RCAAP Repository

Partindo de uma experiência de investigação em torno do processo de morrer, este artigo procura discutir alguns dos desafios que emergiram no âmbito de uma pesquisa qualitativa de natureza etnográfica no campo da saúde. A sensibilidade do tema e a vulnerabilidade dos participantes conduziu à necessidade de criar estratégias que mitigassem potenciais efeitos indesejados para os atores envolvidos. Desta forma, discutem-se questões ético-metodológicas e o impacto que a pesquisa assumiu para os participantes e investigador. As principais conclusões apontam, por um lado, para a necessidade de criar diretrizes bem definidas no que diz respeito à pesquisa com sujeitos humanos e, por outro, para a importância de adequar os instrumentos de recolha no sentido de criar proximidade e salvaguardar o bem-estar de todos os intervenientes. Este artigo procura contribuir para um debate em torno dos “bastidores” da pesquisa, dando a conhecer dilemas transversais à investigação.

Models are typically applied to estimate the potential adverse effects of fire on land degradation and water resources and the potential benefits of post-wildfire rehabilitation treatments. However, few modeling studies have been conducted for meso-scale catchments, and only a fraction of these studies include transport and deposition of eroded material within the catchment or represent spatial erosion patterns. This study presents an application and evaluation of the OpenLISEM physically-based and spatially-distributed hydrological and soil erosion model for a burned Mediterranean meso-scale catchment (18.5 km2) in a data-scarce environment, using a robust parameterization and calibration procedure: (1) integrating satellite imagery and the topographic wetness index to support model parameterization; (2) event-based automated calibration using the Model-Independent Parameter Estimation and Uncertainty Analysis and parameters ensemble for before and after the fire; (3) a jack-knife cross-validation for model evaluation. The study shows that this procedure used in OpenLISEM provides reasonable results for pre- and post-wildfire catchment discharge and sediment transport (r2 and NSE > 0.5; absolute PBIAS < 25% for discharge and 55% for sediment transport). This may serve the needs of model applications in data-scarce burned areas. The results also provide recommended model parameters for burned areas with high severity such as random roughness (rr) = 2.41cm, and slope manning’s n (n) = 0.038; or post-wildfire to pre-wildfire ratios of model parameters such as saturated hydraulic conductivity (Ks) = 0.98×, channel manning’s n (chn) = 0.44×, grain size (d50) = 0.61×. The simulation results indicate that wildfire did not lead to significantly enhanced hydrological responses and soil erosion at the catchment outlet, partly explained by the spatial patterns of soil erosion. For both pre- and post-wildfire conditions, higher soil erosion was simulated in areas located far from the catchment outlet. The wildfire led to enhanced hillslope erosion, mostly in the upper part of the catchment, providing ample opportunities for transported sediment to deposit before reaching the outlet.

Wildfires can have strong negative effects on soil and water resources, especially in headwater areas. The spatially explicit OpenLISEM model was applied to a burned catchment in southern Portugal to quantify the individual and combined impacts of wildfire and rainfall on hydrological and erosion processes. The companion paper has calibrated and assessed model performance in this area before and after a fire. In this study, the model was applied with design storms of six different return periods (0.2, 0.5, 1, 2, 5, and 10 years) to simulate and evaluate pre- and post-wildfire hydrological and erosion responses at the catchment scale. Our results show that rainfall amount and intensity played a more important role than fire occurrence in the catchment discharge and sediment yields. Fire occurrence was found to be an important factor for peak discharge, indicating that high post-fire hydro-sedimentary responses are frequently related to extreme rainfall events. The results also suggest a partial shift from runoff to splash erosion after fire, especially for higher return periods. This can be explained by increased splash erosion in burned upstream areas saturating the sediment transport capacity of surface runoff, limiting runoff erosion in downstream areas. Therefore, the pre-fire erosion risk in the croplands of this catchment was partly shifted to a post-fire erosion risk in upper slope forest and natural areas, especially for storms with lower return periods, although erosion risks in croplands were important both before and after fires. These findings have significant implications to identify areas for post-wildfire stabilization and rehabilitation, which is particularly important given the predicted increase in the occurrence of fires and extreme rainfall events with climate change.

The genus Gephyromantis belongs to the species-rich family Mantellidae and is currently divided in six subgenera. Among these is the subgenus Phylacomantis, which currently includes four described species: Gephyromantis pseudoasper, G. corvus, G. azzurrae, and G. atsingy. The latter three species are distributed in western Madagascar, and two of them (G. azzurrae and G. corvus) occur in the Isalo Massif. Based on the analysis of molecular data (a fragment of the 16S rRNA gene), morphological inspection of museum specimens, and photographic comparisons, G. azzurrae is synonymised with G. corvus and the second Phylacomantis lineage of Isalo is described as G. kintana sp. nov. This medium-sized frog species (adult snout-vent length 35–44 mm) is assigned to this subgenus according to genetic and morphological similarities to the other known species of Phylacomantis. Gephyromantis kintana sp. nov. is known only from the Isalo Massif, while new records for G. corvus extend its range to ca. 200 km off its currently known distribution. These two taxa seem to occur in syntopy in at least one locality in Isalo, and the easiest way to distinguish them is the inspection of the ventral colouration, dark in G. corvus and dirty white in G. kintana.

Antibiotic-susceptible bacteria may survive bactericidal antibiotics if other co-inhabiting bacteria detoxify the medium through antibiotic degradation or modification, a phenomenon denominated as indirect resistance. However, it is unclear how susceptible cells survive while the medium is still toxic. One explanation relies on the speed of detoxification, and another, non-exclusive explanation, relies on persistence, a state of bacterial dormancy where cells with low metabolic activity and growth rates are phenotypically tolerant to antibiotics and other cytotoxic substances. Here we simulated the fate of susceptible cells in laboratory experiments in the context of indirect resistance to understand whether persistence is necessary to explain the survival of susceptible cells. Depending on the strain and experimental conditions, the decay of persister populations may follow an exponential or a power-law distribution. Therefore, we studied the impact of both distributions in the simulations. Moreover, we studied the impact of considering that persister cells have a mechanism to sense the presence of a toxic substance–a mechanism that would enable cells to leave the dormant state when the medium becomes nontoxic. The simulations show that surviving susceptible cells under indirect resistance may originate both from persister and non-persister populations if the density of detoxifying cells is high. However, persistence was necessary when the initial density of detoxifying cells was low, although persister cells remained in that dormancy state for just a few hours. Finally, the results of our simulations are consistent both with exponential and power-law decay of the persistence population. Whether indirect resistance involves persistence should impact antibiotic treatments.

Glyphosate is the main active component of the commercial formulation Roundup®, the most widely used chemical herbicide worldwide. However, its potential high toxicity to the environment and throughout trophic webs has come under increasing scrutiny. The present study aims to investigate the application of bio-optical techniques and their correlation to physiological and biochemical processes, including primary productivity, oxidative stress, energy balance, and alterations in pigment and lipid composition in Phaeodactylum tricornutum, a representative species of marine diatoms, using the case study of its response to the herbicide glyphosate-based Roundup® formulation, at environmentally relevant concentrations. Cultures were exposed to the herbicide formulation representing effective glyphosate concentrations of 0, 10, 50, 100, 250, and 500 μg L−1. Results showed that high concentrations decreased cell density; furthermore, the inhibition of photosynthetic activity was not only caused by the impairment of electron transport in the thylakoids, but also by a decrease of antioxidant capacity and increased lipid peroxidation. Nevertheless, concentrations of one of the plastidial marker fatty acids had a positive correlation with the highest concentration as well as an increase in total protein. Cell energy allocation also increased with concentration, relative to control and the lowest concentration, although culture growth was inhibited. Pigment composition and fatty acid profiles proved to be efficient biomarkers for the highest glyphosate-based herbicide concentrations, while bio-optical data separated controls from intermediate concentrations and high concentrations.

Present demographic trends suggest a rise in the contributions of human pharmaceuticals into coastal ecosystems, underpinning an increasing demand to evaluate the ecotoxicological effects and implications of drug residues in marine risk assessments. Propranolol, a non-selective β-adrenoceptor blocker, is used worldwide to treat high blood pressure conditions and other related cardiovascular conditions. Although diatoms lack β-adrenoceptors, this microalgal group presents receptor-like kinases and proteins with a functional analogy to the animal receptors and that can be targeted by propranolol. In the present work, the authors evaluated the effect of this non-selective β-adrenoceptor blocker in diatom cells using P. tricornutum as a model organism, to evaluate the potential effect of this compound in cell physiology (growth, lipids and energy metabolism and oxidative stress) and its potential relevance for marine ecosystems. Propranolol exposure leads to a significant reduction in diatom cell growth, more evident in the highest concentrations tested. This is likely due to the observed impairment of the main primary photochemistry processes and the enhancement of the mitochondrial respiratory activity. More specifically, propranolol decreased the energy transduction from photosystem II (PSII) to the electron transport chain, leading to an increase in oxidative stress levels. Cells exposed to propranolol also exhibited high-dissipated energy flux, indicating that this excessive energy is efficiently diverted, to some extent, from the photosystems, acting to prevent irreversible photoinhibition. As energy production is impaired at the PSII donor side, preventing energy production through the electron transport chain, diatoms appear to be consuming storage lipids as an energy backup system, to maintain essential cellular functions. This consumption will be attained by an increase in respiratory activity. Considering the primary oxygen production and consumption pathways, propranolol showed a significant reduction of the autotrophic O2 production and an increase in the heterotrophic mitochondrial respiration. Both mechanisms can have negative effects on marine trophic webs, due to a decrease in the energetic input from marine primary producers and a simultaneous oxygen production decrease for heterotrophic species. In ecotoxicological terms, bio-optical and fatty acid data appear as highly efficient tools for ecotoxicity assessment, with an overall high degree of classification when these traits are used to build a toxicological profile, instead of individually assessed.

Pharmaceutical residues impose a new and emerging threat to aquatic environments and its biota. One of the most commonly prescribed pharmaceuticals is the antidepressant fluoxetine, a selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitor that has been frequently detected, in concentrations up to 40 μg L–1, in aquatic ecosystems. The present study aims to investigate the ecotoxicity of fluoxetine at environmentally relevant concentrations (0.3, 0.6, 20, 40, and 80 μg L–1) on cell energy and lipid metabolism, as well as oxidative stress biomarkers in the model diatom Phaeodactylum tricornutum. Exposure to higher concentrations of fluoxetine negatively affected cell density and photosynthesis through a decrease in the active PSII reaction centers. Stress response mechanisms, like β-carotene (β-car) production and antioxidant enzymes [superoxide dismutase (SOD) and ascorbate peroxidase (APX)] up-regulation were triggered, likely as a positive feedback mechanism toward formation of fluoxetine-induced reactive oxygen species. Lipid peroxidation products increased greatly at the highest fluoxetine concentration whereas no variation in the relative amounts of long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LC-PUFAs) was observed. However, monogalactosyldiacylglycerol-characteristic fatty acids such as C16:2 and C16:3 increased, suggesting an interaction between light harvesting pigments, lipid environment, and photosynthesis stabilization. Using a canonical multivariate analysis, it was possible to evaluate the efficiency of the application of bio-optical and biochemical techniques as potential fluoxetine exposure biomarkers in P. tricornutum. An overall classification efficiency to the different levels of fluoxetine exposure of 61.1 and 88.9% were obtained for bio-optical and fatty acids profiles, respectively, with different resolution degrees highlighting these parameters as potential efficient biomarkers. Additionally, the negative impact of this pharmaceutical molecule on the primary productivity is also evident alongside with an increase in respiratory oxygen consumption. From the ecological point of view, reduction in diatom biomass due to continued exposure to fluoxetine may severely impact estuarine and coastal trophic webs, by both a reduction in oxygen primary productivity and reduced availability of key fatty acids to the dependent heterotrophic upper levels.

O acesso a cargos de administração e fiscalização de Instituições Bancárias encontra-se atualmente sujeito a um denso e burocrático procedimento administrativo, decorrente da necessidade de verificação prévia da “adequação” para o exercício dos cargos em questão. Nos termos do artigo 30.º, n.º 1 do Regime Geral das Instituições de Crédito e Sociedades Financeiras (doravante, RGICSF), cumpre ao Banco de Portugal, dentro do Mecanismo Único de Supervisão, verificar o cumprimento dos requisitos exigíveis de forma a garantir que as instituições de crédito sejam potencialmente geridas por pessoas que consigam dar garantias de uma “gestão sã e prudente”. A fundamentação de todo este processo assenta na necessidade de garantia que os agentes do setor financeiro observam padrões e regras de competência e éticas, tidas como essenciais para o exercício das suas funções, atribuindo ao supervisor prudencial competência para ponderar a pretensão do exercício de uma atividade privada perante a garantia do interesse público. O levantamento da proibição relativa baseia-se numa atividade de valoração e verificação de competências e comportamentos passados do interessado, no campo profissional e educacional, que permita formular um juízo de futuro positivo. Neste sentido, a única forma de aferir se alguém é ou não “adequado” é verificar se dispõe de determinadas competências, técnicas e pessoais que gerem no supervisor uma convicção de caráter adequado e apropriado ao exercício de determinadas funções. Por este motivo, conforme refere o Professor Guilherme Catarino estamos perante um poder amplamente discricionário exclusivamente balizado pelo objeto - as garantias de gestão sã e prudente - e pelo fim do ato administrativo - garantir a salvaguarda do sistema financeiro, em geral, e a proteção dos consumidores e investidores. Não sendo um tema novo no nosso ordenamento jurídico a reformulação deste procedimento pelo Decreto-Lei n.º 157/2014, de 24 de outubro, surge como resposta à crise de Regulação do verão de 2007, ao alertar para as falhas do sistema de governação das Instituições de Crédito, levando a que a supervisão passasse a assentar numa abordagem altamente preventiva e intrusiva, que permita conhecer por dentro as instituições financeiras, os seus modelos de negócio e as suas abordagens ao risco, conhecendo igualmente de que forma e por quem são geridas.

A música tem assumido um papel muito importante no quotidiano dos indivíduos, manifestando-se nas suas actividades mais usuais, como adormecer, acordar, viajar, celebrar. Sendo a adolescência um período caracterizado por grande inquietação, momentos ora de desequilíbrio, ora de equilíbrio, animados ao som da música, e dada a relação tão íntima verificada entre as emoções e a música, pode depreender-se que exista uma estreita ligação entre a adolescência e a música. O objectivo deste estudo foi compreender a influência da música no bem-estar psicológico dos adolescentes, para averiguar se a mesma promove emoções positivas, relações familiares, satisfação com a vida e socialização com os pares. Os dados foram recolhidos através de entrevistas semi-estruturadas, bem como da aplicação de uma escala de bem-estar psicológico e a solicitação de um desenho (expressão simbólica que represente o que a música significa para cada participante), a catorze adolescentes, com idades compreendidas entre os 12 e os 18 anos. A análise de conteúdo possibilitou a construção de categorias com base teórica e empírica e a escala referida mostrou-se essencial para avaliar os níveis de bem-estar dos adolescentes. Os resultados forneceram respostas para as questões de investigação colocadas, na medida em que se constatou que a música influencia positivamente o bem-estar psicológico dos adolescentes, promovendo emoções positivas, relações familiares, satisfação com a vida e socialização com os pares e familiares. As limitações do presente trabalho e sugestões para estudos futuros são apresentadas e discutidas.

Background The InBIO Barcoding Initiative (IBI) Diptera 01 dataset contains records of 203 specimens of Diptera. All specimens have been morphologically identified to species level, and belong to 154 species in total. The species represented in this dataset correspond to about 10% of continental Portugal dipteran species diversity. All specimens were collected north of the Tagus river in Portugal. Sampling took place from 2014 to 2018, and specimens are deposited in the IBI collection at CIBIO, Research Center in Biodiversity and Genetic Resources. New information This dataset contributes to the knowledge on the DNA barcodes and distribution of 154 species of Diptera from Portugal and is the first of the planned IBI database public releases, which will make available genetic and distribution data for a series of taxa. All specimens have their DNA barcodes made publicly available in the Barcode of Life Data System (BOLD) online database and the distribution dataset can be freely accessed through the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF).

A estrutura da Administração Pública é constituída pelos órgãos e serviços que visam a prossecução do interesse público no respeito pelos direitos e interesses legalmente protegidos dos cidadãos. Em conformidade com o consagrado no plano constitucional, a Administração Pública está arquitetada de modo a evitar a burocratização, a aproximar os serviços das populações e a assegurar a participação dos interessados na sua gestão efetiva , incumbindo ao Governo, enquanto órgão superior, garantir a eficácia e unidade de ação da Administração através dos poderes de direção, superintendência e tutela dos órgãos competentes. É, no quadro da organização administrativa que o fenómeno da administração independente ganha especial preponderância, nomeadamente no seio da União Europeia, muito por influência dos sistemas anglo-saxónicos v.g., norte americano e Reino Unido. Pretende-se, com a criação de órgãos e entidades administrativas independentes, que estes sejam dotados de competências de forma a interferirem no exercício da função administrativa, sem que estejam sujeitos à direção, superintendência ou tutela do Governo. A constitucionalização das entidades independentes e a sua harmonização com a Lei-Quadro das Entidades Reguladoras, permitiu a criação de uma nova ramificação no panorama da Administração Estadual, pautada por um desejável respeito pela neutralidade e imparcialidade, no que tange às relações administrativas intersubjetivas estabelecidas entre os seus órgãos e o Governo, enaltecendo e reforçando o princípio da separação entre a política e a administração. Contudo, para que a independência destas entidades não seja colocada em causa, mostra-se imperioso, que o poder executivo mantenha uma equidistância administrativa e política, velando pelo respeito dos preceitos de natureza orgânica, funcional e técnica que vinculam a nomeação, atuação e desempenho que caracterizam os órgãos e entidades independentes durante o exercício dos seus mandatos. De forma, a evitar o risco de captura de interesses pelo Estado e agentes económicos, revela-se necessário que a Comissão de Mercado de Valores Mobiliários, disponha de autonomia administrativa, financeira e de gestão, para que prossiga as suas competências de regulação, regulamentação, supervisão, fiscalização e em certos casos de aplicação de sanções, com o escopo de garantir a proteção dos direitos e interesses dos administrados/regulados e o normal funcionamento dos mercados mobiliários. Em face da independência funcional, implícita nas relações entre os órgãos da CMVM e o Governo é imperativo que a independência financeira desta entidade não seja alvo de decisões políticas arbitrárias ou economicistas a fim de se evitar uma deterioração na atuação dos seus órgãos. Por último, assinala-se que o universo da administração independente se encontra igualmente conforme a restante administração pública, sujeita aos poderes de fiscalização da Assembleia da República, Tribunais, Entidades Administrativas e pelo escrutínio dos cidadãos.

Hypersensitivity reactions (HSRs) to antineoplastic drugs are increasing due to the expanding use of classical and new drugs in a wide variety of malignancies. PURPOSE OF REVIEW: The goal of this review is to provide current best practices in the diagnosis and management of HSRs based on data and evidence. RECENT FINDINGS: A plethora of studies have provided evidence of the safety and efficacy of rapid drug desensitizations (RDD) to allow for the reintroduction of antineoplastic drugs following an HSR, based on risk stratification. Recently described biomarkers such as basophil activation test, total IgE, BRCA genotyping, and serum IL-6 can aid in guiding improved precision desensitization protocols. Personalized premedication regimens and protocols have improved RDD safety and outcomes. RDD allows for the continued use of chemotherapeutic drugs without impaired drug efficacy. RDD represents the best approach to maintain cancer patients on their most effective treatments.

