP), essa última bastante freqüente nas mulheres em idade fértil. Entretanto, o principal emprego dessa droga é, indubitavelmente, na prevenção da gravidez indesejada, através da supressão do hormônio do folículo estimulante (FSH) no ciclo ovariano. Esse bloqueio hormonal pode sofrer interferência pelo uso concomitante de outros fármacos - fato esse denominado interação medicamentosa. Dentre eles destacam-se os antibióticos, medicamentos progressivamente mais utilizados no tratamento das infecções. O objetivo deste trabalho é, portanto, discutir e esclarecer os mecanismos de ocorrência das interações medicamentosas entre anticoncepcionais orais e antibióticos, salientando-se as drogas mais envolvidas na redução do efeito contraceptivo

Intracellular mGluR5 plays a critical role in neuropathic pain

Spinal mGluR5 is a key mediator of neuroplasticity underlying persistent pain. Although brain mGluR5 is localized on cell surface and intracellular membranes, neither the presence nor physiological role of spinal intracellular mGluR5 is established. Here we show that in spinal dorsal horn neurons >80% of mGluR5 is intracellular, of which ∼60% is located on nuclear membranes, where activation leads to sustained Ca(2+) responses. Nerve injury inducing nociceptive hypersensitivity also increases the expression of nuclear mGluR5 and receptor-mediated phosphorylated-ERK1/2, Arc/Arg3.1 and c-fos. Spinal blockade of intracellular mGluR5 reduces neuropathic pain behaviours and signalling molecules, whereas blockade of cell-surface mGluR5 has little effect. Decreasing intracellular glutamate via blocking EAAT-3, mimics the effects of intracellular mGluR5 antagonism. These findings show a direct link between an intracellular GPCR and behavioural expression in vivo. Blockade of intracellular mGluR5 represents a new strategy for the development of effective therapies for persistent pain

Selective impact of Tau loss on nociceptive primary afferents and pain sensation

Tau protein hyperphosphorylation and consequent malfunction are hallmarks of Alzheimer's disease pathology; importantly, pain perception is diminished in these patients. In physiological conditions, Tau contributes to cytoskeletal dynamics and in this way, influences a number of cellular mechanisms including axonal trafficking, myelination and synaptic plasticity, processes that are also implicated in pain perception. However, there is no in vivo evidence clarifying the role of Tau in nociception. Thus, we tested Tau-null (Tau-/-) and Tau+/+ mice for acute thermal pain (Hargreaves' test), acute and tonic inflammatory pain (formalin test) and mechanical allodynia (Von Frey test). We report that Tau-/- animals presented a decreased response to acute noxious stimuli when compared to Tau+/+ while their pain-related behavior is augmented under tonic painful stimuli. This increased reactivity to tonic pain was accompanied by enhanced formalin-evoked c-fos staining of second order nociceptive neurons at Tau-null dorsal horn. In addition, we analyzed the primary afferents conveying nociceptive signals, estimating sciatic nerve fiber density, myelination and nerve conduction. Ultrastructural analysis revealed a decreased C-fiber density in the sciatic nerve of Tau-null mice and a hypomyelination of myelinated fibers (Ad-fibers) - also confirmed by western blot analysis - followed by altered conduction properties of Tau-null sciatic nerves. To our knowledge, this is the first in vivo study that demonstrates that Tau depletion negatively affects the main systems conveying nociceptive information to the CNS, adding to our knowledge about Tau function(s) that might also be relevant for understanding peripheral neurological deficits in different Tauopathies.We would like to thank Drs Joao Relvas, Joana Paes de Faria Monteiro and Nuno Dias for their comments in this work. Many thanks to Dr Joao Relvas for the MBP antibody. The work was supported by grants "SFRH/BPD/80118/2011", "PTDC/SAU-NMC/113934/2009" funded by FCT - Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology and project DoIT - Desenvolvimento e Operacionalizacao da Investigacao de Translacao (No. do projeto 13853), funded by Fund Europeu de Desenvolvimento Regional (FEDER) through the Programa Operacional Fatores de Competitividade (POFC). Author's contributions: experimental design - IS, HA, VP, AA, and NS; performed research - IS, HA, VP, AL, SL, SS, SP, AC, FPR, and RF; data analyses - IS, HA, AL, VP, SC, and FPR; and manuscript preparation - IS, HA, VP, and NS

Magnetoliposomes incorporated in peptide-based hydrogels: towards development of magnetolipogels

A major problem with magnetogels is the encapsulation of hydrophobic drugs. Magnetoliposomes not only provide these domains but also improve drug stability and avert the aggregation of the magnetic nanoparticles. In this work, two magnetoliposome architectures, solid and aqueous, were combined with supramolecular peptide-based hydrogels, which are of biomedical interest owing to their biocompatibility, easy tunability, and wide array of applications. This proof-of-concept was carried out through combination of magnetoliposomes (loaded with the model drug curcumin and the lipid probe Nile Red) with the hydrogels prior to pH triggered gelation, and fluorescence spectroscopy was used to assess the dynamics of the encapsulated molecules. These systems allow for the encapsulation of a wider array of drugs. Further, the local environment of the encapsulated molecules after gelation is unaffected by the used magnetoliposome architecture. This system design is promising for future developments on drug delivery as it provides a means to independently modify the components and adapt and optimize the design according to the required conditions.FCT -Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia(UIDB/00686/2020