Over the years, rural areas have faced a number of problems and difficulties, such as an increase in the average age of the population, desertification, loss of employment and the abandonment of ...rural and agricultural activities, which have led to the emergence of new initiatives aimed at revitalizing these territories from a social, economic and environmental perspective, such as the successful Bio-districts or Eco-regions (e.g., Bio-district of Cilento). Understanding and establishing a proper framework for each territory based on agroecology and participatory methodologies is still a challenge. In this sense, based on the analysis of two European examples—Cilento, Italy and São Pedro do Sul, Portugal—we described each of the building processes and defined a set of drivers that might constitute guiding principles to serve as a basis for the creation of Bio-districts or Eco-regions. The drivers’ matrix identified was discussed in three focus groups carried out in Portugal in 2020. Such drivers included a technical and environmental component (the quality of the environment and landscape, the food system and the implementation of organic farming and agroecological practices), a social and economic component (valorization of the farmers, products and territories and a set of different stakeholders—farmers, consumers, schools, tourism entities and restaurants, local authorities) and a political component (the governance model). Most participants agreed that the recognition of a Bio-district or Eco-region should be informal, bottom-up, with farmers as the main pillar, with a fair and representative participation, namely family farmers.
To evaluate the efficiency of silymarin (SMN) in modulating metabolic parameters and redox status in rats with type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM).
Diabetes was induced by intraperitoneal injection of ...alloxan. The diabetic rats were administered with SMN at doses of 50 and 100 mg/kg body weight/d for 30 consecutive days. The rats were divided into the following four groups: vehicle control, diabetic (alloxan-treated), DS50 (alloxan + 50 mg/kg body weight/d of SMN), and DS100 (alloxan + 100 mg/kg body weight/d of SMN) groups. The bodyweight and food and water intake were evaluated. After 30 d, the animals were euthanized and the blood was collected for measuring the serum levels of glucose, triacylglycerol (TAG), urea, and creatinine. The liver and pancreas were collected for measuring the activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT), and the levels of carbonylated protein (PC). The pancreas sample was also used for histological analysis.
SMN reduced hepatic (P < 0.001) and pancreatic (P < 0.001) protein damage and creatinine levels (P = 0.0141) in addition to decreasing food (P < 0.001) and water intake (P < 0.001). However, treatment with SMN did not improve beta-cell function or decrease blood glucose levels in diabetic rats.
SMN improved polyphagia and polydipsia, renal function, and protected the liver and pancreas against protein damage without affecting hyperglycemia in diabetic animals.
Fruit fly infestation is one of the main obstacles to the exportation of fresh agricultural produce. Films of mineral particles and biomaterials have the potential to protect fruits against tephritid ...fruit fly infestation. The present study evaluated the effects of particle films on the tritrophic interactions of grape (
L.), the fruit fly
(Wiedemann) and the parasitoid
(Ashmead) under semi-field conditions. Grapes were biometrically characterised (i.e. colour, firmness, mass, length and diameter), treated with mineral particles, biomaterials or distilled water (control), and then used in oviposition and parasitism bioassays. In the oviposition bioassay, the treated grapes were exposed to 50
pairs in field cages, and after 48 h, the punctures and eggs on each fruit were counted. In the parasitism bioassay, treated grapes were artificially infested with third-instar
larvae (two per fruit), exposed (2 h) to 50
pairs in field cages to determine parasitism index, larval and pupal viabilities and number of flies and parasitoids emerged. Treatment with the mineral film affected fruit colour and reduced
oviposition but failed to significantly affect the parasitism capacity of
. The ability of the parasitoid to locate and parasitise
larvae in kaolin-coated fruits suggests that kaolin films could be used in conjunction with biological agents to control fruit flies.
Research has thus far privileged the impact of shift work on workers' health from the workers' perspective. Inversely, this study evaluates the impacts of such a work schedule on the family and ...social life of workers according to their partners' perspective. It also compares the impacts of two different work schedules (shift work vs. standard work) on family and social life. Five hundred and fifteen partners of Portuguese police officers participated in the study, and it was found that shift work has a moderate to high impact on all evaluated areas of family and social life. Partners of shift workers report greater impacts on family reorganization and joint social life. Regarding the two work schedules, statistically significant differences were found in all evaluated areas, and the partners of shift workers reported greater impacts of their partner's work schedule than did the partners of day workers.
