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Introdução: O uso de ecrãs está cada vez mais presente na vida dos adolescentes, podendo ocasionar aumento dos erros de refração (ER) e consequentemente possíveis alterações posturais. Objetivos: Identificar alterações posturais em adolescentes com erros de refração; investigar a relação entre tempo de ecrãs, atividade física (AF) e estilo de vida, com ER e postura, e comparar diferenças posturais entre sexos e o nível de AF. Material e Métodos: Estudo descritivo, correlacional de carácter transversal. Participaram 12 adolescentes entre 12 e 18 anos de idade de ambos os sexos, submetidos a avaliação postural pelo protocolo SAPO. Foi executada análise descritiva para a caracterização da amostra. Teste t’student para comparar as alterações posturais entre os sexos e o nível de AF e coeficiente de correlação de Spearman para verificar a relação ente tempo de ecrã, AF, estilo de vida, ER e as alterações posturais. Resultados: Foram identificadas alterações posturais nos diferentes ER. A diferença entre os sexos ocorre apenas no ângulo Q do joelho (sexo feminino apresenta valgismo mais acentuado), há correlações significativas entre o alinhamento horizontal da cabeça e tempo de uso de outros ecrãs à exceção do telemóvel. Conclusão: Foi identificada alterações posturais da cabeça, elevação dos acrômios, elevação e anteversão da pelve, inclinação do tronco e desalinhamento dos joelhos nos míopes. Valgismo dos joelhos mais presente no sexo feminino, e relação entre o desalinhamento horizontal da cabeça e tempo de uso de ecrãs.

Enquadramento: Os conhecimentos dos enfermeiros sobre suporte avançado de vida (SAV) implicam não só a aplicação de conhecimentos práticos, mas igualmente a mobilização dos conhecimentos teóricos. Objetivos: Avaliar o nível dos conhecimentos teóricos dos enfermeiros sobre SAV na prática de cuidados à pessoa em situação crítica (PSC) e relacionar o nível dos conhecimentos teóricos dos enfermeiros sobre SAV na prática de cuidados à PSC e as variáveis sociodemográficas, académicas e profissionais dos enfermeiros. Metodologia: Estudo quantitativo, descritivo-correlacional, onde participaram 36 enfermeiros selecionados através de uma técnica de amostragem não probabilística por conveniência. Resultados: Os enfermeiros apresentaram uma percentagem de respostas corretas de 73,53% no questionário aplicado. Evidenciaram-se diferenças estatisticamente significativas entre ser enfermeiro especialista e o conhecimento sobre a administração de fármacos de emergência [amiodarona (t = 4,292; p = 0,038); e atropina (t = 4,912; p = 0,027)] e a monitorização com capnografia (t = 4,788; p = 0,029). Conclusão: Os enfermeiros revelaram bons níveis de conhecimentos teóricos sobre SAV, sugerindo-se uma atualização da formação prática a cada 3 meses.

Objectives: Paternalistic care behavior in health contexts reduces involvement in the decision-making process and dissatisfaction in healthcare, which may negatively influence older adults’ mental health. This study comprised two main objectives: (1) to explore older adults’ experiences of paternalistic behavior in the context of health services and (2) analyze the influence of paternalistic behavior on older adults’ mental health. Methods: The sample involved 416 participants aged 65 to 81 (M = 70.1 ± 5.73) with three different nationalities (English, Brazilian ad Portuguese). All interviews went through content analysis. Results: For the first objective, content analysis identified seven themes: (1) perceived inattention to the uniqueness of each person (81%); (2) feeling a duality of supporting and suppressing independence (79%); (3) selective disclosure of information to keep the person’s spirit up (74%); (4) feeling neglected (66%); (5) feeling unable to make decisions (64%); (6) receiving opposition to the person’s requests (60%); and (7) routine actions being considered as the best action (57%). For the second objective, three main themes emerged: (1) feeling anxious and stressed (88%); (2) feeling frustration and despair (87%); and (3) feeling injustice and anger (72%). Conclusions: Healthcare paternalism negatively affects older adults’ mental health, emphasizing the need for their agency, involvement in decisions, and personalized care. These findings highlight the negative influence of paternalistic behavior on the mental health of older adults and may contribute to future targeted interventions and policy programs among the older population.

Case summary A 2-year-old neutered female feline leukaemia virus (FeLV)-negative domestic shorthair cat was referred with an acute onset of vestibular signs. A clinical examination identified evidence of otitis externa of the right ear and enlargement of the right mandibular lymph node. MRI revealed predominantly T2 and FLAIR hyperintense and contrast-enhancing lesions affecting the right external ear canal, tympanic bulla and nasopharyngeal regions with intracranial extension. Cytology and culture and sensitivity samples collected from the middle ear via myringotomy revealed a population of intermediate to large lymphocytes consistent with lymphoma and mixed Staphylococcus chromogenes and Pasteurella species infection. PCR for antigen receptor rearrangements on the ear cytology was consistent with a B-cell rearrangement. A primary extranodal B-cell lymphoma affecting the tympanic bulla and other sites with secondary septic otitis media and interna was diagnosed. After the improvement of clinical conditions after corticosteroid, antibiotic and chemotherapy treatment, the cat was alive 22 months after diagnosis without recurrence of clinical signs. Relevance and novel information This is the first report of a primary extranodal B-cell lymphoma affecting the tympanic bulla with suspected involvement of the nasopharynx and cranial vault treated with chemotherapy alone in the veterinary literature. Although very rare, B-cell lymphoma should be included in the differentials for diseases affecting the inner and/or middle ear and extending intracranially in cats. Chemotherapy represents a non-invasive treatment modality with a survival of up to 22 months appearing possible.

This paper delves into the issue of recent access to social housing in Portugal, given the escalating challenges in securing adequate housing. The unprecedented public investment within housing raises important considerations. It leads us to question the effectiveness of current housing policies and basic laws in guaranteeing adequate housing and exploring if there an urban attempt to relate the house to the habitat in recent developments on social housing. To address these initial inquiries, we focuses on three specific aspects within the realm of recent social housing programmes: i) housing policies; ii) basic laws; and iii) preliminary programmes for design contests and specifications for rehabilitation contracts. The methodology involves selecting case studies of housing estates in the Lisbon Metropolitan Area, while analysing parameters such: i) location; ii) intervention type iii) number of dwellings and their typologies; iv) dimension of the housing gross construction; and v) relation between the house and the habitat. Preliminary findings underscore advancements in social housing, emphasizing the importance and need not only for the articulation between current housing programmes, policies and basic laws, in order to guarantee adequate housing and habitat, but also the irreplaceable role of the State and the Central Government to define these policies and approach municipalities to execute them.

