13,897 results match your criteria: "University of Coimbra[Affiliation]"

The olive tree is well adapted to the Mediterranean climate, but how orchards based on intensive practices will respond to increasing drought is unknown. This study aimed to determine if the application of a commercial biostimulant improves olive tolerance to drought. Potted plants (cultivars Arbequina and Galega) were pre-treated with an extract of (four applications, 200 mL of 0.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background/objectives: Nasal vaccines are a promising strategy for enhancing mucosal immune responses and preventing diseases at mucosal sites by stimulating the secretion of secretory IgA, which is crucial for early pathogen neutralization. However, designing effective nasal vaccines is challenging due to the complex immunological mechanisms in the nasal mucosa, which must balance protection and tolerance against constant exposure to inhaled pathogens. The nasal route also presents unique formulation and delivery hurdles, such as the mucous layer hindering antigen penetration and immune cell access.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

(1) Background: Since older adults are more susceptible to dehydration and there is a lack of information on older athletes, this study observed a group of 12 male padel players in this age group (70.42 ± 3.50 years) to characterize their hydration habits, physiological demands, and psychological responses before and during a 90 min padel training (PT).

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Enteric parasites pose significant threats to both human and veterinary health, ranking among the top causes of mortality worldwide. Wild migratory waterfowl, such as ducks, may serve as hosts and vectors for these parasites, facilitating their transmission across ecosystems. This study conducted a molecular screening of enteric parasites in three species of wild ducks of the genus (, and ) from Portugal, targeting sp.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Equal access to health initiatives and services under the principles of universal and comprehensive care remains a challenge in Brazil. The realization of public health policies is further intricate when one examines the health situation of people deprived of liberty. This study showcases the "Prison System: Beyond the Walls" educational pathway, available on the Virtual Learning Environment of the Brazilian National Health System (AVASUS).

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • Adolescents with cerebral palsy (CP) tend to be less active and more sedentary compared to their peers, which can impact their overall health and well-being.
  • A study involving 15 teenagers with ambulatory CP participated in a 12-week mixed-method exercise program that included both in-person and online activities, focusing on enhancing their physical fitness and mental health.
  • Results showed improvements in muscular strength, flexibility, aerobic endurance, and positive changes in participants' perceptions of depression, anxiety, and stress, indicating that the program was effective and well-suited to their needs.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Combining the pharmacological properties of the 1,2,3-triazole and dihydropyrimidinone classes of compounds, two small families of mono- and di(1,2,3-triazole)-dihydropyrimidinone hybrids, A and B, were previously synthesized. The main objective of this work was to investigate the potential anti-Alzheimer effects of these hybrids. The inhibitory activities of cholinesterases (AChE and BuChE), antioxidant activity, and the inhibitory mechanism through in silico (molecular docking) and in solution (STD-NMR) experiments were evaluated.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Understanding the responses of olive trees to drought stress is crucial for improving cultivation and developing drought-tolerant varieties. Water transport and storage within the plant is a key factor in drought-tolerance strategies. Water management can be based on a variety of factors such as stomatal control, osmoprotectant molecules, proteins and wood properties.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Molecular insights into Solanum sisymbriifolium's resistance against Globodera pallida via RNA-seq.

BMC Plant Biol

October 2024

Next Generation Sequencing Unit, Biocant Park, Núcleo 04, Lote 8, Cantanhede, 3060-197, Portugal.

Background: The presence of potato cyst nematodes (PCN) causes a significant risk to potato crops globally, leading to reduced yields and economic losses. While the plant Solanum sisymbriifolium is known for its resistance to PCN and can be used as a trap crop, the molecular mechanisms behind this resistance remain poorly understood. In this study, genes differentially expressed were identified in control and infected plants during the early stages of the S.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Biochemical analysis of vitreous humor and synovial fluid in the estimation of early postmortem interval: A meta-analytical approach.

J Forensic Leg Med

November 2024

Graduate Program in Pathology, Ribeirão Preto Medical School, University of São Paulo, USP, Ribeirão Preto, Brazil; National Institute of Criminalistics, Brazilian Federal Police, Distrito Federal, Brazil.

The estimation of the postmortem interval (PMI) is a significant challenge in legal medicine and forensic sciences due to the dynamic and continuous decomposition of organisms after death. Thanatochemistry has emerged as a promising area to estimate PMI by measuring the concentrations of postmortem biochemical markers. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to summarize evidence on postmortem biochemical alterations in vitreous humor (VH) and synovial fluid (SF) to estimate early PMI.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Red Seaweed (Rhodophyta) Phycocolloids: A Road from the Species to the Industry Application.

Mar Drugs

September 2024

Marine Resources, Conservation and Technology, Marine Algae Lab, CFE-Centre for Functional Ecology-Science for People & Planet, Department of Life Sciences, University of Coimbra, 3000-456 Coimbra, Portugal.

Seaweed polysaccharides are versatile both in their functions in seaweed physiology and in their practical applications in society. However, their content and quality vary greatly. This review discusses the main factors that influence the yield and quality of polysaccharides, specifically carrageenans and agars (sulfated galactans) found in red algae species (Rhodophyta).

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Dermatophytoses are infectious skin diseases of public health importance because of their transmissibility and high prevalence, especially among children. This is the first study aiming to estimate and report the burden of dermatophytoses on school-age children on the island of Santiago in Cape Verde, an African country that is an archipelago. A total of 249 students attending the afternoon shift of three elementary schools in the city of Achada Igreja were examined.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Virtual Learning Environments have become innovative tools in health professionals education. Through Massive Open Online Courses, they enable different ways of connecting with knowledge, facilitating study autonomy, interaction, and closer alignment with professional practices and the context of course participants. MOOCs comprise an educational strategy for many fields, including health.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Identifying Elements for a Cardiac Rehabilitation Program for Caregivers: An International Delphi Consensus.

Healthcare (Basel)

October 2024

LiveWell-Research Centre for Active Living and Wellbeing, School of Health, Polytechnic Institute of Bragança, 5300-121 Bragança, Portugal.

Caregivers of patients with heart disease may often feel physically, emotionally, and psychologically overwhelmed by their role. The analysis of cardiac rehabilitation (CR) components and caregivers' needs suggests that some interventions may benefit them. Therefore, this study aimed to identify a consensus on the CR components targeting caregivers of patients with heart disease.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Introduction: Systematic reviews and meta-analyses point to the benefits of physical exercise for adolescents with cerebral palsy, improving physical conditioning, muscle strength, balance, and walking speed. However, given the high number of reviews that include randomized and non-randomized studies, it is increasingly necessary to assess the methodological quality of these reviews. This scoping review investigated the methodological quality of systematic reviews and meta-analyses on the effects of physical exercise in adolescents with cerebral palsy to elucidate the methodological limitations of the research and the priorities to be observed in future research.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: JC polyomavirus (JCPyV) is ubiquitous in the human population and the causative agent of a rare, fatal and demyelinating disease of the central nervous system named Progressive Multifocal Leukoencephalopathy (PML). The route of JCPyV transmission remains unclear, but high values of seroprevalence suggest an easy and frequent mode, such as respiratory route.

Objectives: The present study aims to investigate the presence of JCPyV in upper respiratory samples and contribute to the elucidation of the JCPyV transmission pathway.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: In Parkinson's patients, intestinal dysbiosis can occur years before clinical diagnosis, implicating the gut and its microbiota in the disease. Recent evidence suggests the gut microbiota may trigger body-first Parkinson Disease (PD), yet the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. This study aims to elucidate how a dysbiotic microbiome through intestinal immune alterations triggers PD-related neurodegeneration.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Exploring Immersive Multimodal Virtual Reality Training, Affective States, and Ecological Validity in Healthy Firefighters: Quasi-Experimental Study.

JMIR Serious Games

October 2024

Coimbra Institute for Biomedical Imaging and Translational Research, Institute for Nuclear Sciences Applied to Health, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal.

Background: Firefighters face stressful life-threatening events requiring fast decision-making. To better prepare for those situations, training is paramount, but errors in real-life training can be harmful. Virtual reality (VR) simulations provide the desired realism while enabling practice in a secure and controlled environment.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Morphological and Molecular Profiling of Amyloid-β Species in Alzheimer's Pathogenesis.

Mol Neurobiol

October 2024

Chemistry Department and Coimbra Chemistry Centre - Institute of Molecular Sciences (CQC-IMS), University of Coimbra, 3004-535, Coimbra, Portugal.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common form of dementia around the world (~ 65%). Here, we portray the neuropathology of AD, biomarkers, and classification of amyloid plaques (diffuse, non-cored, dense core, compact). Tau pathology and its involvement with Aβ plaques and cell death are discussed.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • - The genome sequence of a bacterium strain, EG35, was obtained from an octocoral off Portugal's coast.
  • - The analysis showed that this strain has the genetic potential to produce polyhydroxyalkanoates, which are biodegradable materials suitable for bioplastics.
  • - Additionally, the strain can synthesize various communication signals and possibly four new natural products.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Functionalized Nanodiamonds for Targeted Neuronal Electromagnetic Signal Detection.

ACS Appl Mater Interfaces

November 2024

INL - International Iberian Nanotechnology Laboratory, Av. Mestre José Veiga s/n, 4715-330 Braga, Portugal.

Intracellular sensing technologies necessitate a delicate balance of spatial resolution, sensitivity, biocompatibility, and stability. While existing methods partially fulfill these criteria, none offer a comprehensive solution. Nanodiamonds (NDs) harboring nitrogen-vacancy (NV) centers have emerged as promising candidates due to their sensing capabilities under biological conditions and their ability to meet all aforementioned requirements.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • CRUSE® is an app designed for people with chronic spontaneous urticaria (CSU) to track their symptoms using visual analogue scales (VASs), aiming to assess the app's effectiveness in measuring disease activity.
  • A study analyzed three VASs related to CSU impact on daily life, including one specifically for the severity of urticaria, one for productivity, and a general health measure (EQ-5D), using data from nearly 6,000 patients over many days.
  • The results showed that the CRUSE® app's VASs demonstrate strong validity and reliability, with the "VAS urticaria" being most effective in capturing symptom changes, while the minimal important difference (MID) values indicated meaningful changes
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Kruppel-like factor 1 (KLF1) is an essential erythroid-specific transcription factor. Several reports have shown that gene mutations are associated with increased levels of Hb F and Hb A. However, scarce population studies have analysed common variations.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Assessment is a crucial aspect of music performance. In pedagogical contexts, an effective assessment process can measure student achievement and inform instructional decisions that contribute to improving teaching and learning. However, music performance assessment is particularly challenging due to its inherent subjectivity, involving personal expression and interpretation, which can lead to divergent opinions.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Understanding how biotic interactions shape ecosystems and impact their functioning, resilience and biodiversity has been a sustained research priority in ecology. Yet, traditional assessments of ecological complexity typically focus on species-species interactions that mediate a particular function (e.g.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF