Engaging with the affiliative system through mindfulness: The impact of the different types of positive affect in psychosis.

Objectives: We aimed to explore associations between positive and negative symptoms, mindfulness, positive affect, and social safeness; and to understand the mediator role of positive emotions in the relationship between mindfulness and social safeness.

Method: Fifty-six participants with a psychotic disorder were assessed with measures of mindfulness, negative and positive symptoms, positive affect, and social safeness.

Results: All variables were associated with each other except for positive symptoms and active affect.

Seaweed Secondary Metabolites In Vitro and In Vivo Anticancer Activity.

Isolation, finding or discovery of novel anticancer agents is very important for cancer treatment, and seaweeds are one of the largest producers of chemically active metabolites with valuable cytotoxic properties, and therefore can be used as new chemotherapeutic agents or source of inspiration to develop new ones. Identification of the more potent and selective anticancer components isolated from brown, green and red seaweeds, as well as studies of their mode of action is very attractive and constitute a small but relevant progress for pharmacological applications. Several researchers have carried out in vitro and in vivo studies in various cell lines and have disclosed the active metabolites among the terpenoids, including carotenoids, polyphenols and alkaloids that can be found in seaweeds.

Paralytic Shellfish Toxins Occurrence in Non-Traditional Invertebrate Vectors from North Atlantic Waters (Azores, Madeira, and Morocco).

Paralytic shellfish toxins (PSTs) are potent alkaloids of microalgal and cyanobacterial origin, with worldwide distribution. Over the last 20 years, the number of poisoning incidents has declined as a result of the implementation of legislation and monitoring programs based on bivalves. In the summer of 2012 and 2013, we collected a total of 98 samples from 23 different species belonging to benthic and subtidal organisms, such as echinoderms, crustaceans, bivalves, and gastropods.

Orthorexia nervosa and comorbid depression successfully treated with mirtazapine: a case report.

Orthorexia nervosa (ON) is a recently proposed eating disordered behaviour characterized by an obsessional or exaggerated fixation on healthy eating. The published literature is scarce regarding its classification, clinical presentation, management and long-term outcomes. Herein, we present the clinical and follow-up findings of an 18-year-old woman with ON comorbid with depression, successfully treated with mirtazapine.

The Current Status of the Pharmaceutical Potential of L. Metabolites.

Plants and their derived natural compounds possess various biological and therapeutic properties, which turns them into an increasing topic of interest and research. genus is diverse in species, with several traditional medicines reported, and rich in natural compounds with potential for development of new drugs. The research for this review were based in the Scopus and Web of Science databases using terms combining , secondary metabolites names, and biological activities.

Seasonal Variability of the Biochemical Composition and Antioxidant Properties of at Two Azorean Islands.

This study evaluates, for the first time, the seasonal (winter and summer) and geographical (São Miguel⁻SMG and Santa Maria⁻SMA Islands) variability of (Fs) biochemical composition (dry weight basis) and antioxidant properties. Protein and carbohydrates presented higher values in Fs-SMG, lipids, total dietary fiber, and energy value in Fs-SMA, and ash and soluble dietary fiber/insoluble dietary fiber ratio in Fs-SMA. The fatty acid (FA) profiles showed a lower SFA in Fs-SMG, whereas MUFA and PUFA presented higher values in Fs-SMG and Fs-SMG, respectively.

Delirium and Psychotic Symptoms Associated with Hyperglycemia in a Patient with Poorly controlled Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus.

Delirium, acute confusional states, and secondary psychosis have been associated with several medical conditions, including endocrine disorders. In the context of diabetes mellitus (DM), it has been mostly related to hypoglycemia and rarely occurs in association with hyperglycemia, outside of the context of a hyperglycemic hyperosmolar state or diabetic ketoacidosis. Here, we describe a case of delirium and psychotic symptoms associated with hyperglycemia in a patient with poorly controlled Type 2 DM as an attempt to alert clinicians to this rare association.

Overview on the Antihypertensive and Anti-Obesity Effects of Secondary Metabolites from Seaweeds.

Hypertension and obesity are two significant factors that contribute to the onset and exacerbation of a cascade of mechanisms including activation of the sympathetic and renin-angiotensin systems, oxidative stress, release of inflammatory mediators, increase of adipogenesis and thus promotion of systemic dysfunction that leads to clinical manifestations of cardiovascular diseases. Seaweeds, in addition to their use as food, are now unanimously acknowledged as an invaluable source of new natural products that may hold noteworthy leads for future drug discovery and development, including in the prevention and/or treatment of the cardiovascular risk factors. Several compounds including peptides, phlorotannins, polysaccharides, carotenoids, and sterols, isolated from brown, red and green macroalgae exhibit significant anti-hypertensive and anti-obesity properties.

Differentiation of Saccharomyces cerevisiae populations from vineyards of the Azores Archipelago: Geography vs Ecology.

Aiming to elucidate the roles that ecology and geography play in shaping the differentiation of fermentative grape-associated Saccharomyces cerevisiae populations, several locations on six islands of the Azores Archipelago were surveyed. A total of 249 strains were isolated from spontaneous fermentations of grape samples from several varieties of two distinct grapevine species (Vitis vinifera L. and Vitis labrusca L.

A comparative analysis of terrestrial arthropod assemblages from a relict forest unveils historical extinctions and colonization differences between two oceanic islands.

During the last few centuries oceanic island biodiversity has been drastically modified by human-mediated activities. These changes have led to the increased homogenization of island biota and to a high number of extinctions lending support to the recognition of oceanic islands as major threatspots worldwide. Here, we investigate the impact of habitat changes on the spider and ground beetle assemblages of the native forests of Madeira (Madeira archipelago) and Terceira (Azores archipelago) and evaluate its effects on the relative contribution of rare endemics and introduced species to island biodiversity patterns.

Correction to: Validation of the Community Integration Scale for Adults with Psychiatric Disorders (CIS-APP-34).

The original version of the article unfortunately contained a typo in the author name.

Validation of the Community Integration Scale for Adults with Psychiatric Disorders (CIS-APP-34).

The current focus on community integration of individuals with psychiatric problems is attracting an increasing interest in the psychological literature, as it is regarded as a favorable factor in the recovery and for the well-being of these individuals. The Community Integration Scale of Adults with Psychiatric Disorders (CIS-APP-34) is a self-report scale developed to assess community integration in several dimensions. The main goal of the current study is to explore the psychometric properties of CIS-APP-34 in a sample of 411 participants with and without a psychiatric illness, with ages between 19 and 91 years old, living in the Azores Islands, Portugal.

Earthquake impacts on microcrustacean communities inhabiting groundwater-fed springs alter species-abundance distribution patterns.

Earthquakes are important natural events, yet their impacts on animal communities are poorly known. Understanding earthquake impacts on groundwater communities is essential to assess their resilience and hence to perform conservation actions. We investigated how a 6.

Plant Secondary Metabolites as Anticancer Agents: Successes in Clinical Trials and Therapeutic Application.

Cancer is a multistage process resulting in an uncontrolled and abrupt division of cells and is one of the leading causes of mortality. The cases reported and the predictions for the near future are unthinkable. Food and Drug Administration data showed that 40% of the approved molecules are natural compounds or inspired by them, from which, 74% are used in anticancer therapy.

Physiological impacts of acute Cu exposure on deep-sea vent mussel Bathymodiolus azoricus under a deep-sea mining activity scenario.

Over the past years, several studies have been dedicated to understanding the physiological ability of the vent mussel Bathymodiolus azoricus to overcome the high metal concentrations present in their surrounding hydrothermal environment. Potential deep-sea mining activities at Azores Triple junction hydrothermal vent deposits would inevitably lead to the emergence of new fluid sources close to mussel beds, with consequent emission of high metal concentrations and potential resolubilization of Cu from minerals formed during the active phase of the vent field. Copper is an essential metal playing a key role in the activation of metalloenzymes and metalloproteins responsible for important cellular metabolic processes and tissue homeostasis.

Angiotensin I-Converting Enzyme (ACE) Inhibitory Activity, Antioxidant Properties, Phenolic Content and Amino Acid Profiles of Fucus spiralis L. Protein Hydrolysate Fractions.

Food protein-derived hydrolysates with multi-bioactivities such as antihypertensive and antioxidant properties have recently received special attention since both activities can play significant roles in preventing cardiovascular diseases. This study reports, for the first time, the angiotensin I-converting enzyme (ACE)-inhibition and antioxidant properties of ultrafiltrate fractions (UF) with different molecular weight ranges (<1, 1-3 and ≥3 kDa) obtained from protein hydrolysate (FSPH) digested with cellulase-bromelain. The amino acids profile, recovery yield, protein, peptide and total phenolic contents of these FSPH-UF, and the in vitro digestibility of crude protein were also investigated.

Disentangling the genetic and morphological structure of complex in Macaronesia (NE Atlantic).

The uptake of natural living resources for human consumption has triggered serious changes in the balance of ecosystems. In the archipelagos of Macaronesia (NE Atlantic), limpets have been extensively exploited probably since islands were first colonized. This has led to profound consequences in the dynamics of rocky shore communities.

Developing a 670k genotyping array to tag ~2M SNPs across 24 horse breeds.

Background: To date, genome-scale analyses in the domestic horse have been limited by suboptimal single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) density and uneven genomic coverage of the current SNP genotyping arrays. The recent availability of whole genome sequences has created the opportunity to develop a next generation, high-density equine SNP array.

Results: Using whole genome sequence from 153 individuals representing 24 distinct breeds collated by the equine genomics community, we cataloged over 23 million de novo discovered genetic variants.

Health-promoting ingredients from four selected Azorean macroalgae.

This study presents, for the first time, the nutritional and health promoting aspects of four selected Azorean macroalgae (Ulva compressa, Ulva rigida, Gelidium microdon and Pterocladiella capillacea) in terms of total lipids, fatty acids (FA) profile, n6/n3 and hypocholesterolemic (h)/hypercholesterolemic (H) FA ratios, minerals, total essential amino acids (AA), anti-ageing and anti-phenylketonuria AA content, coenzyme Q, α-tocopherol, total phenolics, antioxidant properties and energy value, on a dry weight basis. The results revealed low lipid content (1.02-4.

Earthquake-Related Changes in Species Spatial Niche Overlaps in Spring Communities.

Species interactions between stygobites (obligate groundwater organisms) are poorly known, reflecting the difficulty in studying such organisms in their natural environments. Some insight can be gained from the study of the spatial variability in microcrustacean communities in groundwater-fed springs. Earthquakes can increase hydraulic conductivity in the recharge area of karstic aquifers and flow rates in discharge zones, thus dislodging stygobites from their original habitats to the spring outlets.

Bees of the Azores: an annotated checklist (Apidae, Hymenoptera).

We report 18 species of wild bees plus the domesticated honeybee from the Azores, which adds nine species to earlier lists. One species, , seems to be a single island endemic, and three species are possibly native (, , and ). All the remaining bee species are most likely accidental introductions that arrived after human colonization of the archipelago in the 15 century.

Association between Grape Yeast Communities and the Vineyard Ecosystems.

The grape yeast biota from several wine-producing areas, with distinct soil types and grapevine training systems, was assessed on five islands of Azores Archipelago, and differences in yeast communities composition associated with the geographic origin of the grapes were explored. Fifty-seven grape samples belonging to the Vitis vinifera grapevine cultivars Verdelho dos Açores (Verdelho), Arinto da Terceira (Arinto) and Terrantez do Pico (Terrantez) were collected in two consecutive years and 40 spontaneous fermentations were achieved. A total of 1710 yeast isolates were obtained from freshly crushed grapes and 1200 from final stage of fermentations.

The blowflies of the Madeira Archipelago: species diversity, distribution and identification (Diptera, Calliphoridae).

Knowledge on the taxonomic diversity and distribution of blowflies from the Madeira Archipelago is updated. New and interesting findings are reported for poorly studied islands and islets of this archipelago, together with a brief analysis of the diversity of Macaronesian Calliphoridae Seven blowfly species were collected during this study, including the first records of Robineau-Desvoidy, 1830, (Wiedemann, 1819), (Meigen, 1826), (Fabricius, 1794) and (Fabricius, 1805) from Porto Santo, and of , and from Desertas Islands. The presence of Enderlein, 1903 in Madeira Laurisilva forest is discussed and its first instar larva is redescribed, revealing important differences in relation to its original description.

Colonization and diversification of aquatic insects on three Macaronesian archipelagos using 59 nuclear loci derived from a draft genome.

The study of processes driving diversification requires a fully sampled and well resolved phylogeny, although a lack of phylogenetic markers remains a limitation for many non-model groups. Multilocus approaches to the study of recent diversification provide a powerful means to study the evolutionary process, but their application remains restricted because multiple unlinked loci with suitable variation for phylogenetic or coalescent analysis are not available for most non-model taxa. Here we identify novel, putative single-copy nuclear DNA (nDNA) phylogenetic markers to study the colonization and diversification of an aquatic insect species complex, Cloeon dipterum L.