Looking into the lipid profile of avocado and byproducts: Using lipidomics to explore value-added compounds.

Consumer priorities in healthy diets and lifestyle boosted the demand for nutritious and functional foods as well as plant-based ingredients. Avocado has become a food trend due to its nutritional and functional values, which in turn is increasing its consumption and production worldwide. Avocado edible portion has a high content of lipids, with the pulp and its oil being rich in monounsaturated fatty acids and essential omega - 3 and omega - 6 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA).

EEG epilepsy seizure prediction: the post-processing stage as a chronology.

Almost one-third of epileptic patients fail to achieve seizure control through anti-epileptic drug administration. In the scarcity of completely controlling a patient's epilepsy, seizure prediction plays a significant role in clinical management and providing new therapeutic options such as warning or intervention devices. Seizure prediction algorithms aim to identify the preictal period that Electroencephalogram (EEG) signals can capture.

Polar Lipids of Marine Microalgae and Mitigate the LPS-Induced Pro-Inflammatory Response in Macrophages.

Microalgae are recognized as a relevant source of bioactive compounds. Among these bioactive products, lipids, mainly glycolipids, have been shown to present immunomodulatory properties with the potential to mitigate chronic inflammation. This study aimed to evaluate the anti-inflammatory effect of polar lipids isolated from and .

Platelet Receptor Glycoprotein VI-Dimer Is Overexpressed in Patients with Atrial Fibrillation at High Risk of Ischemic Stroke.

 Atrial fibrillation (AF) increases the risk of ischemic stroke (IS). We hypothesized that the functional form of platelet receptor glycoprotein (GP) VI, GPVI-dimer, which binds to collagen and fibrin causing platelet activation, is overexpressed in patients with AF who have not had a stroke.  A total of 75 inpatients with AF were recruited.

A signature of platelet reactivity in CBC scattergrams reveals genetic predictors of thrombotic disease risk.

Genetic studies of platelet reactivity (PR) phenotypes may identify novel antiplatelet drug targets. However, such studies have been limited by small sample sizes (n < 5000) because of the complexity of measuring PR. We trained a model to predict PR from complete blood count (CBC) scattergrams.

Safety and Efficacy of Triple Therapy With Dolutegravir Plus 2 Nucleoside Reverse Transcriptase Inhibitors in Treatment-Naive Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 2 Patients: Results From a 48-Week Phase 2 Study.

Background: Integrase strand transfer inhibitor-based regimens are recommended for first-line therapy in human immunodeficiency virus type 2 (HIV-2). Nonetheless, dolutegravir (DTG) clinical trial data are lacking.

Methods: We conducted a phase 2, single-arm, open-label trial to evaluate the safety and efficacy of a triple therapy regimen that included DTG in persons with HIV-2 (PWHIV-2) in Portugal.

Differences and Similarities in Lipid Composition, Nutritional Value, and Bioactive Potential of Four Edible Strains.

The microalga is a popular food ingredient widely used in the industry, with an increasing market size and value. Currently, several edible strains of with different organoleptic characteristics are commercialized to meet consumer needs. This study aimed to compare the fatty acid (FA) and lipid profile of four commercialized strains of (C-Auto, C-Hetero, C-Honey, and C-White) using gas- and liquid-chromatography coupled to mass-spectrometry approaches, and to evaluate their antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.

Transcriptional, epigenetic and metabolic signatures in cardiometabolic syndrome defined by extreme phenotypes.

Background: This work is aimed at improving the understanding of cardiometabolic syndrome pathophysiology and its relationship with thrombosis by generating a multi-omic disease signature.

Methods/results: We combined classic plasma biochemistry and plasma biomarkers with the transcriptional and epigenetic characterisation of cell types involved in thrombosis, obtained from two extreme phenotype groups (morbidly obese and lipodystrophy) and lean individuals to identify the molecular mechanisms at play, highlighting patterns of abnormal activation in innate immune phagocytic cells. Our analyses showed that extreme phenotype groups could be distinguished from lean individuals, and from each other, across all data layers.

Platelet surface receptor glycoprotein VI-dimer is overexpressed in stroke: The Glycoprotein VI in Stroke (GYPSIE) study results.

Objectives: Platelet activation underpins thrombus formation in ischemic stroke. The active, dimeric form of platelet receptor glycoprotein (GP) VI plays key roles by binding platelet ligands collagen and fibrin, leading to platelet activation. We investigated whether patients presenting with stroke expressed more GPVI on their platelet surface and had more active circulating platelets as measured by platelet P-selectin exposure.

G protein-coupled receptor kinase 5 regulates thrombin signaling in platelets via PAR-1.

The interindividual variation in the functional response of platelets to activation by agonists is heritable. Genome-wide association studies (GWASs) of quantitative measures of platelet function have identified fewer than 20 distinctly associated variants, some with unknown mechanisms. Here, we report GWASs of pathway-specific functional responses to agonism by adenosine 5'-diphosphate, a glycoprotein VI-specific collagen mimetic, and thrombin receptor-agonist peptides, each specific to 1 of the G protein-coupled receptors PAR-1 and PAR-4, in subsets of 1562 individuals.

Sampling efficiency of a protocol to measure Odonata diversity in tropical streams.

Odonata can be sampled following different types of protocols. In Brazil, the most used protocol is the scanning in fixed areas method, where a 100-meter transect is delimited in one of the stream margins, subdivided into 20 segments measuring 5 meters. Despite being universally used, the methodological efficiency or limitations of this protocol for Odonata has never been tested.

Erythrodiplax nataliae sp. nov., a new species for the state of Mato Grosso, Brazil.

Erythrodiplax nataliae sp. nov. (5 males), collected in Vereda wetlands (a unique Neotropical savanna environment) in Mato Grosso, Brazil is described and illustrated.

Family physicians' opinions on and difficulties with breaking bad news.

Highlights: Breaking bad news is still deemed a difficult task by family physicians.Family physicians feel they need training in breaking bad news.The family physicians' attitude to this issue is different from what they would wish if they themselves had a life-threatening disease.

Information of patients with life-threatening diseases: A survey of the attitude of Portuguese family practitioners.

Highlights: The attitudes of family physicians regarding breaking bad news are heterogeneous.Younger doctors seem to see the delivery of bad news more positively.This trend suggests that there will be a more open communication in the future.

Adult Acne: Prevalence and Portrayal in Primary Healthcare Patients, in the Greater Porto Area, Portugal.

Introduction: Though typically found in adolescents, acne frequently affects the adult population. In Portugal, no representative studies about acne prevalence in greater populational areas are known. This study had the following objectives: calculate acne prevalence in primary healthcare patients; its characteristics, including risk factors for onset and worsening; collect information concerning selfmedication and/or prescribed treatment.

Abdominal tuberculosis: an old disease surprising young doctors.

Tuberculosis remains a worldwide public health concern. Atypical extrapulmonary presentations may delay the diagnosis and treatment. We present the case of an adult woman admitted to the emergency department with bowel obstruction.

A content validity study of signs, symptoms and diseases/health problems expressed in LIBRAS.

Objectives: To validate the content of signs, symptoms and diseases/health problems expressed in LIBRAS for people with deafness. Method: Methodological development study, which involved 36 people with deafness and three LIBRAS specialists. The study was conducted in three stages: investigation of the signs, symptoms and diseases/health problems, referred to by people with deafness, reported in a questionnaire; video recordings of how people with deafness express, through LIBRA, the signs, symptoms and diseases/health problems; and validation of the contents of the recordings of the expressions by LIBRAS specialists.

Community assembly of adult odonates in tropical streams: an ecophysiological hypothesis.

Community assembly theory is founded on the premise that the relative importance of local environmental processes and dispersal shapes the compositional structure of metacommunities. The species sorting model predicts that assemblages are dominated by the environmental filtering of species that are readily able to disperse to suitable sites. We propose an ecophysiological hypothesis (EH) for the mechanism underlying the organization of species-sorting odonate metacommunities based on the interplay of thermoregulation, body size and the degree of sunlight availability in small-to-medium tropical streams.

Taxonomic and numerical resolutions of nepomorpha (insecta: heteroptera) in cerrado streams.

Transformations of natural landscapes and their biodiversity have become increasingly dramatic and intense, creating a demand for rapid and inexpensive methods to assess and monitor ecosystems, especially the most vulnerable ones, such as aquatic systems. The speed with which surveys can collect, identify, and describe ecological patterns is much slower than that of the loss of biodiversity. Thus, there is a tendency for higher-level taxonomic identification to be used, a practice that is justified by factors such as the cost-benefit ratio, and the lack of taxonomists and reliable information on species distributions and diversity.

A novel model of distal colon cancer in athymic mice.

Purpose: The present a novel adenocarcinoma model in athymic mice.

Methods: Seven athymic mice were used. Colon diversion and distal fistula were made.