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  • Relative contribution of rice and fish consumption to bioaccessibility-corrected health risks for urban residents in eastern China
    Publication . Wang, Wenqin; Gong, Yu; Greenfield, Ben K.; Nunes, Luís; Yang, Qianqi; Lei, Pei; Bu, Wenbo; Wang, Bin; Zhao, Xiaomiao; Huang, Lei; Zhong, Huan
    There are global concerns about dietary exposure to metal(loid)s in foods. However, little is known about the relative contribution of rice versus fish to multiple metal(loid) exposure for the general population, especially in Asia where rice and fish are major food sources. We compared relative contributions of rice and fish consumption to multi-metal(loid) exposure on the city-scale (Nanjing) and province-scale in China. The effects of ingestion rate, metal(loid) level, and bioaccessibility were examined to calculate modeled risk from Cu, Zn, total As (TAs), inorganic As (iAs), Se, Cd, Pb, and methylmercury (MeHg). Metal(loid) levels in rice and fish samples collected from Nanjing City were generally low, except iAs. Metal(loid) bioaccessibilities in fish were higher than those in rice, except Se. Calculated carcinogenic risks induced by iAs intake (indicated by increased lifetime cancer risk, ILCR) were above the acceptable level (1 0 − 4) in Nanjing City (median: 3 × 10− 4 for female and 4 × 10− 4 for male) and nine provinces (1.4 × 10− 4 to 5.9 × 10− 4) in China. Rice consumption accounted for 85.0% to 99.8% of carcinogenic risk. The non-carcinogenic hazard quotients (HQ) for single metals and hazard index (HI) for multi-metal exposure were < 1 in all cases, indicating of their slight non-carcinogen health effects associated. In Guangdong and Jiangsu provinces, results showed that rice and fish intake contributed similarly to the HI (i.e., 42.6% vs 57.4% in Guangdong and 54.6% vs 45.4% in Jiangsu). Sensitivity analysis indicated that carcinogenic risk was most sensitive to rice ingestion rate and rice iAs levels, while non-carcinogenic hazard (i.e., HQ and HI) was most sensitive to ingestion rate of fish and rice, and Cu concentration in rice. Our results suggest that rice is more important than fish for human dietary metal(loid) exposure risk in China, and carcinogenic risk from iAs exposure in rice requires particular attention.
    2021-10Journal article Open Access Show more
  • First assessment of the Impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on global marine recreational fisheries
    Publication . Pita, Pablo; Ainsworth, Gillian B.; Alba, Bernardino; Anderson, Antônio B.; Antelo, Manel; Alós, Josep; Artetxe, Iñaki; Baudrier, Jérôme; Castro, José J.; Chicharro, Belén; Erzini, K; Ferter, Keno; Freitas, Mafalda; García-de-la-Fuente, Laura; García-Charton, José A.; Giménez-Casalduero, María; Grau, Antoni M.; Diogo, Hugo; Gordoa, Ana; Henriques, Filipe; Hyder, Kieran; Jiménez-Alvarado, David; Karachle, Paraskevi K.; Lloret, Josep; Laporta, Martin; Lejk, Adam M.; Dedeu, Arnau L.; Martín-Sosa, Pablo; Martínez, Lllibori; Mira, Antoni M.; Morales-Nin, Beatriz; Mugerza, Estanis; Olesen, Hans J.; Papadopoulos, Anastasios; Pontes, João; Pascual-Fernández, José J.; Purroy, Ariadna; Ramires, Milena; Rangel, Mafalda; Reis-Filho, José Amorim; Sánchez-Lizaso, Jose L.; Sandoval, Virginia; Sbragaglia, Valerio; Silva, Luis; Skov, Christian; Sola, Iván; Strehlow, Harry V.; Torres, María A.; Ustups, Didzis; van der Hammen, Tessa; Veiga, Pedro; Venerus, Leonardo A.; Verleye, Thomas; Villasante, Sebastián; Weltersbach, Marc Simon; Zarauz, Lucía
    In late 2019, an outbreak caused by a novel coronavirus started in China (Graham and Baric, 2020; Hu et al., 2020; Maxmen, 2021). A global pandemic was declared in March 2020, as COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus (World Health Organization, 2020b), escalated outside China (World Health Organization, 2020a). In mid-2021, when vaccination campaigns began to show positive effects on the control of the disease in several countries (Kaur and Gupta, 2020), the COVID-19 pandemic caused millions of deaths and hundreds of millions of infections (Dong et al., 2020). To fight the pandemic, governments reacted with measures designed to contain the spread of the virus, especially through measures aimed to reduce social interactions, including lockdowns (Wilder-Smith and Freedman, 2020), travel restrictions (Chinazzi et al., 2020), and limiting people’s access to non-essential activities (Storr et al., 2021). Humanity suffered a notable impact as a result of the pandemic, including losses of jobs and an abrupt disruption in global demand of goods and services (Barua, 2020; McKibbin and Fernando, 2020; Nicola