Yellow fever (YF) presents a wide spectrum of severity, with clinical manifestations in humans ranging from febrile and self-limited to fatal cases. Although YF is an old disease for which an ...effective and safe vaccine exists, little is known about the viral- and host-specific mechanisms that contribute to liver pathology. Several studies have demonstrated that oxidative stress triggered by viral infections contributes to pathogenesis. We evaluated whether yellow fever virus (YFV), when infecting human hepatocytes cells, could trigger an imbalance in redox homeostasis, culminating in oxidative stress. YFV infection resulted in a significant increase in reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels from 2 to 4 days post infection (dpi). When measuring oxidative parameters at 4 dpi, YFV infection caused oxidative damage to lipids, proteins, and DNA, evidenced by an increase in lipid peroxidation/8-isoprostane, carbonyl protein, and 8-hydroxy-2′-deoxyguanosine, respectively. Furthermore, there was a significant reduction in the activity of the antioxidant enzymes superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GPx), in addition to a reduction in the ratio of reduced to oxidized glutathione (GSH/GSSG), indicating a pro-oxidant environment. However, no changes were observed in the enzymatic activity of the enzyme catalase (CAT) or in the gene expression of SOD isoforms (1/2/3), CAT, or GPx. Therefore, our results show that YFV infection generates an imbalance in redox homeostasis, with the overproduction of ROS and depletion of antioxidant enzymes, which induces oxidative damage to cellular constituents. Moreover, as it has been demonstrated that oxidative stress is a conspicuous event in YFV infection, therapeutic strategies based on antioxidant biopharmaceuticals may be new targets for the treatment of YF.
Display omitted
•Yellow fever virus induces increase in reactive oxygen species (ROS).•Yellow fever virus triggers oxidative stress cellular response.•Yellow fever virus reduces the activity of antioxidant enzymes superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GPx).•Oxidative stress may be an important factor in the hepatic pathogenesis of Yellow fever.
IntroductionModels of care (MoCs) describe evidence-informed healthcare that should be delivered to patients. Several MoCs have been implemented for low back pain (LBP) to reduce evidence-to-practice ...gaps and increase the effectiveness and sustainability of healthcare services.ObjectiveTo synthesise research evidence regarding core characteristics and key common elements of MoCs implemented in primary healthcare for the management of LBP.DesignScoping review.Data sourcesSearches on MEDLINE (PubMed), EMBASE, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, PEDro, Scopus, Web of Science and grey literature databases were conducted.Eligibility criteriaEligible records included MoCs implemented for adult LBP patients in primary healthcare settings.Data extraction and synthesisData extraction was carried out independently by two researchers and included a summary of the studies, the identification of the MoCs and respective key elements, concerning levels of care, settings, health professionals involved, type of care delivered and core components of the interventions. Findings were investigated through a descriptive qualitative content analysis using a deductive approach.Results29 studies reporting 11 MoCs were included. All MoCs were implemented in high-income countries and had clear objectives. Ten MoCs included a stratified care approach. The assessment of LBP patients typically occurred in primary healthcare while care delivery usually took place in community-based settings or outpatient clinics. Care provided by general practitioners and physiotherapists was reported in all MoCs. Education (n=10) and exercise (n=9) were the most common health interventions. However, intervention content, follow-ups and discharge criteria were not fully reported.ConclusionsThis study examines the features of MoCs for LBP, highlighting that research is in its early stages and stressing the need for better reporting to fill gaps in care delivery and implementation. This knowledge is crucial for researchers, clinicians and decision-makers in assessing the applicability and transferability of MoCs to primary healthcare settings.
AIMSObesity can lead to the loss of the anticontractile properties of perivascular adipose tissue (PVAT). Given that cafeteria (CAF) diet reflects the variety of highly calorie and easily accessible ...foods in Western societies, contributing to obesity and metabolic disorders, we sought to investigate the impact of CAF diet on PVAT vasoactive profile and the involvement of renin-angiotensin system, oxidative stress, and cyclooxygenase pathway. MAIN METHODSMale Balb/c mice received standard or CAF diet for 4 weeks. Oral glucose tolerance and insulin sensitivity tests were performed, and fasting serum glucose, cholesterol and triglyceride parameters were determined. Vascular reactivity, fluorescence and immunofluorescence analyzes were carried out in intact thoracic aorta in the presence or absence of PVAT. KEY FINDINGSCAF diet was effective in inducing obesity and metabolic disorders, as demonstrated by increased body weight gain and adiposity index, hyperlipidemia, hyperglycemia, glucose intolerance and insulin insensitivity. Importantly, CAF diet led to a significant decrease in aortic contractility which was restored in the presence of PVAT, exhibiting therefore a contractile profile. The contractile effect of PVAT was associated with the activation of AT1 receptor, reactive oxygen species, cyclooxygenase-1, thromboxane A2 and prostaglandin E2 receptors. SIGNIFICANCEThese findings suggest that the contractile profile of PVAT involving the renin-angiotensin system activation, reactive oxygen species and cyclooxygenase-1 metabolites may be a protective compensatory adaptive response during early stage of CAF diet-induced obesity as an attempt to restore the impaired vascular contraction observed in the absence of PVAT, contributing to the maintenance of vascular tone.
