Measurement of β-glucan and other nutritional characteristics in distinct strains of Agaricus subrufescens mushrooms

β-Glucan is a polysaccharide with anticancer properties, and it is present in the mushroom Agaricus subrufescens. The aim of this study was to compare two analytical methods to quantify β-glucan in mushrooms and analyze the nutritional characteristics, the concentration of phenolic compounds and the mineral composition, for A. subrufescens strains. An enzymatic extraction was performed, and β-glucan was quantified by spectrophotometry and high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). No significant differences were found between the two methods of quantification of β-glucan. The CS7 and CS10 strains were found to have greater amounts of β-glucan, similar to the levels found in Pleurotus eryngii and Pleurotus-sajor-caju. Pleurotus ostreatus and Lentinula edodes samples contained even higher amounts of β-glucan. Significant differences were found in the nutritional characteristics for all parameters assessed, except for fat content. There was no difference between the strains with regard to phenolic compounds or certain mineral components. Fresh A. subrufescens mushrooms are not considered to be a high-protein food. However, they are a good source of fiber and minerals, in addition to being low in fat. Spectrophotometry presents the advantages of being quicker and lower in cost; this technique may be suggested as the standard for measurement of the β-glucan.Keywords: β-Glucan, medicinal mushroom, royal sun mushroom, almond portobello

Development of Beekeeping: An Analysis Using the Technique of Principal Components

Beekeeping is an economic activity of the Brazilian agricultural sector and a powerful tool to achieve sustainable development. However, beekeeping still remains a modest activity compared to other areas, with a lack of technical knowledge and beekeeping practices that need to be standardized. This study represents a proposal for the diagnosis of beekeeping, to facilitate decision-making and to provide a faster development of the beekeeping activity. We investigated the process of adoption of beekeeping practices of 28 beekeepers and the quality of the honey produced by them in the Western region of Paraná, using the technique of Principal Components Analysis after the construction of apicultural indexes. Specifically, the honey produced in the Western region of Paraná be included in the requirements of national and international legislation, but the beekeeping practices adopted still require standardization so that the beekeepers have higher honey production. Also, the transformation of variables into apicultural indexes for later use in the analysis of principal components proved to be efficient to draw a beekeeping profile. Our research proves to be efficient in accurately diagnosing beekeeping bottlenecks, which may enable better decision-making and thus attract new entrepreneurs and increase their relevance to achieve sustainable rural development

Pollen spectrum of honey of Apis mellifera L. and stingless bees (Hymenoptera: Apidae) from the semi-arid region of Bahia State, Brazil

Pollen in honey reflects its botanical origin and melissopalynology is used to identify origin, type, and quantities of pollen grains of the botanical species visited by bees. This study aimed to identify the pollen spectrum of honeys from Apis mellifera and stingless bees produced in the semi-arid region of Bahia, Brazil. We analysed 78 honey samples, which were submitted to the acetolysis process for identification and quantification of pollen types. Fabaceae, Asteraceae and Euphorbiaceae were the most predominant families in pollen types. For Fabaceae, the most representative pollen types were Chamaecrista 1, Mimosa caesalpiniifolia, Mimosa pudica, Mimosa tenuiflora, Prosopis and Senna. The results indicate that the flora explored by the bees to collect nectar is diverse in the semi-arid region of Bahia and the honeys analysed were classified as multifloral.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

In situ Immune Signatures and Microbial Load at the Nasopharyngeal Interface in Children With Acute Respiratory Infection

Acute respiratory infection (ARI) is the most frequent cause for hospitalization in infants and young children. Using multiplexed nCounter technology to digitally quantify 600 human mRNAs in parallel with 14 virus- and 5 bacterium-specific RNAs, we characterized viral and bacterial presence in nasopharyngeal aspirates (NPA) of 58 children with ARI and determined the corresponding in situ immune profiles. NPA contained different groups of organisms and these were classified into bacterial (n = 27), viral (n = 5), codetection [containing both viral and bacterial transcripts (n = 21), or indeterminate intermediate where microbial load is below threshold (n = 5)]. We then identified differentially expressed immune transcripts (DEITs) comparing NPAs from symptomatic children vs. healthy controls, and comparing children presenting NPAs with detectable microbial load vs. indeterminate. We observed a strong innate immune response in NPAs, due to the presence of evolutionarily conserved type I Interferon (IFN)-stimulated genes (ISG), which was correlated with total bacterial and/or viral load. In comparison with indeterminate NPAs, adaptive immunity transcripts discriminated among viral, bacterial, and codetected microbial profiles. In viral NPAs, B cell transcripts were significantly enriched among DEITs, while only type III IFN was correlated with viral load. In bacterial NPAs, myeloid cells and coinhibitory transcripts were enriched and significantly correlated with bacterial load. In conclusion, digital nCounter transcriptomics provide a microbial and immunological in situ “snapshot” of the nasopharyngeal interface in children with ARI. This enabled discrimination among viral, bacterial, codetection, and indeterminate transcripts in the samples using non-invasive sampling

