This study aimed to investigate the influence of genetic variants in neuroplasticity-related genes on antidepressant treatment phenotypes. The BDNF-TrkB signaling pathway, as well as the downstream ...kinases Akt and ERK and the mTOR pathway, have been implicated in depression and neuroplasticity. However, clinicians still struggle with the unpredictability of antidepressant responses in depressed patients. We genotyped 26 polymorphisms in
,
,
,
,
,
,
,
,
,
and
in 80 patients with major depressive disorder treated according to the Texas Medical Algorithm for 27 months at Hospital Magalhães Lemos, Porto, Portugal. Our results showed that
,
, and
SNP were associated with treatment-resistant depression (TRD). Additionally,
and
gene polymorphisms were associated with relapse. Moreover, we found a link between the
polymorphism and time to relapse. These findings suggest that the
,
, and
genes may play a role in the development of TRD, while
and
may be associated with relapse. GO analysis revealed enrichment in synaptic and trans-synaptic transmission pathways and glutamate receptor activity with TRD-associated genes. Genetic variants in these genes could potentially be incorporated into predictive models of antidepressant response.
Alzheimer's disease is the most common form of dementia, but its treatment options remain few and ineffective. To find new therapeutic strategies, natural products have gained interest due to their ...neuroprotective potential, being able to target different pathological hallmarks associated with this disorder. Several plant species are traditionally used due to their empirical neuroprotective effects and it is worth to explore their mechanism of action.
This study intended to explore the neuroprotective potential of seven traditional medicinal plants, namely Scutellaria baicalensis, Ginkgo biloba, Hypericum perforatum, Curcuma longa, Lavandula angustifolia, Trigonella foenum-graecum and Rosmarinus officinalis. The safety assessment with reference to pesticides residues was also aimed.
Decoctions prepared from these species were chemically characterized by HPLC-DAD and screened for their ability to scavenge four different free radicals (DPPH•, ABTS•+, O2•‒ and •NO) and to inhibit enzymes related to neurodegeneration (cholinesterases and glycogen synthase kinase-3β). Cell viability through MTT assay was also evaluated in two different brain cell lines, namely non-tumorigenic D3 human brain endothelial cells (hCMEC/D3) and NSC-34 motor neurons. Furthermore, and using GC, 21 pesticides residues were screened.
Regarding chemical composition, chromatographic analysis revealed the presence of several flavonoids, phenolic acids, curcuminoids, phenolic diterpenoids, one alkaloid and one naphthodianthrone in the seven decoctions. All extracts were able to scavenge free radicals and were moderate glycogen synthase kinase-3β inhibitors; however, they displayed weak to moderate acetylcholinesterase and butyrylcholinesterase inhibition. G. biloba and L. angustifolia decoctions were the less cytotoxic to hCMEC/D3 and NSC-34 cell lines. No pesticides residues were detected.
The results extend the knowledge on the potential use of plant extracts to combat multifactorial disorders, giving new insights into therapeutic avenues for Alzheimer's disease.
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The present study assessed the influence of sex, size and reproductive status on the meat yield (soft tissues proportion) of the purple dye murex (Bolinus brandaris) from the Ria Formosa lagoon ...(southern Portugal). During one year of monthly sampling (October 2008 - September 2009), average meat yield of B. brandaris was 40.5±6.1% (range: 25.8-56.1% wet weight), with no significant differences between sexes. Relationships established between specimen size and soft parts weight indicated that both shell length and total weight are excellent indicators of meat yield. Significant differences in meat yield between size classes further reinforced the trend of increasing meat yield during ontogeny. Meat yield exhibited significant monthly variation and a similar temporal trend in both sexes, which were directly related to the reproductive status. Meat yield of B. brandaris was compared with that of other muricid species and the marked influence of the reproductive status on meat yield prompted a comparative assessment of the spawning season and peak of three sympatric muricids (B. brandaris, Hexaplex trunculus and Stramonita haemastoma). Overall, these findings have implications at diverse levels, including the management, regulation and inspection of this fishing/harvesting activity and the commercialization and consumption of this seafood product.
