Comparative analysis of antioxidant and fatty acid composition in avocado (Persea americana Mill.) fruits: Exploring regional and commercial varieties.

On Madeira Island, Portugal, the avocado crop benefits from a Mediterranean climate, exhibiting exceptional phytochemical and biochemical properties. Aiming to evaluate the antioxidant quality and fatty acid composition with a commercial avocado, flours were obtained from five varieties (four regional and one commercial Hass) across different tissues (pulp and by-products) and cycles (years and on-tree maturation stages). Results showed that a regional variety with thin purple skin had the highest antioxidant qualities and lipid content, surpassing the other regional and commercial Hass varieties. Oleic acid prevailed in all samples, with regional avocados containing arachidonic acid which is an uncommon occurrence among higher plants. Variations in fatty acid content were influenced by the timing of harvest. These outcomes highlight the promising potential of avocados from Madeira Island.

Microorganism community structure: A characterisation of agrosystems from Madeira Archipelago.

Microbial diversity profoundly influences soil ecosystem functions, making it vital to monitor community dynamics to comprehend its structure. Our study focused on six agrosystems in Madeira Archipelago, analysing bacteria, archaea, fungi and AMF through classical microbiology and molecular techniques. Despite distinct edaphoclimatic conditions and management practices, bacterial structures exhibited similarities, with Alphaproteobacteria at 18%-20%, Bacilli at 11%-18% and Clostridia at 9%-14%. The predominance of copiothrophic groups suggested that soil nutrient content was the driver of these communities. Regarding archaea, the communities changed among sites, and it was evident that agrosystems provided niches for methanogens. The Crenarchaeota varied between 15% and 29%, followed by two classes of Euryarchaeota, Methanomicrobia (17%-25%) and Methanococci (4%-32%). Fungal communities showed consistent composition at the class level but had differing diversity indices due to management practices and soil texture. Sordaryomycetes (21%-28%) and Agaricomycetes (15%-23%) were predominant. Conversely, AMF communities appeared to be also influenced by the agrosystem, with Glomus representing over 50% of the community in all agrosystems. These insights into microbial groups' susceptibilities to environmental conditions are crucial for maintaining healthy soil and predicting climate change effects on agrosystems' productivity, resilience and sustainability. Additionally, our findings enable the development of more robust prediction models for agricultural practices.

Systematic Review and Comparison of Publicly Available ICU Data Sets-A Decision Guide for Clinicians and Data Scientists.

OBJECTIVE: As data science and artificial intelligence continue to rapidly gain traction, the publication of freely available ICU datasets has become invaluable to propel data-driven clinical research. In this guide for clinicians and researchers, we aim to: 1) systematically search and identify all publicly available adult clinical ICU datasets, 2) compare their characteristics, data quality, and richness and critically appraise their strengths and weaknesses, and 3) provide researchers with suggestions, which datasets are appropriate for answering their clinical question. DATA SOURCES: A systematic search was performed in Pubmed, ArXiv, MedRxiv, and BioRxiv. STUDY SELECTION: We selected all studies that reported on publicly available adult patient-level intensive care datasets. DATA EXTRACTION: A total of four publicly available, adult, critical care, patient-level databases were included (Amsterdam University Medical Center data base [AmsterdamUMCdb], eICU Collaborative Research Database eICU CRD], High time-resolution intensive care unit dataset [HiRID], and Medical Information Mart for Intensive Care-IV). Databases were compared using a priori defined categories, including demographics, patient characteristics, and data richness. The study protocol and search strategy were prospectively registered. DATA SYNTHESIS: Four ICU databases fulfilled all criteria for inclusion and were queried using SQL (PostgreSQL version 12; PostgreSQL Global Development Group) and analyzed using R (R Foundation for Statistical Computing, Vienna, Austria). The number of unique patient admissions varied between 23,106 (AmsterdamUMCdb) and 200,859 (eICU-CRD). Frequency of laboratory values and vital signs was highest in HiRID, for example, 5.2 (±3.4) lactate values per day and 29.7 (±10.2) systolic blood pressure values per hour. Treatment intensity varied with vasopressor and ventilatory support in 69.0% and 83.0% of patients in AmsterdamUMCdb versus 12.0% and 21.0% in eICU-CRD, respectively. ICU mortality ranged from 5.5% in eICU-CRD to 9.9% in AmsterdamUMCdb. CONCLUSIONS: We identified four publicly available adult clinical ICU datasets. Sample size, severity of illness, treatment intensity, and frequency of reported parameters differ markedly between the databases. This should guide clinicians and researchers which databases to best answer their clinical questions.

Encapsulation with Natural Polymers to Improve the Properties of Biostimulants in Agriculture.

Encapsulation in agriculture today is practically focused on agrochemicals such as pesticides, herbicides, fungicides, or fertilizers to enhance the protective or nutritive aspects of the entrapped active ingredients. However, one of the most promising and environmentally friendly technologies, biostimulants, is hardly explored in this field. Encapsulation of biostimulants could indeed be an excellent means of counteracting the problems posed by their nature: they are easily biodegradable, and most of them run off through the soil, losing most of the compounds, thus becoming inaccessible to plants. In this respect, encapsulation seems to be a practical and profitable way to increase the stability and durability of biostimulants under field conditions. This review paper aims to provide researchers working on plant biostimulants with a quick overview of how to get started with encapsulation. Here we describe different techniques and offer protocols and suggestions for introduction to polymer science to improve the properties of biostimulants for future agricultural applications.

Structure and floristic composition associated with an endangered species Beta patula Aiton (Amaranthaceae) in the Islands of Madeira Archipelago.

BACKGROUND: Twenty-two native Crop Wild Relatives (CWR) occur in specific dry environments of Madeira Archipelago, like Desembarcadouro islet in Ponta de São Lourenço and Chão islet in Desertas Islands. Nine of them share the same gene pool with crop species included in Annex I of the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture. Amongst them, Beta patula Aiton, an IUCN Critically Endangered species, has been studied in detail for in situ and ex situ conservation. The present paper summarises the information recorded during the Beta patula population assessment. Valuable information on plant communities associated with this species was obtained. NEW INFORMATION: The data provides information of a vegetation census spanning 7 years, from 2014 to 2020, in two uninhabited islets where Beta patula occurs, Desembarcadouro and Chão islets. The collected dataset consists of 1,786 vegetation descriptions, where 31 species were recorded. All generated data have been published and will be used towards the implementation of conservation actions and to establish a middle term management protocol for Beta patula and other CWR in situ conservation in the framework of a genetic reserve. This work is part of a EU LIFE Project, LIFE RECOVER NATURA and was conducted by members of the ISOPlexis Center, University of Madeira.

Abscisic acid phytohormone estimation in tubers and shoots of Ipomoea batatas subjected to long drought stress using competitive immunological assay.

Sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas L.), typically cultivated in temperate climates under low inputs, is one of the most important crops worldwide. Abscisic acid (ABA) is an important plant stress-induced phytohormone. Hitherto, few works analyzed the ABA function in sweet potato tissue growth. Very scarce information is available concerning the ABA role in sweet potato response to water scarcity conditions. Here, we show the ABA content variation in shoots and tubers of eight sweet potato accessions subjected to drought stress. ABA was also related to other resistance traits, such as chlorophyll content index (CCI), carbon isotopic discrimination (Δ13 C), oxalic acid (OA) and water use efficiency (WUE), to assess stress response mechanisms to water deficit between their organs. The most resilient drought-stressed sweet potato plants accumulated ABA-shoot, and significantly decreased the ABA-tuber content. ABA signaling was related to Δ13 C and CCI decrease and WUE increment, as an attempt to cope with water stress by partially closing the stomata. The partial closure of stomata could be in part due to the presence of OA-shoots, known to affect the intensity of the ABA-shoot signal in stomatal closure. Higher CCI content and minimal Δ13 C-shoot differences indicated good carboxylation fractionation, with higher Δ13 C-tuber content as an indicator of efficient tuber 13 C fixation and growth. Our work demonstrated that ABA could be used in conjunction with the other traits studied for the assessment of sweet potato whole-plant responses to environmental stresses, and thus aid the selection of the best drought tolerant genotypes for breeding programs.

A critical analysis of the potential for EU Common Agricultural Policy measures to support wild pollinators on farmland.

Agricultural intensification and associated loss of high-quality habitats are key drivers of insect pollinator declines. With the aim of decreasing the environmental impact of agriculture, the 2014 EU Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) defined a set of habitat and landscape features (Ecological Focus Areas: EFAs) farmers could select from as a requirement to receive basic farm payments. To inform the post-2020 CAP, we performed a European-scale evaluation to determine how different EFA options vary in their potential to support insect pollinators under standard and pollinator-friendly management, as well as the extent of farmer uptake.A structured Delphi elicitation process engaged 22 experts from 18 European countries to evaluate EFAs options. By considering life cycle requirements of key pollinating taxa (i.e. bumble bees, solitary bees and hoverflies), each option was evaluated for its potential to provide forage, bee nesting sites and hoverfly larval resources.EFA options varied substantially in the resources they were perceived to provide and their effectiveness varied geographically and temporally. For example, field margins provide relatively good forage throughout the season in Southern and Eastern Europe but lacked early-season forage in Northern and Western Europe. Under standard management, no single EFA option achieved high scores across resource categories and a scarcity of late season forage was perceived.Experts identified substantial opportunities to improve habitat quality by adopting pollinator-friendly management. Improving management alone was, however, unlikely to ensure that all pollinator resource requirements were met. Our analyses suggest that a combination of poor management, differences in the inherent pollinator habitat quality and uptake bias towards catch crops and nitrogen-fixing crops severely limit the potential of EFAs to support pollinators in European agricultural landscapes. Policy Implications. To conserve pollinators and help protect pollination services, our expert elicitation highlights the need to create a variety of interconnected, well-managed habitats that complement each other in the resources they offer. To achieve this the Common Agricultural Policy post-2020 should take a holistic view to implementation that integrates the different delivery vehicles aimed at protecting biodiversity (e.g. enhanced conditionality, eco-schemes and agri-environment and climate measures). To improve habitat quality we recommend an effective monitoring framework with target-orientated indicators and to facilitate the spatial targeting of options collaboration between land managers should be incentivised.

