PortugueseFoundation For Science Research Articles

Changes in environmental exposures over decades may influence the genetic architecture of severe spermatogenic failure.

Do the genetic determinants of idiopathic severe spermatogenic failure (SPGF) differ between generations? Our data support that the genetic component of idiopathic SPGF is impacted by dynamic changes in environmental exposures over decades. The idiopathic form of SPGF has a multifactorial etiology wherein an interaction between genetic, epigenetic, and environmental factors leads to the disease onset and progression. At the genetic level, genome-wide association studies (GWASs) allow the analysis of millions of genetic variants across the genome in a hypothesis-free manner, as a valuable tool for identifying susceptibility risk loci. However, little is known about the specific role of non-genetic factors and their influence on the genetic determinants in this type of conditions. Case-control genetic association analyses were performed including a total of 912 SPGF cases and 1360 unaffected controls. All participants had European ancestry (Iberian and German). SPGF cases were diagnosed during the last decade either with idiopathic non-obstructive azoospermia (n = 547) or with idiopathic non-obstructive oligozoospermia (n = 365). Case-control genetic association analyses were performed by logistic regression models considering the generation as a covariate and by in silico functional characterization of the susceptibility genomic regions. This analysis revealed 13 novel genetic association signals with SPGF, with eight of them being independent. The observed associations were mostly explained by the interaction between each lead variant and the age-group. Additionally, we established links between these loci and diverse non-genetic factors, such as toxic or dietary habits, respiratory disorders, and autoimmune diseases, which might potentially influence the genetic architecture of idiopathic SPGF. GWAS data are available from the authors upon reasonable request. Additional independent studies involving large cohorts in ethnically diverse populations are warranted to confirm our findings. Overall, this study proposes an innovative strategy to achieve a more precise understanding of conditions such as SPGF by considering the interactions between a variable exposome through different generations and genetic predisposition to complex diseases. This work was supported by the "Plan Andaluz de Investigación, Desarrollo e Innovación (PAIDI 2020)" (ref. PY20_00212, P20_00583), the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness through the Spanish National Plan for Scientific and Technical Research and Innovation (ref. PID2020-120157RB-I00 funded by MCIN/ AEI/10.13039/501100011033), and the 'Proyectos I+D+i del Programa Operativo FEDER 2020' (ref. B-CTS-584-UGR20). ToxOmics-Centre for Toxicogenomics and Human Health, Genetics, Oncology and Human Toxicology, is also partially supported by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (Projects: UIDB/00009/2020; UIDP/00009/2020). The authors declare no competing interests. N/A.

Psychosocial experiences of involuntary definitive childless women: a comparative study based on reproductive status.

Do involuntary definitive childless women have lower psychosocial adjustment levels than women with infertility diagnoses actively trying to conceive and presumably fertile women? Involuntary definitive childless women have lower levels of sexual functioning than infertile women actively trying to conceive and presumably fertile women, and higher levels of depression than presumably fertile women. Involuntary definitive childless defines those who wanted to become parents but were unable to do so. Studies have provided evidence about infertility and its psychosocial consequences, but there is a lack of knowledge about the impact of involuntary definitive childlessness, namely on sexual function, social support, marital satisfaction, and psychological adjustment. This associative study was conducted between July 2021 and January 2022 for involuntary definitive childless women and between July 2016 and February 2018 for women with an infertility diagnosis actively trying to conceive as well as presumably fertile women. An online questionnaire announced in social media and gynaecology and fertility clinics was used. The inclusion criteria for all participants were being childless, in a heterosexual relationship and cohabiting for at least 2 years. Specific inclusion criteria for involuntary definitive childless women were: trying to conceive for at least 2 years; not achieving pregnancy because of biological and medical constraints; and not undergoing fertility treatment or being a candidate for adopting a child at time of the study. For women with an infertility diagnosis the inclusion criteria were: actively trying to conceive (naturally or through fertility treatments); having a primary fertility diagnosis; and aged between 22 and 42 years old. For presumably fertile women, the inclusion criteria were: having a parenthood wish in the future; and not knowing of any condition that could prevent them from conceiving. Out of 360 women completing the survey, only 203 were eligible for this study (60 involuntary definitive childless women, 78 women with an infertility diagnosis actively trying to conceive, and 65 presumably fertile women). All participants completed a questionnaire including sociodemographic and clinical data, the Female Sexual Function Index, the 2-Way Social Support Scale, the Relationship Assessment Scale, and Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale. Binary logistic regression was performed to assess the relation between sexual function, social support, marital satisfaction, anxiety, depression, and reproductive status, adjusting for age, and cohabitation length. Presumably fertile women were used as a reference group. Women were 34.31 years old (SD = 5.89) and cohabited with their partners for 6.55 years (SD = 4.57). The odds ratio (OR) showed that involuntary definitive childless women had significantly lower sexual function than infertile women actively trying to conceive (OR = 0.88, 95% CI = 0.79-0.99) and presumably fertile women (OR = 34.89, 95% CI = 1.98-614.03), and higher depression levels than presumably fertile women (OR = 99.89, 95% CI = 3.29-3037.87). Women with an infertility diagnosis actively trying to conceive did not differ from presumably fertile women in sexual function, social support, marital satisfaction, anxiety, and depression. The majority of childless women underwent fertility treatments, and childlessness for circumstantial reasons owing to lack of a partner was not included, therefore these results may not reflect the experiences of all women with an involuntary childless lifestyle. There was a time gap in the recruitment process, and only the definitive childlessness group filled out the questionnaire after the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic. We did not ask participants if they self-identified themselves with the groups' terminology they were assigned to. Our results emphasize the importance of future research to provide a more comprehensive understanding of the adjustment experiences of childless women and an awareness of the poor adjustment they might experience, highlighting the need to keep following women after unsuccessful treatments. Clinical practitioners must attend to these dimensions when consulting involuntary definitive childless women who might not have gone through treatments but also experience these adverse outcomes. This study was partially supported by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology. The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest. N/A.

BUILDING VASCULARIZED CONSTRUCTS FROM THE BOTTOM-UP: HARNESSING MICROSCALE LIVING MATERIALS IN TISSUE ENGINEERING

Bottom-up tissue engineering (TE) strategies employing microscale living materials as building blocks provide a promising avenue for generating intricate 3D constructs resembling native tissues. These microtissue units exhibit high cell densities and a diverse extracellular matrix (ECM) composition, enhancing their biological relevance. By thoughtfully integrating different cell types, the establishment of vital cell-cell and cell-matrix interactions can be promoted, enabling the recreation of biomimetic micro-niches and the replication of complex morphogenetic processes. Notably, by co-assembling blood vessel-forming endothelial cells with supportive stromal cells, microtissues with stable capillary beds, referred to as vascular units (VUs), can be generated. Through a modular TE approach, these VUs can be further combined with other microtissues and biomaterials to construct large-scale vascularized tissues from the bottom up. Integration of VUs with technologies such as 3D bioprinting and microfluidics allows for the creation of structurally intricate and perfusable constructs. In this presentation, we will showcase examples of VUs and explore their applications in regenerative medicine and tissue modeling.Acknowledgements: This work was supported by project EndoSWITCH (PTDC/BTM-ORG/5154/2020) funded by FCT (Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology).

RoFnet – Reconfigurable Radio over Fiber Network Architecture Overview

This paper introduces the basic operational concepts of the RoFnet – reconfigurable radio over fiber network, which is a project supported by the Portuguese Foundation forScience and Technology. This project proposes an innovative radio over fiber optical access network architecture, which combines a low cost base station (BS) design, incorporating reflective semiconductor optical amplifiers, with fiber dispersion mitigation provided by optical single sideband modulation techniques. Optical wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) techniques are used to simplify the access network architecture allowing for different BSs to be fed by a common fiber. Different wavelength channels can be allocated to different BSs depending on user requirements. Additionally, in order to improve radio coverage within a cell, it is considered a sectorized antenna interface. The combination of subcarrier multiplexing with WDM, further simplifies the network architecture, by using a specific wavelength channel to feed an individual BS and different subcarriers to drive the individual antenna sectors within the BS.

Discussing the possibility of fertility treatment being unsuccessful as part of routine care offered at clinics: patients' experiences, willingness, and preferences.

Discussing the possibility of fertility treatment being unsuccessful as part of routine care offered at clinics: patients' experiences, willingness, and preferences.

The city from the point of view of children: social inequalities in representing and using urban public spaces

This paper was written under the research project CRiCity: “Children and their Right to the City: Tackling urban inequity through the participatory design of child-friendly cities” developed in Lisbon and Porto and funded by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) through national funds (PTDC/SOC-SOC/30415/2017). We focus on two case-studies developed in Porto. Our aim is to present some of the findings of the focus groups and drawing activities developed with children in two institutions. During this research, it was evident that children from middle and high classes are more subjected to institutionalization, domestication and hyper-protection processes than those from lower social classes. Also, we conclude that the phenomena of insularization and specialization contributes to aggravating restrictions on public spaces by producing forms of socio-spatial segregation depending not only on age, but also on class and social status.

The aging retina of wild‐type and mouse model of Alzheimer's disease

AbstractSeveral neurological diseases have been shown to have measurable correlates in the eye, thus further supporting the idea of the retina as a window to brain and neurodegeneration. Retinal imaging techniques, way less complex, more affordable and widely available than their counterparts for the brain, have the potential to provide alternatives to brain imaging techniques such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Also, animal models of disease are expected to allow the investigation of neurodegenerative diseases at states that would be inaccessible in a human patient, particularly at the onset of diseases that may occur decades before diagnosis. In this talk, we will present and discuss data and findings from wild‐type and triple‐transgenic mouse model of Alzheimer's disease by optical coherence tomography (OCT) at the ages of 1, 2, 3, 4, 8, 12, and 16 months old. In addition to commonplace retinal thickness measurements, texture analysis findings and findings from a neural network fed with OCT B‐scans and a neural network fed with OCT computed fundus images will be present and discussed.Funding: This study was funded by The Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) through PTDC/EMD‐EMD/28039/2017 and by FEDER‐COMPETE through POCI‐01‐0145‐FEDER‐028039.

REVISITING CLASSROOM ENVIRONMENT AND ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE OF THE STUDENTS IN HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS

This paper aimed to examine higher education institutions, classroom environment, the role of teacher, and student academic performance using bibliometric analysis from 2001 to 2020. The main aim was to consolidate the published researches on the students’ academic performance in higher education in the Web of Science indexed documents. There was a lack of quantitative measurements on the subject. We used the bibliometric method and a total of 2797 published documents were found. The study findings showed that the topic of ‘higher education institutions’ was on top with a total number of 2210 publications, 1822 articles as a type of published documents, 2447 publications in English, and a considerable increase in publications as per years were found. The top author named Lepori B was found with 202 citations and 13 articles started from 2007. Similarly, the University of Aveiro was on top organizations out of 2609, United States (US) on top out of 126 countries, and higher education as a keyword out of 6497. The Journal of Cleaner Production placed at top of sources out of 1551, and Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology as a top funding agency. Furthermore, the trend of data is described in tables and figures. Keywords: Higher Education Institutions, Classroom Environment, Role of Teacher, Student Academic Performance, Bibliometric Analysis.

Pathophysiological and therapeutic implications of urocortin-2 in heart failure with preserved ejection fraction

