1,082 research outputs found
Consumer perception of salt consumption and health effects: preliminary results
[PT] O sal é um ingrediente, um condimento e um nutriente, desempenhando
um papel fulcral na alimentação humana. No entanto, o seu uso em excesso
está associado a hipertensão arterial, um problema de saúde pública.
Pretendeu-se avaliar a perceção do consumidor sobre o consumo de sal e
os efeitos na saúde, visando sinalizar as principais fragilidades da população
portuguesa relativas ao conhecimento sobre esta temática e quais as
áreas prioritárias de intervenção. Foram inquiridos até ao momento 115 indivíduos,
com idades compreendidas entre 16 e 83 anos. Apesar do nível
considerável de literacia dos inquiridos, existe ainda algum desconhecimento
relativo às alternativas ao uso do sal e à importância da avaliação
frequente da tensão arterial. É necessário continuar a tomar medidas que
permitam a redução do teor de sal dos alimentos, contribuindo para a melhoria
do estado de saúde da população portuguesa.[EN] Salt is an ingredient, a condiment and a nutrient, playing a major role in
human nutrition. However, its excessive use is associated with hypertension,
a public health problem. This study intended to evaluate consumers'
perception of salt consumption and health effects, in order to signal the
main weaknesses of the Portuguese people on this issue and to point out
the priority areas of intervention. Up to now 115 individuals have answered
the questionnaire (age between 16 to 83 years). Despite the considerable
level of literacy of subjects, there is still a lack of knowledge concerning
alternatives to the use of salt and the importance of frequent assessment
of blood pressure. It is necessary to continue to take measures for the
reduction of salt content in food, contributing to the improvement of health
status of the portuguese population.Trabalho financiado pelo INSA, IP (projeto PTranSALT-2012DAN828).
TGA agradece a bolsa de doutoramento financiada pela Fundação
para a Ciência e a Tecnologia, Fundo Social Europeu e Ministério da
Educação e Ciência (SFRH/BD/99718/2014)
Comparative evolutionary analysis of IL6 in lagomorphs
Background and aims: Interleukin 6 (IL6), also known as interferon beta 2, is a class-I helical cytokine with a broad spectrum of biological activities in humoral and cellular defense. This class of cytokines has a gene structure conserved throughout vertebrates, with five coding exons. IL6 is involved in the immune response against rabbit hemorrhagic disease virus that causes a highly fatal disease in the European rabbit. Previously, IL6 from European rabbit samples belonging to the subspecies Oryctolagus cuniculus cuniculus, was shown to differ from the other mammals by extending for further 27 amino acids. This difference results from a mutation in the typical stop codon into a glutamate encoding codon. However, in other leporids (Sylvilagus spp. and Lepus spp.) that diverged from European rabbit approximately 12 million years ago this mutation was also not present. The purpose of this study was to confirm the mutation of the stop codon in other lagomorph specimens: Oryctolagus cuniculus algirus, Brachylagus idahoensis, Sylvilagus bachmanii, Lepus europaeus and Ochotona princeps.
Methods: The IL6 gene was PCR-amplified and sequenced for the five lagomorph species. The obtained sequences were translated and compared with other mammalian IL6 sequences retrieved from public databases (GenBank, Ensembl and Uniprot). A maximum-likelihood (ML) tree was inferred in MEGA5 with the following options: HKY+G model, 500 bootstrap replicates and partial deletion to gaps/missing data treatment.
Results: We confirmed the presence of the mutated stop codon in both O. c. cuniculus and O. c. algirus. In agreement with previous reports, we found that the stop codon is not mutated in S. bachmanii and L. europaeus. We further extended this observation to the leporid B. idahoensis and ochotonid O. princeps. In rabbits, sequence translation of IL6 continues into the exonic sequence and stops in the next STOP codon (81 nucleotides downstream). Typically, the IL6 protein has five cysteine residues that might be important to establish disulfide bonds. In rabbit, the 27 amino acid extension has four more cysteine residues. The inferred phylogeny for the IL6 gene is in agreement with what has been accepted for the mammals and lagomorphs.Conclusions: Our results indicate that in the ancestral of the Oryctolagusgenus, (approximately 2 million years ago), a single mutation at exon 5 occurred that made IL6 longer than for the other mammals. Biological implications of this extension remain to be assessed but the occurrence of the 4 extra cysteine residues might suggest some functional relevance
Are there differences from a nutritional point of view between bakery products with and without gluten?
A doença celíaca é uma doença autoimune, desencadeada pela ingestão
de glúten, em indivíduos com predisposição genética. O tratamento desta
doença passa, única e exclusivamente, pela prática de uma alimentação
isenta de glúten, ao longo de toda a vida do doente celíaco. Por este motivo,
a indústria alimentar tem investido no aumento de oferta e variedade de produtos
alimentares isentos de glúten. Este trabalho de investigação pretendeu
avaliar diferenças, do ponto de vista nutricional, entre produtos de pastelaria
com e sem glúten. Em 2015, foram adquiridos 14 produtos, dos quais 9 com
glúten e 5 sem glúten. Determinaram-se os teores de gordura total, de sal
e o perfil de ácidos gordos. As bolachas tipo “Crackers” e tipo “Maria” sem
glúten apresentaram teores de gordura superiores aos produtos similares
com glúten. No entanto, é muito importante avaliar que tipo de gordura se
encontra nestes alimentos. Nas bolachas tipo “Maria” sem glúten a gordura
era maioritariamente monoinsaturada, cuja ingestão está associada a um
efeito protetor no desenvolvimento de doença coronária. Sendo este tipo de
alimentos, apreciado por todas as faixas etárias, mas sobretudo por jovens,
é muito importante alargar este trabalho de investigação a uma maior gama
de produtos.The coeliac disease is an autoimmune disease triggered by the ingestion of
foodstuffs with gluten in genetically predisposed individuals. The treatment
of this disease is based on a gluten-free diet, which should be followed
throughout life by the coeliac patient. For this reason, the food industry has
developed efforts to increase the supply and variety of gluten-free foods.
This research aimed to evaluate the differences from a nutritional point
of view of bakery products with and without gluten. During 2015, 14 products
of which 9 were with gluten and 5 were gluten-free were acquired in
different food chains. Total fat, salt and fatty acid profile were determined
in the selected samples. The "Crackers" and "Maria" gluten-free biscuits
present a higher fat content than similar products with gluten. However, it
is very important to evaluate what type of fat can be found in these foods.
In "Maria" gluten-free biscuits fat is mostly monounsaturated, whose intake
is associated with a protective effect on the development of coronary heart
disease. As this type of food, is appreciated by all the age groups, but especially
by young people, it is very important to extend this research to a
wider range of products.Este trabalho foi financiado pelo INSA, no âmbito do projeto PTran-
SALT (2012DAN828). Tânia Gonçalves Albuquerque agradece a
bolsa de doutoramento (SFRH/BD/99718/2014) financiada pela
Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia, Fundo Social Europeu
e Ministério da Educação e Ciência.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio
“Maria” cookies and Cream Crackers: nutritional comparative analysis
O estilo de vida da população tem sofrido alterações nos últimos anos,
levando à diminuição da realização de atividade física e à improvisação
de refeições rápidas, menos variadas e provavelmente menos saudáveis,
onde têm papel relevante as bolachas. Estas são caracterizadas por
serem ricas em açúcares, gordura e em alguns casos sal. Nos últimos
anos, e em resposta ao aumento da incidência de diversas doenças crónicas,
decorreram várias iniciativas, no sentido de melhorar a qualidade
nutricional deste tipo de produtos. Neste trabalho determinou-se o teor
de sal, gordura total e a composição em ácidos gordos de bolachas
Maria e de água e sal. Realizou-se ainda uma avaliação do potencial
impacto na saúde da população que as consome, tendo por base as
recomendações de ingestão diária dos referidos nutrientes, bem como
a porção recomendada. As bolachas de água e sal analisadas apresentam
teores superiores de gordura total e de sal, devendo ser estabelecidas
metas que permitam a reformulação gradual destes alimentos. Os
teores de ácidos gordos trans nas amostras analisadas decresceram
comparativamente com dados publicados anteriormente. Parece fundamental
manter os esforços no sentido de modificar a composição destes
alimentos, para diminuir o risco de doenças crónicas e para a promoção
da saúde da população.In the last years, there has been a change in the lifestyle of the population,
resulting in a lack of time for the preparation of healthy meals and
to practice physical activity. Cookies are characterized by being foods
rich in sugars, fat and in some cases salt. In recent years, several initiatives
have been developed to improve the nutritional quality of this
type of product due to the increased incidence of chronic diseases. In
this work the content of salt, total fat and the fatty acid composition of
“Maria” cookies and cream crackers were determined; and an evaluation
of the potential impact on the health of the population was made,
based on the nutrients dietary reference intakes, as well as considering
the recommended portion. The analyzed cream crackers present
higher levels of total fat and salt, and goals must be established to
allow the reformulation of these foods. The levels of trans fatty acids in
the analyzed samples decreased in comparison with previous data. It
is very important to develop continuous efforts to modify the composition
of these foods in order to reduce the risk of chronic diseases and
to promote the health of the population.Este trabalho foi financiado pelo Instituto Nacional de Saúde
Doutor Ricardo Jorge (INSA), no âmbito do projeto PTranSALT
(2012DAN828). Tânia Gonçalves Albuquerque agradece a Bolsa de
Doutoramento (SFRH/BD/99718/2014) financiada pela Fundação
para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT), Fundo Social Europeu (FSE) e
Ministério da Educação e Ciência (MEC).info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio
Edible seeds: fatty acids composition and potential health impact
O consumo de sementes (especialmente girassol, sésamo, linhaça e pevides
de abóbora) aumentou, nos últimos anos, devido à associação da sua ingestão
a efeitos benéficos para a saúde. Mais recentemente, e em resposta a esta
tendência do mercado, foram introduzidas "novas" sementes na alimentação,
caso das sementes de chia e de papoila. O objetivo deste trabalho foi determinar
o teor total de gordura e o perfil em ácidos gordos de diferentes sementes
disponíveis no mercado português, e estimar o benefício/risco para a
saúde da população portuguesa, associado ao consumo das sementes analisadas.