La intensificación agrícola y la consecuente pérdida de hábitats de alta calidad son desencadenantes clave del declive de los insectos polinizadores. Con el objetivo de disminuir el impacto ambiental de la agricultura, la Política Agrícola Común (PAC) de la UE de 2014 definió un conjunto de medidas para hábitats y paisajes (Áreas de Enfoque Ecológico: EFA por sus siglas en inglés) que los agricultores podían seleccionar como requisito para recibir pagos agrícolas básicos. Para informar la reforma de la PAC a partir a 2020, realizamos una evaluación a escala europea para determinar cómo las diferentes opciones de EFA varían en su potencial para asistir a los insectos polinizadores bajo un manejo estándar y amigable con los polinizadores, así como su aceptación por parte de los agricultores.El proceso estructurado de elicitación Delphi para evaluar las opciones de EFA involucró a 22 expertos de 18 países europeos. Se consideraron los requisitos de los diferentes taxones de polinizadores (es decir, abejorros, abejas solitarias y sírfidos) evaluando cada opción por su potencial para proporcionar forraje, sitios de nidificación y recursos para las larvas.Las opciones de EFA variaron sustancialmente en la cantidad de recursos que se percibía que proporcionan y su efectividad vario geográfica y temporalmente. Por ejemplo, los márgenes de cultivos proporcionan un forraje relativamente bueno durante toda la temporada en el sur y el este de Europa, pero carecen de forraje a principios de temporada en el norte y oeste de Europa. Bajo el manejo estándar, ninguna opción de EFA logró puntuaciones altas en todas las categorías de recursos y en general se percibió una escasez de forraje al final de la temporada.Los expertos identificaron oportunidades sustanciales para mejorar la calidad del hábitat mediante la adopción de un manejo amigable con los polinizadores. Sin embargo, mejorar la gestión por sí solo es poco probable que garantice que se cumplan todos los requisitos necesarios para los polinizadores. Nuestro análisis sugiere que una combinación de manejo inadecuado, diferencias de calidad inherentes a los distintos hábitat y el sesgo de aceptación hacia cultivos de cobertura y cultivos que fijan nitrógeno limitan severamente el potencial de los EFA para apoyar a los polinizadores en los paisajes agrícolas europeos. Implicaciones políticas. Para conservar a los polinizadores y ayudar a proteger los servicios de polinización, nuestro estudio destaca la necesidad de crear una variedad de hábitats interconectados y bien administrados que se complementen entre sí en los recursos que ofrecen. Para lograr esto, la PAC post­2020 debe integrar los diferentes vehículos de implementación destinados a proteger la biodiversidad (por ejemplo, condicionalidad mejorada, esquemas ecológicos y medidas agroambientales y climáticas). Para mejorar la calidad del hábitat, recomendamos un marco de monitoreo efectivo con indicadores orientados a objetivos y incentivar la colaboración entre los administradores de las tierras.

L'intensification agricole et la perte associée d'habitats semi­naturels sont les principaux moteurs du déclin des insectes pollinisateurs. Dans l'intention de réduire l'impact environnemental de l'agriculture, la politique agricole commune (PAC) de l'UE de 2014 a défini un ensemble d'habitats et d'éléments paysagers (surfaces d'intérêt écologique: SIE) dans la mise en place ou le respect desquels les agriculteurs pouvaient s'engager comme condition pour bénéficier d'aides économiques européennes (droit au paiement de base). Pour éclairer la PAC post­2020, nous avons évalué à l'échelle européenne et à dire d'expert, d'une part les potentialités des diverses SIE à favoriser les insectes pollinisateurs, via une gestion standard et via une gestion optimisée, et d'autre part l'étendue de l'adoption de ces mesures par les agriculteurs.Un processus structuré d'élaboration et d'agrégation des opinions (méthode Delphi) a fait appel à 22 experts de 18 pays européens pour évaluer les potentialités des diverses SIE. Considérant les traits bioécologiques des principaux taxons pollinisateurs (i.e. bourdons, abeilles solitaires et syrphes), chaque SIE a été évaluée pour son potentiel à fournir des ressources trophiques et des sites de reproduction (sites de nidification pour les bourdons et abeilles, sites de ponte et développement larvaire pour les syrphes).Les SIE différaient considérablement les unes des autres sur les ressources qu'elles étaient censées offrir et leur efficacité variait géographiquement et temporellement. Par exemple, les bords de champ peuvent fournir des ressources trophiques tout au long de l'année en Europe du Sud et de l'Est mais pas en début de saison en Europe du Nord et de l'Ouest. En cas de gestion standard, aucun type de SIE n'atteint de score élevé pour aucun type de ressource, et une période de disette alimentaire survient en fin de saison.Les experts ont mis en évidence de possibles et substantielles améliorations des SIE par le biais de leur gestion optimisée. Cependant, cette seule amélioration ne garantit pas la fourniture de ressources suffisantes aux pollinisateurs des paysages agricoles européens. Pour cela, des habitats spécifiques doivent être favorisés, dont la mise en place ne doit pas être entravée par un choix massif de SIE à base de cultures intermédiaires pièges à nitrates ou fixatrices d'azote. Implications politiques. Pour préserver les pollinisateurs et le service de pollinisation des plantes entomophiles, notre étude souligne la nécessité de créer une diversité d'habitats interconnectés, gérés de façon optimale, qui se complètent mutuellement dans les ressources qu'ils offrent. Pour atteindre cet objectif, la PAC post­2020 doit adopter une vision holistique de la mise en œuvre des différents leviers de protection de la biodiversité (e.g. éco­conditionnalité renforcée, programmes verts ou 'eco­schemes', mesures agro­environnementales et climatiques). Pour réellement améliorer la qualité des habitats, nous recommandons des suivis efficaces de la biodiversité à l'aide d'indicateurs pertinents. Enfin, pour optimiser la disposition spatiale des SIE et leur connectivité, la collaboration entre les différents gestionnaires des espaces agricoles doit être encouragée.

