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In this piece Nunes addresses the importance of population health approaches and Multi-Hazards Early Warning Systems (MHEWS) in public health, particularly considering climate change and its associated risks and hazards. The article aims to highlight the challenges posed by climate change to public health and how integrating MHEWS with population health approaches can help address these challenges effectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Heatwaves pose significant threats to vulnerable populations, making resilience efforts crucial. This study aims to explore stakeholders' perspectives on heatwave resilience from a public health perspective, with a specific focus on operationalising the commitment to 'Leave No One Behind' (LNOB) as outlined in the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. In-depth qualitative interviews were conducted with key stakeholders from national and local government, industry and business, academia, and civil society organizations. Interviews examined stakeholders' understanding of the progress and challenges associated with fulfilling the commitment of LNOB in the context of heat resilience from a public health perspective, in England, UK. Content analysis of interview transcripts was undertaken. Stakeholders emphasize the importance of equity, inclusivity, and public health priorities in heatwave resilience efforts while specifically addressing the commitment to LNOB. Disparities in vulnerability due to socioeconomic factors, challenges in identifying and supporting vulnerable populations, progress made in addressing heatwave resilience, and the role of government and society in improving resilience efforts were emphasized. Stakeholders highlighted the need for targeted interventions, strengthened community support networks, and policy changes to address systemic inequalities and promote inclusivity in resilience strategies. Stakeholders' perspectives underscore the importance of aligning heatwave resilience efforts with global goals, particularly in promoting public health equity and inclusivity. By addressing the challenges identified and implementing the recommendations for improvement, policymakers and practitioners should work towards more equitable and inclusive resilience strategies to safeguard public health during heatwaves., (© The Author(s) 2024. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the European Public Health Association.)

An increasing adoption of electric vehicles (EVs) is expected in the coming decades mainly due to the need to achieve carbon neutrality until 2050. However, predicting electric mobility's future is challenging due to three main factors: technological advancements, regulatory policies, and consumer behaviour. The projections presented in this study are based on several scenarios driven mainly from reports published by public entities and consultants. It considers the evolution of electric road mobility by defined targets in the electrification of the transport sector. Therefore, the gathered data addresses different horizon times regarding EV penetration in the World, Europe, Portugal, Denmark, Greece, and Slovenia. Thus, an extensive literature review and estimating approach for EV forecast was conducted concerning EV markets, charging infrastructure, and electricity demand. Also, the dataset aims to provide a demand projection by 2050 and serving as a critical input to further work on EV mass deployment in the context of the project Electric Vehicles Management for carbon neutrality in Europe (EV4EU) and other works related to this field., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Introduction: There is growing recognition of the importance of primary care in addressing climate change. The World Organisation of Family Doctors has urged general practitioners worldwide to commit to tackling climate change and to serve as agents of systemic and individual change. Though an increasing number of resources have become available to support the decarbonisation of primary care, there remains a lack of evidence about how primary care teams are using them, their reach across practices, their level of adoption and maintenance, their cost impact and their effect on carbon emissions. This systematic review aims to understand how primary care, with a focus on general practice or equivalent settings within the context of primary care, is implementing decarbonisation actions to reduce carbon emissions arising from its operations, assess efficacy of the actions and generate recommendations on how to assist and accelerate their implementation and effectiveness., Methods and Analysis: The literature search will be conducted on Medline, Embase, Web of Science, CINAHL and ProQuest, from 2007 to 29 March 2024. Article screening will be based on specified inclusion and exclusion criteria. Narrative synthesis will be used to analyse and integrate findings to offer new insights into key mechanisms that support decarbonisation in general practice and help refine an initial programme theory. The reporting of the systematic review will follow the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis framework., Ethics and Dissemination: This review did not involve the collection or analysis of any data that was not included in previously published research in the public domain. The results will be disseminated through peer-reviewed publication and conference presentations., Prospero Registration Number: CRD42023470889., Competing Interests: Competing interests: None declared., (© Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2024. Re-use permitted under CC BY. Published by BMJ.)

Myrtaceae family includes many species with taxonomic challenges, making it one of the most complex families to identify. This study used DNA barcoding to find molecular markers for species authentication based on the Myrtaceae family's chemical composition and genetic diversity. Essential oils and genetic material were extracted from the leaves of six different species: Eugenia uniflora, E. patrisii, Myrcia splendens, Psidium guajava, P. guineense, and Psidium sp. The samples were analyzed based on compound classes and grouped into two categories. Group I included samples with high amounts of oxygenated sesquiterpenes (3.69-76.05 %) and fatty acid derivatives (0.04-43.59 %), such as E. uniflora, Myrcia splendens, and E. patrisii. Group II included samples P. guajava, P. guineense, and Psidium sp., which had a significant content of monoterpene hydrocarbons (0.69-72.35 %), oxygenated sesquiterpenes (8.06-68.1 %), phenylpropanoids (0.45-22.59 %), and sesquiterpene hydrocarbons (0.27-21.84 %). The PsbA-trnH gene sequences had a high genetic variability, allowing the species to be distinguished. A phylogenetic analysis showed two main clusters with high Bootstrap values corresponding to the subtribes Eugeniineae, Myrciinae, and Pimentinae. The results suggest a weak correlation between genetic and chemical data in these Myrtaceae species., (© 2024 Wiley-VHCA AG, Zurich, Switzerland.)

