Water temperature modulates mercury accumulation and oxidative stress status of common goby (Pomatoschistus microps).

Mercury (Hg) is a widespread pollutant across estuarine and coastal areas, raising concern on its potential impact on aquatic organisms. Hg may origin from natural and anthropogenic sources, being persistent and potentially toxic to biota, ultimately representing a serious risk to human health. Hg accumulation and toxicity may also induce reactive oxygen species (ROS) production in marine organisms, responsible for cell and tissue damage. Additionally, the temperature is undoubtedly an important environmental factor to consider regarding accumulation, due to its marked influence on the physiology and ecology of aquatic organisms. This study aimed to investigate the effect of different temperature scenarios (15, 20 and 25 °C) on the Hg accumulation in Pomatoschistus microps (Krøyer, 1838) liver and muscle, as well as on oxidative stress responses and energy metabolism, after short-term exposure to a naturally contaminated sediment with an environmentally relevant [Hg] (1.2 µg g-1). The results showed that Hg accumulation tends to increase along the temperature gradient with higher values of Hg accumulated in liver than in muscle tissue. The action of antioxidant enzymes and stress proteins seems to be effective in combating oxidative stress in the liver. Despite the action of antioxidant defences in the muscle, oxidative damage was observed at the protein level concomitantly with a decrease in aerobic energy production after exposure to Hg at higher temperatures. These findings are ecologically relevant and highlight the importance of further investigation of combined effects of Hg and other stressors, especially in a scenario of a changing climate where events leading to rapid alterations on water parameters are more frequent.

Two-Loop Four-Graviton Scattering Amplitudes.

We present the analytic form of the two-loop four-graviton scattering amplitudes in Einstein gravity. To remove ultraviolet divergences we include counterterms quadratic and cubic in the Riemann curvature tensor. The two-loop numerical unitarity approach is used to deal with the challenging momentum dependence of the interactions. We exploit the algebraic properties of the integrand of the amplitude in order to reduce it to a minimal basis of Feynman integrals. Analytic expressions are obtained from numerical evaluations of the amplitude. Finally, we show that four-graviton scattering observables depend on fewer couplings than naïvely expected.

Mercury bioaccumulation in the long-fin squid Loligo forbesi near the Mid-Atlantic Ridge: Implications to human exposure.

Due to growing commercial interest as a fishing resource and its intermediate position in the marine trophic chains as both prey and predator, cephalopods can play an important role in mercury (Hg) transfer along the marine food webs, since they can bioaccumulate this metal in its tissues. Our study aims to analyze Hg accumulation in Loligo forbesi caught in the Azores Archipelago (Portugal) quantifying Hg in different tissues (mantle and stomach), as well in the squid stomach content, in order to evaluate the efficiency of Hg transfer from prey to predator. Hg data from the tissues was used to estimate the weekly tolerable Hg intake due to squid consumption. Overall data indicate that Hg measured in the stomach tissue (0.1 ± 0.01 µg g-1) was significantly higher than Hg levels found in the mantle (0.04 ± 0.001 µg g-1) and stomach contents (0.01 ± 0.001 µg g-1). BMF (bioaccumulation factor) was >1 for all the samples, indicating a biomagnification process from prey to predator. Hg concentration in the mantle tissue was correlated with mantle size; although females present higher Hg levels than males, the difference was found to be not related to gender but rather to the fact that females had larger bodies. Finally, considering the Hg concentration found in the mantle and the permitted Hg levels, it is advisable to consume up to 1050-1890g of squid per week, according to the regulatory agencies. Thus, our results indicate that, since these doses are respected, consumption of squids from the Azorean waters do not pose a risk to humans.

Analytic Form of Planar Two-Loop Five-Gluon Scattering Amplitudes in QCD.

We present the analytic form of the planar two-loop five-gluon scattering amplitudes in QCD for a complete set of independent helicity configurations of external gluons. These include the first analytic results for five-point two-loop amplitudes relevant for the computation of next-to-next-to-leading-order QCD corrections at hadron colliders. The results were obtained by reconstructing analytic expressions from numerical evaluations. The complexity of the computation is reduced by exploiting physical and analytical properties of the amplitudes, employing a minimal basis of so-called pentagon functions that have recently been classified.

Associations between anthropometric indicators in early life and low-grade inflammation, insulin resistance and lipid profile in adolescence.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: The long-term relations between excessive adiposity in early childhood and unfavourable cardiometabolic profiles in later ages are not yet completely understood. We aimed to assess the associations between birth weight (BW) and BMI from 6 months to 6 years of age, with biomarkers indicative of low-grade inflammation, insulin resistance and lipid profiles in adolescence. METHODS AND RESULTS: Retrospective school-based study with 415 Portuguese adolescents (220 girls), mean age of 14.08 ± 1.6 years old. Anthropometric data from birth to 6 years old was extracted from individual child health book records. Actual weight and height were measured and BMI calculated. Participants were classified at each time point as normal weight or overweight according to WHO reference values. Biomarkers were obtained from venous blood samples. Linear regressions were used to explore the associations between the biomarkers and early life anthropometric indicators. From 2 years onwards, BMI associated positively with the inflammatory score and HOMA-IR in adolescence. Children who were overweight/obese from 2 to 6 years of age presented significantly higher inflammatory score and HOMA-IR later in adolescence. TC/HDL ratio was also positively associated with BMI from the age of 5 years onwards. The associations between BMI and cardiometabolic outcomes remained positive in adolescence, with overweight adolescents presenting a higher inflammatory score, HOMA-IR and TC/HDL than normal weight adolescents. CONCLUSION: A high BMI from an early age was consistently associated with worse inflammatory and lipid profiles and insulin resistance in adolescence. No associations were found between BW and the same studied outcomes.

Therapeutic administration of bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stromal cells reduces airway inflammation without up-regulating Tregs in experimental asthma.

BACKGROUND: Prophylactic administration of mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) derived from adipose (AD-MSC) and bone marrow tissue (BM-MSC) in ovalbumin-induced asthma hinders inflammation in a Treg-dependent manner. It is uncertain whether MSCs act through Tregs when inflammation is already established in asthma induced by a clinically relevant allergen. OBJECTIVE: Evaluate the effect of therapeutic administration of MSCs on inflammation and Treg cells in house dust mite (HDM)-induced asthma. METHODS: BM-MSCs and AD-MSCs were administered intratracheally to C57BL/6 mice 1 day after the last HDM challenge. Lung function, remodelling and parenchymal inflammation were assayed 3 or 7 days after MSCs treatment, through invasive plethysmography and histology, respectively. Bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) and mediastinal lymph nodes (mLNs) were assessed regarding the inflammatory profile by flow cytometry, ELISA and qRT-PCR. MSCs were studied regarding their potential to induce Treg cells from primed and unprimed lymphocytes in vitro. RESULTS: BM-MSCs, but not AD-MSCs, reduced lung influx of eosinophils and B cells and increased IL-10 levels in HDM-challenged mice. Neither BM-MSCs nor AD-MSCs reduced lung parenchymal inflammation, airway hyperresponsiveness or mucus hypersecretion. BM-MSCs and AD-MSCs did not up-regulate Treg cell counts within the airways and mLNs, but BM-MSCs decreased the pro-inflammatory profile of alveolar macrophages. Co-culture of BM-MSCs and AD-MSCs with allergen-stimulated lymphocytes reduced Treg cell counts in a cell-to-cell contact-independent manner, although co-culture of both MSCs with unprimed lymphocytes up-regulated Treg cell counts. CONCLUSIONS: MSCs therapeutically administered exert anti-inflammatory effects in the airway of HDM-challenged mice, but do not ameliorate lung function or remodelling. Although MSC pre-treatment can increase Treg cell numbers, it is highly unlikely that the MSCs will induce Treg cell expansion when lymphocytes are allergenically primed in an established lung inflammation.

Fruit, vegetable consumption and blood pressure in healthy adolescents: A longitudinal analysis from the LabMed study.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: The associations between fruit and vegetable consumption and high blood pressure among adults are well studied. Nonetheless, data on the influence of a low consumption of fruit and vegetables on cardiovascular disease risk, particularly blood pressure, among healthy adolescents are scarce. Therefore, we aim to analyse the associations between fruit and/or vegetable intake and blood pressure over a two-year period in healthy adolescents. METHODS AND RESULTS: As part of a cohort, 606 adolescents from the LabMed Physical Activity study were evaluated in 2011 (baseline) and 2013 (follow-up). Blood pressure was measured according to standardized procedures and fruit and vegetable consumption was assessed with a food frequency questionnaire. Anthropometric variables, socioeconomic status, pubertal stage and lifestyle determinants were gathered and used as confounders. Prospective associations between fruit and/or vegetable intake and blood pressure were examined using generalized linear models. Girls who consumed more fruit at baseline had a significant decrease in diastolic blood pressure at follow-up [unstandardized beta: -0.005 mmHg (95%CI: -0.01; -0.0002) (p = 0.038)]. CONCLUSION: In apparently healthy adolescents, fruit intake may already start to have an effect in blood pressure. Girls who consumed more fruit exhibited lower levels of diastolic blood pressure.

Two-Loop Four-Gluon Amplitudes from Numerical Unitarity.

We present the first numerical computation of two-loop amplitudes based on the unitarity method. As a proof of principle, we compute the four-gluon process in the leading-color approximation. We discuss the new method, analyze its numerical properties, and apply it to reconstruct the analytic form of the amplitudes. The numerical method is universal, and can be automated to provide multiscale two-loop computations for phenomenologically relevant signatures at hadron colliders.

Muscular fitness, adherence to the Southern European Atlantic Diet and cardiometabolic risk factors in adolescents.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Muscular fitness and an adherence to the Southern European Atlantic Diet (SEADiet) have been inversely associated with cardiometabolic risk. Our aim was to assess the independent and combined associations of muscular fitness and adherence to the SEADiet on cardiometabolic risk in adolescents. METHODS AND RESULTS: A total of 467 Portuguese adolescents (275 girls) participated in this cross-sectional study. Sum of the Z-Scores of Curl-Up and Push-Up tests was used to create a muscular fitness score. Adherence to SEADiet was obtained using a food frequency questionnaire. A cardiometabolic risk score was computed from sum of Z-score of triglycerides, systolic blood pressure, total cholesterol/HDL ratio, HOMA-IR and waist circumference. Adolescents with low muscular fitness and low adherence to the SEADiet had the poorest cardiovascular profile F(5, 452) = 5.074 (p < 0.001) and the highest odds of having a high cardiometabolic risk score (OR = 4.5; 95% CI: 2.1-14) when compared to those with High muscular fitness/High adherence to the SEADiet after adjustments for age, sex, pubertal stage, socioeconomic status, total energy intake, low-energy reporter and cardiorespiratory fitness. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings seem suggest that improving muscular fitness as well as an adherence to the SEADiet could be an important strategy to reduce clustered cardiometabolic risk in youth.

Human leucocyte antigens class II allele and haplotype association with Type 1 Diabetes in Madeira Island (Portugal).

This study confirms for Madeira Island (Portugal) population the Type 1 Diabetes (T1D) susceptible and protective Human leucocyte antigens (HLA) markers previously reported in other populations and adds some local specificities. Among the strongest T1D HLA associations, stands out, as susceptible, the alleles DRB1*04:05 (OR = 7.3), DQB1*03:02 (OR = 6.1) and DQA1*03:03 (OR = 4.5), as well as the haplotypes DRB1*04:05-DQA1*03:03-DQB1*03:02 (OR = 100.9) and DRB1*04:04-DQA1*03:01-DQB1*03:02 (OR = 22.1), and DQB1*06:02 (OR = 0.07) and DRB1*15:01-DQA1*01:02-DQB1*06:02 (OR = 0.04) as protective. HLA-DQA1 positive for Arginine at position 52 (Arg52) (OR = 15.2) and HLA-DQB1 negative for Aspartic acid at the position 57 (Asp57) (OR = 9.0) alleles appear to be important genetic markers for T1D susceptibility, with higher odds ratio values than any single allele and than most of the haplotypes. Genotypes generated by the association of markers Arg52 DQA1 positive and Asp57 DQB1 negative increase T1D susceptibility much more than one would expected by a simple additive effect of those markers separately (OR = 26.9). This study also confirms an increased risk for DRB1*04/DRB1*03 heterozygote genotypes (OR = 16.8) and also a DRB1*04-DQA1*03:01-DQB1*03:02 haplotype susceptibility dependent on the DRB1*04 allele (DRB1*04:01, OR = 7.9; DRB1*04:02, OR = 3.2; DRB1*04:04, OR = 22.1).

Muscular fitness and metabolic and inflammatory biomarkers in adolescents: Results from LabMed Physical Activity Study.

This study aimed to evaluate the associations between muscular fitness and inflammatory biomarkers and to investigate the relationship between muscular fitness and selected clustered inflammatory biomarkers in adolescents. This is a cross-sectional analysis with 529 adolescents (267 girls) aged 12-18 years. Handgrip strength and standing long jump tests assessed MF. Continuous scores of clustered inflammatory biomarkers (sum of Z-scores of C-reactive protein [CRP], C3, C4, fibrinogen, and leptin); metabolic risk factor (MRF) score (sum of Z-scores of SBP, triglycerides, ratio total cholesterol [TC]/HDL, HOMA-IR, and waist circumference [WC]) were computed. Regression analyses showed an inverse association between muscular fitness score (ß=-.204; P<.021) and clustered score of inflammatory biomarkers, adjusted for age, sex, pubertal stage, socioeconomic status, adherence to the Mediterranean diet, cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF), MRF score, and body fat. Analysis of covariance showed that adolescents with an adverse inflammatory profile with low levels of muscular fitness exhibit the poorest MRF score (F3,525 =6.461; P<.001), adjusted for age, sex, pubertal stage, socioeconomic status, adherence to the Mediterranean diet, CRF, and body fatness. The inflammatory state seems to explain a significant part of the highest MRF score and in adolescents with high inflammatory status and low muscular strength.

Role of Google Glass in improving patient satisfaction for otolaryngology residents: a pilot study.

OBJECTIVES: To demonstrate the feasibility and efficacy of the Google Glass as a tool to improve patient satisfaction and patient-physician communication for otolaryngology residents in the outpatient clinic setting. The primary outcome of the study was to improve patient satisfaction scores based on physician communication-related questions from Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (CAHPS) surveys. STUDY DESIGN: Prospective randomised trial. SETTING: Tertiary care hospital. SUBJECT AND METHODS: To evaluate the effect on patient satisfaction, five residents were recorded using the Google Glass in an outpatient clinic setting by 50 randomised patients. Modified surveys based on the CG-CAHPS survey were completed by patients at the conclusion of each clinic encounter. The recorded videos were evaluated by two independent faculties. Summarised data and video were distributed to each resident for review as the intervention. The residents were recorded again by 45 additional patients with evaluation by patients and faculties. RESULTS: After intervention, the scores from faculty surveys regarding patient satisfaction including the subject of better explanations (P > 0.001), listening carefully (P > 0.001), addressing patient questions (P > 0.001), displaying respect (P > 0.001) and spending adequate time (P = 0.0005) all significantly improved, as well as overall performance (P = 0.014). The scores from patient surveys did significantly improve. CONCLUSION: This study demonstrates the improvements in patient satisfaction and patient-physician communication can be achieved with the use of Google Glass as a first-person recording device in the outpatient otolaryngology clinic setting.

Association between serum adiponectin levels and muscular fitness in Portuguese adolescents: LabMed Physical Activity Study.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Paradoxically, recent investigations have showed that adiponectin levels are inversely associated with muscle strength. However, to date, there is a lack of knowledge on the relationship between muscular fitness (MF) and adiponectin levels in adolescents. We aimed to examine the independent associations between MF and adiponectin levels in adolescents, controlling for several potential confounders. METHODS AND RESULTS: This is a cross-sectional analysis with 529 Portuguese adolescents aged 12-18 years. A MF score was computed as the mean of the handgrip strength and standing long jump standardized values by age and gender. We measured fasting glucose, insulin, HDL-cholesterol, C-reactive protein and adiponectin. Linear regression analysis showed a significant inverse association between adiponectin (Z-score by age and sex) and MF score, after adjustments for age, sex, pubertal stage, socioeconomic status, adherence to the Mediterranean diet, body mass index, HOMA-IR, HDL-cholesterol, C-reactive protein and cardiorespiratory fitness (unstandardized ß = -0.176; p < 0.005). Analysis of covariance showed a significant difference between the Low MF/Non-overweight group and the High MF/Non-overweight Group (p < 0.05) and between the Low MF/Non-overweight and High MF/Overweight Group (p < 0.05) (F (5, 523) = 2.262, p = 0.047). CONCLUSION: Adiponectin circulating levels are inversely and independently associated with MF. In non-overweight adolescents, those with high levels of MF presented lower levels of adiponectin compared to those with Low MF. Likewise, overweight adolescents with High MF presented lower levels of serum adiponectin than non-overweight adolescents with Low MF.

Impact of a school-based intervention to promote fruit intake: a cluster randomized controlled trial.

OBJECTIVE: There is evidence that fruit consumption among school children is below the recommended levels. This study aims to examine the effects of a dietary education intervention program me, held by teachers previously trained in nutrition, on the consumption of fruit as a dessert at lunch and dinner, among children 6-12 years old. STUDY DESIGN: This is a randomized trial with the schools as the unit of randomisation. METHODS: A total of 464 children (239 female, 6-12years) from seven elementary schools participated in this cluster randomized controlled trial. Three schools were allocated to the intervention and four to the control group. For the intervention schools, we delivered professional development training to school teachers (12 sessions of 3 h each). The training provided information about nutrition, healthy eating, the importance of drinking water and healthy cooking activities. After each session, teachers were encouraged to develop classroom activities focused on the learned topics. Sociodemographic was assessed at baseline and anthropometric, dietary intake and physical activity assessments were performed at baseline and at the end of the intervention. Dietary intake was evaluated by a 24-h dietary recall and fruit consumption as a dessert was gathered at lunch and dinner. RESULTS: Intervened children reported a significant higher intake in the consumption of fruit compared to the controlled children at lunch (P = 0.001) and at dinner (P = 0.012), after adjusting for confounders. CONCLUSIONS: Our study provides further support for the success of intervention programmes aimed at improving the consumption of fruit as a dessert in children.

Effects of inhalational anaesthetics in experimental allergic asthma.

We evaluated whether isoflurane, halothane and sevoflurane attenuate the inflammatory response and improve lung morphofunction in experimental asthma. Fifty-six BALB/c mice were sensitised and challenged with ovalbumin and anaesthetised with isoflurane, halothane, sevoflurane or pentobarbital sodium for one hour. Lung mechanics and histology were evaluated. Gene expression of pro-inflammatory (tumour necrosis factor-α), pro-fibrogenic (transforming growth factor-ß) and pro-angiogenic (vascular endothelial growth factor) mediators, as well as oxidative process modulators, were analysed. These modulators included nuclear factor erythroid-2 related factor 2, sirtuin, catalase and glutathione peroxidase. Isoflurane, halothane and sevoflurane reduced airway resistance, static lung elastance and atelectasis when compared with pentobarbital sodium. Sevoflurane minimised bronchoconstriction and cell infiltration, and decreased tumour necrosis factor-α, transforming growth factor-ß, vascular endothelial growth factor, sirtuin, catalase and glutathione peroxidase, while increasing nuclear factor erythroid-2-related factor 2 expression. Sevoflurane down-regulated inflammatory, fibrogenic and angiogenic mediators, and modulated oxidant-antioxidant imbalance, improving lung function in this model of asthma.

Cardiorespiratory fitness is negatively associated with metabolic risk factors independently of the adherence to a healthy dietary pattern.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) and diet have been involved as significant factors towards the prevention of cardio-metabolic diseases. This study aimed to assess the impact of the combined associations of CRF and adherence to the Southern European Atlantic Diet (SEADiet) on the clustering of metabolic risk factors in adolescents. METHODS AND RESULTS: A cross-sectional school-based study was conducted on 468 adolescents aged 15-18, from the Azorean Islands, Portugal. We measured fasting glucose, insulin, total cholesterol (TC), HDL-cholesterol, triglycerides, systolic blood pressure, waits circumference and height. HOMA, TC/HDL-C ratio and waist-to-height ratio were calculated. For each of these variables, a Z-score was computed by age and sex. A metabolic risk score (MRS) was constructed by summing the Z scores of all individual risk factors. High risk was considered when the individual had ≥ 1 SD of this score. CRF was measured with the 20 m-Shuttle-Run-Test. Adherence to SEADiet was assessed with a semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire. Logistic regression showed that, after adjusting for potential confounders, unfit adolescents with low adherence to SEADiet had the highest odds of having MRS (OR = 9.4; 95%CI:2.6-33.3) followed by the unfit ones with high adherence to the SEADiet (OR = 6.6; 95% CI: 1.9-22.5) when compared to those who were fit and had higher adherence to SEADiet. CONCLUSIONS: Unfit adolescents showed higher odds of having high MRS, regardless of the adherence to SEADiet suggesting that high CRF may overcome the deleterious effects of low adherence to a healthy dietary pattern in adolescents.

Identification of phospholipid species affected by miltefosine action in Leishmania donovani cultures using LC-ELSD, LC-ESI/MS, and multivariate data analysis.

Leishmaniasis is a widespread parasitic disease principally treated by intravenous drugs. Hexadecylphosphocholine (miltefosine) has recently proved its efficacy by oral route. Although its mechanism of action has been investigated, and principally relies on perturbations of the metabolism of lipids and especially phospholipids, further studies need to be conducted to detect precisely which metabolic pathways are impacted. For this purpose, the present work proposes a complete lipidomic study focused on membrane phospholipids of clones of Leishmania donovani non-treated (NT), treated (T) and resistant (R) to miltefosine. Firstly, a separation of phospholipids in normal phase high-performance liquid chromatography (NP-HPLC) was coupled to a mass spectrometer (MS) equipped with an electrospray (ESI) ion source, and response was compared to evaporative light scattering detection (ELSD). Secondly, a quantification of phospholipid classes was performed using NP-HPLC/ESI/MS on NT, T and R clones of L. donovani. Thirdly, full-scan acquisitions of analyzed samples were compared using orthogonal signal correction-partial least square-discriminant analysis (OSC-PLS-DA) to highlight phospholipid molecular species of interest between the three types of clones. Structural determination of the most relevant species has finally been performed using tandem mass spectrometry. A first hypothesis on the effect of miltefosine on lipid metabolic pathways is then proposed.

Milk intake is inversely related to body mass index and body fat in girls.

UNLABELLED: Dairy foods comprise a range of products with varying nutritional content. The intake of dairy products (DPs) has been shown to have beneficial effects on body weight and body fat. This study aimed to examine the independent association between DP intake, body mass index (BMI), and percentage body fat (%BF) in adolescents. A cross-sectional, school-based study was conducted with 1,001 adolescents (418 boys), ages 15-18 years, from the Azorean Archipelago, Portugal. Anthropometric measurements were recorded (weight and height), and %BF was assessed using bioelectric impedance analysis. Adolescent food intake was measured using a self-administered, semiquantitative food frequency questionnaire. Data were analyzed separately for girls and boys, and separate multiple linear regression analysis was used to estimate the association between total DP, milk, yogurt, and cheese intake, BMI, and %BF, adjusting for potential confounders. For boys and girls, respectively, total DP consumption was 2.6 ± 1.9 and 2.9 ± 2.5 servings/day (P = 0.004), while milk consumption was 1.7 ± 1.4 and 2.0 ± 1.7 servings/day (P = 0.001), yogurt consumption was 0.5 ± 0.6 and 0.4 ± 0.7 servings/day (P = 0.247), and cheese consumption was 0.4 ± 0.6 and 0.5 ± 0.8 servings/day (P = 0.081). After adjusting for age, birth weight, energy intake, protein, total fat, sugar, dietary fiber, total calcium intake, low-energy reporters, parental education, pubertal stage, and physical activity, only milk intake was negatively associated with BMI and %BF in girls (respectively, girls: ß = -0.167, P = 0.013; boys: ß = -0.019, P = 0.824 and girls: ß = -0.143, P = 0.030; boys: ß = -0.051, P = 0.548). CONCLUSION: We found an inverse association between milk intake and both BMI and %BF only in girls.

Mercury distribution and enrichment in coastal sediments from different geographical areas in the North Atlantic Ocean.

This study evaluated mercury (Hg) in three coastal areas in the North Atlantic Ocean (Azores archipelago, Northwest Portugal and Southeast Mexico) and calculated their enrichment factor and geoaccumulation index. Hg presented greater affinity with fine sediment fraction. In all sampling areas the sites with proximity to possible Hg hotspots presented increased [Hg] in fine sediments. However, this fraction only represents less than 1% of the whole sediment, resulting in a significantly lower [Hg] in the total sediment fraction. After comparing [Hg] in the fine fraction and the values established by the Sediment Quality Guidelines, two sites in the Azores exceeded these values. Nevertheless, when considering the total sediment fraction, adverse biological effects are not expected to occur. Finally, both enrichment factor and geoaccumulation index indicated that the Hg present in 86% comes from natural sources and only sampling sites close to potential hotspots showed some degree of enrichment and contamination.

Trichophyton species susceptibility to green and red propolis from Brazil.

AIMS: The in vitro antifungal activity of Brazilian green and red propolis was tested against different species of Trichophyton. METHODS AND RESULTS: The antifungal activity of the Brazilian aqueous and alcoholic extracts of the green propolis and the alcoholic extract of red propolis was observed against Trichophyton rubrum, Trichophyton tonsurans and Trichophyton mentagrohytes samples, using as controls itraconazole and terbinafine. The minimal inhibitory concentration was determined following the microdilution method indicated by the 'Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute'. The minimal fungicide concentration was determined by the absence of growth in liquid sabouraud culture medium. The data obtained showed that the green propolis alcoholic extract's antifungal activity was from 64 to 1024 microg ml(-1), whereas the red propolis alcoholic extract was from 8 to 1024 microg ml(-1). CONCLUSIONS: The antifungal activity of the red propolis alcoholic extract was more efficient than the green propolis alcoholic extract for all three species studied. The T. rubrum samples were shown to be more sensitive to the antifungal activity of the alcoholic extracts of the propolis. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: The antifungal potential of the alcoholic extracts of green and red propolis demonstrated suggest an applicable potential as an alternative treatment for dermatophytosis caused by these species.