Edible films and coatings formulated with arrowroot starch as a non-conventional starch source for plums packaging

Increasing environmental awareness has promoted an interest in alternative strategies to common plastics obtained from fossil sources, stimulating research on the use of biodegradable and edible films/coatings obtained from renewable sources such as arrowroot starch. This research work aimed to evaluate the use of arrowroot starch on the formation of edible films and coatings. Increasing the concentration of arrowroot starch (from 1% to 5%, mass/mass) in the film produced by casting resulted in increased water vapor permeability (from 2.20 to 3.68 g mm/m2 day kPa), moisture content (3.22% to 7.95%), increased thickness (from 0.029 to 0.101 mm), and decreased solubility in water (from 22.45% to 13.89%). The films were homogeneous, transparent and manageable, with the exception of the film with 1% starch. Film-forming solutions at concentrations of 0%, 2%, and 4% (mass/mass) of arrowroot starch were prepared and applied to plums to evaluate post-harvest behavior when stored at 25 and 5 ¿C for 35 days. The 2% coating adhered well to the plums’ surfaces, was bright and was effective in reducing mass loss and respiratory rate, associated with storage temperature of 5 ¿C. The 4% coating presented an opaque and flocculated appearancePostprint (published version

Antifibrotic effect of Pluchea sagitallis (Lam.) cabrera aqueous extract in grx cell lineage

Liver fibrosis is a complex disease that is caused by inappropriate tissue repair due to the deposition of connective tissue. When a chronic lesion affects the liver, regenerative response fails and hepatocytes are replaced with abundant extracellular matrix (ECM). The imbalance between production and degradation of ECM will result in the accumulation of proteins that change normal liver architecture, and thus its functionality. The main source of ECM is the activated hepatic stellate cell (HSC). In order, to clarify possible therapeutic approaches to the disease, this work aimed to evaluate the possible antifibrotic action of Pluchea sagitallis (Lam.) Cabrera on an activated HSC immortalized lineage (GRX).Our results demonstrated that the P. sagittalis aqueous extract at 0.039 and 0.078 mg/mL concentrations was able to reduce cell growth and proliferation. Regarding to oxidative stress evaluation, there was no statistically significant difference between the treated group and the control. Staining with OilRed-O (ORO) showed a statistically significant increase in intracellular lipid content after 5 days of treatment, exerting in vitro effect on the GRX phenotypic change of activated towards the quiescent state. These results were confirmed by colorimetric quantification of lipid content. Regarding the TGF-β1 and collagen production, there were no statistically significant differences observed between the groups.In conclusion, the P. sagittalis aqueous extract reduces the growth and proliferation of GRX cells and induces the reversal of activated towards a quiescent phenotype. There was no decrease in cell proliferation either by necrosis or by apoptosis via activation of the senescence. Thus, our data suggest that the extract showed an antifibrotic effect, possibly by activating phenotype reversal

DETECÇÃO DE ANTICORPOS CONTRA LEPTOSPIROSE EM SORO DE CAPRINOS PELO TESTE DE SOROAGLUTINAÇÃO MICROSCÓPICA (SAM) EM CONTRASTE DE FASE

A leptospirose é uma zoonose de distribuição cosmopolita de grande importância zoonótica, que acomete animais de todas as espécies, ocasionada pelo contato direto ou indireto com urina de animais infectados. O diagnóstico baseia-se na pesquisa de aglutininas anti-leptospira em soro de animais suspeitos, utilizando microscopia em contraste de fase ou campo escuro. O presente trabalho objetivou identificar sorogrupos de leptospiras predominantes em caprinos pelo método de soroaglutinação por meio da microscopia de contraste de fase. Foram analisados 38 soros de caprinos com e sem sintomas, pela Soroaglutinação Microscópica (SAM), submetidos a uma bateria com 23 sorovares de Leptospira. Obteve-se um resultado na triagem na qual todas as 38 amostras foram reagentes para os 23 sorogrupos. Na titulação verificou-se que os sorogrupos predominantes foram hardjobovis, copenhagen, butembo, bratislava e tarassovi, confirmando dados descritos na literatura que ratificam a presença desses sorogrupos na espécie caprina

Design, synthesis, and biological evaluation of new thalidomide–donepezil hybrids as neuroprotective agents targeting cholinesterases and neuroinflammation