A Lei n.º 61/2008, de 31 de outubro, mais conhecida como “Lei do Divórcio de 2008”, veio trazer alterações estruturais para o Direito da Família, tanto ao nível de como encaramos nos dias de hoje as matérias do casamento e da sua dissolução, bem como concebe uma nova redação do art. 1676º n.º 2 do CC, consagrando o chamado “Crédito Compensatório”. É precisamente sobre este crédito compensatório que esta dissertação se debruça, analisando a sua natureza e aplicação, as suas repercussões, e interação com outros institutos, como o da obrigação de alimentos a ex-cônjuge, previsto nos arts. 2016º e ss. do CC. Para além de uma reflexão crítica sobre a natureza substantiva do crédito previsto no art. 1676º n.º 2 do CC, esta dissertação ainda se foca na tramitação processual exigível para que o ex-cônjuge credor possa ver o seu crédito satisfeito, tomando especial atenção ao facto de que, com as alterações introduzidas pela Lei n.º 117/2019, de 13 de setembro, o processo de inventário retorna para o CPC, revogando o RJPI, e retirando ao Notário o papel principal na partilha, retribuindo-o ao Juiz. Assinalamos ainda que, não obstante as questões de desigualdade de género serem comummente analisadas no âmbito desta temática, nesta dissertação nos absteremos de formular qualquer juízo apreciativo quanto às mesmas, face ao crescente número de casamentos homossexuais, previstos no nosso ordenamento jurídico pela Lei n.º 9/2010, de 31 de maio, que devem, e merecem, ser tratados em pé de igualdade com os casamentos heterossexuais.

Objective: To study disease characteristics, progression and outcome in a group of motor neuron disease (MND) patients beginning with frontotemporal dementia (FTD) by comparing them with patients with the typical motor-onset. Methods: 849 patients recruited from tertiary centers were studied according to FTD-onset and motor-onset. We studied clinical data, functional decline and survival. Results: Twenty six patients (3.1%) had FTD-onset of whom seven (26.9%) had coincident motor dysfunction. In those with isolated FTD-onset, motor symptoms developed after a median of 12 months (IQR: 4-18). FTD-onset patients were older at presentation; the bulbar-region was more frequently first affected than in the motor-onset group; there was a predominant upper motor neuron (UMN) phenotype; fasciculations were less common than in motor onset disease but facial and upper limb apraxia was more frequent; as well as ALS and FTD familial history. No differences were observed for gender, frequency of C9orf72 hexanucleotide repeat expansion, family history of Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases, median delay from motor symptoms to diagnosis, median ALSFRS-R rate of change, handedness, emotional lability, depression, weight loss, resting tremor, bradykinesia, sensory changes or neuropathy. Clinical and demographic features were similar between FTD-onset patients developing bulbar MND and bulbar-onset ALS patients. Once bulbar symptoms manifested functional progression and survival were similar to those of bulbar-onset ALS patients. Conclusions: MND patients with FTD-onset have a distinctive phenotype characterized by predominant UMN presentation and rapid progression to bulbar involvement. The main factor impacting functional decline and survival is the onset of bulbar dysfunction.

Persistent senescent cells (SCs) are known to underlie aging-related chronic disorders, but it is now recognized that SCs may be at the center of tissue remodeling events, namely during development or organ repair. In this study, we show that two distinct senescence profiles are induced in the context of a spinal cord injury between the regenerative zebrafish and the scarring mouse. Whereas induced SCs in zebrafish are progressively cleared out, they accumulate over time in mice. Depletion of SCs in spinal-cord-injured mice, with different senolytic drugs, improves locomotor, sensory, and bladder functions. This functional recovery is associated with improved myelin sparing, reduced fibrotic scar, and attenuated inflammation, which correlate with a decreased secretion of pro-fibrotic and pro-inflammatory factors. Targeting SCs is a promising therapeutic strategy not only for spinal cord injuries but potentially for other organs that lack regenerative competence.

