Repositório RCAAP

Parkinson’s Disease is a progressive degenerative illness of the human nervous system that affects basal ganglia circuits. It is characterized by the loss of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra pars compacta, loss of dopaminergic terminals in the striatum and widespread intracellular α-synuclein accumulation. Parkinson’s disease patients present three main motor symptoms: bradykinesia, muscular rigidity and tremor. Nevertheless, patients can also have additional motor and non-motor symptoms, such as apathy, depression, constipation, sleep behavior disorders, loss of sense of smell and cognitive impairment. At the time patients are first diagnosed, the loss of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra pars compacta is already marked and the neurodegeneration has spread to other central nervous system regions. Nowadays, the most effective therapeutic strategy for Parkinson is the administration of Levodopa, a precursor of dopamine, that restores dopaminergic transmission in the nigrostriatal pathway. Nevertheless, Levodopa does not have an effect on the progression of the disease and its continuous administration induces the appearance of dyskinesias. These factors illustrate the importance of searching for novel ways of assessing these disease manifestations at early stages and why finding biomarkers that can reflect the disease progression would play an important role in clinical trials and in research using animal models, that are essential for the testing of new therapeutic approaches. As mentioned above, one way to study the degenerative process leading to Parkinson is using animal models. The MitoPark mice is an animal model for Parkinson Disease that mimics the progressive degeneration of the dopaminergic system through the knockout of the gene for mitochondrial transcription factor A (Tfam) in dopaminergic neurons using the Cre-loxP system. These mice lacking Tfam develop progressive respiratory chain deficiency followed by cell death. As a consequence of the progressive loss of dopaminergic neurons these mice develop Parkinson’s disease-like motor disabilities with ageing. In this project, we accessed both normal and Levodopa-induced behaviour of MitoPark mice using inertial sensors combined with video recordings. The use of inertial sensors allows the acquisition of high-resolution data, bringing the possibility of detecting behaviour patterns as the dopaminergic loss progresses that can be missed by the traditional simple video-tracking approach. Using these sensors we found a new biomarker to track the disease progression in this model that is based on the frequency domain of acceleration recordings. In addition to it, although the MitoPark mice responded to Levodopa with an increase in their acceleration and speed, the Levodopa treatment was not able to decrease the frequency domain of acceleration to control-like values. Altogether, our work shows that motion sensors are adequate for tracking disease progression and allow the measure of novel biomarkers, which may lead to a step further in the current endeavour of searching for novel therapeutic strategies for PD.

Background: Neuropalliative care is an emerging field for those with neurodegenerative illnesses, but access to neuropalliative care remains limited. Objective: We sought to determine Movement Disorder Society (MDS) members' attitudes and access to palliative care. Methods: A quantitative and qualitative survey instrument was developed by the MDS Palliative Care Task Force and e-mailed to all members for completion. Descriptive statistics and qualitative analysis were triangulated. Results: Of 6442 members contacted, 652 completed the survey. Completed surveys indicating country of the respondent overwhelmingly represented middle- and high-income countries. Government-funded homecare was available to 54% of respondents based on patient need, 25% limited access, and 21% during hospitalization or an acute defined event. Eighty-nine percent worked in multidisciplinary teams. The majority endorsed trigger-based referrals to palliative care (75.5%), while 24.5% indicated any time after diagnosis was appropriate. Although 66% referred patients to palliative care, 34% did not refer patients. Barriers were identified by 68% of respondents, the most significant being available workforce, financial support for palliative care, and perceived knowledge of palliative care physicians specific to movement disorders. Of 499 respondents indicating their training in palliative care or desire to learn these skills, 55% indicated a desire to gain more skills. Conclusions: The majority of MDS member respondents endorsed a role for palliative care in movement disorders. Many members have palliative training or collaborate with palliative care physicians. Although significant barriers exist to access palliative care, the desire to gain more skills and education on palliative care is an opportunity for professional development within the MDS. © 2021 International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society.