A new series of eight multifunctional thalidomide–donepezil hybrids were synthesized based on the multi target-directed ligand strategy and evaluated as potential neuroprotective, cholinesterase inhibitors and anti neuroinflammatory agents against neurodegenerative diseases. A molecular hybridization approach was used for structural design by combining the N-benzylpiperidine pharmacophore of donepezil and the isoindoline 1,3-dione fragment from the thalidomide structure. The most promising compound, PQM-189 (3g), showed good AChE inhibitory activity with an IC50 value of 3.15 μM, which was predicted by docking studies as interacting with the enzyme in the same orientation observed in the AChE–donepezil complex and a similar profile of interaction. Additionally, compound 3g significantly decreased iNOS and IL-1β levels by 43% and 39%, respectively, after 24 h of incubation with lipopolysaccharide. In vivo data confirmed the ability of 3g to prevent locomotor impairment and changes in feeding behavior elicited by lipopolysaccharide. Moreover, the PAMPA assay evidenced adequate blood–brain barrier and gastrointestinal tract permeabilities with an Fa value of 69.8%. Altogether, these biological data suggest that compound 3g can treat the inflammatory process and oxidative stress resulting from the overexpression of iNOS and therefore the increase in reactive nitrogen species, and regulate the release of pro-inflammatory cytokines such as IL-1β. In this regard, compound PQM-189 (3g) was revealed to be a promising neuroprotective and anti-neuroinflammatory agent with an innovative thalidomide–donepezil-based hybrid molecular architectur

Growth differentiation factor 11 delivered by dairy Lactococcus lactis strains modulates inflammation and prevents mucosal damage in a mice model of intestinal mucositis

Mucositis is an inflammation of the gastrointestinal mucosa that debilitate the quality of life of patients undergoing chemotherapy treatments. In this context, antineoplastic drugs, such as 5-fluorouracil, provokes ulcerations in the intestinal mucosa that lead to the secretion of pro-inflammatory cytokines by activating the NF-κB pathway. Alternative approaches to treat the disease using probiotic strains show promising results, and thereafter, treatments that target the site of inflammation could be further explored. Recently, studies reported that the protein GDF11 has an anti-inflammatory role in several diseases, including in vitro and in vivo results in different experimental models. Hence, this study evaluated the anti-inflammatory effect of GDF11 delivered by Lactococcus lactis strains NCDO2118 and MG1363 in a murine model of intestinal mucositis induced by 5-FU. Our results showed that mice treated with the recombinant lactococci strains presented improved histopathological scores of intestinal damage and a reduction of goblet cell degeneration in the mucosa. It was also observed a significant reduction of neutrophil infiltration in the tissue in comparison to positive control group. Moreover, we observed immunomodulation of inflammatory markers Nfkb1, Nlrp3, Tnf, and upregulation of Il10 in mRNA expression levels in groups treated with recombinant strains that help to partially explain the ameliorative effect in the mucosa. Therefore, the results found in this study suggest that the use of recombinant L. lactis (pExu:gdf11) could offer a potential gene therapy for intestinal mucositis induced by 5-FU

Pervasive gaps in Amazonian ecological research

Biodiversity loss is one of the main challenges of our time,1,2 and attempts to address it require a clear un derstanding of how ecological communities respond to environmental change across time and space.3,4 While the increasing availability of global databases on ecological communities has advanced our knowledge of biodiversity sensitivity to environmental changes,5–7 vast areas of the tropics remain understudied.8–11 In the American tropics, Amazonia stands out as the world’s most diverse rainforest and the primary source of Neotropical biodiversity,12 but it remains among the least known forests in America and is often underrepre sented in biodiversity databases.13–15 To worsen this situation, human-induced modifications16,17 may elim inate pieces of the Amazon’s biodiversity puzzle before we can use them to understand how ecological com munities are responding. To increase generalization and applicability of biodiversity knowledge,18,19 it is thus crucial to reduce biases in ecological research, particularly in regions projected to face the most pronounced environmental changes. We integrate ecological community metadata of 7,694 sampling sites for multiple or ganism groups in a machine learning model framework to map the research probability across the Brazilian Amazonia, while identifying the region’s vulnerability to environmental change. 15%–18% of the most ne glected areas in ecological research are expected to experience severe climate or land use changes by 2050. This means that unless we take immediate action, we will not be able to establish their current status, much less monitor how it is changing and what is being lostinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Pervasive gaps in Amazonian ecological research

Biodiversity loss is one of the main challenges of our time,1,2 and attempts to address it require a clear understanding of how ecological communities respond to environmental change across time and space.3,4 While the increasing availability of global databases on ecological communities has advanced our knowledge of biodiversity sensitivity to environmental changes,5,6,7 vast areas of the tropics remain understudied.8,9,10,11 In the American tropics, Amazonia stands out as the world's most diverse rainforest and the primary source of Neotropical biodiversity,12 but it remains among the least known forests in America and is often underrepresented in biodiversity databases.13,14,15 To worsen this situation, human-induced modifications16,17 may eliminate pieces of the Amazon's biodiversity puzzle before we can use them to understand how ecological communities are responding. To increase generalization and applicability of biodiversity knowledge,18,19 it is thus crucial to reduce biases in ecological research, particularly in regions projected to face the most pronounced environmental changes. We integrate ecological community metadata of 7,694 sampling sites for multiple organism groups in a machine learning model framework to map the research probability across the Brazilian Amazonia, while identifying the region's vulnerability to environmental change. 15%–18% of the most neglected areas in ecological research are expected to experience severe climate or land use changes by 2050. This means that unless we take immediate action, we will not be able to establish their current status, much less monitor how it is changing and what is being lost

Carcinoma da tiróide: caracterização genética e citogenética de uma população de doentes

Tese de doutoramento em Biologia (Genética), apresentada à Universidade de Lisboa através da Faculdade de Ciências, 2008As causas do cancro da tiróide não são totalmente conhecidas, exceptuando-se a exposição à radiação ionizante. Este trabalho incidiu sobre o estudo dos carcinomas papilar (CP) e folicular da tiróide (CF) sob duas perspectivas complementares, caracterizando-se genética e citogeneticamente doentes com estas patologias, por comparação com uma população controlo, e avaliando-se o efeito da terapêutica com iodo-131 em termos dos seus efeitos biológicos. A susceptibilidade genética associada ao carcinoma da tiróide foi estudada através da análise de polimorfismos de genes envolvidos na biotransformação (GSTT1, GSTM1, GSTP1) e na reparação de lesões do DNA (ERCC2). A combinação genotípica GSTM1*0, GSTT1*0, GSTP1 Ile/Ile revelou um aumento de risco para CP, mas não para CF da tiróide. Relativamente ao gene ERCC2, e para os polimorfismos Asp312Asn e Lys751Gln, foi evidenciado que os indivíduos simultaneamente homozigóticos para ambas as variantes do gene apresentam um maior risco de desenvolver CP da tiróide. O estudo de âmbito citogenético sobre a possível instabilidade cromossómica presente nestes doentes (aberrações cromossómicas e micronúcleos), efectuado por comparação com um grupo controlo, não revelou diferenças significativas entre ambos os grupos. Os doentes com CP e CF da tiróide são tratados com iodo-131 após tiroidectomia total, uma terapêutica com grande sucesso clínico. É, no entanto, necessário avaliar potenciais efeitos deletérios induzidos por esta radiação ionizante. Foi avaliada, nos linfócitos do sangue periférico destes doentes, a indução de aberrações cromossómicas e micronúcleos em diferentes períodos de tempo (1, 6 e 24 meses) após terapêutica com iodo-131 (2590 MBq). Observou-se que estes parâmetros encontram-se ligeiramente aumentados de um modo persistente e significativo até aos 24 meses. Não foram observadas alterações relevantes em parâmetros relacionados com o stresse oxidativo. Dado que as doses corporais totais de exposição dos doentes tratados com iodo-131 são relativamente baixas, avaliou-se a existência de uma eventual resposta adaptativa (RA), utilizando o ensaio do micronúcleo. Os resultados sugerem a existência de uma RA de carácter transitório, observada apenas um mês após a terapêutica face à genotoxicidade induzida in vitro pela mitomicina C. No seu conjunto, este trabalho realça a importância do papel de determinados polimorfismos na etiologia dos carcinomas papilar e folicular da tiróide e a necessidade de uma monitorização biológica dos doentes para que se compreenda melhor os efeitos induzidos pela terapêutica com iodo-131.The causes of thyroid cancer are not known except for exposure to ionizing radiation. This work focused on the study of papillary (PC) and follicular (FC) thyroid carcinoma from two complementary perspectives, aiming to characterize genetic and cytogenetically patients with these diseases, by comparison with a control population, and evaluating the biological effects resulting from treatment with iodine-131. The individual genetic susceptibility associated with thyroid carcinoma was investigated by assessing the polymorphisms of genes involved in biotransformation (GSTT1, GSTM1,GSTP1) and genes involved in the repair of DNA damage (ERCC2). The combined genotypes GSTM1*0, GSTT1*0, GSTP1 Ile/Ile result in a significant increased risk for PC, but not for FC. For the ERCC2 gene namely for polymorphisms Asp312Asn andLys751Gln, we observed that individuals homozygous for both genotype variants have greater risk for developing PC. The cytogenetic study on the possible chromosomal instability present in these patients (chromosomal aberrations and micronuclei), by comparison to a control group, showed no significant differences between both groups. Patients with thyroid PC and FC are treated with iodine-131 after total thyroidectomy, a therapy with great clinical success. In order to evaluate the potential deleterious effects induced by this ionizing radiation we studied, in lymphocytes from peripheral blood of those patients, the induction of chromosomal aberrations and micronuclei in different periods of time (1, 6 and 24 months) after iodine-131 therapy (2590 MBq). We observed that these parameters were slightly increased, in a persistent and significant way up to 24 months. No relevant changes in the parameters related to oxidative stress were found. Since whole body doses in thyroid cancer patients treated with iodine-131 are relatively low, we have evaluated the possible induction of an adaptive response, using the micronucleus test. Our results suggest the existence of a transient adaptive response, observed only one month after iodine-131 therapy, against the genotoxicity induced in vitro by mitomycin C. This work highlights the importance of the evaluation of genetic polymorphisms in the aetiology of papillary and follicular thyroid carcinoma and the need for a biological monitoring of the patients in order to better understand the effects induced by treatment with iodine-131