et al., 2020). The pandemic further degraded the quality of life of the most vulnerable people, particularly those with mental health problems (Brooks et al., 2020), victims of domestic violence (Usher et al., 2020), children (Singh et al., 2020), or indigenous populations (Lane, 2020). As a result, an increase in economic inequality and worldwide poverty is expected, especially in developing countries (World Bank, 2020), and a peak in the suicide rate (Kawohl and Nordt, 2020). On the other hand, global reduction of human activities has had some positive effects on the global environment, especially for air and water quality (Rutz et al., 2020), and noise reduction (Zambrano-Monserrate et al., 2020). Marine ecosystems for example experienced less impacts derived from commercial fishing due to disruptions in large markets such as the United States (White et al., 2021a) or the European Union (Prellezo and Carvahlo, 2020; Coll et al., 2021).
    2021-10Journal article Open Access Show more
  • Fast 1H-NMR species differentiation method for camellia seed oils applied to spanish ornamentals plants. Comparison with traditional gas chromatography
    Publication . Barreiro, Rocío; Rodríguez Solana, Raquel; Alonso, Leocadio; Salinero, Carmen; López Sánchez, José Ignacio; Pérez-Santín, Efrén
    Camellia genus (Theaceae) is comprised of world famous ornamental flowering plants. C. japonica L. and C. sasanqua Thunb are the most cultivated species due to their good adaptation. The commercial interest in this plant linked to its seed oil increased in the last few years due to its health attributes, which significantly depend on different aspects such as species and environmental conditions. Therefore, it is essential to develop fast and reliable methods to distinguish between different varieties and ensure the quality of Camellia seed oils. The present work explores the study of Camellia seed oils by species and location. Two standardized gas chromatography methods were applied and compared with that of data obtained from proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1H-NMR) for fatty acids profiling. The principal component analysis indicated that the proposed 1H-NMR methodology can be quickly and reliably applied to separate specific Camellia species, which could be extended to other species in future works.
    2021-10Journal article Open Access Show more
  • Estudo de algumas variáveis potenciadoras do comprometimento organizacional dos profissionais nas organizações de saúde: uma revisão integrativa
    Publication . Gonçalves, Carina; Gonçalves Correia, David Manuel; Correia, Tânia; José, Helena; Henriques, Fernanda; Gouveia, Maria José
    O comprometimento organizacional surge como parte integrante de uma gestão eficaz dos recursos humanos, podendo-se traduzir num efeito significativo na satisfação do cliente, isto porque, profissionais de saúde mais comprometidos prestam melhores cuidados, o que se reflete em melhores resultados. Para além dessas vantagens, o comprometimento organizacional permite reduzir o absentismo e diminuir a rotatividade de profissionais, o que contribui para organizações mais coesas. Em organizações com elevado grau de complexidade, como é o caso das organizações de saúde, a preocupação com o comprometimento organizacional deve adquirir especial atenção, pois a profissionalização e a retenção dos seus profissionais, que são altamente qualificados, é imprescindível na maximização da eficiência e produtividade e, consequente, obtenção de ganhos em saúde. A realização desta revisão integrativa da literatura teve como base orientadora da investigação a questão: Quais as variáveis potenciadoras do comprometimento organizacional dos profissionais nas organizações de saúde? O objetivo foi identificar algumas variáveis que potenciam o comprometimento organizacional nas organizações de saúde e demonstrar como influenciam o comportamento organizacional dos seus profissionais. Os resultados obtidos permitiram identificar cinco variáveis potenciadoras do comprometimento organizacional: identificação com o plano estratégico da organização, confiança na liderança, tomada de decisão, condições laborais e satisfação pessoal. Concluiu-se que as variáveis identificadas evidenciam resultados positivos nas organizações de saúde. Contudo, importa, não só identificar em novos estudos outras variáveis, mas também, clarificar e aprofundar conhecimentos acerca das variáveis já identificadas, de forma a compreender como estas podem ser aplicadas, com o intuito de, cada vez mais, se promover o comprometimento organizacional nas organizações de saúde e, essencialmente, nas equipas de Enfermagem.