As aplicações e serviços web são atualmente os meios mais comuns de acesso a recursos organizacionais. Linguagens de scripting são normalmente as mais uti lizadas para desenvolver estas aplicações pelo facto de permitirem um rápido de senvolvimento, devido a terem muitas extensões de bibliotecas, um rápido ciclo de desenvolvimento, tipos dinâmicos e polimorfismo. Devido à sua disponibilidade na Internet para acesso a serviços e recursos, estas ficam expostas e tornam-se um alvo de diversos ataques (ex., injeções de SQL e Cross-Site Scripting) que exploram vulne rabilidades presentes no seu código fonte, pondo em risco diversos serviços e gerando grandes perdas e estragos às organizações. As aplicações web cada vez mais integram várias tecnologias e linguagens, fazendo com que o seu código seja mais complexo e consequentemente mais difícil de analisar estaticamente e descobrir vulnerabilida des. Por seu termo, a representação do seu código numa linguagem intermédia, de baixo nível, remove esta complexidade, mas mantem os aspectos fundamentais e a semântica do código. Esta dissertação tem como objetivo a deteção de vulnerabilidades numa lingua gem intermédia, de baixo nível, para aplicações desenvolvidas em PHP, a linguagem mais usada na construção de aplicações web. É utilizada a linguagem de baixo nível HipHop assembly (HHAS) para representar o PHP. Esta linguagem foi desenvolvida explicitamente para compilar programas escritos em Hack e em PHP. Foi criado um analisador estático de código capaz de analisar HHAS e de descobrir vulnerabilida des em programas compilados para esta linguagem, sem que seja preciso executar o programa. Este analisador estático recorre a um sistema de tipos e a técnicas de taint analysis (análise de comprometimento) para verificar se um programa é ou não vulnerável para todas as possíveis execuções. Os tipos de ataques detetados por essa análise são a injeções de SQL e o Cross-Site Scripting, as duas classes mais explo radas em aplicações web. A ferramenta desenvolvida foi avaliada com código PHP, verificando-se que a análise por ela realizada sobre linguagens que exigem rápidos ciclos de desenvolvimento e que permitem a utilização de funcionalidades dinâmicas, tem esses aspectos em consideração.

The authors developed a global chronic total occlusion crossing algorithm following 10 steps: 1) dual angiography; 2) careful angiographic review focusing on proximal cap morphology, occlusion segment, distal vessel quality, and collateral circulation; 3) approaching proximal cap ambiguity using intravascular ultrasound, retrograde, and move-the-cap techniques; 4) approaching poor distal vessel quality using the retrograde approach and bifurcation at the distal cap by use of a dual-lumen catheter and intravascular ultrasound; 5) feasibility of retrograde crossing through grafts and septal and epicardial collateral vessels; 6) antegrade wiring strategies; 7) retrograde approach; 8) changing strategy when failing to achieve progress; 9) considering performing an investment procedure if crossing attempts fail; and 10) stopping when reaching high radiation or contrast dose or in case of long procedural time, occurrence of a serious complication, operator and patient fatigue, or lack of expertise or equipment. This algorithm can improve outcomes and expand discussion, research, and collaboration.

O Jardim Botânico Tropical (JBT), situado em Belém, Lisboa, assemelha-se a uma estação arqueológica com várias camadas a descoberto, mas em plano horizontal. Ali é possível distinguir vestígios patrimoniais dos séculos XVII ao XX, entre os quais “restos” da secção colonial da Exposição do Mundo Português, o grande evento de propaganda do Estado Novo português realizado em plena Segunda Guerra Mundial. Embora o JBT tenha estado sob a dependência do Instituto de Investigação Científica Tropical entre a década de 1980 e 2015, e desde então faça parte da Universidade de Lisboa, estas instituições não promoveram uma reflexão pública sobre a sua história e legado coloniais. Este artigo propõe uma abordagem crítica daquele espaço baseada na análise dos processos de simulação e dissimulação do último império português que ali ocorreram e ainda ocorrem, descortinando, em particular, a camada histórica de 1940.

This article traces the reception of blood group research in Portuguese physical anthropology in the first half of the twentieth century and analyses its presence as ‘sero-anthropology’ within the context of the disciplinary and political dynamics of colonial and metropolitan Portugal and against the background of international developments on blood group research. It argues that Portugal, hitherto largely understudied in relation to the broader international picture, was in tune with these developments. The article argues further that Portuguese physical anthropology, particularly research based at the University of Porto, was deeply ingrained with the fear of ‘contamination’ of the ‘race’ by the colonialized ‘other’ and sought to differentiate the Portuguese from the peoples of Africa and the East where Portugal possessed colonies, while it also sought to place the Portuguese within the scale of racial hierarchies of ‘whites’ in Europe. The article elaborates on a number of central and marginal figures within Portuguese anthropology to illustrate these claims and argues that the discipline was in tune with wider European developments in the field but with specific colonialist and racialist inflections, some of which are still felt in Portuguese culture today.

Políticas, planos e estratégias de adaptação às mudanças climáticas têm ganhado agenda de governos em todo planeta e em diversas escalas. Estariam os atuais instrumentos endereçando a redução de desigualdades, justiça e demanda por direitos? A primeira parte da pesquisa analisa a produção científica no Brasil e em Portugal sobre justiça climática. A segunda parte discute como as estratégias e políticas atuais de adaptação nos dois países contêm componentes relacionados à justiça.

Southern urban critique has enriched our understanding of global uneven development, but often ended up constructing a dichotomous understanding of two apparently homogeneous fields: the Global North (or West) and South. This has been particularly evident in housing studies. In this article, I advocate for a relational, multi-scalar and comparative approach to southern urban critique, capable of exposing quasi-colonial relations within the urban “West”; and apply it to the exploration of housing dynamics and systems in Southern Europe and Southern USA—two regions linked to their continental “cores” by historical patterns of uneven and combined development. Despite being characterized by different urban frameworks and housing systems, these regions have in common analogous patterns of globalization and neoliberalization, with similar impacts over housing, especially in the aftermaths of the global economic crisis. By discussing how global trends intersect with regional contexts, I aim to provide conceptual and epistemological instruments for deepening the analytical grasp and political relevance of southern (urban) critique.

Esta Newsletter (NL) resulta de uma parceria entre o Instituto de Saúde Baseada na Evidência e a Cochrane Portugal, e tem como objectivo disponibilizar informação sobre áreas interessantes para a prática clínica, com base na melhor evidência científica. São incluídos estudos relevantes, criticamente avaliados pela sua validade, importância dos resultados e aplicabilidade prática, resumidos numa óptica de suporte à decisão. É dada prioridade a estudos de causalidade incluindo-se ainda, quando justificado, estudos qualitativos e metodológicos, assim como revisões científicas. O conteúdo da NL é da exclusiva responsabilidade do(s) seu(s) autor(es).

A infanta D. Brites (?-1506), duquesa de Viseu e de Beja, foi uma personagem que representou um papel decisivo na História de Portugal. Interveniente directa na política da época, inteligente e sagaz, geriu e administrou, em nome de seus filhos, o vasto património da casa senhorial. Poderosa, controlou toda uma Corte, que gravitava à sua volta, e que se assumia como alternativa. A infanta D. Brites (?-1506), duquesa de Viseu e de Beja, foi uma personagem que representou um papel decisivo na História de Portugal. Interveniente directa na política da época, inteligente e sagaz, geriu e administrou, em nome de seus filhos, o vasto património da casa senhorial. Poderosa, controlou toda uma Corte, que gravitava à sua volta, e que se assumia como alternativa.

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Esta Newsletter (NL) resulta de uma parceria entre o Instituto de Saúde Baseada na Evidência e a Cochrane Portugal, e tem como objectivo disponibilizar informação sobre áreas interessantes para a prática clínica, com base na melhor evidência científica. São incluídos estudos relevantes, criticamente avaliados pela sua validade, importância dos resultados e aplicabilidade prática, resumidos numa óptica de suporte à decisão. É dada prioridade a estudos de causalidade incluindo-se ainda, quando justificado, estudos qualitativos e metodológicos, assim como revisões científicas. O conteúdo da NL é da exclusiva responsabilidade do(s) seu(s) autor(es).

This chapter intends to study reference models for the development of knowledge organization systems (KOS) to evaluate their effectiveness and their modeling capacity through a comparison of requirements. The tools for the development of technological knowledge management systems that will be compared are Reference Model for an Open Archival Information System (OAIS), Modular Requirements for Records Systems (MoReq), and The Digital Library Reference Model. Through a comparative analysis of these instruments, it is proposed to evaluate and compare their main requirements. The planning of technological systems based on these standards/requirements brings guarantees of a correct use of classifications, thesauri, ontologies, among other types of KOS. They also promote their configuration in technological systems and regarding the business processes in which these technological systems are used.

