An insight from the sea: provenance studies on Roman lead artefacts from the Arade River, Portimão (Portugal)

In the present study, 37 lead artefacts were characterised to identify possible lead sources allowing to establish trade fluxes concerning food and textile products during Roman times. These artefacts were uncovered by dredging works at the Arade River estuary (Portimão). The city of Portimão (Lusitania province) was an important harbour, where several fish-processing factories were installed, and Arade River provides major access to the hinterland, both displaying an important commercial activity during the Late Antiquity. The methodology includes the typological and chemical (elemental and Pb isotopes) characterisation of artefacts. Samples were divided into the following: (i) rectangular plaques with decorations in relief such as tridents, fishes, or palms leaf, an iconography known to be displayed in some African amphora handles; (ii) small plaques with one perforation and incised Roman numerals, probably related with textile products; and (iii) fishing net weights, smooth plaques of unknown functionality, and a small rectangular prismatic plaque, perhaps an ingot. Elemental analysis was performed by ICP-MS, and results were interpreted by multivariate statistical analysis, which suggested different processes to obtain raw materials, namely lead obtained by the reduction of litharge or smelting of silver-poor galena. Cluster analysis grouped most of samples with motif depictions, which were further analysed by MC-ICP-MS to determine Pb isotope ratios. The possible sources of lead were identified by combining archaeological data with the nearest Euclidean neighbours using a large database comprising the Iberian Peninsula and Mediterranean region. The Pb isotope signatures suggested lead sources located not only in the Iberian Peninsula but also in North Africa, evidencing a long-distance trade between those Roman provinces.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Common bean SNP alleles and candidate genes affecting photosynthesis under contrasting water regimes

Water deficit is a major worldwide constraint to common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) production, being photosynthesis one of the most affected physiological processes. To gain insights into the genetic basis of the photosynthetic response of common bean under water-limited conditions, a collection of 158 Portuguese accessions was grown under both well-watered and water-deficit regimes. Leaf gas-exchange parameters were measured and photosynthetic pigments quantified. The same collection was genotyped using SNP arrays, and SNP-trait associations tested considering a linear mixed model accounting for the genetic relatedness among accessions. A total of 133 SNPtrait associations were identified for net CO2 assimilation rate, transpiration rate, stomatal conductance, and chlorophylls a and b, carotenes, and xanthophyll contents. Ninety of these associations were detected under waterdeficit and 43 under well-watered conditions, with only two associations common to both treatments. Identified candidate genes revealed that stomatal regulation, protein translocation across membranes, redox mechanisms, hormone, and osmotic stress signaling were the most relevant processes involved in common bean response to water-limited conditions. These candidates are now preferential targets for common bean water-deficit-tolerance breeding. Additionally, new sources of water-deficit tolerance of Andean, Mesoamerican, and admixed origin were detected as accessions valuable for breeding, and not yet exploredinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Understanding seasonal weight loss tolerance in dairy goats: a transcriptomics approach

Research ArticleBackground: Seasonal weight loss (SWL) is a very important limitation to the production of ruminants in the Mediterranean and Tropical regions. In these areas, long dry seasons lead to poor pastures with low nutritional value. During the dry season, ruminants, particularly those raised in extensive production systems, lose around 30% of their body weight. Seasonal weight loss has important consequences on animal productive performance and health. In this study, RNA sequencing was used to characterize feed restriction effects in dairy goat of 2 breeds with different SWL tolerance: Majorera (tolerant) and Palmera (susceptible). Nine Majorera and ten Palmera goats were randomly distributed in a control and a restricted group: Majorera Control (adequately fed; MC; n = 4), Palmera Control (adequately fed; PC; n = 6), Majorera Restricted (feed restricted; ME; n = 5) and Palmera Restricted (feed restricted; PE; n = 4). On day 22 of the trial, mammary gland biopsies were collected for transcriptomics analysis. Results: From these samples, 24,260 unique transcripts were identified. From those, 82 transcripts were differentially expressed between MC and ME, 99 between PC and PE, twelve between both control groups and twenty-nine between both restricted groups. Conclusions: Feed restriction affected several biochemical pathways in both breeds such as: carbohydrate and lipid transport; intracellular trafficking, RNA processing and signal transduction. This research also highlights the importance or involvement of the genes in tolerance (ENPP1, S-LZ, MT2A and GPNB) and susceptibility (GPD1, CTPS1, ELOVL6 and NR4A1) to SWL with respectively higher expression in the Majorera restriced group and the Palmera restricted group in comparison to the control groups. In addition, results from the study may be extrapolated to other dairy ruminant speciesinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Changes in genotoxic stress response, ribogenesis and PAP (3’-phosphoadenosine 5’-phosphate) levels are associated with loss of desiccation tolerance in overprimed Medicago truncatula seeds

