Literacia em saúde nos estudantes do ensino superior: que relações com o uso de redes sociais? / Health literacy in higher education students: What are the relationships with the use of social networks?

Resumo A literacia em saúde (LS) é hoje uma importante ferramenta na promoção da saúde e prevenção da doença. O presente estudo, exploratório e correlacional, tem como objetivos: caracterizar os estudantes do ensino superior (ES) relativamente aos seus níveis de LS e de LS digital (e-LS); explorar suas relações com a utilização de redes sociais e comportamentos de saúde; explorar possíveis preditores de LS e e-LS. Participaram no estudo 125 estudantes de diversos cursos, que responderam a instrumentos de autorrelato. Os resultados mostraram níveis de LS em geral acima dos encontrados na população portuguesa, mas abaixo dos níveis de LS nas faixas etárias em que se inserem esses estudantes. Do total de participantes, 42,9% apresentam valores inadequados ou problemáticos, o que constitui uma oportunidade estratégica para a promoção da LS no contexto do ES. O nível de escolaridade da mãe e o próprio sofrer de uma doença crônica revelaram-se preditores significativos da e-LS. As tecnologias digitais podem ser utilizadas como um adequado meio de promoção da saúde dos estudantes do ES, sendo fundamental a identificação de outros preditores de LS e e-LS. As universidades devem incluir a LS nos seus currículos, num conceito alargado de promoção da saúde no ES.

Abstract Health literacy (HL) is today an important tool in health promotion and disease prevention. This exploratory and correlational study aims to: characterize Higher Education (HE) students in terms of their HL and digital HS (e-HL) levels; explore their relationships with the use of social networks and health behaviors; and explore possible predictors of HL and e-HL. The study included 125 students from different courses, who responded to self-report instruments (e.g., Health Literacy Survey 16; eHealth Literacy Scale). The results showed HL levels in general above those found in the Portuguese population, but below the HL levels in the age groups in which HE students belong. Of the total number of participants, 42.9% have inadequate or problematic values, which constitutes a strategic opportunity for the promotion of HL in the context of HE. The mother's level of education and the fact that the student suffers from a chronic disease proved to be significant predictors of e-HL. Digital technologies can be used as an adequate means of promoting the health of HE students, and it is essential to identify other predictors of HL and e-HL.

Concerted Regulation of Glycosylation Factors Sustains Tissue Identity and Function.

Glycosylation is a fundamental cellular process affecting human development and health. Complex machinery establishes the glycan structures whose heterogeneity provides greater structural diversity than other post-translational modifications. Although known to present spatial and temporal diversity, the evolution of glycosylation and its role at the tissue-specific level is poorly understood. In this study, we combined genome and transcriptome profiles of healthy and diseased tissues to uncover novel insights into the complex role of glycosylation in humans. We constructed a catalogue of human glycosylation factors, including transferases, hydrolases and other genes directly involved in glycosylation. These were categorized as involved in N-, O- and lipid-linked glycosylation, glypiation, and glycosaminoglycan synthesis. Our data showed that these glycosylation factors constitute an ancient family of genes, where evolutionary constraints suppressed large gene duplications, except for genes involved in O-linked and lipid glycosylation. The transcriptome profiles of 30 healthy human tissues revealed tissue-specific expression patterns preserved across mammals. In addition, clusters of tightly co-expressed genes suggest a glycosylation code underlying tissue identity. Interestingly, several glycosylation factors showed tissue-specific profiles varying with age, suggesting a role in ageing-related disorders. In cancer, our analysis revealed that glycosylation factors are highly perturbed, at the genome and transcriptome levels, with a strong predominance of copy number alterations. Moreover, glycosylation factor dysregulation was associated with distinct cellular compositions of the tumor microenvironment, reinforcing the impact of glycosylation in modulating the immune system. Overall, this work provides genome-wide evidence that the glycosylation machinery is tightly regulated in healthy tissues and impaired in ageing and tumorigenesis, unveiling novel potential roles as prognostic biomarkers or therapeutic targets.

Daily Life, Communication and Affections of Siblings and Parents of Military Service Members in Mission / Cotidiano, Comunicação e Afetos dos Irmãos e Progenitores dos Militares em Missão / Rutina, Comunicación y Afectos de los Hermanos y Padres de los Militares en Misión

Abstract The Portuguese military in mission state that parents and siblings are a fundamental support; however, research is very scarce in this area. This study aimed to investigate the impact of a mission on the daily life, communication and emotional responses of 227 relatives of 92 military personnel, 114 siblings (M age = 29.14, SD = 9.81) e 113 parents (M age = 55.06, SD = 9.12). A questionnaire related to the mission was applied, focusing on changes in the daily life, social support, communication and advice to other family members; and the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule since receiving notification. The results revealed that the parents suffered more with the notification and that there were changes in family functioning and in the functional support. Communication with the deployed military service member strengthens family relationships, morale, and well-being. Participants reported emotions of concern and pride, and gave advice based on a positive attitude toward the military and the mission.