Uma das questões que tem merecido mais atenção por parte de diferentes historiografias tem como pano de fundo cronológico um longo século XVIII, embora com maior incidência cronológica nos meados e na segunda metade de Setecentos, e respeita a eventual relação entre os projectos e as práticas reformistas, por um lado, e o corpo de ideias a que se chamou Iluminismo, por outro. No caso português, o reinado de D. José I é geralmente apresentado como uma etapa decisiva das reformas ilustradas, sendo esse período perspectivado mais em termos de ruptura do que de continuidade, buscando-se naquela as marcas da “modernidade” do Iluminismo. Neste texto, tendo como pano de fundo o mundo atlântico e, em particular, o espaço português, pretendemos discutir a relação, por vezes demasiado apressada, entre reformas setecentistas e Iluminismo, nomeadamente as que são atribuídas ao Secretário de Estado Sebastião José de Carvalho e Melo, e os limites dessas mesmas reformas.

Mycorrhizas are known to have a positive impact on plant growth and ability to resist major biotic and abiotic stresses. However, the metabolic alterations underlying mycorrhizal symbiosis are still understudied. By using metabolomics and transcriptomics approaches, cork oak roots colonized by the ectomycorrhizal fungus Pisolithus tinctorius were compared with non-colonized roots. Results show that compounds putatively corresponding to carbohydrates, organic acids, tannins, long-chain fatty acids and monoacylglycerols, were depleted in ectomycorrhizal cork oak colonized roots. Conversely, non-proteogenic amino acids, such as gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), and several putative defense-related compounds, including oxylipin-family compounds, terpenoids and B6 vitamers were induced in mycorrhizal roots. Transcriptomic analysis suggests the involvement of GABA in ectomycorrhizal symbiosis through increased synthesis and inhibition of degradation in mycorrhizal roots. Results from this global metabolomics analysis suggest decreases in root metabolites which are common components of exudates, and in compounds related to root external protective layers which could facilitate plant-fungal contact and enhance symbiosis. Root metabolic pathways involved in defense against stress were induced in ectomycorrhizal roots that could be involved in a plant mechanism to avoid uncontrolled growth of the fungal symbiont in the root apoplast. Several of the identified symbiosis-specific metabolites, such as GABA, may help to understand how ectomycorrhizal fungi such as P. tinctorius benefit their host plants.

The stable carbon isotope composition of plant tissues, commonly expressed as δ13C, holds a wealth of information about photosynthetic pathway, water relations and stress physiology. Crassulacean acid metabolism (CAM) is a derived form of photosynthesis that allows plants to fix carbon at a higher water-use efficiency compared to the ancestral C3 photosynthesis. While the central carbon-fixing enzyme of C3 plants, Rubisco, strongly discriminates against the heavy 13C isotope, CAM is characterized by a dual use of Rubisco and the much less discriminating PEP carboxylase as carbon-fixing enzymes, causing the δ13C values of CAM plant tissues to be generally less negative than those found in C3 plants. Past studies of δ13C variation in CAM plant lineages have repeatedly found a bimodal distribution with very few samples representative of the range around -20‰ that is intermediate between C3- and CAM-like values. Although δ13C values of facultative CAM plants have long been known to extend well into the range below -20‰, this value is often tentatively used as threshold for character coding to distinguish C3 from CAM species in studies of CAM evolution. Compiling 6623 δ13C values reported in the literature for CAM/C3 vascular plant lineages and presenting new data for 581 accessions mainly of the succulent Mesembryanthemoideae (Aizoaceae) and Aeonieae (Crassulaceae), we here investigate the diverse patterns of δ13C distribution in different plant families and sub-familial taxa and demonstrate that a bimodal distribution is not universally present in all lineages. Moreover, we show by means of mixture modelling that the bimodal distribution of δ13C values in the full dataset as well as in the very well-sampled Bromeliaceae is best described by a combination of three rather than two Gaussian distributions with one intermediary cluster between the more evident clusters of C3- and CAM-like values. In view of these results and the furthermore emerging unimodal distribution of δ13C values in Mesembryanthemoideae with mean close to -20‰, we conclude that the evident continuum between CAM and C3 photosynthesis cautions against the usage of a δ13C threshold in macroevolutionary studies. Finally, the observed diversity of δ13C distribution patterns between monophyletic lineages urges for lineage-specific reconstructions rather than a unifying model of CAM evolution.

