Tributyltin and Zebrafish: Swimming in dangerous water

Zebrafish has been established as a reliable biological model with important insertion in academy (morphologic, biochemical, and pathophysiological studies) and pharmaceutical industry (toxicology and drug development) due to its molecular complexity and similar systems biology that recapitulate those from other organisms. Considering the toxicological aspects, many efforts using zebrafish models are being done in order to elucidate the effects of endocrine disruptors, and some of them are focused on tributyltin (TBT) and its mechanism of action. TBT is an antifouling agent applied in ship's hull that is constantly released into the water and absorbed by marine organisms, leading to bioaccumulation and biomagnification effects. Thus, several findings of malformations and changes in the normal biochemical and physiologic aspects of these marine animals have been related to TBT contamination. In the present review, we have compiled the most significant studies related to TBT effects in zebrafish, also taking into consideration the effects found in other study models.This study was supported by Fundação Carlos Chagas Filho de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado do Rio de Janeiro (PP-SUS-FAPERJ E-26/110.282/2014; JCNE-FAPERJ, E-26/201.520/2014; APQ1-FAPERJ, E-26/111.485/2014), Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES/Ciências sem Fronteiras/Pesquisador Visitante Especial/88881.062218/2014-0), and Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico (CNPq, PQ-Nível 2, 305872/2016-8). Funding was obtained from FEDER-Fundo Europeu de Desenvolvimento Regional funds through the COMPETE 2020-Operacional Programme for Competitiveness and Internationalization (POCI), Portugal 2020, and by Portuguese funds through FCT-Funda??o para a Ci?ncia e a Tecnologia/Minist?rio da Ci?ncia, Tecnologia e Inova??o in the framework of the project "Institute for Research and Innovation in Health Sciences" (POCI-01-0145-FEDER-007274) and by the project "Advancing cancer research: from basic knowledgement to application"; NORTE-01-0145-FEDER-000029; Projetos Estruturados de I&D&I, funded by Norte 2020-Programa Operacional Regional do Norte. The funders had no role in the study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscrip

Association between dietary calcium intake and blood pressure among portuguese children

[Resumo][Abstract

Committed to quality in physical activity programmes for elderly people – The customer results

There has been a growing concern in conceiving physical activity (PA) programmes for elderly people since the evidence indicates that this type of health promotion interventions may reduce the deleterious effects of the aging process. In Portugal, the Public Administration is the sector that offers the largest supply of goods and services and as such, it is the sector that must devote most attention to Quality Some studies support the EFQM Excellence Model as an operational framework for Total Quality Management. Excellent Results with respect to Performance, Customers, People and Society are achieved through Leadership driving Policy and Strategy that is delivered through People, Partnerships and Resources, as well as Processes. Consequently, the EFQM Model might be used as a self-assessment instrument, to discern the strengths of the programmes, as well as areas in which improvement can be made. The purposes of this study were 1) to examine the existence of customers’ outcomes measurement in Portuguese PA programmes for elderly people, comparing it with programmes’ characteristics and 2) to analyse the associations between the different evaluated items. Data were collected by an on-line questionnaire sent to 26 Coordinators of PA Programmes. Descriptive statistics were used in order to characterize de PA programmes and the participants’ outcome measurement items. Statistical analysis was performed using Fisher’s Exact Test and Pearson’s Qui-square test. 57,7 % of the programmes recorded participants’ outcome measures at regular intervals. Most of them (73,3%; p 0.05) were free of charge programmes. Statistically significant associations were found between the following outcomes items: cardiorespiratory fitness, flexibility, muscular strength, coordination, balance and body composition. Portuguese PA programmes for elderly people showed a feeble attention on participants’ outcome measures, even though the measurement process represents one of the most important components of customer results from an exercise programme. Furthermore, there are significant differences between customers’ outcome measures chosen by each programme.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Influence of cardiorespiratory fitness and parental lifestyle on adolescents' abdominal obesity

The aims of this study were (1) to analyse the influence of cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) and parental overweight status (POS) and socioeconomic status (SES) on abdominal obesity. This study was comprised of 779 adolescents (12-18 years). Waist-height ratio (WHtR), 20 m shuttle-run test to ascertain CRF, POS according to World Health Organization recommendations and SES of parents using level of education were analysed. Using WHtR, the prevalence of abdominal obesity was 21.3% (23.5% girls and 17.9% boys; p = 0.062). Regardless of gender, participants who belonged to the WHtR risk group had significantly (p ≤ 0.05) lower CRF scores than the WHtR non-risk group; 84.4% of girls who belonged to the WHtR risk group had one or two overweight parents (p ≤ 0.05). Boys with low CRF (OR: 6.43; CI: 3.33-12.39) were more likely to belong to the WHtR risk group compared with their lean peers. Girls with low CRF (OR: 1.78; CI: 1.14-2.78) and with at least one overweight parent (OR: 2.50; CI: 1.07-5.85) or two overweight parents (OR: 4.90; CI: 2.08-11.54) were associated with the risk of abdominal obesity. This study highlights the influence of adolescents' family on abdominal obesity, especially in girls. Further, the data suggested that low CRF was a strong predictor of risk values of abdominal obesity in adolescence

Multivariate analyses of genotype x environment interaction of popcorn.

The objectives of this work were to evaluate the genotype x environment (GxE) interaction for popcorn and to compare two multivariate analyses methods. Nine popcorn cultivars were sown on four dates one month apart during each of the agricultural years 1998/1999 and 1999/2000. The experiments were carried out using randomized block designs, with four replicates. The cv. Zélia contributed the least to the GxE interaction. The cv. Viçosa performed similarly to cv. Rosa-claro. Optimization of GxE was obtained for cv. CMS 42 for a favorable mega-environment, and for cv. CMS 43 for an unfavorable environment. Multivariate analysis supported the results from the method of Eberhart & Russell. The graphic analysis of the Additive Main effects and Multiplicative Interaction (AMMI) model was simple, allowing conclusions to be made about stability, genotypic performance, genetic divergence between cultivars, and the environments that optimize cultivar performance. The graphic analysis of the Genotype main effects and Genotype x Environment interaction (GGE) method added to AMMI information on environmental stratification, defining mega-environments and the cultivars that optimized performance in those mega-environments. Both methods are adequate to explain the genotype x environment interactions. Os objetivos deste trabalho foram avaliar a interação genótipo x ambiente (GxA) em milho-pipoca e comparar dois métodos de análise multivariada (AMMI e GGE). Os tratamentos foram nove cultivares de milho-pipoca, plantadas em quatro épocas de semeadura em cada ano de cultivo em 1998/1999 e 1999/2000. O delineamento foi em blocos ao acaso, com quatro repetições. A cultivar Zélia foi a que menos contribuiu para a interação GxA. As cultivares Viçosa e Rosa-claro mostraram desempenhos similares. A otimização da interação GxA foi obtida com a cv. CMS 42 para mega-ambientes favoráveis e com a cv. CMS 43 para ambientes desfavoráveis. Os resultados das análises multivariadas corroboraram os resultados do método de Eberhart & Russell. A análise gráfica do método Additive Main effects and Multiplicative Interaction (AMMI) é simples e permite tirar conclusões sobre estabilidade, desempenho genotípico, divergência genética das cultivares, e sobre os ambientes que otimizam o desempenho das cultivares. A análise gráfica do método Genotype main effects and Genotype x Environment interaction (GGE) acrescentou informações de estratificação ambiental ao AMMI e definiu mega-ambientes e as cultivares que tiveram suas performances otimizadas nesses ambientes. Ambos os métodos são adequados para explicar a interação genótipo x ambiente

Physical Activity, Physical Fitness, and Leukocyte Telomere Length: The Cardiovascular Health Study.

INTRODUCTION: The influence of physical activity (PA) and physical fitness (PF) at older ages on changes in telomere length (TL)--repetitive DNA sequences that may mark biologic aging--is not well-established. Few prior studies (mainly cross-sectional) have been conducted in older adults, and few studies have evaluated PF. METHODS: We investigated cross-sectional and prospective associations of PA and PF with leukocyte TL among 582 older adults (mean ± SD age, 73 ± 5 yr at baseline) in the Cardiovascular Health Study, with serial TL measures and PA and PF assessed multiple times. Cross-sectional associations were assessed using multivariable repeated-measures regression, in which cumulatively averaged PA and PF measures were related to TL. Longitudinal analyses assessed cumulatively averaged PA and PF against later changes in TL, and changes in cumulatively averaged PA and PF against changes in TL. RESULTS: Cross-sectionally, greater walking distance and chair test performance, but not other PA and PF measures, were each associated with longer TL (P trend = 0.007 and 0.04, respectively). In longitudinal analyses, no significant associations of baseline PA and PF with change in TL were observed. In contrast, changes in leisure-time activity and chair test performance were each inversely associated with changes in TL. CONCLUSIONS: Cross-sectional analyses suggest that greater PA and PF are associated with longer TL. Prospective analyses show that changes in PA and PF are associated with differences in changes in TL. Even later in life, changes in certain PA and PF measures are associated with changes in TL, suggesting that leisure-time activity and fitness could reduce leukocyte telomere attrition among older adults.This research was supported by contracts HHSN268201200036C, HHSN268200800007C, N01 HC55222, N01HC85079, N01HC85080, N01HC85081, N01HC85082, N01HC85083, N01HC85086, and grant U01HL080295 from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), with additional contribution from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS). Additional support was provided by R01AG023629 the National Institute on Aging (NIA). A full list of principal CHS investigators and institutions can be found at CHS-NHLBI.org. Luisa Soares-Miranda is supported by the Portuguese Foundation of Science and Technology (FCT), SFRH/BPD/76947/2011, PTDC/DES/099018/2008 - FCT/FCOMP-01- 0124-FEDER-009573, and The Research Centre in Physical Activity Health and Leisure is supported by UID/DTP/00617/2013. Dr Imamura received support from the Medical Research Council Epidemiology Unit Core Support (MC_UU_12015/5).This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from Wolters Kluwer via http://dx.doi.org/10.1249/MSS.000000000000072

Parâmetros genéticos de uma população de milho em níveis contrastantes de nitrogênio.

O objetivo desse trabalho foi caracterizar uma população de milho por meio da análise de parâmetros genéticos em baixa e alta disponibilidade de nitrogênio. Assim, foi realizado experimento em delineamento em blocos ao acaso, com 162 linhagens, em dois ambientes contrastantes quanto à disponibilidade de nitrogênio, em esquema fatorial com três repetições. A população apresentou variabilidade genética para produtividade de grãos em baixo nitrogênio, com redução na média de altura de espiga, teor de clorofila, número de espigas, peso de espiga e produtividade de grãos em relação ao ambientes sem estresse. Os coeficientes de correlação genética entre produtividade de grãos e as outras características variaram de acordo com as doses de nitrogênio aplicadas. O número de espigas apresentou alta correlação genética com produtividade de grãos sob estresse, além de maior herdabilidade comparada à obtida em alto nitrogênio, possibilitando assim seu uso na seleção indireta de linhagens produtivas de milho cultivadas sob estresse de nitrogênio

Association between dietary calcium intake and blood pressure among portuguese children

Higher blood pressure (BP) in childhood is associated with cardiovascular risk. It has been described that dietary calcium intake may affect BP regulation. The objective of this study was to analyze the association between dietary calcium intake and BP in children.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Soil-release behaviour of polyester fabrics after chemical modification with polyethylene glycol

The ease of cleaning the fibers depends, among other characteristics, on their hydrophilicity. Hydrophilic fibers are easy-wash materials but hydrophobic fibers are difficult to clean due to their higher water-repellent surfaces. This type of surfaces, like polyester (PET), produce an accumulation of electrostatic charges that adsorbs and retain dirt. Thus, the polyester soil-release properties can be increased by finishing processes that improve fiber hydrophilicity [1, 2]. In present study, PET fabric modification was described by using polyethylene glycol (PEG) and dimetilol dihidroxy ethylene urea chemically modified resin. Briefly, the modification process was carried out in two steps, one to hydrolyse the polyester and create hydroxyl and carboxylic acid groups on surface and the other to crosslink the PEG chains. The resulting materials were characterized by contact angle, DSC and FTIR- ATR methods. Additionally, the soil release behavior and mechanical properties of modified PET were evaluated. For the best process conditions, the resulted PET presented 0º contact angle, stain release grade of 5 and acceptable mechanical performance.Programme - COMPETE and by national funds through FCT – Foundation for Science and Technology within the scope of the project POCI-01-0145-FEDER-007136.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio