Less than half of Portugal's water bodies are in good environmental condition. Various pollutants compromise aquatic ecosystems, with nitrates being a key concern. These nitrogen compounds can lead to anoxia, or a lack of oxygen in the water, endangering biodiversity. On this topic, the Biosfera programme interviewed Catarina Teixeira, a researcher at CIIMAR and a visiting assistant professor at ICBAS.
See the full program here.
Source: RTP; Image: Unsplash.
To tackle the challenge of discussing One Health in under 60 minutes, the second cycle of monthly talks at ICBAS will continue on December 19th.
In this session, Jorge Ribeiro, Clinical Director of the Veterinary Hospital of the University of Porto (UPVet), invites the nurse Sónia Brandão, specialist in maternal and obstetric health (Escola Superior de Enfermagem do Porto), and the engineer Miguel Braga da Costa (PontoPR – Inovação Digital), to discuss the topic ‘New technologies enable more sustainable clinical teaching’.
The event will take place from 1:00 pm to 1:50 pm in Room 2 of the ICBAS/FFUP Library.
The activity 'One Health in Schools', developed by the One Health Office of the Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas Abel Salazar (ICBAS) of the University of Porto, received one of the five awards in the “Merit & Relevance” category at the One Health Pet Awards. The awards were presented on 28 November during a ceremony held in Lisbon.
This recognition “validates the effort we have been making to place the One Health approach on various agendas, which also involves promoting the concept among the younger generation, who are the future,” stated Henrique Cyrne Carvalho, Director of ICBAS.
Read the full text here.
Source: Notícias UP.; Image: ICBAS.
To tackle the challenge of discussing One Health in under 60 minutes, the second cycle of monthly talks at ICBAS will continue on 21st November. In this session, José Barros, Clinical Director of the Santo António University Hospital Centre and Visiting Full Professor at ICBAS, invites Ana Castroa Nephrology Hospital Assistant at the same hospital, to explore the topics of 'Green Hospitals and Green Nephrology’.
The event will take place from 1:00 pm to 1:50 pm in Room 2 of the ICBAS/FFUP Library.
One Health - A contribution from the University “It is not intended to be a finished work, but rather one aimed at civil society, to reach a wide audience,” argue Adriano Bordalo e Sá, Begoña Perez-Cabezas, Luísa Azevedo, and Sofia Costa Lima, from the One Health Office of the Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas Abel Salazar (ICBAS), right in the foreword of the book.
This work aims to spread awareness of the importance of the One Health concept, under which “Human health is connected to the health of other living beings and the health of the environment,” as “human beings do not live alone on the planet,” explain the editors, who are also lecturers and researchers at ICBAS.
Read the full text here.
The book can be purchased at the U. Porto Store (Praça Gomes Teixeira, Porto) or online at the publisher's website UP Press.
Source: Notícias UP.; Image: UP Press.
By Paulo Vaz-Pires and António Afonso | ICBAS
PORTO—Aquatic foods are obtained through fishing, a traditional activity, and aquaculture, a fairly recent intensive production activity. According to WHO, FAO, and nutritional recommendations, they are considered essential in a balanced diet.
Fishing provides around 50 percent of the world's aquatic food, and aquaculture is another 50 percent. The increase in the world's population and difficulties in fishing make aquaculture increasingly indispensable.
Aquatic foods are associated with various myths. ‘Farmed fish is less tasty and healthy than fish from fisheries', and 'aquaculture is environmentally harmful' are common. In fact, farmed fish have excellent nutritional quality, and quality and safety are ensured by modern and efficient systems.
The benefits demonstrated are those related to cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, and arthritis. In the area of cancer, there are promising results.
Human interests are very strong and continue to prevent us from achieving adequate sustainability in the aquatic environment, while real solutions are still being pushed into the future, which could be seriously and irreparably affected.
In short, we should consume fish regularly, both from fisheries, selecting less endangered species, and from aquaculture, opting for local and national production. Searching for, selecting, and studying reliable information is the only way to dispel the many myths associated with this type of product.
Image – Paulo Vaz-Pires and António Afonso at the ‘One Health Talk’ held at ICBAS on October 24, 2024. Credits: Sofia A. Costa Lima.
As part of the International One HealthDay, on November 4, the book One Health a contribution from the University' will be launched.Luísa Schmidt, sociologist and coordinating researcher at the Institute of Social Sciences of the University of Lisbon (ICS-ULisboa), will present the book at 5:30 p.m. in the Ceremonial Hall of the Rectory of the University of Porto.
The session is open to the public, but requires registration via email (info_onehealth@icbas.up.pt).
SYNOPSIS: Although we sometimes forget it, human beings do not live alone on the planet. Human health is linked to the health of other living beings and the health of the environment where all live in, as identified by the One Health concept. One Health, a contribution from the University is a book written by professors and researchers from the Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas Abel Salazar (ICBAS) of the University of Porto to the civil society, to bring this concept to many audiences. In this book, you can read several texts that present the One Health approach through situations close to all of us in order to promote understanding of it. If we recognize that the well-being of all living beings (and ours too) depends on an integrative, transdisciplinary approach and sustainable decision-making, then we can truly build a healthier future.
To tackle the challenge of discussing One Health in under 60 minutes, the second cycle of monthly talks at ICBAS will continue on 24th October. In this session, Paulo Vaz-Pires, Full Professor at ICBAS, will host António Afonso, retired Professor at ICBAS, to explore the topic 'Demystifying aquatic food production and its effects on the environment and human health‘.
The event will take place from 1:00 pm to 1:50 pm in Room 2 of the ICBAS/FFUP Library.
As part of the International One HealthDay, on November 4, the book One Health a contribution from the University' will be launched.Luísa Schmidt, sociologist and coordinating researcher at the Institute of Social Sciences of the University of Lisbon (ICS-ULisboa), will present the book at 5:30 p.m. in the Ceremonial Hall of the Rectory of the University of Porto.
The session is open to the public, but requires registration via email (info_onehealth@icbas.up.pt).
SYNOPSIS: Although we sometimes forget it, human beings do not live alone on the planet. Human health is linked to the health of other living beings and the health of the environment where all live in, as identified by the One Health concept. One Health, a contribution from the University is a book written by professors and researchers from the Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas Abel Salazar (ICBAS) of the University of Porto to the civil society, to bring this concept to many audiences. In this book, you can read several texts that present the One Health approach through situations close to all of us in order to promote understanding of it. If we recognize that the well-being of all living beings (and ours too) depends on an integrative, transdisciplinary approach and sustainable decision-making, then we can truly build a healthier future.
By Begoña Pérez-Cabezas, ICBAS
PORTO - Climate change is a natural process. Our planet has been colder and warmer than it is today. However, human activities are inducing very rapid warming, mainly due to the emission of greenhouse gases that act like a blanket around the Earth, trapping heat and increasing temperatures. The main greenhouse gases are carbon dioxide and methane. In addition to the use of fossil fuels, agriculture and landfills are the main emitters. Deforestation also contributes to the increase in greenhouse gases.
Climate change intensifies extreme meteorological phenomena such as floods, droughts, forest fires and windstorms, contributing to humanitarian emergencies. It also increases direct heat-related illnesses and deaths, alters the transmission patterns of infectious diseases, influences the spread of vector-borne diseases (such as malaria and dengue fever) and jeopardises food and water security. In addition, the increase in demand for health services resulting from all this hampers the system's ability to respond.
Importantly, the impacts of climate change are strongly mediated by environmental and social determinants. Children, the elderly, people with pre-existing health problems, ethnic minorities, poor communities, migrants or displaced people are the most vulnerable. Worsening climate change could certainly hinder the global goal of reducing poverty. Nor should we forget that this warming affects not only humans, but also other living beings - animals and plants.
And because everything on Earth is connected, changes in one area can influence all the others. That's why we can all help reduce the impact of climate change through our decisions. Choosing greener transport, better energy options and sustainably sourced food will help reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The choices we make today can influence the world in the future.
Image credits: Pixabay
