Browsing by Issue Date, starting with "2023-09-01"
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- General Practitioners’ Own Traumatic Experiences and Their Skills in Addressing Patients’ Past History of Adversities: A Cross-Sectional Study in PortugalPublication . Sá, Mariana; Pereira, Paulo; Castro-Vale, IvoneAddressing trauma has been found to be important for primary care patients, as it can improve their health-related outcomes. We aimed to assess how Portuguese general practitioners’ (GPs) past history of traumatic events (TEs) and adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) influence their clinical communication skills when addressing their patients’ past history of adversities. An online survey was circulated by email to GPs’ associations and through GPs’ social media groups. A sample of 143 GPs participated in this study. GPs’ exposure to ACEs and TEs was assessed using the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire-Short Form and the Life Events Checklist for the DSM-5. To evaluate clinical communication skills, we adapted the Self-confidence Scale and used the Jefferson Scale of Physician Empathy. GPs identified barriers to addressing trauma routinely, including a lack of time (86.7%) and a fear of causing further patient suffering (56.6%). GPs’ exposure to TEs and ACEs was positively correlated with scores in some dimensions of self-confidence and empathy (r values varying from 0.170 to 0.247). GPs exposed to traumatic experiences felt more confident when addressing their patients’ adversities and were more empathic when conducting therapeutic relationships. This study shows that GPs with a history of traumatic experiences are able to address their patients’ adversities; however, they lack proper training and better patient care conditions, such as more time and more resources available for patient guidance.
- Notes on the conservation threats to the western lesser spot-nosed monkey (Cercopithecus petaurista buettikoferi) in the Bijagós Archipelago (Guinea-Bissau, West Africa)Publication . Colmonero Costeira, Ivo; Sá, R. M.; Djaló, M. L.; Cunha, N.; Cunha, J.; Minhós, T; Russo, Isa-Rita; Bruford, Michael; Costa, Susana; M, Ferreira Da SilvaThe lesser spot-nosed monkey (Cercopithecus petaurista) is a widely distributed West African guenon, which is generally considered less vulnerable to local extinctions than many sympatric primate species. Guinea-Bissau harbours the westernmost populations of the species, which is thought to be very rare or even extinct on the mainland, but to have putative populations on some islands of the Bijagós Archipelago. However, due to a lack of regional studies, baseline information on these insular populations is missing. We collected baseline data on the anthropogenic activities that possibly threaten the long-term con servation of this primate by using non-systematic ethnographic methodologies. The species was reported to be decreasing in number or rare by locals on two of the islands, and we identifed two main conservation threats to it: generalised habitat loss/ degradation, and hunting. While subsistence hunting has been recorded before in these areas, we report, to the best of our knowledge for the frst time for these islands, the presence of a semi-organised commercial wild meat trade. The carcasses of western lesser spot-nosed monkeys were observed being stored and shipped from seaports to be sold at urban hubs (Bissau and Bubaque Island). The efect of commercial trade on the species could be severe, considering the small, naturally occur ring, carrying capacities typical of insular ecosystems. The results of this study highlight the importance of understanding the leading social drivers of wild meat hunting of lesser spot-nosed monkeys on the Bijagós Archipelago, and the need to conduct baseline research on these insular populations, for which qualitative and quantitative methods could be combined.
- Exploiting Potential Probiotic Lactic Acid Bacteria Isolated from Chlorella vulgaris Photobioreactors as Promising Vitamin B12 ProducersPublication . Ribeiro, Mónica; Maciel, Cláudia; Cruz, Pedro; Darmancier, Helena; Nogueira, Teresa; Costa, Margarida; Laranjeira, Joana; Morais, Rui M. S. C.; Teixeira, PaulaLactic acid bacteria (LAB) have been documented as potential vitamin B12 producers and may constitute an exogenous source of cobalamin for the microalga Chlorella vulgaris, which has been described as being able to perform vitamin uptake. Hence, there is an interest in discovering novel B12-producing probiotic LAB. Therefore, the purpose of the current work was to perform a phenotype–genotype analysis of the vitamin B12 biosynthesis capacity of LAB isolated from C. vulgaris bioreactors, and investigate their probiotic potential. Among the selected strains, Lactococcus lactis E32, Levilactobacillus brevis G31, and Pediococcus pentosaceus L51 demonstrated vitamin B12 biosynthesis capacity, with the latter producing the highest (28.19 ± 2.27 pg mL−1 ). The genomic analysis confirmed the presence of pivotal genes involved in different steps of the biosynthetic pathway (hemL, cbiT, cobC, and cobD). Notably, P. pentosaceus L51 was the only strain harboring cobA, pduU, and pduV genes, which may provide evidence for the presence of the cobalamin operon. All strains demonstrated the capability to withstand harsh gastrointestinal conditions, although P. pentosaceus L51 was more resilient. The potential for de novo cobalamin biosynthesis and remarkable probiotic features highlighted that P. pentosaceus L51 may be considered the most promising candidate strain for developing high-content vitamin B12 formulations.