Antagonizing the spindle assembly checkpoint silencing enhances paclitaxel and Navitoclax-mediated apoptosis with distinct mechanistic

Antimitotic drugs arrest cells in mitosis through chronic activation of the spindle assembly checkpoint (SAC), leading to cell death. However, drug-treated cancer cells can escape death by undergoing mitotic slippage, due to premature mitotic exit. Therefore, overcoming slippage issue is a promising chemotherapeutic strategy to improve the effectiveness of antimitotics. Here, we antagonized SAC silencing by knocking down the MAD2-binding protein p31comet, to delay mitotic slippage, and tracked cancer cells treated with the antimitotic drug paclitaxel, over 3 days live-cell time-lapse analysis. We found that in the absence of p31comet, the duration of mitotic block was increased in cells challenged with nanomolar concentrations of paclitaxel, leading to an additive effects in terms of cell death which was predominantly anticipated during the first mitosis. As accumulation of an apoptotic signal was suggested to prevent mitotic slippage, when we challenged p31comet-depleted mitotic-arrested cells with the apoptosis potentiator Navitoclax (previously called ABT-263), cell fate was shifted to accelerated post-mitotic death. We conclude that inhibition of SAC silencing is critical for enhancing the lethality of antimitotic drugs as well as that of therapeutic apoptosis-inducing small molecules, with distinct mechanisms. The study highlights the potential of p31comet as a target for antimitotic therapies.The authors gratefully acknowledge CESPU—Cooperativa de Ensino Superior Politécnico e Universitário, which financed this work under the projects “ComeTarget_CESPU_2017” and “ComeTax”. Ana C. Henriques acknowledge FCT-Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia for financial support (Grant SFRH/BD/116167/2016)

Patterns of Play in the Counterattack of Elite Football Teams - A Mixed Method Approach

This study aimed to detect and analyse regular patterns of play in football teams during their offensive phase, through the combination of the sequential analysis technique and semi-structured interviews of experienced first League Portuguese coaches. The sample included 36 games (12 per team) of the F.C. Barcelona, Internazionalle Milano, and Manchester United teams that were analysed through sequential analysis with the software SDIS-GSEQ. Based on the detected patterns, semi-structured interviews were carried out with 8 expert high-performance football coaches. Data were analysed through the content analysis technique using the software Nvivo 9. The detected patterns of play revealed specific characteristics of different philosophies of play. Through the performed content analysis we could observe that coaches interpreting play patterns mainly based their opinions on tactical-strategic and tactical-technical aspects, and on the characteristics of the players on their team. On the other hand, consideration was given to three of the main evolutionary trends of play/soccer practice, which focus on the development of exercises that cover: i) the connection between the four play moments (offensive/defensive organization and transitions); ii) the pre-programmed ball possession recovery; iii) the execution of set pieces

Effects of changing the head coach on soccer team’s performance: a systematic review

Review question / Objective: The aim of this systematic review is to analyze the effects of changing the soccer head coach on the overall team’s performance, locomotor demands of players, technical/tactical responses of players, and psychological responses of players. Eligibility criteria: P: Among professional soccer players what is the effect of head-coach replacement; E: Exposure to the change of the head-coach; C: Last weeks of the fired head coach compared with the first weeks of the new head-coach; O: locomotor performance, sports results, mental health metrics. Inclusion criteria will be: (1) articles written in English; (2) carried out in professional football teams. Studies will be excluded if: (1) written in another language other than the one selected; (2) in the case of theses, books and non scientific articles.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Match analysis in football: a systematic review

The main focus of this paper was to review the available literature on match analysis in adult male football. The most common research topics were identified, their methodologies described and the evolutionary tendencies of this research area systematised. A systematic review of Institute for Scientific Information (ISI) Web of Knowledge database was performed according to PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-analyses) guidelines. The following keywords were used: football and soccer, each one associated with the terms: match analysis, performance analysis, notational analysis, game analysis, tactical analysis and patterns of play. Of 2732 studies initially identified, only 53 were fully reviewed, and their outcome measures abstracted and analysed. Studies that fit all inclusion criteria were organised according to their research design as descriptive, comparative or predictive. Results showed that 10 studies focused predominantly on a description of technical, tactical and physical performance variables. From all comparative studies, the dependent variables more frequently used were “playing position” and “competitive level”. Even though the literature stresses the importance of developing predictive models of sports performance, only few studies (n = 8) have focused on modelling football performance. Situational variables like game location, quality of opposing teams, match status and match half have been progressively included as object of research, since they seem to work as effective covariables of football performance. Taking into account the limitations of the reviewed studies, future research should provide comprehensive operational definitions for the studied variables, use standardised categories and description of activities and participants, and consider integrating the situational and interactional contexts into the analysis of football performance