Multiple blood-borne pathogens infecting mammals establish close interactions with the host vascular endothelium as part of their life cycles. In this work, we investigate differences in the interactions of three Trypanosoma species: T. brucei, T. congolense and T. vivax with the blood vasculature. Infection with these species results in vastly different pathologies, including different effects on vascular homeostasis, such as changes in vascular permeability and microhemorrhages. While all three species are extracellular parasites, T. congolense is strictly intravascular, while T. brucei is capable of surviving both extra- and intravascularly. Our knowledge regarding T. vivax tropism and its capacity of migration across the vascular endothelium is unknown. In this work, we show for the first time that T. vivax parasites sequester to the vascular endothelium of most organs, and that, like T. congolense, T. vivax Y486 is largely incapable of extravasation. Infection with this parasite species results in a unique effect on vascular endothelium receptors including general downregulation of ICAM1 and ESAM, and upregulation of VCAM1, CD36 and E-selectin. Our findings on the differences between the two sequestering species (T. congolense and T. vivax) and the non-sequestering, but extravasating, T. brucei raise important questions on the relevance of sequestration to the parasite’s survival in the mammalian host, and the evolutionary relevance of both sequestration and extravasation.

Semantic similarity between concepts in knowledge graphs is essential for several bioinformatics applications, including the prediction of protein-protein interactions and the discovery of associations between diseases and genes. Although knowledge graphs describe entities in terms of several perspectives (or semantic aspects), state-of-the-art semantic similarity measures are general-purpose. This can represent a challenge since different use cases for the application of semantic similarity may need different similarity perspectives and ultimately depend on expert knowledge for manual fine-tuning. We present a new approach that uses supervised machine learning to tailor aspect-oriented semantic similarity measures to fit a particular view on biological similarity or relatedness. We implement and evaluate it using different combinations of representative semantic similarity measures and machine learning methods with four biological similarity views: protein-protein interaction, protein function similarity, protein sequence similarity and phenotype-based gene similarity. The results demonstrate that our approach outperforms non-supervised methods, producing semantic similarity models that fit different biological perspectives significantly better than the commonly used manual combinations of semantic aspects.

In an unprecedented scenario, much of the research and interventions during the COVID-19 pandemic, which focused on young people, found themselves suspended. (1) Background: The goals of this project were to investigate (Study 1) social participation and positive development among young people in Cascais, Portugal, and to investigate (Study 2-a case study) the implementation of a program promoting active citizenship, social participation, and social entrepreneurship. At the same time, it was intended to constitute a resource and strategy to diminish the social alienation exacerbated by the pandemic. (2) Methods: SPSS v.26 software was used to analyze quantitative data from questionnaires used in the study of social participation, as well as the pre- and post-test impacts, and MAXQDA 2020 software was used to analyze qualitative data from YouTube discussions about youth needs and strategies for their problems, as well as from focus groups. (3) Results: In S1, it was evident that young people’s expectations of participation in the community were not defined and that their expected participation in the community was of a weekly nature. They considered themselves to have a good sense of belonging to the community or group and had reasonable social self-efficacy. Girls showed higher scores in Expectations of Community Participation and Active Participation. In their positive development, they did not have a defined evaluation of their competence, but their connection with others was evaluated as good. Boys showed higher levels of Competence. They said that every week they make 1 h of their day available to help others, and they did not frequently report feelings of social alienation. In S2, the evaluation of the impact of the project generally showed an improvement in the action research skills of the participants. At the end, six projects were proposed. In the analysis of the participants’ voices, the themes related to Substance Use, Social Capital, and Love and Sexuality stood out with higher participation and lower participation in the themes of Diversity, Culture and Housing. (4) Conclusions: The results suggest a need to encourage social participation, active citizenship, and entrepreneurship, along with their knowledge and skills for action. The promotion of debate and knowledge on issues related to young people’s lives seems to be a priority, especially issues related to Diversity, Culture and Housing. The Dream Teens model may prove to be an important strategy in this work, suggesting that this project may constitute a relevant model for future work.

Treatment satisfaction has been found to have good therapeu- tic results in psychotherapy, and the 18-item version of the client satisfaction questionnaire (CSQ-18) is one of the most widely used measures to evaluate it. This study sought to carry out a pilot analysis of the psychometric’s properties and factorial structure, as well as validate the CSQ-18’s applicability to the Portuguese population within the context of routine clinical practice. It also sought to explore the association that treatment satisfaction has with general symptoms, therapeutic alliance, and expectations at an early stage of psychotherapy. The sample comprised 98 clients who were undergoing psychotherapy in a routine practice context. All these clients completed self-reported measures for symptom assessment and therapeutic relationship, namely the clinical out- come routine evaluation-outcome measure, working alliance in- ventory, and credibility/expectancy questionnaire, in addition to the CSQ-18. The semi-confirmatory factorial analysis demon- strated that the CSQ-18 has good psychometric properties and re- vealed an association between treatment satisfaction and therapeutic alliance. The results corroborate the findings of other versions of the measure and present a good adjustment model for the semi-confirmatory factorial analysis.

Climate is arguably one of the most important factors determining the quality of wine from any given grapevine variety. This study focuses on three wine-growing regions in northern Portugal: Vinho Verde, Trás-os-Montes and Douro, the latter coinciding with Porto. High rainfall during late spring (April to June) can promote growth of the vines but increases the risk of fungal disease. High rainfall during harvest time (August to October) also bears the potential for severe operational disruption and heavy economic losses. The probability of unprecedented rainfall totals in spring and the harvest season over wine-growing regions of northern Portugal has been assessed. A large ensemble of initialised climate model simulations is analysed, and the probability of unprecedented rainfall in each season is quantified. Seasonal rainfall totals considerably higher than any observed are possible in the current climate. An unprecedented rainfall event in either season could occur with a probability between 0.01 and 0.05 in the present climate. Extreme value analysis was applied to rainfall totals from observations and the model ensemble, and the return periods of known extreme rainfall events are calculated. Similar probabilities for unprecedented rainfall totals were calculated. A year similar to 1993, when both seasons were exceptionally wet, would be expected to occur, on average, just once in the next 70–80 years in the current climate. These results could inform the requirements for improved vineyard management and resilience, such as design of drainage channels, access roads and terraces.