    2021-10Journal article Open Access Show more
  • Tuberculosis Vaccines: an update of recent and ongoing clinical trials
    Publication . Saramago, Sean; Magalhães, Joana; Pinheiro, Marina
    TB remains a global health challenge and, until now, only one licensed vaccine (the BCG vaccine) is available. The main goal of this work is to assess the progress in the development of new TB vaccines and highlight the research in nanovaccines. A review was conducted using a methodology with the appropriate keywords and inclusion and exclusion criteria. The search revealed 37 clinical trials that were further reviewed. The results available have reported good immunogenicity and safety profiles for the vaccines under investigation. Over the last five years, the vaccines, VPM1002 and Vaccae, have moved ahead to phase III clinical trials, with the remaining candidate vaccines progressing in phase I and II clinical trials. RUTI and ID93+GLA-SE involve the use of nanoparticles. This strategy seems promising to improve the delivery, efficacy, cost, and storage conditions of the existing TB vaccines. In conclusion, the use of nanovaccines may be an option for both prevention and treatment. However, further studies are necessary for the development of novel TB vaccines.
    2021-10Journal article Open Access Show more
  • Stroke-associated cortical deafness: a systematic review of clinical and radiological characteristics
    Publication . Silva, Gracinda; Gonçalves, Rita; Taveira, Isabel; Mouzinho, Maria; Osório, Rui; Nzwalo, Hipólito
    Background: Stroke is the leading cause of cortical deafness (CD), the most severe form of central hearing impairment. CD remains poorly characterized and perhaps underdiagnosed. We perform a systematic review to describe the clinical and radiological features of stroke-associated CD. Methods: PubMed and the Web of Science databases were used to identify relevant publications up to 30 June 2021 using the MeSH terms: “deafness” and “stroke”, or “hearing loss” and “stroke” or “auditory agnosia” and “stroke”. Results: We found 46 cases, caused by bilateral lesions within the central auditory pathway, mostly located within or surrounding the superior temporal lobe gyri and/or the Heschl’s gyri (30/81%). In five (13.51%) patients, CD was caused by the subcortical hemispheric and in two (0.05%) in brainstem lesions. Sensorineural hearing loss was universal. Occasionally, a misdiagnosis by peripheral or psychiatric disorders occurred. A few (20%) had clinical improvement, with a regained oral conversation or evolution to pure word deafness (36.6%). A persistent inability of oral communication occurred in 43.3%. A full recovery of conversation was restricted to patients with subcortical lesions. Conclusions: Stroke-associated CD is rare, severe and results from combinations of cortical and subcortical lesions within the central auditory pathway. The recovery of functional hearing occurs, essentially, when caused by subcortical lesions.
    2021-10Journal article Open Access Show more
  • Climate-driven variability in the context of the water-energy nexus: a case study in southern Portugal
    Publication . C. Neves, Maria; Malmgren, Katherine; Neves, Rui
    Research on climate-driven variability in the water and energy sectors is required to drive adaptative policies to climate change and boost cross-sectorial synergies. This study addresses the role of the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) and East Atlantic pattern (EA) on the water-energy nexus in southern Portugal (Algarve region) from the point of view of water demand, instead of the usual point of view of hydropower production. Water at surface reservoirs and aquifers and solar and wind energy potentials (SP and WP, respectively) do not share the same dominant variability scales, but their interrelationships have implications for leveraging the use of renewable energy in the water sector, particularly through water pumping efficiency gains. Water availability is dominated by interannual fluctuations (70% of the total variance), whereas SP and WP are characterized by seasonal variability scales (98% and 41% of the total variance, respectively). At interannual scales NAO is the main driver of low-frequency variability governing cycles in the 6-8 -year band, whereas fluctuations in the 2-4 -year band are mainly associated with EA. Coupling or synchronizations between opposite phases of NAO and EA correspond to extremes in water availability. Minimum water levels in the summer and during droughts, corresponding to maximum energy demand in the water sector, are clearly connected to synchronized positive NAO and negative EA phases in the preceding winter. Recent advances in the seasonal and long-term predictability of NAO and EA climate patterns can help to improve drought resilience and groundwater sustainability and have huge potential benefits for the water-energy nexus in the Algarve region. Finally, to decarbonize freshwater supply in the Algarve, policy instruments will need to account for unregulated pumping which enables conditions for groundwater depletion, encourage energy and water management integration, and explore innovative energy investments.
