Browsing by Issue Date, starting with "2022-05-30"
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- Invest in primary health care and public health for the pandemic and beyond: an ASPHER statementPublication . Lopes, Henrique; McCallum, Alison; Martin-Moreno, Jose M.; Middleton, John
- Which type of breakfast cereals is healthier: evaluating labels in the Portuguese marketPublication . Santos, Diva; Barros, Rui; Silva, José A. Lopes da; Pintado, ManuelaThe need for nutritional improvement of Breakfast Cereal Products (BCP) has been pointed out, namely regarding sugar, salt, and fat contents. Fibre has several proven health benefits but has been ignored in previous studies. This study aimed to evaluate the nutritional quality of BCP in the Portuguese market, especially regarding fibre content. A total of 247BCP available in online stores of the leading retailers were evaluated regarding the nutritional profile, using the information given in the products’ label. BCP were divided by types according to texture/appearance and production method. Nutritional differences between branded and white-label BCP were also investigated. The majority of BCP have healthy values of total fat, saturates and salt. BCP marketed for children have the highest sugar content values (p<0.05). Extruded rich in fibre and Flakes have the lowest sugar content and the highest fibre content (p<0.05). Few BCP enriched in fibre were found (3.8%), with 10 to 29g of fibre/100g of product. The healthiest products are in the groups of Extruded rich in fibre, flakes, Extruded for adults, granolas, and muesli. However, there are also unhealthy products in flakes and extruded groups. There were few differences between branded and white-label BCP. In case of difference (p<0.05), the branded cereals were healthier. Many BCP in the Portuguese market needs improvement regarding sugar content, namely all BCP marketed for children. Generally, a low percentage of the recommended daily dietary fibre intake is obtained from one BCP serving. Brands are rarely healthier than white-label products.
- Capitalism didn’t happen here : a historical perspective of why socialism prevails in modern day CubaPublication . Alvarez, Nicole Kendall; Samões, OrlandoFor the better half of this last century US-Cuba relations have taken an all-or-nothing approach in their foreign policy measures. Though only ninety miles separate the nations, for better or for worse limited engagement has been made in recent years. Fidel Castro’s victory of the Cuban Revolution of 1959 overthrew military dictator, Fulgencio Batista out of power. This event led to not only to a shift in leadership, but to the adoption of a new economic model and form of governance. Cuba’s move to socialism while establishing close diplomatic relations with the Soviet Union at the height of the Cold War, posed a threat to democracy and the capitalist system in the United States of America. Ideological differences coupled with Cuba’s close relationship with its Soviet allies became a main point of contention with the United States, thus creating the US-Cuba antagonism that still exists today. This study examines how socialism in Cuba has been able to endure over sixty years of coercive diplomacy efforts issued through United States foreign policy measures. Having explored this topic extensively from a historical perspective, I examine key events using various theoretical frameworks to explain why the US-Cuba dynamic exists in its present form. I also explore the faults and triumphs of the Cuban socialist revolution in its fight to maintain legitimacy in the face of the larger capitalist world-economy. The theoretical frameworks I use cover the concepts of democratization theory, crisis management, groupthink dynamics, and coercive diplomacy efforts, all while considering differing ideological perspectives in capitalist and socialist societies. I argue that policy change, starting with lifting US economic imposed sanctions is the only effective means of respecting Cuban sovereignty.
- Biodegradation and Metabolic Pathway of 17 beta-Estradiol by Rhodococcus sp. ED55Publication . Moreira, Irina S.; Murgolo, Sapia; Mascolo, Giuseppe; Castro, Paula M. L.Endocrine disrupting compounds (EDCs) in the environment are considered a motif of concern, due to the widespread occurrence and potential adverse ecological and human health effects. The natural estrogen, 17 beta-estradiol (E2), is frequently detected in receiving water bodies after not being efficiently removed in conventional wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs), promoting a negative impact for both the aquatic ecosystem and human health. In this study, the biodegradation of E2 by Rhodococcus sp. ED55, a bacterial strain isolated from sediments of a discharge point of WWTP in Coloane, Macau, was investigated. Rhodococcus sp. ED55 was able to completely degrade 5 mg/L of E2 in 4 h in a synthetic medium. A similar degradation pattern was observed when the bacterial strain was used in wastewater collected from a WWTP, where a significant improvement in the degradation of the compound occurred. The detection and identification of 17 metabolites was achieved by means of UPLC/ESI/HRMS, which proposed a degradation pathway of E2. The acute test with luminescent marine bacterium Aliivibrio fischeri revealed the elimination of the toxicity of the treated effluent and the standardized yeast estrogenic (S-YES) assay with the recombinant strain of Saccharomyces cerevisiae revealed a decrease in the estrogenic activity of wastewater samples after biodegradation.