Climate services are one of the tools that can support the agriculture sector to address the impacts of climate change on agricultural production systems, not only considering climatic aspects but also social needs. This work describes the knowledge co-production journey of the EU-funded project MED-GOLD to create an end-to-end climate service for wine sector users. In this work, co-production is understood as an iterative, interactive and collaborative process among an interdisciplinary group of scientists and users that were engaged, involved, and empowered. The co-production process included activities to raise awareness on the vulnerability of grape and wine production to climate change, exchange knowledge between climate service providers and users, and co-develop customised climate services, such as the MED-GOLD Dashboard. Lessons learned are that repeated interaction between scientists and users allow to better frame research questions, jointly decide how to address these questions, and test the outcomes with feedback from real-world decision-makers. Furthermore, having a user who co-developed the service and helped assess its added value was key to ensure that it could truly inform decision-making needs and to promote its broader uptake by the wine sector community. Although the MED-GOLD Dashboard constitutes the most tangible result of this collaboration, the outcomes of co-production also encompass the joint learning process, the shared sense of ownership, and the co-creation of new knowledge between scientists and stakeholders. Nevertheless, further research will be needed to understand how the knowledge coproduced with a single user can be scaled up to users with other profiles and requirements.

The potential increase in the adoption value of seasonal forecasts is spotlighted in this paper by introducing observation-forecast blending for wine-sector indicators over the Iberian Peninsula. The predictions of six bioclimatic indicators (temperature and precipitation based) considered highly important from the perspective of wine-sector users were prepared for each month of the growing season and combined with previous observations as the indicator period progresses. The performance of this approach was then assessed with Pearson’s correlation coefficient and Fair Ranked Probability Skill Score (FRPSS). The results show a marked increase in the skill metrics during the growing season from the early combinations for all the indicators. This progressive improvement of the forecasting skill offers the users an opportunity to ponder anticipation and confidence in their decisions and, thus, facilitate the future uptake of seasonal forecasting in their decision planning.

Abstract Background Animal African trypanosomiasis, or nagana, is a veterinary disease caused by African trypanosomes transmitted by tsetse flies. In Africa, Trypanosoma congolense is one of the most pathogenic and prevalent causes of nagana in livestock, resulting in high animal morbidity and mortality and extensive production losses. In the tsetse fly, parasites colonise the midgut and eventually reach the mouthparts, from where they can be transmitted as the fly feeds on vertebrate hosts such as cattle. Despite the extreme importance of mouthpart-form parasites for disease transmission, very few global expression profile studies have been conducted in these parasite forms. Methods Here, we collected tsetse flies from the Shimba Hills National Reserve, a wildlife area in southeast Kenya, diagnosed T. congolense infections, and sequenced the transcriptomes of the T. congolense parasites colonising the mouthparts of the flies. Results We found little correlation between mouthpart parasites from natural and experimental fly infections. Furthermore, we performed differential gene expression analysis between mouthpart and bloodstream parasite forms and identified several surface-expressed genes and 152 novel hypothetical proteins differentially expressed in mouthpart parasites. Finally, we profiled variant antigen expression and observed that a variant surface glycoprotein (VSG) transcript belonging to T. congolense phylotype 8 (i.e. TcIL3000.A.H_000381200), previously observed to be enriched in metacyclic transcriptomes, was present in all wild-caught mouthpart samples as well as bloodstream-form parasites, suggestive of constitutive expression. Conclusion Our study provides transcriptomes of trypanosome parasites from naturally infected tsetse flies and suggests that a phylotype 8 VSG gene is constitutively expressed in metacyclic- and bloodstream-form parasites at the population level. Graphical Abstract

Pathogenic microorganisms such as bacteria, viruses, fungi and protozoa have played a central role in the safety of drinking water, since they spread easily in the water network, constituting a health risk for humans and animals. Currently in water treatments, advanced oxidative processes (AOPs) have been increasing in importance in the microbiological disinfection of water. The present study aimed to inactivate C. albicans, a commensal yeast species in Vertebrates that can cause disease, using AOPs. To achieve this objective, a powerful oxidant (hydrogen peroxide) was combined with UV radiation to promote the inactivation of C. albicans. Initially, the inactivation capacity of the H2O2 was assessed and it was verified that the application of 2.5 mM, 5 mM and 10 mM H2O2 reached a cell reduction of 3 log after 180, 360 and 300 min, respectively. Subsequently, the combination with UV-A radiation (λ = 365 nm) proved to be even more promising, as the H2O2 + UV-A system, using the same H2O2 concentrations, reached an inactivation of 3 log after 240, 180 and 60 min, respectively. These results support that UV-A radiation promotes the generation of hydroxyl radicals, which have a comparatively higher oxidation potential (2.8 eV) to the H2O2 (1.8 eV), responsible for the inactivation of C. albicans cells. Thus, the UV-A/H2O2 process can reduce this microorganism in an aqueous matrix, avoiding potential hazards to human and animal health.

The use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in many fields of expertise has increased over recent years. As such, UAVs used for monitoring coastline changes are also becoming more frequent, more practical, and more effective, whether for conducting academic work or for business and administrative activities. This study thus addresses the use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) for monitoring changing coastlines, in particular morphological coastal changes caused by rising sea levels, reductions in sediment load, or changes produced by engineering infrastructure. For this objective, a bibliometric analysis was conducted on the basis of 160 research articles published in the last 20 years, using the Web of Science database. The analysis shows that the countries leading the way in researching coastline changes with UAVs are the United States, France, South Korea, and Spain. In addition, this study provides data on the most influential publications and authors on this topic and on research trends. It further highlights the value addition made by UAVs to monitoring coastline changes.

Abstract Cold-adapted organisms, such as fishes, insects, plants and bacteria produce a group of proteins known as antifreeze proteins (AFPs). The specific functions of AFPs, including thermal hysteresis (TH), ice recrystallization inhibition (IRI), dynamic ice shaping (DIS) and interaction with membranes, attracted significant interest for their incorporation into commercial products. AFPs represent their effects by lowering the water freezing point as well as preventing the growth of ice crystals and recrystallization during frozen storage. The potential of AFPs to modify ice growth results in ice crystal stabilizing over a defined temperature range and inhibiting ice recrystallization, which could minimize drip loss during thawing, improve the quality and increase the shelf-life of frozen products. Most cryopreservation studies using marine-derived AFPs have shown that the addition of AFPs can increase post-thaw viability. Nevertheless, the reduced availability of bulk proteins and the need of biotechnological techniques for industrial production, limit the possible usage in foods. Despite all these drawbacks, relatively small concentrations are enough to show activity, which suggests AFPs as potential food additives in the future. The present work aims to review the results of numerous investigations on marine-derived AFPs and discuss their structure, function, physicochemical properties, purification and potential applications. Graphical Abstract

Este artigo apresenta um recorte da pesquisa de conclusão de curso. Nossos objetivos foram investigar como se dão as práticas pedagógicas de professores/as que atuam na Educação não formal em Escolas Dominicais de Itambé-BA. Para operacionalização levantamos como objetivos específicos: identificar as práticas pedagógicas dos/as professores/as da Educação não formal em Escolas Dominicais; investigar a formação de professores/as da Escola Dominical; e, refletir sobre os possíveis pontos de contribuição da Pedagogia para a Escola Dominical. A contextualização histórica fundamentou a matriz educacional e educativa desses espaços, na discussão teórica, bem como na compreensão da Pedagogia Social, em suas apropriações e práticas. Os métodos utilizados, neste estudo de caso, foram a análise documental, o questionário e a entrevista semiestruturada. Os resultados demonstram que a Escola Dominical tem uma prática pedagógica coerente, com foco no respeito à faixa etária de cada classe, sendo então uma expressão da Pedagogia Social. Nas considerações apontamos que, ao professor da Escola Dominical, não é exigida uma formação na área de Educação, mas é observada a necessidade de treinamento específico, demonstrando que os conhecimentos formativos da Pedagogia podem favorecer a resolução das dificuldades didático-metodológicas encontradas nessas práticas.

Neonatal medicine has shown major advances in the past 50 years and this progress has allowed the increased survival, with less morbidity, of extremely preterm and critically ill neonates. Despite some conditions being unique to the neonatal population, neonatologists often have the need to adapt currently approved therapies from other populations. Certain diseases have such a wide variability in phenotype and response to drug therapy that it has become urgent to understand the underlying sources of variability, including genetics. Precision medicine concerns the application of patient-specific profiles, through the determination and incorporation of genetic data, clinical and environmental factors, to determine individual risks and thus provide the most accurate point-of-care in disease management and prevention. In this review, we discuss the current available knowledge concerning the applicability of precision medicine in different neonatology fields, such as newborn screening, neonatal nutrition, renal injury, hemodynamic assessment, lung pathology, epilepsy and neonatal pharmacology. To this end, the authors conducted a literature search of the PubMed® repositories, mainly using the terms “neonatology”, “individualized medicine”, “precision medicine”, “personalized medicine”, “genomics” and “metabolomics”. This article provides a summarized review of the research that is being conducted in numerous neonatal domains. But how can this new research be integrated in clinical practice? Although some areas are already being used in neonatologists’ daily activity, others, like genomics and metabolomics, seem to be limited to the investigational field. Even though the groundwork in such fields seems promising, its clinical utility and availability are still unknown. Further studies are needed, and the creation of a worldwide database, with the purpose of sharing patient data and outcomes, could be an important step for this evolving science.

Abstract Aim: To compare blood pressure (BP) responses among the different orders of execution of concurrent exercise (CE) sessions in controlled hypertensive older men. Methods: Fifteen older men (64 ± 5 years) participated in three randomized crossover sessions: control session (C), CE in aerobic-resistance order (AR), and resistance-aerobic order (RA). The CE was performed for 1 h, in which 30 min were for the resistance exercise with 5 exercises at 70% of 1RM and 30 min for the aerobic exercise on a treadmill with intensity corresponding to the first ventilatory threshold. Clinical systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP), and mean blood pressure (MBP) were measured at rest and over 2 h and 24 h after the session. For analysis, the Generalized Estimating Equations (GEE) test was used with Bonferroni's complimentary test (α = 0.05). Results: The SBP decreased by 30 min after AR, while after RA we obtained reductions during 1 h after a session concerning rest. Between sessions, we found lower values in both CE compared to the C at 30 min, 45 min, and 90 min. In the RA there was a lower pressure in relation to the C at minute 60. The DBP reduced 30 min after the AR regarding the pre-session, however with no difference between sessions. The MBP was lower in relation to 30 min rest after AR. Among sessions, a pressure drop was observed in the AR compared to the C at 30 min and 45 min. Conclusion: We can conclude that the CE was effective in generating post-exercise hypotension regardless of the order in controlled hypertensive older men.

Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a chronic inflammatory skin disorder that is the result of various environmental, bacterial and genetic stimuli, which culminate in the disruption of the skin’s barrier function. Characterized by highly pruritic skin lesions, xerosis and an array of comorbidities among which skin infections are the most common, this condition results in both a significant loss of quality of life and in the need for life-long treatments (e.g., corticosteroids, monoclonal antibodies and regular antibiotic intake), all of which may have harmful secondary effects. This, in conjunction with AD’s rising prevalence, made the development of alternative treatment strategies the focus of both the scientific community and the pharmaceutical industry. Given their potential to both manage the skin microbiome, fight infections and even modulate the local immune response, the use of antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) from more diverse origins has become one of the most promising alternative solutions for AD management, with some being already used with some success towards this end. However, their production and use also exhibit some limitations. The current work seeks to compile the available information and provide a better understanding of the state of the art in the understanding of AMPs’ true potential in addressing AD.

Nowadays, with consumers’ requirements shifting towards more natural solutions and the advent of nutraceutical-based approaches, new alternatives for obesity management are being developed. This work aimed to show, for the first time, the potential of avocado oil-fortified cheese as a viable foodstuff for obesity management through complex in vitro cellular models. The results showed that oleic and palmitic acids’ permeability through the Caco-2/HT29-MTX membrane peaked at the 2h mark, with the highest apparent permeability being registered for oleic acid (0.14 cm/s). Additionally, the permeated compounds were capable of modulating the metabolism of adipocytes present in the basal compartment, significantly reducing adipokine (leptin) and cytokine (MPC-1, IL-10, and TNF-α) production. The permeates (containing 3.30 µg/mL of palmitic acid and 2.16 µg/mL of oleic acid) also presented an overall anti-inflammatory activity upon Raw 264.7 macrophages, reducing IL-6 and TNF-α secretion. Despite in vivo assays being required, the data showed the potential of a functional dairy product as a valid food matrix to aid in obesity management.

Changes in land use and land cover (LULC) in protected areas can lead to an ecological imbalance in these territories. Temporal monitoring and predictive modeling are valuable tools for making decisions about conserving these areas and planning actions to reduce the pressure caused by activities such as agriculture. This study accordingly developed an LULC analysis framework based on open-source software (QGIS and R language) and predictive methodology using artificial neural networks in the Alvão Natural Park (PNA), a protected area in northern Portugal. The results show that in 2041, Agriculture and Open Space/Non-vegetation classes will evidence the greatest decrease, while Forest and Bushes will have expanded the most. Spatially, the areas to the west and northeast of the protected area will experience the most significant changes. The relationship of land use classes with data from the climate model HadGEM3-GC31-LL (CMIP6) utilizing scenarios RCP 4.5 and 8.5 demonstrates how through the period 2041–2060 there is a tendency for increased precipitation, which when combined with the dynamics of a retraction in classes such as agriculture, favors the advancement of natural classes such as bushes and forest; however, the subsequent climate data period (2061–2080) projects a decrease in precipitation volumes and an increase in the minimum and maximum temperatures, defining a new pattern with an extension of the period of drought and precipitation being concentrated in a short period of the year, which may result in a greater recurrence of extreme events, such as prolonged droughts that result in water shortages and fires.

Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are a common public health problem, mainly caused by uropathogenic Escherichia coli (UPEC). Patients with chronic UTIs are usually treated with long-acting prophylactic antibiotics, which promotes the development of antibiotic-resistant UPEC strains and may complicate their long-term management. D-mannose and extracts rich in D-mannose such as mannan oligosaccharides (MOS; D-mannose oligomers) are promising alternatives to antibiotic prophylaxis due to their ability to inhibit bacterial adhesion to urothelial cells and, therefore, infection. This highlights the therapeutic potential and commercial value of using them as health supplements. Studies on the effect of MOS in UTIs are, however, scarce. Aiming to evaluate the potential benefits of using MOS extracts in UTIs prophylaxis, their ability to inhibit the adhesion of UPEC to urothelial cells and its mechanism of action were assessed. Additionally, the expression levels of the pro-inflammatory marker interleukin 6 (IL-6) were also evaluated. After characterizing their cytotoxic profiles, the preliminary results indicated that MOS extracts have potential to be used for the handling of UTIs and demonstrated that the mechanism through which they inhibit bacterial adhesion is through the competitive inhibition of FimH adhesins through the action of mannose, validated by a bacterial growth impact assessment.

Acorns, frequently left uncollected in the fields, have been a part of the traditional medicine of different cultures. Among the different properties associated with them, their antimicrobial potential is of particular importance. However, this characterization has long been superficial and has not ventured into other topics such as biofilm inhibition. Thus, the current work aimed to characterize the antimicrobial and antibiofilm potential of an array of phenolic rich extracts attained from acorns, two different acorn varieties Q. ilex and Q. suber, considering the fruit and shell separately, fresh and after heat-treating the acorns to aid in the shelling process. To accomplish this, the extracts’ capacity to inhibit an array of different microorganisms was evaluated, the minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) was determined, time-death curves were drawn whenever an MBC was found and the antibiofilm potential of the most effective extracts was drawn. The overall results showed that Gram-positive microorganisms were the most susceptible out of all the microorganisms tested, with the shell extracts being the most effective overall, exhibiting bactericidal effect against S. aureus, B. cereus and L. monocytogenes as well as being capable of inhibiting biofilm formation via the two S. aureus strains. The attained results demonstrated that acorn extracts, particularly shell extracts, pose an interesting antimicrobial activity which could be exploited in an array of food, cosmetic and pharmaceutical applications.

Este estudo analisa o nível deliteracia digitalem saúde na população adulta portuguesa. Foi aplicado o questionário Digital Health Literacy (DHL) a uma amostra de 306 indivíduos. O instrumento está adaptado ao contexto pandémico atualeas dimensões estudadas são: pesquisa de informação, inclusão de conteúdo próprio, avaliação da fiabilidade e determinação da relevância informativa. O nível de literacia foi considerado suficiente e concluise que esta é influenciada pelas habilitações académicas (p=0,013). Situação antagónica aconteceu com a idade (p=0326), o sexo (p=0,102), estatuto social (p=0,230) e formação na área da saúde (p=0,147), cujas relações não apresentaram resultados estatisticamente significativos.

Trypanosoma congolense causes a syndrome of variable severity in animals in Africa. Cerebral trypanosomiasis is a severe form, but the mechanism underlying this severity remains unknown. We developed a mouse model of acute cerebral trypanosomiasis and characterized the cellular, behavioral, and physiological consequences of this infection. We show large parasite sequestration in the brain vasculature for long periods of time (up to 8 hr) and extensive neuropathology that associate with ICAM1-mediated recruitment and accumulation of T cells in the brain parenchyma. Antibody-mediated ICAM1 blocking and lymphocyte absence reduce parasite sequestration in the brain and prevent the onset of cerebral trypanosomiasis. Here, we establish a mouse model of acute cerebral trypanosomiasis and we propose a mechanism whereby parasite sequestration, host ICAM1, and CD4+ T cells play a pivotal role.

Introdução – As lentes ICL (Implantable Collamer Lens) são uma alternativa aos procedimentos refrativos mais convencionais. O seu implante pode desencadear complicações, que podem ser minimizadas se forem efetuadas medições pré e pós-operatórias fiáveis. O objetivo deste estudo é analisar a variabilidade interoperador das medições pré e pós-operatórias, utilizando imagens obtidas através de tomografia de coerência ótica do segmento anterior. Métodos – Utilizando o equipamento SD-OCT Spectralis®, dois ortoptistas mediram o diâmetro inter esporão escleral, o diâmetro pupilar e o vault, em 60 imagens de 30 olhos implantados com lentes ICL. Para a análise estatística foram utilizadas estatísticas descritivas, o teste t para o valor médio para amostras independentes, tendo-se ainda calculado o coeficiente de correlação intraclasse. Foram ainda construídos gráficos de dispersão de Bland-Altman Plot. Resultados – Avaliando o coeficiente de correlação intraclasse, todas as medições em estudo apresentaram uma concordância excelente entre os dois operadores. No teste t observaram-se diferenças estatisticamente significativas entre os dois operadores, apenas para as medições do vault, com possível impacto clínico. Quanto às medidas de diâmetro inter esporão escleral, apesar da ausência de diferenças estatisticamente significativas, existiram algumas diferenças com significância clínica que devem ser corrigidas no futuro. Conclusões – Diferenças de medição interoperador devem ser avaliadas estatisticamente, mas também clinicamente, pois apesar da ausência de diferenças estatisticamente significativas o seu impacto clínico deve ser avaliado, ponderado e, quando necessário, corrigido.

In the age of big data an important question is how to ensure we make the most out of the resources we generate. In this review, we discuss the major methods used in Apicomplexan and Kinetoplastid research to produce big datasets and advance our understanding of Plasmodium, Toxoplasma, Cryptosporidium, Trypanosoma and Leishmania biology. We debate the benefits and limitations of the current technologies, and propose future advancements that may be key to improving our use of these techniques. Finally, we consider the difficulties the field faces when trying to make the most of the abundance of data that has already been, and will continue to be, generated.

