Summing the strokes: energy economy in northern elephant seals during large-scale foraging migrations.

BackgroundThe energy requirements of free-ranging marine mammals are challenging to measure due to cryptic and far-ranging feeding habits, but are important to quantify given the potential impacts of high-level predators on ecosystems. Given their large body size and carnivorous lifestyle, we would predict that northern elephant seals (Mirounga angustirostris) have elevated field metabolic rates (FMRs) that require high prey intake rates, especially during pregnancy. Disturbance associated with climate change or human activity is predicted to further elevate energy requirements due to an increase in locomotor costs required to accommodate a reduction in prey or time available to forage. In this study, we determined the FMRs, total energy requirements, and energy budgets of adult, female northern elephant seals. We also examined the impact of increased locomotor costs on foraging success in this species.ResultsBody size, time spent at sea and reproductive status strongly influenced FMR. During the short foraging migration, FMR averaged 90.1 (SE = 1.7) kJ kg(-1)d(-1) - only 36 % greater than predicted basal metabolic rate. During the long migration, when seals were pregnant, FMRs averaged 69.4 (±3.0) kJ kg(-1)d(-1) - values approaching those predicted to be necessary to support basal metabolism in mammals of this size. Low FMRs in pregnant seals were driven by hypometabolism coupled with a positive feedback loop between improving body condition and reduced flipper stroking frequency. In contrast, three additional seals carrying large, non-streamlined instrumentation saw a four-fold increase in energy partitioned toward locomotion, resulting in elevated FMRs and only half the mass gain of normally-swimming study animals.ConclusionsThese results highlight the importance of keeping locomotion costs low for successful foraging in this species. In preparation for lactation and two fasting periods with high demands on energy reserves, migrating elephant seals utilize an economical foraging strategy whereby energy savings from reduced locomotion costs are shuttled towards somatic growth and fetal gestation. Remarkably, the energy requirements of this species, particularly during pregnancy, are 70-80 % lower than expected for mammalian carnivores, approaching or even falling below values predicted to be necessary to support basal metabolism in mammals of this size

Leiomiomatose Peritoneal Disseminada: Relato de um Caso Raro numa Mulher sem História Prévia de Leiomiomas Uterinos

Disseminated peritoneal leiomyomatosis (DPL) is a rare disease characterized by multiple leiomyomas disseminated throughout the peritoneal cavity, occurring most commonly in women of childbearing age. Although typically benign, DPL may degenerate into malignancy. As the majority are asymptomatic, these tumors are usually incidentally found incidentally. Differential diagnosis includes peritoneal carcinomatosis peritoneal or abdominal disseminated malignancy; the clinical and radiological context can help differentiate these entities, but only histopathological examination achieves the final diagnosis. The authors present a case of a woman with DPL found during infertility workup. She had undergone laparoscopic broad ligament myomectomy 5 years previously, but there was no prior history of uterine leiomyomas. A revision of the clinical, pathological and imaging features of this entity was also performed.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Women's perinatal depression: Anhedonia-related symptoms have increased in the COVID-19 pandemic

Background: The prevalence of perinatal depression increased during the COVID-19 pandemic, which may be due to changes in the profile of specific depressive symptoms.Aims: To analyze the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the (1) prevalence and severity of specific depressive symptoms; and on the (2) prevalence of clinically significant symptoms of depression during pregnancy and postpartum.Methods: Pregnant and postpartum women recruited before (n = 2395) and during the COVID-19 pandemic (n = 1396) completed a sociodemographic and obstetric questionnaire and the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS). For each item, scores & GE;1 and & GE; 2 were used to calculate the prevalence and severity of depressive symptoms, respectively.Results: The prevalence and severity of symptoms of depression were significantly higher during the COVID-19 pandemic. The prevalence of specific symptoms increased by >30%, namely being able to laugh and see the funny side of things (pregnancy 32.6%, postpartum 40.6%), looking forward with enjoyment to things (pregnancy 37.2%, postpartum 47.2%); and feelings of sadness/miserable or unhappiness leading to crying during postpartum (34.2% and 30.2%, respectively). A substantial increase was observed in the severity of specific symptoms related to feelings that things have been getting on top of me during pregnancy and the postpartum period (19.4% and 31.6%, respectively); feeling sad or miserable during pregnancy (10.8%); and feeling scared/panicky during postpartum (21.4%).Conclusion: Special attention should be paid to anhedonia-related symptoms of perinatal depression to ensure that they are adequately managed in present and future situations of crisis.This study was and supported by the Psychology Research Centre (UID/PSI/01662/2013) , University of Minho, by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology and the Portuguese Ministry of Education and Science through national funds and co-financed by FEDER through COMPETE2020 under the PT2020 Partnership Agreement, under the Grant No. POCI-01-0145-FEDER-007653. This research was supported by the FEDER Funds through the Programa Operacional Factores de Competitividade (COMPETE) and by National Funds through FCT (Fundacao para a Ciencia e a Tecnologia) under the Grant No. PTDC/SAU/SAP/116738/2010. Fundacao Bial, under the project with the reference 157/12 and by the FCT- Fundacao para a Ciencia e a Tecnologia, I.P., under the projects PTDC/PSI-PCL/119152/2010, HEI-Lab R & amp;D Unit UIDB/05380/2020, UIDB/04750/2020, and LA/P/0064/2020. It was supported by FEDER through COMPETE2020 under the PT2020 Partnership Agreement (POCI-01-0145-FEDER-007653) . Raquel Costa was supported by the FSE and FCT under the Post-Doctoral Grant SFRH/BPD/117597/2016 [RC] . Tiago Miguel Pinto [TMP] was supported by the FSE and FCT under the individual grant SFRH/BD/115048/2016. Ana Conde was supported a doctoral grant for Science in Measure IV.3 and co-funded under the 2010 Science and Innovation Operational Program (POCI 2010) from Science and Technology Foundation, Government of the Portuguese Republic (Ref. SFRH/BD/13768/2003) [AC] . The work developed by ProChild CoLAB was supported by: (i) NORTE-06-3559-FSE-000044, integrated in the invitation NORTE-59-2018-41, aiming to hire Highly Qualified Human Resources, co-financed by the Regional Operational Programme of the North 2020, thematic area of Competitiveness and Employment, through the European Social Fund (ESF) and (ii) Mission Interface Program from the Resilience and Recuperation Plan, notice no 01/C05-i02/2022, aiming to guarantee public core funding to strengthen the network of interface institutions, as defined in the legal regime in force, approved by Decree-Law no. 63/2019, of May 16th, as well as in its 1st review on 'Technology and Innovation Centres-CTI' and 'Collaborative Laboratories-CoLABs', approved by Decree-Law no. 126-B/2021, of December 31st. Ana Mesquita is supported from the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) and from EU through the European Social Fund and from the Human Potential Operational Program-IF/00750/2015. This article is based upon work from COST Action CA18138 Research Innovation and Sustainable Pan-European Network in Peripartum Depression Disorder (Riseup-PPD) , supported by COST (European Cooperation in Science and Technology; https:// www.cost.eu/) . The funders had no role in study design; in the collection, analysis, and interpretation of data; in the writing of the report; or in the decision to submit the article for publication

The effect of parenting behaviours on adolescents' rumination: a systematic review of longitudinal studies

