Polybrominated diphenyl ethers and metabolites – an analytical review on seafood occurrence

Environmental health is systematically compromised by persistent toxic substances, which may have serious implications in terms of food safety issues and, thus, in general public health. In this context, polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) and their biologically active metabolites have been increasingly assessed in seafood, the main route of human exposure. As a consequence, a multiplicity of solvent-assisted analytical approaches is now available to accurately determine tiny amounts of these contaminants in complex matrices, like seafood. However, the majority of analytical procedures lead to high organic solvent consumption, thereby also contributing to the deterioration of environmental health. The current review provides up-to-date information and critical discussion regarding the most common methodologies applied in the determination of PBDEs and their metabolites in seafood (2006–2016), from sample preparation to instrumental analysis. The ultimate goals of this comprehensive survey are to sensitize field researchers to work under the principles of green chemistry and to improve the global consciousness on the potential necessity of their regulation in foodstuffs.Rebeca Cruz, Sara C. Cunha and Susana Casal thanks REQUIMTE, FCT (Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia) and FEDER through the project UID/QUI/50006/2013 e POCI/01/0145/FEDER/007265 with financial support from FCT/MEC through national funds and co-financed by FEDER, under the Partnership Agreement PT2020. R. Cruz also thanks to REQUIMTE FCT for the PhD grant e FRH/BD/ 101945/2014. Antonio Marques and Sara C. Cunha acknowledge FCT for the IF2014 and IF/01616/2015 contracts, respectively

Amiodarone-induced thyrotoxicosis in a pediatric patient: A rare and demanding clinical case

Thyroid dysfunction is one of the most common adverse effects of amiodarone therapy, ranging from subclinical changes to overt clinical thyrotoxicosis (AIT) and/or hypothyroidism. Due to its heterogeneity, AIT lasts as a defiant entity, leading to a thorny treatment course, particularly in pediatrics. AIT can be classified as either type 1, type 2 or mixed form based on its pathophysiology. Differentiating between the main AIT subtypes is quite relevant, since there is specific treatment for both, however, this distinction may be difficult in clinical practice. We describe a rare case of AIT in a pediatric patient, with an uncommon congenital cardiac malformation, that started amiodarone therapy due to paroxysmal supraventricular tachycardia. AIT was reported 26 months after drug onset, with a sudden and explosive emerging. This case highlights the current AIT management challenges on the high-demanding pediatric field pursuing, ultimately, an enhanced patient´s care

Purification and characterization of an extracellular xylanase produced by the endophytic fungus, Aspergillus terreus, grown in submerged fermentation

Aspergillus terreus produced high levels of a thermotolerant extracellular xylanase and showed low cellulase activity when cultured at 30°C for 48 h, in liquid medium supplemented with wheat bran as carbon source. Xylanase was purified 45-fold to homogeneity with a recovery yield of 67% by carboxymethyl (CM)-cellulose chromatography. The enzyme, a glycoprotein with 33% of carbohydrate content, appeared as a single protein band on sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) gel with a molecular mass corresponding to 23 kDa. Optimal temperature and pH were 55°C and 4.5, respectively. The enzyme was thermotolerant at 45 and 50°C, with a half-life of 55 and 36 min, respectively. The Km was calculated as 22 mg/ml and Vmax as 625 mg/ml of protein using birchwood xylan as substrate. Metal ions, such as Ag+, Cu+2, Fe+2, Hg+ and Zn+2 strongly inhibited xylanase, whereas K+ and Mn+2 resulted in activation. Xylanase hydrolyzed birchwood xylan and oatspelt xylan, mostly yielding xylooligosaccharides, suggest that it is an endoxylanase (EC. 3.2.1.37).Keywords: Aspergillus terreus, endoxylanase, thermostabilit

A Sustentabilidade como Equilíbrio entre o Desenvolvimento e a Preservação Ambiental