Carboxymethyl cellulose use in industry is ubiquitous. Though it is recognized as safe by the EFSA and FDA, newer works have raised concerns related to its safety, as in vivo studies showed evidence of gut dysbiosis associated with CMC’s presence. Herein lies the question, is CMC a gut pro-inflammatory compound? As no work addressed this question, we sought to understand whether CMC was pro-inflammatory through the immunomodulation of GI tract epithelial cells. The results showed that while CMC was not cytotoxic up to 25 mg/mL towards Caco-2, HT29-MTX and Hep G2 cells, it had an overall pro-inflammatory behavior. In a Caco-2 monolayer, CMC by itself increased IL-6, IL-8 and TNF-α secretion, with the latter increasing by 1924%, and with these increases being 9.7 times superior to the one obtained for the IL-1β pro-inflammation control. In co-culture models, an increase in secretion in the apical side, particularly for IL-6 (692% increase), was observed, and when RAW 264.7 was added, data showed a more complex scenario as stimulation of pro-inflammatory (IL-6, MCP-1 and TNF-α) and anti-inflammatory (IL-10 and IFN-β) cytokines in the basal side was observed. Considering these results, CMC may exert a pro-inflammatory effect in the intestinal lumen, and despite more studies being required, the incorporation of CMC in foodstuffs must be carefully considered in the future to minimize potential GI tract dysbiosis.

Several studies have supported the positive functional health effects of both prebiotics and probiotics on gut microbiota. Among these, the selective growth of beneficial bacteria due to the use of prebiotics and bioactive compounds as an energy and carbon source is critical to promote the development of healthy microbiota within the human gut. The present work aimed to assess the fermentability of tomato flour obtained after ohmic (SFOH) and conventional (SFCONV) extraction of phenolic compounds and carotenoids as well as their potential impact upon specific microbiota groups. To accomplish this, the attained bagasse flour was submitted to an in vitro simulation of gastrointestinal digestion before its potential fermentability and impact upon gut microbiota (using an in vitro fecal fermentation model). Different impacts on the probiotic strains studied were observed for SFCONV promoting the B. animalis growth, while SFOH promoted the B. longum, probably based on the different carbohydrate profiles of the flours. Overall, the flours used were capable of functioning as a direct substrate to support potential prebiotic growth for Bifidus longum. The fecal fermentation model results showed the highest Bacteroidetes growth with SFOH and the highest values of Bacteroides with SFCONV. A correlation between microorganisms’ growth and short-chain fatty acids was also found. This by-product seems to promote beneficial effects on microbiota flora and could be a potential prebiotic ingredient, although more extensive in vivo trials would be necessary to confirm this.

The production of postbiotics for food applications has been growing in recent years owing to their biological potential and superior technological performance over probiotics. Their production involves the use of synthetic culture media, and in this work, we propose using sugarcane straw as a source of sugar and biological components and a sustainable alternative. Thus, this by-product was used as a substrate to produce a postbiotic extract using Saccharomyces cerevisiae as a fermentative microorganism. Sugarcane straw underwent a precedent saccharification step to release the fermentable sugars. The final extracts were characterized for their total content of sugars, phenolic compounds, organic acids, and their respective chromatographic profiles. Seventeen different polyphenols were identified with the predominance of three classes, the hydroxybenzoic acids, hydroxycinnamic acids, and flavonoids, where ferulic acid, 3,4-dihydroxybenzaldehyde, and 2,5-dihydroxybenzoic acid were most prevalent. The current work evaluated the potential use of this postbiotic extract for food applications, its antioxidant activity, gut microbiota modulatory effect, and intestinal anti-inflammatory potential. The resultant extracts showed considerable antioxidant activity and the ability to lower the pro-inflammatory mediators (i.e., interleukin 6, 8, and tumor necrosis factor-alpha) in Caco-2 cells. During the fecal fermentability assay, no modulatory effect was observed on the main beneficial bacteria, such as Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium. Nevertheless, a significant increase in short-chain fatty acids, namely, acetate, propionate, butyrate, and valerate was observed. Moreover, the extract also demonstrated capacity to inhibit the proliferation of putrefactive bacteria such as Enterobacteriaceae. Finally, sustainable postbiotic extracts produced by S. cerevisiae fermentation using sugarcane straw as a substrate exhibited relevant biological properties with potential use as food and nutraceutical ingredients.

Abstract Background Vestibular dysfunction is relatively common in dogs, with a prevalence of 0.08% reported in primary veterinary care in the UK. There are several studies investigating how to differentiate between peripheral and central vestibular disease but only limited information regarding the possible underlying causes for peripheral vestibular dysfunction in dogs. This study therefore aimed to describe the clinical signs, magnetic resonance imaging findings (MRI), underlying causes and outcome in a large population of dogs diagnosed with peripheral vestibular disease. Results One hundred eighty-eight patients were included in the study with a median age of 6.9 years (range 3 months to 14.6 years). Neurological abnormalities included head tilt (n = 185), ataxia (n = 123), facial paralysis (n = 103), nystagmus (n = 97), positional strabismus (n = 93) and Horner syndrome (n = 7). The most prevalent diagnosis was idiopathic vestibular disease (n = 128), followed by otitis media and/or interna (n = 49), hypothyroidism (n = 7), suspected congenital vestibular disease (n = 2), neoplasia (n = 1) and cholesteatoma (n = 1). Long-term follow-up revealed persistence of head tilt (n = 50), facial paresis (n = 41) and ataxia (n = 6) in some cases. Recurrence of clinical signs was observed in 26 dogs. Increasing age was associated with a mild increased chance of diagnosis of idiopathic vestibular syndrome rather than otitis media and/or interna (P = 0.022, OR = 0.866; CI 0.765–0.980). History of previous vestibular episodes (P = 0.017, OR = 3.533; CI 1.251–9.981) was associated with an increased likelihood of resolution of the clinical signs whilst contrast enhancement of cranial nerves VII and/or VIII on MRI (P = 0.018, OR = 0.432; CI 0.251–0.868) was associated with a decreased chance of resolution of the clinical signs. Conclusions Idiopathic vestibular disease is the most common cause of peripheral vestibular dysfunction in dogs and it is associated with advanced age. Incomplete recovery from peripheral vestibular disease is common, especially in dogs presenting with cranial nerve enhancement on MRI but less so if there is previous history of vestibular episodes.

Trypanosoma rely on variant surface glycoprotein (VSG) to escape host immunity, but mechanisms generating antigenic diversity of VSG are poorly understood. Here, Silva-Pereira et al. show that T. vivax has a limited antigenic repertoire compared to T. brucei and that recombination plays little role in diversifying T. vivax VSG sequences.

Abstract Background In recent years, biomedical ontologies have become important for describing existing biological knowledge in the form of knowledge graphs. Data mining approaches that work with knowledge graphs have been proposed, but they are based on vector representations that do not capture the full underlying semantics. An alternative is to use machine learning approaches that explore semantic similarity. However, since ontologies can model multiple perspectives, semantic similarity computations for a given learning task need to be fine-tuned to account for this. Obtaining the best combination of semantic similarity aspects for each learning task is not trivial and typically depends on expert knowledge. Results We have developed a novel approach, evoKGsim, that applies Genetic Programming over a set of semantic similarity features, each based on a semantic aspect of the data, to obtain the best combination for a given supervised learning task. The approach was evaluated on several benchmark datasets for protein-protein interaction prediction using the Gene Ontology as the knowledge graph to support semantic similarity, and it outperformed competing strategies, including manually selected combinations of semantic aspects emulating expert knowledge. evoKGsim was also able to learn species-agnostic models with different combinations of species for training and testing, effectively addressing the limitations of predicting protein-protein interactions for species with fewer known interactions. Conclusions evoKGsim can overcome one of the limitations in knowledge graph-based semantic similarity applications: the need to expertly select which aspects should be taken into account for a given application. Applying this methodology to protein-protein interaction prediction proved successful, paving the way to broader applications.

Fitness landscapes are a useful concept for studying the dynamics of meta-heuristics. In the last two decades, they have been successfully used for estimating the optimization capabilities of different flavors of evolutionary algorithms, including genetic algorithms and genetic programming. However, so far they have not been used for studying the performance of machine learning algorithms on unseen data, and they have not been applied to studying neuroevolution landscapes. This paper fills these gaps by applying fitness landscapes to neuroevolution, and using this concept to infer useful information about the learning and generalization ability of the machine learning method. For this task, we use a grammar-based approach to generate convolutional neural networks, and we study the dynamics of three different mutations used to evolve them. To characterize fitness landscapes, we study autocorrelation, entropic measure of ruggedness, and fitness clouds. Also, we propose the use of two additional evaluation measures: density clouds and overfitting measure. The results show that these measures are appropriate for estimating both the learning and the generalization ability of the considered neuroevolution configurations.

Blueberry extracts have been widely recognized as possessing antimicrobial activity against several potential pathogens. However, the contextualization of the interaction of these extracts with beneficial bacteria (i.e., probiotics), particularly when considering the food applications of these products, may be of importance, not only because their presence is important in the regular gut microbiota, but also because they are important constituents of regular and functional foodstuffs. Therefore, the present work first sought to demonstrate the inhibitory effect of a blueberry extract upon four potential food pathogens and, after identifying the active concentrations, evaluated their impact upon the growth and metabolic activity (organic acid production and sugar consumption) of five potential probiotic microorganisms. Results showed that the extract, at a concentration that inhibited L. monocytogenes, B. cereus, E. coli and S. enteritidis (1000 μg mL−1), had no inhibitory effect on the growth of the potential probiotic stains used. However, the results demonstrated, for the first time, that the extract had a significant impact on the metabolic activity of all probiotic strains, resulting in higher amounts of organic acid production (acetic, citric and lactic acids) and an earlier production of propionic acid.

Ionic gelation is among the simplest processes for the development of chitosan nanoparticles reported so far in the literature. Its one-shot synthesis process in conjunction with the mild reaction conditions required are among the main causes for its success. In this work, we sought to optimize a set of physical parameters associated with the ionic gelation process at two different pH values. Following that, the NPs’ freeze-drying and long-term storage stability were assayed, and their biocompatibility with HaCat cells was evaluated. The results show that NPs were more homogenously produced at pH 5, and that at this pH value, it was possible to obtain a set of optimum production conditions. Furthermore, of the assayed parameters, TPP addition time and overall reaction time were the parameters which had a significant impact on the produced NPs. Nanoparticle freeze-drying led to particle aggregation, and, of the cryoprotectants, assayed mannitol at 10% (w/v) presented the best performance, as the NPs were stable to freeze-drying and maintained their size and charge in the long-term stability assay. Lastly, the chitosan NPs presented no toxicity towards the HaCat cell line.

Spent yeast waste streams are a byproduct obtained from fermentation process and have been shown to be a rich secondary source of bioactive compounds such as phenolic compounds and peptides. The latter are of particular interest for skin care and cosmetics as they have been shown to be safe and hypoallergenic while simultaneously being able to exert various effects upon the epidermis modulating immune response and targeting skin metabolites, such as collagen production. As the potential of spent yeast’s peptides has been mainly explored for food-related applications, this work sought to understand if peptide fractions previously extracted from fermentation engineered spent yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) waste streams possess biological potential for skin-related applications. To that end, cytotoxic effects on HaCat and HDFa cells and whether they were capable of exerting a positive effect upon the production of skin metabolites relevant for skin health, such as collagen, hyaluronic acid, fibronectin and elastin, were evaluated. The results showed that the peptide fractions assayed were not cytotoxic up to the highest concentration tested (500 µg/mL) for both cell lines tested. Furthermore, all peptide fractions showed a capacity to modulate the various target metabolites production with an overall positive effect being observed for the four fractions over the six selected targets (pro-collagen IαI, hyaluronic acid, fibronectin, cytokeratin-14, elastin, and aquaporin-9). Concerning the evaluated fractions, the overall best performance (Gpep > 1 kDa) was of an average promotion of 41.25% over the six metabolites and two cell lines assessed at a concentration of 100 µg/mL. These results showed that the peptide fractions assayed in this work have potential for future applications in skin-related products at relatively low concentrations, thus providing an alternative solution for one of the fermentation industry’s waste streams and creating a novel and highly valuable bioactive ingredient with encompassing activity to be applied in future skin care formulations.

