RCAAP Repository

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Monitoring how different people – as ‘social sensors’ – evaluate and respond to crisis such as pandemics, allows tailoring crisis communication to the social perceptions of the situation, at different moments. To gather such evidence, we proposed a index of social perceptions of systemic risk (SPSR), as an indicator of a situational threat compromising risks to physical health, psychological health, the economy, social relations, health system, and others. This indicator was the core of a social sensing approach applied to crisis situations, implemented during the COVID-19 pandemic through a content analysis of more than 130.000 public com-ments from Facebook™ users, in COVID-19 related publications. This content coding allowed creating a SPSR index monitored during a one-year descriptive longitudinal analysis. This index correlated with co-occurring events within the social system, namely epidemiological indicators across measurement cycles (e.g. new deaths; cumulative num-ber of infection cases; Intensive Care Unit hospitalizations) and tended to reflect the epidemiological situation severity (e.g. with the highest level registered during the worst pandemic wave). However, discrepancies also occurred, with high SPSR registered in a low severity situation, i.e. low number of hospitalizations and deaths (e.g. school year beginning), or low SPSR in a high severity situation (e.g. 2nd pandemic wave during Christmas), showing other factors beyond the epidemiological situation contributing to the social perceptions. After each ‘crisis period’ with SPSR peaking, there was a ‘restoration period’, consistently decreasing towards average levels of the previous measurement cycle. This can either indicate social resilience (recovery and resources potentiation) or risk attenuation after a high-severity period. This study serves as preliminary proof of concept of a crises social sensing approach, enabling monitoring of social system dynamics for various crisis types, such as health crisis or the climate crisis.

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The ventral occipital-temporal cortex (VOTC) is a high-level area in the visual cortex where specific regions are exclusively category-selective for certain visual stimuli. Some studies have demonstrated that absence of visual experience can reshape this functional architecture. In particular, they demonstrated that crossmodal plasticity due to blindness causes a remodeling of the category topographic map in response to auditory stimuli, reflecting closely the visual category topographic map in the sighted population. To our knowledge, it has not yet been investigated if this topographic map remodeling in the absence of bottom-up visual inputs during development is also reflected in the myelin distribution laminar profile within VOTC regions. Nowadays, advancements in neuroimaging techniques allow the mesoscale (submillimeter) in vivo myelin profiling using quantitative markers and 7T ultra-high field (UHF) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The aim of this dissertation is to select the MRI sequence available in the 7T MRI at the Cyclotron Research Center (ULiège) that would best allow the quantification of myelin density in the VOTC of sighted and blind individuals and to develop an open-source pipeline to characterize the myelin laminar distribution in the regions of interest in both groups. The assessment of noise and variability between scans demonstrated that compared to the multiparametric mapping sequences, MP2RAGE provides quantitative and reproducible high-resolution myelin maps. The myelin laminar profiles obtained in the regions of interest are in line with previous ex vivo and in vivo studies, demonstrating that MP2RAGE is a measure allowing myelin cortical profiling in VOTC with faster data acquisition. The pipeline here developed corresponds to the first stages of the above-mentioned project and will allow in the future comparative studies of the cortical laminar organization between the blind and sighted populations, improving our understanding about the role of crossmodal plasticity in reshaping cortex microstructure.

This article is an in-depth analysis of the short story “Angelica farfalla” by Primo Levi, developed by investigating four hints scattered in the narration. Related to biology, poetry, myth and anthropology, these hints help constructing an argument in favour of a monogenetic origin of humankind. At the same time, they bring to the fore new elements that define Levi’s anthropological background and its role in his science fiction.

O cancro pode ser considerado um evento traumático com características particulares, porque se estende ao longo de muito tempo expondo o doente e a sua família a diversas situações com grande potencial disruptivo do seu equilíbrio emocional. Apesar de ser reconhecido que os irmãos sofrem efeitos, de curto e longo prazo, da sua vivência da doença, os estudos na fase de sobrevivência da criança doente são ainda escassos. Estudos recentes têm vindo a chamar à atenção para efeitos positivos da experiência do cancro nos doentes e nos seus irmãos. Objetivos. Explorar as memórias da vivência da fase ativa da doença; o crescimento póstraumático; as preocupações, as necessidades e a perceção relativamente à importância da intervenção psicológica em irmãos de sobreviventes de cancro pediátrico. Esta dissertação inclui também uma Revisão por Scoping com o objetivo de mapeamento e síntese de estudos sobre os aspetos psicossociais das vivências dos irmãos. Metodologia. Estudo exploratório qualitativo, centrado na exploração e análise das experiências da doença, com a utilização de uma entrevista semiestruturada com as dimensões definidas pelos objetivos. Para a análise recorreu-se à Análise Indutiva de Conteúdo. Resultados. Todos os irmãos recordaram memórias da fase ativa da doença. Foram identificadas memórias de situações (relatos de imagens e vivências); e memórias de emoções transversais à fase da doença. A maioria dos participantes identifica mudanças e/ou influências nas dimensões do CPT - e.g., o aumento de recursos psicológicos, vulnerabilidades, aumento de empatia, valorização da vida e motivação para a vida. A intervenção psicológica foi considerada necessária em especial nas fases iniciais. As necessidades centrais incluíam: a psicoeducação; aprendizagem de estratégias de coping com foco na resolução do problema e lidar com as emoções; lidar com a possibilidade de morte do irmão e aconselhamento antecipatório e de suporte emocional que inclua os seus pais. Conclusões. Os resultados reforçam a ideia de que os irmãos recordam com grande detalhe as experiências vividas e que para alguns irmãos essas memórias são ruminativas e potenciadoras de stress. As experiências vividas são percebidas como tendo tido, e continuando a ter, influência não só nas dimensões do CPT, mas também na sua trajetória de vida. A intervenção Psicológica é considerada útil não só como suporte emocional, mas também como preparação para o confronto com os desafios da doença.

Background: Prothrombotic and pro-inflammatory states are known cerebral venous thrombosis risk factors. To date, two cases of venous thrombotic events after immunoglobulin-E mediated anaphylaxis have been reported. Herein, we describe the first case of cerebral venous thrombosis in close temporal relation with an immunoglobulin-E mediated anaphylactic event. Case description: A 51-year-old female presented with headache, language, and mental disturbance lasting for two days. Two days before the onset, she had undergone a provocative test with deflazacort to study an allergy history; after the test she developed a severe anaphylactic reaction. There were no other comorbidities, and in addition to contraceptive pill, she did not take other medications. On admission the patient was drowsy, with anomic aphasia, inattention and memory impairment. Magnetic Resonance Imaging depicted a left caudate and lenticulo-capsulo-thalamic venous infarct and thrombosis in the deep venous system. The patient was treated with anticoagulation and showed progressive improvement. Neoplastic and pro-thrombotic diseases were excluded. Conclusion: The close temporal association between the anaphylactic reaction and cerebral venous thrombosis suggests that anaphylactic reaction could have been a cerebral venous thrombosis precipitating factor. Immunoglobulin-E have been suggested to have prothrombotic activity by stimulating the release of platelet activation factor, thromboxane A2 and serotonin. This case adds on to the available information on possible cerebral venous thrombosis associated conditions.

The role of astrocytes in brain function has received increased attention lately due to their critical role in brain development and function under physiological and pathophysiological conditions. However, the biological evaluation of soft material nanoparticles in astrocytes remains unexplored. Here, the interaction of crosslinked hybrid vesicles (HVs) and either C8-D1A astrocytes or primary astrocytes cultured in polystyrene tissue culture or floatable paper-based chips is investigated. The amphiphilic block copolymer poly(cholesteryl methacrylate)-block-poly(2-carboxyethyl acrylate) (P1) and 1,2-dioleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphoethanolamine lipids are used for the assembly of HVs with crosslinked membranes. The assemblies show no short-term toxicity towards the C8-D1A astrocytes and the primary astrocytes, and both cell types internalize the HVs when cultured in 2D cell culture. Further, it is demonstrated that both the C8-D1A astrocytes and the primary astrocytes could mature in paper-based chips with preserved calcium signaling and glial fibrillary acidic protein expression. Last, it is confirmed that both types of astrocytes could internalize the HVs when cultured in paper-based chips. These findings lay out a fundamental understanding of the interaction between soft material nanoparticles and astrocytes, even when primary astrocytes are cultured in paper-based chips offering a 3D environment.

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O impacto do conflito interparental e alienação parental no ajustamento das crianças encontrase bem evidente na literatura, no entanto, o mesmo não se verifica em relação aos preditores e moderadores dessas variáveis e relações. Este tema é abordado no presente estudo que procurou compreender a relação entre conflito interparental, alienação parental e ajustamento psicológico dos filhos, tendo em conta os potenciais preditores e variável moderadora (idade, psicopatologia parental, estatuto relacional). Neste estudo, participaram 253 pais portugueses, com pelo menos um filho entre os 3 e os 18 anos, dos quais 88 tinham estatuto relacional divorciado/separado e 165 tinham estatuto relacional casado/união de facto. Para a obtenção dos resultados foram realizadas análises descritivas e correlacionais e, também, modelos de equações estruturais, através de análises de trajetórias. Os resultados demostraram uma associação entre psicopatologia parental (ansiedade, depressão, hostilidade), conflito interparental, alienação parental e ajustamento psicológico dos filhos, evidenciando a hostilidade como preditora de conflito interparental e a ansiedade como preditora da alienação parental; a relação e predição do conflito interparental no ajustamento psicológico dos filhos; o efeito moderador do estatuto relacional na relação entre conflito interparental (sabotagem interparental) e o ajustamento psicológico dos filhos; e ainda, a idade como preditora de conflito interparental (sabotagem interparental) e de alienação parental. Verificaram-se diferenças nos resultados de acordo com o estatuto relacional dos pais e em função do tipo de instrumento utilizado para a alienação parental. Os resultados fornecem dados importantes para a intervenção em situações familiares de conflito interparental e alienação parental.

