Desenvolvimento de rolhas de cortiça com transmissão de oxigénio controlada

Mestrado em Biotecnologia - Biotecnologia AlimentarA migração de oxigénio da rolha de cortiça para um vinho engarrafado é um fator fundamental na sua evolução e tem tido, cada vez mais, repercussão na indústria dos vedantes. O efeito da sua concentração no vinho, quer por excesso, quer por defeito, origina alterações a nível sensorial, podendo levar ao aparecimento de defeitos. Pelo estudo da variação de entrada de oxigénio numa garrafa selada, pode perceber-se que os primeiros 6 meses são os mais significativos, em especial quando são usadas rolhas de cortiça. Este facto deve-se à compressão da cortiça durante o engarrafamento, que força o ar contido no interior das células a sair. Uma possível forma de diminuir a entrada de oxigénio na garrafa pode passar pelo uso de scavengers de oxigénio, diminuindo a quantidade passível de ser libertada para o vinho reduzindo assim a possível ocorrência de defeitos sensoriais. Assim, este trabalho tem como objetivo o desenvolvimento de rolhas de cortiça com transmissão de oxigénio controlada, com o intuito de potenciar o seu uso como vedantes para vinhos brancos, preservando ao máximo as suas propriedades sensoriais características. Para isso foram utilizados 5 scavengers de oxigénio, nomeadamente, 3-(3,5-di-tert-butil-4-hidroxifenilo) propionato de octadecil (conhecido industrialmente por Irganox 1076, Ix); Tris(2,4-di-tert-butilfenil) fosfito (conhecido industrialmente por Irgafos 168, If); Octadecanamida (Oc); Tetradecanamida (Te) e Nonanamida (No), de modo a tentar compreender qual a sua capacidade de prevenir a migração de oxigénio para o interior da garrafa. Os principais resultados indicam que, com os scavengers testados, é possível reduzir a entrada de oxigénio na garrafa, oriundo do interior da rolha de cortiça. Utilizando os diferentes scavengers é possível conseguir rolhas com diferentes capacidades de retenção de oxigénio. Deste modo, e explorando novas formas de incorporar os scavengers nas rolhas de cortiça, é possível criar gamas de rolhas com diferentes capacidades de retenção de oxigénio, abrangendo assim uma grande quantidade de vinhos, mediante a sua suscetibilidade à oxidação. Tendo em conta novas formas de incorporar scavengers em rolhas de cortiça, a sua utilização poderá vir a ser explorada em rolhas de cortiça natural e de champanhe.As a key factor in wine industry, oxygen’s role in cork production is becoming increasingly higher. Too high or too little oxygen is able to develop sensory defects, capable of masking the fruitiness and other trademark sensory characters. In what concerns to cork stoppers and their oxygen transfer rate, the first 12 months after bottling are the most critical ones, probably thanks to the compression of the stopper during the bottling process, expelling the ar –like gas inside cork cells. Oxygen scavengers would be a promising solution in lowering the oxygen transfer rate of cork stoppers, diminishing the oxygen contact and the oxidation rate of a wine. With this, the present work is focused in the development of controlled oxygen transfer rate cork stoppers. Thus, in order to evaluate and understand their ability to retain oxygen inside the structure of a cork stopper, 5 types of oxygen scavengers were studied, namely, Octadecyl 3-(3,5-di-tert-butyl-4-hydroxyphenyl) propionate; Tris (2,4-di-tert-butylphenyl) phosphite (Irgafos 168); Octadecanamide; Tetradecanamide and Nonanoamide. The main results suggest that it is possible to reduce the oxygen input into a bottled wine using a cork stopper supplied with a oxygen scavenger. Moreover and envisaging future work, it is possible to further enhance the oxygen retention capability using another ways to embody the scavengers into the cork stopper structure, allowing the creation of a wide range of scavenger supplied cork stoppers, aiming to adapt to each wine and their own sensitivity to oxidation. Furthermore, it is possible to expand this new type of stoppers to natural cork and even to champagne and sparkling wines

Association between mir-146a and tumor necrosis factor alpha (Tnf-α) in stable coronary artery disease

Background and Objectives: Tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) is proatherogenic and associated with the risk of acute ischemic events, although the mechanisms that regulate TNF-α expression in stable coronary artery disease (SCAD) are not fully understood. We investigated whether metabolic, inflammatory, and epigenetic (microRNA (miRNA)) markers are associated with TNF-α expression in SCAD. Materials and Methods: Patients with SCAD were prospectively recruited and their metabolic and inflammatory profiles were assessed. TNF-α levels were assessed using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The relative expression of six circulating miRNAs associated with the regulation of inflammation and/or atherosclerosis was determined. Results: Of the 24 included patients with the mean age of 65 (9) years, 88% were male, and 54% were diabetic. The TNF-α levels were (median (interquartile range)) 1.0 (0.7–1.1) pg/mL. The percentage of glycosylated hemoglobin (r = 0.418, p = 0.042), serum triglyceride levels (r = 0.429, p = 0.037), and C-reactive protein levels (r = 0.407, p = 0.048) were positively correlated with TNF-α levels. Of the candidate miRNAs, miR-146a expression levels were negatively correlated with TNF-α levels (as indicated by r = 0.500, p = 0.035 for correlation between delta cycle threshold (∆Ct) miR-146a and TNF-α levels). In multivariate analysis, serum triglyceride levels and miR-146a expression levels were independently associated with TNF-α levels. miR-146 expression levels were not associated with metabolic or other inflammatory parameters and were negatively correlated with the number of coronary vessels with obstructive disease (as indicated by r = 0.556, p = 0.017 for correlation between ∆Ct miR-146a and number of diseased vessels). Conclusions: miR-146a expression levels were negatively correlated with TNF-α levels in patients with SCAD, irrespective of other metabolic or inflammatory markers, and with the severity of coronary artery disease. The results add to the knowledge on the role of miR-146a in TNF-α-based inflammation in SCAD and support future research on the potential therapeutic use of miR-146a in such a clinical scenario.publishersversionpublishe

Circulating miRNAs are associated with the systemic extent of atherosclerosis : novel observations for miR-27b and miR-146

Copyright: © 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).The mechanisms that regulate the systemic extent of atherosclerosis are not fully understood. We investigated whether the expression of circulating miRNAs is associated with the extent of stable atherosclerosis to a single territory or multiple territories (polyvascular) and with the severity of atherosclerosis in each territory. Ninety-four participants were prospectively recruited and divided into five age- and sex-matched groups: presenting no atherosclerosis, isolated coronary atherosclerosis, coronary and lower extremity atherosclerosis, coronary and carotid atherosclerosis, and atherosclerosis of the coronary, lower extremity, and carotid territories. The expression of six circulating miRNAs with distinct biological roles was assessed. The expression of miR-27b and miR-146 differed across groups (p < 0.05), showing a decrease in the presence of atherosclerosis, particularly in the three territories. miR-27b and miR-146 expression decreased in association with a higher severity of coronary, lower extremity, and carotid atherosclerosis. Polyvascular atherosclerosis involving the three territories was independently associated with a decreased miR-27b and miR-146 expression. Both miRNAs presented an area under the curve of ≥0.75 for predicting polyvascular atherosclerosis involving the three territories. To conclude, miR-27b and miR-146 were associated with the presence of severe polyvascular atherosclerosis and with the atherosclerosis severity in each territory. Both are potential biomarkers of severe systemic atherosclerosis.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Cigarette smoking, miR-27b downregulation, and peripheral artery disease : insights into the mechanisms of smoking toxicity

Copyright: © 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).Cigarette smoking is a risk factor for the development of peripheral artery disease (PAD), although the proatherosclerotic mediators of cigarette smoking are not entirely known. We explored whether circulating microRNAs (miRNAs) are dysregulated in cigarette smokers and associated with the presence of PAD. Ninety-four participants were recruited, including 58 individuals without and 36 with PAD, 51 never smokers, 28 prior smokers, and 15 active smokers. The relative expression of six circulating miRNAs with distinct biological roles (miR-21, miR-27b, miR-29a, miR-126, miR-146, and miR-218) was assessed. Cigarette smoking was associated with the presence of PAD in multivariate analysis. Active smokers, but not prior smokers, presented miR-27b downregulation and higher leukocyte, neutrophil, and lymphocyte counts; miR-27b expression levels were independently associated with active smoking. Considering the metabolic and/or inflammatory abnormalities induced by cigarette smoking, miR-27b was independently associated with the presence of PAD and downregulated in patients with more extensive PAD. In conclusion, the atheroprotective miR-27b was downregulated in active smokers, but not in prior smokers, and miR-27b expression was independently associated with the presence of PAD. These unreported data suggest that the proatherogenic properties of cigarette smoking are mediated by a downregulation of miR-27b, which may be attenuated by smoking cessation.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Arbustus unedo essence: morphological and genetic characterization of the strawberry tree of Castelo de Paiva