Cannabidiol (CBD) and cannabigerol (CBG) are two pharmacologically active phytocannabinoids of Cannabis sativa L. Their antimicrobial activity needs further elucidation, particularly for CBG, as reports on this cannabinoid are scarce. We investigated CBD and CBG’s antimicrobial potential, including their ability to inhibit the formation and cause the removal of biofilms. Our results demonstrate that both molecules present activity against planktonic bacteria and biofilms, with both cannabinoids removing mature biofilms at concentrations below the determined minimum inhibitory concentrations. We report for the first time minimum inhibitory and lethal concentrations for Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Escherichia coli (ranging from 400 to 3180 µM), as well as the ability of cannabinoids to inhibit Staphylococci adhesion to keratinocytes, with CBG demonstrating higher activity than CBD. The value of these molecules as preservative ingredients for cosmetics was also assayed, with CBG meeting the USP 51 challenge test criteria for antimicrobial effectiveness. Further, the exact formulation showed no negative impact on skin microbiota. Our results suggest that phytocannabinoids can be promising topical antimicrobial agents when searching for novel therapeutic candidates for different skin conditions. Additional research is needed to clarify phytocannabinoids’ mechanisms of action, aiming to develop practical applications in dermatological use.

Abstract Background Despite the advance in studies addressing the use of crack cocaine, knowledge about the characteristics of users that seek treatment in the different modalities of care for substance use disorders is important to plan the operationalization of these services. Objective To analyze the prevalence and factors associated with the use of crack cocaine in outpatients. Method Cross-sectional study consisting in the analysis of the medical records of outpatients of a chemical dependency clinic located in the south of Brazil from 1999 to 2015. The Fisher’s exact test and the Poisson regression model were used to analyze the data. Results Medical records from 1,253 patients were analyzed, and 1,196 (95.5%) of them contained information on the use of crack cocaine. Use of this substance was reported by 47% (95% CI [44, 50]) of the outpatients. The risk group was composed of adults aged 20-39 years, with no income, who had three or more children, did not consume alcohol or marijuana, had continuous family assistance, spontaneously looked for the service, and had already been hospitalized or assisted at a therapeutic community or psychosocial center. Conclusion There is great demand for the outpatient care of crack cocaine users. It is crucial that the risk factors guide treatment planning.

Protected areas (PA) play an important role in minimizing the effects of soil erosion in watersheds. This study evaluated the performance of machine learning models, specifically support vector machine with linear kernel (SVMLinear), support vector machine with polynomial kernel (SVMPoly), and random forest (RF), on identifying indicators of soil erosion in 761 sub-watersheds and PA in northern Portugal, by using soil erosion by water in Europe, according to the revised universal soil loss equation (RUSLE2015), as target variable. The parameters analyzed were: soil erosion by water in Europe according to the revised universal soil loss equation (RUSLE2015), total burned area of the sub-watershed in the period of 1975-2020, fire recurrence, topographic wetness index (TWI), and the morphometric factors, namely area (A), perimeter (P), length (L), width (W), orientation (O), elongation ratio (Re), circularity ratio (Rc), compactness coefficient (Cc), form factor (Ff), shape factor (Sf), DEM, slope, and curvature. The median coefficient of determination (R2) for each model was RF (0.61), SVMpoly (0.68), and SVMLinear (0.54). Regarding the analyzed parameters, those that registered the greatest importance were A, P, L, W, curvature, and burned area, indicating that an analysis which considers morphometric factors, together with soil erosion data affected by water and soil moisture, is an important indicator in the analysis of soil erosion in watersheds.

Traditionally synthetic textile dyes are hazardous and toxic compounds devoid of any biological activity. As nanoencapsulation of yellow everzol textile dye with chitosan has been shown to produce biocompatible nanoparticles which were still capable of dyeing textiles, this work aims to further characterize the biocompatibility of yellow everzol nanoparticles (NPs) and to ascertain if the produced nanoencapsulated dyes possess any biological activity against various skin pathogens in vitro assays and in a cell infection model. The results showed that the NPs had no deleterious effects on the HaCat cells’ metabolism and cell wall, contrary to the high toxicity of the dye. The biological activity evaluation showed that NPs had a significant antimicrobial activity, with low MICs (0.5–2 mg/mL) and MBCs (1–3 mg/mL) being registered. Additionally, NPs inhibited biofilm formation of all tested microorganisms (inhibitions between 30 and 87%) and biofilm quorum sensing. Lastly, the dye NPs were effective in managing MRSA infection of HaCat cells as they significantly reduced intracellular and extracellular bacterial counts.

There is an increase in the popularity of craft beer, which is produced by small, independent, and traditional breweries. Since craft beer popularity is rising in Portugal this research focused on assessing physicochemical parameters, total phenolic content (TPC) and the antioxidant capacity of Portuguese craft beers and raw materials used in beer production. In this experimental study, 19 beer samples were analyzed. Parameters such as pH, Total Acidity, Reducing Sugar Content and TPC were evaluated. For the determination of antioxidant activity, DPPH scavenging activity and metal chelating activity (MCA) were analyzed in all samples. Craft beers demonstrated a high phenolic content (ranging from 343.78 mg GAE/L to 2172.49 mg GAE/L), significantly different from industrial beers. Craft beers demonstrated a higher inhibition of DPPH radicals and higher MCA than the raw materials. DPPH inhibition ranged from 36.5% to 96.0% for malt and 64.7% to 79.6% in hops samples. MCA also varied between the different samples, with results of 12.0% to 24.8% in malt samples and 3.8% to 23.5% in hops. Raw materials can potentially influence the antioxidant activity of the resulting beer. Positive correlations between TPC and physicochemical properties can be useful to help consumers choose beers with added value for health.

In recent years bioactive textiles have risen to the forefront of consumers perception due to their potential protection against virus, fungi and bacteria. However, traditional textile staining is an eco-damaging process that and current methods of textile functionalization are expensive, complicated and with great environmental impact. With that in mind, this work sought to show a possible solution for this problematic through the usage of a novel one step textile dyeing and functionalization method based upon nanoencapsulated textile dyes (NTDs). To do so navy blue everzol NTDs were produced with chitosan, cotton dyed, characterized through FTIR and SEM and biological potential evaluated through biocompatibility screening and antimicrobial activity against skin pathogens. The data obtained showed that NTDs effectively dyed the target textile through a coating of the cotton fibre and that NTDs formed hydrogen bonds with the cellulose fibre via electrostatic interactions of the chitosan amino groups with cotton sulphate groups. From a biocompatibility perspective NTDs dyed cotton had no deleterious effects upon a skin cell line, as it promoted cellular metabolism of HaCat cells, while traditionally died cotton reduced it by 10%. Last but not least, NTDs dyed cotton showed significant antimicrobial activity as it reduced viable counts of MRSA, MSSA and A. baumannii between 1 and 2 log of CFU while traditional dyed cotton had no antimicrobial activity. Considering these results the novel method proposed shows is a viable and ecological alternative for the development of antimicrobial textiles with potential biomedical applications.