Black soldier fly as a New chitin source: Extraction, purification and molecular/structural characterization

Black Soldier Fly (BSF) represents a potential chitin source that has not been fully explored in terms of characterization, extraction, and purification. In this study, different chemical and enzymatic protocols with or without pre-treatment (ultrasonication and mechanochemical milling) for chitin extraction were tested. Chitin was then accurately quantified and characterized from a molecular and structural point of view by UPLC-MS, XRD, and ESEM, and compared with chitin from shrimp shells. BSF chitin was more recalcitrant than shrimp chitin during extraction and purification, due to the strong binding of chitin to proteins. Indeed, the purity of shrimp chitin was 88.3g/100g of extract, while BSF chitin purity was 47.6–79.9g/100g. Furthermore, the chitin-bound proteins had a defined amino acid composition; their binding was also confirmed by structural characterization. Therefore, the efficiency of each step of the extraction process needs to be critically evaluated to adapt the methods used for crustaceans to insect biomass

Art for ages: the effects of group music making on the wellbeing of nursing home residents

In many countries, life expectancy has increased considerably in past years, and the importance of finding ways to ensure good levels of wellbeing through aging has become more important than ever. Arts based interventions are promising in this respect, and the literature suggests that musical activities can reduce isolation and anxiety and foster feelings of achievement and self-confidence. The present study examined the effects of group music making programs on the health and wellbeing of nursing home residents in Southern Switzerland. A team of professional and student musicians delivered 10 weekly music sessions in four nursing homes, focusing on singing, rhythm-based activities with percussion instruments, and listening to short, live performances. 22 participants (16 women and 6 men, aged 72-95 years, mean 83.6, SD ± 6.9) were recruited to take part in the study and were interviewed after the last music session. The data were analyzed with thematic analysis to investigate how residents experienced group music making and its effects. The findings show that the music programs were beneficial for residents’ wellbeing. Music plays an important role in their lives, both in their pasts and presently, and being involved in musical activities offers engagement and novelty in daily life, providing learning opportunities and facilitating interpersonal relationships. Moreover, these results were due to interactions with the musicians involved. Residents particularly appreciated the opportunity to listen to live performances as part of the sessions. This study suggests that nursing home residents value music and that music based interventions play an important and direct role in enhancing their wellbeing

The communication chain of genetic risk: analyses of narrative data exploring proband-provider and proband-family communication in hereditary breast and ovarian cancer

Low uptake of genetic services among members of families with hereditary breast and ovarian cancer (HBOC) suggests limitations of proband-mediated communication of genetic risk. This study explored how genetic information proceeds from healthcare providers to probands and from probands to relatives, from the probands' perspectives. Using a grounded-theory approach, we analyzed narrative data collected with individual interviews and focus groups from a sample of 48 women identified as carriers of HBOC-associated pathogenic variants from three linguistic regions of Switzerland. The findings describe the "communication chain", confirming the difficulties of proband-mediated communication. Provider-proband communication is impacted by a three-level complexity in the way information about family communication is approached by providers, received by probands, and followed-up by the healthcare system. Probands' decisions regarding disclosure of genetic risk are governed by dynamic and often contradictory logics of action, interconnected with individual and family characteristics, eventually compelling probands to engage in an arbitrating process. The findings highlight the relevance of probands' involvement in the communication of genetic risk to relatives, suggesting the need to support them in navigating the complexity of family communication rather than replacing them in this process. Concrete actions at the clinical and health system levels are needed to improve proband-mediated communication

Patient-reported experiences of cancer care related to the COVID-19 pandemic in Switzerland.

