Valorisation of red beet waste: one-step extraction and separation of betalains and chlorophylls using thermoreversible aqueous biphasic systems

Globally, up to 50% of root crops, fruits and vegetables produced is wasted. Beetroot stems and leaves fit into this scenario, with only a small fraction being used in cattle food. One way of approaching this problem is through their valorisation, by extracting and recovering valuable compounds present in this type of waste that could be used in other applications, while contributing towards a circular economy. In this work, a new integrated process using thermoreversible aqueous biphasic systems (ABS) composed of quaternary ammonium-based ionic liquids (ILs) and polypropyleneglycol 400 g mol−1 (PPG) is shown to allow the one-step extraction and separation of two pigment classes—betalains and chlorophylls—from red beet stems and leaves. The pigment extraction was carried out with a monophasic aqueous solution of the IL and PPG, whose phase separation was then achieved by a temperature switch, resulting in the simultaneous separation of chlorophylls and betalains into opposite phases. A central composite design was used to optimise the extraction parameters (time, temperature, and solid : liquid (S/L) ratio) of both pigment extraction yields, reaching at 20 °C, 70 min and a S/L ratio of 0.12 a maximum extraction yield of 6.67 wt% for betalains and 1.82 wt% for chlorophylls (per weight of biomass). Moreover, it is shown that aqueous solutions of ILs better stabilise betalains than the gold standard solvent used for the extraction method. Among the studied systems, the ABS comprising the IL N-ethyl-N-methyl-N,N-bis(2-hydroxyethyl) bromide ([N21(2OH)(2OH)]Br) presented the best separation performance, with an extraction efficiency of 92% and 95% for chlorophylls and betalains, respectively, for opposite phases. The pigments were removed from the respective phases using affinity resins, with high recoveries: 96% for betalains and 98% for chlorophylls, further allowing the IL reuse. Finally, the cyto- and ecotoxicities of the quaternary ammonium-based ILs were determined. The obtained results disclosed low to negligible toxicity in the thousands of mg L−1 range, with [N21(2OH)(2OH)]Br being harmless from an ecotoxicological point of view. Overall, it is shown here that the developed process is an innovative approach for the one-step extraction and selective separation of pigments contributing to the valorisation of waste biomass

Queixas musculoesqueléticas em uma Unidade Básica de Saúde: implicações para o planejamento das ações em saúde e fisioterapia

OBJETIVO: O objetivo deste estudo foi analisar a prevalência de queixas musculoesqueléticas em adultos em uma Unidade Básica de Saúde. MÉTODO: Foram avaliados os usuários atendidos na recepção espontânea no período de março de 2010 a maio de 2011. Ao todo, foram estudados 1.023 indivíduos. A caracterização das queixas foi realizada por meio de questionário com dados sociodemográficos e motivo da procura por atendimento. RESULTADOS: Os dados mostraram que a maioria dos usuários pertence ao sexo feminino (71,2%), está na faixa etária de 31 a 60 anos (50,0%), é solteira (31,6%), aposentada (14,2%) e apresenta queixas em vários sistemas (77,1%). O sistema musculoesquelético é o mais acometido (14,4%), representando o segundo motivo de procura por atendimento (31,0%). Analisando as razões de chance de ocorrência de queixas musculoesqueléticas com relação às variáveis estudadas, verificou-se que pessoas com idade entre 40 e 59 anos apresentaram 3,49 (IC95% 2,17-5,57) vezes mais chances de associação com essas dores do que as demais. Não houve associação entre outros sistemas e variáveis. CONCLUSÃO: A alta prevalência de queixas musculoesqueléticas requer um novo olhar de gestores em saúde para o atendimento destas demandas, pensando em incluir o fisioterapeuta na atenção básica para tratamento de dores de menor complexidade

Development of poly(vinylidene fluoride)/ionic liquid electrospun fibers for tissue engineering applications

Electroactive electrospun fiber mat composites based on poly (vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) with 5 and 10% of 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium bis (trifluoromethanesulfonyl)amide ([C2mim][NTf2]) ionic liquid (IL) were developed for potential applications in the biomedical area. The morphology and polymer crystalline phase content of the fibers were evaluated as a function of the processing conditions. Hydrophobic random and aligned fibers have been obtained with average fiber diameters between ~700 and 500 nm, the smaller diameters corresponding to the aligned fiber mats. The results show that the charge structure of [C2mim][NTf2] induces the crystallization of the PVDF fibers in the piezoelectric B-phase with full crystallization in this phase for an ionic liquid content of 10 wt%. Furthermore, the presence of the ionic liquid also increases the degree of crystallinity of the fibers. Thermal degradation studies show a single degradation process which is strongly influenced by the polymer-IL interactions. Finally, the non-cytotoxicity of the fiber mats indicates their suitability for biomedical applications.This work was supported by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) in the framework of the project UID/Multi/04551/2013 and 2012 Investigator FCT program. The authors also thank support from the COST Action, MP1206 “Electrospun Nano-fibers for bio inspired composite materials and innovative industrial applications”. JCD, DMC, SR and CR thank the FCT for the SFRH/BD/90215/2012, SFRH/BD/82411/2011, SFRH/BD/111478/2015 and SFRH/BPD/90870/2012 grants, respectively. The authors thank financial support from the Basque Government Industry Department under the ELKARTEK Program. SLM thanks the Diputación de Bizkaia for financial support under the Bizkaia Talent program