Production and purification of xylooligosaccharides from oil palm empty fruit bunch fibre by a non-isothermal process

Oil palm empty fruit bunches (OPEFB) fibre, a by-product generated from non-woody, tropical perennial oil palm crop was evaluated for xylooligosaccharides (XOS) production. Samples of OPEFB fibre were subjected to non-isothermal autohydrolysis treatment using a temperature range from 150 to 220 ºC. The highest XOS concentration, 17.6 g/L which relayed from solubilisation of 63 g/100 g xylan was achieved at 210 ºC and there was a minimum amount of xylose and furfural being produced. The chromatographic purification which was undertaken to purify the oligosaccharide-rich liquor resulted in a product with 74–78% purity, of which 83–85% was XOS with degree of polymerisation (DP) between 5 and 40

Autoimmune hypophysitis or lymphocytic hypophysitis

This entity, due to the pituitary lymphoplasmacytic infiltrate, was described for the first time in 1962. The clinical suspicion relies on a rapidly progressing hypopituitarism, particularly with adrenal involvement, affecting women in the peripartum period or patients with previously recognized autoimmune disease. Diabetes insipidus is also often reported. A sellar mass is found in 80% of cases. The diagnosis is confirmed by histology, due to the absence of a specific serological test. The endocrine deficiencies are frequently definitive. Corticotherapy is usually effective in reducing neurological symptoms due to pituitary enlargement, and frequently allows to avoid surgery. The disease-related deaths were due to acute adrenal insufficiency or ineffectively treated hypopituitarism. We are reporting a clinical case of probable lymphocytic hypophysitis in the early post partum of a woman with depression and Graves disease. She has hyperprolactinemia and ACTH deficiency, without pituitary changes in the magnetic resonance imaging. She was treated and her depression and hyperthyroidism were relieved. Hyperprolactinemia recovered spontaneously but she still needs glucocorticoid substitution

OpenLab ESEV: novas aventuras no desenvolvimento de software

OpenLab ESEV is the Free Software project of the School of Education - Polytechnic Institute of Viseu (ESEV). The project aims to establish a platform to aggregate activities that foster the use of Free/Libre and Open Source Software (F/LOSS), Free Culture and more flexible licenses for creative and educational purposes in the ESEV's domains of activity (education, arts, media). OpenLab exists since 2009. It emerged in an environment characterized by the lack of knowledge of the existing Libre alternatives and by work habits exclusively built around proprietary software. Today, OpenLab activities are implemented within four key areas of action: dissemination, training, support and production. This paper presents two of the most important ongoing projects: Ottographer and StudiozCollabPress. StudiozCollabPress is a customized version of a popular WordPress plugin for project management that was developed to support short movie projects management. We'll present its main features and results from real-case scenarios of use, specifically, finished and ongoing 3D animation students' projects. Ottographer is a webcam time-lapse tool for operating systems based on Debian GNU/Linux. Besides the main features, we'll present some examples and suggestions for educational settings as well as for creative and educational purposes. Both projects are distributed as F/LOSS, meaning that they can be used, studied, and modified without restrictions, as well as copied and redistributed in modified or unmodified form. These projects might help us launch a new trend at our school community that we highly antecipate: the development and sharing of our own tools

Percutaneous retrieval of foreign bodies from the cardiovascular system

We report our experience of seven patients referred to our hospital with foreign bodies embolized in the cardiovascular system, namely fragmented catheters and devices used in interventional techniques, which were retrieved by a percutaneous approach. The patients' ages ranged from 2 to 29 years, with a mean age of 17. The majority (57%) were male. The retrieval equipment used included a pigtail catheter, multipurpose catheter with hand-prepared snare, Amplatz gooseneck snare, nitinol multisnare set and basket catheter. The foreign bodies were successfully removed percutaneously in all cases, with no complications

Late onset congenital adrenal hyperplasia due to 21-hydroxylase deficiency: revision of literature and preconception genetic study of five couples