Verificou-se que 75% das amostras analisadas apresentaram o ácido
linoleico (C18:2,n6) como o ácido gordo maioritário, e nas restantes sementes
foi o ácido alfa-linolénico (C18:3,n3) o mais abundante. As sementes de papoila
apresentaram o maior teor de ácido linoleico (71,6%), e as sementes de
sésamo apresentaram o teor mais elevado de ácido oleico (39,6% dos ácidos
gordos totais). Todas as sementes analisadas apresentam um perfil de ácidos
gordos considerado saudável, sendo maioritários os ácidos gordos insaturados
relacionados com a prevenção de doenças cardiovasculares.Consumption of seeds (especially sunflower, sesame, flaxseed and pumpkin
seeds) has increased in recent years due to the association of their intake
with beneficial effects on health. More recently, and in response to this
market trend, "new" seeds were introduced in the food chain, such as chia
and poppy seeds. The objective of this work was to determine the total fat
content and the fatty acid profile of different seeds available in the Portuguese
market, and to estimate the potential health benefit/risk for the Portuguese
population, associated to the consumption of the analysed seeds.
It was found that 75% of the analysed samples presented linoleic acid
(C18:2,n6) as the major fatty acid, and in the remaining seeds alpha-linolenic
acid (C18:3,n3) was the most abundant. Poppy seeds had the highest
content of linoleic acid (71.6%) and sesame seeds had the highest content
of oleic acid (39.6% of total fatty acids). All the analysed seeds present a
fatty acid profile considered healthy, being the major fatty acids unsaturated
which are related to the prevention of cardiovascular diseases.Este trabalho foi financiado pelo Instituto Nacional de Saúde Doutor Ricardo Jorge (INSA), no âmbito do projeto PTranSALT
(2012DAN828). Tânia Gonçalves Albuquerque agradece a bolsa de
doutoramento (SFRH/BD/99718/2014) financiada pela Fundação
para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT), Fundo Social Europeu (FSE) e
Ministério da Educação e Ciência (MEC).info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio
Terahertz processes in carbon nanotubes
Copyright 2010 Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers. One print or electronic copy may be made for personal use only. Systematic reproduction and distribution, duplication of any material in this paper for a fee or for commercial purposes, or modification of the content of the paper are prohibited.We investigated several proposals utilizing the unique electronic properties of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) for a broad range of applications to THz optoelectronics, including THz generation by Cerenkov-type emitters based on carbon nanotubes and by hot electrons in quasimetallic nanotubes, frequency multiplication in chiral-nanotube-based superlattices controlled by a transverse electric field, and THz radiation detection and emission by armchair nanotubes in a strong magnetic field. Dispersion equations of the electron beam instability and the threshold conditions of the stimulated emission have been derived and analyzed, demonstrating realizability of the nanotube-based nanoFEL at realistic parameters of nanotubes and electronic beams
ON THE EQUIVALENCE AMONG SOME CHIRAL-BOSON THEORIES
We make a comparative study of chiral-boson theories in the Florenani-Jackiw
(FJ) and linear constraint formulations. A special attention is given to the
case with an improved way of implementing the linear constraint. We show that
it has the same spectrum of the FJ formulation.Comment: 11 pages, Late
Importance of vitamin C evaluation in infant and follow-on formulas
A vitamina C tem um papel crucial no crescimento e desenvolvimento
saudáveis de bebés. As fórmulas infantis são muito consumidas por esta
faixa etária e como tal, é de extrema importância garantir que esta vitamina
esteja presente em concentrações adequadas. No presente trabalho de
investigação, determinou-se o teor de vitamina C total, ácido L-ascórbico
e ácido desidroascórbico em fórmulas infantis e compararam-se os resultados
obtidos com os limites estabelecidos no Regulamento Delegado
(UE) 2016/127. Em 2016, foram adquiridas 7 fórmulas infantis, 4 fórmulas
para lactentes e 3 fórmulas de transição. Os teores totais de vitamina C determinados
variaram entre 65,4 ± 0,28 e 134 ± 1,27 mg/100 g de amostra,
encontrando-se dentro dos limites estabelecidos pela legislação em vigor.