PURPOSE: Mining activities represent a current source of pollution due to the large release of trace elements from mineral particles into the soil, atmosphere, and ecosystems. In active or abandoned ...metal-mining areas, direct discharge from mining deposits is one of the most common processes of contamination. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this work, we calculated the elemental concentrations of plants, edible for cattle, which might contain high values of toxic elements, such as As, Cu, Zn, and W, originated from mining exploitation, especially wolframite. Several species of plants originating from the same contaminated place, close to the mine, were the subject of our study in order to compare the uptake of harmful elements, from the contaminated soils, in the different plants. We have used the energy-dispersive X-ray fluorescence technique to perform the analysis and quantification of the elements present in the collected samples. The quantification was based on the fundamental parameters method for plants and on the WinAxil compare mode using a standard reference material, for soils. Calibration against a series of standard samples has been carried out. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: A comparison between contaminated and control samples, within the same species, was performed. The contamination of the two mining wash sites is assessed by comparing the elemental concentration of several plants in these places. Elemental content in soils was investigated, and a comparison between elemental levels in plants was performed. CONCLUSIONS: High concentrations of tungsten were found near the new wash site. Arsenic was found throughout the area in concentrations many times higher than those recommended by the World Health Organization.
How do we learn, use, and understand the meaning of words representing sensations? How is the connection between words and sensations structured? How can outward signs of sensations be manifested? ...What does it mean "to understand someone"? Is semantics affected by inner states? What does one mean when one uses an expression to describe a sensation? How should such success in communication be defined? Grammar, Expressiveness, and Inter-subjective Meanings: Wittgenstein's Philosophy of Psychology deals with these questions, examining the peculiar uses of language-games representing sensations (such as "thinking", "seeing such-and-such", and "I'm in pain") and exploring outer references to inner states. Externalising something internal gives expression to the psychological experience. As such, an expression should be understood as a sophisticated form of exteriorising experiences. This book clarifies the use of sense-expressions and the praxis of "bringing to expression" as an inter-subjective meaning process. The central focus of the book entails both the outwardness of language and the inwardness of experience, as was intensively remarked by Wittgenstein's last writings (namely his lectures from 1946-47, exclusively and remarkably concerning the philosophy of psychology), which were recently published and which, despite their importance and originality, are still little known.
•The chalcone PAAPFBA is non toxic and altered, per se, the locomotor system of the adult zebrafish.•PAAPFBA presents anxiolytic-like effects on adult zebrafish mediated via the GABAergic ...system.•PAAPFBA has pharmacological potential for the treatment of alcohol withdrawalinduced anxiety.
Benzodiazepines are the standard drugs for the treatment of anxiety, but their undesirable side effects make it necessary to develop new anxiolytic drugs. The objective of this study was to evaluate the possible anxiolytic-simile effect of synthetic chalcone N-{(4′-(E)-3-(4-fluorophenyl)-1-(phenyl) prop-2-en-1-one} acetamide (PAAPFBA) on adult zebrafish (Danio rerio). PAAPFBA was synthesized with an 88.21% yield and its chemical structure was determined by 1H and 13C NMR. Initially, animals (n = 6/group) were treated (4 or 12 or 40 mg/kg, intraperitoneal) with PAAPFBA and were submitted to acute toxicity and open field tests. Then, other groups (n = 6/each) received PAAPFBA for the analysis of its effect on the Light & Dark Test. The participation of the GABAergic system was also assessed using the GABAA antagonist flumazenil. Molecular docking was performed using the GABAA receptor. The effect of PAAPFBA on anxiety induced by alcohol withdrawal was analyzed. PAAPFBA was non-toxic, reduced the locomotor activity, and showed an anxiolytic-like effect in both models. This effect was reduced by pre-treatment with the flumazenil. In agreement with in vivo studies, molecular docking indicated an interaction between chalcone and the GABAA receptor. The results suggest that PAAPFBA is an anxiolytic agent mediated via the GABAergic system.