Re‐establishment of desiccation tolerance is essential for the survival of germinated seeds facing water deficit in the soil. The molecular and ultrastructural features of desiccation tolerance maintenance and loss within the nuclear compartment are not fully resolved. In the present study, the impact of desiccation‐induced genotoxic stress on nucleolar ultrastructure and ribogenesis was explored along the rehydration−dehydration cycle applied in standard seed vigorization protocols. Primed and overprimed Medicago truncatula seeds, obtained through hydropriming followed by desiccation (dry‐back), were analysed. In contrast to desiccation‐tolerant primed seeds, overprimed seeds enter irreversible germination and do not survive dry‐back. Reactive oxygen species, DNA damage and expression profiles of antioxidant/DNA Damage Response genes were measured, as main hallmarks of the seed response to desiccation stress. Nuclear ultrastructural features were also investigated. Overprimed seeds subjected to dry‐back revealed altered rRNA accumulation profiles and up‐regulation of genes involved in ribogenesis control. The signal molecule PAP (3′‐phosphoadenosine 5′‐phosphate) accumulated during dry‐back only in primed seeds, as a distinctive feature of desiccation tolerance. The presented results show the molecular and ultrastructural landscapes of the seed desiccation response, including substantial changes in nuclear organization

Polyphenol oxidase activity and colour changes of ‘Starking’ Apple cubes coated with alginate and dehydrated with air

The objective was to study the effect of alginate coating on polyphenol oxidase (PPO) activity and colour of ‘Starking’ apple cubes during dehydration with hot air. Apple cubes were dehydrated at 20°C, 35°C or 40°C, with a parallel air-flow. Analysis of PPO activity, colour (L*, a*, b*) and dry matter were performed along the dehydration process at each temperature. All samples presented a peak in relative PPO activity in the beginning of the drying. Exponential models fitted well the experimental data after the peak. Cubes without coating presented lower PPO activity, suggesting lower browning than coated samples throughout the dehydration process, for all temperatures. Better results for coated samples were obtained with a perpendicular airflow drying at 40°C, after dipping the whole apple in water at 60°C for 10 minutes. In order to prevent coated samples from browning, drying by perpendicular airflow preceded by a thermal treatment of the whole apple is required.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Composição Corporal e Expansão Torácica em Indivíduos que Vivem e Convivem com Atrofia Muscular Espinhal Tipo II e III

AbstractIntroduction: spinal muscular atrophy patients present muscle weakness, orthopedic problems, nutritional complications and respiratory impairment. Lean mass and fat mass modifications are also expected in this population. Objective: to verify the body composition and chest expansion of type II and III spinal muscular atrophy patients. Methods: fourteen individuals were evaluated: seven patients in Group I of 9 (7-12) years of age, weighing 29.7 (23.5-60.0) kg; and seven children without the disease in Group II of 9 (9-12) years, weighing 31.0 (27.8-54.1) kg. Patients monofrequency bioelectrical impedance was used for analyze body composition. Chest, hip and abdominal girths were measured by a flexible steel tape. The SPSS program was used to statistical analysis (p< 0.05). Results: patients presented higher impedance: 1416.9 (850.5-1559.1) vs 788.0 (683.6-853.8), P < 0.05; and fat percentage: 31.2 (23.9-46.6) vs 19.1(14.9-27.0)%, P < 0.05. The difference between forced inspiration and forced expiration thorax girth was smaller for patients when comparing to Group II: 3.0 (0.8-4.4) vs. 5.0 (3.9-6.5) cm, P<0.05. Conclusions: patients with spinal muscular atrophy presented higher adiposity and lower chest expansion.ResumoIntrodução: pacientes com atrofia muscular espinhal apresentam fraqueza muscular, problemas ortopédicos, complicações alimentares e declínio da função respiratória. Alterações na massa magra e na massa gorda também são esperadas. Objetivo: verificar a composição corporal e a expansão torácica de pacientes com atrofia muscular espinhal tipo II e III. Método: foram avaliados 14 indivíduos, sete no Grupo I (pacientes) com 9 (7 - 12) anos, 29,7 (23,5 - 60,0) kg; e sete no Grupo II (sem a doença) com 9 (9-12) anos, 31,0 (27,8 - 54,1) kg. A análise da composição corporal foiobtida pela bioimpedância elétrica monofrequencial. Os perímetros de tórax, quadril e abdômen foram medidos com uma fita métrica. As análises estatísticas foram realizadas no programa SPSS (p < 0,05). Resultados: os pacientes apresentaram maior impedância: 1416,9 (850,5 - 1559,1) vs788,0 (68 3, 6 - 853,8), P < 0,05; e percentual de gordura: 31,2 (23,9 - 46,6) vs 19,1 (14,9 - 27,0)%, P<0,05. A diferença entre a perimetria de tórax em inspiração forçada e em expiração forçada foi menor para os pacientes em comparação com o Grupo II: 3,0 (0,8 - 4,4) vs. 5,0 (3,9 - 6,5) cm, P < 0,05. Conclusão: pacientes com amiotrofia muscular espinhal apresentaram maior adiposidade e menor expansão torácica