A intensificação agrícola e a perda associada de habitats de elevada qualidade são os principais factores que impulsionam o declínio dos insetos polinizadores. A fim de mitigar o impacto ambiental da agricultura, a Política Agrícola Comum (PAC) da UE, de 2014, definiu um conjunto de atributos ou estruturas do habitat e da paisagem, designadas de Áreas Foco Ecológico (AFEs) que devem ser mantidas pelos agricultores como requisito para obter as ajudas económicas previstas nas medidas agroambientais. No presente trabalho realizamos uma avaliação à escala europeia das diferentes opções destas estruturas, a fim de munir a PAC pós­2020, com informação sobre a importância das AFEs. Estas variam muito quanto ao seu potencial no apoio às populações de polinizadores, de acordo com a extensão da sua aceitação pelos agricultores e das práticas adoptadas por estes na sua gestão, que podem consistir em práticas padrão ou práticas mais amigáveis para os polinizadores.Um processo estruturado, com base na técnica de elicitação de Delphi foi desenvolvido, envolvendo 22 especialistas de 18 países europeus, com o objectivo de avaliar as opções de AFEs previstas na PAC. Esta avaliação levou em consideração os requisitos do ciclo de vida dos taxa dos principais polinizadores, ou seja, as abelhas, as abelhas solitárias e os sirfídeos ou moscas­das­flores. Cada AFE foi avaliada quanto ao seu potencial para fornecer alimento, locais de nidificação, e recursos para as larvas dos sirfídeos.A percepção quanto à eficácia das AFEs como fonte de recursos (alimento) para os polinizadores variou substancialmente, do ponto de vista quer geográfico, quer temporal (época do ano). Por exemplo, a AFE, faixas verdes nas margens do campo são consideradas uma boa fonte de alimento, no sul e leste da Europa, durante todo ano, mas ineficazes, no norte e oeste da Europa, no início do ano. Nenhuma EFA alcançou pontuações elevadas na categoria de recursos (fonte de alimento), quando submetida ao maneio padrão, sendo consideradas ineficientes, na segunda metade do ano.Os especialistas envolvidos identificaram oportunidades de melhoria substancial na qualidade do habitat, através da adopção de práticas de maneio das EFAs mais "amigáveis" para com os polinizadores. No entanto, a melhoria das práticas de maneio das EFAs por si só, dificilmente garantirá todos os requisitos necessários para a manutenção das populações de polinizadores. A nossa avaliação sugere que a combinação de práticas de má gestão (maneio), diferenças inerentes à qualidade do habitat dos polinizadores e o aumento do bias que resulta da utilização de espécies de crescimento rápido ou fixadoras de azoto limitam severamente o papel e potencial destas estruturas na manutenção das populações de polinizadores nas paisagens agrícolas europeias. Implicações políticas. A conservação dos polinizadores ajuda a proteger os serviços de polinização providenciados por estes. O nosso estudo destaca a necessidade de criar uma variedade de habitats interconectados e geridos de forma que se complementem na oferta de recursos (alimento, locais de nidificação e recursos para as larvas) aos polinizadores. Para atingir este objectivo, a PAC pós­2020 deve adoptar uma visão holística na implementação das EFAs, que integre os diferentes programas destinados a protecção da biodiversidade (por exemplo, maior condicionalidade, esquemas ecológicos, e medidas agroambientais e de adaptação climática). Para melhorar a qualidade do habitat, recomendamos uma estrutura de monitorização eficaz suportada por indicadores quantitativos e qualitativos orientados para metas, que permitam facilitar a tomada de decisões direcionadas especificamente para as EFAs, e que a colaboração entre os gestores da terra (agricultores) seja incentivada.