Introduction: While sweet taste perception is a potential determinant of feeding behavior in obesity, the supporting evidence is inconsistent and is typically associated with methodological limitations. Notably, possible associations between sweet taste perception and measures of food reward remain undetermined. Materials and methods: We conducted a cross-sectional analysis comparing 246 individuals with severe obesity and 174 healthy volunteers using a validated method for taste perception assessment. We included gustatory variables, namely intensity and pleasantness ratings of sour, salt, sweet, and bitter tastants, and taste thresholds assessed by electrogustometry. Reward-related feeding behavior, including hedonic hunger, food addiction, feeding behavior traits, and acceptance of foods and alcohol, was evaluated using self-rated scales for comparison with gustatory measures. Result: In logistic regressions adjusted for age, gender, educational level, and research center, we found that a greater likelihood of belonging to the obesity group was associated with higher sweet intensity ratings (OR = 1.4, P = 0.01), hedonic hunger, food addiction symptoms, restrained and emotional eating (1.7 < OR ≤ 4.6, all P ≤ 0.001), and lower alcohol acceptance (OR = 0.6, P = 0.0002). Using principal component analysis, we found that while hedonic hunger, food addiction, and emotional eating were strongly interrelated, they were not associated with sweet intensity perception that, in turn, had a closer relationship with alcohol acceptance and restrained eating. Conclusion: We found that individuals with obesity report higher sweet taste intensity ratings than healthy controls. Furthermore, while psychological measures of reward-related feeding behavior assess a common construct, sweet intensity perception may represent a different obesity-related dimension.

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O presente estudo teve como objetivo analisar a relação entre o work engagement e a satisfação familiar e laboral, investigando simultaneamente o papel da violação das fronteiras nessa relação. Participaram ao todo 231 trabalhadores portugueses em regime de Isenção de Horário de Trabalho e em teletrabalho, na sequência dos Estados de Emergência e Calamidade, resultantes da pandemia COVID-19. Os dados foram obtidos através de um questionário com recurso às escalas Utrecht Work Engagement Scale (UWES-9); Job Satisfaction Scale, Satisfaction with Family Life Scale e a Boundary Violation Scale (Schaufeli et al., 2006; Brayfield & Rothe; 1951; Zabriskie & Ward, 2013; Hunter et al., 2017). Os resultados demonstraram uma relação positiva entre o work engagement e a satisfação com o trabalho; uma associação positiva entre o vigor e a satisfação com a família; uma relação negativa entre a violação de fronteiras família-trabalho e a satisfação com a família; e uma associação fraca entre a absorção e a violação das fronteiras trabalho-família. Através da análise de modelos de mediação paralela, os resultados evidenciaram uma relação negativa entre a absorção (dimensão do engagement) e a satisfação com o trabalho através da violação das fronteiras por parte do trabalho. Foram ainda encontrados efeitos supressores ao nível do engagement e das violações das fronteiras na relação com a satisfação com o trabalho. São apresentadas algumas implicações práticas dos resultados e limitações do estudo, bem como sugeridas pistas para investigações futuras.

Two malaria parasite species, Plasmodium falciparum (Pf) and P. vivax (Pv) are responsible for most of the disease burden caused by malaria. Vaccine development against this disease has focused mainly on Pf. Whole-sporozoite (WSp) vaccination, targeting pre-erythrocytic (PE) parasite stages, is a promising strategy for immunization against malaria and several PfWSp-based vaccine candidates are currently undergoing clinical evaluation. In contrast, no WSp candidates have been developed for Pv, mainly due to constraints in the production of Pv sporozoites in the laboratory. Recently, we developed a novel approach for WSp vaccination against Pf based on the use of transgenic rodent P. berghei (Pb) sporozoites expressing immunogens of this human-infective parasite. We showed that this platform can be used to deliver PE Pf antigens, eliciting both targeted humoral responses and cross-species cellular immune responses against Pf. Here we explored this WSp platform for the delivery of Pv antigens. As the Pv circumsporozoite protein (CSP) is a leading vaccine candidate antigen, we generated a transgenic Pb parasite, PbviVac, that, in addition to its endogenous PbCSP, expresses PvCSP under the control of a strictly PE promoter. Immunofluorescence microscopy analyses confirmed that both the PbCSP and the PvCSP antigens are expressed in PbviVac sporozoites and liver stages and that PbviVac sporozoite infectivity of hepatic cells is similar to that of its wild-type Pb counterpart. Immunization of mice with PbviVac sporozoites elicits the production of anti-PvCSP antibodies that efficiently recognize and bind to Pv sporozoites. Our results warrant further development and evaluation of PbviVac as a surrogate for WSp vaccination against Pv malaria.

Background: Machine learning algorithms have recently been developed to enable the automatic and real-time echocardiographic assessment of left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) and have not been evaluated in critically ill patients. Methods: Real-time LVEF was prospectively measured in 95 ICU patients with a machine learning algorithm installed on a cart-based ultrasound system. Real-time measurements taken by novices (LVEFNov) and by experts (LVEFExp) were compared with LVEF reference measurements (LVEFRef) taken manually by echo experts. Results: LVEFRef ranged from 26 to 80% (mean 54 ± 12%), and the reproducibility of measurements was 9 ± 6%. Thirty patients (32%) had a LVEFRef < 50% (left ventricular systolic dysfunction). Real-time LVEFExp and LVEFNov measurements ranged from 31 to 68% (mean 54 ± 10%) and from 28 to 70% (mean 54 ± 9%), respectively. The reproducibility of measurements was comparable for LVEFExp (5 ± 4%) and for LVEFNov (6 ± 5%) and significantly better than for reference measurements (p < 0.001). We observed a strong relationship between LVEFRef and both real-time LVEFExp (r = 0.86, p < 0.001) and LVEFNov (r = 0.81, p < 0.001). The average difference (bias) between real time and reference measurements was 0 ± 6% for LVEFExp and 0 ± 7% for LVEFNov. The sensitivity to detect systolic dysfunction was 70% for real-time LVEFExp and 73% for LVEFNov. The specificity to detect systolic dysfunction was 98% both for LVEFExp and LVEFNov. Conclusion: Machine learning-enabled real-time measurements of LVEF were strongly correlated with manual measurements obtained by experts. The accuracy of real-time LVEF measurements was excellent, and the precision was fair. The reproducibility of LVEF measurements was better with the machine learning system. The specificity to detect left ventricular dysfunction was excellent both for experts and for novices, whereas the sensitivity could be improved.

Anthracyclines are among the most used and effective anticancer drugs. Their activity has been attributed to DNA double-strand breaks resulting from topoisomerase II poisoning and to eviction of histones from select sites in the genome. Here, we show that the extensively used anthracyclines Doxorubicin, Daunorubicin, and Epirubicin decrease the transcription of nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB)-dependent gene targets, but not interferon-responsive genes in primary mouse (Mus musculus) macrophages. Using an NMR-based structural approach, we demonstrate that anthracyclines disturb the complexes formed between the NF-κB subunit RelA and its DNA-binding sites. The anthracycline variants Aclarubicin, Doxorubicinone, and the newly developed Dimethyl-doxorubicin, which share anticancer properties with the other anthracyclines but do not induce DNA damage, also suppressed inflammation, thus uncoupling DNA damage from the effects on inflammation. These findings have implications for anticancer therapy and for the development of novel anti-inflammatory drugs with limited side effects for life-threatening conditions such as sepsis.

O património e o turismo cultural encontram-se de mãos dadas. Atualmente, é difícil falarmos de um sem falarmos do outro. Estes, em conjunto, permitem-nos conhecer a história das civilizações e descobrir, em simultâneo, as particularidades das obras de arte que marcam espaços e períodos históricos. Assim, é correto afirmar que o património e o turismo cultural dependem um do outro e juntos funcionam em plena harmonia. A região Oeste de Portugal concentra inúmeros atrativos culturais que suscitam curiosidade por parte do mais diverso público. Respira-se história e património em cada recanto desta região. A Freguesia de Reguengo Grande, localizada no Concelho da Lourinhã, apresenta um processo evolutivo significativo e é detentora de um conjunto patrimonial dinâmico que conjuga diversos elementos patrimoniais entre eles, a natureza, a história, a arte e a cultura. É imperativo reconhecer, qualificar e preservar o património histórico e cultural desta Freguesia. A aposta nesta ação visa enriquecer não só a Freguesia do Reguengo Grande, mas também o Concelho da Lourinhã, na sua totalidade, através da divulgação do património desta região. O intuito é dar a conhecer o que de melhor a região apresenta a residentes e a turistas. É importante valorizar, salvaguardar e preservar o património e, em simultâneo, partilhar e dar vida às histórias, às lendas e à memória que encontramos nesta localidade. Estou segura de que a aposta na riqueza patrimonial e na dinamização do património existente nesta Freguesia constitui uma vitória para os habitantes, para o Concelho e para o País.