Broadening risk factor or disease definition as a driver for overdiagnosis: a narrative review

© 2022 The Authors. Journal of Internal Medicine published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Association for Publication of The Journal of Internal Medicine. This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.Medical overuse—defined as the provision of health services for which potential harms exceed potential benefits—constitutes a paradigm of low-value care and is seen as a threat to the quality of care. Value in healthcare implies a precise definition of disease. However, defining a disease may not be straightforward since clinical data do not show discrete boundaries, calling for some clinical judgment. And, if in time a redefinition of disease is needed, it is important to recognize that it can induce overdiagnosis, the identification of medical conditions that would, otherwise, never cause any significant symptoms or lead to clinical harm. A classic example is the impact of recommendations from professional societies in the late 1990s, lowering the threshold for abnormal total cholesterol from 240 mg/dl to 200 mg/dl. Due to these changes in risk factor definition, literally overnight there were 42 million new cases eligible for treatment in the United States. The same happened with hypertension—using either the 2019 NICE guidelines or the 2018 ESC/ECC guidelines criteria for arterial hypertension, the proportion of people overdiagnosed with hypertension was calculated to be between 14% and 33%. In this review, we will start by discussing resource overuse. We then present the basis for disease definition and its conceptual problems. Finally, we will discuss the impact of changing risk factor/disease definitions in the prevalence of disease and its consequences in overdiagnosis and overtreatment (a problem particularly relevant when definitions are widened to include earlier or milder disease).info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Efeito antibacteriano do cardol sobre bactérias orais associadas à cárie dentária e à periodontite apical crônica

O objetivo do presente trabalho foi avaliar, in vitro, o potencial antibacteriano do cardol, um derivado do LCC, sobre bactérias orais associadas a cárie dentária e a periodontite apical crônica. Para isso, os ensaios foram realizados em cultura de células planctônicas e em biofilme, utilizando as cepas Streptococcus mutans UA159, Streptococcus parasanguinis ATCC903 e Enterococcus faecalis ATCC19433, ajustadas na concentração de 2 x 106 μg/mL. Inicialmente, as cepas foram submetidas à técnica de microdiluição seriada na presença de cardol em diferentes concentrações (0.78 a 50 μg/mL) para determinar a concentração inibitória mínima (CIM) e concentração bactericida mínima (CBM). A avaliação da atividade antibiofilme do cardol foi realizada através dos testes de quantificação de biomassa (teste colorimétrico com cristal violeta 1%) e enumeração de células viáveis do biofilme (contagem de unidades formadoras de colônias). Os resultados foram analisados por one-way ANOVA e pós-teste de Bonferroni (p<0,05). Em relação ao efeito sobre células planctônicas, o cardol mostrou forte atividade inibitória e bactericida contra todas as cepas analisadas no estudo, com valores de CIM em 12,5 a 25 μg/mL e CBM em 25 a 50 μg/mL, respectivamente. No ensaio em biofilme, o cardol reduziu a biomassa bacteriana em todas as concentrações testadas, sendo responsável por uma redução de 96% da biomassa de E. faecalis na concentração de 1,56 μg.mL Ademais, o número de células viáveis do biofilme reduziu 100% nas maiores concentrações testadas (3,12 - 50 μg/mL) contra todas as cepas. Portanto, o cardol possui potencial terapêutico contra bactérias associadas as patologias orais