Decision Support Indicators (DSIs) are metrics designed to inform local and regional stakeholders about the characteristics of a predicted (or ongoing) event to facilitate decision-making. In this ...paper, the DSI concept was developed to clarify the different aims of different kinds of indicators by naming them, and a framework was developed to describe and support the usage of such DSIs. The framework includes three kinds of DSI: hydroclimatic DSIs which are easy to calculate but hard to understand by non-experts; impact-based DSIs which are often difficult to calculate but easy to understand by non-experts; and event-based DSIs, which compare a current or projected state to a locally well-known historical event, where hydroclimatic and impact-based DSIs are currently mainly used. Tables and figures were developed to support the DSI development in collaboration with stakeholders. To develop and test the framework, seven case studies, representing different hydrological pressures on three continents (South America, Asia, and Europe), were carried out. The case studies span several temporal and spatial scales (hours-decades; 70–6,000 km2) as well as hydrological pressures (pluvial and riverine floods, drought, and water scarcity), representing different climate zones. Based on stakeholder workshops, DSIs were developed for these cases, which are used as examples of the conceptual framework. The adaptability of the DSI framework to this wide range of cases shows that the framework and related concepts are useful in many contexts.
•Decision Support Indicators (DSI) inform stakeholders of future hydrological hazards.•Based on local knowledge about past events, event-based DSIs are highly informative.•A novel framework for indicator development has been developed.•The framework has been tested in seven case studies on three continents.•The framework can be seen as a decision-support tool, facilitating indicator development.
: In-hospital myocardial infarctions (AMIs) are less often treated with invasive intervention, compared to out-of-hospital AMIs. We aimed to identify the determinants of invasive intervention in ...patients with in-hospital AMIs and assess its association with mortality, compared to conservative treatment.
: This was a cross-sectional study of in-hospital AMIs in The Regional Myocardial Infarction Registry of Saxony-Anhalt. Patients' characteristics and outcomes were compared based on the treatment strategy (invasive intervention vs. conservative treatment). Logistic regression was performed to assess the determinants of invasive intervention (vs. conservative treatment) and its association with 30-day mortality.
: Nearly 67% of the patients (259/386) received invasive intervention, and the rest were treated conservatively. Those who were treated with an invasive intervention were younger and had a lower proportion of chronic heart failure than those treated conservatively. Age > 75 years compared to younger patients, pre-existing heart failure, and higher heart rate upon presentation were associated with lower odds of receiving invasive intervention. Hypertension (OR = 2.86, 95% CI 1.45-5.62) and STEMI vs. NSTEMI (1.96, 1.10-3.68) were associated with higher odds of invasive intervention. The adjusted odds of 30-day mortality were lower with invasive intervention compared to conservative treatment (0.25, 0.10-0.67).
: One-third of the patients with in-hospital AMIs received conservative treatment. Younger age, absence of heart failure, lower heart rate, hypertension, and STEMI were determinants of invasive intervention usage. Invasive intervention had lower odds of 30-day mortality, but longitudinal studies are still needed to assess the efficacy of conservative vs. invasive strategies in in-hospital AMIs.
The APIS Breast Cancer Subtyping Kit is an mRNA-based assessment of the seven parameters including three biomarkers routinely assessed in all the newly diagnosed breast cancers (BC), oestrogen ...receptor (ER), progesterone receptor (PR) and HER-2 and an additional four genes that create a novel proliferation signature, MKI67, PCNA, CCNA2 and KIF23. Taken together, the data are used to produce a molecular subtype for every sample. The kit was evaluated against the current standard protocol of immunohistochemistry (IHC) and/or in situ hybridisation (ISH) in breast cancer patients. The data were presented at the weekly breast multidisciplinary team (MDT) meeting. A total of 98 consecutive cases of pre-operative breast cancer core biopsies and two core biopsies of nodal metastases yielding 100 cases were assessed. IHC and APIS results were available for 100 and 99 cases. ER was concordant in 97% cases, PR was concordant in 89% and HER-2 results were concordant with IHC/ISH in 100% of the cases. Ki-67 IHC was discordant in 3% of cases when compared with MK167 alone but discordant in 24% when compared with the four-gene proliferation signature. In conclusion, our study indicates that the APIS Breast Cancer Subtyping Kit is highly concordant when compared to the results produced for ER/PR/HER-2 by IHC and/or ISH. The assay could play a role in the routine assessment of newly diagnosed breast cancer (BC) specimens.
PDF
