Current knowledge and future perspectives of the use of seaweeds for livestock production and meat quality : a systematic review

Research Areas: Agriculture ; Veterinary SciencesABSTRACT - The effects of dietary macroalgae, or seaweeds, on growth performance and meat quality of livestock animal species are here reviewed. Macroalgae are classified into Phaeophyceae (brown algae), Rhodophyceae (red algae) and Chlorophyceae (green algae). The most common macroalga genera used as livestock feedstuffs are: Ascophyllum, Laminaria and Undaria for brown algae; Ulva, Codium and Cladophora for green algae; and Pyropia, Chondrus and Palmaria for red algae. Macroalgae are rich in many nu-trients, including bioactive compounds, such as soluble polysaccharides, with some species being good sources of n-3 and n-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids. To date, the in-corporation of macroalgae in livestock animal diets was shown to improve growth and meat quality, depending on the alga species, dietary level and animal growth stage. Generally, Ascophyllum nodosum can increase average daily gain (ADG) in ruminant and pig mostly due to its prebiotic activity in animal's gut. A. nodosum also enhances marbling score, colour uniformity and redness, and can decrease saturated fatty acids in ruminant meats. Laminaria sp., mainly Laminaria digitata, increases ADG and feed efficiency, and improves the antioxidant potential of pork. Ulva sp., and its mixture with Codium sp., was shown to improve poultry growth at up to 10% feed. Therefore, seaweeds are promising sustainable alternatives to corn and soybean as feed ingre-dients, thus attenuating the current competition among food-feed-biofuel industries. In addition, macroalgae can hinder eutrophication and participate in bioremediation. However, some challenges need to be overcome, such as the development of large- scale and cost-effective algae production methods and the improvement of algae digestibility by monogastric animals. The dietary inclusion of Carbohydrate-Active enZymes (CAZymes) could allow for the degradation of recalcitrant macroalga cell walls, with an increase of nutrients bioavailability. Overall, the use of macroalgae as feedstuffs is a promising strategy for the development of a more sustainable livestock production.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Farmacovigilância em pacientes com epilepsia em uso de drogas antiepilépticas

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the occurrence of adverse effects of antiepileptic drugs (AED) in chronic epileptic patients in mono or polytherapy. METHOD: We evaluated consecutive patients that met the following inclusion criteria: age of 18 years or older, diagnosis of epilepsy for at least one year, stable dose of AED for at least three months. Patients were asked if they had any adverse event related to the AED. After that, they were interviewed according to a detailed semi-structure questionnaire. We also assessed specifically the adverse events in the last four weeks. The data were analyzed regarding the use of monotherapy x polytherapy, and the presence of probable depression (score >15) according to the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale. RESULTS: Sixty-five patients were evaluated, 35 women, mean age 38.3 years; 35 patients were in use of monotherapy and 35 in polytherapy. Only 45 (69.2%) patients spontaneously reported adverse effects. After the formal questionnaire, 63 (97%) patients referred experiencing an adverse event (p15) segundo o CES-D. RESULTADOS: Sessenta e cinco pacientes foram avaliados, 35 mulheres, idade média 38,3 anos; 35 pacientes estavam em uso de monoterapia e 35 em politerapia. Somente 45 (69,2%) pacientes espontaneamente registraram a presença de efeitos adversos. Após o questionário formal, 63 (97%) pacientes tiveram queixas (p<0,001). Dezessete homens e 28 mulheres reportaram eventos adversos (p=0,042). Quando as últimas quatro semanas foram analisadas, os pacientes com provável depressão relataram mais freqüentemente a presença de efeitos adversos (p<0,0001). CONCLUSÃO: Nossos dados sugerem que efeitos adversos são altamente prevalentes quando um questionário detalhado é aplicado e que depressão pode agravar o número e a intensidade de eventos adversos em pacientes com epilepsia utilizando DAE.19820

Rosin from Pinus pinaster Portuguese forests shows a regular profile of resin acids

Funding Information: The authors declare financial support was received for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article. This work was supported by Programa de Desenvolvimento Rural 2020 (PDR 2020), Programa Operacional da Região Centro (Centro2020), Portugal2020, and Fundo Europeu de Desenvolvimento Regional (FEDER) under the projects “PinusResina” [grant number PDR2020-101-031905] and “BIOPINUS” [grant number CENTRO-01-0247-FEDER-072630], Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia (FCT) by project MOSTMICRO ITQB [grant number UIDB/04612/2020 and UIDP/04612/2020] and LS4FUTURE Associated Laboratory (LA/P/0087/2020), FARM-ID [grant number UIDB/04138/2020 and UIDP/04138/2020], and Centre Bio R&DUnit [grant number UIDB/05083/2020]. The NMR data were acquired at CERMAX, ITQB-NOVA, Oeiras, Portugal, with equipment funded by FCT. This work was supported by FCT [BD/144593/2019 to ÂP, BD/06435/2021 to RE, and BD/150870/2021 to CN], and IM is grateful to FCT for the working contract financed by national funds under norma transitória D.L. n.° 57/2016. Acknowledgments Publisher Copyright: Copyright © 2023 Pinheiro, Martins, Bento, Escórcio, Nunes, Varela, Nunes, Afonso and Silva Pereira.Pinus pinaster forestry occupies >20% of the forest ecosystem area in the continental territory of Portugal with a high impact on the national economy. This species’ major derived non-wood product is oleoresin, the raw material for rosin production. Rosin comprises mainly a blend of resin acids and has broad industrial and pharmaceutical applications. Oleoresin production in Portugal has been progressively reduced due to low-cost producers in other countries; currently, it reaches only 2% of the existing P. pinaster trees. To support this value chain, the chemical fingerprint of rosin derived from the national forest requires focused analysis. In the present study, we collected oleoresin within seven geographically distinct pure P. pinaster forests in two consecutive collection years. A high-resolution nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) method was used to quantify the diversity of resin acids in the corresponding rosin samples. Overall, the acquired data highlighted that the profile of resin acids in P. pinaster rosin produced in Portugal is highly regular, regardless of the forest location, having as the major constituents abietic acid and dehydroabietic acid. The diversity of resin acids is possibly influenced, to a minor extent, by some edaphoclimatic factors.publishersversionpublishe