Protocolos de encaminhamento para oncologia adulto

Telemedicin

Cardiomiopatia dilatada em cães: revisão de literatura

A cardiomiopatia dilatada (CMD) é a doença primária do músculo cardíaco, sendo a segunda miopatia mais comum em cães, caracterizada por declínio progressivo da contratilidade e dilatação ventricular levando à insuficiência cardíaca congestiva (ICC), arritmias e morte. Neste sentido, o objetivo do presente artigo foi realizar uma revisão de literatura sobre a CMD em cães, com foco nos principais sinais clínicos, exames complementares, diagnóstico e possíveis tratamentos, a fim de verificar múltiplas variáveis que levam ao desenvolvimento da doença nesta espécie. Para tal, foram utilizados para a pesquisa a base de dados do Google Acadêmico, Scielo, livros e periódicos. Não foi delimitado tempo de publicação do material pesquisado. Anteriormente, a CMD era considerada uma doença hereditária entre raças grandes e gigantes, no entanto, relatórios recentes sugerem uma possível ligação entre certas dietas sem grãos a esta condição. O tema em questão é relevante para conscientizar os tutores quanto a necessidade do diagnóstico precoce dessa enfermidade, do acompanhamento do animal ao Médico Veterinário para obtenção de um melhor prognóstico e realização da conduta adequada para fornecer melhor qualidade de vida aos animais acometidos

Quality of life in children with cleft lip and palate: pilot study

Objects: The quality of life and oral health of cleft lip and palate children has gain increasingly interest because oral disorders may present negative effect on the quality of life of these individuals. Accordingly, questionnaires aiming to evaluate the impact of oral health on the well-being have been developed and adapted. The present study aimed to evaluate the quality of life and oral health (CPQ8-10) of cleft lip and palate children. Methods and results: Forty-two children were selected, aging from 8 to 10 years-old, at mixed dentition. The children selected were divided into groups according to the type of cleft: Group I - Cleft Lip (n = 7); Group II - Cleft Lip and Palate (n=28); Group III - Cleft Palate (n=7). Each child filled in a questionnaire about the impact of oral disease on quality of life (CPQ8-10). Generally, Group I children affirmed that their teeth are "very good" = 28.57%, and "good" = 42.85%. The participants of Group II and III reported "a little" = 42.5% and 57.14%, respectively, with a greater discomfort with their dental conditions. Concerning to the halitosis perception, Group III exhibited the highest percentage ("sometimes" = 42.85%), followed by Group II ("sometimes" = 32.14%) and Group I ("sometimes" = 14.28%). Conclusion: The pilot study conduction was satisfactorily and the methodology is recommended for a larger sample. To date, it is suggested that the cleft type did not influence on the perception of the patients regarding to the quality of life

Growth analysis of palatal shelves between pre-cheiloplasty and pre-palatoplasty stages

Introduction: The treatment of cleft lip and palate patient must be efficient with minimal damage to facial growth and satisfactory speech result, achieving the psychosocial rehabilitation of the patient. However, the cleft causes distinct levels of change on maxillary growth pattern either by the effect of the defect itself or the rehabilitative process. Generally, study casts, photographs and tridimensional images have been used to evaluate the growth. 3D scanner devices for digitizing study models allow the obtainment of the measurement of the deepness and inclination of palatal shelves and facilitate the study logistic with the reliability of the results. Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the size of palatal shelves at two distinct stages: prior to cheiloplasty (stage 1) and prior to palatoplasty (stage 2) in complete unilateral cleft lip and palate patients. Methods: Dental casts from 267 patients with unilateral cleft lip and palate. The palatal shelves were measured at two stages through the scanned images of the casts, by using Adobe Photoshop CS2 software. The measurements of palatal shelves were compared between stage 1 and stage 2. Results: There were an increase of size of palatal shelves in 159 patients (59.5%), a decrease of size of palatal shelves in 102 patients (38.2%), and in 6 patients (2.2%) there were no changes of the sizes. In average, the size of increase of palatal shelves was 0.21 cm; the decrease was 0.15 cm. Conclusion: Considering the small numeric difference, the results suggested that there were no clinical differences in the size of palatal shelves between stage 1 (prior to cheiloplasty) and 2 (prior to palatoplasty).FAPESP 2012/1465