Biotechnological, nutritional and therapeutic uses of Pleurotus spp. (Oyster mushroom) related with its chemical composition: a review on the past decade findings

The particular characteristics of growth and development of mushrooms in nature result in the accumulation of a variety of secondary metabolites, several of them with biological activities. The genus Pleurotus is a cosmopolitan group of mushrooms with high nutritional value and therapeutic properties, besides a wide array of biotechnological and environmental applications. Scope and approach: The present report aims to provide a critical review on aspects related to chemical compounds isolated from the genus Pleurotus with possible biotechnological, nutritional and therapeutic uses. Investigations on the genus have immensely accelerated during the last ten years, so that only reports published after 2005 have been considered. Key findings and conclusions: The most important Pleurotus species cultivated in large scale are P. ostreatus and P. pulmonarius. However, more than 200 species have already been investigated to various degrees. Both basidiomata and mycelia of Pleurotus are a great renewable and easily accessible source of functional foods/nutraceuticals and pharmaceuticals with antioxidant, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, antitumor and immunomodulatory effects. A series of compounds have already been precisely defined including several polysaccharides, phenolics, terpenes and sterols. However, intensification of structure determination is highly desirable and demands considerable efforts. Further studies including clinical trials need to be carried out to ascertain the safety of these compounds as adequate alternatives to conventional drugs. Not less important is to extend the search for novel bioactives to less explored Pleurotus species.The authors are grateful to the Foundation for Science and Technology (FTC, Portugal) for financial support to CIMO (Pest-OE/AGR/UI0690/2014). R.C.G. Correa thanks CAPES Foundation, Ministry of Education of Brazil (CAPES fellow, process number BEX 3974/14-6). R.M. Peralta and A. Bracht are Research Fellows of CNPq (Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico)

Intrinsic and extrinsic diffusion of indium in germanium

Diffusion experiments with indium (In) in germanium (Ge) were performed in the temperature range between 550 and 900°C. Intrinsic and extrinsic doping levels were achieved by utilizing various implantation doses. Indium concentration profiles were recorded by means of secondary ion mass spectrometry and spreading resistance profiling. The observed concentration independent diffusion profiles are accurately described based on the vacancy mechanism with a singly negatively charged mobile In-vacancy complex. In accord with the experiment, the diffusion model predicts an effective In diffusion coefficient under extrinsic conditions that is a factor of 2 higher than under intrinsic conditions. The temperature dependence of intrinsic In diffusion yields an activation enthalpy of 3.51 eV and confirms earlier results of Dorner et al. [Z. Metallk. 73, 325 (1982)]. The value clearly exceeds the activation enthalpy of Ge self- diffusion and indicates that the attractive interaction between In and a vacancy does not extend to third nearest neighbor sites which confirms recent theoretical calculations. At low temperatures and high doping levels, the In profiles show an extended tail that could reflect an enhanced diffusion at the beginning of the annealing

Native defects and self-diffusion in GaSb

The native defects in GaSb have been studied with first-principles total-energy calculations. We report the structures and the formation energies of the stable defects and estimate the defect concentrations under different growth conditions. The most important native defect is the GaSb antisite, which acts as an acceptor. The other important defects are the acceptor-type Ga vacancy and the donor-type Ga interstitial. The Sb vacancies and interstitials are found to have much higher formation energies. A metastable state is observed for the SbGa antisite. The significantly larger concentrations of the Ga vacancies and interstitials compared to the corresponding Sb defects is in accordance with the asymmetric self-diffusion behavior in GaSb. The data supports the next-nearest-neighbor model for the self-diffusion, in which the migration occurs independently in the different sublattices. Self-diffusion is dominated by moving Ga atoms.Peer reviewe

New phytochemicals as potential human anti-aging compounds: reality, promise, and challenges

Aging is an inevitable process influenced by genetic, lifestyle, and environmental factors. Indirect evidence shows that several phytochemicals can have anti-aging capabilities, although direct evidence in this field is still limited. This report aims to provide a critical review on aspects related to the use of novel phytochemicals as anti-aging agents, to discuss the obstacles found when performing most anti-aging study protocols in humans, and to analyze future perspectives. In addition to the extensively studied resveratrol, epicatechin, quercetin, and curcumin, new phytochemicals have been reported to act as anti-aging agents, such as the amino acid L-theanine isolated from green tea, and the lignans arctigenin and matairesinol isolated from Arctium lappa seeds. Furthermore, this review discusses the application of several new extracts rich in phytochemicals with potential use in anti-aging therapies. Finally, this review also discusses the most important biomarkers to test anti-aging interventions, the necessity of conducting epidemiological studies and the need of clinical trials with adequate study protocols for humans.R.C.G. Correa thanks Coordena¸c~ao de Aperfei¸coamento do Pessoal do Ensino Superior (CAPES) and Funda¸c~ao Arauc aria for the financial support provided for her postgraduate studies in Federal Technological University of Paran a (contract 100/2014). R.M. Peralta (Project number 307944/2015-8), C.W.I. Haminiuk (Project number 303238/2013-5), and A. Bracht (Project number 302615/2011-3) are research grant recipients of Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento CientÍfico e Tecnologia (CNPq). The authors are also grateful to (FCT, Portugal) and FEDER-COMPETE/ QREN/EU for financial support through the research project PEst-OE/ AGR/UI0690/2014.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Incidence of low central venous oxygen saturation during unplanned admissions in a multidisciplinary intensive care unit: an observational study

INTRODUCTION: It has been shown that early central venous oxygen saturation (ScvO2)-guided optimization of hemodynamics can improve outcome in septic patients. The early ScvO2 profile of other patient groups is unknown. The aim of this study was to characterize unplanned admissions in a multidisciplinary intensive care unit (ICU) with respect to ScvO2 and outcome. METHODS: Ninety-eight consecutive unplanned admissions to a multidisciplinary ICU (median age 63 [range 19 to 83] years, median Simplified Acute Physiology Score [SAPS II] 43 [range 11 to 92]) with a clinical indication for a central venous catheter were included in the study. ScvO2 was assessed at ICU arrival and six hours later but was not used to guide treatment. Length of stay in ICU (LOSICU) and in hospital (LOShospital) and 28-day mortality were recorded. RESULTS: ScvO2 was 70% +/- 12% (mean +/- standard deviation) at admission and 71% +/- 10% six hours later (p = 0.484). Overall 28-day mortality was 18%, LOSICU was 3 (1 to 28) days, and LOShospital was 19 (1 to 28) days. Patients with an ScvO2 of less than 60% at admission had higher mortality than patients with an ScvO2 of more than 60% (29% versus 17%, p < 0.05). Changes in ScvO2 during the first six hours were not predictive of LOSICU, LOShospital, or mortality. CONCLUSION: Low ScvO2 in unplanned admissions and high SAPS II are associated with increased mortality. Standard ICU treatment increased ScvO2 in patients with a low admission ScvO2, but the increase was not associated with LOSICU or LOShospital

A natural food ingredient based on ergosterol: Optimization of the extraction from: Agaricus blazei, evaluation of bioactive properties and incorporation in yogurts

In recent years, mycosterols have emerged as potential functional ingredients for the development of sterol-enriched food products and dietary supplements. Agaricus blazei is a mushroom rich in bioactive compounds. For commercial purposes, their fruiting bodies must obey rigid morphological criteria. Those not conforming to these criteria are usually discarded, although this does not mean impairment of their content in bioactives. The aim of the present work was to propose the use of commercially discarded A. blazei fruiting bodies for obtaining an extract rich in ergosterol as a fortifier ingredient for yogurts. For extraction, the Soxhlet technology was used and the highest ergosterol yield (around 12%) was achieved in the 5th cycle, yielding 58.53 ± 1.72 μg of ergosterol per 100 g of mushroom (dry weight). The ergosterol rich extract presented notable antioxidant and antimicrobial properties, besides showing no hepatotoxicity. When added to the yogurts it significantly enhanced their antioxidant properties. Furthermore, it did not significantly alter the nutritional or the individual fatty acid profiles of the final dairy products. Thus, A. blazei fruiting bodies that do not conform to the commercial requirements of the market and are normally discarded could be exploited for obtaining a natural high added-value food additive, following the circular bioeconomy concept.R. C. G. Correa thanks the CAPES Foundation, Ministry of Education, Brazil (CAPES fellow, process number 88881.120010/2016-01), for the financial support provided for her postdoctoral research in the Polytechnic Institute of Bragança. The authors are grateful to the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT, Portugal) and the FEDER under Programme PT2020 for financial support to CIMO (UID/AGR/ 00690/2013), L. Barros contract and A. Fernandes grant (SFRH/ BPD/114753/2016). This work was also funded by the European Structural and Investment Funds (FEEI) through the Regional Operational Program North 2020, within the scope of Project Mobilizador ValorNatural®. Rosane Marina Peralta and Adelar Bracht are recipients of scientific productivity research grants from CNPq (Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico, Brazil), grants numbers 307944/2015- 8 and 304090/2016-6, respectively. M. Sokovic is grateful for financial support to the Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development of Republic of Serbia, Grant No. 173032.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio