Toxicity ranking of estuarine sediments on the basis of Sparus aurata biomarkers

Sparus aurata biomarkers were used to rank sediments from the Sado River estuary (Portugal) according to their toxicity. Initially, the activities of liver ethoxyresorufin-O-deethylase, liver and gill glutathione S-transferases, muscle lactate dehydrogenase, and brain acetylcholinesterase were tested in a laboratory bioassay with the reference compound benzo[a]pyrene. Enzymatic activities were determined in different tissues of fish exposed for 48, 96, or 240 h to three concentrations of benzo[a]pyrene (25, 50, and 100 g/L). Induction of liver ethoxyresorufin-O-deethylase was observed at all the exposure periods and concentrations, suggesting a continuous response of this system to toxicant exposure. Induction of liver glutathione S-transferases activity was only observed after 240 h of exposure, whereas gill glutathione S-transferases activity was significantly inhibited at all the exposure periods, suggesting a direct or indirect effect of the toxicant on these enzymes. Inhibition of lactate dehydrogenases activity was only observed after 96 h of exposure to 25 g/L of benzo[a]pyrene. No significant effects were observed on acetylcholinesterase activity, suggesting that cholinergic function of S. aurata is not affected by benzo[a]pyrene. In a second phase, fish were exposed for 240 h to sediments collected at five sites of the Sado River estuary, and the same biomarkers were analyzed. For all the enzymes assayed, significant differences among sites were found. In this study, the battery of biomarkers used allowed to discrimination among sites with different types of contamination, levels of contamination, or both, after multivariate data analysis. Discrimination of sites was similar to the ranking provided by a more complex and parallel study (including chemical analysis of sediments, macrobenthic community analysis, amphipod mortality toxicity tests, and sea urchin abnormality embryo assays), suggesting its suitability to evaluate the toxicity of estuarine sediments.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Ventilatory defects and treatable traits in very elderly patients

Funding: The author(s) disclosed receipt of the following financial support for the research, authorship and/or publication of this article: This study was supported by AstraZeneca – Projecto OLDER (CEDOC/2015/59) and Finnee Project (PTDC/CCI-BIO/29702/2017).Though the approach used to classify chronic respiratory diseases is changing to a treatable-traits (TT) approach, data regarding very elderly patients is lacking. The objectives of this study were to assess TT frequency in very elderly patients and to study the link between extrapulmonary TT and ventilatory defects. Individuals (≥75 years) residing in elderly care centres answered a standardised questionnaire, underwent spirometry, atopy and fractional exhaled nitric oxide assessments and had their blood pressure and peripheral pulse oximetry measured. Pulmonary, extrapulmonary and behavioural TT were evaluated. Outcome variables were an airflow limitation (post-bronchodilator z-score FEV1/FVC<-1.64) and a restrictive spirometry pattern (z-score FEV1/FVC ≥ +1.64 and z-score FVC<-1.64). Seventy-two percent of the individuals who took part in the study (n = 234) were women, and the median age of participants was 86 (IQR: 7.4). At least one pulmonary TT was identified in 105 (44.9%) individuals. The most frequent extrapulmonary TTs were: persistent systemic inflammation (47.0%), anaemia (34.4%), depression (32.5%) and obesity (27.4). Airflow limitation was exclusively associated with smoking (OR 5.03; 95% CI 1.56-16.22). A restrictive spirometry pattern was associated with cognitive impairment (OR: 3.89; 95% CI: 1.55-9.79). A high frequency of various TTs was found. The novel association between a restrictive spirometry pattern and cognitive impairment highlights the urgency of clinical research on this vulnerable age group.publishersversionpublishe

Colaboração na realização da espirometria numa população de idosos: estudo GERIA

A espirometria é o método de eleição para a identificação de alterações ventilatórias, porém é pouco utilizada em idosos pelo fato de habitualmente se considerar que estes não conseguem colaborar. Este estudo tem como objetivo avaliar a colaboração na realização da espirometria antes e após administração de broncodilatador numa população de idosos residente num lar de Lisboa

Application of RAPD DNA fingerprinting in taxonomic identification of amphipods: a case-study with Gammarus species (Crustacea : Amphipoda)

In this study randomly amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) fingerprinting is proposed for species identification of Gammarus, based on the electrophorestic position of amplified DNA bands. Three common marine amphipods of European estuaries-G. chevreuxi, G insensibilis and G. locusta were profiled using ten RAPD primers, accompanied by a careful morphological identification. Nine of these primers produced a very distinct species-specific RAPD profile, allowing unambiguous differentiation of amphipod species assayed. The RAPD fingerprints were here characterized by 8-12 amplicons for each primer. Each amplicon was visualized as a band of known molecular length, with characteristic band thickness mid density. A total of 78 diagnostic bands, based on the most robust and evident amplicons found for each primer and species, are proposed for identification of the Gammarus species analysed. These results allowed us to identify an unknown amphipod species from a previous study as G. insensibilis, only based on the RAPD fingerprint. One primer was sufficient for this identification. A taxonomic identification system integrating molecular and morphological tools is proposed for Gammarus.FCT-PRAXIS/P/BIA/10225/98FCT-BD/11575/97FCT-BD/21613/9

Obstrução brônquica máxima induzida em crianças asmáticas: análise dos indicadores de susceptibilidade brônquica aumentada à metacolina

Rev. Port. de Pneumologia. 1997,1:p. 5-37.Neste trabalho, efectuaram-se testes de provocação brônquica máxima com metacolina em 17 crianças asmáticas, com dois dos métodos de administração de aerossóis mais frequentemente usados, dosimétrico e de volume corrente, com os objectivos de: I) avaliar a reprodutibilidade dos indicadores de susceptibilidade brônquica aumentada: P020/PC20 FEV15 declive da curva de dose-resposta (COR)e grau de redução máxima do FEV1(MFEV,) ou plateau; 2) verificar se a fórmula de cálculo do declive e a tilização de diferente numero de pontos se traduzem por valores semelhantes, para o que se compararam, na mesma COR, os declives calculados por regressão linear: entre si, em diferentes fases da curva de dose-resposta e também com os calculados pela fórmula simplificada de O'CONNOR; 3) determinar se o valor do declive de uma prova de obstrução máxima pode ser extrapolado a partir dos testes de provocação recomendados para a clíníca (que terminam imediatamente após o limiar de 20% de redução do FEV, ler sido atingido); e 4) comparar os declives e os valores do grau de obstrução máxima induzidos pelo método do dosimetro com os obtidos pelo método do volume corrente. Para esse efeito, administraram-se doses/concentrações crescentes de cloridrato de metacolina até se atingir um plateou (variação entre dois pontos consecutivos 50% do valor medido após inalação do solvente. A SaO2 foi medida em condições basais e 90 segundos após a inalação do solvente e de cada dose de metacolina, através de um oximetro de pulso. Não se observaram diferenças significativas entre os indicadores de susceptibilidade brônquica em dois testes realizados com 5 a 10 dias de intervalo, tanto para o método do dosimetro (n=6) como para o método do volume corrente (n=5), quer os PD20 e FEV1 quer os PC20 FEV1 encontravam-se dentro dos limites de reprodutibilidade recomendados e não se observaram diferenças significativas entre os declives qualquer que fosse o método de cálculo ou a fase da curva analisada. Por outro lado, encontraram-se diferenças significativas entre os declives calculados por regressão linear nas diferentes fases da COR. O mesmo se verificou em relação aos valores deste parâmetro determinados por fórmulas diferentes. Não se observaram diferenças entre os declives das CDR obtidas, no mesmo indivíduo, pelo método do dosimetro e pelo método do volume corrente. As variações da SaO2 durante as provas não excederam -7% do valor basal, sugerindo não terem existido repercussões significativas sobre a trocas gasosas, mmesmo com reduções do FEV1>50

The acute effect on three-dimensional cellular proliferation rate of low dose irradiation exposures

Low doses of ionizing radiation are not yet consistently studied and documented. In such context, more advanced and complex biological models should be applied to obtain relevant data. Known limitations of monolayer cellular models and ever increasing difficulties to use some biological models, lead to develop advanced biological models, namely three-dimensional cell cultures.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Chronic exposure to environmentally relevant levels of simvastatin disrupts zebrafish brain gene signaling involved in energy metabolism

Simvastatin (SIM), a hypocholesterolaemic drug belonging to the statins group, is a widely prescribed pharmaceutical for prevention of cardiovascular diseases. Several studies showed that lipophilic statins, as SIM, cross the blood-brain barrier and interfere with the energy metabolism of the central nervous system in humans and mammalian models. In fish and other aquatic organisms, the effects of SIM on the brain energy metabolism are unknown, particularly following exposure to low environmentally relevant concentrations. Therefore, the present study aimed at investigating the influence of SIM on gene signaling pathways involved in brain energy metabolism of adult zebrafish (Danio rerio) following chronic exposure (90 days) to environmentally relevant SIM concentrations ranging from 8 ng/L to 1000 ng/L. Real-time PCR was used to determine the transcript levels of several genes involved in different pathways of the brain energy metabolism (glut1b, gapdh, acadm, accα, fasn, idh3a, cox4i1, and cox5aa). The findings here reported integrated well with ecological and biochemical responses obtained in a parallel study. Data demonstrated that SIM modulates transcription of key genes involved in the mitochondrial electron transport chain, in glucose transport and metabolism, in fatty acid synthesis and β-oxidation. Further, SIM exposure led to a sex-dependent transcription profile for some of the studied genes. Overall, the present study demonstrated, for the first time, that SIM modulates gene regulation of key pathways involved in the energy metabolism in fish brain at environmentally relevant concentrationsThis study was developed under the project Nor-Water -Poluentes emergentes nas águas da Galiza-Norte de Portugal: novas ferramentas para gestão de risco [Reference: 0725_NOR_WATER_1_P], financed by Programa de Cooperação Interreg Portugal/Espanha, (POCTEP) 2014–2020. The study was also supported by the National Funds through Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) under the projects [UID/Multi/04423/2019 and UID/AGR/04033/2013]. S. Barros was supported by the doctoral fellowship [PD/BD/143090/2018] from FCT. J.B. Quintana acknowledges the financial support of Spanish “Agencia Estatal de Investigación” [ref. CTM2017-84763-C3-R-2] and Xunta de Galicia [ref. ED431C2017/36], both co-funded by FEDER/ERDFS

Teste de provocação brônquica com metacolina em crianças asmáticas: standardização do método com um dosímetro

Arquivos da Sociedade Portuguesa de Patologia Respiratória. 1988 V-2:p.7-15O objectivo deste trabalho foi standardizar os testes de provocação brônquica inespecífica com um dosímetro. (...

Assessing radiobiological effects of diagnostic level doses of ionizing radiation on zebrafish using comet assay

This paper relates with the application of zebrafish – Danio rerio – to the study of radiobiological effects of medical diagnostic level – low doses – of ionizing radiation. In recent years, the use of zebrafish has grown considerably, pointing more and more as a very interesting model in biomedical research, essentially because of the level of homology shared with the human genome, complemented by an easy and reasonably affordable practical side

Environment and health in children day care centers

This project addresses a set of common clinical problems in the context of children attending day care centres. It is common sense that children get sick more often as soon as they start attending a day care centre on a daily basis and this is particularly true for some groups at risk, as wheezing infants and wheezing pre-school childreninfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio