Evaluation of phenolic compounds and antioxidant activity of blueberries and modelization by artificial neural networks

The study aimed at evaluating the influence of different production conditions, conservation and extraction procedures on the total phenolic compounds and antioxidant activity of blueberries by DPPH and ABTS methods. The production factors considered were origin, altitude of the farm location and age of the bushes. The conservation conditions considered were freezing as opposed to the fresh product. The extraction procedures included two different solvents and two orders of extraction. The data analysis was carried out by training artificial neural networks to model the data and extract information from the model. The results obtained revealed that the type of extract and the order of extraction influenced the concentrations of phenolic compounds as well as the antioxidant activity of the different samples studied. Also the origin of the farms from where the blueberries were harvested significantly influence those properties, showing that the blueberries from Oliveira do Hospital had less phenolic compounds and lower antioxidant activity. Also older bushes at higher altitudes seem to produce berries richer in these properties. Regarding conservation, no influence was observed for phenols but a slight influence could be detected for antioxidant activity.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Artificial neural network modelling of the antioxidant activity and phenolic compounds of bananas submitted to different drying treatments

Bananas (cv. Musa nana and Musa cavendishii) fresh and dried by hot air at 50 and 70 °C and lyophilisation were analysed for phenolic contents and antioxidant activity. All samples were subject to six extractions (three with methanol followed by three with acetone/water solution). The experimental data served to train a neural network adequate to describe the experimental observations for both output variables studied: total phenols and antioxidant activity. The results show that both bananas are similar and air drying decreased total phenols and antioxidant activity for both temperatures, whereas lyophilisation decreased the phenolic content in a lesser extent. Neural network experiments showed that antioxidant activity and phenolic compounds can be predicted accurately from the input variables: banana variety, dryness state and type and order of extract. Drying state and extract order were found to have larger impact in the values of antioxidant activity and phenolic compounds

The role of spray-drying atmosphere on fridericia chica (bonpl.) L.G. Lohmann standardized extract production for wound healing activity

Fridericia chica (Bonpl.) L.G. Lohmann (synonym Arrabidaea chica Verlot) is widely used in Brazilian folk medicine. Considering overcoming pitfalls of scaling up production of plant extracts, herein the effects of N2 atmosphere for extract spray-drying process is reported. Samples were monitored by in vitro antioxidant activity and microbiological evaluation. The drying atmosphere influenced 3-deoxyanthocyanines content when using air as atomizing gas, decreasing carajurin (37.5%) content with concomitant increase in luteolin yield (24.1%). Both drying processes preserved the pharmacological activity. In the cell migration test with HaCaT cells, the extract dried under air flow (5 μg/mL) promoted wound closure by 78% (12 hours) whereas the extract dried using N2 flow promoted 49% (12 hours), with 98% closure (12 hours) for the positive control. The antimicrobial evaluation for Staphylococcus aureus did not differ within drying atmospheres, with MIC (minimum inhibitory concentration) at 0.39 mg/mL. Therefore, the drying process reported herein did not interfere with the biological activity’s outcome.The authors A.L.T.G.R.and M.A.F thank CNPq for research productivity fellowship. The authors also thank the Chemical, Biological, and Agricultural Pluridisciplinary Research Center (CPQBA/Unicamp) for the laboratory infrastructure. Sao Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP). This work was supported by the Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Education Personnel (CAPES, Brazil, Financing Code 001) and the National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq, Brazil, grant numbers # 132448/2016-5, # 132207/2017-6, # 429463/2018-9).Peer reviewe

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

Photography-based taxonomy is inadequate, unnecessary, and potentially harmful for biological sciences

The question whether taxonomic descriptions naming new animal species without type specimen(s) deposited in collections should be accepted for publication by scientific journals and allowed by the Code has already been discussed in Zootaxa (Dubois & Nemésio 2007; Donegan 2008, 2009; Nemésio 2009a–b; Dubois 2009; Gentile & Snell 2009; Minelli 2009; Cianferoni & Bartolozzi 2016; Amorim et al. 2016). This question was again raised in a letter supported by 35 signatories published in the journal Nature (Pape et al. 2016) on 15 September 2016. On 25 September 2016, the following rebuttal (strictly limited to 300 words as per the editorial rules of Nature) was submitted to Nature, which on 18 October 2016 refused to publish it. As we think this problem is a very important one for zoological taxonomy, this text is published here exactly as submitted to Nature, followed by the list of the 493 taxonomists and collection-based researchers who signed it in the short time span from 20 September to 6 October 2016

MAMMALS IN PORTUGAL : A data set of terrestrial, volant, and marine mammal occurrences in P ortugal

Mammals are threatened worldwide, with 26% of all species being includedin the IUCN threatened categories. This overall pattern is primarily associatedwith habitat loss or degradation, and human persecution for terrestrial mam-mals, and pollution, open net fishing, climate change, and prey depletion formarine mammals. Mammals play a key role in maintaining ecosystems func-tionality and resilience, and therefore information on their distribution is cru-cial to delineate and support conservation actions. MAMMALS INPORTUGAL is a publicly available data set compiling unpublishedgeoreferenced occurrence records of 92 terrestrial, volant, and marine mam-mals in mainland Portugal and archipelagos of the Azores and Madeira thatincludes 105,026 data entries between 1873 and 2021 (72% of the data occur-ring in 2000 and 2021). The methods used to collect the data were: live obser-vations/captures (43%), sign surveys (35%), camera trapping (16%),bioacoustics surveys (4%) and radiotracking, and inquiries that represent lessthan 1% of the records. The data set includes 13 types of records: (1) burrowsjsoil moundsjtunnel, (2) capture, (3) colony, (4) dead animaljhairjskullsjjaws, (5) genetic confirmation, (6) inquiries, (7) observation of live animal (8),observation in shelters, (9) photo trappingjvideo, (10) predators dietjpelletsjpine cones/nuts, (11) scatjtrackjditch, (12) telemetry and (13) vocalizationjecholocation. The spatial uncertainty of most records ranges between 0 and100 m (76%). Rodentia (n=31,573) has the highest number of records followedby Chiroptera (n=18,857), Carnivora (n=18,594), Lagomorpha (n=17,496),Cetartiodactyla (n=11,568) and Eulipotyphla (n=7008). The data setincludes records of species classified by the IUCN as threatened(e.g.,Oryctolagus cuniculus[n=12,159],Monachus monachus[n=1,512],andLynx pardinus[n=197]). We believe that this data set may stimulate thepublication of other European countries data sets that would certainly contrib-ute to ecology and conservation-related research, and therefore assisting onthe development of more accurate and tailored conservation managementstrategies for each species. There are no copyright restrictions; please cite thisdata paper when the data are used in publications.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Consenso brasileiro para o tratamento da esclerose múltipla : Academia Brasileira de Neurologia e Comitê Brasileiro de Tratamento e Pesquisa em Esclerose Múltipla

O crescent arsenal terapêutico na esclerose múltipla (EM) tem permitido tratamentos mais efetivos e personalizados, mas a escolha e o manejo das terapias modificadoras da doença (TMDs) tem se tornado cada vez mais complexos. Neste contexto, especialistas do Comitê Brasileiro de Tratamento e Pesquisa em Esclerose Múltipla e do Departamento Científico de Neuroimunologia da Academia Brasileira de Neurologia reuniram-se para estabelecer este Consenso Brasileiro para o Tratamento da EM, baseados no entendimento de que neurologistas devem ter a possibilidade de prescrever TMDs para EM de acordo com o que é melhor para cada paciente, com base em evidências e práticas atualizadas. Por meio deste documento, propomos recomendações práticas para o tratamento da EM, com foco principal na escolha e no manejo das TMDs, e revisamos os argumentos que embasam as estratégias de tratamento na EM.The expanding therapeutic arsenal in multiple sclerosis (MS) has allowed for more effective and personalized treatment, but the choice and management of disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) is becoming increasingly complex. In this context, experts from the Brazilian Committee on Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis and the Neuroimmunology Scientific Department of the Brazilian Academy of Neurology have convened to establish this Brazilian Consensus for the Treatment of MS, based on their understanding that neurologists should be able to prescribe MS DMTs according to what is better for each patient, based on up-to-date evidence and practice. We herein propose practical recommendations for the treatment of MS, with the main focus on the choice and management of DMTs, as well as present a review of the scientific rationale supporting therapeutic strategies in MS