New Phytol Derivatives with Increased Cosmeceutical Potential.

Natural compounds are widely incorporated into cosmetic products for many purposes. Diterpenes often function as fragrances, enhancing the sensory experience of these formulations. However, current trends in cosmetic science aim to develop multifunctional products, where compounds traditionally used for texture or fragrance also possess biological activities that contribute to the product's efficacy.

Motivational strategies used by health care professionals in stroke survivors in rehabilitation: a scoping review of experimental studies.

Introduction: Cognitive and motor impairments are common among stroke survivors. Physical therapy is often used to improve the functional capacity of stroke survivors. However, limited adherence to rehabilitation programs is a challenge.

Standard methods for marking caudate amphibians do not impair animal welfare over the short term: An experimental approach.

Major advancements in ecology and biodiversity conservation have been made thanks to methods for marking and individually tracking animals. Marking animals is both widely used and controversial due to the potential consequences for animal welfare, which are often incompletely evaluated prior to implementation. Two outstanding knowledge gaps concerning the welfare consequences of individual marking are their short-term behavioural impacts and the relative impacts from marking versus the handling of animals while carrying out procedures.

Comparative Studies on the Photoreactivity, Efficacy, and Safety of Depigmenting Agents.

Depigmenting products are increasingly used to counteract skin hyperpigmentation and related psychosocial issues. This study aimed to compare different depigmenting agents-4-butylresorcinol; bakuchiol; tranexamic acid; ascorbyl glucoside; α-arbutin; and ascorbic acid-for photoreactivity; tyrosinase inhibition; and safety. Photoreactivity was assessed using the Reactive Oxygen Species assay.

Spatial Ecology of an Arboreal Iguana () in a Treeless Landscape.

Understanding the spatial ecology of species has important implications for conservation, as it helps identify suitable habitats and minimum requirements for biodiversity monitoring and management. The spiny-tailed lizard is a widespread endemic iguanid occurring in dry areas of southern and western Madagascar. While the species is known to be mostly arboreal, populations of the Isalo sandstone massif suggest local adaptation to a less forested savannah and a more exposed habitat.

Another step through the crux: a new microendemic rock-dwelling (Squamata, Gekkonidae) from south-central Madagascar.

Using an integrative taxonomic approach including genetic and morphological data, we formally describe a new microendemic gecko species belonging to the clade, previously referred to as D. We name this taxon currently known from Anja Reserve and Tsaranoro Valley Forest (south-central Madagascar), as The new species differs from other species of the clade by ≥ 12.4% uncorrected -distance at the mitochondrial 16S rRNA gene and it forms a monophyletic group in the COI mtDNA phylogenetic tree.

Current Trends in Balance Rehabilitation for Stroke Survivors: A Scoping Review of Experimental Studies.

Balance impairment is a common consequence of a stroke, which can significantly hinder individuals' participation in daily activities, social interactions, and leisure pursuits and their ability to return to work. Rehabilitation is vital for minimizing post-stroke sequelae and facilitating the recovery of patients. This review aims to identify current trends in balance rehabilitation of stroke survivors.

Relationship between two pathogens in an amphibian community that experienced mass mortalities.

Because host species tend to harbor multiple parasitic species, coinfection in a host is common. The chytrid fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd) and the viruses in the genus Ranavirus (Rv) are responsible for the decline of amphibians worldwide. Despite wide geographical co-occurrence and the serious conservation problem that coinfection with these pathogens could represent, little is known about their possible synergistic interactions and effects in a host community.

Non-Lethal Detection of in Fish.

Emergent infectious diseases have an increasing impact on both farmed animals and wildlife. The ability to screen for pathogens is critical for understanding host-pathogen dynamics and informing better management. is a pathogen of concern, associated with disease outbreaks worldwide, affecting a broad range of fish, amphibian, and reptile hosts, but research has been limited.

Bio-Guided Optimization of Cosmeceuticals Extraction by Advanced Technologies.

(reclassified as ) is a brown seaweed species rich in meroterpenoids, presenting interesting antioxidant, antitumor, and anti-inflammatory activities. However, there is still a lot to uncover regarding the bioactive potential of this species, as evidenced by the lack of records of antiaging activities from , making this macroalga an excellent candidate for studies of its cosmeceutical potential. Ultrasound-(UAE) and microwave-assisted extraction (MAE) are advanced sustainable technologies that are very efficient in enhancing bioactive compound extraction.

Climate warming triggers the emergence of native viruses in Iberian amphibians.

The number of epizootics in amphibian populations caused by viruses of the genus is increasing worldwide. Yet, causes for pathogen emergence are poorly understood. Here, we confirmed that the (CMTV) and (FV3) are responsible for mass mortalities in Iberia since the late 1980s.

Post-epizootic microbiome associations across communities of neotropical amphibians.

Microbiome-pathogen interactions are increasingly recognized as an important element of host immunity. While these host-level interactions will have consequences for community disease dynamics, the factors which influence host microbiomes at larger scales are poorly understood. We here describe landscape-scale pathogen-microbiome associations within the context of post-epizootic amphibian chytridiomycosis, a disease caused by the panzootic chytrid fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis.

Phytochemicals with Added Value from and Species.

Terrestrial plants, due to their sessile nature, are highly exposed to environmental pressure and therefore need to produce very effective molecules that enable them to survive all the threats. and (Myricaceae) are taxonomically close genera, which include species of trees or shrubs with edible fruits that exhibit relevant uses in traditional medicine. For instance, in Chinese or Japanese folk medicine, they are used to treat diarrhea, digestive problems, headache, burns, and skin diseases.

Resolving a taxonomic and nomenclatural puzzle in mantellid frogs: synonymization of with , and description of sp. nov. from the Isalo Massif, western Madagascar.

The genus belongs to the species-rich family Mantellidae and is currently divided in six subgenera. Among these is the subgenus Phylacomantis, which currently includes four described species: , , , and . The latter three species are distributed in western Madagascar, and two of them ( and ) occur in the Isalo Massif.

Efficacy, Stability, and Safety Evaluation of New Polyphenolic Xanthones Towards Identification of Bioactive Compounds to Fight Skin Photoaging.

Antioxidants have long been used in the cosmetic industry to prevent skin photoaging, which is mediated by oxidative stress, making the search for new antioxidant compounds highly desirable in this field. Naturally occurring xanthones are polyphenolic compounds that can be found in microorganisms, fungi, lichens, and some higher plants. This class of polyphenols has a privileged scaffold that grants them several biological activities.

A new stump-toed frog from the transitional forests of NW Madagascar (Anura, Microhylidae, Cophylinae, ).

A new species of the miniaturised microhylid frog genus , from north-western Madagascar, is described. differs from all other described species in colouration and morphology and is genetically divergent (≥ 7% uncorrected p-distance to all other nominal species of the genus) in a fragment of the mitochondrial 16S rRNA gene and in a segment of the nuclear Rag-1 gene. The new species is reliably known only from a few specimens collected in the Sahamalaza (and surroundings) region.

A Green and Simple Protocol for Extraction and Application of a Peroxidase-Rich Enzymatic Extract.

Recently there is a great social expectation that scientists should produce more sustainable and environmentally friendly chemical processes. Within this necessity, biocatalysis presents many attractive features because reactions are often performed in water, under mild conditions, the catalyst is biodegradable and can be obtained from renewable raw materials. In this work, we propose a simple, rapid and low-cost method for the preparation and application of an enzymatic extract from turnip root.

Unveiling patterns of viral pathogen infection in free-ranging carnivores of northern Portugal using a complementary methodological approach.

Pathogen surveillance in free-ranging carnivores presents challenges due to their low densitie and secretive nature. We combined molecular and serological assays to investigate infections by viral pathogens (Canine parvovirus (CPV), Canine distemper virus (CDV) and Canine coronavirus (CCoV)) in Portuguese carnivores (Canis lupus, Vulpes vulpes, Lutra lutra, Martes foina, M. martes, Meles meles, and Genetta genetta) over a period of 16 years.

Seaweed Secondary Metabolites with Beneficial Health Effects: An Overview of Successes in In Vivo Studies and Clinical Trials.

Macroalgae are increasingly viewed as a source of secondary metabolites with great potential for the development of new drugs. In this development, in vitro studies are only the first step in a long process, while in vivo studies and clinical trials are the most revealing stages of the true potential and limitations that a given metabolite may have as a new drug. This literature review aims to give a critical overview of the secondary metabolites that reveal the most interesting results in these two steps.

From fish to frogs and beyond: Impact and host range of emergent ranaviruses.

Ranaviruses are pathogens of ectothermic vertebrates, including amphibians. We reviewed patterns of host range and virulence of ranaviruses in the context of virus genotype and postulate that patterns reflect significant variation in the historical and current host range of three groups of Ranavirus: FV3-like, CMTV-like and ATV-like ranaviruses. Our synthesis supports previous hypotheses about host range and jumps: FV3s are amphibian specialists, while ATVs are predominantly fish specialists that switched once to caudate amphibians.

Impact of asynchronous emergence of two lethal pathogens on amphibian assemblages.

Emerging diseases have been increasingly associated with population declines, with co-infections exhibiting many types of interactions. The chytrid fungus (Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis) and ranaviruses have extraordinarily broad host ranges, however co-infection dynamics have been largely overlooked. We investigated the pattern of co-occurrence of these two pathogens in an amphibian assemblage in Serra da Estrela (Portugal).

Host species vary in infection probability, sub-lethal effects, and costs of immune response when exposed to an amphibian parasite.

The amphibian parasite Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd) is regarded as an extreme generalist, infecting over 500 species, but amongst these hosts there exists a great deal of variation in the susceptibility to and the costs of parasite exposure. We use two infection experiments to determine whether inter-specific variation in the sublethal and lethal effects of parasite exposure exist in two host species. We then tested the relative roles of host density and diversity on infection probability of a focal susceptible host.