Browsing by Issue Date, starting with "2023-05-30"
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- The biological applications of metals and metal complexesPublication . Aureliano, Manuel; Gumerova, Nadiia I.; Rompel, AnnetteOver the course of biological evolution, approximately 25 to 30 elements have been recognized as essential for the proper functioning of biological systems since the emergence of life [...]
- Empirical research on creative tourism: a systematic reviewPublication . Akdemir, Hilal; São José, José; Gonçalves, Alexandra RodriguesThe empirical research on creative tourism (CT) is expanding, having already reached a considerable maturity. Nevertheless, there is no detailed map of the empirical research on CT, which provide us thorough information on various aspects that structure it, such as research methods, settings and participants, and main themes addressed in the conclusions. This systematic review aims to provide such a map , critically discussing it and making some recommendations for future research. Relevant publications were searched in EBSCO, Web of Science, and Science Direct electronic databases on 3rd of February 2021. All peer-reviewed, English, Portuguese and Spanish articles, published since 2000, reporting empirical studies explicitly focused on CT were included. Amongst them, 60 were eligible for this review. The results shows that empirical research on CT still has some shortcomings that compromise its level of maturity. To reach higher levels of maturity, this research needs to overcome its excessive focus on the management of CT, its xation around the initial de nition of CT, and to break with the circumscription to urban and local settings and the scarce inclusion of artisans/artists and residents as research participants. From a methodological point of view, it is also important to invest in more complex/in-depth analyses.
- Features of nautical tourism in Portugal-Projected destination image with a sustainability marketing approachPublication . Cardoso, Lucília; Lopes, Eunice; Almeida, Giovana Goretti Feijó de; Lima Santos, Luís; Sousa, Bruno; Simões, Jorge; Perna, FernandoNautical tourism stands out for its potential to achieve social-economic development in coastal and island destinations and as a lever for sustainable tourism. However, the lack of a clear definition of nautical tourism at the international level makes it difficult to characterize it, and the case of Portugal is no exception. In fact, despite the enormous potential of Portuguese nautical tourism, there is a lack of studies that characterize this type of tourism in the Portuguese tourism destination. This paper intends to make a first attempt to fill this gap by assessing the projected destination image of Portuguese nautical tourism with a sustainable marketing approach. In the design of the research, the content analysis methodology was applied. The data were collected from the official websites of the Portuguese legislation and the Portuguese nautical tourism players and analyzed through a theoretical model of sustainable marketing deriving from the literature review. The results provide the sustainable projected destination image of Portuguese nautical tourism and identify the main trends in the legislative framework, tourism activities, networks of players, and support infrastructures for Portuguese nautical tourism. The findings provide practical and useful insights for Portuguese nautical tourism stakeholders aiming to improve a sustainable projected destination image, as well as for researchers identifying research gaps in the nautical tourism topics. This study also provides a new methodological contribution, proposing a theoretical model of the projected destination image of nautical tourism with an approach to sustainable marketing, which can be applied to other nautical tourism destinations.
- Effect of marine-derived extracts on mineralogenesisPublication . Carletti, Alessio; Cancela, Leonor; Gavaia, PauloBone erosive pathologies are the leading cause of fractures worldwide and represent a pressing medical and economic burden. Diseases like osteoporosis, Paget’s disease of bone, hyperparathyroidism, and renal osteodystrophy, have different pathophysiological roots but they all share a common feature: they lead to loss of bone mineral and result into increased bone fragility. This class of disorders are also a compelling pharmaceutical challenge. Currently, there is a limited choice of therapeutic agents available to treat bone loss and they are often characterized by short-timed efficacy and severe side effects. Meanwhile, fish grown in aquaculture, the primary source of seafood for human consumption, typically suffer from skeletal abnormalities that are universally present in all culture conditions and fish species. These skeletal defects appear to be largely caused by factors intrinsically related to the condition of captivity, including the lack of an adequate nutrition. The EU-funded Marie-Curie ITN project BIOMEDAQU, in the scope of which this PhD project is framed, provided a multidisciplinary platform bringing together research in biomedicine and aquaculture (from which Biomed-Aqu) with the objective of creating new knowledge with applications in both research fields. In this context, marine-based pharmacology, the branch of pharmaceutical research focalized on the screening and characterization of marine natural compounds, can contribute to fulfill knowledge gaps and provide translational applications for both disciplines. Different groups of marine organisms have been studied as sources of “osteoactive” compounds, some of which were described for their highly promising pharmacological and nutraceutical potential. The objective of this PhD project was to screen and characterize extracts obtained from various groups of marine organisms, selected as candidates for the isolation of compounds with potential applications for the biomedical sector, in the development of drugs to treat human bone erosive pathologies, and for the aquaculture industry, to be used as nutraceuticals to be incorporated into fish feeds to ameliorate skeletal health. With this aim, we put in place a medium-scale screening project evaluating about 150 extracts and fractions obtained from different marine organisms that recent pharmacological research has identified as promising sources of bioactive compounds, including holothurians, tunicates, cyanobacteria, marine bacteria, and microalgae. As a result of this screening activity, we identified ethanolic extracts from two microalgal species, Skeletonema costatum and Tetraselmis striata (CTP4 strain), as the most promising for their pro-osteogenic activities. Then, we further characterized them by testing using in vitro bone-derived cellular models, and in vivo, in the model organism zebrafish (Danio rerio), used as platform to investigate more in-depth the molecular mechanism of actions of the two extracts. By doing this, we revealed that the ethanolic extract from the microalga Tetraselmis striata CTP4 possessed the strongest osteoanabolic properties. We then wanted to provide a proof of concept of possible applications of these two extracts in the aquaculture industry by exploring their potential to be used as dietary supplements for the commercially reared species Sparus aurata. Accordingly, we found that Tetraselmis striata CTP4 is the most promising extract in this sense, in light of its capacity to promote fish growth, bone mineralization, and reduce the incidence of skeletal anomalies in seabream juveniles. Finally, we decided to dissect the molecular mechanism behind the osteoactivity of the ethanolic extracts from Skeletonema costatum, and validate its potential application for the treatment of bone erosive disorders in human patients. We found that the extract has mainly an anti-osteoclastogenic activity, and we put it in the prospect of its previously known antiinflammatory potential. We also provide evidence that its application can limit bone loss in a medaka model of osteoporosis, and that its anti-osteoclastogenic properties are conserved in a mammalian in vitro cell model. Overall, through this PhD project, by identifying and characterizing these two microalgae extracts in the context of bone mineralization, we have provided the substrate for future research aimed at isolating compounds with potential applications in human medicine and as dietary supplements for aquaculture nutrition.