Objectives: This article examines diverse perspectives on heatwave resilience in public health planning, interviewing stakeholders from various sectors. It identifies challenges, including operational, political, economic, and cultural aspects, hindering effective strategies. The study advocates for a holistic approach to heatwave resilience, emphasising interdisciplinary research and collaboration for targeted interventions. Enhancing resilience is crucial to mitigating adverse health impacts and safeguarding vulnerable populations during heatwaves. Conceptualisations of resilience related to heatwave public health planning and heatwave resilience vary significantly. There is a need to unveil the multifaceted nature of resilience in the context of heatwaves and identify key challenges that hinder effective public health planning efforts., Study Design: Qualitative study to explore key stakeholders' conceptualisations of resilience and highlight challenges and opportunities needed for greater heatwave resilience and public health planning., Methods: Interviews were conducted with a diverse group of key stakeholders involved in local, regional, and national heatwave planning, academics, civil sector and private sector representatives., Results: The findings of this study highlight diverse conceptualisations of resilience. Conceptualisations of resilience mainly differ on the following: 'whom'; 'what'; 'how'; 'when'; and 'why'. This analysis shows that the concept of resilience is well understood but has different functions. The analysis of challenges revealed several key problems, such as operational and technical; political and governance; organisational and institutional; economic; linguistic; cultural, social, and behavioural; and communication, information, and awareness. These significantly hinder effective heatwave public health planning strategies., Conclusions: The study emphasises the need for a holistic and integrated approach to heatwave resilience. Addressing these challenges is crucial for enhancing heatwave public health planning. This study provides valuable insights into the complexities of heatwave resilience, offering guidance for different sectors of society to develop targeted interventions and strategies. The development of new resilience interdisciplinary and intersectoral research, practice, and governance will prove crucial to ongoing efforts to strengthen national heatwave resilience public health planning. By fostering resilience, societies can mitigate the adverse impacts of heatwaves and safeguard the health and well-being of vulnerable populations., (Copyright © 2024 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

The application of bacterial biofortifiers is an increasingly common technique. In recent years, some strains have been shown to improve the nutraceutical qualities of crops. This work analyses the impact of biofortification with 3 bacterial strains of the genera Rhizobium, Paenibacillus and Lactiplantibacillus on the nutritional characteristics and organic composition of blueberry in Portugal. Paenibacillus sp. VMFR46 treatment showed increase of 71.36 % and 79.88 % in total production. Biofortified treatments were able to increase Brix degree, maturity index (up to 48.05 % for cv. Legacy and up to 26.04 % for cv. Duke) and CIEL*a*b* index respect to uninoculated control. In this way, (poly)phenolic compounds concentration increased in biofortified treatment, and their (poly)phenolic profile was modified, some compounds such as myricetin aglycone or myricetin derivative are exclusive of the fruits from biofortified plants, with increases in (poly)phenolic concentrations related with R. laguerreae PEPV16 or Paenibacillus sp. VMFR46 inoculation in cv. Legacy. These modifications resulted in the improvement of the nutraceutical characteristics of the fruits obtained., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest 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., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.)

The fitness benefits of social life depend on the ability of animals to affiliate with others and form groups, on dominance hierarchies within groups that determine resource distribution, and on cognitive capacities for recognition, learning and information transfer. The evolution of these phenotypes is coupled with that of neuroendocrine mechanisms, but the causal link between the two remains underexplored. Growing evidence from our research group and others demonstrates that the tools available in zebrafish, Danio rerio, can markedly facilitate progress in this field. Here, we review this evidence and provide a synthesis of the state-of-the-art in this model system. We discuss the involvement of generalized motivation and cognitive components, neuroplasticity and functional connectivity across social decision-making brain areas, and how these are modulated chiefly by the oxytocin-vasopressin neuroendocrine system, but also by reward-pathway monoamine signaling and the effects of sex-hormones and stress physiology., (© 2023 British Society for Neuroendocrinology.)

Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a metabolic disease characterized by abnormal blood glucose levels-hyperglycemia, caused by a lack of insulin secretion, impaired insulin action, or a combination of both. The incidence of DM is increasing, resulting in billions of dollars in annual healthcare costs worldwide. Current therapeutics aim to control hyperglycemia and reduce blood glucose levels to normal. However, most modern drugs have numerous side effects, some of which cause severe kidney and liver problems. On the other hand, natural compounds rich in anthocyanidins (cyanidin, delphinidin, malvidin, pelargonidin, peonidin, and petunidin) have also been used for the prevention and treatment of DM. However, lack of standardization, poor stability, unpleasant taste, and decreased absorption leading to low bioavailability have hindered the application of anthocyanins as therapeutics. Therefore, nanotechnology has been used for more successful delivery of these bioactive compounds. This review summarizes the potential of anthocyanins for the prevention and treatment of DM and its complications, as well as the strategies and advances in the delivery of anthocyanins using nanoformulations.

Cerebral palsy (CP) can be considered the most frequent childhood physical disorder. The severity and type of dysfunction depend on the brain injury. Movement and posture are the most affected areas. CP is a lifelong condition, and parenting a child with this disorder brings additional challenges (e.g., dealing with grief) and needs (e.g., information). Identifying and characterizing their challenges and needs are pivotal to enrich the knowledge in this field and help draw more suitable support for parents. Interviews with 11 parents of children with CP attending elementary school were conducted. The discourse was transcribed, and a thematic analysis was performed. Three themes emerged from the data: (i) challenges of parenting a child with CP (e.g., internal challenges), (ii) crucial needs for parents to cope with a child with CP (e.g., information), and (iii) the intersection between challenges and needs of parents of children with CP (e.g., unawareness). Regarding the challenges and needs characterization, lifespan was the most frequent period of child development, and the microsystem was the context of life most reported. The findings may inform the design of educational and remediation interventions to support families of children with CP attending elementary school.

The list of occurrences linked to significant climate change has grown in recent decades. These changes can be influenced by a set of covariates, such as temperature, location and period of the year. Analyzing the relation among elements and factors that influence the behavior of such events is extremely important for decision-making in order to minimize damages and losses. Exceedance analysis uses the tail of the distribution based on Extreme Value Theory (EVT). Extensions for these models have been proposed in literature, such as regression models for the tail parameters and a parametric or semi-parametric distribution for the part that comes before the tail (well known as bulk distribution). This work presents a new extension to exceedance model, in which the parameters for the bulk distribution capture the effect of covariates such as location and seasonality. We considered a Bayesian approach in the inference procedure. The estimation was done using MCMC -- Markov Chain Monte Carlo methods. Application results for modeling maximum and minimum temperature data showed an efficient estimation of extreme quantiles and a predictive advantage compared to models previously used in literature., Competing Interests: No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s)., (© 2022 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.)

