Browsing by Author "Almeida, Agostinho"
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- Alkali metals levels in the human brain tissue: Anatomical region differences and age-related changesPublication . Ramos, Patrícia; Santos, Agostinho; Pinto, Edgar; Pinto, Nair Rosas; Mendes, Ricardo; Magalhães, Teresa; Almeida, AgostinhoThe link between trace elements imbalances (both "toxic" and "essential") in the human brain and neurodegenerative disease has been subject of extensive research. More recently, some studies have highlighted the potential role of the homeostasis deregulation of alkali metals in specific brain regions as key factor in the pathogenesis of neurodegenerative diseases such as multiple sclerosis and Alzheimer's disease. Using flame atomic emission spectrometry and inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry after microwave-assisted acid digestion of the samples, alkali metals (Na, K, Li, Rb and Cs) were determined in 14 different areas of the human brain (frontal cortex, superior and middle temporal gyri, caudate nucleus, putamen, globus pallidus, cingulated gyrus, hippocampus, inferior parietal lobule, visual cortex of the occipital lobe, midbrain, pons, medulla and cerebellum) of adult individuals (n=42; 71±12, range: 50-101 years old) with no known history and evidence of neurodegenerative, neurological or psychiatric disorder. Potassium was found as the most abundant alkali metal, followed by Na, Rb, Cs and Li. Lithium, K and Cs distribution showed to be quite heterogeneous. On the contrary, Rb and Na appeared quite homogeneously distributed within the human brain tissue. The lowest levels of Na, K, Rb and Li were found in the brainstem (midbrain, medulla and pons) and cerebellum, while the lowest levels of Cs were found in the frontal cortex. The highest levels of K (mean±sd; range 15.5±2.5; 8.9-21.8mg/g) Rb (17.2±6.1; 3.9-32.4μg/g and Cs (83.4±48.6; 17.3-220.5ng/g) were found in putamen. The highest levels of Na and Li were found in the frontal cortex (11.6±2.4; 6.6-17.1mg/g) and caudate nucleus (7.6±4.6 2.2-21.3ng/g), respectively. Although K, Cs and Li levels appear to remain largely unchanged with age, some age-related changes were observed for Na and Rb levels in particular brain regions (namely in the hippocampus).
- Analysis of the Use of Cylindrospermopsin and/or Microcystin-Contaminated Water in the Growth, Mineral Content, and Contamination of Spinacia oleracea and Lactuca sativaPublication . Llana-Ruiz-Cabello, Maria; Jos, Angeles; Cameán, Ana; Oliveira, Flavio; Barreiro, Aldo; Machado, Joana; Azevedo, Joana; Pinto, Edgar; Almeida, Agostinho; Campos, Alexandre; Vasconcelos, Vitor; Freitas, MarisaCyanobacteria and cyanotoxins constitute a serious environmental and human health problem. Moreover, concerns are raised with the use of contaminated water in agriculture and vegetable production as this can lead to food contamination and human exposure to toxins as well as impairment in crop development and productivity. The objective of this work was to assess the susceptibility of two green vegetables, spinach and lettuce, to the cyanotoxins microcystin (MC) and cylindrospermopsin (CYN), individually and in mixture. The study consisted of growing both vegetables in hydroponics, under controlled conditions, for 21 days in nutrient medium doped with MC or CYN at 10 μg/L and 50 μg/L, or CYN/MC mixture at 5 + 5 μg/L and 25 + 25 μg/L. Extracts from M. aeruginosa and C. ovalisporum were used as sources of toxins. The study revealed growth inhibition of the aerial part (Leaves) in both species when treated with 50µg/L of MC, CYN and CYN/MC mixture. MC showed to be more harmful to plant growth than CYN. Moreover spinach leaves growth was inhibited by both 5 + 5 and 25 + 25 µg/L CYN/MC mixtures, whereas lettuce leaves growth was inhibited only by 25 + 25 µg/L CYN/MC mixture. Overall, growth data evidence increased sensitivity of spinach to cyanotoxins in comparison to lettuce. On the other hand, plants exposed to CYN/MC mixture showed differential accumulation of CYN and MC. In addition, CYN, but not MC, was translocated from the roots to the leaves. CYN and MC affected the levels of minerals particularly in plant roots. The elements most affected were Ca, K and Mg. However, in leaves K was the mineral that was affected by exposure to cyanotoxins.
- Annual variations in the mineral element content of five fish species from the portuguese coastPublication . Pinto, Filipa R.; Duarte, Ana M.; Silva, Frederica; Barroso, Sónia; Mendes, Susana; Pinto, Edgar; Almeida, Agostinho; Sequeira, Vera; Vieira, Ana Rita; Serrano Gordo, Leonel; Gil, Maria ManuelThe most consumed fish species in Portugal do not correspond to the most caught fish species on the Portuguese coast. From the point of view of ocean sustainability and economics, it is important to study unexploited or underexploited fish species that have the potential to be introduced into the food market. This potential can be reflected by their nutritional value, where mineral elements are often overlooked despite their importance in human health. Therefore, it is important to study the elemental concentration of those fish species, which should also include seasonal variations of essential mineral elements such as Ca, P, Mg, Na, K, Fe, Cu, Mn, Zn, and I, and non-essential elements such as As, Ni, Cd, and Pb. This work is part of a project that studied five fish species with the potential to be brought to the market: three species with low commercial value (Trachurus picturatus, Spondyliosoma cantharus and Trigla lyra) and two species with no commercial value (Serranus cabrilla and Capros aper), caught over a year in the coast of Portugal. Mineral elements were quantified by ICP-OES (ICP-MS for I). The results showed that the studied fish species present significant elemental concentrations, similar to those found in the most caught fish species in Portugal. Trachurus picturatus was found to be a source of Fe, and all species are sources of I. Overall, Spondyliosoma cantharus proved to be the most element-rich species. Sensorially, Cu was related to “metallic odour” and Fe to “metallic flavour”, and I was related to “seaweed odour” and “seawater flavour”. Additionally, toxic elements such as Cd, Pb, Ni and As were not detected. The corresponding Hazard Quotients (HQ) show the safety of the consumption of these fish species concerning the content of potentially toxic elements.
- Association between aluminium levels and cognitive decline in environmentally exposed eldersPublication . Gerardo, Bianca; Pinto, Marina Cabral; Nogueira, Joana; Almeida, Agostinho; Pinto, Edgar; Simões, Mário Rodrigues; Freitas, SandraNormal brain functioning depends on metals homeostasis, as imbalances may increase oxidative stress and cause other detrimental intracellular events that lead to cell loss. Furthermore, environmental exposure to toxic metals is hypothesized to induce neuroinflammation and neuropathology, paving the way to neurodegeneration. The aim of this study was to examine whether such Potentially Toxic Elements (PTE) are associated with cognitive performance over time in a sample of elderly individuals of environmentally contaminated regions. A total of 146 elders permanently residing in environmental risk areas were recruited. Participants completed the Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE) for cognitive assessment and were biomonitored for several PTE through hair and urine analysis. After 5 years, the cognitive assessment was repeated. Cognitive performance significantly declined from baseline to follow-up (p < 0.001), with participants scoring on average 4.41 less points on MMSE (Baseline: M = 25.79, SD = 3.520, Md = 27.00; Follow-up: M = 21.38, SD = 5.343, Md = 21.00). Regression analysis on the relationship between PTE and cognitive performance revealed that Aluminium (β = -0.322, p = 0.32) and Zinc (β = -0.372, p = 0.15) in hair and Aluminium in urine (β = -0.368, p = 0.010) significantly predicted MMSE scores past 5 years of biomonitoring (p = 0.002). Higher contents of these PTE were associated with worse cognitive performance at follow-up, after controlling the effects of age, education and supplement intake. Higher levels of Aluminium significantly predict worse general cognitive performance 5 years after biomonitoring across different biological samples. Environmental exposure to this metal may constitute a risk factor for cognitive decline.
- Association between Elevated Iodine Intake and IQ among School Children in PortugalPublication . Carvalho, Irene P.; Peixoto, Bruno; Caldas, José Carlos; Costa, Ana; Silva, Sofia; Moreira, Bárbara; Almeida, Agostinho; Moreira-Rosário, André; Guerra, António; Delerue-Matos, Cristina; Sintra, Diana; Pestana, Diogo; Pinto, Edgar; Mendes, Francisca Castro; Martins, Inês; Leite, João Costa; Fontoura, Manuel; Maia, Maria Luz; Queirós, Pedro; Moreira, Roxana; Leal, Sandra; Norberto, Sónia; Costa, Vera; Fernandes, Virgínia Cruz; Keating, Elisa; Azevedo, Luís; Calhau, ConceiçãoThe goal of this work was to examine whether elevated iodine intake was associated with adverse effects on IQ among school-age children in Portugal. In a representative sample of children from the north of the country, IQ percentiles by age (assessed with Raven’s Colored Progressive Matrices) were dichotomized to <50 (“below-average” IQs) and ≥50. Morning urine iodine concentrations, corrected for creatinine, were dichotomized to <250 µg/g and ≥250 µg/g, according to the European Commission/Scientific Committee on Food’s tolerable upper level of daily iodine intake for young children. Data were examined with Chi-square tests, logistic regression, and GLM univariate analysis. The sample (N = 1965) was classified as generally iodine-adequate (median urinary iodine concentration = 129 µg/L; median iodine-to-creatinine ratio = 126 µg/g) according to the WHO’s criteria. A greater proportion of children in the ≥250 µg/g group had below-average IQs, compared to children with less than 250 µg/g (p = 0.037), despite a sizable (though non-significant) proportion of children in the less-than-250 µg/g group also presenting below-average IQs, at the bottom of the iodine distribution (<50 µg/g). The proportion of below-average IQs increased with increasingly elevated iodine concentrations (p = 0.047). The association remained significant after the adjustment for confounders, with the elevated iodine group showing increased odds of having below-average IQs when compared with the non-elevated iodine group (OR 1.55; 95% CI 1.11–2.17; p = 0.011). Consistently, the former group presented a lower mean IQ than the latter (p = 0.006). High iodine intake was associated with lower IQs even in a population classified as iodine-adequate. These results bear on child cognition and on initiatives involving iodine supplementation
- Association between elevated iodine intake and IQ among school children in PortugalPublication . Carvalho, Irene P.; Peixoto, Bruno; Caldas, José Carlos; Costa, Ana; Silva, Sofia; Moreira, Bárbara; Almeida, Agostinho; Moreira-Rosário, André; Guerra, António; Delerue-Matos, Cristina; Sintra, Diana; Pestana, Diogo; Pinto, Edgar; Mendes, Francisca Castro; Martins, Inês; Leite, João Costa; Fontoura, Manuel; Maia, Maria Luz; Queirós, Pedro; Moreira, Roxana; Leal, Sandra; Norberto, Sónia; Costa, Vera; Fernandes, Virgínia Cruz; Keating, Elisa; Azevedo, Luís; Calhau, ConceiçãoThe goal of this work was to examine whether elevated iodine intake was associated with adverse effects on IQ among school-age children in Portugal. In a representative sample of children from the north of the country, IQ percentiles by age (assessed with Raven’s Colored Progressive Matrices) were dichotomized to <50 (“below-average” IQs) and ≥50. Morning urine iodine concentrations, corrected for creatinine, were dichotomized to <250 µg/g and ≥250 µg/g, according to the European Commission/Scientific Committee on Food’s tolerable upper level of daily iodine intake for young children. Data were examined with Chi-square tests, logistic regression, and GLM univariate analysis. The sample (N = 1965) was classified as generally iodine-adequate (median urinary iodine concentration = 129 µg/L; median iodine-to-creatinine ratio = 126 µg/g) according to the WHO’s criteria. A greater proportion of children in the ≥250 µg/g group had below-average IQs, compared to children with less than 250 µg/g (p = 0.037), despite a sizable (though non-significant) proportion of children in the less-than-250 µg/g group also presenting below-average IQs, at the bottom of the iodine distribution (<50 µg/g). The proportion of below-average IQs increased withncreasingly elevated iodine concentrations (p = .047). The association remained significant after the adjustment for confounders, with the elevated iodine group showing increased odds of having below-average IQs when compared with the non-elevated iodine group (OR 1.55; 95% CI 1.11–2.17; p = 0.011). Consistently, the former group presented a lower mean IQ than the latter (p = 0.006). High iodine intake was associated with lower IQs even in a population classified as iodine-adequate. These results bear on child cognition and on initiatives involving iodine supplementation.
- Association of trace element status in COVID-19 patients with disease severityPublication . Bego, Tamer; Meseldžić, Neven; Prnjavorac, Besim; Prnjavorac, Lejla; Marjanović, Damir; Azevedo, Rui; Pinto, Edgar; Duro, Mary; Couto, Cristina; Almeida, AgostinhoCaused by the new SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus, COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019) evolves with clinical symptoms that vary widely in severity, from mild symptoms to critical conditions, which can even result in the patient’s death. A critical aspect related to an individual response to SARS-CoV-2 infection is the competence of the immune system, and it is well known that several trace elements are essential for an adequate immune response and have anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties that are of particular importance in fighting infection. Thus, it is widely accepted that adequate trace element status can reduce the risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection and disease severity. In this study, we evaluated the serum levels of Cu, Zn, Se, Fe, I and Mg in pa- tients (n = 210) with clinical conditions of different severity (“mild”, “moderate”, “severe” and “exitus letalis”, i. e., patients who eventually died). The results showed significant differences between the four groups for Cu, Zn, Se and Fe, in particular a significant trend of Zn and Se serum levels to be decreased and Cu to be increased with the severity of symptoms. For Mg and I, no differences were observed, but I levels were shown to be increased in all groups.
- Associations between trace elements and cognitive decline: an exploratory 5-Year follow-up study of an elderly cohortPublication . Gerardo, Bianca; Pinto, Marina Cabral; Nogueira, Joana; Pinto, Paula; Almeida, Agostinho; Pinto, Edgar; Marinho-Reis, Paula; Diniz, Luísa; Moreira, Paula I.; Simões, Mário R.; Freitas, SandraTrace elements (TE) homeostasis is crucial in normal brain functioning. Although imbalances have the potential to exacerbate events leading neurodegenerative diseases, few studies have directly addressed the eventual relationships between TE levels in the human body and future cognitive status. The present study aimed to assess how different TE body-levels relate to cognitive decline..
- Bioaccessibility and intestinal uptake of minerals from different types of home-cooked and ready-to-eat beansPublication . Faria, Miguel A.; Araújo, Alfredo; Pinto, Edgar; Oliveira, César; Oliva-Teles, MT; Almeida, Agostinho; Delerue-Matos, Cristina; Ferreira, Isabel M.P.L.V.O.Limited information exists on the bioaccessibility and intestinal uptake of essential minerals from different types of beans cooked through different cooking methods. This study aimed to estimate the in vitro bioaccessibility and intestinal uptake of the essential minerals K, Ca, Mg, Fe, Zn, Mn, Cu and Mo from four different types of beans (kidney, black, white and cowpea) cooked under different conditions (home-cooked and industrially processed canned product). Results showed that the bioaccessibility and uptake of most essential minerals is higher in canned beans. Mn was the mineral that presented the highest bioaccessibility (43–63%), and Mo had the lowest (3–36%). The highest uptake was observed for Mg (59.9%), while the lowest was found for Fe (10.5%). Regarding the type of beans, white beans presented the highest bioaccessibility and uptake for all the analyzed essential minerals and thus its consumption is preferable from a nutritional point of view.
- A detailed and comparative elemental analysis (Poland vs. Portugal) of espresso coffeePublication . Almeida, Agostinho; Cunha, Ana; Pinto, Edgar; Azevedo, Rui; Seroczynska, Kinga; Konieczynski, Pawel; Wesolowski, MarekCoffee is one of the most popular beverages in the world. There are many different types of coffee, but “espresso” has become the favourite in many countries. In Portugal, 80% of people drink coffee daily and prefer to make it as an espresso. Annual per capita coffee consumption (dry beans) is estimated at 5 kg, being higher in many other Western European countries, namely the Nordic countries. In Poland, also more than 80% of adults consume coffee every day, but instant coffee still takes up the largest share. National per capita consumption (2021) is estimated at between 0.72.5 kg. Espresso coffee is prepared by passing water at high temperature (88-92 ºC) and under high pressure (8-10 bar) through ground coffee (6-8 g) for 20-30 seconds to produce around 25-40 ml of beverage. The extraction of substances existing in coffee powder is very efficient, so their concentration in coffee (beverage) is also very high. In this work, we carried out a comparative study of the elemental composition (n=34 macrominerals and trace elements) of espresso coffee from two different European origins: Northern Poland (n=60, areas of Gdańsk, Gdynia and Elbląg) and Northern Portugal (n=22, Porto Metropolitan Area). Samples (5-10 ml) were taken from the beverage as served in cafes, restaurants and gas stations. In order to better document the contribution of coffee (powder) to the final composition of the beverage, water samples were taken in parallel at the same locations. The analysis was performed by ICP-MS. In both cases, espresso coffee proved to be a concentrated source of many elements (Table 1), with levels much higher than those of water from the same location. Polish waters were globally much more mineralized than Portuguese waters, and generally Polish coffee also showed significantly higher levels of macrominerals and trace elements than the Portuguese ones.