Mosaic maternal ancestry in the Great Lakes region of East Africa

The Great Lakes lie within a region of East Africa with very high human genetic diversity, home of many ethno-linguistic groups usually assumed to be the product of a small number of major dispersals. However, our knowledge of these dispersals relies primarily on the inferences of historical, linguistics and oral traditions, with attempts to match up the archaeological evidence where possible. This is an obvious area to which archaeogenetics can contribute, yet Uganda, at the heart of these developments, has not been studied for mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) variation. Here, we compare mtDNA lineages at this putative genetic crossroads across 409 representatives of the major language groups: Bantu speakers and Eastern and Western Nilotic speakers. We show that Uganda harbours one of the highest mtDNA diversities within and between linguistic groups, with the various groups significantly differentiated from each other. Despite an inferred linguistic origin in South Sudan, the data from the two Nilotic-speaking groups point to a much more complex history, involving not only possible dispersals from Sudan and the Horn but also large-scale assimilation of autochthonous lineages within East Africa and even Uganda itself. The Eastern Nilotic group also carries signals characteristic of West-Central Africa, primarily due to Bantu influence, whereas a much stronger signal in the Western Nilotic group suggests direct West-Central African ancestry. Bantu speakers share lineages with both Nilotic groups, and also harbour East African lineages not found in Western Nilotic speakers, likely due to assimilating indigenous populations since arriving in the region ~3000 years ago.

Língua escrita e língua real: o que um corpus oral permite descobrir

Esta comunicação, baseando-se num extenso corpus oral que está a ser recolhido, procurará refletir de que modo a língua realizada oralmente nos permite perceber o que realmente são e como funcionam as línguas para além da dimensão formalizada da escrita. Pretende-se demonstrar que é a linguagem em uso que melhor evidencia muitos aspetos impossíveis de perceber por uma designada do sistema. Assim, procurar-se-á verificar até que ponto a verdadeira realização linguística da oralidade respeita a noção de frase e de norma, bem assim como especificamente realiza várias dimensões lexicais e pragmáticas.

Maternal attachment representations in relation to emotional availability and discipline behaviour

"Published online: 15 Sep 2015."

Influence of saliva and mucin on the adhesion of Candida oral clinical isolates

Objectives: This research work intends to clarify the role of artificial saliva, in particularly the role of mucin, a salivary protein, on the surface properties and adhesion ability of Candida spp. oral clinical isolates to abiotic surfaces. Methods: Four oral clinical isolates of Candida spp. were used: two Candida albicans strains (AC; AM) and two Candida parapsilosis strains (AD; AM2). The strains were isolated from patients using oral prosthesis. The microorganisms were cultured in the absence or presence of mucin and artificial saliva, and their adhesion to an abiotic surface (coated with mucin and artificial saliva) was evaluated. Results: The presence of mucin per se onto the abiotic surface decreased the adhesion of all strains, although the combination of mucin with artificial saliva had reduced this effect. No direct correlation between adhesion and the surface free energies of adhesion of the microorganisms was found. Significance: Candida spp. were human commensal microorganisms that became pathogenic when the host immune defenses were compromised. Medical devices were colonized by Candida spp. particularly, oral prostheses, which might lead to the degradation of the prostheses and systemic infections. The salivary secretions that constantly cover the oral cavity influenced Candida spp. adhesion process. Therefore, it was important to understand the interactions between Candida spp., salivary proteins and the characteristic of oral prosthesis when developing materials for oral prostheses.

The relevance of bacterial interactions on oral health

Dissertação de mestrado integrado em Engenharia Biomédica (área de especialização em Engenharia Clínica)

Silver nanoparticles to fight Candida coinfection in the oral cavity

[Exert] This chapter is focused on the activity of silver nanoparticles (SN) as an antifungal agent against Candida albicans and Candida glabrata biofilms, which are involved in oral candidosis. A discussion focusing on the influence of the stabilizing agent, diameter of SN on its antibiofilm activity, influence of chemical stability of SN on Candida biofilms, the effect of SN against adhered cells and biofilms, the effect on extracellular matrix composition and structure of Candida biofilms, the combination of SN with conventional antifungal drugs, and the incorporation of SN into denture acrylic resin is incorporated in the present chapter. Because of the resistance of Candida biofilms to conventional drugs and the positive effect of SN against them, these nanoparticles can be used as an alternative antifungal agent (...).

Role of biofilms in the oral health of animals

In humans the importance of biofilms in disease processes is now widely recognised together with the difficulties in treating such infections once established. One of the earliest and certainly most studied biofilm in humans is that of dental plaque which is responsible for two of the most prevalent human infections, namely dental caries and periodontal disease. However, comparable studies of dental plaque in animals are relatively limited, despite the fact that similar infections also occur, and in the case of farm animals there is an associated economic impact. In addition, biofilms in the mouths of animals can also be detrimental to human health when transferred by animal bites. As a result, an understanding of both the microbial composition of animal plaque biofilms together with their role in animal diseases is important. Through the use of modern molecular studies, an insight into the oral microflora of animals is now being obtained and, to date, reveals that despite differences in terms of microbial species and relative proportions occurring between humans and animals, similarities do indeed exist. This information can be exploited in our efforts to both manage and treat infections in animals arising from the presence of an oral biofilm. This Chapter describes our current understanding of the microbial composition of animal plaque, its role in disease and how oral hygiene measures can be implemented to reduce subsequent infection.

O uso das palavras: estatuto da comunicação oral nas aulas de Português e de Espanhol

Relatório de estágio de mestrado em Ensino do Português no 3º ciclo do Ensino Básico e Ensino Secundário e do Espanhol nos Ensinos Básico e Secundário

"De mãos dadas com o Livro": promoção da linguagem oral e da literacia emergente com crianças de etnia cigana e com crianças provenientes de contextos socioeconómicos desfavorecidos

Dissertação de mestrado em Estudos da Criança (área de especialização em Intervenção Psicossocial com Crianças, Jovens e Famílias)

Maternal adjustment and maternal attitudes in adolescent and adult pregnant women

Study Objective: This study analyzes differences between adolescent and adult pregnant women and the contribution of maternal age to maternal adjustment and maternal attitudes during pregnancy. Design, Setting, and Participants: A sample of 398 Portuguese pregnant women (111 younger than 19 years) was recruited in a Portuguese Maternity Hospital and completed the Maternal Adjustment and Maternal Attitudes Questionnaire between the 24th and 36th weeks of gestation. Main Outcome Measures: Maternal Adjustment and Maternal Attitudes Questionnaire. Results: Adolescent pregnant women show lower maternal adjustment (poorer body image and worse marital relationship) and poorer maternal attitudes (more negative attitudes to sex) than adult pregnant women. When controlling for socio-demographics, age at pregnancy predicts poorer body image and more negative attitudes to sex, but not a worse marital relationship, more somatic symptoms or negative attitudes to pregnancy and the baby. A worse marital relationship was better predicted by living without the partner, and more somatic symptoms and negative attitudes to pregnancy and the baby was predicted by higher education. Conclusion: Adolescent pregnant women show lower maternal adjustment and poorer maternal attitudes than adult pregnant women according to socio-demographics and unfavorable developmental circumstances.

A avaliação da fluência oral em crianças do 3º ano do ensino básico com e sem necessidades educativas especiais: um estudo exploratório quantitativo

Dissertação de mestrado em Educação Especial (área de especialização em Dificuldades de Aprendizagem Específicas)

Prenatal dysthymia versus major depression effects on maternal cortisol and fetal growth

To determine differences between pregnant women diagnosed with Dysthymia versus Major Depression, depressed pregnant women (N=102) were divided by their diagnosis into Dysthymic (N=48) and Major Depression (N=54) groups and compared on self-report measures (depression, anxiety, anger, daily hassles and behavioral inhibition), on stress hormone levels (cortisol and norepinephrine), and on fetal measurements. The Major Depression group had more self-reported symptoms. However, the Dysthymic group had higher prenatal cortisol levels and lower fetal growth measurements (estimated weight, femur length, abdominal circumference) as measured at their first ultrasound (M=18 weeks gestation). Thus, depressed pregnant women with Dysthymia and Major Depression appeared to have different prenatal symptoms.

Quantifying the legacy of the Chinese Neolithic on the maternal genetic heritage of Taiwan and Island Southeast Asia

There has been a long-standing debate concerning the extent to which the spread of Neolithic ceramics and Malay-Polynesian languages in Island Southeast Asia (ISEA) were coupled to an agriculturally driven demic dispersal out of Taiwan 4000 years ago (4 ka). We previously addressed this question using founder analysis of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) control-region sequences to identify major lineage clusters most likely to have dispersed from Taiwan into ISEA, proposing that the dispersal had a relatively minor impact on the extant genetic structure of ISEA, and that the role of agriculture in the expansion of the Austronesian languages was therefore likely to have been correspondingly minor. Here we test these conclusions by sequencing whole mtDNAs from across Taiwan and ISEA, using their higher chronological precision to resolve the overall proportion that participated in the "out-of-Taiwan" mid-Holocene dispersal as opposed to earlier, postglacial expansions in the Early Holocene. We show that, in total, about 20 % of mtDNA lineages in the modern ISEA pool result from the "out-of-Taiwan" dispersal, with most of the remainder signifying earlier processes, mainly due to sea-level rises after the Last Glacial Maximum. Notably, we show that every one of these founder clusters previously entered Taiwan from China, 6-7 ka, where rice-farming originated, and remained distinct from the indigenous Taiwanese population until after the subsequent dispersal into ISEA.