O medronheiro é um arbusto da região mediterrânica que pode ser encontrada por todo o país. Ao contrário do que verifica na região sul do país, no concelho de Castelo de Paiva é atribuída uma reduzida importância económica a esta espécie. Com o intuito de preservar e potenciar a produção desta espécie e contribuir para a dinamização da economia do concelho, procedeu-se à caracterização morfológica e genética de uma amostra da população de medronheiros de Castelo de Paiva. A caracterização morfológica e genética foi realizada para um total de 10 genótipos. Para tal recolheram-se 70 folhas aleatoriamente em cada árvore. Em 40 folhas mediu-se o comprimento, largura, comprimento do pedúnculo, peso fresco, peso seco e determinou-se a área foliar. Dos caracteres morfológicos analisados, aqueles que se revelaram mais úteis na distinção dos vários genótipos foram: comprimento do pedúnculo, peso fresco e peso seco. As restantes 30 folhas foram utilizadas para a caracterização genética. Esta caracterização foi realizada recorrendo a um marcador de DNA, ISSR. Os 5 primeiros exemplaresutilizados na técnica de ISSR demonstraram-se polimórficos. Os resultados da caracterização genética sugerem que a variabilidade genética na população é média a alta.The strawberry tree is a shrub native in the Mediterranean region and it can be found throughout Portugal. Unlike the case in the southern region of the country, in Castelo de Paiva a minor economic importance is given to this species. In order to preserve, to enhance the production of this species and to contribute to the boosting of the economy of the region, we proceeded to the characterization of a small sample population of this fruit tree of Castelo de Paiva in what concerns to its morphology and genetics. The morphological and genetic characterization was performed for a total of 10 genotypes. For this, 70 leaves were randomly collected from each tree. For 40 leaves, it was measured the length, the width, the peduncle length, the wet weight, the dry weight and determined the leaf area. Of the morphological characteristics analyzed, the ones that proved most useful in distinguishing the various genotypes were: the length peduncle, the wet weight and the dry weight. The remaining 30 leaves were used in the genetic characterization. This characterization was performed using a DNA marker, the ISSR. The 5 primers used in the ISSR technique proved to be polymorphic. The results from the genetic characterization suggest that variability in population genetics is medium to high

MAMMALS IN PORTUGAL : A data set of terrestrial, volant, and marine mammal occurrences in P ortugal

Mammals are threatened worldwide, with 26% of all species being includedin the IUCN threatened categories. This overall pattern is primarily associatedwith habitat loss or degradation, and human persecution for terrestrial mam-mals, and pollution, open net fishing, climate change, and prey depletion formarine mammals. Mammals play a key role in maintaining ecosystems func-tionality and resilience, and therefore information on their distribution is cru-cial to delineate and support conservation actions. MAMMALS INPORTUGAL is a publicly available data set compiling unpublishedgeoreferenced occurrence records of 92 terrestrial, volant, and marine mam-mals in mainland Portugal and archipelagos of the Azores and Madeira thatincludes 105,026 data entries between 1873 and 2021 (72% of the data occur-ring in 2000 and 2021). The methods used to collect the data were: live obser-vations/captures (43%), sign surveys (35%), camera trapping (16%),bioacoustics surveys (4%) and radiotracking, and inquiries that represent lessthan 1% of the records. The data set includes 13 types of records: (1) burrowsjsoil moundsjtunnel, (2) capture, (3) colony, (4) dead animaljhairjskullsjjaws, (5) genetic confirmation, (6) inquiries, (7) observation of live animal (8),observation in shelters, (9) photo trappingjvideo, (10) predators dietjpelletsjpine cones/nuts, (11) scatjtrackjditch, (12) telemetry and (13) vocalizationjecholocation. The spatial uncertainty of most records ranges between 0 and100 m (76%). Rodentia (n=31,573) has the highest number of records followedby Chiroptera (n=18,857), Carnivora (n=18,594), Lagomorpha (n=17,496),Cetartiodactyla (n=11,568) and Eulipotyphla (n=7008). The data setincludes records of species classified by the IUCN as threatened(e.g.,Oryctolagus cuniculus[n=12,159],Monachus monachus[n=1,512],andLynx pardinus[n=197]). We believe that this data set may stimulate thepublication of other European countries data sets that would certainly contrib-ute to ecology and conservation-related research, and therefore assisting onthe development of more accurate and tailored conservation managementstrategies for each species. There are no copyright restrictions; please cite thisdata paper when the data are used in publications.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Worldwide trends in underweight and obesity from 1990 to 2022: a pooled analysis of 3663 population-representative studies with 222 million children, adolescents, and adults

Background Underweight and obesity are associated with adverse health outcomes throughout the life course. We estimated the individual and combined prevalence of underweight or thinness and obesity, and their changes, from 1990 to 2022 for adults and school-aged children and adolescents in 200 countries and territories. Methods We used data from 3663 population-based studies with 222 million participants that measured height and weight in representative samples of the general population. We used a Bayesian hierarchical model to estimate trends in the prevalence of different BMI categories, separately for adults (age ≥20 years) and school-aged children and adolescents (age 5–19 years), from 1990 to 2022 for 200 countries and territories. For adults, we report the individual and combined prevalence of underweight (BMI &lt;18·5 kg/m2) and obesity (BMI ≥30 kg/m2). For school&#x2;aged children and adolescents, we report thinness (BMI &lt;2 SD below the median of the WHO growth reference) and obesity (BMI &gt;2 SD above the median). Findings From 1990 to 2022, the combined prevalence of underweight and obesity in adults decreased in 11 countries (6%) for women and 17 (9%) for men with a posterior probability of at least 0·80 that the observed changes were true decreases. The combined prevalence increased in 162 countries (81%) for women and 140 countries (70%) for men with a posterior probability of at least 0·80. In 2022, the combined prevalence of underweight and obesity was highest in island nations in the Caribbean and Polynesia and Micronesia, and countries in the Middle East and north Africa. Obesity prevalence was higher than underweight with posterior probability of at least 0·80 in 177 countries (89%) for women and 145 (73%) for men in 2022, whereas the converse was true in 16 countries (8%) for women, and 39 (20%) for men. From 1990 to 2022, the combined prevalence of thinness and obesity decreased among girls in five countries (3%) and among boys in 15 countries (8%) with a posterior probability of at least 0·80, and increased among girls in 140 countries (70%) and boys in 137 countries (69%) with a posterior probability of at least 0·80. The countries with highest combined prevalence of thinness and obesity in school-aged children and adolescents in 2022 were in Polynesia and Micronesia and the Caribbean for both sexes, and Chile and Qatar for boys. Combined prevalence was also high in some countries in south Asia, such as India and Pakistan, where thinness remained prevalent despite having declined. In 2022, obesity in school-aged children and adolescents was more prevalent than thinness with a posterior probability of at least 0·80 among girls in 133 countries (67%) and boys in 125 countries (63%), whereas the converse was true in 35 countries (18%) and 42 countries (21%), respectively. In almost all countries for both adults and school-aged children and adolescents, the increases in double burden were driven by increases in obesity, and decreases in double burden by declining underweight or thinness. Interpretation The combined burden of underweight and obesity has increased in most countries, driven by an increase in obesity, while underweight and thinness remain prevalent in south Asia and parts of Africa. A healthy nutrition transition that enhances access to nutritious foods is needed to address the remaining burden of underweight while curbing and reversing the increase in obesit

Mammals in Portugal: a data set of terrestrial, volant, and marine mammal occurrences in Portugal

Mammals are threatened worldwide, with ~26% of all species being included in the IUCN threatened categories. This overall pattern is primarily associated with habitat loss or degradation, and human persecution for terrestrial mammals, and pollution, open net fishing, climate change, and prey depletion for marine mammals. Mammals play a key role in maintaining ecosystems functionality and resilience, and therefore information on their distribution is crucial to delineate and support conservation actions. MAMMALS IN PORTUGAL is a publicly available data set compiling unpublished georeferenced occurrence records of 92 terrestrial, volant, and marine mammals in mainland Portugal and archipelagos of the Azores and Madeira that includes 105,026 data entries between 1873 and 2021 (72% of the data occurring in 2000 and 2021). The methods used to collect the data were: live observations/captures (43%), sign surveys (35%), camera trapping (16%), bioacoustics surveys (4%) and radiotracking, and inquiries that represent less than 1% of the records. The data set includes 13 types of records: (1) burrows | soil mounds | tunnel, (2) capture, (3) colony, (4) dead animal | hair | skulls | jaws, (5) genetic confirmation, (6) inquiries, (7) observation of live animal (8), observation in shelters, (9) photo trapping | video, (10) predators diet | pellets | pine cones/nuts, (11) scat | track | ditch, (12) telemetry and (13) vocalization | echolocation. The spatial uncertainty of most records ranges between 0 and 100 m (76%). Rodentia (n =31,573) has the highest number of records followed by Chiroptera (n = 18,857), Carnivora (n = 18,594), Lagomorpha (n = 17,496), Cetartiodactyla (n = 11,568) and Eulipotyphla (n = 7008). The data set includes records of species classified by the IUCN as threatened (e.g., Oryctolagus cuniculus [n = 12,159], Monachus monachus [n = 1,512], and Lynx pardinus [n = 197]). We believe that this data set may stimulate the publication of other European countries data sets that would certainly contribute to ecology and conservation-related research, and therefore assisting on the development of more accurate and tailored conservation management strategies for each species. There are no copyright restrictions; please cite this data paper when the data are used in publications