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

Enzyme-assisted modification of flavonoids from Matricaria chamomilla: antioxidant activity and inhibitory effect on digestive enzymes

Matricaria chamomilla L. contains antioxidant flavonoids that can have their bioactivity enhanced by enzymatic hydrolysis of specific glycosyl groups. This study implements an untargeted metabolomics approach based on ultra-performance liquid chromatography coupled with electrospray ionisation quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry technique operating in MSE mode (UPLC-QTOF-MSE) and spectrophotometric analysis of chamomile aqueous infusions, before and after hydrolysis by hesperidinase and ?-galactosidase. Several phenolic compounds were altered in the enzymatically treated infusion, with the majority being flavonoid derivatives of apigenin, esculetin, and quercetin. Although enzymatically modifying the infusion only led to a small increase in antioxidant activity (DPPH? method), its inhibitory effect on pancreatic lipase was of particular interest. The enzymatically treated infusion exhibited a greater inhibitory effect (EC50 of 35.6??M) than unmodified infusion and kinetic analysis suggested mixed inhibition of pancreatic lipase. These results are of great relevance due to the potential of enzymatically treated functional foods in human health3514249CONSELHO NACIONAL DE DESENVOLVIMENTO CIENTÍFICO E TECNOLÓGICO - CNPQCOORDENAÇÃO DE APERFEIÇOAMENTO DE PESSOAL DE NÍVEL SUPERIOR - CAPESFUNDAÇÃO DE AMPARO À PESQUISA DO ESTADO DE SÃO PAULO - FAPESPsem informaçãosem informação2012/20393–

‘Practical and reflective’ challenges for occupational therapy’s undergraduation courses in pandemic times

O preprint foi submetido para publicação em um periódico.A pandemia de COVID-19 tem provocado a adoção de medidas que ocasionam a mudança na rotina e na organização do trabalho das universidades. Os ambientes virtuais vêm se apresentando como vetores para os cursos de graduação durante o enfrentamento da pandemia, sendo necessário produzir reflexões para este novo contexto. A Rede Nacional de Ensino e Pesquisa em Terapia Ocupacional – RENETO, Brasil, atenta as questões implicadas com a formação e produção de conhecimento da área, vem buscando junto aos pares maneiras de realizar uma leitura complexa da realidade e, a partir desta, criar e implementar estratégias que deem conta de atender as demandas impostas, respeitando as regionalidades em que os cursos de graduação estão inseridos. Assim, a partir de um levantamento realizado junto às coordenações de cursos de graduação em Terapia Ocupacional, a fim de compreender como os cursos de graduação têm aderido ou não à oferta de ensino por meio de plataformas digitais, o presente trabalho pretende refletir acerca das tomadas de decisões pedagógicas, éticas e políticas no âmbito das diversas atividades acadêmicas, não apenas no contexto do enfrentamento da pandemia, como também nas projeções da nova realidade imposta por esta problemática. Contudo, observa-se ainda um cenário um tanto desarticulado na área, entre instituições significativamente diferentes, públicas e privadas.The COVID-19 pandemic has conduced to the adoption of measures that bring about changes in the routine and organization of work in universities. The virtual environments have been considered as vectors for undergraduate courses during pandemic addressing, and it’s necessary to produce reflection for this new context. The Rede Nacional de Ensino e Pesquisa em Terapia Ocupacional – RENETO (Brazilian Occupational Therapy Education and Research Association), Brazil, attentive to the issues involved in the formation and production of knowledge in the field, has been searching with peers for ways to carry out a complex reading of reality and, from this, create and implement strategies to be able to deal with the demands imposed, respecting the regionalities in which the undergraduate courses are running on. Thus, based on a survey carried out with the coordinators of Occupational Therapy courses, which aimed to understand how the undergraduate courses have adhered or not to teaching through digital platforms, this paper intends to reflect on decision making about pedagogical, ethical and political dimensions in the scope of academic activities not only in the context of pandemic, but also considering the projections of the new reality imposed by the pandemic. However, there is still a somewhat disjointed scenario in the area and realities significantly different, between public and private institutions

Desafios ‘práticos e reflexivos’ para os cursos de graduação em terapia ocupacional em tempos de pandemia

The COVID-19 pandemic has conduced to the adoption of measures that bring about changes in the routine and organization of work in universities. The virtual environments have been considered as vectors for undergraduate courses during pandemic addressing, and it’s necessary to produce reflection for this new context. The Rede Nacional de Ensino e Pesquisa em Terapia Ocupacional – RENETO (Brazilian Occupational Therapy Education and Research Association), Brazil, attentive to the issues involved in the formation and production of knowledge in the field, has been searching with peers for ways to carry out a complex reading of reality and, from this, create and implement strategies to be able to deal with the demands imposed, respecting the regionalities in which the undergraduate courses are running on. Thus, based on a survey carried out with the coordinators of Occupational Therapy courses, which aimed to understand how the undergraduate courses have adhered or not to teaching through digital platforms, this paper intends to reflect on decision making about pedagogical, ethical and political dimensions in the scope of academic activities not only in the context of pandemic, but also considering the projections of the new reality imposed by the pandemic. However, there is still a somewhat disjointed scenario in the area and realities significantly different, between public and private institutions.A pandemia de COVID-19 tem provocado a adoção de medidas que ocasionam a mudança na rotina e na organização do trabalho das universidades. Os ambientes virtuais vêm se apresentando como vetores para os cursos de graduação durante o enfrentamento da pandemia, sendo necessário produzir reflexões para este novo contexto. A Rede Nacional de Ensino e Pesquisa em Terapia Ocupacional – RENETO, Brasil, atenta as questões implicadas com a formação e produção de conhecimento da área, vem buscando junto aos pares maneiras de realizar uma leitura complexa da realidade e, a partir desta, criar e implementar estratégias que deem conta de atender as demandas impostas, respeitando as regionalidades em que os cursos de graduação estão inseridos. Assim, a partir de um levantamento realizado junto às coordenações de cursos de graduação em Terapia Ocupacional, a fim de compreender como os cursos de graduação têm aderido ou não à oferta de ensino por meio de plataformas digitais, o presente trabalho pretende refletir acerca das tomadas de decisões pedagógicas, éticas e políticas no âmbito das diversas atividades acadêmicas, não apenas no contexto do enfrentamento da pandemia, como também nas projeções da nova realidade imposta por esta problemática. Contudo, observa-se ainda um cenário um tanto desarticulado na área, entre instituições significativamente diferentes, públicas e privadas

Composição de fosfolipídios e resistência à vitrificação de blastocistos produzidos in vivo de uma raça de suíno naturalizada brasileira

Blastocistos de suínos foram submetidos ao MALDI-TOF para se identificarem os principais fosfolipídios (PL). Depois, parte destes embriões (D6) foram vitrificados (n=52), ou permaneceram frescos (grupo controle, n=42). Após o aquecimento, os blastocistos foram cultivados in vitro para se avaliar a reexpansão e a eclosão (BE) às 24 e 48 horas. Finalmente, às 48 horas, os BE foram submetidos ao RT-qPCR em busca dos genes BCL2A1, BAK, BAX e CASP3. No MALDI-TOF, a intensidade do íon foi expressa em unidades arbitrárias. O desenvolvimento embrionário foi comparado por qui-quadrado (P0,05) entre blastocistos frescos ou vitrificados às 24 (33,3%, 32,7%) e 48 horas (2,4%, 13,5%). As taxas de eclosão foram maiores (P 0.05) between fresh or vitrified blastocysts at 24 (33.3%; 32.7%) or 48 hours (2.4%; 13.5%). Hatching rates were higher (P< 0.05) for fresh compared to vitrified at 24 (66.7%; 15.4%) and 48 hours (97.6%; 36.0%). BAX was overexpressed (P< 0.05) after vitrification. In conclusion, Piau blastocysts can be cryopreserved by Cryotop. This study also demonstrated that the apoptotic pathway may be responsible for the low efficiency of porcine embryo cryopreservation

Exoplaneta WASP-2 A b: um estudo de viabilidade observacional no OAA/MACT-UEFS

The discovery of the first exoplanet outside the Solar System inaugurated a new field ofintense scientific investigation in Astronomy, opening up several perspectives for studiesthrough different techniques in observatories installed on the ground and in space. Thediscoveries made already accumulate, currently, more than 4500 exoplanets confirmed inmore than 3300 planetary systems. As part of the Scientific Initiation studies carried out at DFIS/UEFS, this contribution describes the main results related to the exoplanet WASP-2 A b, discovered in 2006 through the Planetary Transit technique. The photometric observations carried out at the Antares Astronomical Observatory - UEFS with the MEADE 10" LX200 GPS telescope, the CCD SBIG ST-7XME-D and the ExoPlanet-BB (Blue Block-ing) filter were sufficient to carry out a preliminary study of the light curve obtained withthe MaxIm DL software and confirm the feasibility of starting a potential observationalprogram with the now available small aperture telescopes: MEADE and CDK20.A descoberta do primeiro exoplaneta fora do Sistema Solar inaugurou um novo campo de intensa investigação científica na Astronomia, abrindo várias perspectivas de estudos através de técnicas diferenciadas em observatórios instalados no solo e no espaço. As descobertas realizadas já acumulam, atualmente, mais de 4500 exoplanetas confirmados em maisde 3300 sistemas planetários. Como parte dos estudos realizados de Iniciação Científica no DFIS/UEFS, esta contribuição descreve os principais resultados relacionados ao exoplaneta WASP-2 A b, descoberto em 2006 através da técnica de Trânsito Planetário. As observações fotométricas realizadas no Observatório Astronômico Antares - UEFS, com o telescópio MEADE 10" LX200 GPS, a CCD SBIG ST-7XME-D e o filtro ExoPlanet-BB (Blue Blocking), foram suficientes para realizar um estudo preliminar da curva de luz obtida com o software MaxIm DL e confirmar a viabilidade para o início de um potencial programa observacional com os telescópios de pequena abertura ora disponíveis: MEADE e CDK20

The TAL Effector PthA4 Interacts with Nuclear Factors Involved in RNA-Dependent Processes Including a HMG Protein That Selectively Binds Poly(U) RNA

Plant pathogenic bacteria utilize an array of effector proteins to cause disease. Among them, transcriptional activator-like (TAL) effectors are unusual in the sense that they modulate transcription in the host. Although target genes and DNA specificity of TAL effectors have been elucidated, how TAL proteins control host transcription is poorly understood. Previously, we showed that the Xanthomonas citri TAL effectors, PthAs 2 and 3, preferentially targeted a citrus protein complex associated with transcription control and DNA repair. To extend our knowledge on the mode of action of PthAs, we have identified new protein targets of the PthA4 variant, required to elicit canker on citrus. Here we show that all the PthA4-interacting proteins are DNA and/or RNA-binding factors implicated in chromatin remodeling and repair, gene regulation and mRNA stabilization/modification. The majority of these proteins, including a structural maintenance of chromosomes protein (CsSMC), a translin-associated factor X (CsTRAX), a VirE2-interacting protein (CsVIP2), a high mobility group (CsHMG) and two poly(A)-binding proteins (CsPABP1 and 2), interacted with each other, suggesting that they assemble into a multiprotein complex. CsHMG was shown to bind DNA and to interact with the invariable leucine-rich repeat region of PthAs. Surprisingly, both CsHMG and PthA4 interacted with PABP1 and 2 and showed selective binding to poly(U) RNA, a property that is novel among HMGs and TAL effectors. Given that homologs of CsHMG, CsPABP1, CsPABP2, CsSMC and CsTRAX in other organisms assemble into protein complexes to regulate mRNA stability and translation, we suggest a novel role of TAL effectors in mRNA processing and translational control

CD30-Positive Extracellular Vesicles Enable the Targeting of CD30-Negative DLBCL Cells by the CD30 Antibody-Drug Conjugate Brentuximab Vedotin

CD30, a member of the TNF receptor superfamily, is selectively expressed on a subset of activated lymphocytes and on malignant cells of certain lymphomas, such as classical Hodgkin Lymphoma (cHL), where it activates critical bystander cells in the tumor microenvironment. Therefore, it is not surprising that the CD30 antibody-drug conjugate Brentuximab Vedotin (BV) represents a powerful, FDA-approved treatment option for CD30(+) hematological malignancies. However, BV also exerts a strong anti-cancer efficacy in many cases of diffuse large B cell lymphoma (DLBCL) with poor CD30 expression, even when lacking detectable CD30(+) tumor cells. The mechanism remains enigmatic. Because CD30 is released on extracellular vesicles (EVs) from both, malignant and activated lymphocytes, we studied whether EV-associated CD30 might end up in CD30(-) tumor cells to provide binding sites for BV. Notably, CD30(+) EVs bind to various DLBCL cell lines as well as to the FITC-labeled variant of the antibody-drug conjugate BV, thus potentially conferring the BV binding also to CD30(-) cells. Confocal microscopy and imaging cytometry studies revealed that BV binding and uptake depend on CD30(+) EVs. Since BV is only toxic toward CD30(-) DLBCL cells when CD30(+) EVs support its uptake, we conclude that EVs not only communicate within the tumor microenvironment but also influence cancer treatment. Ultimately, the CD30-based BV not only targets CD30(+) tumor cell but also CD30(-) DLBCL cells in the presence of CD30(+) EVs. Our study thus provides a feasible explanation for the clinical impact of BV in CD30(-) DLBCL and warrants confirming studies in animal models