Interconnected impacts of water resource management and climate change on microplastic pollution and riverine biocoenosis: A review by freshwater ecologists

The relationship between river hydrology and microplastic (MP) pollution is complex: increased discharge does not always mobilize more MPs, but floods can effectively flush out MPs from river catchments. Climate change and water resource management further influence MP pollution and its fate by altering river hydro-sedimentary regimes. This review investigates the interconnected impacts of these factors from a comprehensive perspective, focusing on how they affect MP concentration in freshwater ecosystems, particularly in regulated rivers and associated reservoirs. Our review reveals a scarcity of studies that jointly analyze the interrelated issues of MP pollution, water resource management, and climate change. Key findings indicate that variations in river discharge significantly influence MP mobilization, mainly depending on catchment land use, channel morphology, position within the catchment, and MP characteristics. Reservoirs function as both sinks and sources of MPs, underscoring their complex role in MP dynamics and the need for sustainable sediment management strategies. The increasing frequency of extreme weather events, driven by climate change, along with prolonged droughts intensified by water management practices, exacerbates MP pollution. These changes contribute to the local concentration of MPs, posing direct physical threats to aquatic organisms, particularly benthic species, through pollution and habitat alterations. Current policies on plastic pollution, water resources and climate change are underdeveloped, as these topics have been treated separately so far. In conclusion, this review provides perspectives on future research and policy directions to address challenges posed by MPs and to preserve rivers against multiple stressors

Engineering cytoplasmic acetyl-CoA synthesis decouples lipid production from nitrogen starvation in the oleaginous yeast Rhodosporidium azoricum

Background: Oleaginous yeasts are able to accumulate very high levels of neutral lipids especially under condition of excess of carbon and nitrogen limitation (medium with high C/N ratio). This makes necessary the use of two-steps processes in order to achieve high level of biomass and lipid. To simplify the process, the decoupling of lipid synthesis from nitrogen starvation, by establishing a cytosolic acetyl-CoA formation pathway alternative to the one catalysed by ATP-citrate lyase, can be useful. Results: In this work, we introduced a new cytoplasmic route for acetyl-CoA (AcCoA) formation in Rhodosporidium azoricum by overexpressing genes encoding for homologous phosphoketolase (Xfpk) and heterologous phosphotransacetylase (Pta). The engineered strain PTAPK4 exhibits higher lipid content and produces higher lipid concentration than the wild type strain when it was cultivated in media containing different C/N ratios. In a bioreactor process performed on glucose/xylose mixture, to simulate an industrial process for lipid production from lignocellulosic materials, we obtained an increase of 89% in final lipid concentration by the engineered strain in comparison to the wild type. This indicates that the transformed strain can produce higher cellular biomass with a high lipid content than the wild type. The transformed strain furthermore evidenced the advantage over the wild type in performing this process, being the lipid yields 0.13 and 0.05, respectively. Conclusion: Our results show that the overexpression of homologous Xfpk and heterologous Pta activities in R. azoricum creates a new cytosolic AcCoA supply that decouples lipid production from nitrogen starvation. This metabolic modification allows improving lipid production in cultural conditions that can be suitable for the development of industrial bioprocesses using lignocellulosic hydrolysates

De-Novo Assembly and Analysis of the Heterozygous Triploid Genome of the Wine Spoilage Yeast Dekkera bruxellensis AWRI1499

Despite its industrial importance, the yeast species Dekkera (Brettanomyces) bruxellensis has remained poorly understood at the genetic level. In this study we describe whole genome sequencing and analysis for a prevalent wine spoilage strain, AWRI1499. The 12.7 Mb assembly, consisting of 324 contigs in 99 scaffolds (super-contigs) at 26-fold coverage, exhibits a relatively high density of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). Haplotype sampling for 1.2% of open reading frames suggested that the D. bruxellensis AWRI1499 genome is comprised of a moderately heterozygous diploid genome, in combination with a divergent haploid genome. Gene content analysis revealed enrichment in membrane proteins, particularly transporters, along with oxidoreductase enzymes. Availability of this assembly and annotation provides a resource for further investigation of genomic organization in this species, and functional characterization of genes that may confer important phenotypic traits

Slaughter weight rather than sex affects carcass cuts and tissue composition of Bisaro pigs

Carcass cuts and tissue composition were assessed in Bisaro pigs (n=64) from two sexes (31 gilts and 33 entire males) reared until three target slaughter body-weights (BW) means: 17 kg, 32 kg, and 79 kg. Dressing percentage and backfat thickness increased whereas carcass shrinkage decreased with increasing BW. Slaughter weight affected most of the carcass cut proportions, except shoulder and thoracic regions. Bone proportion decreased linearly with increasing slaughter BW, while intermuscular and subcutaneous adipose tissue depots increased concomitantly. Slaughter weight increased the subcutaneous adipose tissue proportion but this impaired intramuscular and intermuscular adipose tissues in the loin primal. The sex of the pigs minimally affected the carcass composition, as only the belly weight and the subcutaneous adipose tissue proportions were greater in gilts than in entire males. Light pigs regardless of sex are recommended to balance the trade-offs between carcass cuts and their non-edible compositional outcomes.Work included in the Portuguese PRODER research Project BISOPORC – Pork extensive production of Bísara breed, in two alternative systems: fattening on concentrate vs chesnut, Project PRODER SI I&DT Medida 4.1 “Cooperação para a Inovação”. The authors are grateful to Laboratory of Carcass and Meat Quality of Agriculture School of Polytechnic Institute of Bragança ‘Cantinho do Alfredo’. The authors are members of the MARCARNE network, funded by CYTED (ref. 116RT0503).info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Responsible self-medication: review of the process of pharmaceutical attendance

This article presents a review, based on a qualitative study, of pharmaceutical orientation in the management of minor illness. Action research methodology was used by a group of faculty members responsible for the community pharmacy internship and by postgraduates in clinical pharmacy, to carry out the study with the objective to present a standard service for this kind of procedure. The interaction with the individual starts with a welcoming reception, at which point the pharmacist should be receptive and show empathy. Subsequently, data from the history of the patient are collected to obtain relevant information. Based on this information, the pharmacist must develop a line of clinical reasoning and make a decision, taking the context of the patient into account. After this analysis, the most appropriate intervention is performed. This intervention could indicate the need for referral to another health professional, the use of a non-pharmacological therapy or the provision of sound advice on medicines available without prescription. The next step is monitoring the patient in order to identify the effectiveness and safety of treatment. The standardization process of pharmaceutical attendance in the management of minor disorders contributes to the rational use of medicines.A reflexão apresentada neste artigo representa um estudo de abordagem qualitativa baseada na pesquisa-ação da prática do atendimento farmacêutico no manejo de transtornos menores, realizada pelo grupo de professores do Estágio em Farmácia Comunitária e por farmacêuticos pós-graduados em Farmácia Clínica, com o objetivo de realizar uma proposta de atendimento padrão para este tipo de procedimento. A interação com o indivíduo é iniciada pelo acolhimento, momento no qual o farmacêutico deve ser receptivo e empático. A seguir, se executa a coleta de dados sobre a história do paciente, para obtenção de informações relevantes. Com base nas informações, o farmacêutico deve desenvolver um raciocínio clínico e tomar uma decisão, levando em consideração o contexto do paciente. Após esta análise é realizada a intervenção mais adequada ou o conjunto dessas que podem ser: procurar outro profissional de saúde, utilizar uma terapia não-farmacológica ou auxiliar na escolha de um medicamento de venda livre. O próximo passo é o acompanhamento do paciente com vistas a identificar a efetividade e segurança do tratamento. A padronização do processo de atendimento farmacêutico no manejo de transtornos menores, contribui para o uso racional de medicamentos