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- Understanding musculoskeletal loadings among supermarket checkout counter cashiers: A biomechanical analysisPublication . Silva, Tânia T.; Sousa, Catarina; Colim, Ana; Rodrigues, Matilde A.Work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSD) are highly prevalent among supermarket cashiers. These disorders are frequently related to the adoption of awkward postures and manual materials handling. This study aimed to analyze musculoskeletal loadings in supermarket cashiers, considering the handling of different products and different checkout conditions. To accomplish this, we employed an inertial motion capture system to measure full-body kinematics while simulating 19 cashier tasks. The study included five female cashiers from a supermarket in Northern Portugal, ranging in age from 19 to 61 years old. Using joint angles, material load, and muscle function as input parameters, we conducted the musculoskeletal loadings assessment using the Rapid Upper Limb Assessment (RULA) and Rapid Entire Body Assessment (REBA) methods. Results showed that RULA scores were higher for the microtasks that involved product scanning. Regarding microstasks analyzed by REBA, the replacement of paper rolls for the receipt machine at the checkout counter yields the highest scores. Based on these findings, there is a compelling need to redesign supermarket checkout workstations to alleviate the physical demands placed on cashiers and to ensure organizational sustainability.
- International environmental health skills, knowledge, and qualifications: Enhancing professional practice through agreements between countriesPublication . Ross, Kirstin E.; Dyjack, David T.; Choonara, Adam; Davis, Gayle; Dawson, Henry; Hannelly, Toni; Lynch, Zena; Mitchell, Graeme; Ploompuu, Inga; Rodrigues, Matilde A.; Shaw, LindsayEnvironmental health is practiced primarily at the local level; however, many of the skills held by environmental health practitioners (EHPs) are transferable globally. There is currently a shortage of EHPs in many parts of the world and formally recognizing the transferability of skills and knowledge within the profession might encourage people to consider environmental health as a profession, helping to address the shortage. To facilitate this transferability, our global community of practice has mapped the environmental health practice requirements of the U.S., UK, and Australia to enable comparison of each one to the others and demonstrate the level of similarity in practice requirements. Our ultimate goal is to facilitate memoranda of understanding (MOUs) between the various professional bodies that oversee environmental health practice, which would allow qualif ied EHPs to practice in any of these countries. This flexibility would benefit the profession, professional practice, and individuals. MOUs are a way to recognize the similarities and di†erences between practices in these countries and provide pathways to address di†erences when they exist, such as via short courses and work experience. We present data to illustrate our argument that there is much overlap in the practice of EHPs. We see our research as a first step to engage with professional bodies in other countries and to facilitate MOUs between many countries, both to raise the profile of environmental health globally and to provide an attractive pathway for people to consider environmental health as a profession.
- Sustainable carotenoid extraction from macroalgae: Optimizing microwave-assisted extraction using response surface methodologyPublication . Lopes, Andreia; Correia-Sá, Luísa; Vieira, Mónica; Delerue-Matos, Cristina; Soares, Cristina; Grosso, Clara; Vieira, MónicaThis study aimed at optimizing carotenoid extraction using the macroalga Himanthalia elongata (L.) S.F.Gray as a model. Firstly, traditional extraction procedures were employed, using various solvents and temperatures to enhance the extraction conditions. Once the most effective extraction conditions were identified, the study transitioned to a more efficient and environmentally friendly approach, microwave-assisted extraction (MAE). By applying a three-parameter (solid-tosolvent ratio, temperature, and time) Box–Behnken design, the optimal extraction conditions were found to be a solid-to-solvent ratio of 1/13.6 g/mL at 60 ◦C for 15 min. Under these conditions, the predicted and experimental carotenoid contents were 2.94 and 2.12 µg/mL, respectively. Furthermore, an HPLC-DAD method was developed and validated for the characterization of carotenoids. βCarotene was the predominant carotenoid in H. elongata, alongside fucoxanthin. The optimized MAE method was applied to other seaweeds, including Fucus vesiculosus L., Codium tomentosum Stackhouse, Gracilaria gracilis (Stackhouse) Steentoft, L.M.Irvine & Farnham, and Eiseinia bicyclis (Kjellman) Setchell. Among all, F. vesiculosus exhibited the highest carotenoid content compared to the others. This study concludes that MAE under optimized conditions is an effective and sustainable approach for carotenoid extraction, providing significant yields of bioactive compounds such as β-carotene and fucoxanthin, which have promising applications in enhancing human health and nutrition.
- The left-right side-specific neuroendocrine signaling from injured brain: An organizational principlePublication . Watanabe, Hiroyuki; Henrique Maia, Gisela Maria; Kobikov, Yaromir; Nosova, Olga; Sarkisyan, Daniil; Galatenko, Vladimir; Carvalho, Liliana; Maia, Gisela H.; Lukoyanov, Nikolay; Lavrov, Igor; Ossipov, Michael H.; Hallberg, Mathias; Schouenborg, Jens; Zhang, Mengliang; Bakalkin, GeorgyA neurological dogma is that the contralateral effects of brain injury are set through crossed descending neural tracts. We have recently identified a novel topographic neuroendocrine system (T-NES) that operates via a humoral pathway and mediates the left-right side-specific effects of unilateral brain lesions. In rats with completely transected thoracic spinal cords, unilateral injury to the sensorimotor cortex produced contralateral hindlimb flexion, a proxy for neurological deficit. Here, we investigated in acute experiments whether T-NES consists of left and right counterparts and whether they differ in neural and molecular mechanisms. We demonstrated that left- and right-sided hormonal signaling is differentially blocked by the δ-, κ- and µ-opioid antagonists. Left and right neurohormonal signaling differed in targeting the afferent spinal mechanisms. Bilateral deafferentation of the lumbar spinal cord abolished the hormone-mediated effects of the left-brain injury but not the right-sided lesion. The sympathetic nervous system was ruled out as a brain-to-spinal cord-signaling pathway since hindlimb responses were induced in rats with cervical spinal cord transections that were rostral to the preganglionic sympathetic neurons. Analysis of gene–gene co-expression patterns identified the left- and right-side-specific gene co-expression networks that were coordinated via the humoral pathway across the hypothalamus and lumbar spinal cord. The coordination was ipsilateral and disrupted by brain injury. These findings suggest that T-NES is bipartite and that its left and right counterparts contribute to contralateral neurological deficits through distinct neural mechanisms, and may enable ipsilateral regulation of molecular and neural processes across distant neural areas along the neuraxis.
- Application of CytoPath®easy vials in Cervical Cancer screening: Self‑sampling approachPublication . Fernandes, Sílvia P. M.; Vilarinho, Ana Sofia; Frutuoso, Amaro; Teixeira, Cidália; Silva, Regina Augusta A. P."CytoPath®Easy kit (DiaPath S.p.A.) offers a major advantage compared to other commercially available kits available for the screening of cervical cancer, as it does not require additional equipment for sample processing. Using this methodology, collected epithelial cells are immersed in a preservative liquid before setting as a thin layer on a slide via gravity sedimentation. Aims: To evaluate the suitability of the CytoPath®Easy kit for the processing of cervicalsamples, detection of pre‑neoplastic lesions, and nucleic preservation and extraction for HR‑HPV diagnosis. A total of 242 self‑sampled cervicalspecimens were utilized, with 192 collected in CytoPath®Easy vials and 50 collected and processed using the ThinPrepTM for comparative analysis. The samples underwent processing, Papanicolaou staining, and microscopic evaluation for morphological parameters. The extracted nucleic acids were assessed for purity and integrity, and the detection of high‑risk human papillomavirus (HR‑HPV) was carried out using the Alinitym HR HPV system kit (Abbott Laboratórios Lda). Both methods demonstrated effective performance, enabling the morphological assessment of the cervical epithelium. Statistical analysis indicated that ThinPrepTM yielded significantly better results in terms of cellularity. Conversely, CytoPath®Easy exhibited superior performance in terms of the quantity of extracted DNA and its degree of purification. Concerning the time consumed during processing, both methods were comparable, with the CytoPath®Easy methodology standing out for its cost‑effectiveness, as it does not necessitate additional instruments and consumables. The novel CytoPath®Easy methodology proves effective in preserving both nucleic acids and cell morphology characteristics, two crucial features for cervical cancer screening."
- High efficacy of chloroquine-derived bile salts in Pluronic F127 micelles against blood-stage Plasmodium falciparumPublication . Silva, Ana Teresa; Prudêncio, Miguel; Oliveira, Isabel S.; Nogueira, Fátima; Morais, Inês; Santana, Sofia; Ferraz, Ricardo; Workneh, Eyob A.; Gomes, Paula; Marques, Eduardo F.; Ferraz, RicardoColloidal nanocarriers can play a key role in the efficacious delivery of drugs, including antimalarials. Here, we investigated the ability of polymeric micelles of the block copolymer F127 to act as nanovehicles for two organic salts derived from chloroquine and human bile acids, namely, chloroquinium cholate (iCQP1) and chloroquinium glycocholate (iCQP1g). We have previously reported the strong in vitro antiplasmodial activity of these salts, which displayed IC50 values of 13 and 15 nM against blood forms of Plasmodium falciparum, respectively. By deriving from amphiphilic lipids, iCQP1 and iCQP1g also enclose the ability to act as surface-active ionic liquids (SAILs). The micellization properties of neat F127 and of the F127/SAIL mixtures were initially investigated to gain physicochemical insight into the interaction between polymer and bioactive SAILs, resorting to differential scanning calorimetry, surface tension measurements and dynamic light scattering. Micelle formation by F127 is an endothermic process strongly temperature and concentration dependent. Interestingly, this process is significantly changed when the molar fraction of SAIL (xSAIL) in the F127/SAIL mixture is varied between 0.33 and 0.90. Both SAILs favor the formation of mixed micelles by decreasing the micellization temperature, and (observed only when for xSAIL = 0.33) by synergistically decreasing the cmc. Concomitantly, the micellar size is reduced from 18 to 13 nm as xSAIL is increased from 0.33 to 0.90. Crucially, in vitro assays show that when the SAILs are loaded into F127 polymeric micelles, their antiplasmodial efficacy is substantially enhanced, with a significant drop in IC50, especially for the iCQP1/F127 system. This opens new possibilities for the nanoformulations of antimalarial compounds.
- The role of actigraphy in the assessment of central disorders of Hypersomnolence: A systematic review and meta-analysisPublication . Maia, Susana; Soares, Joana Isabel; Borges, Daniel Filipe; Lopes, João Casalta; Gonçalves, Marta; Borges, Daniel FilipeActigraphy provides an objective measure of sleepiness and is recommended by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine for use 7–14 days prior to multiple sleep latency testing. It plays a valuable role in the differential diagnosis of hypersomnolence. Our aim was to provide a comprehensive summary of actigraphy features in central disorders of hypersomnolence (CDH). Data were sourced from six bibliographic databases. Fixed- or random-effects models were applied to compare patients with narcolepsy type 1 (NT1) to controls. Of the 1,737 publications identified in our search, 8 studies met the inclusion criteria. The total sample consisted of 473 participants, encompassing patients with NT1, idiopathic hypersomnia (IH), hypersomnolence with normal CSF hypocretin-1 levels, Kleine–Levin syndrome (KLS), traumatic brain injury (TBI), major depressive disorder (MDD), myotonic dystrophy (MD), primary insomnia and healthy controls. Actigraphy devices varied across studies. Compared to control subjects, NT1 patients had lower total sleep time (TST), sleep efficiency and daytime motor activity, with increased wake after sleep onset, awakenings, nocturnal motor activity and longest nap duration. In KLS, TST was higher during hypersomnia episodes than during asymptomatic phases. TBI and MDD patients had a higher TST than the control group, while MD patients had a lower TST than patients with IH. Actigraphy is a valuable tool for objectively assessing sleep and can assist in detecting CDH. However, the absence of standardized guidelines limits their broader implementation in clinical practice.
- Lessons to be Drawn from the COVID-19 Pandemic on the impact of occupational skin exposure to disinfectant productsPublication . Carvalhais, Carlos; Teixeira, Diana; Santos, JoanaHand hygiene practice by using alcohol-based hand sanitizers was generalized in all sectors of activity, due the COVID-19 pandemic. The aim of this study was to organize and analyze the scientific data regarding occupational exposure to hand sanitizers, with a particular focus on their use and health effects on workplace settings. (2) A rapid literature review was carried out searching on the main scientific database, namely: Web of Science Core Collection, Medline, Scielo and Current Content Connect. (3) All studies analyzed included samples from healthcare professionals and eczema as well as irritant contact dermatitis were the most reported skin lesions. (4) The adequate implementation of hygiene and disinfection programs in workplaces is essential to guarantee the workers safety and health. Further research is needed on the effectiveness of contingency plans in different sectors of activity, particularly, in industry.
