A new release by U. Porto Press proposes a reflection on the evolution of veterinary medicine and the relationship between humans and animals.
“What does a veterinarian do?”, “What animal species is he/she dedicated to?”, “How is his/her training structured?” or “Is it a difficult profession?”, reads on the back cover of Many Species, One Veterinary Medicine. This short questionnaire sets the tone for reading one of the most recent editorial novelties of the U.Porto Press, the number four of the Studies and Teaching collection of the publishing office.
“This book reflects, precisely, on the evolution of veterinary medicine and on the evolution of the relationship between humans and animals”, defends Paulo Martins da Costa, professor at the Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas Abel Salazar and author of the publication.
In response to the question about whether Veterinary Medicine is a difficult profession, Paulo Martins da Costa says yes. “A veterinarian needs dedication, knowledge, worldview and a keen ethical sense”, adding that “it is less and less frequent for people to understand (and respect) animals in their essence, tending now to humanize them, now to mechanize them”.
According to the author, the profession is complex, being “at the center of a circle of important animals for man”. These animals fall into several quadrants, being attributed different “human meanings” to them – domestic, wild, experimental, sports, pests, disease vectors, adorable, symbolic, dangerous, faithful…
There is a lot of water on the Planet. But since it is 97% salty, it cannot be directly used by most land, air and freshwater aquatic beings. If 2000 years ago we had the same amount of water available as today, at the time for the consumption of 72 million inhabitants, the 8 billion people today have to share it among everyday uses, such as domestic, industrial and agricultural, requiring ever-increasing amounts. The pressure on the water resource has never been so high, but with ongoing climate change, globally applicable measures must be taken to protect the hydrosphere.
In 2010, the United Nations General Assembly approved a historic resolution considering access to drinking water as a human right, along with other enshrined rights. Part of the water returns to the aquatic environment, but with different chemical, physical and even microbiological characteristics. In other words, polluted. Contaminated water means a sick environment and, ultimately, leads to the degradation of the health of the Biosphere, the thin layer of the Earth where living beings are distributed.
On February 28, 2023, the director of ICBAS, Professor Henrique Cyrne Carvalho, participated in a public hearing on One Health in the European Parliament, in Brussels.
The session “Special Committee on the COVID-19 pandemic: lessons learned and recommendations for the future”, aimed to discuss the link between the accelerated loss of biodiversity and the spread of zoonoses such as COVID-19, and their impacts on health human. The objective of this hearing was to gather contributions on how the European Union can implement the One Health One Health in its policies.
Prof. Henrique Cyrne Carvalho at the session “Special Committee on the COVID-19 pandemic: lessons learned and recommendations for the future”.
For Prof. Henrique Cyrne “This was a unique opportunity to share the One Health plan of action that we have in course at ICBAS and, above all, to contribute to our local action to reflect on the implementation of actions of global impact, notably through the European Union”.
This is a selection of images that portray the integrated vision of Health that ICBAS has been promoting. It is a result of the homonymous photography contest that took place in March and April 2022.
The photography contest 'Perspective(s) on One Health' intended to promote the dissemination of the concept in the U. Porto academic community. Around 250 images were received, of which ICBAS, together with the Portuguese Institute of Photography (IPF), a partner in this project, selected 20 for a traveling exhibition which could be visited in several places in the city of Porto.
The exhibition can now be visited, for the first time, outside Porto, at the Municipal Gallery of Alcochete City Council, between April 6 and 27, 2023 (Paços do Concelho – Largo de São João 5 – Alcochete). Free entrance.
This exhibition is an opportunity to promote a joint reflection on the One Health concept, as well as to alert civil society to the impact we all have on the health of humans, animals and the environment.
Diet has impacts on fertility that can be inherited for two generations
Parents' food choices may have consequences on their children's health.
Um estudo desenvolvido por investigadores do Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas Abel Salazar (ICBAS), no Porto, concluiu que a alimentação produz impactos na fertilidade masculina que podem ser transmitidos e herdados por duas gerações.
O instituto revela que no estudo, publicado na revista “Molecular Nutrition & Food Research“, researchers from the Multidisciplinary Unit of Biomedical Research at ICBAS described the biomarkers that make it possible to identify a “metabolic memory” present in the testes.
The alterations are “consequences of eating a high-fat diet” and can be inherited by two generations, that is, father-son-grandson, having “implications on male fertility”.
Marco Alves and Luís Crisóstomo, in the center of the image, at the PhD defense of ICBAS student, accompanied by the jury and the entire research team.
A equipa, liderada pelo investigador Marco Alves, já tinha determinado, em trabalhos anteriores, que a ingestão excessiva de gordura durante as primeiras fases da vida altera o conteúdo lípido e o metabolismo dos testículos, “afetando negativamente a capacidade reprodutiva durante o resto da vida” e “resultando em alterações que não são reversíveis com a mudança para uma dieta equilibrada”.
In this study, carried out in animal models (mice), the researchers “went further” and described the transgenerational effects that are transmitted by parents who eat a diet rich in fats to children and grandchildren who follow a balanced diet.
“The offspring showed, in the testicles, an alteration in the metabolism of choline”, an essential nutrient for the regulation of various functions, such as brain function, and the development of spermatozoa.
The investigation also showed alterations in the activity of mitochondria, in antioxidant defenses and in the presence of various lipids.
"These alterations promote a proinflammatory environment in the testicle, altering sperm count and quality", stresses the researcher, noting that transgenerational effects are also observed when the father's intake of fat is only until puberty.
The researcher Marco Alves points out that reproduction “is also a reflection of diet”.
“Our food choices will have consequences for our children and, very possibly, for our grandchildren as well”, he says, adding that these effects may have even more impact on assisted reproduction processes, since the spermatozoon is chosen randomly and without taking into account biomarkers such as those identified in the study.
“The increase in infertility is clearly associated with the increase in metabolic diseases (overweight, obesity and diabetes, among others), and this association has already been recognized by the World Health Organization”, highlights Marco Alves.
The metabolic memory in the testis is transmitted by the Sertoli cells, which respond to ensure all the structural and metabolic needs during the sperm formation process.
The stimuli captured by these cells, in addition to altering their own genetic expression, also alter the epigenetics.
“Knowing these changes and the transmission mechanisms will allow selecting the best spermatozoa and the best window of time to perform in vitro fertilization, improving the efficiency of assisted reproduction techniques and opening up new therapeutic opportunities in male infertility”, adds the researcher.
Além da equipa do ICBAS, o estudo contou também com investigadores da Faculdade de Farmácia da Universidade do Porto, da Universidade de Aveiro, do Instituto Politécnico da Guarda e da Associação Protetora dos Diabéticos de Portugal (APDP).
The work also resulted from several international partnerships, including the University of Zagreb and the University College of London.
No próximo dia 3 de novembro, Dia Internacional Uma Saúde, o Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas Abel Salazar (ICBAS) da Universidade do Porto vai voltar a reunir especialistas das mais variadas áreas e instituições do país para promover o debate em torno de uma abordagem holística da Saúde.
This is a selection of images that portray the integrated vision of Health that ICBAS has been promoting. It is a result of the homonymous photography contest that took place in March and April 2022.
The photography contest 'Perspective(s) on One Health' promoted the dissemination of the concept among the academic community of U. Porto. About 250 images were received, from which ICBAS, together with the Portuguese Institute of Photography (IPF), a partner in this project, selected 20 photographs for a traveling exhibition which will be in several places in Porto.
The exhibition can be visited now at Centro Português de Fotografia (CPF), between October 3rd and 30th (Antiga Cadeia e Tribunal da Relação do Porto, Largo Amor da Perdição, 4050-008 Porto). Entrance is free.
This exhibition is an opportunity to promote a joint reflection on the One Health concept, as well as to alert civil society to the impact we all have on human, animal and environmental health.
This is a selection of images that portray the integrated vision of Health that ICBAS has been promoting. It is a result of the homonymous photography contest that took place in March and April 2022.
The photography contest 'Perspective(s) on One Health‘promoted the dissemination of the concept among the academic community of U. Porto. About 250 images were received, from which ICBAS, together with the Portuguese Institute of Photography (IPF), a partner in this project, selected 20 photographs for a traveling exhibition which will be in several places in Porto.
The exhibition can now be visited at ICBAS, located in different parts of the School, between 12 September and 4 November (R. Jorge de Viterbo Ferreira 228, 4050-313 Porto).
This exhibition is an opportunity to promote a joint reflection on the One Health concept, as well as to alert civil society to the impact we all have on human, animal and environmental health.
From June to December 2022 at various locations in Porto
On the 1st of June it opens at the Biodiversity Gallery – Centro Ciência Viva | Museum of Natural History and Science of the U. Porto, the traveling exhibition 'Perspective(s) on One Health'. This is a selection of 20 images, which portray the integrated vision of Health that ICBAS has been promoting, as a result of the homonymous photography contest that took place in March and April.
From the ‘Perspective(s) on One Health’ photo contest, which aimed to promote the dissemination of the concept among the U. Porto academic community, around 250 images were received. Of these, ICBAS, together with the Portuguese Institute of Photography (IPF), a partner in this initiative, selected 20 photographs for an itinerant exhibition that will take place in various locations in Porto:
From June 2nd to July 3rd – Biodiversity Gallery
July to September – ICBAS
October – Portuguese Photography Center (CPF)
November – Metro od Porto
December – Círculo Universitário do Porto
This exhibition is an opportunity to promote a joint reflection on the One Health concept, as well as to alert civil society to the impact we all have on human, animal and environmental health.
The exhibition 'Perspective(s) on One Health' can be visited, from June 2nd to July 3rd, from Tuesday to Sunday, from 10:00 to 13:00 and from 14:00 to 18:00, at Biodiversity Gallery – Centro Ciência Viva | Museum of Natural History and Science of the U. Porto (Rua do Campo Alegre 1191, 4150-181 Porto).
The Department of Behavioral Sciences at ICBAS includes a research team dedicated to the production of scientific knowledge in the fields of Anthrozoology (the study of human-animal interactions) and Environmental Psychology (the study of people-environmental transactions). Special attention is given to the therapeutic potential of companion animals (dogs in particular) and to the benefits of Animal-Assisted Interventions implemented in various health and educational settings, and directed at different populations. Increasing attention is also being devoted by this research team to the health promoting effects associated with contact with natural and biophilic environments.
Clearly guided by a Health Promotion perspective, this team assumes the ultimate goal of translating scientific knowledge to society at large in order to i) support people in managing and improving their well-being through contact with animals and natural environments, ii) support the integration of animals and natural environments in health services, and iii) promote the conservation of Nature as a source of health and well-being.
This website uses cookies to provide a better browsing experience. By continuing to browse this website, you consent its use. You can change your cookie settings at any time in your browser settings Know more