The evaluation of ecological status in a Large Portuguese River using Macroinvertebrates Assemblages

great variety of taxonomic and functional feeding groups, which provides them advantages as indicators of the ecological status of aquatic ecosystems. The implementation of the Water Framework Directive in Europe led to an extensive use of biomonitoring programs in order to access the water quality of streams and rivers. Still, the established Portuguese sampling protocol for aquatic macroinvertebrates does not differentiate small wadeable streams and large nonwadeable rivers. The development of better standardized sampling methods and the identification of more suitable metrics and indexes are extremely important to obtain an accurate ecological status of rivers. Given the importance of the correct evaluation of ecological status in aquatic ecosystems management, our main objectives are: (1) to identify the vulnerability of the established sampling protocol and selected metrics to our sampling sites and (2) to present a review of the different studies which have been carried out during the last years in large rivers and that could be applied on further bioassessment programs in Portuguese large rivers, both feasible and cost effective

Order-disorder layering transitions of a spin-1 Ising model in a variable crystal field

The magnetic order-disorder layering transitions of a spin-1 Ising model are investigated, under the effect of a variable surface crystal field $\Delta_{s}$, using the mean field theory. Each layer $k$, of the film formed with $N$ layers, disorders at a finite surface crystal field distributed according to the law $\Delta_k=\Delta_s/k^\alpha$, $k=1,2,...,N$ and $\alpha$ being a positive constant. We have established the temperature-crystal field phase diagrams and found a constant tricritical point and a reentrant phenomenon for the first $k_0$ layers. This reentrant phenomenon is absent for the remaining $N-k_0$ layers, but the tricritical points subsist and depend not only on the film thickness but also on the exponent $\alpha$. On the other hand, the thermal behaviour of the surface magnetisation for a fixed value of the surface crystal field $\Delta_{s}$ and selected values of the parameter $\alpha$ are established.Comment: 10 Pages Latex, 9 Figures Postscript. To appear in JMMM (2002

South Portugal Reservoirs – Status and major concerns

In southern Portugal, the dry summers together with low precipitations and high temperatures highlight the importance of reservoirs, built mainly for water storage and to smoothing the interannual precipitation variability, in one of the driest regions in the country. According to the Water Framework Directive nº2000/60/CE, all states members are responsible for the classification of superficial water bodies using a system based on both ecological and chemical status. The Water Framework Directive set the aim of achieving the “Good” status for surface and groundwater by 2015. There are two reservoirs typologies in the south of Portugal, the main course and the south typologies. Data from the current River Basin Management Plans were used to identify the quality status of 28 reservoirs, 26 from south typology and 2 main course typology. General physical and chemical elements (total phosphorus, dissolved oxygen, oxygen saturation rate, nitrates, pH), biological elements (chlorophyll a), specific pollutants and priority substances were used to classify the reservoirs status in “Good” and “Less than Good” quality classes. Results showed that 20 reservoirs were rated as “Good” and only 8 reservoirs were below the “Good” status

Avaliação do Estado dos rios no Sul de Portugal: dos conceitos à prática

O aumento da população humana e o crescente desenvolvimento tecnológico tem conduzido a um excessivo consumo de água consequentemente associado à degradação dos ecossistemas aquáticos. Surge assim a necessidade de avaliar o estado dos ecossistemas aquáticos, através de programas de monitorização adaptados às diferentes realidades. Inicialmente, estes programas foram desenvolvidos tendo em consideração os diferentes usos da água, para os quais são definidos e legislados a nível de cada país valores máximos admissíveis e recomendados. Contudo, a consciencialização a nível global da progressiva contaminação dos ecossistemas aquáticos conduziu a um novo paradigma onde a água é considerada suporte das comunidades biológicas. Os ecossistemas aquáticos passam a ser avaliados numa perspectiva funcional, constituindo o objecto central da monitorização. Abandona-se uma perspectiva antropocêntrica (água considerada unicamente como recurso para as actividades humanas) em benefício de uma visão ecocêntrica, direccionada para a qualidade e preservação dos ecossistemas aquáticos. Nesta perspectiva, na Europa foi recentemente implementada a Directiva Quadro da Água (DQA - Directiva 2000/60/CE do Parlamento Europeu e do Conselho), segundo a qual os estados membros assumem o compromisso de alterar as estratégias tradicionais de utilização da água, facto que requer o desenvolvimento de uma nova concepção social e institucional sobre o valor da água. No âmbito da DQA, os estados membros deverão desenvolver Planos de Bacia Hidrográfica, onde se obriga à classificação do estado das massas de água (ecológico e químico) com vista à recuperação de todas as que se classificam abaixo de Bom. Neste contexto, as comunidades biológicas adquirem uma importância acrescida, uma vez que reflectem as contaminações físicas e químicas (pontual ou difusa) e as alterações morfológicas estruturais (caudais, vegetação ripícola, geomorfologia). No sul de Portugal (bacias hidrográficas do Sado/Mira e Guadiana), a avaliação do estado das massas de água rios efectuada nos anos de 2009 e 2010 no âmbito dos Planos de Bacia Hidrográfica, revelou que apenas 36% e 41% das massas de água rio apresentam Bom estado. Os principais elementos responsáveis pelas classificações indesejáveis foram os elementos biológicos (i.e diatomáceas e invertebrados bentónicos), o Fósforo Total e os níveis de Oxigénio Dissolvido. Consequentemente é necessário propor medidas para progressivamente reduzir a degradação, assim como propor medidas para prevenir a deterioração das massas de águas classificadas como Bom estado, sobretudo tendo em atenção que é objectivo da DQA que todas as massas de água atinjam o Bom estado até 2015