Modulation of fatty acid profile in nannochloropsis oculata adaptation to temperature stress

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Viabilidade económica de equipamentos no sector residencial com diferentes etiquetas energéticas

No cenário energético atual, caracterizado pela necessidade de redução da dependência de combustíveis fósseis e da emissão de gases com efeito de estufa, medidas de eficiência energética e a racionalização dos consumos assumem uma importância fulcral [1]. É neste contexto que surgiu a etiquetagem energética de equipamentos do setor residencial, com o intuito de informar os consumidores do desempenho energético dos produtos, permitindo comparar soluções e servindo como instrumento de incentivo a uma redução dos consumos e consequentemente da fatura energética [2]. As mais recentes etiquetas energéticas, uniformes para todos os Estados-Membros da União Europeia, estão desagregadas em classes entre A+++ a D correspondendo a primeira à classificação com melhor desempenho energético e conceção ecológica e a última à menos eficiente [3]. Devido à inovação tecnológica que incorporam, as classes mais eficientes apresentam, tipicamente, investimentos iniciais mais elevados. O objetivo do trabalho é realizar um estudo económico comparativo das classes energéticas A^+,A^(++) e A^(+++) de eletrodomésticos, nomeadamente, frigoríficos, máquinas de lavar roupa e máquinas de lavar louça, de forma a poder consciencializar o consumidor final da relação investimento inicial-eficiência durante o tempo de vida útil do equipamento. Para o efeito, recorreu-se a elementos de análise económica e financeira implementados na ferramenta EXCEL. Os resultados obtidos mostram que dentro das classes energéticas mais eficientes, é preciso ter alguma precaução na escolha feita, e que nem sempre o produto mais eficiente compensa a nível de investimento total relativamente ao número de anos de vida útil do produto.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Can growth of nannochloropsis oculata under modulated stress enhance its lipid-associated biological properties?

Nannochloropsis oculata is well-recognized as a potential microalgal source of valuable compounds such as polyunsaturated fatty acids, particularly, eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA). The content and profile of these lipids is highly dependent on the growth conditions and can, therefore, be tailored through modulation of the growth parameters, specifically, temperature. Moreover, biological activities are composition dependent. In the present work, lipid extracts obtained from N. oculata, grown under constant temperature and under modulated temperature stress (to increase EPA content; Str) were characterized by GC-FID and several bioactivities were evaluated, namely, antioxidant (L-ORACFL), cytotoxic (MTT), adipolytic, anti-hepatic lipid accumulation (steatosis), and anti-inflammatory properties. Both extracts exhibited antioxidant activity (c.a. 49 µmol Troloxequivalent/mgextract) and the absence of toxicity (up to 800 µg/mL) toward colon and hepatic cells, adipocytes, and macrophages. They also induced adipolysis and the inhibition of triglycerides hepatic accumulation, with a higher impact from Str. In addition, anti-inflammatory activity was observed in the lipopolysaccharide-induced inflammation of macrophages in the presence of either extract, since lower levels of pro-inflammatory interleukin-6 and interferon-β were obtained, specifically by Str. The results presented herein revealed that modulated temperature stress may enhance the health effects of N. oculata lipid extracts, which may be safely utilized to formulate novel food products.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Synthesis of bio-based Polyester from microbial lipidic residue intended for biomedical application

In the last decade, selectively tuned bio-based polyesters have been increasingly used for their clinical potential in several biomedical applications, such as tissue engineering, wound healing, and drug delivery. With a biomedical application in mind, a flexible polyester was produced by melt polycondensation using the microbial oil residue collected after the distillation of β-farnesene (FDR) produced industrially by genetically modified yeast, Saccharomyces cerevisiae. After characterization, the polyester exhibited elongation up to 150% and presented Tg of −51.2 °C and Tm of 169.8 °C. In vitro degradation revealed a mass loss of about 87% after storage in PBS solution for 11 weeks under accelerated conditions (40 °C, RH = 75%). The water contact angle revealed a hydrophilic character, and biocompatibility with skin cells was demonstrated. 3D and 2D scaffolds were produced by salt-leaching, and a controlled release study at 30 °C was performed with Rhodamine B base (RBB, 3D) and curcumin (CRC, 2D), showing a diffusion-controlled mechanism with about 29.3% of RBB released after 48 h and 50.4% of CRC after 7 h. This polymer offers a sustainable and eco-friendly alternative for the potential use of the controlled release of active principles for wound dressing applications.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Deciphering the role of Staphylococcus aureus in Pseudomonas aeruginosa adaptation to cystic fibrosis lungs: bystander or intervener?

Microbiotec'17 - Congress of Microbiology and Biotechnology 2017Background: Pseudomonas aeruginosa is the major responsible for the high mortality rate of cystic fibrosis (CF) patients due to the development of chronic infections. To long persist, P. aeruginosa uses sophisticated mechanisms to achieve fulladaptation, mainly triggered by the harsh environmental conditions of CF lungs. The influence of Staphylococcus aureus, a primary colonizer of CF lungs, in increasing P. aeruginosa pathogenicity has also been reported. The main objective of this study was to decipher the impact of S. aureus on P. aeruginosa pathogenicity using in vitro conditions mimicking CF lungs. [...]This study was supported by the FCT (UID/BIO/04469/2013), COMPETE 2020 (POCI-01-0145-FEDER-006684) and BioTecNorte operation (NORTE-01-0145-FEDER-000004) funded by the European Regional Development Fund under the scope of Norte2020 - Programa Operacional Regional do Norte.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Atypical Bartonellosis in Children: What do We Know?

Aim: To characterise Bartonella infections in a paediatric population requiring hospital admission and review its treatment. Methods: Longitudinal observational retrospective data analysis of children and adolescents admitted with Bartonella infection at a paediatric tertiary hospital from 2010 to 2019. Results: We identified 16 cases of bartonellosis, with a mean age of 8.0 ± 4.5 years old, no sex predominance and 14 had contact with cats. Most of the cases occurred in fall and winter. Clinical presentations included osteomyelitis/arthritis (n = 9), hepatosplenic disease (n = 2), lymphadenitis (n = 2), neuroretinitis (n = 2) and encephalitis (n = 1). Clinical diagnosis was confirmed by serology (n = 16) and Bartonella DNA detection in patient's lymph nodes/hepatic lesion (n = 3). Therapeutic approach varied according to the clinical presentation: azithromycin in lymphadenitis, rifampicin plus ciprofloxacin in hepatosplenic disease, rifampicin and doxycycline in neuroretinitis, ceftriaxone in encephalitis and azithromycin, cotrimoxazole or rifampicin plus azithromycin, cefuroxime, ciprofloxacin or doxycycline in osteomyelitis/arthritis. Immunodeficiency was excluded in seven patients. Seven patients' cats were screened by veterinarians and treated when infected (n = 5). Conclusions: In these clinical presentations, where other infections may be involved, a high index of suspicion is necessary, with emphasis on the epidemiological context. The association of systemic forms with immunodeficiency did not occur in our study. The lack of recommendations for treatment of atypical infection makes the approach of these cases a challenge. Randomised control studies are essential to define the best approach in each case.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Adaptation and validation of the WHOQOL-OLD for the Portuguese population: Results of focus groups implementation

No âmbito dos estudos de adaptação e validação do WHOQOL-OLD, foram implementados oito grupos focais, num total de 33 participantes, em amostra de conveniência: um com profissionais em formação (N=4), um com cuidadores (N=4) e seis grupos com adultos idosos (N=25; quatro com idosos da comunidade e dois com idosos institucionalizados). Os resultados corroboram a natureza multidimensional do constructo QdV. Foram evocados espontaneamente os seis domínios do WHOQOL-100 e todas as suas facetas (exceptuando Actividade sexual), bem como as seis facetas do WHOQOL-OLD. Com maior frequência, oadultos idosos destacam Qualidade de vida e saúde geral e dimensões de Relações sociais, Ambiente, Psicológico, Aspectos espirituais e Autonomia; os cuidadores referem dimensões de Autonomia, Saúde, Ambiente e Relações sociais; e os profissionais destacam Saúde, Nível de independência, Ambiente e Relações sociais. Por todos os grupos foi apontada a dimensão “Família/Vida familiar”, que poderá constituir-se como uma nova faceta do módulo WHOQOL-OLD português

Parenting during the COVID-19 lockdown in Portugal: changes in daily routines, co-parenting relationships, emotional experiences, and support networks

The COVID-19 pandemic challenged parental resources pertinent to coping with lockdowns. The main objective of this work was to study parenting during the COVID-19 lockdown. Specifically at focus were parental behaviors concerning key domains for the family (daily routine, co-parenting, emotional experience, and support network) and changes related to the pandemic and associated with the parents’ employment statuses. An online survey was carried out through an ad hoc questionnaire where participants completed questions about their sociodemographic data and rated how much their family routines, their co-parenting relationship, their emotional experiences, and the support available in the family network varied on a 5-point scale. The participants included 1384 parents, of which 286 responded to open questions regarding impactful experiences during the lockdown. The results showed differences in daily routine, co-parenting, emotional experience, and support network according to the parents’ employment statuses. Between-group comparisons showed that at-home parents caring for children with governmental aids generally revealed more positive parenting behavior changes, while at-home parents who were teleworking reported more difficulties in parent-child activities and co-parenting. Furthermore, the content analysis of the data confirmed how important themes such as family dynamics, professional activities, and the relationship with the school community were throughout the participants’ accounts of gains and losses. Overall, parents’ employment statuses are associated with diverse experiences during lockdown. The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the importance of family resources and parental resilience, particularly during circumstances jeopardizing the ever-sensitive work-family balance.This research was financially supported by Portuguese national funds through the FCT (Foundation for Science and Technology) within the framework of the CIEC (Research Center for Child Studies of the University of Minho) projects under the references UIDB/00317/2020 and UIDP/00317/2020

Integrated platform resorting to ionic liquids comprising the extraction, purification and preservation of DNA

The large-scale production of therapeutically targeted-deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) has passed through several challenges, postponing the tangible implementation of an effective, economic and sustainable manufacturing system. Such challenges comprise the need to develop an integrative downstream process able to extract, purify and long-term preserve DNA, whilst reducing the risk of degradation by endonucleases that would compromise their effectiveness as therapeutic products. In this work, three-phase partitioning (TPP) systems formed by the application of aqueous biphasic systems (ABS) composed of several biocompatible cholinium-based ionic liquids (ILs), are proposed for the separation of double stranded DNA (dsDNA) from the endonuclease deoxyribonuclease I (DNase I). By taking advantage of the tailor-made properties of ILs, dsDNA can be completely extracted to the IL-rich phase, whereas DNase I is precipitated at the ABS interphase. The ABS/TPP formed by IL cholinium glycolate ([N 111(2OH) ][Gly]) fulfills the aim of this work, i.e. at ensuring the technical viability of IL-based ABS/ TPP for the “one-pot” extraction, purification and long-term preservation of dsDNA. The results reveal the potential of this system to be applied in the bioprocessing of DNA, particularly relevant when envisioning DNA- based therapeutic products.publishe