Bio-based nanocarriers incorporating curcumin bioaccessibility and cell viability evaluation

Book of Abstracts of CEB Annual Meeting 2017[Excerpt] For decades, curcumin (Cur), a natural polyphenol product derived from turmeric (Curcuma longa) has been considered one of the most promising bioactive compounds due to its health benefits such as anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and anticarcinogenic properties. However, Cur application as functional compound in food products has been limited due to light, heat, and oxidation sensitive and mainly, to poor aqueous solubility which limit its bioavailability [1]. To increase Cur bioaccessibility and consequently, increase bioavailability, several carriers have been investigated, particularly nanocarriers. Among the various nanocarriers described in the literature, lipid-based nanocarriers may offer a promising tool to increase the stability, efficacy and safety of lipophilic compounds, namely Cur [2]. Moreover, the understanding of Cur-loaded nanocarriers’ behaviour under gastrointestinal (GI) conditions is fundamental to produce safe and customized nanocarriers with optimized bioactivity for oral consumption. The aim of this study was to comparatively analyze the impact of two different lipid nanocarriers incorporating Cur - solid lipid nanoparticles (SLN) and nanoemulsions (NE) – on bioaccessibility and Caco-2 cells viability. [...]info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Advances in nutraceutical delivery systems: From formulation design for bioavailability enhancement to efficacy and safety evaluation

Background: Aiming at the enhancement of food products' nutritional and health value, the incorporation of nutraceuticals has attracted increasing interest in the last years. However, they often exhibit low water solubility and stability, limiting their direct incorporation into food products. Also, they show very low bioavailability due to limited bioaccessibility, poor absorption and/or chemical transformation within the gastrointestinal tract. This renders their health benefits extremely difficult to be realized by the consumers. Scope and Approach In the present review the recent innovations regarding the formulation and design of bio-based micro and nano-delivery systems to encapsulate nutraceuticals is discussed; it also gives an overview of the challenges associated to their development; and highlights some strategies to enhance nutraceuticals' bioavailability. An insight about delivery systems' potential toxicity (in particular at nano-scale) is also provided. Key Findings and Conclusions Recent developments in the design of bio-based delivery systems offer the possibility of stabilizing and enhancing nutraceuticals' functionality within food products. In fact, different strategies can be used to enhance nutraceuticals' bioavailability: i) nano-delivery systems, besides showing a huge potential for the protection of valuable nutraceuticals during food processing/digestion, can be used to increase their bioavailability; ii) absorption enhancement technologies have been successfully used to increase nutraceuticals' membrane permeation; and iii) excipient foods have been shown to improve nutraceuticals' biological activity. However, the application of these enabling technologies to food is hindered by very pertinent issues that can be summarized in the effective preservation/maximization of the nutraceuticals' bioactivity and safety, once inside the human body.Ana C. Pinheiro and Joana T. Martins acknowledge the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) for their fellowships (SFRH/BPD/ 101181/2014 and SFRH/BPD/89992/2012). This work was supported by Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) under the scope of the Project PTDC/AGR-TEC/5215/2014, of the strategic funding of UID/BIO/04469/2013 unit and COMPETE 2020 (POCI-010145-FEDER-006684) and BioTecNorte operation (NORTE-01-0145FEDER-000004) funded by the European Regional Development Fund under the scope of Norte2020 - Programa Operacional Regional do Norte.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Development of weCope, a mobile app for illness self-management in schizophrenia

Objective: To describe the development of weCope, a Portuguese mobile app for people with schizophrenia. Methods: The development of weCope followed 4 stages: I-102 people with psychotic disorders completed an online questionnaire; II-a multidisciplinary focus group was conducted among five mental health professionals; III-we developed the app; IV-9 participants used weCope during 8 weeks to assess its efficiency. Results: weCope targets coping with voices, problem solving, goals setting and stress management, and results indicated that: weCope improved symptoms, sense of recovery and personal and social functioning; 59% of the participants were willing to download an application for illness self-management; professionals revealed some concerns about mHealth but enhanced the high importance to develop these apps; usability testing revealed that 89% considered weCope useful for illness self-management. However, the more years with mental illness, the less importance is given to a mobile application for this purpose. Discussion: weCope was developed through a comprehensive development process and may contribute to a subjective perception of the patient’s better well-being and health condition

TEMÁTICA SEGURANÇA DO PACIENTE NAS MATRIZES CURRICULARES DE ESCOLAS DE GRADUAÇÃO EM ENFERMAGEM E OBSTETRÍCIA

Objetivos: categorizar a temática segurança do paciente nas matrizes curriculares de cursos de graduação em enfermagem e obstetrícia. Método: Estudo documental, desenvolvido em nove universidades no período de junho de 2013 a março de 2014. Foram elencadas 16 palavras-chave diretas e 12 indiretas e categorizadas conforme o Patient safety curriculum guide: multi-professional edition.  Resultados: As palavras-chave diretas e indiretas foram encontradas em 168 disciplinas, sendo Segurança do Paciente (20,4%) e Lei do Exercício Profissional (13,7%) as diretas mais frequentes, enquanto que as indiretas foram Sistematização da Assistência em Enfermagem (42,1%) e Biossegurança (10,0%). Conclusão: A temática segurança do paciente foi encontrada nos conteúdos programáticos analisados, porém de maneira desarticulada; tornando-se imperativo buscar estratégias de ensino, que repercutam na formação do estudante. Descritores: Segurança do paciente; Currículo; Enfermagem; Obstetrizes

The polymyxin B-induced transcriptomic response of a clinical, multidrug-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae involves multiple regulatory elements and intracellular targets

Background: The emergence of multidrug-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae is a major public health concern. Many K. pneumoniae infections can only be treated when resorting to last-line drugs such as polymyxin B (PB). However, resistance to this antibiotic is also observed, although insufficient information is described on its mode of action as well as the mechanisms used by resistant bacteria to evade its effects. We aimed to study PB resistance and the influence of abiotic stresses in a clinical K. pneumoniae strain using whole transcriptome profiling. Results: We sequenced 12 cDNA libraries of K. pneumoniae Kp13 bacteria, from two biological replicates of the original strain Kp13 (Kp13) and five derivative strains: induced high-level PB resistance in acidic pH (Kp13(pH)), magnesium deprivation (Kp13(Mg)), high concentrations of calcium (Kp13(Ca)) and iron (Kp13(Fe)), and a control condition with PB (Kp13(PolB)). Our results show the involvement of multiple regulatory loci that differentially respond to each condition as well as a shared gene expression response elicited by PB treatment, and indicate the participation of two-regulatory components such as ArcA-ArcB, which could be involved in re-routing the K. pneumoniae metabolism following PB treatment. Modules of co-expressed genes could be determined, which correlated to growth in acid stress and PB exposure. We hypothesize that polymyxin B induces metabolic shifts in K. pneumoniae that could relate to surviving against the action of this antibiotic. Conclusions: We obtained whole transcriptome data for K. pneumoniae under different environmental conditions and PB treatment. Our results supports the notion that the K. pneumoniae response to PB exposure goes beyond damaged membrane reconstruction and involves recruitment of multiple gene modules and intracellular targets.Fundacao de Amparo a Pesquisa do Estado do Rio de Janeiro (FAPERJ)Fundacao de Amparo a Pesquisa do Estado de Sao Paulo (FAPESP)Coordenacao de Aperfeicoamento de Pessoal de Nivel Superior (CAPES)Lab Nacl Comp Cient, Petropolis, RJ, BrazilFiocruz MS, Ctr Pesquisas Goncalo Moniz, Salvador, BA, BrazilUniv Fed Sao Paulo, Escola Paulista Med, Dept Internal Med, Lab Alerta,Div Infect Dis, Sao Paulo, SP, BrazilUniv Catolica Cordoba, Fac Ingn, CONICET, Cordoba, ArgentinaUniv Fed Sao Paulo, Escola Paulista Med, Dept Internal Med, Lab Alerta,Div Infect Dis, Sao Paulo, SP, BrazilFAPERJ: E-26/110.315/2014FAPESP: 2010/12891-9CAPES: 23038.010041/2013-13Web of Scienc

Drosophila nasuta (Diptera, Drosophilidae) in Brazil: a decade of invasion and occupation of more than half of the country

Abstract As a result of human activities and natural dispersal, exotic species can be brought to new areas, where they become established and spread, becoming invaders. These species are responsible for the loss of biodiversity and cause ecosystemic harm throughout the world. In this paper, we report the rapid, broad geographic expansion of the invasive fly Drosophila nasuta in Brazil. An 84% increase was found in its area of occupation in the country compared to previous studies. The present data reveal its arrival to the Pantanal wetlands in a location more than one thousand kilometers from the closest previous record in the Cerrado biome. We present the first record of D. nasuta in the Atlantic Forest in the states of Paraíba and Bahia. We report its introduction in the Amazon Forest in the state of Amazonas approximately 700 kilometers from previous records. The relative abundance of D. nasuta in this biome increased fivefold in comparison to a previous study. In the first decade of invasion in Brazil, D. nasuta has already colonized more than half of the country. The present data reveal its invasive potential and underscore the importance of following up the possible negative effects of this biological invasion

Validation of the international classification of functioning, disability and health core set for obstructive pulmonary diseases in the perspective of adults with asthma

Purpose: To validate the Comprehensive and Brief International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health Core Sets for obstructive pulmonary diseases from the perspective of adults with asthma. Methods: This was a qualitative, cross-sectional study. Individual interviews with questions related to the disease and its impact on the patient’s life were performed. The meaning condensation procedure was used for analysis. Results: Thirty-five participants (26 females, 41 ± 13 years old) were interviewed. A total of 405 concepts were identified, and 348 were associated to the components Body Functions (n = 168), Body Structures (n = 22), Activities and Participation (n = 33), Environmental Factors (n = 125). These concepts were linked to 61 categories: second level (n = 25), third level (n = 33), fourth level (n = 3), which confirmed 41% and 77% of those included in the Comprehensive and Brief Core Sets, respectively. Twenty-four additional categories were identified, and 57 concepts could not be linked to the classification. Conclusions: The International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health Core Sets for obstructive pulmonary diseases were supported by the perspective of adults with asthma. The Brief version seemed the best reference for rehabilitation, reflecting the typical disabilities and impairments of these patients. Unconfirmed and added categories have been reported, and their analysis may assist future document updates.Implications for rehabilitation The use of the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health Core Sets for Obstructive Pulmonary Diseases is relevant to guide patient assessment, treatment and monitoring. The concepts related to the Body functions and Environmental factors were the most relevant according to the perspective of adults with asthma. The Comprehensive and Brief International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health Core Sets for Obstructive Pulmonary Diseases were supported by adults with asthma.publishe