The bioactivity of natural by-products in food and pharmaceutical applications is the subject of numerous studies. Cherry production and processing generates large amounts of biowaste, most of which is not used. The recovery of these by-products is essential for promoting the circular economy and to improving sustainability in the food industry. In this work, we explored the anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial potential of two different extracts from stems, leaves, and flowers of Portuguese cherries. The anti-inflammatory potential was studied on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated mouse macrophages (RAW 264.7) by evaluating the effect of by-products on cellular viability and nitric oxide (NO) production. Disc diffusion and minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) were used to determine antimicrobial activity. The cherry by-products had no cytotoxic effect on RAW 264.7 cells, and were able to inhibit nitrite production in a dose-dependent manner. Moreover, all aqueous infusions showed good antioxidant activity against NO radicals. Moreover, leaf extracts showed the best activity against most of the strains studied. The results revealed, for the first time, interesting anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial properties of cherry by-products. This could potentially be of interest for their therapeutic use in the treatment of inflammation-related diseases or in controlling the growth of microorganisms.

Nowadays, it is largely accepted that the daily intake of fruits, vegetables, herbal products and derivatives is an added value in promoting human health, given their capacity to counteract oxidative stress markers and suppress uncontrolled pro-inflammatory responses. Given that, natural-based products seem to be a promising strategy to attenuate, or even mitigate, the development of chronic diseases, such as diabetes, and to boost the immune system. Among fruits, cherries and blueberries are nutrient-dense fruits that have been a target of many studies and interest given their richness in phenolic compounds and notable biological potential. In fact, research has already demonstrated that these fruits can be considered functional foods, and hence, their use in functional beverages, whose popularity is increasing worldwide, is not surprising and seem to be a promising and useful strategy. Therefore, the present review reinforces the idea that cherries and blueberries can be incorporated into new pharmaceutical products, smart foods, functional beverages, and nutraceuticals and be effective in preventing and/or treating diseases mediated by inflammatory mediators, reactive species, and free radicals.

Large amounts of Prunus avium L. by-products result from sweet cherry production and processing. This work aimed to evaluate the mineral content and volatile profiling of the cherry stems, leaves, and flowers of the Saco cultivar collected from the Fundão region (Portugal). A total of 18 minerals were determined by ICP-MS, namely 8 essential and 10 non-essential elements. Phosphorus (P) was the most abundant mineral, while lithium (Li) was detected in trace amounts. Three different preparations were used in this work to determine volatiles: hydroethanolic extracts, crude extracts, and aqueous infusions. A total of 117 volatile compounds were identified using HS-SPME/GC-MS, distributed among different chemical classes: 31 aldehydes, 14 alcohols, 16 ketones, 30 esters, 4 acids, 4 monoterpenes, 3 norisoprenoids, 4 hydrocarbons, 7 heterocyclics, 1 lactone, 1 phenol, and 2 phenylpropenes. Benzaldehyde, 4-methyl-benzaldehyde, hexanal, lilac aldehyde, and 6-methyl-5-hepten-2-one were the major volatile compounds. Differences in the types of volatiles and their respective amounts in the different extracts were found. This is the first study that describes the mineral and volatile composition of Portuguese sweet cherry by-products, demonstrating that they could have great potential as nutraceutical ingredients and natural flavoring agents to be used in the pharmaceutical, cosmetic, and food industries.

This study aimed to explore the total phenolic and anthocyanin content (TPC and TAC, respectively), and the biological potential of Portuguese sweet cherry cultivars. The TPC and TAC values ranged between 72.9 and 493.6 gallic acid equivalents per 100 g fresh weight (fw), and from 1.0 to 179.1 cyanidin 3-O-rutinoside equivalents per 100 g fw, respectively. Cristalina total extract was the most effective in capturing DPPH reactive species, whereas the colored fraction and the total extract of Saco cultivar were the most efficient in scavenging ferric and peroxide species. Celeste total extract was the most effective in inhibiting α-glucosidase enzyme. Phenolic-rich extracts and standard phenolics also revealed ability to interfere with the P-gp activity on MDCK-II and MDCK-MDR1 cells and to increase cellular viability under conditions of oxidative stress. Computational studies were performed to evaluate the interaction between phenolics and the P-gp activity. This study revealed that cherry extracts and their phenolic compounds present notable biological properties, encouraging the development of cherry-based dietary and medicinal supplements. PRACTICAL APPLICATION: The interest in phenolic-rich sources has increased significantly in recent years, given their capacity to prevent the development of chronic disorders, such as cancer. Recent evidence suggests that phenolic compounds can act as P-glycoprotein (P-gp) inhibitors, an important drug efflux transporter, preventing multidrug resistance, and thus, enhancing the therapeutic efficacy of some drugs in certain target cells. Our results indicate that enriched-fractions from sweet cherries can effectively interfere with the P-gp activity on MDCK-II and MDCK-MDR1 cells and protect against oxidative damage., (© 2021 Institute of Food Technologists®.)

Hormones regulate behavior either through activational effects that facilitate the acute expression of specific behaviors or through organizational effects that shape the development of the nervous system thereby altering adult behavior. Much research has implicated the neuropeptide oxytocin (OXT) in acute modulation of various aspects of social behaviors across vertebrate species, and OXT signaling is associated with the developmental social deficits observed in autism spectrum disorders (ASDs); however, little is known about the role of OXT in the neurodevelopment of the social brain. We show that perturbation of OXT neurons during early zebrafish development led to a loss of dopaminergic neurons, associated with visual processing and reward, and blunted the neuronal response to social stimuli in the adult brain. Ultimately, adult fish whose OXT neurons were ablated in early life, displayed altered functional connectivity within social decision-making brain nuclei both in naive state and in response to social stimulus and became less social. We propose that OXT neurons have an organizational role, namely, to shape forebrain neuroarchitecture during development and to acquire an affiliative response toward conspecifics. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Social behavior is developed over the lifetime of an organism and the neuropeptide oxytocin (OXT) modulates social behaviors across vertebrate species, and is associated with neuro-developmental social deficits such as autism. However, whether OXT plays a role in the developmental maturation of neural systems that are necessary for social behavior remains poorly explored. We show that proper behavioral and neural response to social stimuli depends on a developmental process orchestrated by OXT neurons. Animals whose OXT system is ablated in early life show blunted neuronal and behavioral responses to social stimuli as well as wide ranging disruptions in the functional connectivity of the social brain. We provide a window into the mechanisms underlying OXT-dependent developmental processes that implement adult sociality., (Copyright © 2021 the authors.)

In recent years, the consumption of natural-based foods, including beans, fruits, legumes, nuts, oils, vegetables, spices, and whole grains, has been encouraged. This fact is essentially due to their content in bioactive phytochemicals, with the phenolic compounds standing out. Among them, anthocyanins have been a target of many studies due to the presence of catechol, pyrogallol, and methoxy groups in their chemical structure, which confer notable scavenging, anti-apoptotic, and anti-inflammatory activities, being already recommended as supplementation to mitigate or even attenuate certain disorders, such as diabetes, cancer, and cardiovascular and neurological pathologies. The most well-known anthocyanins are cyanidin 3- O -glucoside and cyanidin 3- O -rutinoside. They are widespread in nature, being present in considerable amounts in red fruits and red vegetables. Overall, the present review intends to discuss the most recent findings on the potential health benefits from the daily intake of anthocyanin-rich foods, as well as their possible pharmacological mechanisms of action. However, before that, some emphasis regarding their chemical structure, dietary sources, and bioavailability was done.

Aliarcobacter butzleri is an emergent enteropathogen that can be found in a range of environments. This bacterium presents a vast repertoire of efflux pumps, such as the ones belonging to the resistance nodulation cell division family, which may be associated with bacterial resistance, as well as virulence. Thus, this work aimed to evaluate the contribution of three RND efflux systems, AreABC, AreDEF and AreGHI, in the resistance and virulence of A. butzleri . Mutant strains were constructed by inactivation of the gene that encodes the inner membrane protein of these systems. The bacterial resistance profile of parental and mutant strains to several antimicrobials was assessed, as was the intracellular accumulation of the ethidium bromide dye. Regarding bacterial virulence, the role of these three efflux pumps on growth, strain fitness, motility, biofilm formation ability, survival in adverse conditions (oxidative stress and bile salts) and human serum and in vitro adhesion and invasion to Caco-2 cells was evaluated. We observed that the mutants from the three efflux pumps were more susceptible to several classes of antimicrobials than the parental strain and presented an increase in the accumulation of ethidium bromide, indicating a potential role of the efflux pumps in the extrusion of antimicrobials. The mutant strains had no bacterial growth defects; nonetheless, they presented a reduction in relative fitness. For the three mutants, an increase in the susceptibility to oxidative stress was observed, while only the mutant for AreGHI efflux pump showed a relevant role in bile stress survival. All the mutant strains showed an impairment in biofilm formation ability, were more susceptible to human serum and were less adherent to intestinal epithelial cells. Overall, the results support the contribution of the efflux pumps AreABC, AreDEF and AreGHI of A. butzleri to antimicrobial resistance, as well as to bacterial virulence.

Prunus avium L. by-products, such as stems, leaves, and flowers, are used in folk medicine to prevent and treat some diseases. However, their phenolic composition and in vitro bioactivities against tumor cells are poorly known. In this work, we compared the phenolic profile and the biological potential of aqueous infusions and hydroethanolic extracts of P. avium leaves, stems, and flowers from Saco cultivar, collected from the Fundão region (Portugal). Among the fifty-two phenolic compounds tentatively identified by HPLC-DAD-ESI/MS n , the hydroxycinnamic acids were the most abundant. Both extracts of stems revealed a higher activity against DPPH • . Meanwhile, hydroethanolic extracts from stems and flowers and aqueous infusions of flowers were the most effective in inhibiting the growth of the human epithelial colorectal adenocarcinoma (Caco-2) cells at concentrations above 200 μg/mL. More detailed knowledge about the phenolic composition and health-promoting properties of Portuguese P. avium by-products allows for increasing the biological and commercial value of these bio-wastes, which may have a positive impact on food and pharmaceutical industries, as on the valorization of the local economy.

Context: The dietary choices people make affect personal health and have consequences for the environment, both of which have serious implications for the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda. In global reviews, the literature on meat, fruit, and vegetable consumption in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) is limited., Objective: This systematic review set out to quantify meat, fruit, and vegetable consumption in SSA populations and to answer the following question: How much meat, fruit, and/or vegetables are being consumed daily by which individuals in SSA over the years?, Data Sources: Following the PRISMA guidelines, the authors systematically searched the MEDLINE, EMBASE, ASSIA CINAHL, Web of Science, POPLINE, and Google Scholar databases to identify 47 (out of 5922 search results) studies reporting meat, fruit, and/or vegetable consumption in SSA populations., Data Extraction: Three independent investigators extracted data on year of data collection, study country, study population and geographical context, and population intake of meat, fruit, and/or vegetables., Data Analysis: Using STATA SE version 15 software, random-effects meta-regression analyses were used to test the effect of year of data collection and method of data collection on population meat, fruit, and vegetable consumption. The analyses also tested any association between age, sex, rural/urban residence, or a country's economic development and population intake of meat, fruits, and/or vegetables. The review was started in 2017 and completed in 2019., Results: Richer SSA countries were likely to consume more meat (ß = 36.76, P = 0.04) and vegetables (ß =43.49, P  = 0.00) than poorer countries. Vegetable intake has increased dramatically over the last 3 decades from ≈10 g to ≈110 g (ß = 4.43, P  = 0.00). Vegetable (ß= -25.48, P  = 0.00) consumption was higher in rural than in urban residents. Although the trend of meat consumption has risen (≈25 g to ≈75 g), the trend is nonsignificant (ß = 0.63, N.S.). Daily average per capita meat consumption was 98 g - above the 70 g recommendation - while fruit and vegetable intake (268 g) remain below the World Health Organization's recommendation (400 g)., Conclusions: Given the low intake of plant-based foods, it is likely that SSA populations may be deficient in high-quality protein and micronutrients as suggested by the EAT-Lancet Commission. There is a need to promote both an adequate supply and demand of plant-based protein and micronutrients, including fruit, vegetables, nuts, seeds, and legumes, in SSA countries. While dietary changes in SSA may offer large absolute benefits, consideration of the magnitude of dietary change, particularly increasing or reducing meat consumption, will need to occur in a way that ensures that policy and interventions support the reduction of undernutrition and micronutrient deficiencies without worsening the prevalence and environmental impacts of noncommunicable diseases. There is also the need for preventive action that ensures that SSA populations do not increase their meat consumption as disposable incomes increase and countries' economic development rises, as is seen in most countries undergoing economic transformation., Systematic Review Registration: PROSPERO registration no. CRD42018090497., (© The Author(s) 2020. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the International Life Sciences Institute. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.)

Pterospartum tridentatum is an edible endemic plant common in Portugal. Its flowers are used in culinary and are part of the popular medicine owing to its therapeutic properties. In this study, P. tridentatum flower infusion and hydroethanolic extracts were characterized concerning their phenolic composition and biological potential. By high-performance liquid chromatography method coupled to a diode array detector analysis were detected 13 phenolics. Genistein was the major one. Concerning the biological potential, the hydroethanolic extract was the most active against 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl ● and also as α-glucosidase inhibitor, while the infusion proved to be a remarkable free radical scavenger. Concerning human epithelial colorectal adenocarcinoma (Caco-2) cells, it was observed that both extracts displayed dose-dependent cytotoxicity on the viability of Caco-2 cells, presenting cytotoxic selectivity for these cancer cells when compared to the NHDF normal cell line. Additionally, they also showed protective effects against oxidative stress induced by tert-butyl hydroperoxide on Caco-2 cells. The obtained results suggest that these extracts may be interesting to enrich nutraceutical, pharmaceutical and food industries; however, more studies need to be done for their inclusion in pharmaceutical preparations and/or food additives. PRACTICAL APPLICATION: Pterospartum tridentatum is an endemic plant commonly used in folk medicine due to its depurative and hypoglycaemic properties. For this reason, we decided to determine the phenolic content of infusion and hydroethanolic extracts of P. tridentatum and their biological potential. The obtained results proved that P. tridentatum extracts are a rich source of bioactive compounds and possess great antioxidant and antidiabetic activities, ability to protect human erythrocytes against oxidative damage, inhibiting hemolysis, hemoglobin oxidation, and lipid peroxidation, and to interfere with Caco-2 cells growth and to protect these cells when subject to tert-butyl hydroperoxide oxidative stress conditions., (© 2020 Institute of Food Technologists®.)

Extreme temperatures pose significant risks to human health and well-being. Older adults are particularly at risk and their susceptibility is a function of vulnerability to general daily life circumstances and to specified events or threats. For the first time, this paper develops a combined general and specified approach to understand the determinants of vulnerability. The findings show that most participants exhibit high levels of heat-related vulnerability, followed by cold-related vulnerability and lastly, general vulnerability. General vulnerability was shown to be primarily shaped by financial, physical and social assets. Whilst, specified vulnerability was found to be mainly shaped by human, physical and placed based assets. Such findings present opportunities to focus on the types of assets that contribute to reducing vulnerability. These findings also suggest that the role assets play in shaping vulnerability must be attended to if we are to fully understand and effectively implement strategies to reduce vulnerability.

Oxytocin-like peptides have been implicated in the regulation of a wide range of social behaviors across taxa. On the other hand, the social environment, which is composed of conspecifics that may vary in their genotypes, also influences social behavior, creating the possibility for indirect genetic effects. Here, we used a zebrafish oxytocin receptor knockout line to investigate how the genotypic composition of the social environment (G s ) interacts with the oxytocin genotype of the focal individual (G i ) in the regulation of its social behavior. For this purpose, we have raised wild-type or knock-out zebrafish in either wild-type or knock-out shoals and tested different components of social behavior in adults. G i xG s effects were detected in some behaviors, highlighting the need to control for G i xG s effects when interpreting results of experiments using genetically modified animals, since the genotypic composition of the social environment can either rescue or promote phenotypes associated with specific genes., Competing Interests: DR, AN, MT, SA, JB, GL, RO No competing interests declared, (© 2020, Ribeiro et al.)

Sociality is a complex phenomenon that involves the individual´s motivation to approach their conspecifics, along with social cognitive functions that enable individuals to interact and survive. The nonapeptide oxytocin (OXT) is known to regulate sociality in many species. However, the role of OXT in specific aspects of sociality is still not well understood. In the present study, we investigated the contribution of the OXT receptor (OXTR) signalling in two different aspects of zebrafish social behaviour: social preference, by measuring their motivation to approach a shoal of conspecifics, and social recognition, by measuring their ability to discriminate between a novel and familiar fish, using a mutant zebrafish lacking a functional OXTR. Although oxtr mutant zebrafish displayed normal attraction to a shoal of conspecifics, they exhibited reduced social recognition. We further investigated whether this effect would be social-domain specific by replacing conspecific fish by objects. Although no differences were observed in object approach, oxtr mutant fish also exhibited impaired object recognition. Our findings suggest that OXTR signalling regulates a more general memory recognition of familiar vs novel entities, not only in social but also in a non-social domain, in zebrafish., (© 2020 British Society for Neuroendocrinology.)

Social living animals need to recognize the presence of conspecifics in the environment in order to engage in adaptive social interactions. Social cues can be detected through different sensory modalities, including vision. Two main visual features can convey information about the presence of conspecifics: body form and biological motion (BM). Given the role that oxytocin plays in social behavior regulation across vertebrates, particularly in the salience and reward values of social stimuli, we hypothesized that it may also be involved in the modulation of perceptual mechanisms for conspecific detection. Here, using videoplaybacks, we assessed the role of conspecific form and BM in zebrafish social affiliation, and how oxytocin regulates the perception of these cues. We demonstrated that while each visual cue is important for social attraction, BM promotes a higher fish engagement than the static conspecific form alone. Moreover, using a mutant line for one of the two oxytocin receptors, we show that oxytocin signaling is involved in the regulation of BM detection but not conspecific form recognition. In summary, our results indicate that, apart from oxytocin role in the regulation of social behaviors through its effect on higher-order cognitive mechanisms, it may regulate social behavior by modulating very basic perceptual mechanisms underlying the detection of socially-relevant cues.

This study aimed to analyze the botanical origin, quality parameters, phenolic compounds, and minerals of 20 honey samples from Caramulo region (Portugal). Six samples were monofloral from Eucalyptus sp., being this one the predominant pollen in the analyzed samples, followed by Castanea sativa. The average values obtained for the physicochemical parameters were as follows: 4.7 pH; 16.8% moisture; 81.4 Brix; 0.3% ash; 512.8 µS/cm electrical conductivity; 22.6 meq/kg free acidity; 12.4 meq/kg lactonic acidity; 35.1 meq/kg total acidity; 2.1 mg/kg hydroxymethylfurfural; and 16.3 °Gothe for diastase activities. A total of 18 phenolics were determined by high-performance liquid chromatography-diode array detector. Hydroxycinnamic acid derivatives and protocatechuic acid were the major ones. Nine minerals were detected by atomic absorption spectrometry; potassium and phosphorus were the predominant mineral elements. This is the first study about honeys from Caramulo region, which revealed to have a good quality and be a rich source of essential minerals and phenolics. PRACTICAL APPLICATION: The interest in the analysis of honey has increased significantly in recent years, concerning its characterization, safety implications, and health impact. Given these facts, the authentication of honeys, based on the geographical and botanical origins, has been assuming great importance, being mainly associated with high-quality honeys. Therefore, we decided to analyze physicochemical parameters, phenolic composition, and mineral content of 20 Caramulo honey samples. Our results indicate that Caramulo honeys possess high-quality levels, good freshness, maturity, and proper processing, and are also rich in several bioactive substances with health-promoting properties, including phenolic compounds, potassium, and phosphorus., (© 2020 Institute of Food Technologists®.)

The approach to the patient with gastrointestinal bleeding (GIB) can be very complex. A multidisciplinary panel of physicians with expertise in Gastroenterology, Anesthesiology, and Transfusion Medicine worked together to provide the best knowledge and guide clinical practitioners in the real setting of health institutions, characterized by disparate availability of human and technical resources. The authors propose a global and personalized approach according to different clinical scenarios to improve the outcomes of patients with GIB, for whom the reduction of inappropriate transfusions is crucial. The goal of this document is to provide clear and objective guidance through interventional algorithms toward a goal-directed approach according to the clinical situation and supported by the latest available scientific data on GIB management in different settings.

Existing literature has analyzed homework characteristics associated with academic results. Researchers and educators defend the need to provide quality homework, but there is still much to be learned about the characteristics of quality homework (e.g., purposes, type). Acknowledging that teachers play an important role in designing and assigning homework, this study explored teachers' perspectives regarding: (i) the characteristics of quality homework and (ii) the characteristics of the homework tasks assigned. In the current study, mathematics teachers from elementary and middle schools ( N = 78) participated in focus group discussions. To enhance the trustworthiness of the findings, homework tasks assigned by 25% of the participants were analyzed for triangulation of data purposes. Data were analyzed using thematic analysis for elementary and middle school separately. Teachers discussed the various characteristics of quality homework (e.g., short assignments, adjusted to the availability of students) and shared the characteristics of the homework tasks typically assigned, highlighting a few differences (e.g., degree of individualization of homework, purposes) between these two topics. Globally, data on the homework tasks assigned were consistent with teachers' reports about the characteristics of the homework tasks they usually assigned. Findings provide valuable insights for research and practice aimed to promote the quality of homework and consequently students' learning and progress.

Photooxidative damage affects cellular lipids, proteins and DNA in addition to being involved in the pathobiochemistry of erythema formation, premature skin aging, photodermatoses development and skin cancer. Phenolic compounds, flavonoids and hydroxycinnamic acid esters protect plant tissues against harmful UV-radiation. This study aimed to evaluate the sun protection factor of several Brazilian plant extracts in relation to UVB radiation absorption, which causes skin cancer, and to correlate the findings with their antioxidant activity, as well as with total phenol and flavonoid content. The antioxidant activity of the extracts were evaluated using the DPPH radical scavenging test. The photoprotective effect was evaluated using the methodology developed by Mansur. The antioxidant activity from the extracts showed IC 50 values ranging from 4.91 to 132.24 μg/mL when compared to the standard quercetin with an IC 50 of 5.01 μg/mL; the phenolic content varied from 3.77 to 57.14 mg GAE/g extract while flavonoid content varied from 1.80 to 5.89 mg EQ/g extract. Almost all extracts showed a potential for UVB radiation absorption in accordance with the ANVISA (Agência Nacional de Vigilância Sanitária) technical regulation for cosmetic sunscreens. The extracts with greater sun protection factors were those originating from Lippia microphylla (SPF = 26.82) and Dimorphandra gardneriana (SPF = 20.12). A sun protection factor of 15 or higher contributes to protect the skin, where the presence of sakuranetin flavonoids and quercetin glycosides contribute to this action., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Background: Climate change and extreme temperatures pose increasing challenges to individuals and their health with older adults being one of the most vulnerable groups. The aim of this paper is to better understand the roles that tangible assets (e.g., physical or financial) and intangible assets (e.g., human or social) play in the way older adults adapt to extreme temperatures, the types of adaptive responses they implement, limits and constraints, as well opportunities for better adaptation. Rather than focusing exclusively on extremes of heat, or considering each type of asset in isolation, the important and novel contribution of this paper is to take an integrated and multi-seasonal qualitative and quantitative approach, that conjointly investigates all categories of assets in relation to the adaptations that independently-living older adults make to both extreme heat and extreme cold., Methods and Findings: The paper examines the contribution of assets to adaptation to extreme temperatures among older adults living independently in their homes. An innovative mixed methods study with an inter-seasonal approach was implemented in Lisbon, Portugal with interviews and surveys during summer for extreme heat and winter for extreme cold. The ability of participants to adapt to extreme temperatures was found to be dependent on asset context and diversity, and the dynamics through which extreme temperatures enhanced or reduced the stock of assets available. As a result, participants engaged in activities of assets replacement, exchange or substitutions. Despite this, many participants recognised many constraints and limits to their ability to adapt and protect their health and well-being ranging from reduced income, high energy costs and lack of social networks. Opportunities for improving older adults' adaptation were found to exist and strategies, action and investment have been identified by older adults which included life-long education, incentives to improve insulation and local activities., Conclusions: The paper suggests that the implementation of the proposed asset-based approach linking assets and adaptation to extreme temperatures, illustrates the key pathway that individuals, their families and carers, governments, policymakers, researchers and practitioners can follow to ensure effective adaptation and promote health and well-being. Supporting older adults' adaptation to extreme temperatures is possible and can be complemented with efforts to reduce older adults' vulnerability and building resilience to extreme temperatures. These findings pose concrete implications for policy and practice, including for example the need for implementation of measures and actions to reduce poverty, reduce energy costs, improve the quality of the housing stock and improve older adults' social networks., Competing Interests: The author has declared that no competing interests exist.

Many pathological problems are initiated by ultraviolet radiation (UVR), such as skin cancer, the most commonly diagnosed cancer worldwide. The UVA (320-400 nm) and UVB (290-320 nm) wavelengths may cause effects such as photoaging, DNA damage, and a series of cellular alterations. The UVA radiation can damage the DNA, oxidize the lipids, and produce dangerous free radicals, which can cause inflammation, modify the gene expression in response to stress, and weaken the skin immune response. With a minor penetration, the UVB radiation is more harmful, being responsible for immediate damage. Ultraviolet radiation light emitted by the sun is considered necessary for the existence of life but cause radiation problems, especially in the skin. The photoprotective activities of plant extracts and isolated composts were evaluated by many reports, as well as the correlation of these compounds with the antioxidant activity. This review presents plant compounds with interest to the cosmetic industry to be used in sunscreens such as flavonoids and cinnamates.

Microplastic contamination of aquatic environments has become an increasingly alarming problem. These, defined as particles <5 mm, are mostly formed due to the cracking and embrittlement of larger plastic particles. Recent reports show that the increasing presence of microplastics in the environment could have significant deleterious consequences over the health of marine organisms, but also across the food chain. Herein, we have studied the effects of artificial seawater on polyethylene (PE)-based beads by exposing them up to eight weeks to saltwater in stirred batch reactors in the dark and examined the structural and morphological changes these endured. Electron microscopy observations showed that artificial seawater induces severe microcracking of the pellets' surfaces. Additionally, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) analyses evidenced the formation of oxidized groups whenever these particles were exposed to water and an increase in organic matter content of the waters in which the pellets were kept was evidenced by Raman spectroscopy. There were also noticeable consequences in the thermal stability of the polyethylene pellets, as determined by thermogravimetric studies (TGA). Furthermore, the parallel exposure of polyethylene pellets to UV radiation yielded less pronounced effects, thus underscoring its lower preponderance in the degradation of this material. These results highlight the importance of determining the mechanisms of degradation of microplastics in marine settings and what the implications may be for the environment. Overall, the herein presented results show that a relatively short period of time of accelerated exposure can yield quantifiable chemical and physical impacts on the structural and morphological characteristics of PE pellets.

This study explored mathematics teachers' conceptions of the homework feedback focusing on four key aspects: definition, purpose, types, and perceived impact. Forty-seven teachers from elementary and middle schools participated in six focus groups. Data were analyzed using content analysis. To enhance the trustworthiness of findings, classroom observations were used for triangulation of data. Participants conceptualized homework feedback in three directions (i.e., teachers' feedback provided to students, students' feedback provided to teachers, and homework self-feedback), being teachers' monitoring of students' learning the purpose reported by most teachers. Participants also reported the types of homework feedback more frequently used in class (e.g., checking homework completion, checking homework on the board), and their perceived impact on students. Findings provide valuable information to deepen the understanding of the homework feedback process, which may help develop new avenues for future research.

BACKGROUND The genus Flavivirus includes a variety of medically important viruses, including dengue virus (DENV) and Zika virus (ZIKV), which are most prevalent in Brazil. Because the clinical profile of patients affected by different DENV serotypes or ZIKV may be similar, the development of new methods that facilitate a rapid and accurate diagnosis is crucial. OBJECTIVES The current study aimed to develop an improved reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) protocol for universal detection of flaviviruses by using semi-nested primers that discriminate between DENV serotypes and ZIKV. METHODS The bioinformatics workflow adopted for primer design included: (1) alignment of 1,442 flavivirus genome sequences, (2) characterisation of 27 conserved regions, (3) generation of a primer set comprising 77 universal primers, and (4) selection of primer pairs with greatest coverage and specificity. Following primer design, the reaction was validated in vitro. The same approach was applied to the design of primers specific for DENV and ZIKV, using a species-specific sequence database. FINDINGS The new assay amplified an 800-806 nt variable region of the NS5 gene and allowed discrimination of virtually all flavivirus species using reference-sequence comparison. The 800-806 nt fragment was validated as a template for a semi-nested multiplex PCR using five additional primers for the detection of DENV and ZIKV. These primers were designed to generate amplicons of different sizes, allowing differentiation of the four serotypes of DENV, and ZIKV using agarose gel electrophoresis. MAIN CONCLUSIONS The bioinformatics pipeline allowed efficient primer design, making it possible to identify the best targets within the coding region of the NS5 protein. The multiplex system proved effective in differentiation of DENV1-4 and ZIKV on a 2% agarose gel. The possibility of discriminating DENV serotypes and ZIKV in the same reaction provided a faster result consuming less sample. In addition, this simplified approach ensured the reduction of the cost per analysis.

Purpose: This study aimed to analyze prosodic elements of speech segments of students with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) and compare with the control group, using an acoustic analysis., Methods: Speech recordings were performed with a sample of individuals with ASD (n = 19) and with typical development (n = 19) of the male gender, age range: 8-33 years. The prosody questionnaire ALIB (Brazilian Linguistic Atlas) was used as script, which contains interrogative, affirmative and imperative sentences. Data were analyzed using the PRAAT software and forwarded to statistical analysis in order to verify possible significant differences between the two groups studied in each prosodic parameter evaluated (fundamental frequency, intensity and duration) and its respective variables., Results: There were significant differences for the variables tessitura, melodic amplitude of tonic vowel, melodic amplitude of pretonic vowel, maximum intensity, minimum intensity, tonic vowel duration, pretonic vowel duration and phrase duration., Conclusion: Individuals with ASD present significant differences in prosody compared to those with typical development. It is noteworthy, however, the necessity of additional studies on the characterization of prosodic aspects of speech of individuals with ASD with a larger sample and a more restricted age group.

The most widely used technique for the production of DNA aptamers/oligonucleotides is chemical synthesis. Despite its effectiveness, this technique cannot be performed "in house", making the user fully dependent on a supplier. In this work, we present a simplified method by which it is possible to enzymatically produce DNA aptamers "in house". This new method uses the rolling circle replication followed by a unique cleavage step using the SchI endonuclease. Potentially, any oligonucleotide can be produced by the enzymatic method proposed in this study. To illustrate, we present the production of three variations of the 31-TBA aptamer, a single stranded DNA which has anticoagulant action.

Proper response to stress and social stimuli depends on orchestrated development of hypothalamic neuronal circuits. Here we address the effects of the developmental transcription factor orthopedia (Otp) on hypothalamic development and function. We show that developmental mutations in the zebrafish paralogous gene otpa but not otpb affect both stress response and social preference. These behavioral phenotypes were associated with developmental alterations in oxytocinergic (OXT) neurons. Thus, otpa and otpb differentially regulate neuropeptide switching in a newly identified subset of OXT neurons that co-express the corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH). Single-cell analysis revealed that these neurons project mostly to the hindbrain and spinal cord. Ablation of this neuronal subset specifically reduced adult social preference without affecting stress behavior, thereby uncoupling the contribution of a specific OXT cluster to social behavior from the general otpa -/- deficits. Our findings reveal a new role for Otp in controlling developmental neuropeptide balance in a discrete OXT circuit whose disrupted development affects social behavior., Competing Interests: The authors declare that no competing interests exist.

The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development came into force in January 2016 as the central United Nations (UN) platform for achieving 'integrated and indivisible' goals and targets across the three characteristic dimensions of sustainable development: the social, environmental and economic. We argue that, despite the UN adoption of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), a framework for operationalising them in an integrated fashion is lacking. This article puts forth a framework for integrating health and well-being across the SDGs as both preconditions and outcomes of sustainable development. We present a rationale for this approach, and identify the challenges and opportunities for implementing and monitoring such a framework through a series of examples. We encourage other sectors to develop similar integrating frameworks for supporting a more coordinated approach for operationalising the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development., Competing Interests: Competing interests: None declared.

Engaged students tend to show school-committed behaviors (e.g., attend classes, get involved with the learning process), high achievement, and sense of belonging. However, students with disabilities are prone to show a lack of engagement with school due to the specific difficulties they have to handle. In fact, children with disabilities are likely to show poor participation in school when compared with children without disabilities. This poor involvement is related to their low autonomy to participate in the school activities, which, in turn, results in low school engagement. Parents play a crucial role in their children's education. Parental involvement in school activities promotes autonomous behaviors and, consequently, school engagement. In fact, extant literature has shown close relationships between parental involvement, school engagement, and academic performance. Yet, parental involvement in school activities of children with Cerebral Palsy (CP) has received little direct attention from researchers. These children tend to display lower participation due to the motor, or cognitive, impairments that compromise their autonomy, and have a high likelihood to develop learning disabilities, with special incidences in reading and arithmetic. Therefore, our aim is twofold, to understand the parental styles; and how the perceived parental involvement in school activities is related to their children school engagement. Hence, 19 interviews were conducted with one of the parents of 19 children with CP. These interviews explored the school routines of children and the perceived involvement of parents in those routines. Additionally, children filled out a questionnaire on school engagement. Results show that the majority of the parents were clustered in the Autonomy Allowance and Acceptance and Support parental style, and the majority of their children were perceived as autonomous. Moreover, about a half of the children reported a high level of school engagement. Finally, neither children's autonomous behaviors reported by parents, nor parental style, seem to be related with the children's level of school engagement. Rehabilitation centers and schools could consider training parents/caregivers focusing on their educational needs, promotion of reflections on the usefulness of applying autonomy promotion strategies with their child, and foster their involvement.