Variation of carbon and isotope natural abundances (δ15N and δ13C) of whole-plant sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas L.) subjected to prolonged water stress.

Sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas L.) is an important crop in the world, cultivated in temperate climates under low inputs. Drought changes the plant biomass allocation, together with the carbon and nitrogen isotopic composition (δ13C and δ15N), whose changes are faintly known in sweet potato crops. Here, we show the biomass allocation of eight sweet potato accessions submitted to drought during 3 months, using the δ13C, δ15N, carbon isotope discrimination (Δ13C), total carbon (TC) and water use efficiency (WUE) traits. The tolerant accessions had improved WUE, with higher TPB and TC. Storage roots and shoots had a heavier δ13C content under drought stress, with greater 13C fixation in roots. The Δ13C did not show a significant association with WUE. The δ15N values indicated a generalised N reallocation between whole-plant organs under drought, as a physiological integrator of response to environmental stress. This information can aid the selection of traits to be used in sweet potato breeding programs, to adapt this crop to climate change.

The Meta VCI Map consortium for meta-analyses on strategic lesion locations for vascular cognitive impairment using lesion-symptom mapping: Design and multicenter pilot study.

INTRODUCTION: The Meta VCI Map consortium performs meta-analyses on strategic lesion locations for vascular cognitive impairment using lesion-symptom mapping. Integration of data from different cohorts will increase sample sizes, to improve brain lesion coverage and support comprehensive lesion-symptom mapping studies. METHODS: Cohorts with available imaging on white matter hyperintensities or infarcts and cognitive testing were invited. We performed a pilot study to test the feasibility of multicenter data processing and analysis and determine the benefits to lesion coverage. RESULTS: Forty-seven groups have joined Meta VCI Map (stroke n = 7800 patients; memory clinic n = 4900; population-based n = 14,400). The pilot study (six ischemic stroke cohorts, n = 878) demonstrated feasibility of multicenter data integration (computed tomography/magnetic resonance imaging) and achieved marked improvement of lesion coverage. DISCUSSION: Meta VCI Map will provide new insights into the relevance of vascular lesion location for cognitive dysfunction. After the successful pilot study, further projects are being prepared. Other investigators are welcome to join.

Stable isotope natural abundances (δ13C and δ15N) and carbon-water relations as drought stress mechanism response of taro (Colocasia esculenta L. Schott).

Taro (Colocasia esculenta L. Schott) is an important staple food crop in tropical and developing countries, having high water requirements. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the feasibility of using carbon and nitrogen isotopic composition (δ13C and δ15N) as a physiological indicator of taro response to drought, and elucidation of the relationship between the water use efficiency (WUE) under drought conditions and carbon isotope discrimination (Δ13C). As an alternative to WUE determination, obtained by measuring plant growth and water loss during an entire vegetative cycle, we have used Δ13C to determine the tolerance of C3 taro plants to drought. Seven taro accessions from Madeira, Canary Islands and the Secretariat of the Pacific Community (Fiji) collections were grown under greenhouse conditions and subjected to different watering regimes during a one-year cycle. Total plant biomass (TPB), WUE and δ15N were determined at the whole-plant level (WP). Corms and shoots were evaluated separately for nitrogen content (N), δ13C, Δ13C and δ15N. WUE showed positive correlation with TPB (r = 0.4) and negative with Δ13C (r = -0.3); Corm δ15N showed positive correlations with WP δ15N (r = 0.6) and corm N (r = 0.3). Accordingly, the taro plants with enhanced WUE exhibited low Δ13C and δ15N values as a physiological response to drought stress. The approach used in the present study has developed new tools that could be used in further research on taro response to environmental stresses.

Subclinical parameters of arterial stiffness and arteriosclerosis correlate with QRISK3 in systemic lupus erythematosus.

It is well known that cardiovascular diseases (CVD) are a major contributor of death in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) as well in other rheumatic illness. In the last decades, there has been a growing development of different methodologies with the purpose of early detection of CVD. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study is to correlate the usefulness of subclinical parameters of vascular aging and QRISK 3-2017 score for early detection of CVD in SLE. METHODS: Clinical assessment including systemic lupus erythematosus disease activity index (SLEDAI) and systemic lupus international collaborating clinics / american college of rheumatology damage index (SLICC/ACR DI), laboratory measurements, carotid ultrasound examination, carotid intima media thickness (cIMT) measurement, carotid distention and diameter analysis, arterial stiffness measurement measured by tonometry and QRISK 3-2017 were done. All results were analyzed by SPSS 24 software. RESULTS: We observed correlation between QRISK3 and mean cIMT (rs = 0.534, P < 0.001), PWV (rs = 0.474, P < 0.001), cfPWV (rs = 0.569, P < 0.001) and distensibility (rs = -0.420, P = 0.006). Consistent with above, SLE patients in middle and high risk QRISK 3-2017 showed increased arterial stiffness versus low risk group. CONCLUSIONS: We encourage to the rheumatology community to assess cardiovascular risk in SLE patients with QRISK 3-2017 risk calculator as an alternative method at the outpatient clinic along a complete cardiovascular evaluation when appropriate.