    2021-10Journal article Restricted Show more
  • Dielectric properties and spectral characteristics of photocatalytic constant of TiO2 nanoparticles doped with cobalt
    Publication . Bessergenev, Valentin G.; Mariano, José F.; Mateus, Maria; Lourenço, João P.; Ahmed, Adwaa; Hantusch, Martin; Burkel, Eberhard; Botelho do Rego, Ana Maria
    Dielectric properties and spectral dependence of the photocatalytic constant of Co doped P25 Degussa powder were studied. Doping of TiO2 matrix with cobalt was achieved by precipitation method using of Tris(diethylditiocarbamate)Co(III) precursor (CoDtc–Co[(C2H5)2NCS2]3). Five different Co contents with nominal Co/Ti atomic ratios of 0.005, 0.01, 0.02, 0.05 and 0.10 were chosen. Along with TiO2:Co samples, a few samples of nanopowders prepared by Sol-Gel method were also studied. As it follows from XPS and NMR studies, there is a concentration limit (TiO2:0.1Co) where cobalt atoms can be uniformly distributed across the TiO2 matrix before metallic clusters start to form. It was also shown that CoTiO3 phases are formed during annealing at high emperatures. From the temperature dependence of the dielectric constant it can be concluded that the relaxation processes still take place even at temperatures below 400 ◦C and that oxygen defect Ti–O octahedron reorientation take place at higher temperatures. The spectral dependency of the photocatalytic constant reveals the presence of some electronic states inside the energy gap of TiO2 for all nanopowdered samples.
    2021-10Journal article Open Access Show more
  • Heads in the clouds: On the carbon footprint of conference‐seeded publications in the advancement of knowledge
    Publication . Seuront, Laurent; Nicastro, Katy; Zardi, Gerardo I.
    The carbon footprint of flying overseas to conferences, meetings, and workshops to share and build knowledge has been increasingly questioned over the last two decades, especially in environmental and climate sciences, due to the related colossal carbon emissions. Here, we infer the value of scientific meetings through the number of publications produced either directly or indirectly after attending a scientific conference, symposium, or workshop (i.e., the conference-related production) and the number of publications produced per meeting (i.e., the conference-related productivity) as proxies for the academic value of these meetings, and relate them to both the number of meetings attended and the related carbon emissions. We show that conference-related production and productivity, respectively, increase and decay with the number of meetings attended, and noticeably that the less productive people exhibit the largest carbon footprint. Taken together, our results imply that a twofold decrease in the carbon footprint FCO2 of a given scientist would result in a twofold increase in productivity through a fivefold decrease in the number of meeting attended. In light of these figures, we call for both the implementation of objective and quantitative criteria related to the optimum number of conferences to attend in an effort to maximize scientific productivity while minimizing the related carbon footprint, and the development of a rationale to minimize the carbon emission related to scientific activities.
    2021-10Journal article Open Access Show more
  • Cartilage acidic protein a novel therapeutic factor to improve skin damage repair?
    Publication . Félix, Rute; Anjos, Liliana; Costa, Rita; Letsiou, Sophia; Power, Deborah Mary
    Fish skin has been gaining attention due to its efficacy as a human-wound-treatment product and to identify factors promoting its enhanced action. Skin fibroblasts have a central role in maintaining skin integrity and secrete extra cellular matrix (ECM) proteins, growth factors and cytokines to rapidly repair lesions and prevent further damage or infection. The effects on scratch repair of the ubiquitous but poorly characterized ECM protein, cartilage acidic protein 1 (CRTAC1), from piscine and human sources were compared using a zebrafish SJD.1 primary fibroblast cell line. A classic in vitro cell scratch assay, immunofluorescence, biosensor and gene expression analysis were used. Our results demonstrated that the duplicate sea bass Crtac1a and Crtac1b proteins and human CRTAC-1A all promoted SJD.1 primary fibroblast migration in a classic scratch assay and in an electric cell impedance sensing assay. The immunofluorescence analysis revealed that CRTAC1 enhanced cell migration was most likely caused by actin-driven cytoskeletal changes and the cellular transcriptional response was most affected in the early stage (6 h) of scratch repair. In summary, our results suggest that CRTAC1 may be an important factor in fish skin promoting damage repair.
    2021-10Journal article Open Access Show more