Cynara cardunculus L. is a cardoon species native to the Mediterranean region, which is composed of three botanical taxa, each having distinct biological characteristics. The aim of this study was to examine wild populations of C. cardunculus established in Portugal, in order to determine their genetic diversity, geographic distribution, and population structure. Based on SSR markers, 121 individuals of C. cardunculus from 17 wild populations of the Portuguese Alentejo region were identified and analysed. Ten SSRs were found to be efficient markers in the genetic diversity analysis. The total number of alleles ranged from 9 to 17 per locus. The expected and observed means in heterozygosity, by population analysed, were 0.591 and 0.577, respectively. The wild population exhibited a high level of genetic diversity at the species level. The highest proportion of genetic variation was identified within a geographic group, while variation was lower among groups. Geographic areas having highest genetic diversity were identified in Alvito, Herdade da Abo´boda, Herdade da Revilheira and Herdade de São Romão populations. Moreover, significant genetic differentiation existed between wild populations from North-Alentejo geographic locations (Arraiolos, E´ vora, Monte da Chamine´ ) and Centro Hortofrutı´cola, compared with other populations. This study reports genetic diversity among a representative number of wild populations and genotypes of C. cardunculus from Portugal. These results will provide valuable information towards future management of C. cardunculus germplasm.

For some wild canids, such as the Iberian wolf, there is a lack of in-depth knowledge about dental pathology. We aimed to evaluate it, in a standardized manner, in specimens from a Portuguese museum collection. Sixty-five deceased specimens of wild Iberian wolves, 61 complete skulls and 4 mandibles, collected in Portugal between 1977 and 1995, were analyzed. Sample comprised 18 females, 24 males and 23 individuals of undetermined sex. Teeth were evaluated by visual observation and dental radiography for tooth wear, periodontitis, fractures and other dental lesions. We have found several causes for teeth absence: artefactual, secondary to periodontitis and agenesia. About 30% of the teeth showed signs of wear. Only a small (<13%) fraction of maxillary and mandibular teeth did not show periodontitis. The tooth 308 showed periodontitis in all males (p=0.017) and the tooth 104 was significantly affected by this condition in females (p=0.020). A significant relationship was found between females and tooth wear in three teeth. Periodontitis showed a significant association with tooth wear (p < 0.001) and fractures (p=0.027). Tooth fractures were more frequent in the maxilla than in the mandible. Seven periapical lesions, seven root fusions and three specimens with malocclusion were identified in the collection. Results are discussed integrating information from diet, habitat, genetic and spatial behavior. Dental radiography is here proposed as an approach for the age estimation in archaeological canids. This research contributes to the knowledge of the dental disease in the largest wolf population in Western Europe, a target subspecies of multiple conservation measures.

The impact of human activities on biodiversity is increasingly putting at risk the capacity of Nature to support human well-being (IPBES 2019). The recent Global Assessment of the Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) reiterated the importance of land- and sea-use changes, exploitation, climate change, pollution and the introduction of invasive alien species as the major direct drivers of biodiversity loss and ecosystem degradation . This assessment also highlighted the need to address the indirect drivers of biodiversity loss, such as unsustainable patterns of production and consumption (IPBES 2019). Acknowledging the importance of understanding the biodiversity impacts of products and supply chains, the life cycle assessment (LCA) community has been devoted to improving how biodiversity is incorporated in LCA. To date few operational life cycle impact assessment (LCIA) methods exist that account for biodiversity impacts . However, more and more private and public actors are asking for appropriate methods, models and indicators to perform biodiversity footprint of products. At EU level, this need has been recently reinforced in the Biodiversity strategy (EC, 2020a) by the inclusion of environmental footprint as an approach to support the assessment of biodiversity impacts due to business activities and supply chains.

Porphyrias are a set of rare inherited metabolic disorders, each of them representing a defect in one of the eight enzymes in the haem biosynthetic pathway resulting in the accumulation of organic compounds called porphyrins. Acute hepatic porphyrias (AHP) are those in which the enzyme deficiency occurs in the liver, of which acute intermittent porphyria is by far the most common subtype. Neurology of the AHP is still challenging in practice, and patients rarely receive the correct diagnosis early in the disease course. For AHP, which primarily affects the central and peripheral nervous system, the cause of symptoms seems to be the increased production of neurotoxic precursors, in particular delta-aminolaevulinic acid and porphobilinogen. Neurological complications usually result from severe episodes of acute attacks. The neurologic hallmark of porphyrias is an acute predominantly motor axonal neuropathy resembling a Guillain-Barré syndrome that generally occurs after the onset of other clinical features such as abdominal pain and central nervous system manifestations. Neuropsychiatric syndromes, seizures, encephalopathy, and cerebrovascular disorders are among the possible central nervous system presentations. Therapeutic approach to AHP is divided into management and prophylaxis of an acute attack, including long standing options such as intravenous hematin and new therapeutic agents such as givosiran.