Resumo Os militares portugueses em missão costumam mencionar que pais e irmãos são um apoio fundamental, contudo a investigação é muito escassa nesta área. Este estudo teve como objetivo investigar o impacto de uma missão no cotidiano, comunicação e nas respostas emocionais de 227 familiares de 92 militares, 114 irmãos (M idade = 29.14, DP = 9.81) e 113 progenitores (M idade = 55.06, DP = 9.12). Aplicou-se um questionário relativo à missão, focando alterações do cotidiano, suporte social, comunicação e conselhos a outros familiares; e a Escala de Afetos Positivos e Negativos perante a notificação da mesma. Os resultados revelaram que os progenitores sofreram mais com a notificação e que existiram alterações no funcionamento familiar e no suporte funcional. A comunicação com o militar destacado fortalece as relações familiares, a moral e o bem-estar. Os participantes destacaram as emoções de preocupação e orgulho assim como conselhos pautados por uma atitude positiva face aos militares e à missão.

Resumen Los militares portugueses en misión mencionan que los padres y hermanos son un apoyo fundamental, pero la investigación es muy escasa en esta área. Este estudio tuvo como objetivo investigar el impacto de una misión en la vida cotidiana, la comunicación y las respuestas emocionales de 227 familiares de 92 militares, 114 hermanos (M edad = 29.14 SD = 9.81) y 113 padres (M edad = 55.06, SD = 9.12). Se aplicó un cuestionario de misión, centrado en los cambios diarios, el apoyo social, la comunicación y el asesoramiento a otros miembros de la familia; y la Escala de Afectos Positivos y Negativos tras la notificación. Los resultados revelaron que los padres sufrieron más con la notificación y que hubo cambios en el funcionamiento familiar y el apoyo funcional. La comunicación con el militar separado fortalece las relaciones familiares, la moral y el bienestar. Los participantes destacaron emociones de preocupación y orgullo, así como consejos basados en una actitud positiva hacia los militares y la misión.

ABCC Transporters Mediate the Vacuolar Accumulation of Crocins in Saffron Stigmas.

Compartmentation is a key strategy enacted by plants for the storage of specialized metabolites. The saffron spice owes its red color to crocins, a complex mixture of apocarotenoid glycosides that accumulate in intracellular vacuoles and reach up to 10% of the spice dry weight. We developed a general approach, based on coexpression analysis, heterologous expression in yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae), and in vitro transportomic assays using yeast microsomes and total plant metabolite extracts, for the identification of putative vacuolar metabolite transporters, and we used it to identify Crocus sativus transporters mediating vacuolar crocin accumulation in stigmas. Three transporters, belonging to both the multidrug and toxic compound extrusion and ATP binding cassette C (ABCC) families, were coexpressed with crocins and/or with the gene encoding the first dedicated enzyme in the crocin biosynthetic pathway, CsCCD2. Two of these, belonging to the ABCC family, were able to mediate transport of several crocins when expressed in yeast microsomes. CsABCC4a was selectively expressed in C. sativus stigmas, was predominantly tonoplast localized, transported crocins in vitro in a stereospecific and cooperative way, and was able to enhance crocin accumulation when expressed in Nicotiana benthamiana leaves.plantcell;31/11/2789/FX1F1fx1.

Polymer "ruthenium-cyclopentadienyl" conjugates - New emerging anti-cancer drugs.

In this work, we aimed to understand the biological activity and the mechanism of action of three polymer-'ruthenium-cyclopentadienyl' conjugates (RuPMC) and a low molecular weight parental compound (Ru1) in cancer cells. Several biological assays were performed in ovarian (A2780) and breast (MCF7, MDA-MB-231) human cancer derived cell lines as well as in A2780cis, a cisplatin resistant cancer cell line. Our results show that all compounds have high activity towards cancer cells with low IC50 values in the micromolar range. We observed that all Ru-PMC compounds are mainly found inside the cells, in contrast with the parental low molecular weight compound Ru1 that was mainly found at the membrane. All compounds induced mitochondrial alterations. PMC3 and Ru1 caused F-actin cytoskeleton morphology changes and reduced the clonogenic ability of the cells. The conjugate PMC3 induced apoptosis at low concentrations comparing to cisplatin and could overcame the platinum resistance of A2780cis cancer cells. A proteomic analysis showed that these compounds induce alterations in several cellular proteins which are related to the phenotypic disorders induced by them. Our results suggest that PMC3 is foreseen as a lead candidate to future studies and acting through a different mechanism of action than cisplatin. Here we established the potential of these Ru compounds as new metallodrugs for cancer chemotherapy.

The Yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae as a Model for Understanding RAS Proteins and their Role in Human Tumorigenesis.

The exploitation of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae as a biological model for the investigation of complex molecular processes conserved in multicellular organisms, such as humans, has allowed fundamental biological discoveries. When comparing yeast and human proteins, it is clear that both amino acid sequences and protein functions are often very well conserved. One example of the high degree of conservation between human and yeast proteins is highlighted by the members of the RAS family. Indeed, the study of the signaling pathways regulated by RAS in yeast cells led to the discovery of properties that were often found interchangeable with RAS proto-oncogenes in human pathways, and vice versa. In this work, we performed an updated critical literature review on human and yeast RAS pathways, specifically highlighting the similarities and differences between them. Moreover, we emphasized the contribution of studying yeast RAS pathways for the understanding of human RAS and how this model organism can contribute to unveil the roles of RAS oncoproteins in the regulation of mechanisms important in the tumorigenic process, like autophagy.

Colorectal cancer-related mutant KRAS alleles function as positive regulators of autophagy.

The recent interest to modulate autophagy in cancer therapy has been hampered by the dual roles of this conserved catabolic process in cancer, highlighting the need for tailored approaches. Since RAS isoforms have been implicated in autophagy regulation and mutation of the KRAS oncogene is highly frequent in colorectal cancer (CRC), we questioned whether/how mutant KRAS alleles regulate autophagy in CRC and its implications. We established two original models, KRAS-humanized yeast and KRAS-non-cancer colon cells and showed that expression of mutated KRAS up-regulates starvation-induced autophagy in both. Accordingly, KRAS down-regulation inhibited autophagy in CRC-derived cells harboring KRAS mutations. We further show that KRAS-induced autophagy proceeds via up-regulation of the MEK/ERK pathway in both colon models and that KRAS and autophagy contribute to CRC cell survival during starvation. Since KRAS inhibitors have proven difficult to develop, our results suggest using autophagy inhibitors as a combined/alternative therapeutic approach in CRCs with mutant KRAS.

ABCC1, an ATP binding cassette protein from grape berry, transports anthocyanidin 3-O-Glucosides.

Accumulation of anthocyanins in the exocarp of red grapevine (Vitis vinifera) cultivars is one of several events that characterize the onset of grape berry ripening (véraison). Despite our thorough understanding of anthocyanin biosynthesis and regulation, little is known about the molecular aspects of their transport. The participation of ATP binding cassette (ABC) proteins in vacuolar anthocyanin transport has long been a matter of debate. Here, we present biochemical evidence that an ABC protein, ABCC1, localizes to the tonoplast and is involved in the transport of glucosylated anthocyanidins. ABCC1 is expressed in the exocarp throughout berry development and ripening, with a significant increase at véraison (i.e., the onset of ripening). Transport experiments using microsomes isolated from ABCC1-expressing yeast cells showed that ABCC1 transports malvidin 3-O-glucoside. The transport strictly depends on the presence of GSH, which is cotransported with the anthocyanins and is sensitive to inhibitors of ABC proteins. By exposing anthocyanin-producing grapevine root cultures to buthionine sulphoximine, which reduced GSH levels, a decrease in anthocyanin concentration is observed. In conclusion, we provide evidence that ABCC1 acts as an anthocyanin transporter that depends on GSH without the formation of an anthocyanin-GSH conjugate.

The vacuolar channel VvALMT9 mediates malate and tartrate accumulation in berries of Vitis vinifera.

Vitis vinifera L. represents an economically important fruit species. Grape and wine flavour is made from a complex set of compounds. The acidity of berries is a major parameter in determining grape berry quality for wine making and fruit consumption. Despite the importance of malic and tartaric acid (TA) storage and transport for grape berry acidity, no vacuolar transporter for malate or tartrate has been identified so far. Some members of the aluminium-activated malate transporter (ALMT) anion channel family from Arabidopsis thaliana have been shown to be involved in mediating malate fluxes across the tonoplast. Therefore, we hypothesised that a homologue of these channels could have a similar role in V. vinifera grape berries. We identified homologues of the Arabidopsis vacuolar anion channel AtALMT9 through a TBLASTX search on the V. vinifera genome database. We cloned the closest homologue of AtALMT9 from grape berry cDNA and designated it VvALMT9. The expression profile revealed that VvALMT9 is constitutively expressed in berry mesocarp tissue and that its transcription level increases during fruit maturation. Moreover, we found that VvALMT9 is targeted to the vacuolar membrane. Using patch-clamp analysis, we could show that, besides malate, VvALMT9 mediates tartrate currents which are higher than in its Arabidopsis homologue. In summary, in the present study we provide evidence that VvALMT9 is a vacuolar malate channel expressed in grape berries. Interestingly, in V. vinifera, a tartrate-producing plant, the permeability of the channel is apparently adjusted to TA.

Proteins associated with cork formation in Quercus suber L. stem tissues.

Cork (phellem) formation in Quercus suber stem was studied by proteomic analysis of young shoots of increasing age (Y0, Y1 and Y4) and recently-formed phellem (Y8Ph) and xylem (Y8X) from an 8-year-old branch. In this study 99 proteins were identified, 45 excised from Y8X and 54 from Y8Ph. These ones, specifically associated with phellem, are of "carbohydrate metabolism" (28%), "defence" (22%), "protein folding, stability and degradation" (19%), "regulation/signalling" (11%), "secondary metabolism" (9%), "energy metabolism" (6%), and "membrane transport" (2%). The identification in phellem of galactosidases, xylosidases, apiose/xylose synthase, laccases and diphenol oxidases suggests intense cell wall reorganization, possibly with participation of hemicellulose/pectin biosynthesis and phenol oxidation. The identification of proteasome subunits, heat shock proteins, cyclophylin, subtilisin-like proteases, 14-3-3 proteins, Rab2 protein and enzymes interacting with nucleosides/nucleic acids gives additional evidence for cellular reorganization, involving cellular secretion, protein turnover regulation and active control processes. The high involvement in phellem of defence proteins (thioredoxin-dependent peroxidase, glutathione-S-transferase, SGT1 protein, cystatin, and chitinases) suggests a strong need for cell protection from the intense stressful events occurring in active phellem, namely, desiccation, pests/disease protection, detoxification and cell death. Identically, highly enhanced defence functions were previously reported for potato periderm formation.

Transcriptome changes in grapevine (Vitis vinifera L.) cv. Malbec leaves induced by ultraviolet-B radiation.

BACKGROUND: Ultraviolet-B radiation (UV-B, 280-315 nm) is a natural component of sunlight, which has numerous regulatory effects on plant physiology. The nature of the response to UV-B is dependent on fluence rate, dose, duration and wavelength of the UV-B treatment. Some reports have analyzed the changes in gene expression caused by UV-B light on several plant species using microarray technology. However, there is no information on the transcriptome response triggered by UV-B in grapevine. In this paper we investigate the gene expression responses of leaves from in vitro cultured Vitis vinifera cv. Malbec plants subjected to the same dose of biologically effective UV-B radiation (4.75 kJ m-2 d-1) administered at two different fluence rates (16 h at ≅ 8.25 µW cm-2, 4 h at ≅ 33 µW cm-2) using a new custom made GrapeGen Affymetrix GeneChip®. RESULTS: The number of genes modulated by high fluence rate UV-B doubled the number of genes modulated by low fluence UV-B. Their functional analyses revealed several functional categories commonly regulated by both UV-B treatments as well as categories more specifically modulated depending on UV-B fluence rate. General protective responses, namely the induction of pathways regulating synthesis of UV-B absorbing compounds such as the Phenylpropanoid pathway, the induction of different antioxidant defense systems and the activation of pathways commonly associated with pathogen defense and abiotic stress responses seem to play critical roles in grapevine responses against UV-B radiation. Furthermore, high fluence rate UV-B seemed to specifically modulate additional pathways and processes in order to protect grapevine plantlets against UV-B-induced oxidative stress, stop the cell cycle progression, and control protein degradation. On the other hand, low fluence rate UV-B regulated the expression of specific responses in the metabolism of auxin and abscisic acid as well as in the modification of cell walls that could be involved in UV-B acclimation-like processes. CONCLUSION: Our results show the UV-B radiation effects on the leaf transcriptome of grapevine (Vitis vinifera cv. Malbec) plantlets. Functional categories commonly modulated under both UV-B treatments as well as transcripts specifically regulated in an UV-B-intensity dependent way were identified. While high fluence rate UV-B had regulatory effects mainly on defense or general multiple-stress responses pathways, low fluence rate UV-B promoted the expression of genes that could be involved in UV-B protection or the amelioration of the UV-B-induced damage. This study also provides an extensive list of genes regulating multiple metabolic pathways involved in the response of grapevine to UV-B that can be used for future researches.

Discovery of novel plant peptides as strong inhibitors of metalloproteinases.

Five novel metalloproteinase protein inhibitors (MPIs) with molecular mass between 5.6 and 8.9 kDa and acid/neutral pI were detected in lupin seeds and exhibited strong inhibitory activities against thermolysin and/or gelatinase B. These novel peptides constitute not only the first MPIs described in plants but also the first plant peptides with inhibitory activity against a matrixin.