Publications by authors named "Diana Rocha"

Understanding interactions within and between species is crucial to ecological research. However, for cetaceans such interactions can be difficult to observe in the field. Photographs offer an opportunity to study intra- and inter-specific interactions, by capturing 'snapshots' of their occurrence over space and time.

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Introduction: Venous thromboembolism (VTE) includes pulmonary embolism (PE), deep vein thrombosis (DVT) in lower limbs, and thrombosis in rare locations. VTE is a common cardiovascular disease, being the leading preventable cause of in-hospital death. Both surgical and acute medical patients have an elevated risk of developing VTE.

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Spontaneous pneumomediastinum is a rare medical condition characterized by the presence of free air in the mediastinum, not preceded by trauma, surgery, or another medical procedure. It predominantly affects young adult males and usually has a benign course, and in most cases, it is not possible to identify the precipitating factor. There are some conditions that predispose to its occurrence, namely those that lead to an increase in intrapleural pressure, such as coughing, vomiting, or vigorous exercise.

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Caustic self-poisoning is a major health hazard, which affects any age, but is particularly serious among the elderly. Household bleach is a caustic that contains 3% to 6% sodium hypochlorite solution, one of the most common agents in unintentional caustic poisoning. In this clinical case, we present a household bleach self-poisoning by an older man with no relevant medical history.

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A collaborative project in different areas of Spain and Portugal was designed to find out the variables that influence the mortality after discharge and develop a prognostic model adapted to the current healthcare needs of chronic patients in an internal medicine ward. Inclusion criteria were being admitted to an Internal Medicine department and at least one chronic disease. Patients' physical dependence was measured through Barthel index (BI).

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Article Synopsis
  • - The study compares three methods of measuring adherence to asthma inhalers: an asthma app, patient self-report, and physician assessment, focusing on the importance of understanding both patient and physician perspectives in clinical practice for better shared decision-making.
  • - Conducted with 193 patients in Portugal, the results showed that app-based adherence (31% for 1 week, 18% for 1 month) was significantly lower than self-reported adherence (80%) and physician assessments (82%).
  • - The findings indicate a weak correlation between app measurements and subjective assessments, while a moderate correlation exists between patient self-reports and physician evaluations, suggesting that the app may not fully capture adherence levels.
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Aiming to reduce the toxicity and operational costs often associated to chemical processes, the enzymatic synthesis is applied herein as a sustainable route for producing polyesters. The use of NADES' (Natural Deep Eutectic Solvents) components as a source of monomers for the synthesis of polymers through lipase-catalyzed esterification in an anhydrous medium is detailed for the first time. Three NADES composed by glycerol and an organic base, or acid, were used to produce polyesters, through polymerization reactions catalyzed by Aspergillus oryzae lipase.

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Silver (Ag) production in Hispanic America between the 16th and 19th centuries is thought to be one of the largest sources of anthropogenic mercury (Hg) emissions in history. Recent reviews of the chemistry behind the patio process, which used Hg amalgamation to extract Ag from ore, reveal that a large amount of the Hg may not have been immediately released to the atmosphere; instead, it may have been captured in the form of calomel (HgCl, in which Hg exists as monovalent Hg) and remained in the local environment. Here we show that Hg used in the patio process centuries ago in the Guanajuato Mining District of Mexico continues to elevate present-day concentrations of gaseous elemental mercury (GEM) throughout the region.

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With the availability of commercial Natural cements (NC) for the conservation purposes raises a fundamental question about the compatibility between historic and repair mortars. The properties of Natural cements are dependent on the geological location of the raw material extraction and also on the production parameters, both having an impact on the final properties of the mortars produced from each distinct. Therefore, the significance of preservation of 19th and 20th century heritage and selection of the proper binder compatible with the original materials necessitate the study of existing NCs, that nowadays are produced by several manufacturers.

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The high distribution of CB receptors in immune cells suggests their important role in the control of inflammation. Growing evidence offers this receptor as an attractive therapeutic target: selective CB agonists are able to modulate inflammation without triggering psychotropic effects. In this work, we report a new series of selective CB agonists based on a benzo[d]thiazol-2(3H)-one scaffold.

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Streptomyces species are a wide and diverse source of many therapeutic agents (antimicrobials, antineoplastic and antioxidants, to name a few) and represent an important source of compounds with potential applications in medicine. The effect of nitrogen, phosphate and carbon on the production of secondary metabolites has long been observed, but it was not until recently that the molecular mechanisms on which these effects rely were ascertained. In addition to the specific macronutrient regulatory mechanisms, there is a complex network of interactions between these mechanisms influencing secondary metabolism.

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Bacterial conjugation is a powerful tool used for DNA transfer from Escherichia coli into various bacteria including streptomycetes. In this methodology, spores are usually employed as recipient cells of the genetic information. However, some industrially important Streptomyces do not produce spores making difficult their genetic manipulation.

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One of the most significant control mechanisms of the physiological processes in the genus Streptomyces is carbon catabolite repression (CCR). This mechanism controls the expression of genes involved in the uptake and utilization of alternative carbon sources in Streptomyces and is mostly independent of the phosphoenolpyruvate phosphotransferase system (PTS). CCR also affects morphological differentiation and the synthesis of secondary metabolites, although not all secondary metabolite genes are equally sensitive to the control by the carbon source.

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Background: In the genus Streptomyces, one of the most remarkable control mechanisms of physiological processes is carbon catabolite repression (CCR). This mechanism regulates the expression of genes involved in the uptake and utilization of alternative carbon sources. CCR also affects the synthesis of secondary metabolites and morphological differentiation.

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Article Synopsis
  • The sco2127 gene in Streptomyces coelicolor plays a role in restoring sensitivity to carbon catabolite repression (CCR) in certain mutants of Streptomyces peucetius resistant to 2-deoxyglucose.
  • Overexpression and purification of SCO2127 led to the identification of two interacting proteins, SCO5113 (a lipoprotein ABC-type permease) and SCO2582 (a putative membrane metalloendopeptidase).
  • The presence of elevated glucose concentrations affected mycelium differentiation, suggesting SCO2127 is crucial for CCR and possibly interacts with BldKB in this process.
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Article Synopsis
  • Antibiotics, which are crucial for human health but not essential for the growth of their producing organisms, are formed during the late growth phase of microorganisms and have complex structures influenced by biochemical pathways.
  • The carbon source, particularly glucose and carbohydrates, significantly impacts antibiotic production, often interfering as microbes prioritize the use of preferred carbon sources.
  • Recent advancements in understanding carbon source regulation, especially in the genus Streptomyces, have led to improved fermentation conditions and strain enhancements to boost antibiotic production.
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Article Synopsis
  • Microbial secondary metabolites are important compounds produced by microorganisms that impact human health, including antibiotics and antitumor agents, and are not essential for the microorganisms' growth.
  • Their production typically occurs during the late growth phase of microbes and can be influenced by the type and concentration of nutrients in the culture media, particularly carbon sources.
  • Recent advances in understanding the biochemical and molecular mechanisms behind the production of these metabolites, especially in the genus Streptomyces, have significant implications for improving fermentation conditions and strain development.
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It has been found that S-allylcysteine (SAC), a garlic-derived compound, has in vivo and in vitro antioxidant properties. In addition, it is known that SAC is able to scavenge different reactive oxygen or nitrogen species including superoxide anion (O(2)(-)), hydrogen peroxide (H(2)O(2)), hydroxyl radical (OH()), and peroxynitrite anion (ONOO(-)) although the IC(5O) values for each reactive species has not been calculated and the potential ability of SAC to scavenge singlet oxygen ((1)O(2)) and hypochlorous acid (HOCl) has not been explored. The purposes of this work was (a) to explore the potential ability of SAC to scavenge (1)O(2) and HOCl, (b) to further characterize the O(2)(-), H(2)O(2), OH(), and ONOO(-) scavenging ability of SAC by measuring the IC(50) values using in vitro assays, and (c) to explore the potential ability of SAC to ameliorate the potassium dichromate (K(2)Cr(2)O(7))-induced cytotoxicity in LLC-PK1 cells in which oxidative stress is involved.

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The antioxidant nordihydroguaiaretic acid (NDGA) has recently become well known as a putative anticancer drug. In this paper, it was evaluated the in vitro peroxynitrite (ONOO(-)), singlet oxygen ((1)O(2)), hydroxyl radical (OH(v)), hydrogen peroxide (H(2)O(2)), superoxide anion and hypochlorous acid (HOCl) scavenging capacity of NDGA. It was found that NDGA scavenges: (a) ONOO(-) (IC(50) = 4 +/- 0.

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