This study aims to describe the experience of Swiss oncological patients during the COVID-19 pandemic. A national multi-center study including five hospitals covering the three main language regions of Switzerland was conducted between March and July 2021. Patients with melanoma, breast, lung, or colon cancer receiving active systemic anti-cancer treatment at the time of the COVID-19 pandemic were included. We conducted semi-structured telephone or onsite interviews alongside the administration of distress and resilience-validated questionnaires. Thematic analysis was performed for the qualitative data and descriptive statistics for the quantitative data. Sixty-two cancer patients with a mean age of 61 (SD=14) (58% female) were interviewed. Based on the interviews, we identified that the experience of having cancer during the COVID-19 pandemic was related to five dimensions: psychological, social, support, healthcare, and vaccination. Three themes transverse the five dimensions: (a) needs, (b) positive changes, and (c) phases of the pandemic. In general, patients did not experience delays or disruptions in their cancer treatment nor felt additionally burdened by the pandemic. Lockdown and isolation were reported as mixed experiences (positive and negative), and access to vaccination reassured patients against the risk of infection and instilled hope to return to normalcy. Additionally, we found low distress levels (M=2.9; SD=2.5) and high resilience scores (M=7; SD=1.3) in these patients. Swiss patients with cancer did not express major needs or disruptions in their care during this period of the COVID-19 pandemic. Results identify the mixed experiences of patients and highlight the high resilience levels

BEM-ESTAR DE PEIXES E A QUESTÃO DA SENCIÊNCIA

In Brazil, as well as in other parts ofthe World, the concern about fish welfare is in itsinitials steps. Fish welfare, if compared to the welfareof other species of farm animals, is practically anabsent topic for consumers, producers and currentlaw. However, anatomic, physiologic, behavioral,evolutive and pharmacologic evidences suggestthat fish experience feelings such as pain, fear andothers, in ways that are similar to other vertebrates.This suggests that fish are potentially capable ofexperiencing suffering and other feelings; in otherwords, that fish are sentient. The objective of thisreview was to discuss pain and consciousnessin fish, in order to collaborate with sentienceunderstanding in these animals. Once fishes arerecognized as sentient beings, these animals arethen included into ethical considerations regardingthe avoidance of suffering infliction.No Brasil, assim como em outras partes do mundo, a preocupação com o bem-estar dos peixes encontra-se em seus passos iniciais. O bem-estar de peixes, se comparado com o bem-estar de outras espécies de animais de produção, é um tópico praticamente ausente para consumidores, produtores e legislação vigente. Porém, as evidências anatômicas, fisiológicas, comportamentais,evolutivas e farmacológicas sugerem que os peixes experimentam sentimentos como dor, medo e outros de maneira similar aos demais vertebrados. Isso sugere que os peixes têm potencialmente a capacidade de sofrer e apresentar outros sentimentos, ou seja, que os peixes são seres sencientes. Esta revisão teve como objetivo discutir aspectos referentes à dor e à presença de consciência nos peixes, visando colaborar com o entendimento da senciência nesses animais. Uma vez reconhecida a senciência em peixes, estes animais são incluídos nas considerações éticas acerca de não serem submetidos a sofrimento

Mutational and copy number asset of primary sporadic neuroendocrine tumors of the small intestine

Small intestine neuroendocrine tumors (SI-NETs) represent the most common histotype among small intestine neoplasms, and metastatic disease is usually present at diagnosis. A retrospective series of 52 sporadic primary surgically resected SI-NETs, which were metastatic at diagnosis, was analyzed by high-coverage target sequencing (HCTS) for the mutational status of 57 genes and copy number status of 40 genes selected from recently published genome sequencing data. Seven genes were found to be recurrently mutated: CDKN1B (9.6%), APC and CDKN2C (each 7.7%), BRAF, KRAS, PIK3CA, and TP53 (each 3.8%). Copy number analysis showed frequent allelic loss of 4 genes located on chromosome 18 (BCL2, CDH19, DCC, and SMAD4) in 23/52 (44.2%) and losses on chromosomes 11 (38%) and 16 (15%). Other recurrent copy number variations were gains for genes located on chromosomes 4 (31%), 5 (27%), 14 (36%), and 20 (20%). Univariate survival analysis showed that SRC gene copy number gains were associated with a poorer prognosis (p = 0.047). Recurrent copy number variations are important events in SI-NET and SRC may represent a novel prognostic biomarker for this tumor type

The Communication Chain of Genetic Risk: Analyses of Narrative Data Exploring Proband-Provider and Proband-Family Communication in Hereditary Breast and Ovarian Cancer.

Low uptake of genetic services among members of families with hereditary breast and ovarian cancer (HBOC) suggests limitations of proband-mediated communication of genetic risk. This study explored how genetic information proceeds from healthcare providers to probands and from probands to relatives, from the probands' perspectives. Using a grounded-theory approach, we analyzed narrative data collected with individual interviews and focus groups from a sample of 48 women identified as carriers of HBOC-associated pathogenic variants from three linguistic regions of Switzerland. The findings describe the "communication chain", confirming the difficulties of proband-mediated communication. Provider-proband communication is impacted by a three-level complexity in the way information about family communication is approached by providers, received by probands, and followed-up by the healthcare system. Probands' decisions regarding disclosure of genetic risk are governed by dynamic and often contradictory logics of action, interconnected with individual and family characteristics, eventually compelling probands to engage in an arbitrating process. The findings highlight the relevance of probands' involvement in the communication of genetic risk to relatives, suggesting the need to support them in navigating the complexity of family communication rather than replacing them in this process. Concrete actions at the clinical and health system levels are needed to improve proband-mediated communication

Genomic evaluation of Coffea arabica and its wild relative Coffea racemosa in Mozambique: settling resilience keys for the Coffee crop in the context of climate change

Climate change is negatively affecting the coffee value chain, with a direct effect on approximately 100 million people from 80 countries. This has been attributed to the high vulnerability of the two-mainstream species, Coffea arabica and Coffea canephora, to extreme weather events, with notable uneven increases in market prices. Taking into account the narrow genetic plasticity of the commercial coffee cultivars, wild-relatives and underutilized Coffea species are valuable genetic resources. In this work, we have assessed the occurrence of Coffea species in to understand the degree of genetic relationships between Coffea species in the country, as well as the patterns of genetic diversity, differentiation, and genetic structure. Only one wild species was found, C. racemosa, which showed a high level of genetic separation with C. arabica, based on plastid, as well as SSR and SNP analysis. C. arabica presented low levels of diversity likely related to their autogamous nature, while the allogamous C. racemosa presented higher levels of diversity and heterozygosity. The analysis of the functional pathways based on SNPs suggests that the stress signaling pathways are more robust in this species. This novel approach shows that it is vital to introduce more resilient species and increase genomic diversity in climate-smart practices.This researchwas funded by by Camões, Instituto da Cooperação e da Língua (CICL), Agência Brasileira de Cooperação (ABC), and ParqueNacional da Gorongosa (PNG), under the Triangular Project TriCafé (GorongosaCoffee), and by Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia, I.P. (FCT)info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Short-wavelength infrared photodetector on Si employing strain-induced growth of very tall InAs nanowire arrays

One-dimensional crystal growth enables the epitaxial integration of III-V compound semiconductors onto a silicon (Si) substrate despite significant lattice mismatch. Here, we report a short-wavelength infrared (SWIR, 1.4-3 mu m) photodetector that employs InAs nanowires (NWs) grown on Si. The wafer-scale epitaxial InAs NWs form on the Si substrate without a metal catalyst or pattern assistance; thus, the growth is free of metal-atom-induced contaminations, and is also cost-effective. InAs NW arrays with an average height of 50 mu m provide excellent anti-reflective and light trapping properties over a wide wavelength range. The photodetector exhibits a peak detectivity of 1.9 x 10(8) cm.Hz(1/2)/W for the SWIR band at 77 K and operates at temperatures as high as 220 K. The SWIR photodetector on the Si platform demonstrated in this study is promising for future low-cost optical sensors and Si photonicsopen0