SUMÁRIO: 1 A crise ambiental e a preocupação com o planeta; 2 A ordem internacional ambiental; 2.1 Da transnacionalidade do Direito Ambiental; 3 Dos danos causados ao meio ambiente; 3.1 Danos Ambientais coletivos e individuais; 3.2 Principais características; 3.3 Impactos ambientais propriamente ditos; 3.4 Responsabilidade ambiental administrativa e criminal; 4 A sustentabilidade como a ponderação dos interesses em conflito; 5 Considerações Finais; 6 Referências bibliográficas. O trabalho tem o objetivo de destacar a relação entre homem e natureza, apresentar a problemática que nasceu de tal relacionamento e a solução capaz de mudar a devastação ambiental do planeta. Trará abordagem crítica a respeito dos impactos ambientais, posteriormente a exposição dos principais atos da Ordem Internacional Ambiental, a questão da internacionalidade e transnacionalidade como uma perspectiva de melhora, os danos propriamente ditos e a Sustentabilidade como forma de ponderar os interesses conflitantes mencionados e garantir o equilíbrio entre eles. PALAVRAS-CHAVE: Ambiental. Danos ambientais. Sustentabilidade. Equilíbrio. ABSTRACT The paper aims to highlight the relationship between man and nature, presenting the issue born of such a relationship and the solution can change the environmental devastation of the planet. Bring critical approach with regard to environmental impacts, subsequently exposing the principal acts of Environmental International Order, the issue of transnationality and internationality as a prospect of improvement, the damage themselves and Sustainability as a way to balance the conflicting interests mentioned and ensure a balance between them. KEYWORDS: Environmental. Environmental damage. Sustainability. Balance. Data da Submissão: 09/04/2014 Data da Aceitação: 15/06/201

O princípio da autotutela na Administração Pública à luz das Súmulas 346 e 473 do STF com ênfase nos princípios do contraditório e da ampla defesa

O presente artigo está embasado nos atos praticados pela Administração Pública e sua anulação e nulidade garantindo a aplicação dos princípios constitucionais, em especial e princípio do contraditório e da ampla defesa, e ao mesmo tempo prevalecer a autotutela administrativa. O objetivo deste artigo é abordar os princípios constitucionais e os específicos da Administração Pública na aplicação dos seus atos, que envolvem a revogação e a anulação dos mesmos, onde o que deve imperar é a legislação constitucional. O método de pesquisa apresentado no trabalho será o dedutivo. Sendo que o mesmo será usado com a finalidade de estudar inicialmente os princípios constitucionais, após os princípios básicos da Administração Pública e por fim a aplicação dos princípios constitucionais ante a anulação ou revogação dos atos administrativos analisando as súmulas 346 e 473 do Supremo Tribunal Federal. Por fim buscará entender o controle interno feito pela Administração Pública, garantindo a ampla defesa e o contraditório. Palavras-chave: Princípios Constitucionais, Princípios da Administração Pública, Contraditório, Ampla Defesa. THE PRINCIPLE OF SELF- PROTECTION OF PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION IN THE LIGHT OF PRECEDENTS 346 AND 473 OF STF WITH EMPHASIS IN PRINCIPLES OF CONTRADICTORY AND WIDE DEFENCE ABSTRACT This monograph is grounded in actions taken by the Administration and its annulment and nullity ensuring the application of constitutional principles, and in particular the principle of contradictory and full defense, while administrative autotutela prevail. The aim of this paper is to address constitutional principles and the specifics of public administration in the implementation of their actions, involving the revocation and cancellation thereof that must prevail where the legislation is constitutional. The research method presented in the work will be deductible. Since it will be used for the purpose of studying the constitutional principles first, after the basic principles of public administration and finally the application of constitutional principles before the cancellation or revocation of administrative acts by analyzing the 346 and 473 dockets of the Supreme Court. Finally seek to understand the internal control made by the public, ensuring ample defense and contradictory. Keywords: Constitutional Principles, Principles of Public Administration, Contradictory, Defense Wide Data da submissão:09/04/2014 Data da aceitação: 05/08/201

The non-coding snRNA 7SK controls transcriptional termination, poising, and bidirectionality in embryonic stem cells

BACKGROUND: Pluripotency is characterized by a unique transcriptional state, in which lineage-specification genes are poised for transcription upon exposure to appropriate stimuli, via a bivalency mechanism involving the simultaneous presence of activating and repressive methylation marks at promoter-associated histones. Recent evidence suggests that other mechanisms, such as RNA polymerase II pausing, might be operational in this process, but their regulation remains poorly understood. RESULTS: Here we identify the non-coding snRNA 7SK as a multifaceted regulator of transcription in embryonic stem cells. We find that 7SK represses a specific cohort of transcriptionally poised genes with bivalent or activating chromatin marks in these cells, suggesting a novel poising mechanism independent of Polycomb activity. Genome-wide analysis shows that 7SK also prevents transcription downstream of polyadenylation sites at several active genes, indicating that 7SK is required for normal transcriptional termination or control of 3′-UTR length. In addition, 7SK suppresses divergent upstream antisense transcription at more than 2,600 loci, including many that encode divergent long non-coding RNAs, a finding that implicates the 7SK snRNA in the control of transcriptional bidirectionality. CONCLUSIONS: Our study indicates that a single non-coding RNA, the snRNA 7SK, is a gatekeeper of transcriptional termination and bidirectional transcription in embryonic stem cells and mediates transcriptional poising through a mechanism independent of chromatin bivalency.GCB was funded by an EMBO Long-Term Post-Doctoral Fellowship and a Marie Curie Intra-European Fellowship for Career Development. PA was supported by a Royal Society Newton International Fellowship and a Corpus Christi College research fellowship. This work was supported by Cancer Research UK, European Research Council (Advanced Grant, TK), EMBL (PB) and Swedish Research Council (GCB)

A NEW METHODOLOGY FOR DIAGNOSIS OF FANCONI ANEMIA BASED ON BIOLOGICAL DOSIMETRY

Fanconi Anemia (FA) is a syndrome associated with chromosomal fragility. Current laboratory tests to diagnose this disease are based on the scoring of chromosomal aberrations induced in peripheral blood lymphocytes by clastogenic chemical agents, mainly: diepoxybutane (DEB) or mitomycin C (MMC). This study evaluated an alternative test for the diagnosis of FA, in which ionizing radiation replaces DEB/MMC. Two groups were studied: normal and DEB-sensitive individuals. From each individual, samples of peripheral blood were irradiated using an electron linear accelerator. Following lymphocyte cultures, and slide preparation, metaphases were scored based on the same methodology for biological dosimetry, according to recommendations of the International Atomic Energy Agency. Our results emphasized a pattern of distribution of dicentrics, fragments, as well as abnormal chromosomal arrangements. The methodology of analysis here proposed permitted to distinguish normal from DEB-sensitive subjects

Perfeccionismo no transtorno obsessivo-compulsivo e nos transtornos alimentares

OBJETIVO: Este estudo tem dois objetivos principais. Primeiro, avaliar as dimensões do perfeccionismo no transtorno obsessivo-compulsivo e nos transtornos alimentares em comparação com duas amostras controle: psiquiátrica (depressão/ansiedade) e não clínica. Segundo, avaliar se o perfeccionismo é um traço de personalidade especificamente relacionado com estas diferentes condições clínicas. MÉTODO: 39 pacientes com transtorno obsessivo-compulsivo, 24 com transtornos alimentares, 65 com um diagnóstico de depressão e/ou ansiedade (todos estes pacientes encontravam-se em regime de ambulatório) e 70 controles não clínicos completaram a versão portuguesa da Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale. RESULTADOS: Comparativamente à amostra não clínica, todas as amostras clínicas apresentaram níveis significativamente mais elevados na Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale total, no Perfeccionismo Auto-Orientado e no Perfeccionismo-Socialmente-Prescrito. Não houve diferenças estatisticamente significativas no Perfeccionismo-Auto-Orientado e na Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale total nas três amostras clínicas. No entanto, a amostra com transtornos alimentares apresentou níveis significativamente mais elevados de Perfeccionismo-Socialmente-Prescrito, comparativamente à transtornos alimentares e à amostra psiquiátrica (depressão/ansiedade). CONCLUSÃO: O perfeccionismo revelou estar associado a uma grande variedade de condições psicopatológicas. Contudo, as diferenças encontradas entre a amostra de transtornos alimentares, de transtorno obsessivo-compulsivo e a psiquiátrica no Perfeccionismo-Socialmente-Prescrito necessitam de investigação subsequente no sentido de clarificar a especificidade desta dimensão com os transtornos alimentares

Native American Children and Their Reports of Hope: Construct Validation of the Children's Hope Scale

Child reports of hope continue to be utilized as predictors of positive adjustment; however, the utilization of the hope construct has not been assessed within the culturally diverse Native American child group. The present study investigated the applicability of the Hope theory among 96 Native American children in the Midwest. Measures included the Children’s Hope Scale and a Hope Interview. Native American children in the current sample appear to conceptualize hope as a way to reach goals as did the children in the normative sample. Results from the factor analysis demonstrate that the factor structure found in the current study was similar to the factor structure found in the standardization sample. Because of the similar Hope theory conceptualization and factor structure, interventions focused on the positive psychology construct of hope may be applicable within a Native American child population

Personalized copy number and segmental duplication maps using next-generation sequencing

Despite their importance in gene innovation and phenotypic variation, duplicated regions have remained largely intractable owing to difficulties in accurately resolving their structure, copy number and sequence content. We present an algorithm (mrFAST) to comprehensively map next-generation sequence reads, which allows for the prediction of absolute copy-number variation of duplicated segments and genes. We examine three human genomes and experimentally validate genome-wide copy number differences. We estimate that, on average, 73-87 genes vary in copy number between any two individuals and find that these genic differences overwhelmingly correspond to segmental duplications (odds ratio = 135; P < 2.2 x 10(-16)). Our method can distinguish between different copies of highly identical genes, providing a more accurate assessment of gene content and insight into functional constraint without the limitations of array-based technology