The deficiency of the enzyme 21-hydroxylase (21-HO) is responsible for about 90% to 95% of all cases of congenital adrenal hyperplasia (HCSR). This disorder is one of the most frequent hereditary illnesses of autosomal recessive trait. The illness can be presented in two clinical forms: 1 - classic, subdivided in saltwasting form and simple virilizing form; 2 - nonclassic or late-onset. The severity of the illness is correlated with the degree of enzymatic activity of 21-HO, which depends on the type of mutation that occurs in gene CYP21A2. The late onset congenital adrenal hyperplasia is that one where the enzymatic blockade is less intense. The clinical is variable: precocious pubarche, polycystic ovaries, hirsutism, oligoamenorrhea, acne and infertility. Gold standard for the diagnosis of late onset congenital adrenal hyperplasia consists on the test of the tetracosactide, considering itself diagnostic positive when 17-hidroxiprogesterona (17-OHP) is higher of 10-15 ng per mL. Many patients don't need treatment; however, if necessary, such a treatment essentially consists on the Administration of glucocorticoids and antiandrogens. Considering that affected individuals and the carriers may have a severe mutation in CYP21A2, they can have descendents with the classic form (if their partner is also a carrier of a severe mutation), it is mandatory the genetic study of the couple. The authors illustrate the importance of this genetic study through five clinical cases, whose common link is the desire to have children, as well as the presence on the feminine element of late onset congenital adrenal hyperplasia. The genetic study of the couple allows adequate pre-conception counseling and also prevents the use of corticoids throughout the pregnancy (if there's no risk of descendents being affected with the classic form). This aspect must be had in account in programming the pregnancy, in order to prevent therapeutics and unnecessary distrusts

Techno-economic and life-cycle assessments of small-scale biorefineries for isobutene and xylo-oligosaccharides production: a comparative study in Portugal and Chile

ABSTRACT: This work presents a comparative simulation study involving the techno-economic and environmental assessment of lignocellulosic-based small-scale biorefineries, integrated with a piggery waste-based anaerobic digestion platform (ADB), located in Portugal and Chile. Two main products are obtained: isobutene and xylo-oligosaccharides (XOS). The bioproduction of isobutene using a genetically engineered organism (Escherichia coli), coupled with the removal and purification of high added-value XOS, obtained after a feedstock hydrothermal pre-treatment, was evaluated. Two lignocellulosic agricultural wastes were used: corn stover in the Portuguese case study and wheat straw in Chilean case study. Both processes were simulated using the Aspen Plus modeling software tool, while the Aspen Process Economic Analyzer was used to carry out the economic evaluation. The simulation results were validated with experimental data from the laboratory and the literature. An economic assessment was performed considering the different locations of both biorefineries. A life-cycle analysis (LCA) was also applied to evaluate the differences in environmental impacts on both locations. The results showed that the isobutene / XOS biorefinery concept was economically viable in both Portugal and Chile, mainly due to the high market value of XOS. The biorefinery has lower production costs for isobutene and XOS (1 US$/kg of isobutene and 1.18 US$/kg of XOS) when located in Portugal, as compared with Chile (1.14 US$/kg of isobutene and 1.56 US$/kg of XOS). Conversely, it leads to less environmental impact when located in Chile: 48.8 kg(CO2eq.)/GJ(isobutene), in comparison to 60.7 kg(CO2eq.)/GJ(isobutene) in Portugal.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Tolerogenic versus Inflammatory Activity of Peripheral Blood Monocytes and Dendritic Cells Subpopulations in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus

Abnormalities in monocytes and in peripheral blood dendritic cells (DC) subsets have been reported in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). We aim to clarify the tolerogenic or inflammatory role of these cells based on ICOSL or IFN-α and chemokine mRNA expression, respectively, after cell purification. The study included 18 SLE patients with active disease (ASLE), 25 with inactive disease (ISLE), and 30 healthy controls (HG). In purified plasmacytoid DC (pDC) was observed a lower ICOSL mRNA expression in ASLE and an increase in ISLE; similarly, a lower ICOSL mRNA expression in monocytes of ALSE patients was found. However, a higher ICOSL mRNA expression was observed in ASLE compared to HG in myeloid DCs. Interestingly, clinical parameters seem to be related with ICOSL mRNA expression. Regarding the inflammatory activity it was observed in purified monocytes and CD14(-/low) CD16(+) DCs an increase of CCL2, CXCL9, and CXCL10 mRNA expression in ASLE compared to HG. In myeloid DC no differences were observed regarding chemokines, and IFN-α mRNA expression. In pDC, a higher IFN-α mRNA expression was observed in ASLE. Deviations in ICOSL, chemokine, and IFN-α mRNA expression in peripheral blood monocytes and dendritic cells subpopulations in SLE appear to be related to disease activity