This research aims to investigate judicial activism. It is a phenomenon widely debated in the current context and it gains relevance mainly when it involves the realization of fundamental rights. As the political judicialization- a theme also to be addressed in the present workactivism is not present only in the Brazilian reality. The roots of this institute are traced to North American Constitutionalism. The 1988 Brazilian Magna Carta inserted a series of rights and guarantees into the legal system. Based on the principle of supremacy of the Constitution, many magistrates assume the role of a protagonist, aiming at the realization of constitutional values and purposes. This proactive conduct adopted by the Judiciary can sometimes result in greater interference in the sphere of action of the Legislative and Executive branches. This study will be guided by the possible collision between the activist position of judges in guaranteeing fundamental rights and the principle of the separation of powers. For that, the main focus of the investigation will be within the scope of the decisions made by the Supreme Court. This study uses a qualitative methodology, with research based on national and foreign doctrines, as well as scientific articles, laws and jurisprudence on the subject at hand.

Background: Suicide is one of the main causes of excess of premature death in psychotic patients. Published studies found that suicide risk begins in ultra-high risk of psychosis and continues in early years of the disease. Previous studies identifying predictive and risk factors associated with suicidality in first-episode psychosis (FEP) are highly inconsistent. Also, there are relatively few longitudinal studies on suicidal behaviour in FEP. The aim of this study was to examine prevalence, evolution and predictors of suicidal behaviour at baseline and the 12-month follow-up in patients presenting with FEP. Methods: One hundred and eighteen patients presenting with FEP were recruited from two early psychosis units in Portugal. A comprehensive assessment examining socio-demographic and clinical characteristics was administered at baseline and the 12-month follow-up. Odds ratio were calculated using logistic regression analyses. McNemar test was used to evaluate the evolution of suicidal behaviour and depression prevalence from baseline to 12 months of follow-up. Results: Follow-up data were available for 60 participants from the 118 recruited. Approximately 25.4% of the patients had suicidal behaviour at the baseline evaluation, with a significant reduction during the follow-up period to 13.3% (p = 0.035). A multivariate binary logistic regression showed that a history of suicidal behaviour and depression at baseline independently predicted suicidal behaviour at baseline, and a history of suicidal behaviour and low levels of total cholesterol predicted suicidal behaviour at the 12-month follow-up. A significant proportion of patients also had depression at the baseline evaluation (43.3%), with the last month of suicidal behaviour at baseline independently predicting depression at this time. Conclusions: The findings of our study indicate that suicidal behaviour was prevalent on the year after FEP. Patients with a history of suicidal behaviour, depression at baseline and low levels of cholesterol should undergo close evaluation, monitoring and possible intervention in order to reduce suicide risk in the early phases of psychosis.

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a neurodegenerative neuromuscular disease that affects motor neurons controlling voluntary muscles. Survival is usually 2-5 years after onset, and death occurs due to respiratory failure. The identification of biomarkers would be very useful to help in disease diagnosis and for patient stratification based on, e.g., progression rate, with implications in therapeutic trials. Neurofilaments constitute already-promising markers for ALS and, recently, chitinases have emerged as novel marker targets for the disease. Here, we investigated cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) chitinases as potential markers for ALS. Chitotriosidase (CHIT1), chitinase-3-like protein 1 (CHI3L1), chitinase-3-like protein 2 (CHI3L2) and the benchmark marker phosphoneurofilament heavy chain (pNFH) were quantified by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) from the CSF of 34 ALS patients and 24 control patients with other neurological diseases. CSF was also analyzed by UHPLC-mass spectrometry. All three chitinases, as well as pNFH, were found to correlate with disease progression rate. Furthermore, CHIT1 was elevated in ALS patients with high diagnostic performance, as was pNFH. On the other hand, CHIT1 correlated with forced vital capacity (FVC). The three chitinases correlated with pNFH, indicating a relation between degeneration and neuroinflammation. In conclusion, our results supported the value of CHIT1 as a diagnostic and progression rate biomarker, and its potential as respiratory function marker. The results opened novel perspectives to explore chitinases as biomarkers and their functional relevance in ALS.

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