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CP violation plays a very important role in nature with implications both for Particle Physics and for Cosmology. Accounting for the observed matter-antimatter asymmetry of the Universe requires the existence of new sources of CP violation beyond the Standard Model. In models with an extended scalar sector CP violation can emerge either explicitly, i.e., at the Lagrangian level, or spontaneously. Spontaneous CP violation occurs in the framework of the electroweak symmetry breaking whenever the Lagrangian conserves CP and the vacuum breaks it. This requires that not all vacuum expectation values be real. In the context of multi-Higgs extensions of the Standard Model imposing the existence of a scalar basis where all couplings are real is a sufficient condition for CP to be explicitly conserved. We discuss a three-Higgs-doublet model with an underlying S3 symmetry, allowing in principle for complex couplings. In this framework it is possible to have either spontaneous or explicit CP violation in the scalar sector, depending on the regions of parameter space corresponding to the different possible vacua of the S3 symmetric potential. We list all possible vacuum structures allowing for CP violation in the scalar sector specifying whether it can be explicit or spontaneous. It is by now established that CP is violated in the flavour sector and that the Cabibbo-Kobayashi-Maskawa matrix is complex. In order to understand what are the possible sources of CP violation in the Yukawa sector we analyse the implications of the different available choices of representations for the quarks under the S3 group. This classification is based strictly on the exact S3-symmetric scalar potential with no soft symmetry breaking terms. The scalar sector of one such model was explored numerically. After applying the theoretical and the most important experimental constraints the available parameter space is shown to be able to give rise to light neutral scalars at the O (MeV) scale. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Monitoring biodiversity on a large scale, such as in hydropower reservoirs, poses scientific challenges. Conventional methods such as passive fishing gear are prone to various biases, while the utilization of environmental DNA (eDNA) metabarcoding has been restricted. Most eDNA studies have primarily focused on replicating results from traditional methods, which themselves have limitations regarding representativeness and bias. In our study, we employed eDNA metabarcoding with three markers (12SrRNA, COI, and 16SrRNA) to evaluate the biodiversity of an 800 km2 reservoir. We utilized hydrodynamic modeling to determine water flow velocity and the water renewal ratio throughout the study area. Additionally, we conducted statistical comparisons-rarefaction curves and multivariate methods-among samples as an alternative approach to assess biodiversity representation. The eDNA identified taxa previously documented in the reservoir by traditional monitoring methods, as well as revealed 29 -nine fishes and 20 non-fish-previously unreported species. These results highlight the robustness of eDNA as a biodiversity monitoring technique. Our findings also indicated that by randomly sampling 30% of the original number of samples, we could effectively capture the same biodiversity. This approach enabled us to comprehend the reservoir's biodiversity profile and propose a straightforward, cost-effective monitoring protocol for the future based on eDNA., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright: © 2025 Cortez et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)

Background: Accurate scientific terminology is crucial in health sciences to avoid misinterpretations. The use of 'artemisinin resistance' to describe delayed parasite clearance may be inaccurately equated with full resistance, as is typically the case when 'resistance' is used with other pathogens, leading to potential confusion. In 2018, the World Health Organization (WHO) introduced 'partial artemisinin resistance' to more accurately reflect the delayed parasite clearance observed with artemisinin-based therapies., Methods: We analyzed whether articles in PubMed accurately convey the concept of 'partial artemisinin resistance' using GPT-4 to generate related search terms. AntConc was employed for corpus analysis of retrieved articles to examine terminology in titles and abstracts. A manual review evaluated the use of the WHO concept of 'partial artemisinin resistance' in the full text of a subset of high-impact articles., Results: Out of 4041 articles retrieved, only 7 % (n = 281) used 'partial' or 'delayed' in titles or abstracts. Even after 2018, when WHO introduced the term 'partial artemisinin resistance', only 10 % of articles included this. Manual analysis of 161 full-text articles revealed that 94 % did not use 'partial artemisinin resistance', and 59 % did not explain the concept of delayed parasite clearance., Conclusion: The delayed introduction of the term 'partial artemisinin resistance' may have contributed to continued use of the scientifically questionable term 'artemisinin resistance'. This term may be misunderstood as full resistance, as is common with antibiotic resistance. Accurate terminology is essential for clear scientific communication, and precise terms should be established and consistently used from the outset by scientists and clinicians., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (© 2024 The Authors.)

Background: There are few studies that approach the subject of breastfeeding related to the development of motor skills. The study aimed to verify if there are differences in the global and fine motor skills, considering the variables gender and type of breastfeeding, in children from 18 to 44 months., Methods: We developed a quantitative correctional typology, being a cross-sectional study with a sample of 128 children of both genders. The instruments used in the study were the Peabody Developmental Motor Scales-2, and to assess the profile of the children a questionnaire was delivered to the parents. To test the normality of the sample, we applied the Kolmogorov-Smirnov Test and the Shapiro-Wilk Test. The Mann-Whitney U-Test was used for independent samples, also calculating the effect size., Results: The boys obtained higher mean values in all motor skills, except for the fine motor skills and fine motricity, and in these, the girls obtainied the higher mean values. With respect to the inferential analysis, concerning the variable gender, there are statistically significant differences (P<0.00) in the variables: locomotor skills, object handling skills, global motricity and global motor quotient (P=0.017) the boys exhibiting the higher values, which means the better performances. We also verify that children who were not breastfed with breast milk, through feeding bottle with replacement milk, obtained higher mean values in all motor skills when compared to the ones who were breastfed with breast milk, and there is a statistically significant difference in the variable fine manipulation skills (P=0.024)., Conclusions: Male children obtained better results in all motor skills, except for fine motricity, comparing with female children. Regarding breastfeeding, the children who were not breastfed with breast milk, show better results, mainly in Fine manipulation skills, which may be due to the previous need to handle the bottle on early age.

The interplay between the brain and interoceptive signals is key in maintaining internal balance and orchestrating neural dynamics, encompassing influences on perceptual and self-awareness. Central to this interplay is the differentiation between the external world, others and the self, a cornerstone in the construction of bodily self-awareness. This review synthesizes physiological and behavioral evidence illustrating how interoceptive signals can mediate or influence bodily self-awareness, by encompassing interactions with various sensory modalities. To deepen our understanding of the basis of bodily self-awareness, we propose a network physiology perspective. This approach explores complex neural computations across multiple nodes, shifting the focus from localized areas to large-scale neural networks. It examines how these networks operate in parallel with and adapt to changes in visceral activities. Within this framework, we propose to investigate physiological factors that disrupt bodily self-awareness, emphasizing the impact of interoceptive pathway disruptions, offering insights across several clinical contexts. This integrative perspective not only can enhance the accuracy of mental health assessments but also paves the way for targeted interventions., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

Although there are some studies that have linked fitness parameters and sports injuries, the literature remains controversial. The aim of the study was to prospectively analyze the influence of initial physical condition parameters on the development of injury in the first three months of the sports season in futsal players. A total of 68 players (24.26±4.63 years old) were assessed before the start of the sports season in relation to certain physical condition parameters, such as body composition (bioimpedance), lower limb power (countermovement jump, CMJ) and muscle strength (isokinetic dynamometer). The injured players showed significantly worse initial performance in the CMJ compared to the uninjured players ( p< 0.001). There were no significant differences between groups in body composition and muscle strength. Lower power values were associated with a higher risk of injury in the first few months of the sports season (OR=0.92; 95% CI=0.88-0.99). Muscle power was an independent predictor of injury in the first few months of the sports season in futsal players, indicating that improving players' physical condition could help reduce the number of injuries., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest., (Thieme. All rights reserved.)

Objective: The objective of this study is to describe and compare the levels of physical activity, preferences for leisure-time physical activity, and the frequency of non-sedentary behaviors of Portuguese, Italian, and Spanish students attending higher education., Methods: A total of 1354 students (21.2 ± 2.9 years) participated in the study, with data collected through an online questionnaire for 6 months., Results: The highest levels of sedentary behavior are found among Spanish students, followed by the Portuguese, and lastly the Italians. In relation to physical activity levels, Spanish students perform more low and moderate physical activity, while Italian students perform more vigorous activities and naturally have a lower level of sedentary behavior., Conclusions: However, it is worth highlighting that students from all three countries reach the minimum levels of physical activity recommended by the WHO.

Episodic memory (EM) allows us to remember and relive past events and experiences and has been linked to cortical-hippocampal reinstatement of encoding activity. While EM is fundamental to establish a sense of self across time, this claim and its link to the sense of agency (SoA), based on bodily signals, has not been tested experimentally. Using real-time sensorimotor stimulation, immersive virtual reality, and fMRI we manipulated the SoA and report stronger hippocampal reinstatement for scenes encoded under preserved SoA, reflecting recall performance in a recognition task. We link SoA to EM showing that hippocampal reinstatement is coupled with reinstatement in premotor cortex, a key SoA region. We extend these findings in a severe amnesic patient whose memory lacked the normal dependency on the SoA. Premotor-hippocampal coupling in EM describes how a key aspect of the bodily self at encoding is neurally reinstated during the retrieval of past episodes, enabling a sense of self across time., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

(1) Background: The objective of the study was to verify the effects of COVID-19 confinement on motor skills through a longitudinal study in Portuguese children who were one year old at the beginning of the pandemic. (2) Methods: The sample consisted of 88 children of both sexes, in the pre-COVID-19 assessment, they were 13.31 ± 2.4 months old and in the post-COVID-19 assessment, the same children were already 49.31 ± 2.5 months old. Motor skills were assessed using the PDMS-2 scales. For the statistical analysis, the Kolmogorov-Smirnov test was used to test normality, and the Wilcoxon test was used to compare the results of the two assessments in the same sample. (3) Results: There were statistically significant differences in all motor skills assessed, with children presenting, on average, worse results in all global motor skills in the post-COVID-19 assessment, as opposed to fine motor skills, showing better results in the post-COVID-19 assessment. (4) Conclusions: These results show the negative impact of the pandemic on children evaluated with a special emphasis on global motor skills, with the majority demonstrating values considered below average for their age, noting that the pandemic protocols may have had serious consequences on children's motor development, warning professionals who deal daily with children in these age groups about the importance of stimulating global motor skills.

Fetal autoimmune atrioventricular block (AVB) is a rare but potentially life-threatening condition. It results from the passage of maternal anti-SSA/Ro or Anti SSB/La auto-antibodies into the fetal circulation, leading to inflammation and fibrosis of the AV node and often to irreversible damage. Besides AVB, these antibodies can also cause cardiomyopathies, but there is no evidence linking them to tachyarrhythmias. We present the case of a patient with significant risk factors for fetal AVB: a prior history of hydrops fetalis , high anti-SSA/Ro antibody levels and hypothyroidism. In this case, the use of dexamethasone and intravenous immunoglobulin may have contributed to reversing the first-degree atrioventricular block detected at 19 weeks of gestation. Additionally, at 21 weeks, the fetus developed a tachyarrhythmia that needed treatment with flecainide. Soon after the birth, the newborn underwent ECG Holter and Wolff-Parkinson-White Syndrome (WPWS) was diagnosed. To our knowledge, the coexistence of fetal AVB and WPWS has never been described., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2024 Chícharo, Rebelo, Lopes, Saavedra, Paramés, Araújo, Cruz-Machado, Pinto and Capela.)

Asthma is one of the most prevalent chronic respiratory diseases, characterized by bronchial hyper-responsiveness and intermittent airflow obstruction. Short-acting β 2  agonists (SABA) remain the cornerstone of acute asthma management due to its properties in smooth muscle relaxation and bronchodilatation. Rarely, these drugs might be associated with adverse effects, including the development of metabolic and hydro-electrolytic imbalances. We report a case of lactic acidosis secondary to β 2  agonists in a young female patient admitted with severe acute asthma. After initial management and significant improvement of the respiratory distress with nebulized and subcutaneous salbutamol, the patient developed high anion gap metabolic acidosis due to hyperlactacidemia and hypokalemia. Alternative causes of lactic acidosis were discarded, such as severe hypoxemia, systemic hypoperfusion, sepsis, and organ dysfunction, and SABA-related lactic acidosis was suspected. This treatment was halted, and tachypnea, metabolic acidosis, and lactate levels rapidly resolved. The remainder of the hospital stay was uneventful, and the patient was discharged after a period of five days. Although rare, the development of unexplained lactic acidosis in a SABA-treated patient should alert the treating physician to this β2 agonist side-effect., Competing Interests: Human subjects: Consent was obtained or waived by all participants in this study. Conflicts of interest: In compliance with the ICMJE uniform disclosure form, all authors declare the following: Payment/services info: All authors have declared that no financial support was received from any organization for the submitted work. Financial relationships: All authors have declared that they have no financial relationships at present or within the previous three years with any organizations that might have an interest in the submitted work. Other relationships: All authors have declared that there are no other relationships or activities that could appear to have influenced the submitted work., (Copyright © 2024, Miranda et al.)

Visceral signals are constantly processed by our central nervous system, enable homeostatic regulation, and influence perception, emotion, and cognition. While visceral processes at the cortical level have been extensively studied using non-invasive imaging techniques, very few studies have investigated how this information is processed at the single neuron level, both in humans and animals. Subcortical regions, relaying signals from peripheral interoceptors to cortical structures, are particularly understudied and how visceral information is processed in thalamic and subthalamic structures remains largely unknown. Here, we took advantage of intraoperative microelectrode recordings in patients undergoing surgery for deep brain stimulation (DBS) to investigate the activity of single neurons related to cardiac and respiratory functions in three subcortical regions: ventral intermedius nucleus (Vim) and ventral caudalis nucleus (Vc) of the thalamus, and subthalamic nucleus (STN). We report that the activity of a large portion of the recorded neurons (about 70%) was modulated by either the heartbeat, the cardiac inter-beat interval, or the respiration. These cardiac and respiratory response patterns varied largely across neurons both in terms of timing and their kind of modulation. A substantial proportion of these visceral neurons (30%) was responsive to more than one of the tested signals, underlining specialization and integration of cardiac and respiratory signals in STN and thalamic neurons. By extensively describing single unit activity related to cardiorespiratory function in thalamic and subthalamic neurons, our results highlight the major role of these subcortical regions in the processing of visceral signals., Competing Interests: Competing interests statement:The authors declare no competing interest.

Introduction: This study aimed to verify the typology and incidence of injury by comparing the different competitive levels of futsal during the preseason., Methods: The sample consisted of 68 senior male futsal players (24.26 ± 4.63 years). Data were collected using an injury recording grid that examined the affected body part, anatomical region, type of injury, mechanism, and severity., Results: It was found that the elite group has the lowest incidence rate of injury (4.8 injuries per 1,000 h of exposure) compared to the sub-elite (11.8 injuries per 1,000 h of exposure) and amateur groups (13.9 injuries per 1,000 h of exposure). However, at this level, there is the highest percentage of injury occurrence (38.5%), the lower limb was the most affected part of the body (30.8%), and ligament (23.1%) and muscle (15.4%) injuries are the most prevalent. The most frequent mechanism of injury was non-traumatic (30.8%), and the majority were moderate injuries in the elite (23.1%) and sub-elite (17.9%) groups and severe injuries in the amateur group (12.5%)., Discussion: The amateur futsal players had the highest incidence of injury during the preseason period compared to the other competitive levels. Still, it was at the elite level where the highest percentage of injuries occurred, most of them non-traumatic and of ligament origin, primarily affecting the ankle region. The results highlight the importance of adopting specific injury prevention programs for ligament and muscle injuries during the preseason phase, regardless of the competitive level., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (© 2024 Marques, Rebelo, Crisóstomo, Honório, Duarte-Mendes, Petrica and Serrano.)

Introduction: Neurocutaneous syndromes (NCS) are a heterogeneous group of conditions with multiorgan involvement and diverse manifestations, evolving throughout life with significant morbidity. A multidisciplinary approach to NCS patients has been advocated, although a specific model is not yet established. The aim of this study was 1) to describe the organization of the recently created Multidisciplinary Outpatient Clinic of Neurocutaneous Diseases (MOCND) at a Portuguese pediatric tertiary hospital; 2) to share our institutional experience focusing on the most common conditions, neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) and tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC); 3) to analyze the advantages of a multidisciplinary center and approach in NCS., Methods: Retrospective analysis of 281 patients enrolled in the MOCND over the first five years of activity (October 2016 to December 2021), reviewing genetics, family history, clinical features, complications, and therapeutic strategies for NF1 and TSC., Results: The clinic works weekly with a core team of pediatricians and pediatric neurologists supported by other specialties as needed. Of the 281 patients enrolled, 224 (79.7%) had identifiable syndromes such as NF1 (n = 105), TSC (n = 35), hypomelanosis of Ito (n = 11), Sturge-Weber syndrome (n = 5), and others. In NF1 patients, 41.0% had a positive family history, all manifested café-au-lait macules, 38.1% neurofibromas with 45.0% being large plexiform neurofibromas. Sixteen were under treatment with selumetinib. Genetic testing was performed in 82.9% of TSC patients with pathogenic variants found in TSC2 gene in 72.4% patients (82.7% if considered contiguous gene syndrome). Family history was positive in 31.4%. All TSC patients presented hypomelanotic macules and fulfilled diagnostic criteria. Fourteen patients were being treated with mTOR inhibitors., Conclusion: Offering a systematic and multidisciplinary approach to NCS patients enables timely diagnosis, promotes a structured follow-up, and encourages discussion to outline management plans for optimal care to every patient, with significant impact on the quality of life of patients and families.

Introduction: The increasing global pressure to explore alternative protein sources derived from animal by-products has opened-up opportunities, but it has also created the need to assess their compliance with labelling statements, to ensure consumer's trust in the composition of both feed and food products. Assessing the authenticity of highly processed animal by-products, particularly within the rapidly expanding Halal food market, presents a significant challenge due to the lack of robust and standardized methodologies. However, the success of DNA based authenticity system is highly dependent on the extracted DNA quantity, quality, and purity ratios from heterogeneous matrices. Material and methods: In this work, nine DNA extraction methods were tested on selected processed animal by-products with high-value and interest for the feed industry: meals from poultry meat, blood and feather, and hydrolysates from swine meat and bone, fish, and black soldier fly. The proposed DNA extraction methods are developed to specifically target swine-specific mitochondrial region, as a case study. Results and discussion: Both the conventional CTAB method and the commercial kits, specifically Invisorb ® Spin Tissue Mini and NucleoSpin™ Food, demonstrated superior extraction efficiency and quality ratios. Nevertheless, commercial kits enabled faster detection in comparison to the conventional methods. The absence of swine DNA was successfully validated and confirmed in all animal meals and hydrolysates that did not contain swine in their composition beforehand, demonstrating their compliance with the Halal market requirements., Competing Interests: MM was employed by SORGAL, Sociedade de Óleos e Rações, S.A. and SAVINOR - Sociedade Avícola do Norte S.A. AA was employed by SEBOL, Comércio e Indústria do Sebo, S.A. and ITS, Indústria Transformadora de Subprodutos, S.A. The remaining authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2024 Filipa-Silva, Castro, Rebelo, Mota, Almeida, Valente and Gomes.)

Introduction: Soccer is considered a multifaceted collective sport, and to reach an elevated level, players must have moderate to high power, good agility, joint flexibility and muscle development. Also, players must be able to generate high torques during fast movements, which implies the development of different capacities, understood as multifactorial preparation. The objective was to analyse the effects of training (aerobic and continuous) on the leg power, fatigue levels, speed, agility, body fat, muscle mass and bone mass of these players., Methods: Seventy-two soccer players, male and under 17, from 4 teams participated. The teams performed 3 times a week training sessions of about 60-90 min each. Informed consent requests were given to their parents for authorisation to participate in this investigation. Data was collected in two different time points, about ten months apart. Specific tests were performed for each variable: the vertical jump with Bosco System for leg power, the T -Test for agility, the linear sprint test for speed and the RAST test for fatigue levels. A precision Tanita scale was used for the anthropometric tests such as body fat, muscle mass and bone mass. Statistical procedures were applied through the Wilcoxon test to compare the two time points of evaluation., Results: Improvements were found between evaluations regarding the level of anthropometric and physical fitness variables., Conclusions: The implemented training improved all the analysed variables with significant statistical values for leg power, speed, bone mass, muscle mass and fat mass., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (© 2023 Honório, Batista, Serrano, Petrica, Rebelo, Vieira, Lopes and Santos.)

Neuropsychiatric symptoms and syndromes are among the most common non-motor symptoms of Parkinson's Disease but they are frequently unrecognized and untreated. Dopamine Dysregulation Syndrome is an uncommon complication of the treatment of Parkinson's disease, characterized by an addictive use of dopamine far more than the dosage required for treatment of objective motor impairment, leading to severe dyskinesia, euphoria, aggressivity, or psychosis. We present a paradigmatic case of Dopamine Dysregulation Syndrome, Mania, and Compulsive Buying in a 55-year-old male with Parkinson's Disease. We also reviewed the risk factors and the therapeutic management of Dopamine Dysregulation Syndrome in Parkinson's Disease., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2023 Silva, Rebelo and Chendo.)