Recurrent hypercortisolism after removal of an ACTH secretor pituitary adenoma associated with an adrenal macronodule

A 29 years old patient was sent to our Outpatient Clinic of Endocrinology presenting clinic of hypercortisolism. Laboratorial study: High urinary free cortisol (UFC); serum cortisol - 25 microg/dl (8 am) (5-25) and 20 microg/dL (11pm); ACTH - 20 pg/mL (9-52) (8 am) and 14 pg/mL (11 pm); serum cortisol after dexamethasone suppression test: 14,9 mg/dL; CRH test: elevation of ACTH; Pituitary MRI: microadenoma; abdominal CT: nodule on the left adrenal. During inferior petrosal sinus sampling with CRH stimulation, ACTH reached 368 pg/mL on the right and 136 pg/mL on the left side. The patient was submitted to transsphenoidal surgery. After surgery, hypertension and physical stigmata improved. In 2006, a relapse of Cushing syndrome was suspected due to worsening of hypertension and increase of weight. A slight increase of UFC, undetectable ACTH and serum cortisol after dexamethasone suppression test equal to 16 microg/dL were found. On abdominal CT, the adrenal nodule kept the same characteristics. In December 2006, the patient was submitted to left adrenalectomy. After surgery, blood pressure normalized, UFC and serum cortisol were reduced, needing substitutive therapy. Progressive tapering of hydrocortisone doses lead to discontinuation in March 2007. He is clinically well, without any treatment. This is an unusual case, in which after surgical cure of Cushing disease, secretory autonomy of a coexisting adrenal nodule occurred. This clinical case is relevant, pointing out the complexity of hypercortisolism cases and the need of long follow-up

Prevalence of Vitamin D Deficiency and its Predictors in the Portuguese Population: a Nationwide Population-Based Study

Vitamin D deficiency is prevalent worldwide, but its prevalence is unknown in adult Portuguese population. In Portugal, 66% of adults present Vitamin D insufficiency/deficiency. Winter, living in Azores, older age, and obesity were the most important risk factors. It highlights the need of strategies to prevent vitamin D deficiency in Portugal. Objective: To estimate the prevalence and risk factors of vitamin D deficiency in the adult Portuguese population. Methods: Adults (≥ 18 years old) from the EpiReumaPt Study (2011-2013) were included. Standardized questionnaires on socio-demographic and lifestyle features were obtained. Serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] concentrations were evaluated using ADVIA Centaur VitD competitive immunoassay (Siemens Healthineers) in 2015-2017 as 25 (OH)D Level 0: ≤ 10 ng/mL; Level 1: 11-19 ng/mL; Level 2: 20-29 ng/mL, and Level 3: ≥ 30 ng/mL. Weighted multinomial regression analysis was conducted to evaluate the association between socio-demographic and lifestyle variables and vitamin D status. Results: Based on weighted analysis, the estimated prevalence of levels of 25(OH)D ≤ 10, < 20, and < 30 ng/mL was 21.2, 66.6, and 96.4%, respectively. The strongest independent predictors of serum 25 (OH)D ≤ 10 ng/mL were living in the Azores archipelagos (OR 9.39; 95%CI 1.27-69.6) and having the blood sample collection in winter (OR 18.53; 95%CI 7.83-43.87) or spring (11.55; 95%CI 5.18-25.74). Other significant predictors included older age (OR 5.65, 95%CI 2.08-15.35), obesity (OR 2.61; 95%CI 1.35-5.08), current smoking (OR 2.33; 95%CI 1.23-4.43), and female gender (OR 1.9, 95%CI 1.1-3.28). Conversely, physical exercise (OR 0.48, 95%CI 0.28-0.81) and occasional alcohol intake (OR 0.48, 95%CI 0.29-0.81) were associated with a lower risk of 25(OH)D ≤ 10 ng/mL. Conclusion: Vitamin D deficiency/insufficiency [25(OH)D 60% of all Portuguese adults, with strong geographical and seasonal variation. This study highlights the need to critically assess the relevance of vitamin D deficiency as a public health problem and the urgent need for a wide and scientifically robust debate about the most appropriate interventions at the individual and societal levels.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio