Analysis of cocaine and nicotine metabolites in wastewater by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. Cross abuse index patterns on a major community

“NOTICE: this is the author’s version of a work that was accepted for publication in Science of the Total Environment. Changes resulting from the publishing process, such as peer review, editing, corrections, structural formatting, and other quality control mechanisms may not be reflected in this document. Changes may have been made to this work since it was submitted for publication. A definitive version was subsequently published in Science of the Total Environment, [VOL 487, (July 2014)] DOI 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2013.10.042."A method based on sample preparation by solid phase extraction and analysis by liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry was validated and used for simultaneous analysis of cocaine, benzoylecgonine and cotinine in samples collected at the major wastewater treatment plant in the city of Lisbon. The aim was to estimate the consumption of both cocaine and nicotine in this community and establish an index involving both drugs supported by the relevance of nicotine as a significant anthropogenic marker. The study was made on two different weekdays during a month in order to evaluate patterns of consumption outside weekends. Cocaine and nicotine ingestion levels were back-calculated and expressed as mass of pure drugs consumed per day and per 1000 inhabitants (mean: 0.604 g and 5.860 g respectively). Cocaine was also expressed on the basis of local drug purity levels (33.7%) with a corresponding increase on dose assessments, and community drug abuse profiles. The authors sustain that this approach should always be included in drug studies of this kind allowing a better drug abuse assessment. No significant different patterns of consumption were obtained during the working days studied with the exception of one case coincident with a national holiday that showed an increased typical profile found on other non-working day studies, namely weekends. A fairly significant relationship was found between nicotine and cocaine consumption that should be further evaluated in future studies. Pharmacokinetic considerations were made and proposed for cocaine assessment based on the impact on back calculations after common simultaneous consumption of cocaine and ethanol.

New perspectives on bioactivity of olive oil: evidence from animal models, human interventions and the use of urinary proteomic biomarkers

Olive oil (OO) is the primary source of fat in the Mediterranean diet and has been associated with longevity and a lower incidence of chronic diseases, particularly CHD. Cardioprotective effects of OO consumption have been widely related with improved lipoprotein profile, endothelial function and inflammation, linked to health claims of oleic acid and phenolic content of OO. With CVD being a leading cause of death worldwide, a review of the potential mechanisms underpinning the impact of OO in the prevention of disease is warranted. The current body of evidence relies on mechanistic studies involving animal and cell-based models, epidemiological studies of OO intake and risk factor, small- and large-scale human interventions, and the emerging use of novel biomarker techniques associated with disease risk. Although model systems are important for mechanistic research nutrition, methodologies and experimental designs with strong translational value are still lacking. The present review critically appraises the available evidence to date, with particular focus on emerging novel biomarkers for disease risk assessment. New perspectives on OO research are outlined, especially those with scope to clarify key mechanisms by which OO consumption exerts health benefits. The use of urinary proteomic biomarkers, as highly specific disease biomarkers, is highlighted towards a higher translational approach involving OO in nutritional recommendations

Adaptação do software TABWIN para caracterização das tipologias familiares no nordeste paraense.

O software TABWIN permitiu definir a seleção representativa (de 20% do total de 400 agricultores famílias). A seleção foi de acordo com o nível de complexidade, características e variáveis inerentes a cada um. A escolha dos tipos familiares foi feita a partir das analise das características previamente estabelecidas nas etapas iniciais (DI-hipóteses). Para tanto as informações foram combinadas e filtradas em função das diferentes combinações das variáveis, para que pudesse ter uma ampla caracterização e uma maior representatividade dos diferentes tipos familiares. Conclui-se que os tipos encontrados e caracterizados foram denominados de agroextrativista (12%), roceiro (35%), diversificado (22%), diarista (18%) e pequeno criador (13%)

Phytochemical Profile of Opuntia ficus-indica (L.) Mill Fruits (cv. ‘Orito’) Stored at Different Conditions

This research analyzed the phytochemical profile of prickly pear fruits from ‘Orito’ cultivar stored under cold conditions (2◦ C, 85–90% RH) and shelf-life conditions at room temperature (stored at 20◦ C for three days after cold storage) for 28 days, mimicking the product life cycle. A total of 18 compounds were identified and quantitated through HPLC-DAD-MS/MS (High-Performance Liquid Chromatographic-Diode Array Detector-Mass Spectrometry) analyses. Phenolic acids such as eucomic acid and betalains such as indicaxanthin were the predominant chemical families, and piscidic acid was the most abundant compound. During cold storage, the content of eucomic acid isomer/derivative and syringaresinol increased, and citric acid decreased, which could be caused by the cold activation of the phenylalanine ammonia-lyase (PAL) and polyphenol oxidase (PPO) enzymes. However, no significant differences were found in the content of these compounds during shelf-life storage. These results showed that ‘Orito’ fruit marketability would be possible up to 28 days after harvesting, retaining its profile, which is rich in bioactive compounds

Evaluation of cardiovascular protective effect of different apple varieties - Correlation of response with composition

NOTICE: this is the author’s version of a work that was accepted for publication in Food Chemistry. Changes resulting from the publishing process, such as peer review, editing, corrections, structural formatting, and other quality control mechanisms may not be reflected in this document. Changes may have been made to this work since it was submitted for publication. A definitive version was subsequently published in Food Chemistry, Vol. 135, Issue 4, 2012. DOI http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.foodchem.2012.07.067"Epidemiological evidence supports the concept that diets rich in fruits and vegetables promote health and attenuate or delay the onset of cardiovascular disease (CVD). In particular, a reduced risk of CVD has been associated with apple consumption, probably due to the cholesterol-lowering effect of the main bioactive compounds, namely fiber and polyphenols. In this work, the effect of diet supplementation with 20% of three Portuguese apple cultivars (Bravo de Esmolfe, Malápio Serra and Golden), containing distinct phenolic and fiber concentrations, on serum lipid profile and oxLDL of male Wistar rats fed a cholesterol-enriched diet (2%) was evaluated. After 30 days, only Bravo de Esmolfe apple was able to decrease significantly serum levels of triglycerides, total and LDL cholesterol concentrations (reductions of 27.2%, 21.0% and 20.4%, respectively, in relation to the cholesterol-enriched diet group, p<0.05) . The levels of oxLDL were also significantly improved with the consumption of this apple variety (reductions of 20.0% and 11.9%, in relation to the cholesterol-enriched diet group and control group, respectively, p>0.05) as well as with Malapio da Serra apple (reductions of 9.8% in relation to the cholesterol-enriched diet group, p<0.05). Correlation of the bioactive response with chemical composition showed that catechin, epicatechin, procyanidin B1 and -carotene are the major phytocompounds responsible for the cholesterol lowering ability of apples. The antioxidant potential may have also contributed to this beneficial effect.

Method development for measurement of elements in Hungarian red wines by inductivelvy coupled plasma optival emission spectrometry (ICP-OES)

ICP-OES (inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry) was used to determine the element content of red wines. Development of the method involves various procedures of sample handling as well as repeatability and reproducibility measurements. Measurements were made for the following 16 elements: Al, B, Ba, Ca, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, K, Mg, Mn, Na, P, Sr and Zn. The relative standard deviation of repeatability ranged from 0.41% (potassium) to 27% (cadmium) and that of reproducibility varied between 0.73% (boron) to 52% (cobalt). Recovery of the elements was determined by standard addition with results ranging from 90.6% (phosphorus) to 116.2% (boron). After that, 15 red wine samples were measured. Significant differences were found in the Al, B, Ca, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, K, Mg, Mn, Na, P, Sr and Zn (P<0.001) concentration of wine samples. Correlation studies revealed parallel changes in phosphorus-potassium, phosphorus-magnesium and zinc-manganese concentrations (r=0.857, 0.875, 0.838). According to principal component analysis, measurements of zinc-, sodium-, boron-, copper- and strontium content gave almost the same results as obtained with 16 different elements. According to a two dimensional non-linear map of absolute values of principal component analysis, wines from Szekszárd and Eger could be differentiated, whereas the analysis of wines from Villány, the Mátra Mountains and Lake Balaton showed overlapping results

Análise de crescimento de progênies da bacabi (Oenocarpus mapora Kasten) em sistemas agroflorestais.

Bacabi (Oenocarpus mapora Kasten) é uma palmeira nativa da Amazônia que é utilizada na alimentação humana para a confecção do refresco da polpa de seus frutos. Objetivou-se na pesquisa analisar a taxa de crescimento de altura e diâmetro de 38 progenies de bacabi, em sistemas agoflorestais (SAF). O experimento foi desenvolvido na Comunidade de Campo Limpo no Município de Santo Antônio do Tauá-Pará, entre os meses de janeiro a abril de 2006. O SAF foi composto por mandioca, cupuaçu, banana, bacabi e pau-rosa. Foram analisadas 38 progênies de polinização aberta, com delineamento em blocos ao acaso, com duas repetições e cinco plantas por parcela. A taxa de crescimento absoluto (TCA) foi representada pela variação, ou incremento entre duas avaliações 12 e 30 meses após o plantio, sendo calculadas posteriormente a taxa de crescimento absoluto da altura de plantas (TCAA) e a taxa de crescimento absoluto do diâmetro de plantas (TCAD). As progênies de bacabi foram avaliadas aos 30 meses, a análise mostrou que em relação a TCAA as médias variaram de 0,14 a 0,42 cm/dia, sendo que os maiores valores foram registrados nas progênies 002 e 009 provenientes da Embrapa, com médias de 0,41 e 0,42 cm/dia, respectivamente, atingindo crescimento rápido e precoce. Para o caráter TCAD, as médias oscilaram entre 0,01 a 0,07 mm/dia com média de 0,03 mm/dia. O crescimento em altura e diâmetro das progênies em SAF foi considerado rápido, sendo diferenciados pelas diferentes procedências e características genéticas das progênies.Editores técnicos: Roberto Porro, Milton Kanashiro, Maria do Socorro Gonçalves Ferreira, Leila Sobral Sampaio e Gladys Ferreira de Sousa

Evaluating the presence of lycopene-enriched extracts from tomato on topical emulsions: Physico-chemical characterization and sensory analysis

UIDB/QUI/50006/2020 UIDB/04138/2020 UIDP/04138/2020 PTDC/SAU-SER/30197/2017LISBOA-01-0145-FEDER-030197 IF/01146/2015One of the new trends of personal care industry is the use of organic ingredients derived from nature, in particular, from food-processing residues with proven efficacy. Lycopene is a carotenoid responsible for the red color of several fruits, namely tomato, whose antioxidant and photoprotective effects have been studied. Methods: Lycopene-enriched extracts (LEE) were obtained from tomato waste using supercritical CO2 extraction, incorporated in microemulsions and macroemulsions for topical use, and characterized through GC-MS for the identification of volatile compounds. The aim of this work was to evaluate the impact of the presence of lycopene-enriched extracts developed emulsions through the identification of volatile compounds and by a sensory analysis to assess the odor and color perception and the acceptability of such semi-solid systems as cosmetic products. Results: Volatile compounds were identified in the extract and in the formulations containing the extract. Preliminary data show that the odor of both LEE-loaded microemulsions and LEE-loaded macroemulsions was classified as undefined. The information about the composition did not modify the odor perception but increased the acceptability of some cosmetic products. LEE conferred a yellowish color to formulations, and the information about the formulation composition increased the likelihood of different cosmetic products with this color being bought. Conclusions: The commercialization of personal care products does not only dependent on the associated organoleptic properties, but is influenced by the information about the composition, namely by the presence of an antioxidant compound.publishersversionpublishe