The present study reports morphometric relationships and discusses the relative growth in the banded murex (Hexaplex trunculus) and the purple dye murex (Bolinus brandaris) from the Ria Formosa ...lagoon (southern Portugal). A total of 11 morphometric parameters (eight linear variables: shell length, shell width, total aperture length, aperture length, aperture width, spire length, spire width and siphonal canal length; three ponderal variables: total weight, soft parts weight and shell weight) were analysed in both species. The analyses comprised numerous individuals of both sexes and with broad size ranges (H. trunculus: 10.7–82.8 mm shell length; B. brandaris: 14.6–107.7 mm shell length), fairly representative of the populations from the Ria Formosa lagoon. In general, B. brandaris exhibited greater morphological plasticity and higher variability in shell shape compared with H. trunculus. In both species, the vast majority of morphometric relationships displayed positive allometries, distantly followed by negative allometries and by isometries. Although H. trunculus and B. brandaris are known to lack external sexual dimorphism, several morphometric relationships revealed significant differences in the type of growth between sexes, which should be further confirmed using more powerful techniques, such as geometric morphometric analyses of shell shape.
The present study reports the growth rate of the purple dye murex, Bolinus brandaris (Gastropoda: Muricidae), estimated from mark-recapture experiments. A total of 1067 specimens (shell length = ...43.4+/-8.1 mm, range = 14.6-78.4 mm) were marked with Dymo tape tags and released in a semi-intensive fish culture earthen pond. After a period at liberty ranging from almost two months to around two years, 288 individuals were recaptured (shell length =67.4+/-6.2 mm, range =45.3-88.6 mm), which corresponded to a recapture rate of 27.0%. At recapture, only one specimen had lost the tag (tag loss rate <0.1%) and all remaining tags were intact and legible. Mean monthly growth rates were 0.9+/-1.0 mm in shell length, 0.4+/-0.5 mm in shell width and 0.7+/-0.7 g in total weight. Growth rates showed high inter-individual variability and an evident decreasing trend with specimen size. Comparison of growth rates with similar information available for other muricids confirmed that B. brandaris is a relatively slow-growing species. This provides valuable information for both fisheries management and for assessing the potential of B. brandaris as a candidate species for molluscan aquaculture.
The present study aimed at analysing the monthly variation in penis length (PL) during the reproductive cycle of the purple dye murex (Bolinus brandaris). Two hypotheses were tested: PL variation ...reflects male maturation and reproductive activity; PL variation bias the calculation of imposex indices based on penis measurement (RPLI and RPSI). Sampling was performed during 1 year in a population from Ria Formosa lagoon (Algarve coast, southern Portugal) with high incidence of imposex. Penis-bearing individuals were measured for shell length (SL) and PL, and two bio-physiological indices were calculated for both sexes, the general condition index (K) and the gonadosomatic index (GSI). PL presented monthly variation in both sexes, but while female PL showed small and random oscillation, male PL exhibited significant variation throughout the reproductive cycle (as evidenced by the similar and synchronous trends between male PL and GSI). These findings have implications both for reproduction studies and imposex monitoring: calculation of standardised PL (PL/SL) allows for gender identification without killing the organism and constitutes a useful penial index for assessing male maturation and reproductive activity; RPLI and RPSI should be applied cautiously in spatial and temporal comparisons of imposex severity in B. brandaris.
The purple dye murex Bolinus brandaris is a commercially valuable gastropod in Portugal. However, there is a lack of knowledge on the reproductive cycle in Atlantic populations of this species. In ...this context, the reproductive cycle of B. brandaris from the Ria Formosa lagoon, southern Portugal, was studied using standard histology and light microscopy and the calculation of bio-physiological indices (gonadosomatic indices for both sexes, penial index for males and capsule gland indices for females). Monthly variation in gonad developmental stages and bio-physiological indices revealed that B. brandaris has an annual reproductive cycle, long gonadal activity and a relatively short resting phase. Spawning occurred mainly between May and July, with a clear spawning peak from June to July. Gonad maturation and spawning appear to be synchronised with the seasonal variation in seawater temperature. Slight asynchrony between the peak of male gamete release and the peak of female spawning might be interpreted as a modality to increase the reproductive success. The timing of spawning was compared with analogous information available for other regions throughout the species distributional range. The present study provides baseline information for proposing fishery management measures, particularly a closed season in the fishing or harvesting activity during the spawning peak of B. brandaris aimed at protecting the female broodstock and collective spawns. The overall results from the bio-physiological indices (especially the penial index and the area-based gonadosomatic and capsule gland indices) encourage the adoption of similar approaches with other gastropod species, namely in routine analyses that do not require a detailed histological description.
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