Exercício de força combinado à restrição de fluxo sanguíneo induz aumentos agudos na pressão arterial sistólica / Strength exercise combined to blood flow restriction induces acute increases in systolic blood pressure

Recentemente cresceu o número de pesquisas sobre o exercício de força (EF) de baixa intensidade (20-50% de 1RM) combinado à restrição do fluxo sanguíneo (RFS), mostrando adaptações semelhantes ao EF de alta intensidade. Entretanto, muitas questões sobre essa metodologia necessitam ser investigadas. O objetivo desse estudo foi analisar a resposta aguda da pressão arterial em repouso e durante o EF combinado à RFS. Dezesseis jovens (22±2 anos de idade), ativos e de ambos os sexos, realizaram o EF em duas diferentes condições, separadas por um intervalo de 48h: 1) Exercício isolado (EF) e 2) Exercício combinado à RFS (EF+RFS, 100 mmHg, porção proximal da coxa, mantida durante o exercício). Ambos realizaram 3 séries no exercício leg press com o membro dominante, à 30% de 1RM, 1 minuto de descanso, duração de 90 segundos cada série e cadência de 2 segundos, totalizando 22 repetições para a fase concêntrica e 23 para a fase excêntrica do movimento. Foram avaliadas a pressão arterial sistólica (PAS), diastólica (PAD), frequência cardíaca (FC), duplo produto (DP) e lactato sanguíneo nos momentos: repouso e imediatamente após o exercício. Foi observado apenas aumento significativo da PAS e do DP em repouso e da PAS durante o EF+RFS. O lactato sanguíneo não se alterou em nenhuma condição avaliada. Concluindo que o exercício de força com restrição de fluxo sanguíneo apresentou maiores respostas de pressão arterial sistólica em repouso e durante o exercício em sujeitos jovens ativos...(AU)

Recently, the number of researches about the strength exercise (SE) of low intensity (20- 50% of 1RM) combined to the blood flow restriction (BFR) increased, showing similar adaptations to the high-intensity SE. However, many questions about this methodology need be investigated. The purpose of this study was to analyze the acute response of blood pressure at rest and during SE combined with BFR. Sixteen young subjects (22 ± 2 years old), actives and of both sexs, underwent SE in two different conditions, separated by an interval of 48h: 1) isolated strength exercise (SE) and 2) strength exercise combined to BFR (SE+BFR, 100 mmHg, proximal portion of the thigh, maintained throughout the exercise session). Both conditions performed 3 sets on the leg press exercise with the dominant leg, with 30% of 1RM, 1 minute of rest, each series with 90 seconds of the duration and movement cadence of the 2 seconds, totaling 22 repetitions in the concentric phase and 23 in the eccentric phase of movement. Systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP), heart rate (HR), double product (DP) and blood lactate were evaluated on rest and immediately after exercise moments. It was observed only significant increase in SBP and DP at rest and SBP during SE+BFR condition. Blood lactate did not change in any condition evaluated. Concluding that strength exercise with blood flow restriction showed higher responses of systolic blood pressure at rest and during exercise in active young subjects...(AU)

The Genetic Background of Metabolic Trait Clusters in Children and Adolescents.

BACKGROUND: It is well known that metabolic risk factors of cardiovascular diseases are correlated, but the background of this clustering in children is more poorly known than in adults. Thus, we studied the contribution of genetic and environmental factors to the clustering of metabolic traits in childhood and adolescence. DATA AND METHODS: Nine metabolic traits were measured in 214 complete twin pairs aged 3-18 years in the Autonomous Region of Madeira, Portugal, in 2007 and 2008. The variation of and covariations between the traits were decomposed into genetic and environmental components by using classical genetic twin modeling. RESULTS: A model, including additive genetic and environmental factors unique for each twin individual, explained the variation of metabolic factors well. Under this model, the heritability estimates varied from 0.47 (systolic blood pressure in children under 12 years of age) to 0.91 (high-density lipoprotein [HDL] cholesterol in adolescents 12 years of age or older). The most systematic correlations were found between adiposity (body mass index and waist circumference) and blood lipids (HDL cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and triglycerides), as well as blood pressure. These correlations were mainly explained by common genetic factors. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that obesity, in particular, is behind the clustering of metabolic factors in children and adolescents. Both general and abdominal obesity partly share the same genetic background as blood lipids and blood pressure. Obesity prevention early in childhood is important in reducing the risk of metabolic diseases in adulthood.

Enhancing Legume Ecosystem Services through an Understanding of Plant-Pollinator Interplay.