Rumination is an emotional regulation mechanism strongly associated with the development and maintenance of internalising psychopathology in adolescence and adulthood. Parenting behaviours (PBs) play a pivotal role in the development of rumination in children and adolescents. Nonetheless, the specific PBs that can either protect against or increase the risk of rumination development remain poorly understood. This systematic review aimed to explore the (1) temporal associations between PBs and adolescents’ rumination and (2) potential moderators influencing these associations. We conducted a comprehensive search across Web of Science, Scopus, PubMed, Academic Search Complete and Eric databases, adhering to PRISMA reporting guidelines. Out of 1,868 abstracts screened, 182 articles underwent full-text examination, with nine meeting the inclusion criteria for the systematic review. Overall, the studies indicated that PBs characterised by criticism, rejection and control were positively associated with the development of rumination in adolescents, whilst PBs marked by authoritative practises exhibited a negative association with rumination. Gender, temperament, environmental sensitivity and pubertal timing emerged as significant moderators in the effects of PBs on rumination. However, conclusions were limited due to the studies’ methodological heterogeneity. Future studies on PBs and rumination should address various dimensions of PBs and different moderators to identify factors that can modify the development of rumination across adolescence. Findings may inform family-based prevention programmes to promote emotion regulation in adolescents as a protective factor against internalising psychopathology across adulthood.Open access funding provided by FCT|FCCN (b-on). This study was supported by Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia - FCT (Portuguese Ministry of Science, Technology and Higher Education), under the grant HEI-LAB (UIDB/05380/2020). Raquel Costa was supported by the Social European Fund and Foundation for Science and Technology—FCT—under a Post-Doctoral Grant (SFRH/BPD/117597/2016)

Childbirth-related post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms and mother-infant neurophysiological and behavioral co-regulation during dyadic interaction: study protocol

BackgroundMother's childbirth-related posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms have a negative impact on mother and infant's behaviors during dyadic interactions which may increase mother-infant neurophysiological and behavioral co-regulation difficulties, leading to dysregulated mother-infant interactions. This study was specifically designed to analyze: (1) the sociodemographic and obstetric factors associated with mother's childbirth-related PTSD symptoms; (2) mother-infant neurophysiological functioning and behavioral co-regulation during dyadic interaction; (3) the impact of mother's childbirth-related PTSD symptoms on neurophysiological and behavioral mother-infant co-regulation during dyadic interaction; (4) the moderator role of previous trauma on the impact of mother's childbirth-related PTSD symptoms on neurophysiological and behavioral mother-infant co-regulation during dyadic interaction; and (5) the moderator role of comorbid symptoms of anxiety and depression on the impact of mother's childbirth-related PTSD symptoms on neurophysiological and behavioral mother-infant co-regulation during dyadic interaction.MethodsAt least 250 mothers will be contacted in order to account for refusals and dropouts and guarantee at least 100 participating mother-infant dyads with all the assessment waves completed. The study has a longitudinal design with three assessment waves: (1) 1-3 days postpartum, (2) 8 weeks postpartum, and (3) 22 weeks postpartum. Between 1 and 3 days postpartum, mothers will report on-site on their sociodemographic and obstetric characteristics. At 8 weeks postpartum, mothers will complete online self-reported measures of birth trauma, previous trauma, childbirth-related PTSD, anxiety, and depressive symptoms. At 22 weeks postpartum, mothers will complete online self-reported measures of childbirth-related PTSD, anxiety, and depressive symptoms. Mothers and infants will then be home-visited to observe and record their neurophysiological, neuroimaging and behavioral data during dyadic interactions using the Still-face Paradigm. Activation patterns in the prefrontal cortices of mother and infant will be recorded simultaneously using hyperscanning acquisition devices. Unadjusted and adjusted multilevel linear regression models will be performed to analyze objectives 1 to 3. Moderation models will be performed to analyze objectives 4 and 5.DiscussionData from this study will inform psychological interventions targeting mother-infant interaction, co-regulation, and infant development. Moreover, these results can contribute to designing effective screenings to identify mothers at risk of perinatal mental health problems and those who may need specialized perinatal mental health care

In vivo Skin Irritation Potential of a Castanea sativa (Chestnut) Leaf Extract, a Putative Natural Antioxidant for Topical Application

Topical application of natural antioxidants has proven to be effective in protecting the skin against ultraviolet-mediated oxidative damage and provides a straightforward way to strengthen the endogenous protection system. However, natural products can provoke skin adverse effects, such as allergic and irritant contact dermatitis. Skin irritation potential of Castanea sativa leaf ethanol:water (7:3) extract was investigated by performing an in vivo patch test in 20 volunteers. Before performing the irritation test, the selection of the solvent and extraction method was guided by the 1,1-diphenyl-2-picryl hydrazyl (DPPH) free radical scavenging test and polyphenols extraction (measured by the Folin Ciocalteu assay). Iron-chelating activity and the phenolic composition (high performance liquid chromatography/diode array detection) were evaluated for the extract obtained under optimized conditions. The extraction method adopted consisted in 5 short extractions (10 min.) with ethanol:water (7:3), performed at 40 degrees. The IC(50) found for the iron chelation and DPPH scavenging assays were 132.94 +/- 9.72 and 12.58 +/- 0.54 microg/ml (mean +/- S.E.M.), respectively. The total phenolic content was found to be 283.8 +/- 8.74 mg GAE/g extract (mean +/- S.E.M.). Five phenolic compounds were identified in the extract, namely, chlorogenic acid, ellagic acid, rutin, isoquercitrin and hyperoside. The patch test carried out showed that, with respect to irritant effects, this extract can be regarded as safe for topical application

Adherence to human lung microvascular endothelial cells (HMVEC-L) of Plasmodium vivax isolates from Colombia

ABSTARCT: For years Plasmodium vivax has been considered the cause of benign malaria. Nevertheless, it has been observed that this parasite can produce a severe disease comparable to Plasmodium falciparum. It has been suggested that some physiopathogenic processes might be shared by these two species, such as cytoadherence. Recently, it has been demonstrated that P. vivax-infected erythrocytes (Pv-iEs) have the capacity to adhere to endothelial cells, in which intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) seems to be involved in this process

Physical activity and neuropsychiatric symptoms in elderly with Alzheimer's dementia

Is common the presence of neuropsychiatric symptoms in Alzheimer's disease (AD), this is resulted of anatomical and biochemical changes in the brain. The objective of present study was to look for papers relating physical activity and neuropsychiatric symptoms through a systematic review. The following data bases was accessed: Academic Search Premier, Biological Abstracts, Medline, PsycINFO, Pubmed, Scielo, Science direct on line, Sport Discus and Web of Science, using the following key-words: (Neuropsychiatric disturbances OR Neuropsychiatric symptoms OR Neuropsychological disturbances OR Aberrant behavior OR Aberrant behaviour OR Behavior disturbances OR Behaviour disturbances OR Behavior management OR Behaviour management OR Disruptive behavior OR Disruptive behaviour) AND (Alzheimer) AND (Exercise OR Motor intervention OR training OR Physical activity OR fitness), besides crossing the references in the selected articles. Eight studies had filled the inclusion criteria. It was possible to conclude there are evidences of positive results for agitation and sleep disturbances in patients with AD. However, there's no consensus of what kind of activity is better for these patients.17353354

Prospective memory functioning among ecstasy/polydrug users: evidence from the Cambridge Prospective Memory Test (CAMPROMPT)

Rationale: Prospective memory (PM) deficits in recreational drug users have been documented in recent years. However, the assessment of PM has largely been restricted to self-reported measures that fail to capture the distinction between event-based and time-based PM. The aim of the present study is to address this limitation. Objectives: Extending our previous research, we augmented the range laboratory measures of PM by employing the CAMPROMPT test battery to investigate the impact of illicit drug use on prospective remembering in a sample of cannabis only, ecstasy/polydrug and non-users of illicit drugs, separating event and time-based PM performance. We also administered measures of executive function and retrospective memory in order to establish whether ecstasy/polydrug deficits in PM were mediated by group differences in these processes. Results: Ecstasy/polydrug users performed significantly worse on both event and time-based prospective memory tasks in comparison to both cannabis only and non-user groups. Furthermore, it was found that across the whole sample, better retrospective memory and executive functioning was associated with superior PM performance. Nevertheless, this association did not mediate the drug-related effects that were observed. Consistent with our previous study, recreational use of cocaine was linked to PM deficits. Conclusions: PM deficits have again been found among ecstasy/polydrug users, which appear to be unrelated to group differences in executive function and retrospective memory. However, the possibility that these are attributable to cocaine use cannot be excluded