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In this case study we explore the concept of translational research: specifically, how common tools were employed in the context of the translational research process to design and implement a formal intervention to address racism at the individual and structural level. This approach to translational research focuses on the implementation of evidence-based interventions to address issues in communities, schools, and other organizations and is ideally suited to support researchers and practitioners in the nation's land-grant institutions. We discuss the suitability of translational research as an approach to identifying and resolving issues and implications for training and day-to-day operations of translational research organizations. Finally, we point to the necessity of incorporating principles of equity and engagement in the translational research process.

Abstract The importance of the investigation of magnetic superstorms is not limited to academic interest, because these superstorms can cause catastrophic impact on the modern civilisation due to our increasing dependency on technological infrastructure. In this context, the Carrington storm in September 1859 is considered as a benchmark of observational history owing to its magnetic disturbance and equatorial extent of the auroral oval. So far, several recent auroral reports at that time have been published but those reports are mainly derived from the Northern Hemisphere. In this study, we analyse datable auroral reports from South America and its vicinity, assess the auroral extent using philological and astrometric approaches, identify the auroral visibility at − 17.3° magnetic latitude and further poleward and reconstruct the equatorial boundary of the auroral oval to be 25.1° ± 0.5° in invariant latitude. Interestingly, brighter and more colourful auroral displays were reported in the South American sector than in the Northern Hemisphere. This north–south asymmetry is presumably associated with variations of their magnetic longitude and the weaker magnetic field over South America compared to the magnetic conjugate point and the increased amount of magnetospheric electron precipitation into the upper atmosphere. These results attest that the magnitude of the Carrington storm indicates that its extent falls within the range of other superstorms, such as those that occurred in May 1921 and February 1872, in terms of the equatorial boundary of the auroral oval.

We review observations of solar activity, geomagnetic variation, and auroral visibility for the extreme geomagnetic storm on 1872 February 4. The extreme storm (referred to here as the Chapman–Silverman storm) apparently originated from a complex active region of moderate area (≈ 500 μ sh) that was favorably situated near disk center (S19° E05°). There is circumstantial evidence for an eruption from this region at 9–10 UT on 1872 February 3, based on the location, complexity, and evolution of the region, and on reports of prominence activations, which yields a plausible transit time of ≈29 hr to Earth. Magnetograms show that the storm began with a sudden commencement at ≈14:27 UT and allow a minimum Dst estimate of ≤ −834 nT. Overhead aurorae were credibly reported at Jacobabad (British India) and Shanghai (China), both at 19.°9 in magnetic latitude (MLAT) and 24.°2 in invariant latitude (ILAT). Auroral visibility was reported from 13 locations with MLAT below ∣20∣° for the 1872 storm (ranging from ∣10.°0∣–∣19.°9∣ MLAT) versus one each for the 1859 storm (∣17.°3∣ MLAT) and the 1921 storm (∣16.°2∣ MLAT). The auroral extension and conservative storm intensity indicate a magnetic storm of comparable strength to the extreme storms of 1859 September (25.°1 ± 0.°5 ILAT and −949 ± 31 nT) and 1921 May (27.°1 ILAT and −907 ± 132 nT), which places the 1872 storm among the three largest magnetic storms yet observed.

As online learning has become an inevitable trend in the post-peak era of the COVID-19 pandemic, distributed pair programming (DPP) is gaining momentum in both education and industry. DDP serves as a collaborative programming approach and also benefits the development of computational thinking, a fundamental skill in today's world. This study conducted a systematic review of studies on DPP published after 2010 to understand the themes and factors that impact the team effectiveness of DPP and thus inform future research and practices on how to better leverage this approach for teaching and learning. The results showed that individual characteristics attracted major investigations in the selected 23 studies, including prior programming experience, actual skill, perceived skill, gender, personality, time management, confidence, and self-esteem, with pair compatibility identified as a critical team design factor that significantly affects programmers' satisfaction. Although the feel-good factor in the team process was investigated, no significant impact was found. Under the team environment theme, we compared different opinions on the orientation (e.g., scripted roles) and the use of technology (e.g., integrated development environment tools). Future research should investigate how task structure influences team effectiveness of DPP and relates to computational thinking education. Additionally, because most studies were conducted in higher education contexts, more research in primary and secondary educational contexts is also needed.

Evolving from its instructional design origins and directly related to contemporary learning experience design (LXD), learning design has emerged as a movement within the field of workplace learning and development that seeks to shift the focus of training and education from the content to the learner. The origins of this learner focus can be traced to the development of instructional design theories and the emergence of learning sciences in the late 20th century, along with the expansion of competencies required of the modern instructional designer. Advances in our understanding of how people learn and changes in sociocultural aspects related to learning have led designers to structure experiences for learners that increase their autonomy and seek to meet each learner's unique needs.

Asynchronous online discussion is a learning activity commonly used in online teaching. The way instructors participate in asynchronous online discussions significantly impacts students' learning outcomes. This systematic review aims to determine the effects of instructor participation in asynchronous online discussions on student performance by analysing 25 relevant studies in the past twelve years (2011-22). The findings show that the research was focused on the presence, frequency and type of instructor participation. The effects of instructor participation on student performance were mixed and concentrated in five main aspects: the quantity of student participation, the quality of student participation, student achievements, student emotions and student learning time. Not only the teaching experience of instructors but also course content, learning objectives, class sizes and learner characteristics influenced the effects. Based on the findings, several recommendations were made to help instructors effectively participate in asynchronous online discussions, thereby contributing to improving the quality of online education.

Instructor participation plays a crucial role in asynchronous online discussions, with the approach taken potentially impacting student performance. This study compared two instructor participation approaches: replying to student posts on public discussion boards and commenting on student posts on private grade pages. It examined the impact on both the quantity of student participation and the quality of student posts. The findings revealed that students had more interactions with each other when the instructor replied on discussion boards than when the instructor commented on grade pages, despite both approaches leading to an interconnected social network. The number of student posts and the overall quality of student posts did not show a significant difference between the two approaches. Nonetheless, both approaches contributed to a gradual improvement in the quality of student posts over time. Additionally, when the instructor commented on grade pages, students gradually focused more on knowledge construction in their posts rather than social communication.

Este artigo traz reflexões acerca de um projeto desenvolvido com um grupo de estudantes dos anos finais do Ensino Fundamental do Centro Pedagógico da Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, conduzido por uma professora em formação e orientado por dois professores da instituição. Destacamos as ações pedagógicas produzidas para o ensino e aprendizagem de estatística na Educação Básica, em especial aquelas relacionadas ao tratamento da informação, que foram oportunizadas utilizando-se a metodologia NEPSO - Nossa escola Pesquisa Sua Opinião. Essa metodologia tem o intuito de propiciar aos estudantes vivências e processos de uma pesquisa científica. Para isso, desenvolvemos um trabalho com 14 estudantes com o tema “esportes”, cujos entrevistados eram estudantes da Universidade. Após a fase de entrevistas, os resultados foram tabulados, processados e, em seguida, os estudantes construíram diversos gráficos analíticos. Destacamos a dupla potencialidade do desenvolvimento deste trabalho, tanto para os estudantes quanto da professora em formação.

This study is based on an exploratory teaching experiment, integrating the use of GeoGebra, carried out with Brazilian pre-service mathematics teachers that were attending a Pre-Calculus course. We focus on the contributions of GeoGebra to the learning that the students evidence about the 'instantaneous rate of change', in this teaching experiment context. The results show that students benefited from the exploration of tasks using GeoGebra, evidencing significant learning in terms of the instantaneous rate of change, favoured by its multiple dynamic resources, which promote visualization, connections between different representations, and processes of mathematical reasoning associated with this concept. These elements constitute a model that shows the contributions of this software in the Calculus' learning process. In view of these results, the realization of exploratory tasks using GeoGebra is highlighted as a didactic proposal with potential for teaching Calculus in pre-service mathematics teachers courses, as this experience may encourage them and support their future teaching practices.

The literature emphasizes the interest and need to learn the concept of continuity with understanding, although this meaning it is not consensual nor specified how it may emerge and be developed in the learning process. In this paper we report the results of a study aiming to analyse Brazilian preservice mathematics teachers' understanding of the continuity of a function concept, in a context of a teaching experiment which design is based on a theoretical model for learning with understanding that consider three dimensions: the meanings of continuity concept, the use of its different representations and their application in problem solving that involves it. Data collection includes participant observation with audio and video recording of the lessons, students' written and digital work on the tasks proposed during the teaching experiment, and interviews applied to the students. The qualitative and interpretative data analysis showed that students, in general, assigned different meanings to the continuity, which emerged from their "concept image." At the end of the teaching experiment, they show an adequate conception of this concept, being able to articulate different representations and perform "treatments" and "conversions" to interpret and represent the (dis)continuity of a function, and to correctly apply the criteria of existence of the concept of continuity and the intermediate value theorem in the analysis of errors and in the proving of mathematical propositions, and in solving problems that call for mathematical modelling. Thus, as they revealed a learning with understanding of the continuity concept, the study also provides information to propose innovative mathematics teaching and learning methodologies aimed at improving that learning.

Abstract Long-term monitoring datasets are fundamental to understand physical and ecological responses to environmental changes, supporting management and conservation. The data should be reliable, with the sources of bias identified and quantified. CETUS Project is a cetacean monitoring programme in the Eastern North Atlantic, based on visual methods of data collection. This study aims to assess data quality and bias in the CETUS dataset, by 1) applying validation methods, through photographic confirmation of species identification; 2) creating data quality criteria to evaluate the observer’s experience; and 3) assessing bias to the number of sightings collected and to the success in species identification. Through photographic validation, the species identification of 10 sightings was corrected and a new species was added to the CETUS dataset. The number of sightings collected was biased by external factors, mostly by sampling effort but also by weather conditions. Ultimately, results highlight the importance of identifying and quantifying data bias, while also yielding guidelines for data collection and processing, relevant for species monitoring programmes based on visual methods.

Background: Pancreaticoduodenectomy is associated with high morbidity. Many preoperative variables are risk factors for postoperative complications, but they are primarily non-modifiable. It is not clear whether an intraoperative goal-directed fluid regimen might be associated with fewer postoperative surgical complications compared to current conservative, non-goal-directed fluid practices. We hypothesize that the use of Systolic Volume Variation (SVV)-guided intraoperative fluid administration might be beneficial. Methods: Data from 223 patients who underwent pancreaticoduodenectomy in our institution between 2015 and 2019 were reviewed. Patients were classified into two groups based on the use of intraoperative use of SVV to guide the administration of fluids. The decision to use SVV or not was made by the attending anesthesiologist. Subjects were classified into SVV-guided intraoperative fluid therapy (SVV group) and non-SVV-guided intraoperative fluid therapy (non-SVV group). Uni and multivariate regression analyses were conducted to determine if SVV-guided fluid therapy was significantly associated with a lower incidence of postoperative surgical complications, such as Postoperative Pancreatic Fistula (POPF), Delayed Gastric Emptying (DGE), among others, after adjusting for confounders. Results: Baseline, demographic, and intraoperative characteristics were similar between SVV and non-SVV groups. In the multivariate analysis, the use of SVV guidance was significantly associated with fewer postoperative surgical complications (OR = 0.48; 95% CI 0.25–0.91; p = 0.025), even after adjusting for significant covariates, such as perioperative use of epidural, pancreatic gland parenchyma texture, and diameter of the pancreatic duct. Conclusions: VV-guided intraoperative fluid administration might be associated with fewer postoperative surgical complications after pancreaticoduodenectomy.

Depression is a prevalent and debilitating disease worldwide. This pathology is very complex and the lack of efficient therapeutic modalities, as well as the high rates of relapse, makes the study and treatment of depression a global healthcare challenge. Thus, an intense investigation of this disease is crucial and urgent. In this study, we focused on hydrogen peroxide and corticosterone-induced stress on SH-SY5Y and HT-22 cells. Additionally, we aimed to study the potential attenuation of these induced stress with the exposure of both cells to mirtazapine and L-tryptophan, focusing on cell viability assays (MTT and Neutral Red) and reactive oxygen species production assays (DCFDA fluorescence). Taken together, our results indicate that mirtazapine and L-tryptophan counteract the cellular stress induced by hydrogen peroxide but not by corticosterone, revealing a potential role of these agents on oxidative stress relief, highlighting the role of serotonergic pathways in the oxidative stress present in depressed individuals. This study allows the investigation of depression using cellular models, enabling the screening of compounds that may have potential to be used in the treatment of depression by acting on cellular mechanisms such as oxidative stress protection.

Protein aggregation is a common characteristic of several human diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease. Recent evidence has indicated that the aggregation of peptides such as p53 is also marked in cancer cells. The aim of this study was to correlate Thioflavin T (ThT) data with different cellular viability assays (Neutral Red and MTT) in SH-SY5Y neuroblastoma cells and HT-29 colon cancer cells treated with doxorubicin, a classical antineoplastic agent. We also studied the effects of the well-known peptide Aβ42 on the aggregation process in these cells. Our data suggest that both cancer cell lines are responsive to doxorubicin and formed aggregates, highlighting a relationship between ThT and cellular viability methodologies. We observed that lower values of cell viability corresponded with pronounced aggregation. Thus, these results indicated that the ThT methodology used in cells may complement the cell viability assays. In addition, this methodology may be of interest to evaluate the role of protein aggregation in other cancer cells.

Introduction and Objectives: Center-based cardiac rehabilitation (CR) programs have been forced to close due to COVID-19. Alternative delivery models to maintain access to CR programs and to avoid physical inactivity should be considered. The aim of this study was to assess physical activity (PA) levels after completing a home-based digital CR program. Methods: A total of 116 cardiovascular disease (CVD) patients (62.6±8.9 years, 95 male) who had been attending a face-to-face CR program were recruited and assessed (baseline and at three months) on the following parameters: PA, sedentary behavior, adherence, cardiovascular and non-cardiovascular symptoms, feelings toward the pandemic, dietary habits, risk factor control, safety and adverse events. The intervention consisted of a multidisciplinary digital CR program, including regular patient assessment, and exercise, educational and psychological group sessions. Results: Ninety-eight CVD patients successfully completed all the online assessments (15.5% drop-out rate). A favorable main effect of time was an increase in moderate to vigorous PA and a decrease in sedentary time at three months. Almost half of the participants completed at least one online exercise training session per week and attended at least one of the online educational sessions. No major adverse events were reported and only one minor event occurred. Conclusion: During the pandemic, levels of moderate to vigorous PA improved after three months of home-based CR in CVD patients with previous experience in a face-to-face CR model. Diversified CR programs with a greater variety of content tailored to individual preferences are needed to meet the motivational and clinical requirements of CVD patients. Resumo: Introdução e objetivos: Os programas convencionais de reabilitação cardíaca (RC) foram forçados a encerrar devido à Covid-19. Modelos alternativos para que os doentes tenham acesso a um programa de RC evitando a inatividade física devem ser considerados. O objetivo deste estudo foi avaliar os níveis de atividade física (AF) de um programa digital de RC em casa. Métodos: Foram recrutados e avaliados (inicialmente e aos três meses) 116 doentes cardiovasculares (CV) (62,6±8,9 anos, 95 homens) que frequentavam um programa presencial de RC, nos seguintes parâmetros: AF, comportamento sedentário, adesão, sintomas CV e não CV, sentimentos face à pandemia, hábitos alimentares, fatores de risco, segurança e eventos adversos. A intervenção consistiu num programa digital multidisciplinar de RC, inclusive acompanhamento regular, sessões de exercício, de ensino e de psicologia em grupo. Resultados: Completaram com sucesso todas as avaliações online (15,5% drop-out) 98 pessoas com doença CV. Houve um efeito favorável no aumento da AF moderada a vigorosa e diminuição do tempo sedentário aos três meses. Quase metade da amostra fez, pelo menos, mais de uma sessão de exercício físico online por semana e assistiu a pelo menos uma das sessões educacionais online. Não se verificaram eventos major e registou-se apenas um minor. Conclusão: Em tempo de pandemia, os níveis de AF moderada a vigorosa melhoraram após três meses em doentes CV que frequentavam previamente um modelo presencial de RC. São necessários mais programas de RC com maior variedade de conteúdos adaptados à preferência individual para dar resposta às necessidades motivacionais e clínicas dos doentes CV.

Introduction and objectives: Screening for latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI) in close contacts of infectious TB cases might include Tuberculin Skin Test (TST) and Interferon-Gamma Release Assays (IGRA), in combination or as single-tests. In Portugal, the screening strategy changed from TST followed by IGRA to IGRA-only testing in 2016. Our objective was to compare the cost-effectiveness of two-step TST/IGRA with the current IGRA-only screening strategy in immunocompetent individuals exposed to individuals with respiratory TB. Materials and Methods: We reviewed clinical records of individuals exposed to infectious TB cases diagnosed in 2015 and 2016, in two TB outpatient centers in the district of Porto. We estimated medical, non-medical and indirect costs for each screening strategy, taking into account costs of tests and health care personnel, travel distance from place of residence to screening site and employment status. We calculated the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) as the cost difference between the two screening strategies with the difference number of LTBI diagnosis as a measure of cost-effectiveness, assuming that treating LTBI is a cost-effective intervention. We also calculated adjusted odds-ratios to test the association between diagnosis of LTBI and screening strategy and estimated the total cost for averting a potential TB case. Results: We compared 499 contacts TST/IGRA screened with 547 IGRA-only. IGRA-only strategy yielded a higher screening effectiveness for diagnosing latent tuberculosis infection (aOR 2.12, 95%CI: 1.53 - 2.94). ICER was €106 per LTBI diagnosis, representing increased effectiveness with a slightly increased cost of IGRA-only screening strategy. Conclusions: Our data suggests that in Portugal LTBI screening with IGRA-only is more cost-effective than the two-step TST/IGRA testing strategy, preventing a higher number of cases of TB cases.

Analisa os portfólios reflexivos elaborados pelos educandos do curso de especialização Promoção e Vigilância em Saúde, Ambiente e Trabalho como instrumento pedagógico e avaliativo e a sua contribuição na formação interdisciplinar em saúde. Realizou-se análise do discurso do sujeito coletivo a partir de questionário e portfólios de 41 educandos egressos. A experiência dos portfólios demonstrou a singularidade na reflexão dos educandos, relacionadas às diversas temáticas interdisciplinares desenvolvidas em um processo pedagógico ativo da relação teoria-prática, com perspectiva emancipatória e transformadora da realidade social. O portfólio se apresentou como dispositivo pedagógico promotor da relação entre educador(a)-educando(a), cuja complexidade exige a construção de um pensamento crítico-reflexivo, direcionado para uma prática em saúde libertadora. O resultado do uso desse instrumento pedagógico produz efeitos substanciais no processo de ensino-aprendizagem dos educandos ressaltando a interdisciplinaridade como uma questão estruturadora que integra as inter-relações e interações de diferentes saberes e conhecimentos na formação em saúde.

O presente artigo debate o direito à objeção de consciência médica e a eventual recusa em realizar procedimentos em pessoas ou casais homossexuais. O direito à objeção de consciência médica, em que pese não tratado na legislação stricto sensu, é reconhecido pelo Código de Ética Médica como direito médico fundamental. O grande debate repousa nos limites ao exercício do direito. Através de uma revisão bibliográfica, observou-se que o exercício da objeção de consciência em razão de aspectos subjetivos do paciente e não em relação ao aspecto objetivo do procedimento representa uma grave discriminação, na medida em que limita o acesso ao direito fundamental à reprodução assistida, além de não representar uma objeção apriorística, mas fruto de reflexão apenas em razão da orientação sexual do(s) paciente(s) envolvido(s). Desta forma, o exercício da objeção de consciência em desfavor de pessoas ou casais homossexuais representaria o exercício abusivo de um direito, posto que, a pretexto de proteger a autonomia profissional, viola direitos e garantias fundamentais dos pacientes.

Burnout is an impactful occupational health phenomenon to which doctors and nurses have been more exposed during the COVID-19 pandemic. The objectives of this study were to measure the dimensions of burnout—emotional exhaustion, depersonalization and personal accomplishment—in a hospital healthcare population after the second COVID-19 wave and to study their association with sociodemographic variables and previous COVID-19 infection. We invited 112 healthcare professionals (doctors and nurses) who attended the occupational health department of a tertiary hospital in March–July 2021. Emotional exhaustion, depersonalization and personal accomplishment were measured by the Maslach Burnout Inventory. Linear-regression analyses were conducted to explore relationships between burnout dimensions and sociodemographic variables. Differences between groups according to previous COVID-19 infection were verified using the t-test and when appropriate the Mann–Whitney test (for continuous variables), the chi-square test and when appropriate the Fisher exact test (for categorical variables). We surveyed 106 subjects (95% response rate). High emotional exhaustion and depersonalization were reported by 33.0 and 18.4% of participants, respectively; 21.4% reported low personal accomplishment. Job tenure was associated with depersonalization and personal accomplishment. For each 1-year increase in job tenure, depersonalization decreases 0.14 (95% CI [−0.23, −0.04]) and personal accomplishment increases 0.16 (95% CI [0.06, 0.25]). Gender was associated with emotional exhaustion (being male increases emotional exhaustion 5.62-fold [95% CI: 1.33; 9.92]). The prevalence of high emotional exhaustion, high depersonalization and low personal accomplishment after the second COVID-19 wave was relevant and should not be overlooked. Our findings suggest that job tenure may play a protective role in healthcare workers’ burnout.

Este artigo refere-se ao ensino de Álgebra na Educação de Jovens e Adultos do Projeto de Ensino Fundamental de Jovens e Adultos – 2° segmento do Centro Pedagógico da Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais. Buscamos refletir sobre como se deu o ensino de Álgebra em uma turma desse curso, ofertada no período de 2012 a 2014, por meio das práticas pedagógicas registradas pelosdocentes. Para isso, tomamos como fonte os cadernos de turma da área de Matemática dos professores que atuaram nesses cursos. Estes cadernos são o meio peloqual os professores descrevem suas aulas e as intervenções pedagógicas adotadas. É importante mencionar que os professores que atuam nesse curso são bolsistas, estudantes dos cursos de licenciatura, e são orientados por docentes da Universidade. Resultados apontam que a Aritmética e a Álgebra aparecem de forma inter-relacionada, demonstrando que o uso de sequências recursivas e não recursivas pode ser uma prática interessante para introduzir a Álgebra aos estudantes do projeto de Educação de Jovens e Adultos.

Para saber como as pesquisas (auto)biográficas estão sendo desenvolvidas na educação musical, analisamos 47 teses e dissertações por meio de um estudo de estado do conhecimento. Neste artigo ressaltamos a análise sobre o referencial teórico, a metodologia e aos neologismos formados na interface educação musical e (auto)biografia. Esses trabalhos reforçam a autonomia da educação musical como área de conhecimento, e mesmo diante da contribuição da sociologia, psicologia e filosofia, seus objetos de estudos centram-se em problemáticas e campos empíricos específicos da educação musical. A metodologia dos trabalhos revela uma pluralidade de nomes utilizados que se misturam à abordagem de investigação como: narrativas, biográficas, histórias de vida, história oral, embora percebamos pouca variação de autores(as) para fundamentar. Encontramos seis novos termos com conceitos delineados pelos(as) pesquisadores(as), que contribuem para o vocabulário da área de educação musical, mostram as encruzilhadas conceituais da área e ampliam os caminhos investigativos percorridos.

Re-positivity of SARS-CoV-2 tests is widely reported, raising discussion about guidance for patient discharge and ending isolation. The unsuccessful recovery of replication-competent virus and/or absence of secondary cases has suggested that re-positive patients are not contagious. This study reports SARS-CoV-2 re-positivity in a healthcare professional 16 days after three negative tests, with viral genome sequencing supporting contagiousness leading to secondary cases.

Objetivo: O estudo objetivou identificar os sintomas de ansiedade entre pacientes submetidos à cirurgia vascular e realizar ação de educação em saúde no pré-operatório. Metodos:Trata-se de uma pesquisa descritiva e realização de intervenção educativa. Foi realizada a coleta dos dados e educação em saúde no período de novembro de 2017 a janeiro de 2018, com 25 pacientes internados nas enfermarias de cirurgia vascular de um hospital de referência do Estado de Pernambuco. Resultados: O nível de ansiedade apresentado pelos pacientes foi de 32% mínima, 52% leve e 16% moderada, os sintomas de ansiedade mais relatados foram o medo do pior acontecer, o nervoso e o medo de morrer. Os pacientes verbalizaram ao final da intervenção de educação em saúde satisfação e acolhimento. Conclusão: A ansiedade se fez presente, mesmo que a maioria de forma leve. A intervenção realizada foi verbalizada pelos pacientes e seus acompanhantes de forma positiva.

Background: Adenoid cystic carcinoma of the breast (ACCB) is a rare breast malignancy. Despite often being a triple negative tumor, it has a favorable prognosis, with low rates of recurrence and progression. The ideal treatment of ACCB is debatable; thus, the aim of this study was to characterize a population diagnosed with ACCB and to evaluate the treatment outcomes. Methods: We performed a single-center retrospective analysis of patients with a histological diagnosis of ACCB treated at our dedicated Oncological Center between 1987 and 2020. The patients were identified in collaboration with the Anatomical Pathology Department, which also reviewed the surgical pathology reports. Results: Thirteen women with a median age of 68 years old were diagnosed with ACCB. The most frequent clinical diagnosis was a breast nodule (n=5); the preoperative image was suggestive of malignancy in nine patients, with seven being diagnosed with a ACCB in the preoperative biopsy. Regarding treatment, nine patients underwent conservative surgery, but three required re-excision. Sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) was performed in seven patients, none revealing metastases; one patient had stage III ACCB and was initially treated with a modified radical mastectomy (MRM); the remaining were stage I (n=7) and II (n=5). Adjuvant radiotherapy was performed in eight patients, and two were initially proposed for chemotherapy but were considered unfit. With a median follow-up of 123 months (16-407), one case of local recurrence and two cases of distant metastasis were identified, one of whom died of disease. Conclusion: ACCB is a rare tumor with a good prognosis; however, as demonstrated, it can present an aggressive behavior. Conservative surgery and adjuvant radiotherapy are the indicated treatment and SLNB may be omitted in grade 1 tumors.

The human voice is a primary channel for emotional communication. It is often presumed that being able to recognize vocal emotions is important for everyday socio-emotional functioning, but evidence for this assumption remains scarce. Here, we examined relationships between vocal emotion recognition and socio-emotional adjustment in children. The sample included 141 6- to 8-year-old children, and the emotion tasks required them to categorize five emotions (anger, disgust, fear, happiness, sadness, plus neutrality), as conveyed by two types of vocal emotional cues: speech prosody and non-verbal vocalizations such as laughter. Socio-emotional adjustment was evaluated by the children's teachers using a multidimensional questionnaire of self-regulation and social behaviour. Based on frequentist and Bayesian analyses, we found that, for speech prosody, higher emotion recognition related to better general socio-emotional adjustment. This association remained significant even when the children's cognitive ability, age, sex and parental education were held constant. Follow-up analyses indicated that higher emotional prosody recognition was more robustly related to the socio-emotional dimensions of prosocial behaviour and cognitive and behavioural self-regulation. For emotion recognition in non-verbal vocalizations, no associations with socio-emotional adjustment were found. A similar null result was obtained for an additional task focused on facial emotion recognition. Overall, these results support the close link between children's emotional prosody recognition skills and their everyday social behaviour.

De forma a compreender a influência e relação no binómio liderança e satisfação em enfermagem, o objetivo deste estudo foi apresentar uma revisão bibliográfica narrativa acerca do tema e analisar o conhecimento produzido entre a relação liderança e a satisfação na equipa de enfermagem. Método:Trata-se de uma revisão narrativa da literatura. As bases de dados utilizadas foram a EBSCO (CINAHL Complete, MedLine Complete) para responder à pergunta de partida: “Qual o conhecimento relativamente à influência da liderança na satisfação da equipa de enfermagem no período de 2016-2021?". Para obtenção dos artigos, foram utilizados como critérios de inclusão: fontes primárias e revisões da literatura, integrativas, disponíveis na integra, em idioma português, espanhol e inglês, nos últimos cinco anos (2016-2021) e como critérios de exclusão: teses e dissertações, revisões narrativas, artigos duplicados ou noutros idiomas, considerando os seguintes descritores: liderança, satisfação no trabalho e enfermagem, aceites pela DeCS. As pesquisas desenvolveram-se durante o mês de maio de 2021 e selecionaram-se 26 artigos. Após análise dos artigos foram realizadas leituras exploratórias para maior compressão dos assuntos definidos e exploração do material recolhido, foram selecionados 7 artigos.

Aim: Calorie restriction (CR) diets and glucagon-Like Peptide-1 (GLP-1) analogs are known to alter energy homeostasis with the potential to affect the expression of obesity-related genes (ORGs). We hypothesized that CR and GLP-1 administration can alter ORGs expression in spermatozoa and testes, as well as the sperm parameters implicated in male fertility. Materials and Methods: Six-week-old adult male Wistar rats (n = 16) were divided into three groups, submitted either to CR (n = 6, fed with 30% less chow diet than the control rats), GLP-1 administration (n = 5, 3.5 pmol/min/kg intraperitoneal) for 28 days, or used as controls (n = 5, fed ad libitum). Selected ORGs expression, namely the fat mass and obesity-associated (FTO), melanocortin-4 receptor (MC4R), glucosamine-6-phosphate deaminase 2 (GNPDA2), and transmembrane protein 18 (TMEM18) were evaluated in testes and spermatozoa by a quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR). Results: CR resulted in lower body weight gain and insulin resistance, but a higher percentage of sperm head defects. GLP-1 administration, despite showing no influence on body weight or glucose homeostasis, resulted in a lower percentage of sperm head defects. CR and GLP-1 administration were associated with a higher expression of all ORGs in the testes. Under CR conditions, the genes FTO and TMEM18 expression in the testes and the MC4R and TMEM18 transcripts abundance in sperm were positively correlated with the spermatozoa oxidative status. The abundance of FTO and TMEM18 in the spermatozoa of rats under CR were positively correlated with sperm concentration, while the testes’ TMEM18 expression was also positively correlated with sperm vitality and negatively correlated with insulin resistance. Testes GNPDA2 expression was negatively correlated with sperm head defects. Conclusions: CR and GLP-1 administration results in higher ORGs expression in testes, and these were correlated with several alterations in sperm fertility parameters.

Depression is a disease with several molecular mechanisms involved, such as problems in the serotonergic pathway. This disease is very complex and prevalent, and thus important to deeply study and aim to overcome high rates of relapse and therapeutic failure. In this study, two cellular lines were used (HT-22 and SH-SY5Y cells) to gain insight about the role of the serotonin type 3 (5-HT3) receptor in cellular stress induced by hydrogen peroxide and/or corticosterone. In research, these compounds are known to mimic the high levels of oxidative stress and dysfunction of the hypothalamus–hypophysis–adrenal axis by the action of glucocorticoids, usually present in depressed individuals. The receptor 5-HT3 is also known to be involved in depression, previously demonstrated in studies that highlight the role of these receptors as promising targets for antidepressant therapy. Indeed, the drugs used in this work (mirtazapine, scopolamine, and lamotrigine) interact with this serotonergic receptor. Thus, by using cell morphology, cell viability (neutral red and MTT), and HPLC assays, this work aimed to understand the role of these drugs in the stress induced by H2O2/corticosterone to HT-22 and SH-SY5Y cell lines. We concluded that the antagonism of the 5-HT3 receptor by these drugs may be important in the attenuation of H2O2-induced oxidative stress to the cells, but not in the corticosterone-induced stress.

Foi realizada caracterização e análise das principais estratégias de comunicação desenvolvidas pelos três níveis de gestão do Sistema Único de Saúde (SUS) para o enfrentamento de Covid-19 no Brasil. Consideraram-se websites, Twitter, Youtube, Instagram e Facebook, coletivas de imprensa, aplicativos e boletins epidemiológicos, totalizando 35 estratégias. Apesar da comunicação ser um dos eixos fundamentais em resposta à pandemia, parte significativa das estratégias não abordou adequadamente as temáticas de vigilância, assistência, promoção e educação em saúde. Observou-se predomínio do modelo de comunicação utilitarista, centralizador e funcional, com foco na transmissão de informações. O Estado tem o dever de promover uma comunicação comunitária e emancipatória, considerando a diversidade de sujeitos, o contexto local e o desenvolvimento de redes comunicativas, respeitando o direito humano e social à comunicação, à informação e à voz, segundo os princípios e diretrizes do SUS.

Durante o confinamento, Gonçalo M. Tavares publicou, no jornal Expresso, crónicas diárias, intituladas Diário da peste. Convocando os mapas de Voyage autour de ma chambre, de Xavier de Maistre, e na ressonância do Diário do ano da peste, de Daniel Dafoe, o autor de Uma viagem à Índia comprova a falsa sinonímia entre viagem, périplo, deslocação, percurso, excursão, itinerância, travessia e caminhada. Se as viagens marítimas nos levaram ao outro lado do mundo, este Diário da peste é um convite à navegação metafísica do pensamento, para chegarmos ao outro lado de nós mesmos, para nos repensarmos nas nossas fraturas enquanto indivíduos e sociedade. A pandemia fomentou dissidências ontológicas, sociais, políticas, entre outras, tornou-nos hostes (inimigos/estrangeiros) até de nós mesmos. Iremos reflectir primeiramente sobre a labilidade e dissidência genológica na produção literária do autor, em seguida, faremos uma leitura orgânica destes Diários, explorando as várias dissidências em torno dos principais topoi da obra.

The Europe of the 18th century manifested a keen interest on the education of nobles and Portugal was in line with this current tendency, founding the Royal College of Nobles in Lisbon. My main interest is the study of the official inaugural speech, delivered on 14th April of 1766 by Michael Antonius Cierae, a Latin discourse, never translated or deeply studied. This rhetorical performance is an important source to study the new pedagogical program conceived by of the King Joseph I and his minister José Sebastiăo Carvalho e Melo, also known as Marquęs de Pombal, after the expulsion of Jesuits. This discourse represents a broad view of political philosophy and for this reason, I decided to divide the present article in three parts. First, I circumscribe the political and historical context in Europe, then analyse the creation’s circumstances of this Royal College, and shed light on the rhetorical structure of speech, its subjects and topoi articulated under all partes orationis. I expect to recognize in which way this official speech reveals the pedagogical philosophy to understand the political polemics and controversies of this period inPortugal.

Classroom management is a critical area in the curriculum of teacher education programs. Student teachers’ conceptions of the role of the teacher as a class leader are frequently backed by their intuition and experience as students and socio-cultural context rather than evidence-based. This paper examines the conceptions of classroom management held by a multicultural group of forty-four student teachers attending a teacher education program at a higher education institute in Macao. The study aims at understanding the patterns of variation expressed by student teachers regarding the purpose and relevance of the object of learning. It compares a) the patterns of variation in students’ views of classroom management, and b) the students’ learning progress based on the pre-and post-test. The phenomenographic approach was adopted as the conceptual framework. Participants handwritten transcripts from student teachers at the first and last sessions of the course are the primary type of data collection. The findings show that changes in student teachers’ understanding of the conceptions of classroom management occurred during the course. The initial preferences for disciplinary approaches to classroom leadership have given way to conceptions of promoting the integration of classroom management into learning. The participants expressed increasing adherence to classroom management systems targeting and providing behavioural and academic supports and interventions to children and adolescents with and without special needs.

The development of alternative beef production systems in the wetlands of western Brazil is treated here. This study contributes to the literature on alternative production systems of an organic and agro-ecological nature, which are not usually employed by large-scale farmers and ranchers. The rise of an alternative foodscape in the Brazilian Pantanal is shown to be rooted in generations of local knowledge concerning extensive cattle-raising in the wetlands that has been mobilised to develop an organic system of beef production appropriate to this biome. The study uses a relational perspective to understand how new production functions were developed and how ranchers of the Pantanal built a dense alternative technical and marketing network to provide support for organic beef production as part of new sustainable food systems. First, the larger context of agribusiness beef production in Brazil is presented. After this, organic stock raising systems are analysed and compared to conventional stock raising systems of the Pantanal. Then, the formation of organic actor-networks spanning production to consumption is treated. The sustainability of the organic stock raising in the Pantanal is highlighted and its potential for expansion evaluated.

Data on species occurrence at the scale of their distributional range and the determination of their habitat use requirements are essential to support conservation and define management plans that account for their habitat requirements. For wide-ranging species, such as cetaceans, especially considering that their marine habitats include offshore areas, collection of such data is challenging. In the absence of dedicated surveys, alternative methodologies are needed, such as the use of data collected from platforms of opportunity and modelling techniques to predict distribution in unsurveyed areas. Using 6 years of cetacean occurrence data collected along cargo ship routes between the Iberian Peninsula, northwestern African coasts and the Macaronesian islands, we developed ecological niche models to assess habitat preferences and predict suitable habitats of the eight most frequently sighted cetacean taxa in the area. Explanatory variables used for model fitting included topographic, oceanographic, detectability, geographic and seasonal features. To provide a robust habitat characterisation, along with predictions of habitat suitability, making best use of occurrence datasets, we applied two modelling techniques, GAM and Maxent, which offer complementary strengths. Coastal areas provide important habitats for common and bottlenose dophins, while other dolphin species (spotted and striped dolphins) have a more oceanic distribution. The predicted niches of Cuvier’s beaked whale and minke whales are mainly in the high seas at northern latitudes. Suitable habitats for sperm whales and pilot whales are mostly in southern areas in continental slope regions. For all the species, models indicated that areas around seamount features offer suitable habitats, likely of high relevance in oligotrophic offshore waters. As such, dedicated survey effort in such areas would facilitate development and implementation of appropriate management plans, which are currently lacking. Our models offer an important contribution to baseline knowledge of cetacean distribution at basin-scale in the region and could support the definition of priority areas, monitoring plans, and conservation measures, essential to comply with the requirements of the EU Marine Strategy Framework Directive.

The worldwide pandemic caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is unprecedented and the impact on public health and the global economy continues to be devastating. Although early therapies such as prophylactic antibodies and vaccines show great promise, there are concerns about the long-term efficacy and universal applicability of these therapies as the virus continues to mutate. Thus, protein-based immunogens that can quickly respond to viral changes remain of continued interest. The Spike protein, the main immunogen of this virus, displays a highly dynamic trimeric structure that presents a challenge for therapeutic development. Here, guided by the structure of the Spike trimer, we rationally design new Spike constructs that show a uniquely high stability profile while simultaneously remaining locked into the immunogen-desirable prefusion state. Furthermore, our approach emphasizes the relationship between the highly conserved S2 region and structurally dynamic Receptor Binding Domains (RBD) to enable vaccine development as well as the generation of antibodies able to resist viral mutation.

Cancer is a set of extremely complex diseases, which are increasingly prominent today, as it affects and kills millions of people worldwide, being the subject of intense study both in its pathophysiology and therapy. Especially in women, breast cancer is still a cancer with a high incidence and mortality. Even though mortality rates for this type of cancer have declined in recent years, it remains challenging at the treatment level, especially the metastatic type. Due to all the impact on health, cancer therapy is the subject of costly and intense research. To enrich this therapy, as well as decrease its underlying high associated costs, drug repurposing and drug combinations are strategies that have been increasingly studied and addressed. As the name implies, drug repurposing presupposes giving new purposes to agents which, in this case, are approved for the therapy of other diseases (for example, cardiovascular or metabolic diseases), but are not approved for cancer therapy. Therefore, a better knowledge of these therapeutic modalities for breast cancer therapy is crucial for improved therapy. In this particular review, we will discuss some relevant aspects of cancer and, particularly, breast cancer and its therapy. Also, drug combination and repurposing will be highlighted, together with relevant examples. Despite some limitations that need to be overcome, these methodologies are extremely important and advantageous in combating several current problems of cancer therapy, namely in terms of costs and resistance to current therapeutic modalities. These approaches will be explored with a special focus on breast cancer.

Background and aims: There is an unmet need for alternative treatments for patients with primary biliary cholangitis (PBC) who do not respond to treatment with ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA). A proof-of-concept study of baricitinib, an orally administered Janus kinase 1 and 2 inhibitor, was initiated to evaluate its use in PBC patients. Approach and results: Patients with PBC showing inadequate response or intolerance to UDCA were eligible. This was a randomized, double-blinded placebo-controlled trial. Enrollees were assigned 1:1 to baricitinib (2 mg/day) or placebo. Endpoints included change in alkaline phosphatase (ALP), itch Numeric Rating Score (NRS), and fatigue NRS at 12 weeks post-baseline; exploratory markers included high sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) and Enhanced Liver Fibrosis (ELF) score.Due to low enrollment, the study was terminated early. Two patients were enrolled and completed the trial; 1 was randomized to receive baricitinib and 1 to placebo. Over the treatment period, the baricitinib-treated patient demonstrated a 30% decrease in ALP and a 7-point improvement in the itch NRS, but a 2-point increase in the Fatigue NRS. Markers of inflammation and liver fibrosis (hs-CRP and ELF score) also improved over the study period. In contrast, the placebo-treated patient showed no improvement in primary or secondary endpoints. A single non-serious treatment-emergent adverse event of moderate sinusitis was reported by the baricitinib-treated patient at day 47. Conclusions: In a 12-week trial, a patient with PBC showing inadequate response to treatment with UDCA demonstrated a dramatic response to treatment with baricitinib.

Bispecific antibodies, engineered to recognize two targets simultaneously, demonstrate exceptional clinical potential for the therapeutic intervention of complex diseases. However, these molecules are often composed of multiple polypeptide chains of differing sequences. To meet industrial scale productivity, enforcing the correct quaternary assembly of these chains is critical. Here, we describe Chain Selectivity Assessment (CSA), a high-throughput method to rationally select parental monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) to make bispecific antibodies requiring correct heavy/light chain pairing. By deploying CSA, we have successfully identified mAbs that exhibit a native preference toward cognate chain pairing that enables the production of hetero-IgGs without additional engineering. Furthermore, CSA also identified rare light chains (LCs) that permit positive binding of the non-cognate arm in the common LC hetero-IgGs, also without engineering. This rational selection of parental mAbs with favorable developability characteristics is critical to the successful development of bispecific molecules with optimal manufacturability properties.

The majority of published work has studied the impact of wood chips on red wine composition by conducting analyses during wood chip contact or immediately after the removal of chips from wine. Less attention has been directed at the potential influence of prior chip-wine contact on the further phenolic and sensory evolution of red wines during bottle storage. Therefore, this work focuses on the evolution over a period of 18 months of several phenolic parameters and sensory characteristics of bottled Touriga Nacional red wines that had previously been in contact with toasted wood chips from cherry (Prunus avium) and two oak species (Quercus pyrenaica and Quercus pubescens) during 30 days of pre-bottling storage. Various global phenolic parameters, colour properties, individual anthocyanin content and sensory profile of the wines were studied at 6, 12 and 18 months of bottle storage. The results showed less decrease in the phenolic composition and red colour of wines which had prior contact with oak chips, as well as a less developed brown colour during bottle storage, compared to the wine previously in contact with cherry chips and the control wine. In addition, wine previously in contact with cherry chips always showed an evolution similar to the control wine. From a sensory point of view, the wines previously in contact with oak wood chips showed a tendency for higher aroma scores for “vanilla” and “coconut” descriptors and lower scores for “brown colour” during bottle storage than wines previously in contact with cherry chips and the control wine. The outcomes of this research could be of practical interest to winemakers since they could improve the knowledge of the impact of prior contact with wood chips in the future evolution of the red wines during bottle storage.

Background: Breast leiomyosarcoma is a rare subtype of breast sarcoma, constituting 5–10% of the cases. Less than one-third of reported cases are located in the nipple papillary region, making it an extraordinarily rare malignancy, responsible for less than 0.1% of all malignant breast tumors. As no radiological criteria allow definitive diagnosis of papillary leiomyosarcoma, histopathological and immunohistochemical examination of suspicious lesions is required. The prognosis is generally optimistic compared with those for other breast sarcomas. Case presentation: A 54-year-old previously healthy woman reported the appearance of a nodule in her right nipple in the preceding 9 months, associated with pruritus. Physical examination revealed that the lesion had a cystic consistency and measured approximately 3.0 cm. Imaging examinations showed no involvement of the adjacent breast parenchyma or axillary region and the lesion was classified as Breast Imaging-Reporting and Data System (BI-RADS) category IV. The lesion was excised, and the histopathological diagnosis was well-differentiated leiomyosarcoma of the mammary papilla, with immunohistochemical examination showing positivity for smooth-muscle tissue antigens. A staging CT examination was performed, showing no evidence of distant metastasis. After 2 years of follow-up, the patient shows no sign of tumor recurrence. Conclusion: Although rare, leiomyosarcoma must be included in differential diagnosis of breast masses, especially those involving the periareolar region. Due to its good prognosis, reporting on this type of tumor is important to guide therapeutic planning, and to identify and track possible complications of its underdiagnosis.

Em 2008 foi anunciada a revisão do International Accounting Standard (IAS 39), segmentada em três etapas principais, a classificação e mensuração dos instrumentos financeiros, a introdução de uma nova metodologia para o cálculo de perda incorrida (impairment) e hedge accounting. Esse projeto resultou na publicação, em julho de 2014, da nova norma dos Instrumentos Financeiros, o IFRS 9. O objetivo deste estudo foi analisar os principais impactos trazidos pelo IFRS 9, frente aos normativos contábeis do Plano Contábil das Instituições do Sistema Financeiro Nacional (Cosif), no que tange à contabilização de hedge accounting. Realizou-se uma análise comparativa dos normativos locais e internacionais e, de modo complementar, analisou-se o impacto da aplicação dos padrões contábeis internacionais nas demonstrações contábeis brasileiras em Generally Accepted Accounting Principles do Banco Société Générale do Brasil, com data-base de 30 de junho de 2017. Os resultados da pesquisa mostram que, com as alterações trazidas pelo IFRS 9, maior detalhamento das informações sobre o hedge accounting passou a ser exigido, o que impacta consideravelmente o conteúdo e o formato atual das notas explicativas. A análise das notas explicativas da instituição financeira revelou a necessidade de adequação quanto à forma de divulgação dos itens designados como instrumentos de hedge, separados por categoria de risco, e quanto ao formato requerido, apresentar um nível de detalhamento dos valores por categoria de risco para os tipos de hedge. Nesse sentido, o estudo tem como principal contribuição a demonstração de que os requerimentos locais das divulgações dos instrumentos financeiros precisam de adequações.

In the last decade, smartphone use increased exponentially among the population mainly among adolescents and young adults. Today, people are constantly clinging to the smartphone in many situations of their life, even though this activity can have physical and psychological negative consequences. Through the popularization of smartphones, a new dependency was born, nomophobia, defined as the fear of being away from one’s smartphone. This study analyzes the propensity of young adults (18–24 years old) towards nomophobia and lifestyle. A sample of 495 participants showed a positive and moderate correlation between nomophobia and psychopathological symptoms. Interpersonal sensitivity, obsession-compulsion, and the number of hours of smartphone use per day were identified as strong predictors of nomophobia. Results show that smartphone use, and feelings of personal inadequacy and inferiority are relevant when explaining nomophobia.

The export of mRNA to the cytosol depends on the nuclear pore complex (NPC) and the activation of the helicase DDX19, but their interplay in humans remains poorly understood. Here, the authors present a structural and functional analysis of DDX19 activation, revealing how the human NPC regulates mRNA export.

Determining macromolecular structures from X-ray data with resolution worse than 3 Å remains a challenge. Even if a related starting model is available, its incompleteness or its bias together with a low observation-to-parameter ratio can render the process unsuccessful or very time-consuming. Yet, many biologically important macromolecules, especially large macromolecular assemblies, membrane proteins and receptors, tend to provide crystals that diffract to low resolution. A new algorithm to tackle this problem is presented that uses a multivariate function to simultaneously exploit information from both an initial partial model and low-resolution single-wavelength anomalous diffraction data. The new approach has been used for six challenging structure determinations, including the crystal structures of membrane proteins and macromolecular complexes that have evaded experts using other methods, and large structures from a 3.0 Å resolution F1-ATPase data set and a 4.5 Å resolution SecYEG–SecA complex data set. All of the models were automatically built by the method to Rfree values of between 28.9 and 39.9% and were free from the initial model bias.

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is an anticancer therapeutic modality with remarkable advantages over more conventional approaches. However, PDT is greatly limited by its dependence on external light sources. Given this, PDT would benefit from new systems capable of a light-free and intracellular photodynamic effect. Herein, we evaluated the heavy-atom effect as a strategy to provide anticancer activity to derivatives of coelenterazine, a chemiluminescent single-molecule widespread in marine organisms. Our results indicate that the use of the heavy-atom effect allows these molecules to generate readily available triplet states in a chemiluminescent reaction triggered by a cancer marker. Cytotoxicity assays in different cancer cell lines showed a heavy-atom-dependent anticancer activity, which increased in the substituent order of hydroxyl < chlorine < bromine. Furthermore, it was found that the magnitude of this anticancer activity is also dependent on the tumor type, being more relevant toward breast and prostate cancer. The compounds also showed moderate activity toward neuroblastoma, while showing limited activity toward colon cancer. In conclusion, the present results indicate that the application of the heavy-atom effect to marine coelenterazine could be a promising approach for the future development of new and optimized self-activating and tumor-selective sensitizers for light-free PDT.

Mirtazapine belongs to the category of antidepressants clinically used mainly in major depressive disorder but also used in obsessive-compulsive disorders, generalized anxiety, and sleep disturbances. This drug acts mainly by antagonizing the adrenergic α2, and the serotonergic 5-HT2 and 5-HT3 receptors. Neuropsychiatric symptoms, such as depression and agitation, are strongly associated with Alzheimer’s disease, reducing the life quality of these patients. Thus, it is crucial to control depression in Alzheimer’s patients. For this purpose, drugs such as mirtazapine are important in the control of anxiety, agitation, and other depressive symptoms in these patients. Indeed, despite some contradictory studies, evidence supports the role of mirtazapine in this regard. In this review, we will focus on depression in Alzheimer’s disease, highlighting the role of mirtazapine in this context.

Drug repurposing and drug combination are important therapeutic approaches in cancer therapy. Drug repurposing aims to give new indications to drugs, rather than the original indication, whereas drug combination presupposes that the effect that is obtained should be more beneficial than the effect obtained by the individual drugs. Previously, drug repurposing and the combination of different drugs was evaluated in our research group against human breast cancer cells (MCF-7 cells). Our results demonstrated that the response obtained through the combination of drugs, when compared with the single drugs, led to more synergic responses. Therefore, using potential drugs for repurposing, combined with a reference drug in breast cancer (5-Fluorouracil), was the major aim of this project, but for the first time using the feline mammary carcinoma cell line, FMCm. Surprisingly, the feline neoplastic cells demonstrated considerable resistance to the drugs tested in isolation, and the combination was not effective, which contrasted with the obtained MCF-7 cells’ response.

Fish in aquaculture systems are subject to several stressors that inhibit the immune response and potentiate the development of disease and increased mortality. The inclusion of additives in the fish diet, namely seaweeds or their extracts, that are natural sources of bioactive compounds can be an important tool for promoting the health and well-being of these animals. The present study aims at the development of sustainable and effective methodologies for the extraction of bioactive compounds of the red seaweed Gracilaria gracilis, exploring its antibacterial and antioxidant potential and considering its potential use as an additive for functional fish feeds. The yield of the extraction methods was evaluated upon the use of sequential solid–liquid extraction techniques with ethanol and water as solvents, different extraction temperatures (room temperature: 40 °C and 70 °C), and extraction time. The results demonstrated that the adoption extraction times of 30 min at 40 °C provided higher yields. We also evaluated the antioxidant capacity and the antibacterial properties of the obtained extracts against different strains that cause fish diseases by disk diffusion and broth microdilution methods. The antioxidant activity was determined by the DPPH reducing capacity method and quantification of total polyphenols content (TPC). With these results, we can establish extraction procedures that allow the future use of G. gracilis extracts, with antibacterial and antioxidant effects in a safe and effective way.