Abstract Introduction Although initially believed to be less severe than heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF), heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) prevalence has increased and accounts for as much as 50% of heart failure cases [1,2]. Treatment options remain limited and aim primarily for symptom relief and improvement of quality of life [2]. Urocortin-2 (Ucn-2) belongs to the corticotrophin-releasing hormone (CRH) family and has been found to have significant beneficial hemodynamic, hormonal and renoprotective effects both in both animal models and humans with HFrEF [3,4]. Objectives In this work we studied the role of the Ucn-2/CRHR2 system in the pathophysiology of HFpEF and evaluated the efficacy of Ucn-2 as a novel therapeutic strategy in this clinical syndrome. Methods 18-week-old male ZSF1-Lean (n=26) and ZSF1-Obese (n=28) rats randomly received either Ucn-2 (15 μg/kg/day, subcutaneously) or vehicle (0.9% NaCl), for 12 weeks, resulting in 4 experimental groups: ZSF1-Lean + Ucn-2; ZSF1-Lean + vehicle; ZSF1-Obese + Ucn-2; ZSF1-Obese + vehicle. During the treatment period, evolution of cardiac (dys)function was assessed by echocardiography and exercise tolerance test. After treatment, invasive hemodynamic analysis was performed, with subsequent sample collection. Histological analysis of the left ventricle (LV) was performed as well as quantitative western blotting and RT-PCR analysis for relevant molecular markers (Figure 1). Results mRNA expression of Ucn-2 and CRHR2, as well as protein levels of CRHR2, were decreased in the LV of ZSF1-Obese rats compared to ZSF1-Lean and correlated with LV structure and diastolic function. ZSF1-Obese rats showed systemic hypertension, decreased endurance capacity and impaired LV relaxation, with preserved ejection fraction and cardiac index. Chronic Ucn-2 treatment attenuated hypertension and modestly enhanced effort tolerance. In both morphometric and echocardiographic analysis we found that ZSF1-Obese rats presented significantly higher cardiac and LV weight, compared to Lean counterparts. Cardiomyocyte cross-sectional area and fibrosis were found to be increased in Obese rats, corroborating morphometric and echocardiographic measurements. Chronic Ucn-2 treatment attenuated both cardiac hypertrophy and fibrosis. Furthermore, ZSF1-Obese rats displayed increased BNP and TNF-α LV mRNA expression, both of which were decreased with Ucn-2 treatment. Interestingly, Col3A1 LV mRNA expression was found to be decreased in ZSF1-Obese rats compared to ZSF1-Lean, and Ucn-2 therapy resulted in a faint further decrease of Col3A1 expression, compared to non-treated animals. Conclusion This work suggests that Ucn-2/CRHR2 system is altered in experimental HFpEF and that chronic administration of Ucn-2 attenuates LV dysfunction and remodeling, in particular the hypertrophic changes of the cardiac muscle. Funding Acknowledgement Type of funding sources: Public grant(s) – National budget only. Main funding source(s): Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT), under the auspices of the Cardiovas-cular R&D Center–UnIC [UIDB/00051/2020 and UIDP/00051/2020] and project IMPAcT [PTDC/MED-FSL/31719/2017; POCI-01–0145-FEDER-031719].

Therapeutic effects of nebulization-based delivery of anti-miR-146a in experimental pulmonary arterial hypertension

Abstract Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), is a chronic disorder characterized by excessive pulmonary vascular remodelling, resulting in elevated pulmonary vascular resistance and right ventricle (RV) overload and failure. PAH remains incurable, and new therapeutic approaches are required. The microRNA-146a (miR-146a) promotes vascular smooth muscle cell proliferation and vascular neointimal hyperplasia, both important hallmarks of PAH. This study aimed to investigate the role of miR-146a in the pathophysiology of PAH and in the progression to RV hypertrophy and failure. Sprague Dawley rats received a subcutaneous injection of monocrotaline (MCT group) or vehicle (CTRL group) and, after fourteen days they were treated, by intratracheal nebulization, with an anti-miR-146a, forming four distinct groups: CTRL-treated; CTRL-untreated, MCT-treated, and MCT-untreated. Twenty-seven days after MCT injection, echocardiographic and invasive hemodynamic evaluations were performed in all animal groups. Also, wild-type (WT) and miR-146a knock-out (KO) (miR-146a−/−) mice were submitted to either 3 weeks of chronic hypoxia-induced PAH with weekly Sugen 5416 administration (SuHx). Compared to MCT-untreated rats, the MCT-treated rats showed decreased RV hypertrophy, (as measured by the Fulton index),decreased RV end-diastolic diameter/left ventricle end-diastolic diameter (RVEDD/LVEDD) ratio, and decreased in RV diastolic pressures. KO-SuHx group, when compared to WT-SuHx group, showed decreased RV hypertrophy (as measured by the Fulton index), and decreased RV systolic pressures and dilation, as well as lower RV end end-diastolic diameter (RVEDDi) and right atria area (RAAi). Our findings show that miR-146a pharmacological or genetic inhibition reduces RV remodelling and improves cardiac function. Thus, miR-146a represents a promising therapeutic target in PAH. Funding Acknowledgement Type of funding sources: Foundation. Main funding source(s): This research was supported by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT).

Someone Else to Blame: The Effectiveness of Egocentric and Alter-Centric Impression Management Tactics in the U.S. Food Retail Industry

We investigate the effectiveness of two types of impression management tactics implemented around negative attributes: egocentric (claiming the absence or low presence of a negative attribute in a focal organization) and alter-centric tactics (claiming the greater presence of a negative attribute in an organization’s competitor). We claim that the effectiveness of each tactic depends on the risk of audiences’ skepticism, which stems from the incongruence between the information conveyed in the tactic and audiences’ default expectations about the presence of the attribute among members of a given market segment. Audiences expect a conspicuous presence of the attribute, we propose, the more stakeholders contest a market segment for that very attribute. Thus, we advance that egocentric (alter-centric) tactics are less likely to be effective for contested (uncontested) attributes because the information conveyed in such tactics clashes with audiences’ default expectations, triggering skepticism. We find support for our predictions looking at the impact of nutrient content claims on product sales in the U.S. food retail industry between 2006 and 2015.Funding: H. Pinto de Sousa acknowledges the support, in the form of a research scholarship, granted by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia), under the European Social Fund and the Human Capital Operational Program (Programa Operacional Capital Humano) funding program [Grant SFRH/BD/128536/2017].Supplemental Material: The online appendix is available at https://doi.org/10.1287/orsc.2022.1612 .

Development of Plan S monitoring and compliance tool in the context of PTCRIS for Portuguese National Science Foundation

The Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) has endorsed Plan-S since early 2021 and it is working towards implementing its obligations. To ensure an effective fulfillment of its open science policies, FCT is implementing a new monitoring and compliance tool, that will enforce the compliance with Plan-S as well as the new FCT's open access (OA) policy. This paper details FCT's approach to implement this tool and discusses the challenges of integrating information that is spread across multiple systems. The new tool will be built on top of infrastructures and services developed by FCT over the last years under the umbrella of the Portuguese Current Research Information System (PTCRIS) program. This tool comprises an operational component, integrated with the grant management system, and an analytical component, based on a Data Warehouse and Business Intelligence (DW/BI) system. The DW/BI system for the ecosystem of Science and Technology in Portugal will be developed using Kimball's Dimensional DW architecture, which advocates the incremental design and development of dimensional data marts linked by conforming dimensions. In this approach, data marts contain atomic and summarized data, corresponding to the development of elementary and derived dimensional models. Three data marts will be developed for the subject areas of funding, scientific results and for monitoring and compliance. The last data mart will calculate the compliance indicators for Plan-S as well as for FCT's OA policy. The operational component of the new tool then receives, from the analytical component, the list of scientific results per funding registry along with data regarding compliance. A list of non-compliances for each scientific result will be the basis of a notification module that will inform the principal investigator (PI) and the FCT compliance officer.

Lexicon on Board: A MEG Study Based on Expressive Picture-Naming

The cognitive processes associated with word retrieval and the investigation of word-picture differences are complex and not fully understood. Uttering a word entails orchestrating several steps as visual object recognition, accessing a lexical concept, lemma selection, lemma retrieval, accessing the morpheme(s) and generating the phonological word, and finally retrieving syllabic gestural scores and articulation. To study the mechanisms of word retrieval in lemma selection phase, we compared the three groups of monolingual, semi-bilingual and bilingual learners with respect to their topography and strength of Functional Connectivity (FC)values of the most highlighted pair of activated nodes in the time range of 0-150 ms in different frequency bands (delta, theta, alpha, beta, and gamma) upon application of the stimuli. We have seen no significant difference between difference frequency bands (p > 0.05) at the most highlighted FC pairs. However, we observed higher gamma values signifying the semantic activation of the word. We could not find any significant difference between the groups in terms of FC values at designated pairs of nodes signifying that different amount of exposure could not affect electrophysiological patterns in the preliminary step of word production. Acknowledgements This study was supported by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology and the Portuguese Ministry of Science, Technology and Higher Education (UID/PSI/01662/2019), through the national funds (PIDDAC).

A Constitution for the Anthropocene Body Politic Environment, Culture, and the Humanities in the Twenty-First Century

The following article is a slightly revised version of Serenella Iovino’s Keynote Address at the 2021 European Conference for the Humanities, jointly organised in Lisbon (5-7 May) by the UNESCO Social and Human Sciences Programme, the International Council for Philosophy and Human Sciences (CIPSH), and the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT). The theme of the Conference Section inaugurated by this lecture was “The Humanities in the Twenty-First Century”. By acknowledging the official approval of the BRIDGES Project on education for sustainability as a partner of the UNESCO Management of Social Transformation Program, Iovino evaluated the role of the Environmental Humanities in the agenda of the so-called ‘New Humanities’, paying special attention to their relevance during the COVID-19 pandemic. In this framework, Venice emerged both as a symbol and as a very concrete object of care, proving to be “a thinking machine” for contemporary natural-cultural dynamics, as Salvatore Settis has defined it. The lecture ended with the invitation to turn the current crisis into a constitutive moment for the ‘Anthropocene body politic’, namely, the earthly collective of agents and of processes, both human and nonhuman, natural and technological.

Effects of a 6‐month multicomponent training on lower body function of older adults diagnosed with neurocognitive disorder: Data from Body & Brain Project

AbstractBackgroundDementia is a leading cause of disability and dependence. It is suggested that exercise has a positive impact on patient’s symptoms and/or disease progression. Nevertheless, to date studies aiming to assess Multicomponent Training (MT) effects on several dementia outcomes show inconsistent results. This quasi‐experimental controlled trial aims to examine the effectiveness of a 6‐month MT intervention on lower body function (e.g., lower body strength and walk speed) of older adults diagnosed with neurocognitive disorder.Method40 subjects (N Female: 27) diagnosed with neurocognitive disorder (N Major NCD: 33) selected to participate in a MT Training (Body&Brain Project) were allocated into an exercise group (EG; N: 21; 74.90 ± 5.88 years; age range: 61‐83) or a control group (CG; N:19; 81.74 ± 6.07 years; age range: 70‐89). The EG was submitted to a 6‐month MT intervention (2 sessions per week, 50 minutes per session). Exercise sessions were divided in warm‐up, specific training (e.g., coordination and balance, lower and upper body strength, and aerobics) at light‐to‐moderate intensity, and cool down. The CG group had a monthly recreational session during the same period. 30‐seconds Chair Stand Test and 6‐meters Walk Speed Test, were applied at baseline and post‐intervention to attest respectively, lower body strength and walk speed, as important indicators of lower body function.ResultResults from ANCOVA test (Table 1), controlled for age, gender and baseline scores, revealed a significant interaction for walk speed test (F (1,35) = 6.61, η2= 0.159, p=0.015) favorable to EG, but not for chair stand test (F (1,30) = 2.129, η2= 0.066, p=0.155).ConclusionThe 6‐month MT intervention improved walk speed of older adults diagnosed with neurocognitive disorder, which might potentially impact individuals’ daily functionality and reduce the incidence of falls. Future research studies with larger samples are necessary to confirm MT training efficacy on lower body strength. Funding: Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology: CIAFEL (FCT/UIDB/00617/2020), “Body and Brain” Project (POCI‐01‐0145‐FEDER‐031808), and Ph.D. Grants (SFRH/BD/136635/2018) to FM and [2020.05911.BD] to DB; & IPDJ. Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov ‐ NCT04095962.

Measuring social skills: cultural adaptation and validation of SSI-Del Prette

Ministerio da Educacao e Ciencia.Fundacao para a Ciencia e a Tecnologia.PD/BD/105965/2014. This study was conducted at the Psychology Research Centre (UID/PSI/01662/2013), University of Minho, and supported by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology and the Portuguese Ministry of Science, Technology and Higher Education through national funds and co-financed by FEDER through COMPETE2020 under the PT2020 Partnership Agreement (POCI-01-0145-FEDER-007653). Joao F. Fundinho was funded by a scholarship from the Portuguese Foundations for Science and Technology – FCT – (PD/BD/105965/2014).

Moderate-to-vigorous Physical Activity May Offset Harms Of Sedentary Time On An Older Adult’s Functional Fitness

The ability to maintain functional fitness is important for preserving quality of life and promoting a healthy aging process. Habitual physical activity, especially that of moderate-to-vigorous intensity, has been associated with improvements in functional fitness resulting in enhanced functioning and reduced risk of disability, morbidity and mortality of older adults, whereas high amounts of sedentary time (ST) have been inversely associated with functional fitness and related with detrimental effects on several health-related outcomes. PURPOSE: We aimed to assess if moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) can moderate the relationship between ST and functional fitness and, thus, offset the adverse effects of ST in older adults. METHODS: Older adults (≥65 years old) from the national surveillance system in Portugal (n = 564) had their MVPA and ST assessed using accelerometers. Functional fitness was assessed using the Senior Fitness Test battery and an overall z-score based on the individual scores for each fitness item was created. Multiple linear regression was used to model the outcomes, while adjusting for age, sex, BMI, and accelerometer wear-time. RESULTS: Higher ST was related with lower functional fitness (β = -0.01, p < 0.0001), whereas increases in MVPA were related to a higher fitness level (β = 0.02, p = 0.001). There was a moderating effect of MVPA on the relationship of ST with functional fitness (p < 0.0001), where MVPA ≥34.66 min/d ameliorated the significant inverse relationship between ST and functional fitness, whereas, engaging in ≥68.60 min/d of MVPA resulted in ST having a significant positive relationship with functional fitness. CONCLUSION: MVPA was found to be a moderator of the relationship between ST and functional fitness in older adults, such that engaging in at least 35 min/day of MVPA may offset the negative associations related with ST. Moreover, with higher levels of MVPA (≥69 min/d), having some ST may provide some benefit to an older adult’s ability to maintain functional fitness. This investigation was funded by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (UIDB/00447/2020). IRC is supported by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (IRC: SFRH/BD/149394/2019).

Higher levels of physical activity is associated with lower arterial stiffness in patients with resistant hypertension

Abstract Funding Acknowledgements Type of funding sources: Foundation. Main funding source(s): Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) European Regional Development Fund – Operational Competitiveness Factors Program (COMPETE) Background Physical activity has been associated with reduced arterial stiffness in patients with hypertension. However, in resistant hypertension, a specific population with an increased risk for target organ damage, cardiovascular morbidity, and mortality, the evidence is sparse. Purpose The present study aimed to determine the association between daily physical activity and arterial stiffness in patients with resistant hypertension. Methods Fifty-seven patients with resistant hypertension were recruited. Physical activity was objectively assessed during 7 consecutive days with accelerometers. Arterial stiffness was evaluated using carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity (cf-PWV) . Results Participants (50.9% men), aged 58.8 ± 9.4 years, were mainly overweight and were taking in average 4.5 antihypertensive medications. The cf-PWV showed an inverse correlation with light-intensity physical activity (r = -0.290, p = 0.029) and total daily physical activity (r = -0.287, p = 0.030). Additionally, cf-PWV tended to be inversely associated with the number of steps per day (r = -0.242, p = 0.069). Patients with higher risk of cardiovascular events (cf-PWV ≥ 10 m/s) tended to spend less time in light-intensity physical activity (324.0 ± 129.4 vs. 380.5 ± 103.1 min/day, p = 0.090) and to perform less total daily physical activity (351.5 ± 141.7 vs. 411.7 ± 109.1 min/day, p = 0.091) than participants with cf-PWV below the risk threshold value. Conclusions Higher levels of total physical activity and daily levels of light-intensity were associated to lower arterial stiffness. These results emphasize the importance of physical activity as a nonpharmacological tool for patients with resistant hypertension.

May the brief physical activity assessment tool accurately measure physical activity in patients with resistant hypertension?

Abstract Funding Acknowledgements Type of funding sources: Public grant(s) – EU funding. Main funding source(s): FEDER Funds through the Operational Competitiveness Factors Program—COMPETE National Funds through the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) “PTDC/DTP-DES/1725/2014”. SL is a PhD fellow supported by the FCT (Grant Ref: SFRH/BD/129454/2017). Introduction Resistant hypertension is a major health problem due to the increased risk of cardiovascular events and mortality. Physical activity and exercise reduces blood pressure in resistant hypertension and is associated with lower cardiovascular risk and mortality. It is presently recommended that physical activity assessment should be a priority in all visits to health settings Purpose This study aims to determine if the Brief Physical Activity Assessment Tool (BPAAT), a 2-question tool to assess physical activity, is a valid instrument to detect inactive patients with resistant hypertension. Methods Sixty patients with a diagnosis of resistant hypertension were recruited. Outcome measures included clinical data, blood pressure and daily physical activity. Physical activity was objectively measured over a 7-day period with an accelerometer and subjectively assessed (self-assessment) by the BPAAT. The association between the BPAAT and accelerometry, according to the BPAAT scoring categories, was assessed bythe percentage of agreement, Cohen’s Kappa and sensitivity and specificity. Results Patients (33 were male) had a mean age of 59.4 ± 9.1years, were on average overweight (BMI 29.5 ± 4.5 kg/m2) and on an average of 4.5 ± 0.7 antihypertensive medications. Forty-two patients (70%) were classified as insufficiently active by the BPAAT compared to the 38 (63.3%) insufficiently active patients identified by the accelerometry data. Regarding the questionnaire’s specificity and sensitivity, the BPAAT correctly identified 32 [84.2 (73.1 – 95.3) %] of the 38 ‘insufficiently active’ patients and 12 [54.5 (34.3 – 74.7) %] of the 22 ‘sufficiently active’ patients identified by accelerometry. The agreement between BPAAT and accelerometry to identify sufficiently/insufficiently active patients, according to the BPAAT’s cut-off values was fair to moderate (Kappa = 0.403 (0.162 – 0.674), with a percentage of agreement of 73.3%. Conclusion The BPAAT, a 2-question tool to assess physical activity, seems to be a valid and fast solution to identify insufficiently active adults with resistant hypertension during routine clinical visits.

Effect of exercise training on amyloid-like protein aggregates among patients with heart failure

Abstract Funding Acknowledgements Type of funding sources: Other. Main funding source(s): MG and CS were supported by a PhD FCT grant (SFRH/BD/128893/2017) and by an individual grant from CAPES [BEX 0554/14-6], respectively. This work was financially supported by the project POCI-01-0145-FEDER-030011, funded by FEDER, through COMPETE2020-POCI, and by national funds, through FCT/MCTES (PTDC/MEC-CAR/30011/2017). iBiMED is a research unit supported by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (REF: UID/BIM/04501/2020) and FEDER/Compete2020 funds). Introduction Amyloid-like protein aggregates play a decisive role in the pathology of heart failure. Alterations in protein homeostasis, in particular, the clearance of toxic amyloid-like aggregates are emerging therapeutic targets in cardiovascular medicine. The clinical benefits of cardiac rehabilitation and exercise training are widely accepted in heart failure; however, little is known about the potential benefit of exercise training in amyloid-like protein aggregates. Purpose To assess the effects of a moderate-intensity exercise training program on amyloid-like protein aggregates levels among patients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction. Methods Eighteen subjects participated in the study; eight patients (age: 66.6 ± 5.9 years; FEVE: 38.4 ± 8.9%) with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction participated in a 3-month exercise training program (2 x 60 min sessions per week of moderate-intensity aerobic and resistance exercise). Ten healthy subjects (age: 68. 4 ± 3.1 years) were recruited to an age-matched reference group. Amyloid-like protein aggregates were assessed before and after 3 months of exercise training. Clinical data, medication, anthropometrics, and cardiorespiratory fitness were also assessed. Thioflavin T (ThT) dye fluorescence was used to quantify the plasma levels of amyloid-like aggregates and the Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) was applied to evaluate the conformation of cross-β-sheet structures characteristic of amyloid protein aggregates. Results Exercise program improved cardiorespiratory fitness by 14.0 ± 17.1% (17.4 ± 3.2 to 19.7 ± 2.9 ml/kg/min) and reduced NT-proBNP levels by 16.5% (34.2) (median concentration of 632 pg/mL (720.8) to 517.5 pg/mL (707.0)) in the heart failure patients. A slight decrease of amyloid-like aggregates levels was observed in post-exercise training samples (a reduction of 3.1%); interestingly, after the exercise training program, the heart failure patients showed levels of amyloid-like aggregates similar to the reference group (1132.0 ± 114.2 vs. 1094.8 ± 132.9 a.u.). Additionally, the PLS-R multivariate analysis of the amide I region of the FTIR spectra revealed enrichment of antiparallel β-sheets (1693 cm-1) assigned to amyloid-like oligomers in the samples of heart failure patients before, but not after, the exercise program. Of note, oligomeric species, as intermediates of amyloid assembly, can contribute to the increase of amyloid burden, but also, some have been reported to be highly reactive and toxic to cells, being key elements of amyloid pathogenesis. Conclusions Our preliminary results indicate that 3 months of exercise training may have significant effects on amyloid-like oligomers, and start hindering the formation of the larger ThT-positive aggregates among patients with heart failure. Abstract Figure.