Uma vez que este tipo de produtos alimentares é muito importante na
alimentação de consumidores de uma faixa etária tão jovem e tão vulnerável
como são os lactentes, impõe-se a sua regulamentação, segurança e
controlo da qualidade.Vitamin C plays a very important role in the healthy growth and development
of babies. Infant and follow-on formulas are frequently consumed by
this age group and it is extremely important to ensure that this vitamin is
present in adequate concentrations in this type of products. This research
aimed to determine the total vitamin C, L-ascorbic acid and dehydroascorbic
acid contents in infant foods, and compare the results obtained with
the limits established in Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2016/127.
In 2016, 7 infant foods, 4 infant formulas and 3 follow-on formulas, were
acquired. All vitamin C contents obtained for the analysed samples, ranged
from 65.4 ± 0.28 to 134 ± 1.27 mg/100 g of sample, and were within the
established limits. Since this type of food products is very important to a
group of consumers belonging to an age group as young and as vulnerable
as the infants, regulation, safety and quality control of this type of products
is of extreme importance.Este trabalho foi financiado pelo Instituto Nacional de Saúde Doutor
Ricardo Jorge no âmbito do projeto BioCOMP (2012DAN730).
Tânia Gonçalves Albuquerque agradece a bolsa de doutoramento
(SFRH/BD/99718/2014) financiada pela Fundação para a Ciência
e a Tecnologia, Fundo Social Europeu e Ministério da Educação e
Ciência.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio
Familial pseudoxanthoma elasticum with nephrocalcinosis: a case report
Pseudoxanthoma elasticum (PXE) is an autosomal recessive genetic disorder characterized by progressive calcification and fragmentation of elastic fibres. PXE commonly involves the reticular dermis, the Bruch membrane of the eye, and blood vessels. PXE is caused by mutations in the ABCC6 gene. More than 300 pathogenic ABCC6 mutations are known. Two of these mutations are common: p.R1141X in exon 24, with a prevalence of 30%, and the Alu–mediated deletion of exons 23 to 29 (EX23_29del; p.A999_S1403del) found in 10-20% of patients. Homozygosity is rare.
A 40-year-old female with a previous diagnosis of PXE was admitted in Nephrology Outpatient Clinic for nephrocalcinosis. She has two sisters, one of which also has a diagnosis of PXE and nephrocalcinosis. Physical examination revealed the presence of typical skin and ocular abnormalities. Microscopic and gross hematuria was reported in both affected sisters. Abdominal ultrasound confirmed bilateral cortico-medullar nephrocalcinosis. Calcium and phosphorus levels in blood and urine were normal. Hyperparathyroidism, renal tubular acidosis, hypervitaminosis D and hyperoxaluria were excluded. Renal biopsy showed only minor glomerular abnormalities. Medullary sponge kidney was identified by excretory urography.
Genomic DNA was used as a template for PCR amplification of the region spanning introns 22 to 29 of ABCC6 [Pfendner et al., J Med Genet 2007;44:621-8]. The oligonucleotide cocktail used generated a 552bp PCR product for the normal sequence, and a 652bp product for the deletion mutation.
Both sisters with PXE were homozygous for the EX23_29del mutation. The third sister did not carry this deletion.
There are occasional reports of diffuse visceral calcifications (testis, mammary gland) in PXE. PXE-associated nephrocalcinosis was previously noted in four patients belonging to different families. This is the first report of familiar co-occurrence of PXE and nephrocalcinosis with medullary sponge kidney. These sisters’ peculiar phenotype could be due to their unusual genotype, or other shared genetic and environmental factors
Pre-meal tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum) intake can have anti-obesity effects in young women?
The effect of pre-meal tomato intake in the anthropometric indices and blood levels of triglycerides, cholesterol, glucose, and uric acid of a young women population (n = 35, 19.6 ± 1.3 years) was evaluated. During 4 weeks, daily, participants ingested a raw ripe tomato (∼90 g) before lunch. Their anthropometric and biochemical parameters were measured repeatedly during the follow-up time. At the end of the 4 weeks, significant reductions were observed on body weight (−1.09 ± 0.12 kg on average), % fat (−1.54 ± 0.52%), fasting blood glucose (−5.29 ± 0.80 mg/dl), triglycerides (−8.31 ± 1.34 mg/dl), cholesterol (−10.17 ± 1.21 mg/dl), and uric acid (−0.16 ± 0.04 mg/dl) of the participants. The tomato pre-meal ingestion seemed to interfere positively in body weight, fat percentage, and blood levels of glucose, triglycerides, cholesterol, and uric acid of the young adult women that participated in this study.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio
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