Bullying against Healthcare Professionals and Coping Strategies: A Scoping Review.

Violence against healthcare professionals is an event that further burdens the daily lives of those who try every day to care for and assist those who need it most. In an attempt to overcome these events, there are coping strategies that can be used to reduce the stress caused. Therefore, this study aims to analyse the phenomenon of violence against healthcare professionals and the relationship between the bullying suffered by these professionals and the coping strategies they developed to overcome these moments. To this end, a scoping review was conducted in which eight articles were selected for final analysis from a total of 276 articles found in three electronic databases (EBSCO, PubMed, and Web of Science). This review concludes that the most common workplace bullying behaviours include excessive workloads, humiliation and ridicule, impossible deadlines, and verbal attacks. Professionals reported negative impacts, such as helplessness, depression, stress, insomnia, and the desire to change jobs. Victims of workplace bullying often expressed their intention to leave their current job or even abandon the profession. Problem-focused coping strategies are the most used. The studies indicated that workplace bullying negatively affects professionals in physical and mental terms, as well as in terms of quality of life at work, requiring more research and adoption of preventive measures to identify and combat the problem.

Preliminary hazard assessment of a new nature-inspired antifouling (NIAF) agent.

A recently synthesized aminated 3,4-dioxygenated xanthone (Xantifoul2) was found to have promising antifouling (AF) effects against the settlement of the macrofouler Mytilus galloprovincialis larvae. Preliminary assessment indicated that Xantifoul2 has reduced ecotoxicological impacts: e.g., being non-toxic to the marine crustacea Artemia salina (<10 % mortality at 50 µM) and showing low bioconcentration factor in marine organisms. In order to meet the EU Biocidal Product Regulation, a preliminary hazard assessment of this new nature-inspired antifouling (NIAF) agent was conducted in this work. Xantifoul2 did not affect the swimming ability of the planktonic crustacean Daphnia magna, the growth of the diatom Phaeodactylum tricornutum, and the cellular respiration of luminescent Gram-negative bacteria Vibrio fischeri, supporting the low toxicity towards several non-target marine species. Regarding human cytotoxicity, Xantifoul2 did not affect the cell viability of retinal human cells (hTERT-RPE-1) and lipidomic studies revealed depletion of lipids involved in cell death, membrane modeling, lipid storage, and oxidative stress only at a high concentration (10 µM). Accelerated degradation studies in water were conducted under simulated sunlight to allow the understanding of putative transformation products (TPs) that could be generated in the aquatic ecosystems. Both Xantifoul2 and photolytic-treated Xantifoul2 in the aqueous matrix were therefore evaluated on several nuclear receptors (NRs). The results of this preliminary hazard assessment of Xantifoul2, combined with the high degradation rates in water, provide strong evidence of the safety of this AF agent under the evaluated conditions, and provide the support for future validation studies before this compound can be introduced in the market.

Multiomics analysis of naturally efficacious lipid nanoparticle coronas reveals high-density lipoprotein is necessary for their function.

In terms of lipid nanoparticle (LNP) engineering, the relationship between particle composition, delivery efficacy, and the composition of the biocoronas that form around LNPs, is poorly understood. To explore this we analyze naturally efficacious biocorona compositions using an unbiased screening workflow. First, LNPs are complexed with plasma samples, from individual lean or obese male rats, and then functionally evaluated in vitro. Then, a fast, automated, and miniaturized method retrieves the LNPs with intact biocoronas, and multiomics analysis of the LNP-corona complexes reveals the particle corona content arising from each individual plasma sample. We find that the most efficacious LNP-corona complexes were enriched with high-density lipoprotein (HDL) and, compared to the commonly used corona-biomarker Apolipoprotein E, corona HDL content was a superior predictor of in-vivo activity. Using technically challenging and clinically relevant lipid nanoparticles, these methods reveal a previously unreported role for HDL as a source of ApoE and, form a framework for improving LNP therapeutic efficacy by controlling corona composition.

Women in the field of multiple sclerosis: How they contributed to paradigm shifts.

History is full of women who made enormous contributions to science. While there is little to no imbalance at the early career stage, a decreasing proportion of women is found as seniority increases. In the multiple sclerosis (MS) field, 44% of first authors and only 35% of senior authors were female. So, in this review, we highlight ground-breaking research done by women in the field of MS, focusing mostly on their work as principal investigators. MS is an autoimmune disorder of the central nervous system (CNS), with evident paradigm shifts in the understating of its pathophysiology. It is known that the immune system becomes overactivated and attacks myelin sheath surrounding axons. The resulting demyelination disrupts the communication signals to and from the CNS, which causes unpredictable symptoms, depending on the neurons that are affected. Classically, MS was reported to cause mostly physical and motor disabilities. However, it is now recognized that cognitive impairment affects more than 50% of the MS patients. Another shifting paradigm was the involvement of gray matter in MS pathology, formerly considered to be a white matter disease. Additionally, the identification of different T cell immune subsets and the mechanisms underlying the involvement of B cells and peripheral macrophages provided a better understanding of the immunopathophysiological processes present in MS. Relevantly, the gut-brain axis, recognized as a bi-directional communication system between the CNS and the gut, was found to be crucial in MS. Indeed, gut microbiota influences not only different susceptibilities to MS pathology, but it can also be modulated in order to positively act in MS course. Also, after the identification of the first microRNA in 1993, the role of microRNAs has been investigated in MS, either as potential biomarkers or therapeutic agents. Finally, concerning MS therapeutical approaches, remyelination-based studies have arisen on the spotlight aiming to repair myelin loss/neuronal connectivity. Altogether, here we emphasize the new insights of remarkable women that have voiced the impact of cognitive impairment, white and gray matter pathology, immune response, and that of the CNS-peripheral interplay on MS diagnosis, progression, and/or therapy efficacy, leading to huge breakthroughs in the MS field.

Promoção da saúde mental positiva como estratégia de empoderamento para um envelhecimento saudável / Promoting positive mental health as an empowerment strategy for healthy ageing

Enquadramento: Um bom estado de saúde acrescenta vida aos anos. As oportunidades que se abrem com o aumento da longevidade dependem em grande medida de um Envelhecimento Saudável (ES). Quando estas pessoas vivem estes anos adicionais com boa saúde, contribuem para o fortalecimento das sociedades; mas se estes anos adicionais forem dominados por um mau estado de saúde, as implicações para as pessoas idosas e para a sociedade são muito mais negativas (World Health Organization [WHO], 2020). A promoção do ES é um dos desideratos do Mestre em Enfermagem Comunitária e futuro Enfermeiro Especialista em Enfermagem Comunitária (EEEC) na área da Enfermagem de Saúde Comunitária e de Saúde Pública que com competências específicas no planeamento em saúde atua como agente facilitador do empoderamento das comunidades em especial, as mais vulneráveis. A promoção da Saúde Mental Positiva (SMP) surge, neste trabalho, como uma ferramenta para potenciar o ES, tendo por base o modelo multifatorial de SMP de Lluch-Canut (1999). O Estágio de Natureza Profissional (ENP), enquadrado na unidade curricular Estágio de Natureza Profissional com Relatório Final (ENPRF) teve como objetivo a aquisição das competências comuns e específicas para a prática especializada, e este relatório em específico pretende ser a materialização das aprendizagens realizadas e das competências adquiridas, tendo por base a mais recente evidência científica, que é transversal a todo o documento, mais evidente ainda no estudo de investigação que foi realizado durante o estágio. Metodologia: O estudo de investigação realizado está inserido num projeto de investigação no âmbito das pessoas idosas institucionalizadas em Estrutura Residencial para Pessoas Idosas (ERPI) e que inclui, além deste tema, a ansiedade, solidão e qualidade de vida. Do ponto de vista metodológico trata-se de um estudo que segue o paradigma construtivista, numa abordagem quantitativa, de carácter observacional, transversal e descritivo-correlacional. Traçaram-se como objetivos: avaliar o nível de SMP das pessoas idosas institucionalizadas em ERPI; analisar a associação entre o nível de SMP e as determinantes sociodemográficas e clínicas e obter uma caracterização atualizada da população idosa residente em ERPI. Foram utilizados como instrumentos de colheita de dados um questionário sociodemográfico e clínico elaborado pela equipa do projeto de investigação e o Questionário de Saúde Mental Positiva (QSM+), originalmente criado e validado por Lluch-Canut e traduzido e validado para a população portuguesa por Sequeira et al. (2014). Resultados: Das 181 pessoas idosas inquiridas a maioria revelou níveis intermédios e elevados de SMP em alinhamento com o encontrado na literatura. Foram identificados alguns determinantes que sugerem promover a SMP nomeadamente o facto de as pessoas idosas participarem nas atividades da instituição (Fator Atitude pró-social: t Student= 2.309, p = 0.022; Fator Habilidades de relação interpessoal: t Student = 2.891, p = 0.004), receberem visitas (t Student= 2.515; p = 0.013), decidirem pela sua institucionalização (t Studentt= 2.166; p = 0.032) e sentirem que têm oportunidade de participar na vida da instituição (t Student= -3.987; p = <0.001). Conclusões: Este estudo fornece dados importantes para o trabalho especializado do EEEC no planeamento de projetos sustentáveis, inclusivos e acima de tudo onde as pessoas idosas têm voz ativa, sendo cocriadoras do seu próprio projeto de saúde.

Framing: Good health adds life to years. The opportunities that open up with increased longevity depend to a large extent on Healthy Ageing. When these people live these additional years in good health, they contribute to the strength of societies; but if these additional years are dominated by poor health, the implications for older people and society are much more negative (World Health Organization [WHO], 2020). The promotion of Healthy Ageing is one of the wishes of the Specialist Nurse in Community Nursing in the area of community health and public health nursing who, with specific skills in health planning, acts as a facilitating agent for the empowerment of communities in particular, the most vulnerable. The promotion of Positive Mental Health appears, in this work, as a tool to enhance Healthy Ageing, based on Lluch-Canut 's multifactorial Positive Mental Health model. The Professional Nature Internship, part of the curricular unit Professional Nature Internship with Final Report aimed at acquiring common and specific skills for specialized practice, and this specific report intends to be the materialization of the learning carried out and the acquired skills, based on the most recent scientific evidence, which is transversal to the entire document, even more evident in the research study that was carried out during the internship. Methodology: The research study carried out is part of a research project in the contexto of institucionalized elderly people in Residencial Structure for Elderly People and includes, in addition to this theme, anxiety, loneliness and quality of life. From the methodological point of view, this is a study that follows the constructivist paradigm, in a quantitative, observational, cross-sectional and descriptive- correlational approach. Were outlined: to evaluate the level of Positive Mental Health of institutionalized elderly in Residential Structure for Elderly People; analyze the association between the level of Positive Mental Health and sociodemographic and clinical determinants and obtain an updated characterization of the elderly population living in Residential Structure for Elderly People . A clinical sociodemographic questionnaire prepared by the research project team and the Positive Mental Health Questionnaire, originally created and validated by Lluch-Canut and translated and validated for the Portuguese population by Sequeira et al.(2014) , were used as data collection instruments. Results: Of the 181 elderly people surveyed, the majority revealed intermediate and high levels of Positive Mental Health in line with what is found in the literature. Some determinants were identified that suggest promoting Positive Mental Health, namely the fact that the elderly participate in the institution's activities (Pro-social attitude factor: t Studen= 2.309, p = 0.022; Interpersonal relationship skills factor: Student = 2.891, p = 0.004), receive visits (t Studen= 2.515; p = 0.013), choose institutionalization (t Studen= 2.166; p = 0.032) and feel that they have the opportunity to participate in the life of the institution (tStuden = -3.987; p = <0.001). Conclusions: This study provides important data for the specialized work of the Specialist Nurse in Community Nursing in the planning of sustainable, inclusive projects and above all where the elderly have an active voice, being co-creators of their own health project.

Improved Assessment of Overall Health in Variably Aged Murine Models of Multiple Sclerosis With a Novel Frailty Index Tool.

The experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) model is the most commonly used animal model of multiple sclerosis (MS). However, phenotypic characterization of mice based on the traditional 5-point clinical paralysis scale does not fully capture disease progression. The frailty index (FI) conceptualizes frailty as the accumulation of health deficits and it is widely used to assess overall health in aging humans and preclinical models. Here, we adapted an established mouse FI tool for use in EAE mice and determined whether this could evaluate general signs of health in variably aged female EAE mice. The EAE-Clinical FI included 34 items related to clinical signs and deficits characteristic of aging and MS. This tool clearly showed more detailed EAE progression and severity at all ages, highlighting changes in systems other than motor paralysis measured with the traditional 5-point paralysis scale. When we induced disease at 3 and 6 months of age, mice showed typical EAE clinical manifestations with peak disease severity between 17 and 19 days post-induction and mean frailty scores of 0.36 ± 0.04 (3-month-old) and 0.43 ± 0.05 (6-month-old). By contrast, disease severity peaked after 14 days in 12-month-old mice. They showed atypical signs including wobbling, early belly drag, and splayed hindlegs that were better captured with the EAE-Clinical FI. Peak frailty scores also were higher than those of younger animals (0.54 ± 0.04). As MS most often develops in young to middle-aged people, this new tool may have significant value for use in EAE animal studies as a first step toward translation to people with MS.

Sorption of 4-n-nonylphenol, 4-n-octylphenol, and 4-tert-octyphenol on cyclodextrin polymers.

Alkylphenols are industrial pollutants commonly present in wastewater. They are difficult to eliminate by conventional treatment processes, ending up in the sludge of wastewater treatment plants. In this study, we propose to use cross-linked cyclodextrin-based polymers (ECP) as sorbents to treat three alkylphenols, namely, one nonylphenol (4-n-NP) and two octylphenols (4-n-OP and 4-tert-OP), present in aqueous solution by a batch method. The experiments were carried out with five cyclodextrin polymers (α-ECP, ß-ECP, γ-ECP, α,ß,γ-ECP, and HP-ß-ECP). Sorption results showed that all polymers, with the exception of α-ECP, had high sorption capacities between 60 and 100% of the alkylphenols in the concentration range studied (between 25 and 100 µg/L). In all cases, HP-ß-ECP has shown the highest removals, regardless of the structure of the molecule. The order obtained was HP-ß-ECP >> ß-ECP ~ α,ß,γ-ECP >> γ-ECP > α-ECP. The 4-tert-OP compound was the best adsorbed, regardless the material and the solution studied. Sorption results also indicated that (i) the sorption efficiency decreased with the increasing of alkylphenol concentration; (ii) sodium chloride had a strong negative effect on the sorption process; and (iii) the performance remained unchanged after five sorption-regeneration cycles. The main sorption mechanism of alkylphenols occurring in ECP was the inclusion within the cyclodextrin cavities. The obtained results proved that cyclodextrin polymers could serve as efficient sorbents for the removal of alkylphenols from real effluents.

BASHY Dye Platform Enables the Fluorescence Bioimaging of Myelin Debris Phagocytosis by Microglia during Demyelination.

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a demyelinating disease of the central nervous system that is characterized by the presence of demyelinated regions with accumulated myelin lipid debris. Importantly, to allow effective remyelination, such debris must be cleared by microglia. Therefore, the study of microglial activity with sensitive tools is of great interest to better monitor the MS clinical course. Using a boronic acid-based (BASHY) fluorophore, specific for nonpolar lipid aggregates, we aimed to address BASHY's ability to label nonpolar myelin debris and image myelin clearance in the context of demyelination. Demyelinated ex vivo organotypic cultures (OCSCs) and primary microglia cells were immunostained to evaluate BASHY's co-localization with myelin debris and also to evaluate BASHY's specificity for phagocytosing cells. Additionally, mice induced with experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) were injected with BASHY and posteriorly analyzed to evaluate BASHY+ microglia within demyelinated lesions. Indeed, in our in vitro and ex vivo studies, we showed a significant increase in BASHY labeling in demyelinated OCSCs, mostly co-localized with Iba1-expressing amoeboid/phagocytic microglia. Most importantly, BASHY's presence was also found within demyelinated areas of EAE mice, essentially co-localizing with lesion-associated Iba1+ cells, evidencing BASHY's potential for the in vivo bioimaging of myelin clearance and myelin-carrying microglia in regions of active demyelination.

Use of Chènevotte, a Valuable Co-Product of Industrial Hemp Fiber, as Adsorbent for Pollutant Removal. Part I: Chemical, Microscopic, Spectroscopic and Thermogravimetric Characterization of Raw and Modified Samples.

FINEAU (2021-2024) is a trans-disciplinary research project involving French, Serbian, Italian, Portuguese and Romanian colleagues, a French agricultural cooperative and two surface-treatment industries, intending to propose chènevotte, a co-product of the hemp industry, as an adsorbent for the removal of pollutants from polycontaminated wastewater. The first objective of FINEAU was to prepare and characterize chènevotte-based materials. In this study, the impact of water washing and treatments (KOH, Na2CO3 and H3PO4) on the composition and structure of chènevotte (also called hemp shives) was evaluated using chemical analysis, X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy-dispersive X-ray (EDX) spectroscopy, X-ray computed nanotomography (nano-CT), attenuated total reflectance-Fourier transform infrared (ATR-FTIR) spectroscopy, solid state NMR spectroscopy and thermogravimetric analysis. The results showed that all these techniques are complementary and useful to characterize the structure and morphology of the samples. Before any chemical treatment, the presence of impurities with a compact unfibrillated structure on the surfaces of chènevotte samples was found. Data indicated an increase in the crystallinity index and significant changes in the chemical composition of each sample after treatment as well as in surface morphology and roughness. The most significant changes were observed in alkaline-treated samples, especially those treated with KOH.

Rethinking water treatment targets: Bacteria regrowth under unprovable conditions.

Ozonation is among the currently used technologies to remove chemical and biological contaminants from secondary treated urban wastewater (UWW). Despite its effectiveness on the abatement of organic micropollutants (OMPs) and disinfection, previous studies have shown that regrow of bacteria may occur upon storage of the ozonated UWW. This reactivation has been attributed to the high content of assimilable organic carbon after treatment. In order to investigate if ozonation by-products are the main biological regrowth drivers in stored ozonated UWW, the ozonation surviving cells were resuspended in sterile bottled mineral water (MW), simulating a pristine oligotrophic environment. After 7 days storage, organisms such as Acinetobacter, Methylobacterium, Cupriavidus, Massilia, Acidovorax and Pseudomonas were dominant in both ozonated UWW and pristine MW, demonstrating that bacterial regrowth is not strictly related to the eventual presence of ozonation by-products, but instead with the ability of the surviving cells to cope with nutrient-poor environments. The resistome of UWW before and after ozonation was analysed by metagenomic techniques. Draft metagenome assembled genomes (dMAGs), recovered from both ozonated UWW and after cell resuspension in MW, harboured genes conferring resistance to diverse antibiotics classes. Some of these antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) were located in the vicinity of mobile genetic elements, suggesting their potential to be mobilized. Among these, dMAGs affiliated to taxa with high relative abundance in stored water, such as P. aeruginosa and Acinetobacter spp., harboured ARGs conferring resistance to 12 and 4 families of antibiotics, respectively, including those encoding carbapenem hydrolysing oxacillinases. The results herein obtained point out that the design and development of new wastewater treatment technologies should include measures to attenuate the imbalance of the bacterial communities promoted by storage of the final treated wastewater, even when applying processes with high mineralization rates.

Biosorbents from Plant Fibers of Hemp and Flax for Metal Removal: Comparison of Their Biosorption Properties.

Lignocellulosic fibers extracted from plants are considered an interesting raw material for environmentally friendly products with multiple applications. This work investigated the feasibility of using hemp- and flax-based materials in the form of felts as biosorbents for the removal of metals present in aqueous solutions. Biosorption of Al, Cd, Co, Cu, Mn, Ni and Zn from a single solution by the two lignocellulosic-based felts was examined using a batch mode. The parameters studied were initial metal concentration, adsorbent dosage, contact time, and pH. In controlled conditions, the results showed that: (i) the flax-based felt had higher biosorption capacities with respect to the metals studied than the hemp-based felt; (ii) the highest removal efficiency was always obtained for Cu ions, and the following order of Cu > Cd > Zn > Ni > Co > Al > Mn was found for both examined biosorbents; (iii) the process was rapid and 10 min were sufficient to attain the equilibrium; (iv) the efficiency improved with the increase of the adsorbent dosage; and (v) the biosorption capacities were independent of pH between 4 and 6. Based on the obtained results, it can be considered that plant-based felts are new, efficient materials for metal removal.

UV-A activation of peroxymonosulfate for the removal of micropollutants from secondary treated wastewater.

The occurrence of micropollutants (MPs) in the aquatic environment poses a threat to the environment and to the human health. The application of sulfate radical-based advanced oxidation processes (SR-AOPs) to eliminate these contaminants has attracted attention in recent years. In this work, the simultaneous degradation of 20 multi-class MPs (classified into 5 main categories, namely antibiotics, beta-blockers, other pharmaceuticals, pesticides, and herbicides) was evaluated for the first time in secondary treated wastewater, by activating peroxymonosulfate (PMS) with UV-A radiation, without any pH adjustment or iron addition. The optimal PMS concentration to remove the spiked target MPs (100 µg L-1) from wastewater was 0.1 mM, leading to an average degradation of 80% after 60 min, with most of the elimination occurring during the first 5 min. Synergies between radiation and the oxidant were demonstrated and quantified, with an average extent of synergy of 69.1%. The optimized treatment was then tested using non-spiked wastewater, in which 12 out of the 20 target contaminants were detected. Among these, 7 were degraded at some extent, varying from 10.7% (acetamiprid) to 94.4% (ofloxacin), the lower removals being attributed to the quite inferior ratio of MPs to natural organic matter. Phytotoxicity tests carried out with the wastewater before and after photo-activated PMS oxidation revealed a decrease in the toxicity and that the plants were able to grow in the presence of the treated water. Therefore, despite the low degradation rates obtained for some MPs, the treatment effectively reduces the toxicity of the matrix, making the water safer for reuse.

Saúde mental e atividade física em contexto prisional: Uma revisão da literatura / Mental health and physical activity in the prison context: A literature review

Introdução: A atividade física pode contribuir para a promoção da saúde mental, reduzindo a incidência de transtornos de ansiedade e síndromes depressivos. Estes fatores de risco são mais frequentes em indivíduos reclusos, o que sugere a necessidade de explorar a utilidade da atividade física como promotor da saúde mental destas pessoas. Objetivo: O presente estudo teve como objetivo efetuar uma revisão da literatura, com recurso a uma scoping review, centrada na promoção da saúde mental através da atividade física em contexto prisional. Métodos: De acordo com as recomendações presentes na literatura, realizou-se uma scoping review. O primeiro passo da revisão envolveu definir os objetivos e questões de investigação que orientavam o processo de revisão (março 2020). O segundo passo envolveu uma articulação entre os objetivos/questões de investigação e os critérios de inclusão (março 2020). O terceiro e quarto passos sistematizam o plano de pesquisa (abril e maio de 2020). O quinto passo implicou a identificação e seleção dos documentos a incluir na revisão (junho 2020). O sexto e sétimo passos envolveram a análise dos documentos e construção do flow chart (julho 2020). O oitavo e nono passos referem-se, respetivamente, à elaboração de um relatório em que se descreveu os resultados da revisão em função dos objetivos/questões de investigação levantados, bem como à discussão do processo de revisão na área da saúde mental, atividade física e população reclusa (julho e agosto de 2020). Resultados e Discussão: Foram incluídos na presente scoping review 13 estudos. Estes estudos apontam para a necessidade de desenvolver um maior número de investigações centradas nos desafios e estratégias associados a intervenções que visem a promoção da saúde mental através da atividade física em contexto prisional. Verifica-se também uma ausência de estudos realizados no sistema prisional Português. Conclusões: Sugere-se a necessidade de desenvolver um conjunto mais alargado de evidências acerca da utilização da atividade física como meio promotor da saúde mental em contexto prisional ao longo de diversos contextos sócio-culturais.

Introduction: Physical activity can contribute to the promotion of mental health, reducing the incidence of anxiety disorders and depressive syndromes. These risk factors are more frequent in prisoners, which suggests the need to explore the usefulness of physical activity as a context for promoting mental health in these individuals. Objectives: The present study aimed to carry out a literature review, using a scoping review, focused on promoting mental health through physical activity in a prison context. Methods: According to the recommendations in the literature, a scoping review was carried out. The first step of the review involved defining the research objectives and issues that guided the review process (march 2020). The second step involved an articulation between the research objectives / issues and the inclusion criteria (march 2020). The third and fourth steps systematize the research plan (april and may 2020). The fifth step involved the identification and selection of documents to be included in the review (june 2020). The sixth and seventh steps involved analyzing the documents and building the flow chart (july 2020). The eighth and ninth steps refer, respectively, to the preparation of a report in which the results of the review were described according to the research objectives / issues raised, as well as the discussion of the review process with other researchers in the field of mental health, physical activity and prison population (july and august 2020). Results and Discussion: 13 studies were included in this scoping review. These studies point to the need to develop a greater number of investigations focused on the challenges and strategies associated with interventions aimed at promoting mental health through physical activity in prison. There is also a scarcity of studies carried out in the Portuguese prison system. Conclusions: It is suggested that there is a need to develop a broader set of evidence about the use of physical activity as a means of promoting mental health in a prison context across diverse socio-cultural contexts

Frailty-A promising concept to evaluate disease vulnerability.

With the emergence of diseases, people become frailer and are expected to be less tolerant of adverse outcomes. Frailty was first described to explain the variability in life expectancy in individuals of the same age. Nowadays, it is described as a syndrome and as a state. It is used to explain the heterogeneity of people not only in their responses to biological ageing but also in their responses to illness. In this review, we explore the role of frailty both in age-related diseases, including dementia, cancer and cardiovascular disease, and in non-age-related diseases, such as Human Immunodeficiency Virus. We describe how high levels of frailty in such disorders predict worse outcomes and play a direct role in disease progression and in prognostic prediction. Overall, the potential for frailty to predict adverse health outcomes among young people as well as in non-age-related diseases is an evolving topic. Understanding how frailty contributes to poor health and how it can be modified to prevent or delay disease progression will ultimately enhance quality of life in affected individuals.

Cultural Adaptation and Psychometric Properties Assessment of the NOC Outcome "Cognition" in a Sample of Portuguese Adults With Mental Illness.

PURPOSE: Cultural adaptation and psychometric properties assessment of the Nursing Outcomes Classification (NOC) outcome "Cognition" in a sample of Portuguese adults with mental illness. METHODS: Methodological study. FINDINGS: The final European Portuguese version of the NOC outcome "Cognition", consisting of 13 items, showed good psychometric properties. An exploratory factor analysis was performed from which only one factor was established. CONCLUSIONS: The European Portuguese version of the NOC outcome "Cognition" seems to gather very satisfactory psychometric properties for assessing cognition in the Portuguese population. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING PRACTICE: This study contributed to advance the nursing body of knowledge and to better assess cognition in a clinical context.

Schistosomiasis and Infertility: What Do We Know?

There is increasing attention on the complex interactions occurring between schistosome parasites and their hosts. However, little is known about the occurrence, epidemiology, and mechanisms of schistosomiasis-associated infertility. In this article, we argue that an in-depth understanding of the interplay between parasites and the host endocrine system may significantly enhance current knowledge of infertility in infected individuals. We discuss the basic hormonal mechanisms that may lead to the discovery of entirely novel anthelmintic interventions against schistosomiasis.

Dual enantioselective LC-MS/MS method to analyse chiral drugs in surface water: Monitoring in Douro River estuary.

This work presents the development of an enantioselective method to quantify chiral drugs (CDs) in surface water and its application in the Douro River estuary monitoring. Different classes of CDs were targeted, including 23 compounds, namely beta-blockers, antidepressants, one beta2-adrenergic agonist, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, stimulants, and some illicit drugs as cocaine (COC) and its metabolites, and amphetamines. The analytical method was based on an innovative application of solid phase extraction (SPE), followed by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) using a triple quadrupole analyzer. The ground-breaking approach of SPE consists in the use of Oasis® MCX cartridges to pre-concentrate 500 mL of water samples, allowing the simultaneous extraction of acidic, basic and neutral analytes, rather than the conventional recovery of basic compounds only. Two chiral columns were used for enantiomeric separation in reverse elution mode, a Chirobiotic™V and a Pirkle type Whelk-O®1, for basic and acidic compounds, respectively. The method validation demonstrated good linearity (r2 > 0.99), selectivity and sensitivity, with method detection limits between 0.01 and 2.66 ng L-1 and method quantification limits between 0.02 and 5.71 ng L-1. The developed method was successfully applied to monitor daily variations along one week in surface waters collected in 5 locations of the Douro River estuary. Tramadol (TRM) and its metabolite N-desmethyltramadol (NDT), presented high concentrations near the affluent of a tributary river, while the second eluted enantiomer of O-desmethyltramadol (ODT) was found at high concentrations at the mouth of the Douro River. The metabolite NDT was quantified at higher concentrations than TRM. Venlafaxine (VNF) was found at high concentrations near the affluent of the same tributary river, but its metabolite, O-desmethylvenlafaxine (ODV), was found at concentrations 3 times higher. COC was found every day at all sampling points along the estuary, with slight variations.

Secretome from SH-SY5Y APPSwe cells trigger time-dependent CHME3 microglia activation phenotypes, ultimately leading to miR-21 exosome shuttling.

Exosome-mediated intercellular communication has been increasingly recognized as having a broad impact on Alzheimer's disease (AD) pathogenesis. Still, limited information exists regarding their "modus operandi", as it critically depends on exosomal cargo, environmental context and target cells. Therefore, a more thorough understanding of the role of exosomes from different cell types as mediators of neuroinflammation in AD context is a decisive step to open avenues for innovative and efficient therapies. In this study, we demonstrate that SH-SY5Y cells transfected with the Swedish mutant of APP695 (SHSwe) remarkably express increased inflammatory markers, combined with higher APP and Aß1-40 production, when compared to naïve SH-SY5Y (SH) cells. Although exerting an early clearance effect on extracellular APP and Aß accumulation when in co-culture with SHSwe cells, human CHME3 microglia gradually lose such property, and express both pro-inflammatory (iNOS, IL-1ß, TNF-α, MHC class II, IL-6) and pro-resolving genes (IL-10 and Arginase 1), while also evidence increased senescence-associated ß-galactosidase activity. Interestingly, upregulation of inflammatory-associated miRNA (miR)-155, miR-146a and miR-124 by SHSwe secretome shows to be time-dependent and to inversely correlate with their respective targets (SOCS-1, IRAK1 and C/EBP-α). We report that microglia also internalize exosomes released from SHSwe cells, which are enriched in miR-155, miR-146a, miR-124, miR-21 and miR-125b and recapitulate the cells of origin. Furthermore, we show that SHSwe-derived exosomes are capable of inducing acute and delayed microglial upregulation of TNF-α, HMGB1 and S100B pro-inflammatory markers, from which only S100B is found on their derived exosomes. Most importantly, our data reveal that miR-21 is a consistent biomarker that is found not only in SHSwe cells and in their released exosomes, but also in the recipient CHME3 microglia and derived exosomes. This work contributes to the increased understanding of neuron-microglia communication and exosome-mediated neuroinflammation in AD, while highlights miR-21 as a promising biomarker/target for therapeutic intervention.

Priority Substances and Emerging Organic Pollutants in Portuguese Aquatic Environment: A Review.

Aquatic environments are among the most noteworthy ecosystems regarding chemical pollution due to the anthropogenic pressure. In 2000, the European Commission implemented the Water Framework Directive, with the aim of progressively reducing aquatic chemical pollution of the European Union countries. Therefore, the knowledge about the chemical and ecological status is imperative to determine the overall quality of water bodies. Concerning Portugal, some studies have demonstrated the presence of pollutants in the aquatic environment but an overall report is not available yet. The aim of this paper is to provide a comprehensive review about the occurrence of priority substances included in the Water Framework Directive and some classes of emerging organic pollutants that have been found in Portuguese aquatic environment. The most frequently studied compounds comprise industrial compounds, natural and synthetic estrogens, phytoestrogens, phytosterols, pesticides, pharmaceuticals and personal care products. Concentration of these pollutants ranged from few ng L(-1) to higher values such as 30 µg L(-1) for industrial compounds in surface waters and up to 106 µg L(-1) for the pharmaceutical ibuprofen in wastewaters. Compounds already banned in Europe such as atrazine, alkylphenols and alkylphenol polyethoxylates are still found in surface waters, nevertheless their origin is still poorly understood. Beyond the contamination of the Portuguese aquatic environment by priority substances and emerging organic pollutants, this review also highlights the need of more research on other classes of pollutants and emphasizes the importance of extending this research to other locations in Portugal, which have not been investigated yet.