Phytochemical and bioactive potentials of African Annonaceae species

This review aims to gather available information on the medicinal, nutritional, and bioactive profiles of Annonaceae species in the African continent, sponsoring their use worldwide and mainly in African communities, where access to food and medicines for basic health care is scarce. >60 medicinal taxa were compiled, belonging to 22 genera, namely Annickia, Annona, Anonidium, Artabotrys, Cleistochlamys, Cleistopholis, Dennettia, Duguetia, Greenwayodendron, Hexalobus, Isolona, Lettowianthus, Monanthotaxis, Monodora, Neostenanthera, Polyceratocarpus, Sphaerocoryne, Uvaria, Uvariastrum, Uvariodendron, Uvariopsis and Xylopia; the most diverse and economically important genera were the genera Annona, Uvaria and Xylopia with 7 species each. Annonaceae species hold a valuable nutritional profile, rich in proteins, fibers, and minerals, being also good sources of a wide range of bioactive compounds of high biological relevance. These compounds are especially important in developing countries, where most of these species are available for direct use as food and/or medicines by the most deprived populations.The authors are grateful to the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT, Portugal) for financial support from the FCT/MCTES (PIDDAC) national funds to CIMO (UIDB/00690/2020 (DOI: 10.54499/UIDB/00690/2020) and UIDP/00690/2020 (DOI: 10.54499/UIDP/00690/2020)), SusTEC (LA/P/0007/2020 (DOI: 10.54499/LA/P/0007/2020)), LEAF (UIDB/04129/2020 and UIDP/04129/2020) and cE3c (UIDB/00329/2020 (DOI: 10.54499/UIDB/00329/2020)) and for the national funding by FCT and P.I. in the form of the institutional scientific employment program for the contracts of ˆA. Fernandes (DOI: 10.54499/CEECINST/00016/2018/CP1505/CT0008), and the PhD fellowships PRT/BD/152088/2021 and 2021.04585.BD of J. Rangel and ˆA. Liberal, respectively. S. Catarino was funded by GenoCash Project (PTDC/ASP-AGR/0760/2020).info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Synthesis of Catechol Derived Rosamine Dyes and Their Reactivity toward Biogenic Amines

Functional organic dyes play a key role in many fields, namely in biotechnology and medical diagnosis. Herein, we report two novel 2,3- and 3,4-dihydroxyphenyl substituted rosamines (3 and 4, respectively) that were successfully synthesized through a microwave-assisted protocol. The best reaction yields were obtained for rosamine 4, which also showed the most interesting photophysical properties, specially toward biogenic amines (BAs). Several amines including n- and t-butylamine, cadaverine, and putrescine cause spectral changes of 4, in UV–Vis and fluorescence spectra, which are indicative of their potential application as an effective tool to detect amines in acetonitrile solutions. In the gas phase, the probe response is more expressive for spermine and putrescine. Additionally, we found that methanolic solutions of rosamine 4 and n-butylamine undergo a pink to yellow color change over time, which has been attributed to the formation of a new compound. The latter was isolated and identified as 5 (9−aminopyronin), whose solutions exhibit a remarkable increase in fluorescence intensity together with a shift toward more energetic wavelengths. Other 9-aminopyronins 6a, 6b, 7a, and 7b were obtained from methanolic solutions of 4 with putrescine and cadaverine, demonstrating the potential of this new xanthene entity to react with primary amines.Financial support from PT national funds (FCT/MCTES, Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia and Ministério da Ciência, Tecnologia e Ensino Superior) through the project PTDC/QUI-QOR/29426/2017. The research team would like to thank the projects UIDB/50006/2020, PTDC/QUI-QIN/28142/2017 and Grant BU263P18 (from the Junta de Castilla y León, Consejería de Educación y Cultura y Fondo Social Europeo). F. M. -S. gratefully acknowledges FCT (Portugal’s Foundation for Science and Technology) within grant DFA/BD/9136/2020. A.M.G.S. and A.L. thank FCT for the program DL 57/2016 – Norma transitória

Exploring physicochemical and cytogenomic diversity of African cowpea and common bean

In sub-Saharan Africa, grain legumes (pulses) are essential food sources and play an important role in sustainable agriculture. Among the major pulse crops, the native cowpea (Vigna unguiculata) and introduced common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris) stand out. This paper has two main goals. First, we provide a comprehensive view of the available genetic resources of these genera in Africa, including data on germplasm collections and mapping biodiversity-rich areas. Second, we investigate patterns of physicochemical and cytogenomic variation across Africa to explore the geographical structuring of variation between native and introduced beans. Our results revealed that 73 Vigna and 5 Phaseolus species occur in tropical regions of Africa, with 8 countries accounting for more than 20 native species. Conversely, germplasm collections are poorly represented when compared to the worldwide collections. Regarding the nuclear DNA content, on average, V. unguiculata presents significantly higher values than P. vulgaris. Also, V. unguiculata is enriched in B, Mg, S, and Zn, while P. vulgaris has more Fe, Ca, and Cu. Overall, our study suggests that the physicochemical and cytogenomic diversity of native Vigna species is higher than previously thought, representing valuable food resources to reduce food insecurity and hunger, particularly of people living in African developing countriesinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Risk Factors for Sporadic Shiga Toxin–producing Escherichia coli Infections in Children, Argentina1

These infections can be prevented by avoiding known risk factors

Estimating the Incidence of Typhoid Fever and Other Febrile Illnesses in Developing Countries

To measure the incidence of typhoid fever and other febrile illnesses in Bilbeis District, Egypt, we conducted a household survey to determine patterns of health seeking among persons with fever. Then we established surveillance for 4 months among a representative sample of health providers who saw febrile patients. Health providers collected epidemiologic information and blood (for culture and serologic testing) from eligible patients. After adjusting for the provider sampling scheme, test sensitivity, and seasonality, we estimated that the incidence of typhoid fever was 13/100,000 persons per year and the incidence of brucellosis was 18/100,000 persons per year in the district. This surveillance tool could have wide applications for surveillance for febrile illness in developing countries

Is there a common water-activity limit for the three domains of life?

Archaea and Bacteria constitute a majority of life systems on Earth but have long been considered inferior to Eukarya in terms of solute tolerance. Whereas the most halophilic prokaryotes are known for an ability to multiply at saturated NaCl (water activity (a w) 0.755) some xerophilic fungi can germinate, usually at high-sugar concentrations, at values as low as 0.650-0.605 a w. Here, we present evidence that halophilic prokayotes can grow down to water activities of <0.755 for Halanaerobium lacusrosei (0.748), Halobacterium strain 004.1 (0.728), Halobacterium sp. NRC-1 and Halococcus morrhuae (0.717), Haloquadratum walsbyi (0.709), Halococcus salifodinae (0.693), Halobacterium noricense (0.687), Natrinema pallidum (0.681) and haloarchaeal strains GN-2 and GN-5 (0.635 a w). Furthermore, extrapolation of growth curves (prone to giving conservative estimates) indicated theoretical minima down to 0.611 a w for extreme, obligately halophilic Archaea and Bacteria. These were compared with minima for the most solute-tolerant Bacteria in high-sugar (or other non-saline) media (Mycobacterium spp., Tetragenococcus halophilus, Saccharibacter floricola, Staphylococcus aureus and so on) and eukaryotic microbes in saline (Wallemia spp., Basipetospora halophila, Dunaliella spp. and so on) and high-sugar substrates (for example, Xeromyces bisporus, Zygosaccharomyces rouxii, Aspergillus and Eurotium spp.). We also manipulated the balance of chaotropic and kosmotropic stressors for the extreme, xerophilic fungi Aspergillus penicilloides and X. bisporus and, via this approach, their established water-activity limits for mycelial growth (∼0.65) were reduced to 0.640. Furthermore, extrapolations indicated theoretical limits of 0.632 and 0.636 a w for A. penicilloides and X. bisporus, respectively. Collectively, these findings suggest that there is a common water-activity limit that is determined by physicochemical constraints for the three domains of life

Demostraciones prácticas para la promoción de las titulaciones de Grado en Química y Grado en Ingeniería Química

Memoria ID12-0251. Ayudas de la Universidad de Salamanca para la innovación docente, curso 2012-2013

Implementación del método del caso en docencia virtual para asignaturas prácticas y teóricas del Grado en Química y del Grado en Ingeniería Química de la Facultad de Ciencias Químicas

Memoria ID-0073. Ayudas de la Universidad de Salamanca para la innovación docente, curso 2014-2015

Diversidade das espécies da familia Leguminosae com potencial agrícola em Angola

Mestrado em Sistemas Agrários Tropicais: produção, sociedade e políticas (MESAT) - Instituto Superior de AgronomiaLeguminosae, a maior família da flora de Angola, conta com mais de 1.000 espécies largamente distribuídas pelos seus principais habitats. Apresentam uma grande diversidade de plantas, desde árvores a herbáceas. Tendo em conta os objetivos da FAO em termos de segurança alimentar, por um lado “ajudar a eliminar a fome, a insegurança alimentar e a desnutrição” e, por outro, “tornar a agricultura mais produtiva”, o principal objetivo desta dissertação é promover o valor e a utilização das leguminosas para garantia da segurança alimentar e nutricional e contribuir para uma agricultura sustentável em Angola. Para esse fim, usou-se uma abordagem abrangente, começando-se pela caracterização do sector agrícola e avaliação da importância das leguminosas (Capítulo 2), em que se revela um contributo crescente deste sector para o desenvolvimento sustentável do país e diversificação da economia; sendo um instrumento privilegiado no combate à fome e à pobreza com grande foco no cultivo de leguminosas. Seguiu-se o estudo das espécies de leguminosas mais vendidas nos mercados locais, tendo a província de Malanje como área de estudo (Capítulo 3); apurou-se o feijão como sendo um dos produtos locais mais vendidos, potenciando a renda mensal dos vendedores e, concomitantemente o acesso a melhor qualidade de vida. Finalmente, culminou-se com a caracterização da diversidade específica, nutricional e físico – química das espécies do género Vigna nativas em Angola (Capítulo 4), que comparativamente com Phaseolus apresenta um teor nutricional superior, revelando-se uma forte fonte proteica para a população angolana. Deste modo, conclui-se que o sistema agrário em Angola é um motor desenvolvimento económico e social em ascensão, sendo as leguminosas, mais concretamente o feijão, não só a maior fonte de renda como a maior fonte proteica local. Desta forma contribuiu-se com novo conhecimento para a valorização e conservação das espécies nativas, de modo impedir o desaparecimento de espécies únicas existentes na flora de AngolaN/