Natural and Historical Heritage of the Lisbon Botanical Gardens: An Integrative Approach with Tree Collections.

Botanical gardens have long contributed to plant science and have played a leading role in ex situ conservation, namely of threatened tree species. Focusing on the three botanical gardens of Lisbon (i.e., Botanical Garden of Ajuda-JBA, Lisbon Botanical Garden-JBL, and Tropical Botanical Garden-JBT), this study aims to reveal their natural heritage and to understand the historical motivations for their creation. Our results showed that these gardens contain a total of 2551 tree specimens, corresponding to 462 taxa, within 80 plant families. Of these, 85 taxa are found in the three gardens, and more than half of the taxa are hosted in JBL (334 taxa), whereas 230 and 201 taxa were recorded in JBT and JBA, respectively. The motivations for the creation of each garden are reflected in the different geographic origins of the trees they host in their living collections. The Palearctic species are dominant in JBA and JBL, and Tropical trees prevail in JBT. With more than 250 years of history, these gardens hold an invaluable natural and historical heritage, with their living collections providing valuable sources of information for the conservation of threatened plant species, at local and global scales.

Role of natural attenuation, phytoremediation and hybrid technologies in the remediation of a refinery soil with old/recent petroleum hydrocarbons contamination.

Within a search for a biological remediation technology to remove petroleum hydrocarbons (PHC) from a contaminated soil from a refinery, the potential of monitored natural attenuation (MNA) was compared with the use of transplants of Cortaderia selloana both in the absence and in the presence of soil amendments. After 31 months of experiments, MNA was effective in removing most of the recent PHC contamination (50% of the initial total contamination) at 5-20 cm depth. The presence of weathered contamination explains the existence of an established community of PHC degraders, as can be inferred by the most probable number technique. C. selloana, in its turn, showed capacity to mobilize the most recalcitrant fraction of PHC to its roots, nevertheless masking its remediation capacity. The use of a hybrid technology (C. selloana together with treatments with a surfactant and a bioaugmentation product) improved the removal of PHC at 15-20 cm depth, the presence of C. selloana facilitating the migration of additives into the deeper layers of soil, which can be considered a secondary but positive role of the plant. In the surface soil layer, which was exposed to both microorganisms and the atmosphere, a further 20% of weathered PHC contamination disappeared (70% total removal) as a result of photo- and chemical degradation. Periodic revolving of the soil, like tillage, to expose all the contaminated soil to the atmosphere will therefore be a reliable option for reducing the contamination of the refinery soil if conditions (space and equipment) permit this operation.

Personality, brain asymmetry, and neuroendocrine reactivity in two immune-mediated disorders: a preliminary report.

Development of some immune-mediated disorders may depend on dysregulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. To explore neuropsychologic mechanisms in relation to the abnormal endocrine reactivity in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and chronic hepatitis C (CHC) we used the corticotropin releasing hormone (CRH) test, the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI), and the Edinburgh Inventory of Manual Preference Inventory (EIMP). Compared to controls, the adrenocorticotrophic hormone (ACTH) response to CRH was reduced in CHC, while SLE presented reduced baseline dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate levels; higher neurotic scores were found in SLE and higher behavior deviant scores in CHC. Peak ACTH levels were a significant factor for the MMPI profile variability, while the manual preference score was a significant factor for the ACTH response. Personality and manual preference contribute to neuroendocrine abnormalities. Different behavioral and neuroimmunoendocrine models emerge for these disorders.

A introdução precoce dos pais na área materno infantil do Hospital Universitário Antonio Pedro no acompanhamento de seu bebê / The early introduction of parents in the area of ​​maternal childs Antonio Pedro University Hospital in monitoring your baby

Este trabalho teve por finalidade, a partit da identificação das necessidades básicas de saúde dos pais, verificar até que ponto uma aproximação precoce dos pais com o filho poderia promover a saúde do grupo familiar e atender aos anseios da equipe de saúde do grupo familiar e atender aos anseios da equipe de saúde numa amostra de 14 (quatorze casos) e seus bebês. Verificaram-se, no país várias necessidades humanas básicas afetadas, e concluiu-se que um estilo de assistência de enfermagem onde, progressivamente, os pais são envolvidos, produz redução no estress dos pais e da equipe e os prepara melhor para o cuidado com a criança pós alta.