Active Coated PLA-PHB Film with Formulations Containing a Commercial Olive Leaf Extract to Improve Quality Preservation of Fresh Pork Burgers

Since fresh meat is often subject to several degradation reactions that decrease its safety and quality until it is considered unacceptable, the release of bioactive compounds into meat products may be a good option to slow down oxidation and extend its shelf-life by a few days. Therefore, this study aimed to test the application on fresh pork burgers of a PLA-PHB film coated with two different coating formulations (methylcellulose, MC and chitosan, CT), both containing a commercial olive leaf extract OL, to evaluate their effect on meat quality preservation. Samples were tested at 0, 2, 5, 7, 9, 12, and 14 days after packing for microbial, chemical, and sensory evaluations. Except for the chitosan-only formulation, all tested formulations (MC, MC+OL and CT+OL) adhered well to the PLA-PHB base without the use of specific treatments. Meat packed with the different coatings maintained a slightly brighter red colour than the control samples and, as a result, deteriorated more slowly. In the evaluation of lipid oxidation, the CT+OL coating showed lower mean values of mg MDA/kg meat, which were significantly different from the other samples, especially on the 7th and 9th day of storage. Moreover, the CT+OL coating showed a slight slowdown in Enterobacteriaceae growth, revealing promising results in maintaining the meat quality longer

Influence of Chitin Nanocrystals on the Crystallinity and Mechanical Properties of Poly(hydroxybutyrate) Biopolymer

This study focuses on the use of pilot-scale produced polyhydroxy butyrate (PHB) biopolymer and chitin nanocrystals (ChNCs) in two different concentrated (1 and 5 wt.%) nanocomposites. The nanocomposites were compounded using a twin-screw extruder and calendered into sheets. The crystallization was studied using polarized optical microscopy and differential scanning calorimetry, the thermal properties were studied using thermogravimetric analysis, the viscosity was studied using a shear rheometer, the mechanical properties were studied using conventional tensile testing, and the morphology of the prepared material was studied using optical microscopy and scanning electron microscopy. The results showed that the addition of ChNCs significantly affected the crystallization of PHB, resulting in slower crystallization, lower overall crystallinity, and smaller crystal size. Furthermore, the addition of ChNCs resulted in increased viscosity in the final formulations. The calendering process resulted in slightly aligned sheets and the nanocomposites with 5 wt.% ChNCs evaluated along the machine direction showed the highest mechanical properties, the strength increased from 24 to 33 MPa, while the transversal direction with lower initial strength at 14 MPa was improved to 21 MPa.Validerad;2022;Nivå 2;2022-02-18 (johcin)</p

Pre-existing and treatment-emergent autoimmune cytopenias in patients with CLL treated with targeted drugs

Autoimmune cytopenias (AIC) affect 5-9% of patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). Targeted drugs - ibrutinib, idelalisib and venetoclax - have a prominent role in the treatment of CLL, but their impact on CLL-associated AIC is largely unknown. In this study, we evaluated the characteristics and outcome of pre-existing AIC, and described the incidence, quality and management of treatment-emergent AIC during therapy with targeted drugs in patients with CLL. We collected data from 572 patients treated with ibrutinib (9% in combination with an anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody), 143 treated with idelalisib-rituximab and 100 treated with venetoclax (12% in combination with an anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody). A history of pre-existing AIC was reported in 104/815 patients (13%). Interestingly, 80% of patients whose AIC was not resolved at the time of targeted drug start experienced an improvement or a resolution during therapy. Treatment-emergent AIC occurred in 1% of patients during ibrutinib therapy, in 0.9% during idelalisib and in 7% during venetoclax, with an estimated incidence rate of 5, 6 and 69 episodes per 1000 patients per year of exposure in the three treatment groups, respectively. The vast majority of patients who developed treatment-emergent AIC carried unfavorable biological features such as an unmutated IGHV, and a del(17p) and/or TP53 mutation. Notably, despite AIC, 83% of patients were able to continue the targeted drug, in some cases in combination with additional immunosuppressive agents. Overall, treatment with ibrutinib, idelalisib and venetoclax appears to have a beneficial impact on CLL-associated AIC, inducing an improvement or even a resolution of pre-existing AIC in most cases and eliciting treatment-emergent AIC in a negligible portion of patients

Increased interregional virus exchange and nucleotide diversity outline the expansion of chikungunya virus in Brazil

Abstract The emergence and reemergence of mosquito-borne diseases in Brazil such as yellow fever, zika, chikungunya, and dengue have had serious impacts on public health. Concerns have been raised due to the rapid dissemination of the chikungunya virus across the country since its first detection in 2014 in Northeast Brazil. In this work, we carried out on-site training activities in genomic surveillance in partnership with the National Network of Public Health Laboratories that have led to the generation of 422 chikungunya virus genomes from 12 Brazilian states over the past two years (2021–2022), a period that has seen more than 312 thousand chikungunya fever cases reported in the country. These genomes increased the amount of available data and allowed a more comprehensive characterization of the dispersal dynamics of the chikungunya virus East-Central-South-African lineage in Brazil. Tree branching patterns revealed the emergence and expansion of two distinct subclades. Phylogeographic analysis indicated that the northeast region has been the leading hub of virus spread towards other regions. Increased frequency of C > T transitions among the new genomes suggested that host restriction factors from the immune system such as ADAR and AID/APOBEC deaminases might be driving the genetic diversity of the chikungunya virus in Brazil