Oak woodlands in the Mediterranean basin have been traditionally converted into agro-silvo-pastoral systems and exemplified sustainable land use in Europe. In Portugal, in line with the trend of other European countries, profound changes in management options during the twentieth century have led to landscape simplification. Landscapes are dynamic and the knowledge of future management planning combining biological conservation and soil productivity is needed, especially under the actual scenarios of drought and increasing evidence of heavy oak mortality. We examined the ectomycorrhizal (ECM) fungal community associated with cork oak in managed oak woodlands (called montado) under different land use practices, during summer. ECM fungal richness and abundance were assessed in 15 stands established in nine montados located in the Alentejo region (southern Portugal), using morphotyping and ITS rDNA analysis. Parameters related to the montados landscape characteristics, land use history over the last 25 years, climatic and edaphic conditions were taken into account. Fifty-five ECM fungal taxa corresponding to the most abundant fungal symbionts were distinguished on cork oak roots. Cenococcum geophilum and the families Russulaceae and Thelephoraceae explained 56% of the whole ECM fungal community; other groups were represented among the community: Cortinariaceae, Boletaceae, Amanita, Genea, Pisolithus, Scleroderma, and Tuber. There were pronounced differences in ECM fungal community structure among the 15 montados stands: C. geophilum was the only species common to all stands, tomentelloid and russuloid species were detected in 87-93% of the stands, Cortinariaceae was detected in 60% of the stands, and the other groups were more unequally distributed. Ordination analysis revealed that ECM fungal richness was positively correlated with the silvo-pastoral exploitation regime and low mortality of cork oak, while ECM fungal abundance was positively correlated with extensive agro-silvo-pastoral exploitation under a traditional 9-year rotation cultivation system and recent soil tillage. The effects of land use on the ECM fungal community and its implications in different scenarios of landscape management options, oak mortality, and global warming are discussed.

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Background: It is estimated that around 70% of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus patients (T2DM) have Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD). Awareness and education are amongst the major shortcomings of the public health response to the increasing threat of NAFLD. Characterizing the specific NAFLD-related information needs of particular high-risk metabolic communities, for instance, T2DM patients, might aid in the development of evidencebased health promotion strategies, ultimately promoting NAFLD-awareness, treatment adherence and therapeutic success rates. Methods: Semi-structured interviews with T2DM patients were conducted to gain insight into their awareness of NAFLD, including its relationship with insulin resistance and T2DM. Results: Awareness of NAFLD as a disease entity, as well as its progression to end-stage liver disease or its relationship with other metabolic conditions, including insulin resistance and T2DM was low. Surveillance behaviours were also suboptimal and perceptions on the self-management knowledge and praxis regarding lifestyle intervention components of T2DM treatment seemed detached from those of NAFLD. Conclusions: Our findings could inform the integration of NAFLD-related content in T2DM health promotion strategies. Rising awareness on NAFLD progression and its relationship with T2DM using culturally and communityrelevant constructs might facilitate the development of primary and secondary prevention programmes to promote the adherence to lifestyle interventions by influencing NAFLD threat perceptions.

We assessed the impacts of current management practices used to control shrub strata in Portuguese oak woodlands dominated by Quercus suber L. (montado) on fruiting diversity and abundance of ectomycorrhizal-forming fungi (ECMF) and saprobic fungi. Fruit bodies were collected over four fruiting seasons in 16 plots (20 m  20 m) selected in a montado landscape with extensive silvopastoral exploitation. A total of 9484 fruit bodies were found in 171 taxa (74 ECMF, 96 saprobic, and 1 parasitic). Our results show that shrub density control by permanent grazing or by cutting practices followed by soil tillage leads to lower fruiting production and greater changes in taxa composition, particularly for ECMF fruit bodies, than cutting practices without soil tillage. Principal response curve analysis showed that ECMF reacted more sensitively to these practices, in particular Laccaria laccata, Hebeloma cistophilum, Russula cyanoxantha, Cortinarius trivialis, and Lactarius volemus. We also observed that shrub cutting without soil tillage allowed ECMF fruiting to recover to predisturbance levels after 3 years. Our data imply that fruit bodies were useful indicators for assessing the severity of the effects of different land-use practices applied in montado areas on soil fungal populations. Résumé: Nous avons évalué les impacts des pratiques d'aménagement présentement utilisées pour contrôler la strate arbustive dans les forêts portugaises de chêne dominées par Quercus suber L. (montado) sur la diversité et l'abondance des fructifications des champignons ectomycorhiziens (CEM) et des champignons saprobies. Les fructifications ont été collectées pendant quatre saisons dans 16 parcelles (20 m  20 m) choisies dans un paysage montado soumis à une exploitation sylvopastorale extensive. Au total, 9484 fructifications appartenant à 171 taxons ont été récoltées (74 CEM, 96 saprobiontes et un parasite). Nos résultats montrent que le contrôle de la densité des arbustes par le pâturage permanent ou par des pratiques de coupe suivie d'un travail du sol causent de plus grandes pertes de production de fructifications et des changements dans la composition des taxons plus importants, particulièrement dans le cas des fructifications de CEM, que les pratiques de coupe sans travail du sol. L'analyse de la courbe principale de réponse a montré que les CEM ont réagi avec plus de sensibilité à ces pratiques, en particulier Laccaria laccata, Hebeloma cistophilum, Russula cyanoxantha, Cortinarius trivialis et Lactarius volemus. Nous avons aussi observé que la coupe des arbustes sans travail du sol permettait aux fructifications de CEM de retrouver les niveaux qui existaient avant l'intervention après 3 années. Nos données signifient que les fructifications sont des indicateurs utiles pour évaluer la sévérité des effets de différentes pratiques d'utilisation des terres appliquées dans les zones montado sur les populations fongiques dans le sol.[Traduit par la Rédaction]

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Mitochondria play a central role in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) progression and in the control of cell death signalling during the progression to hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Associated with the metabolic syndrome, NAFLD is mostly driven by insulin-resistant white adipose tissue lipolysis that results in an increased hepatic fatty acid influx and the ectopic accumulation of fat in the liver. Upregulation of beta-oxidation as one compensatory mechanism leads to an increase in mitochondrial tricarboxylic acid cycle flux and ATP generation. The progression of NAFLD is associated with alterations in the mitochondrial molecular composition and respiratory capacity, which increases their vulnerability to different stressors, including calcium and pro-inflammatory molecules, which result in an increased generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) that, altogether, may ultimately lead to mitochondrial dysfunction. This may activate further pro-inflammatory pathways involved in the progression from steatosis to steatohepatitis (NASH). Mushroom-enriched diets, or the administration of their isolated bioactive compounds, have been shown to display beneficial effects on insulin resistance, hepatic steatosis, oxidative stress, and inflammation by regulating nutrient uptake and lipid metabolism as well as modulating the antioxidant activity of the cell. In addition, the gut microbiota has also been described to be modulated by mushroom bioactive molecules, with implications in reducing liver inflammation during NAFLD progression. Dietary mushroom extracts have been reported to have anti-tumorigenic properties and to induce cell-death via the mitochondrial apoptosis pathway. This calls for particular attention to the potential therapeutic properties of these natural compounds which may push the development of novel pharmacological options to treat NASH and HCC. We here review the diverse effects of mushroom-enriched diets in liver disease, emphasizing those effects that are dependent on mitochondria.

27Amanitins, highly toxic cyclopeptides isolated from various Amanita species, are the 28 most potent poisons accounting for the hazardous effects on intestinal epithelium cells and 29 hepatocytes, and probably the sole cause of fatal human poisoning. 30The present study was focused on the development, optimization and application of an coefficients of correlation were greater than 0.997 for α-amanitin and 0.993 for β-amanitin. 42Precision was checked at three levels during three consecutive days with intra-day and inter-

Many industrialised countries have benefited from the advent of twenty-first century technologies, especially automation, that have fundamentally changed manufacturing and industrial production processes. The next step in the evolution of automation is the development of artificial intelligence (AI), i.e. intelligence which is demonstrated by machines and systems, which cannot only perform tasks but also work synergistically with humans and nature. Intelligent systems that can see, analyse situations and respond sensitively to real-time cues, from human gestures and facial expressions to pedestrians crossing a busy street, will reshape transportation, precision agriculture, biodiversity conservation, environmental modelling, public health, construction and manufacturing, as well as initiatives designed to promote prosperity on Earth. This paper explores the connections between AI systems and sustainable development (SD) research. By means of a literature review, world survey, and case studies, ways in which AI can support research on SD and, inter alia, contribute to a more sustainable and equitable world, are identified.