Tandem Thio-Michael Addition/Remote Lactone Activation of 5-Hydroxymethylfurfural-Derived δ-Lactone-Fused Cyclopentenones

Funding Information: We thank the Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (SFRH/BD/120829/2016, SFRH/BD/148211/2019, UIDB/04138/2020, UIDP/04138/2020, PTDC/QUI‐QOR/32008/2017 and GHTM‐UID/04413/2020). The project leading to this application has received funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 951996. J. A. S. C. thanks the Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT) for Scientific Employment Stimulus 2020/02383/CEECIND. Publisher Copyright: © 2022 The Authors. ChemSusChem published by Wiley-VCH GmbH.The creation of structurally diverse chemical entities from fairly simple biorefinery products remains a challenge. In this work 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) was identified as a key synthon for preparing highly complex cyclopentenones (CP) via tandem 1,4-addition/elimination/remote lactone activation to external O- and N-nucleophiles in δ-lactone-fused-CPs hotspots. This scaffold was also reactive enough to be incorporated into model cysteine-peptides in low concentrations, paving the way to a potential translation generating complexity in the synthesis of small peptides. The new enones also exhibited activity against intraerythrocytic Plasmodium falciparum (IC50=1.32 μm).publishersversionpublishe

From Pyridine to (−)-Agelastatin A

(−)-Agelastatin A was synthetized employing a flow photorearrangement of a pyridinium salt, constructing in one step the cyclopentene core possessing the desired functionalities and relative configurations. A flow enzymatic kinetic resolution of the resulting bicyclic vinyl aziridine delivered the enantiopure precursor to the natural product. This total synthesis required the use of a single protective group. Two novel agelastatin N3-derivatives were synthesized and their cytotoxicity evaluated against a series of cancer cell lines, which corroborated the importance of unsubstituted N3 in the biological activity of (−)-agelastatin A.Peer reviewe

The evolving SARS-CoV-2 epidemic in Africa: Insights from rapidly expanding genomic surveillance

INTRODUCTION Investment in Africa over the past year with regard to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) sequencing has led to a massive increase in the number of sequences, which, to date, exceeds 100,000 sequences generated to track the pandemic on the continent. These sequences have profoundly affected how public health officials in Africa have navigated the COVID-19 pandemic. RATIONALE We demonstrate how the first 100,000 SARS-CoV-2 sequences from Africa have helped monitor the epidemic on the continent, how genomic surveillance expanded over the course of the pandemic, and how we adapted our sequencing methods to deal with an evolving virus. Finally, we also examine how viral lineages have spread across the continent in a phylogeographic framework to gain insights into the underlying temporal and spatial transmission dynamics for several variants of concern (VOCs). RESULTS Our results indicate that the number of countries in Africa that can sequence the virus within their own borders is growing and that this is coupled with a shorter turnaround time from the time of sampling to sequence submission. Ongoing evolution necessitated the continual updating of primer sets, and, as a result, eight primer sets were designed in tandem with viral evolution and used to ensure effective sequencing of the virus. The pandemic unfolded through multiple waves of infection that were each driven by distinct genetic lineages, with B.1-like ancestral strains associated with the first pandemic wave of infections in 2020. Successive waves on the continent were fueled by different VOCs, with Alpha and Beta cocirculating in distinct spatial patterns during the second wave and Delta and Omicron affecting the whole continent during the third and fourth waves, respectively. Phylogeographic reconstruction points toward distinct differences in viral importation and exportation patterns associated with the Alpha, Beta, Delta, and Omicron variants and subvariants, when considering both Africa versus the rest of the world and viral dissemination within the continent. Our epidemiological and phylogenetic inferences therefore underscore the heterogeneous nature of the pandemic on the continent and highlight key insights and challenges, for instance, recognizing the limitations of low testing proportions. We also highlight the early warning capacity that genomic surveillance in Africa has had for the rest of the world with the detection of new lineages and variants, the most recent being the characterization of various Omicron subvariants. CONCLUSION Sustained investment for diagnostics and genomic surveillance in Africa is needed as the virus continues to evolve. This is important not only to help combat SARS-CoV-2 on the continent but also because it can be used as a platform to help address the many emerging and reemerging infectious disease threats in Africa. In particular, capacity building for local sequencing within countries or within the continent should be prioritized because this is generally associated with shorter turnaround times, providing the most benefit to local public health authorities tasked with pandemic response and mitigation and allowing for the fastest reaction to localized outbreaks. These investments are crucial for pandemic preparedness and response and will serve the health of the continent well into the 21st century