Baby Cassava: An Alternative Marketing Strategy for Freshly Cut Cassava

There are many procedures for obtaining minimally processed fruits and vegetables, aiming at adding value and maintaining the quality for a longer period. Cassava is a root that adapts to minimum processing technology, because the tissues are more resistant, what helps in obtaining different cut shapes and formats. However, it is a root susceptible to browning and microbiological contamination. In this chapter, methodologies and procedures are described to obtain alternative formats for minimally processed cassava, which was generally denominated “babycassava”, called “babytolete”, “cateto”, and “rubiene”. Besides that, some preharvest and postharvest factors that influence the shape and quality of “babycassava” formats will be addressed. It was verified that preharvest factors could influence the quantitative and qualitative aspects, resulting in browning of the minimally processed root. Some of the factors studied seem to regulate key enzymes in which they mediate oxidative reactions that cause browning, such as polyphenol oxidase and peroxidase, and other enzymes that participate in the reactive oxygen species (ROS) elimination process. In this way, the turning stage of “babycassava” manufacturing removes the parenchyma, minimizing the effect of browning-related enzymes

The invasive red palm mite, Raoiella indica Hirst (Acari: Tenuipalpidae), in Brazil: range extension and arrival into the most threatened area, the Northeast Region.

Na publicação: Denise Navia; Elisangela G. F. de Morais

Erythrina velutina Willd. alkaloids: Piecing biosynthesis together from transcriptome analysis and metabolite profiling of seeds and leaves

Introduction: Natural products of pharmaceutical interest often do not reach the drug market due to the associated low yields and difficult extraction. Knowledge of biosynthetic pathways is a key element in the development of biotechnological strategies for plant specialized metabolite production. The scarce studies regarding non-model plants impair advances in this field. Erythrina spp. are mainly used as central nervous system depressants in folk medicine and are important sources of bioactive tetracyclic benzylisoquinoline alkaloids, which can act on several pathology-related biological targets. Objective: Herein the purpose is to employ combined transcriptome and metabolome analyses (seeds and leaves) of a non-model medicinal Fabaceae species grown in its unique arid natural habitat. The study tries to propose a putative biosynthetic pathway for the bioactive alkaloids by using an omic integrated approach. Methods: The Next Generation Sequencing-based transcriptome (de novo RNA sequencing) was carried out in a Illumina NextSeq 500 platform. Regarding the targeted metabolite profiling, Nuclear Magnetic Resonance and the High-Performance Liquid Chromatography coupled to a micrOTOF-QII, High Resolution Mass Spectrometer, were used. Results: This detailed macro and micromolecular approach applied to seeds and leaves of E. velutina revealed 42 alkaloids by metabolome tools. Based on the combined evidence, 24 gene candidates were put together in a putative pathway leading to the singular alkaloid diversity of this species. Conclusion: These results contribute by indicating potential biotechnological targets Erythrina alkaloids biosynthesis as well as to improve molecular databases with omic data from a non-model medicinal plant. Furthermore, they reveal an interesting chemical diversity in Erythrina velutina harvested in Caatinga. Last, but not least, this data may also contribute to tap Brazilian biodiversity in a rational and sustainable fashion, promoting adequate public policies for preservation and protection of sensitive areas within the Caatinga

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

Análise clínica e histológica de feridas cirúrgicas de cadelas tratadas com um composto fitoterápico de Calendula officinalis, Aloe vera, Symphytum officinale L., Vitis vinifera, D-Pantenol e Benzoato de Denatônio®

Esse experimento teve como objetivo avaliar o potencial cicatricial de uma loção fitoterápica formulada com Calendula officinalis – 1,0%, Aloe vera – 1,0%, Symphytum officinale L. – 1,0%, Vitis vinifera – 1,0%, D-Pantenol – 3,0% e Benzoato de Denatônio – 0,02%, (PSK Repair System®) que foi aplicada topicamente sobre feridas cirúrgicas de cadelas. O grupo experimental foi composto por 30 cadelas que foram submetidas à ovariohisterectomia (OH), sendo realizada uma incisão de cinco centímetros na linha abdominal ventral para acesso cirúrgico, e a ferida foi dividida em duas partes iguais de 2,5 cm. No pós-operatório foi aplicada diariamente, durante sete dias, sobre a parte cranial a loção fitoterápica (Grupo Tratado - GT), enquanto que na parte caudal foi aplicada uma loção à base de vaselina (Grupo Controle - GC). Com sete (D7), 14 (D14) e 21 (D21) dias foram escolhidas aleatoriamente cinco pacientes de cada grupo para realização de análise macroscópica da ferida cirúrgica e exame histopatológico. Clinicamente se observou que no GT houve melhora no processo de reparação tecidual, fato esse que foi reforçado pelo exame histopatológico no qual foi possível observar que a presença de infiltrados mononucleares foi menor, enquanto que a presença de fibroblastos e neovascularização se apresentaram de forma mais efetiva que no GC. Diante dos achados, conclui-se que a loção fitoterápica agiu sobre a ferida cirúrgica ajudando no reparo tecidual, suscitando subsídios científicos que fundamentem seu uso como cicatrizante na rotina cirúrgica veterinária

Portuguese guidelines for the use of biological agents in rheumatoid arthritis - March 2010 update.

The authors present the revised version of the Portuguese Society of Rheumatology (SPR) guidelines for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) with biological therapies. In these guidelines the criteria for introduction and maintenance of biological agents are discussed as well as the contraindications and procedures in the case of non-responders. Biological treatment should be considered in RA patients with a disease activity score 28 (DAS 28) superior to 3.2 despite treatment with 20mg/week of methotrexate (MTX) for at least 3 months or, if such treatment is not possible, after 6 months of other conventional disease modifying drug or combination therapy. A DAS 28 score between 2.6 and 3.2 with a significant functional or radiological deterioration under treatment with conventional regimens could also constitute an indication for biological treatment. The treatment goal should be remission or, if that is not achievable, at least a low disease activity, characterized by a DAS28 lower than 3.2, without significative functional or radiological worsening. The response criteria, at the end of the first 3 months of treatment, are a decrease of 0.6 in the DAS28 score. After 6 months of treatment response criteria is defined as a decrease of more than 1.2 in the DAS28 score. Non-responders, in accordance to the Rheumatologist's clinical opinion, should try a switch to another biological agent (tumour necrosis factor antagonist, abatacept, rituximab or tocilizumab).publishersversionpublishe