- Unveiling stress vulnerability and occupational noise perception as burnout predictors: Results of an exploratory study in industrial environmentsPublication . Carvalhais, Carlos; Alberto Alves Carvalhais, Carlos; Ribeiro, Luísa Antunes; Pereira, Cristiana C.Burnout is a complex phenomenon influenced by both environmental and individual factors. This pilot study explores the predictive role of occupational noise perception and stress vulnerability on burnout symptoms among industrial workers. A cross-sectional survey was conducted with 119 Portuguese workers exposed to occupational noise. Participants completed validated self-report measures assessing noise perception, stress vulnerability, and burnout. Path analysis revealed that both higher stress vulnerability and greater perceived occupational noise were significant predictors of elevated burnout levels. Furthermore, gender emerged as a relevant predictor, with women reporting significantly higher burnout symptoms than men. Age was inversely related to stress vulnerability, indicating greater resilience among older workers. These findings suggest that individual differences in stress vulnerability and noise perception contribute meaningfully to burnout risk, beyond traditional occupational hazard assessments. The study underscores the need for holistic occupational health strategies, integrating both environmental modifications and psychosocial interventions aimed at enhancing workers’ coping capacities. This study contributes novel insights into the interplay between perceived noise and psychological vulnerability in industrial settings, supporting broader preventive measures for work-related mental health outcomes.
- Progression of capillary hypoperfusion in advanced stages of nonproliferative diabetic Retinopathy: 6-month Analysis of RICHARD studyPublication . Marques, Inês Pereira; Reste-Ferreira, Débora; Santos, Torcato; Mendes, Luís; Yamaguchi, Taffeta Ching Ning; Santos, Ana Rita; Pearce, Elizabeth; Cunha-Vaz, JoséTo evaluate the 6-month progression of retinal capillary perfusion in eyes with advanced stages of nonproliferative diabetic retinopathy (NPDR). Design: RICHARD (NCT05112445), 2-year prospective longitudinal study. Participants: Sixty eyes with Diabetic Retinopathy Severity Scale (DRSS) levels 43, 47, and 53 from 60 patients with type 2 diabetes. Fifty-one patients completed the 6-month evaluation. Eyes were evaluated on Optos California (Optos plc) ultrawidefield fundus fluorescein angiography (UWF-FFA), swept-source OCT angiography (SS-OCTA) (PLEX Elite 9000, ZEISS) and spectral-domain OCTA (SD-OCTA) (CIRRUS HD-OCT 5000 Angioplex, ZEISS). DRSS classification was performed based on 7-field color fundus photographs (CFPs) complemented with Optos California UWF-fundus imaging. Main Outcome Measures: Ischemic index was obtained from Optos. Vascular quantification metrics, namely foveal avascular zone, skeletonized vessel density (SVD), and perfusion density (PD) metrics, were acquired on OCTA in the superficial and deep capillary plexuses (SCP and DCP). Microaneurysm assessment was automatically performed based on CFP images using the RetmarkerDR (Retmarker SA, Meteda Group). Swept-source-OCTA metrics showed statistically significant differences between the advanced stages of NPDR. Differences between DRSS levels 47 and 53 were found at baseline in the inner ring (SVD, SCP: P¼0.005andDCP:P¼0.042andPD,SCP:P¼0.003)andouterring (SVD,SCP: P¼0.007andDCP:P¼0.030 and PD, SCP: P ¼ 0.020 and DCP: P ¼ 0.025). No significant differences were observed at baseline between DRSS levels 43 and 47. In SD-OCTA, the differences were similar but did not reach statistical significance. The total ischemic index showed an increase in association with diabetic retinopathy (DR) severity, but the differences between DRSS levels did not reach statistical significance. The number of microaneurysms also increased significantly with DR severity (P ¼ 0.033). Statistically significant 6-month progression was detected with SSOCTA in eyes with DRSS levels 47 and 53 but not in DRSS level 43. In eyes with DRSS level 53, 6-month progression was identified using a combination of metrics of capillary nonperfusion and microaneurysm counts. In a 6-month period, significant microvascular disease progression can be identified in eyes with DRSS levels 47 and 53 by performing OCTA examinations and microaneurysm counting using CFP.