Publications by authors named "Lisa Rodrigues"

Humans spend around 90 % of their time indoors, making Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) of utmost importance. Its importance has been recently highlighted by COVID-19. However, IAQ significantly impacts public health, concerning not only respiratory, but also cardiovascular diseases.

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Coral reefs are vital to marine biodiversity and human livelihoods, but they face significant threats from climate change. Increased ocean temperatures drive massive "bleaching" events, during which corals lose their symbiotic algae and the important metabolic resources those algae provide. Proteomics is a crucial tool for understanding coral function and tolerance to thermal stress, as proteins drive physiological processes and accurately represent cell functional phenotypes.

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  • Tidal flats, located behind mangrove forests, are important coastal ecosystems impacted by both ocean and land activities, and this study examined microplastics (MPs) in these areas in southwest Puerto Rico.
  • Researchers found an average of 148.64 MPs per kg in sediment samples, with most MPs being small (0.3-1 mm) and increased concentrations found farther from mangroves at three sites.
  • Notably, polyethylene was the most common type of plastic identified, and while mangrove cover helped reduce MP accumulation, better waste management is also essential to protect these ecosystems from plastic pollution.
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  • This study focuses on cell wall nanoparticles (CWNPs) derived from fungal hyphal cell walls to explore how they affect macrophage immune responses.
  • CWNPs were produced using various inhibitors, leading to distinct types that showed different impacts on macrophage activation and viability.
  • The findings suggest that modifying fungal cell walls results in nanoparticles with unique properties, which may influence immune reactions and therapeutic strategies during antifungal treatments.
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Caffeine affords several beneficial effects on human health, acting as an antioxidant, anti-inflammatory agent, and analgesic. Caffeine is widely used in cosmetics, but its antimicrobial activity has been scarcely explored, namely against skin infection agents. Dermatophytes are the most common fungal agents of human infection, mainly of skin infections.

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A robust and efficient cellular response to lysosomal membrane damage prevents leakage from the lysosome lumen into the cytoplasm. This response is understood to happen through either lysosomal membrane repair or lysophagy. Here we report exocytosis as a third response mechanism to lysosomal damage, which is further potentiated when membrane repair or lysosomal degradation mechanisms are impaired.

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  • SARS-CoV-2 infection severity varies based on the body’s inflammatory response, influenced by purinergic receptors: A2A receptors are anti-inflammatory, while P2X7 receptors promote inflammation.
  • This study focused on the genetic variations (SNPs) of two receptors, ADORA2A and P2RX7, to determine their impact on COVID-19 severity among 55 individuals with different infection levels.
  • Results showed that the P2RX7 SNP genotype (specifically the TT genotype) was linked to more severe COVID-19 cases, particularly in individuals with multiple health conditions, while the ADORA2A SNP did not show a significant association with infection severity.
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  • - In mesophotic coral ecosystems (65-125 m deep), corals can survive with very low light, yet it’s unclear how they and their algal partners obtain energy.
  • - Researchers studied the carbon and nitrogen isotope values of different coral species and their symbiotic algae in Maui to explore their energy sources and feeding strategies.
  • - Findings indicated that both autotrophy (using photosynthesis) and heterotrophy (feeding) are crucial for the corals' survival, with a notable efficiency in nitrogen sharing between hosts and symbionts at deeper depths, highlighting the importance of photosynthesis even in low light conditions.
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  • The study investigates the role of the vaginal fungal community, known as mycobiota, in health, using advances in sequencing technologies to identify fungi associated with vulvovaginal infections.
  • The primary focus was on the interaction between the opportunistic pathogenic fungus spp. and other yeast species, analyzing their growth, biofilm formation, and pathogenic potential in co-culture experiments.
  • Results indicated a symbiotic relationship between spp. and spp., which enhanced growth and biofilm formation, while other yeast species displayed antagonistic interactions, potentially reducing pathogenicity and highlighting the complexity of vaginal mycobiome interactions.
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Phagolysosomes are crucial organelles during the elimination of pathogens by host cells. The maintenance of their membrane integrity is vital during stressful conditions, such as during infection. As the fungal hyphae grow, the phagolysosome membrane expands to ensure that the growing fungus remains entrapped.

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, endogenous from Cape Verde, is a medicinal plant used in ethnomedicine with a large spectrum of applications, such as treating skin fungal infections caused by dermatophytes. The aim of this work was to chemically characterize the crude ethanolic extract (WcCEE), and evaluate its bioactivities as antidermatophytic, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and anticancer, as well as its cytotoxicity. WcCEE was chemically characterized via HPLC-MS.

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Warming ocean temperatures are severely compromising the health and resilience of coral reefs worldwide. Coral bleaching can affect coral physiology and the energy available for corals to reproduce. Mechanisms associated with reproductive allocation in corals are poorly understood, especially after a bleaching event occurs.

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  • Previous research indicated that Candida albicans strains in chronic vulvovaginal candidosis (cVVC) infections are less virulent compared to those in sporadic infections.
  • In this study, scientists examined 18 Candida albicans isolates from women with either sporadic (8 isolates) or chronic (10 isolates) infections, focusing on their behavior in lab tests simulating infections.
  • Results showed that sporadic isolates had greater adhesion to human cells and less resistance to phagocytosis by immune cells compared to chronic isolates, suggesting that the ability of chronic isolates to evade immune response may contribute to recurrence of infections.
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As coastal ecosystems are impacted by land use change and anthropogenic activities, oysters can be an important tool for monitoring local water quality. We collected oysters (Crassostrea rhizophorae and Isognomon alatus) from coastal sites near Guánica and La Parguera in southwest Puerto Rico and analyzed their tissue for concentrations of Ag, As, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb, V, and Zn. All trace metals were found in both species, with high bioaccumulation factors for Ag, Cd, and Zn in both species and Cr in C.

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Astrangia poculata inhabits coasts near dense human populations in the northeastern United States and may be exposed to elevated pollutants. No studies have assessed heavy metal concentration in temperate corals despite their proximity to anthropogenic activity. We collected colonies four times in one year and analyzed coral tissue for As, Cd, Cr, Pb, and Zn.

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Host innate immunity is fundamental to the resistance against and infection, two of the most important agents contributing to human fungal infections. Phagocytic cells, such as neutrophils, constitute the first line of host defense mechanisms, and the release of neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) represent an important strategy to immobilize and to kill invading microorganisms, arresting the establishment of infection. The purinergic system operates an important role in the homeostasis of immunity and inflammation, and ectophosphatase and ectonucleotidase activities are recognized as essential for survival strategies and infectious potential of several pathogens.

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is an emergent opportunistic yeast among hospital settings that affects mainly neonates and immunocompromised patients. Its most remarkable virulence traits are the ability to adhere to prosthetic materials, as well as the formation of biofilm on abiotic surfaces. The Ndt80 transcription factor was identified as one of the regulators of biofilm formation by ; however, its function in this process was not yet clarified.

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Opportunistic gut infections and chronic inflammation, in particular due to overgrowth of Candida albicans present in the gut microbiota, are increasingly reported in the elder population. In aged, adult and young mice, we now compared the relative intestinal over-colonization by ingested C. albicans and their translocation to other organs, focusing on the role of adenosine A2A receptors that are a main stop signal of inflammation.

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In the wake of Brexit, a tribute to the pioneering black nurse should offer inspiration in the battles against racism.

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  • Candida albicans is a leading cause of fungal infections in humans, and the study focuses on its ectophosphatase and ectonucleotidase activities that may affect its ability to cause infections.
  • The researchers discovered that C. albicans lacks a traditional ecto-5'-nucleotidase enzyme, using a phosphatase to cleave 5'AMP, indicating a different mechanism than other Candida species.
  • The study also notes that these enzymatic activities of C. albicans change under infection-like conditions, such as low pH and increased temperature and CO2 levels, suggesting an adaptation during infection.
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  • * LPS was found to increase microglia proliferation, while glutamate had the opposite effect; both substances also affected ATP levels and its breakdown into adenosine differently.
  • * The study revealed that manipulating ATP and adenosine metabolism impacts microglia proliferation, affecting the brain's inflammatory response during injury.
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