Legumes are bee-pollinated, but to a different extent. The importance of the plant-pollinator interplay (PPI), in flowering crops such as legumes lies in a combination of the importance of pollination for the production service and breeding strategies, plus the increasing urgency in mitigating the decline of pollinators through the development and implementation of conservation measures. To realize the full potential of the PPI, a multidisciplinary approach is required. This article assembles an international team of genebank managers, geneticists, plant breeders, experts on environmental governance and agro-ecology, and comprises several sections. The contributions in these sections outline both the state of the art of knowledge in the field and the novel aspects under development, and encompass a range of reviews, opinions and perspectives. The first three sections explore the role of PPI in legume breeding strategies. PPI based approaches to crop improvement can make it possible to adapt and re-design breeding strategies to meet both goals of: (1) optimal productivity, based on an efficient use of pollinators, and (2) biodiversity conservation. The next section deals with entomological aspects and focuses on the protection of the "pest control service" and pollinators in legume crops. The final section addresses general approaches to encourage the synergy between food production and pollination services at farmer field level. Two basic approaches are proposed: (a) Farming with Alternative Pollinators and (b) Crop Design System.

Use of maggot therapy for treating a diabetic foot ulcer colonized by multidrug resistant bacteria in Brazil.

This study reports the efficacy of maggot therapy in the treatment of diabetic foot ulcer infected with multidrug resistant microorganisms. A 74 year old female patient with diabetes for over 30 years, was treated with maggot therapy using larvae of Chrysomya megacephala. The microbiological samples were collected to evaluate aetiology of the infection. The therapy done for 43 days resulted in a reduction of necrosis and the ulcer's retraction of 0.7 cm [2] in area. Analysis of the bacteriological swabs revealed the presence of Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Further studies need to be done to confirm the role of maggot therapy in wound healing using a large sample and a proper study design.

Effects of Melatonin-Aided Therapy on the Glutathione Antioxidant System Activity and Liver Protection.

Acute hepatitis results from oxidative stress triggered by hepatotoxic drugs causing liver injury and the activation of caspases cascade. The glutathione antioxidant system protects against reactive oxygen species and mitigates development of these processes. The effectiveness of silymarin, a polyphenolic flavonoid, essenthiale, composed of phosphatidyl choline, and melaxen, a melatonin-correcting drug, as hepatoprotectors has been investigated. The variation of 6-sulfatoxymelatonin (aMT6s), resulting from the biotransformation of melatonin, and GSH has been measured. The activities of caspase-1 and caspase-3, glutathione antioxidant system, and NADPH-generating enzymes were determined. The aMT6s decreases in patients with drug hepatitis and recovers with administration of mexalen. GSH increased in the presence of the studied hepatoprotectors. Pathologically activated caspase-1 and caspase-3 decreased their activities in the presence of hepatoprotectors with melaxen showing the highest effect. The positive effect of melatonin appears to be related to the suppression of decompensation of the glutathione antioxidant system functions, recovery of liver redox status, and the attenuation of inhibition of the NADPH supply.

Rapid discrimination of Klebsiella pneumoniae carbapenemase 2-producing and non-producing Klebsiella pneumoniae strains using near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) and multivariate analysis.

Klebsiella pneumoniae Carbapenemase (KPC-2)-producing and non-producing Klebsiella pneumoniae (KP) have rapidly disseminated worldwide, challenging the diagnostics of Gram-negative infections. We evaluate the potential of a novel non-destructive and rapid method based on Near-Infrared Spectroscopic (NIRS) and multivariate analysis for distinguishing KPC-2-producing and non-producing KP. Thirty-nine NIRS spectra (24 KPC-2-producing KP, 15 KPC-2 non-producing KP) were acquired; different pre-processing methods such as baseline correction, derivative and Savitzky-Golay smoothing were performed. A spectral region fingerprint was achieved after using genetic algorithm-linear discriminant analysis (GA-LDA) and successive projection algorithm (SPA-LDA) algorithms for variable selection. The variables selected were then used for discriminating the microorganisms.Accuracy test results including sensitivity and specificity were determined. Sensitivity in KPC-2 producing and non-producing KP categories was 66.7% and 75%, respectively, using a SPA-LDA model with 66 wavenumbers. The resulting GA-LDA model successfully classified both microorganisms with respect to their "fingerprints" using only 39 wavelengths. Sensitivity in KPC-2 producing category was moderate(≈66.7%) using a GA-LDA model. However, sensitivity in KPC-2 non-producing category using GA-LDA accurately predicted the correct class (with 100% accuracy). As100% accuracy was achieved, this novel approach identifies potential biochemical markers that may have a relation with microbial functional roles and means of rapid identification of KPC-2 producing and non-producing KP strains.

Expression of Glutathione Peroxidase and Glutathione Reductase and Level of Free Radical Processes under Toxic Hepatitis in Rats.

Correlation between intensity of free radical processes estimated by biochemiluminesce parameters, content of lipoperoxidation products, and changes of glutathione peroxidase (GP, EC 1.11.1.9) and glutathione reductase (GR, EC 1.6.4.2) activities at rats liver injury, after 12, 36, 70, 96, 110, and 125 hours & tetrachloromethane administration have been investigated. The histological examination of the liver sections of rats showed that prominent hepatocytes with marked vacuolisation and inflammatory cells which were arranged around the necrotic tissue are more at 96 h after exposure to CCl4. Moreover maximum increase in GR and GP activities, 2.1 and 2.5 times, respectively, was observed at 96 h after exposure to CCl4, what coincided with the maximum of free radical oxidation processes. Using a combination of reverse transcription and real-time polymerase chain reaction, expression of the glutathione peroxidase and glutathione reductase genes (Gpx1 and Gsr) was analyzed by the determination of their respective mRNAs in the rat liver tissue under toxic hepatitis conditions. The analyses of Gpx1 and Gsr expression revealed that the transcript levels increased in 2.5- and 3.0-folds, respectively. Western blot analysis revealed that the amounts of hepatic Gpx1 and Gsr proteins increased considerably after CCl4 administration. It can be proposed that the overexpression of these enzymes could be a mechanism of enhancement of hepatocytes tolerance to oxidative stress.

Characterization of the mechanical and biological properties of a new alumina scaffold.

PURPOSE: In this work, an alumina scaffold was produced through a new method to be used in a near future as a bone substitute. METHODS: In vitro and in vivo studies were performed in order to characterize the mechanical and biological properties of the scaffold. RESULTS: The results obtained showed that this scaffold has high mechanical resistance and a porous surface that allows human osteoblast cells to adhere and proliferate. The in vivo studies revealed no systemic reaction. CONCLUSIONS: The alumina scaffold produced herein has the mechanical and biological properties that are compatible with its application in bone therapy.

Evaluación de la contaminación microbiológica en productos de células progenitoras hematopoyéticas. Experiencia de un laboratorio de procesamiento de CPH y Banco de Sangre de Cordón Umbilical / Microbiological evaluation in hematopoietic progenitor cell products. Experience from an HPC processing laboratory and Cord Blood Bank

Los productos de células progenitoras hematopoyéticas (CPH) representan una fuente potencial de infección en pacientes inmunosuprimidos que reciben infusión de CPH como parte de su tratamiento. La probabilidad de contaminación de cada producto difiere según la técnica de colecta y el procesamiento aplicado. En este trabajo hemos realizado un análisis retrospectivo de los resultados de cultivos microbiológicos de 1707 productos de CPH obtenidos de sus tres fuentes (médula ósea, sangre periférica y sangre de cordón umbilical) con el objetivo de determinar la proporción de unidades contaminadas. Además, fueron comparadas las distintas técnicas de colecta y las diferentes manipulaciones a las que fueron sometidos los productos. Por otro lado, se analizaron las posibles fuentes de contaminación según el microorganismo identificado y se evaluó la supervivencia de los mismos luego del descongelamiento. La prevalencia de productos de CPH con cultivos microbiológicos positivos reportados en este estudio (5,2%) se corresponde con lo descripto en la literatura. No encontramos diferencias significativas al comparar los productos según la fuente de la cual provenían las CPH. Tampoco hubo diferencias según los procedimientos aplicados a cada unidad. Los microorganismos aislados en los productos de CPH fueron los esperados de acuerdo a la fuente de la cual provenían las células. Pudo comprobarse que algunos de ellos son capaces de sobrevivir a los procesos de criopreservación y descongelamiento. La estricta adhesión a las normas de buenas prácticas de manufactura y buenas prácticas tisulares es un requisito para minimizar los riesgos de introducir microorganismos contaminantes. Disponer de un producto de CPH seguro es fundamental para el éxito de un trasplante.

Hematopoietic stem cell products (HSCP) represent a potential source of infection for immunosuprressed patients that receive HSCP infusion as part of their treatment. The probability of contamination of a HSCP product depends on the collection technique as well as the processing performed. In this work we have carried out a retrospective analysis of the results of 1707 microbiological cultures of HSCP products obtained from three different sources: bone marrow, peripheral blood and umbilical cord blood. We determined the proportion of HSCP units that were contaminated by microorganisms. Furthermore we compared the results obtained with different collection techniques and with the distinct manipulations that were used for processing. Moreover we analysed the possible sources of contamination related to the microorganisms identified and we evaluated the survival of them after thawing. The proportion of HSCP products with positive microbiological cultures obtained in this study (5,2%) correlates with that reported by other authors. We have not found significant differences between the results achieved with HSCP products from different sources. There were neither differences depending on the procedures applied. The isolated microorganisms from the HSCP products were the expected in accordance with the source of the cells. It could be demonstrated that some of them were capable of surviving the cryopreservation and thawing processes. Adherence to good manufacture practices and good tissue practices regulations is critical for minimizing the risks of introducing contaminant microorganisms. A safe HSCP product is essential for the success of a transplant.