Nutritional profiling, fiber content and in vitro bioactivities of wheat-based biscuits formulated with novel ingredients

This study evaluated the nutritional profile and fiber content of innovative formulations of wheat-based biscuits enriched with chia seeds, carob flour and coconut sugar. The in vitro antioxidant, cytotoxic, anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial activities were also investigated to understand the potential health advantages of the incorporation of these new ingredients. The novel biscuits demonstrated significant improvements in protein and mineral content, with increases of 50% and 100% in chia biscuits, and up to 20% and 40% in carob biscuits, respectively. Fiber also notably increased, particularly in samples containing 10% carob flour, which increased four times as compared to wheat-based samples. The new ingredients exhibited antibacterial and antifungal activity, particularly against Yersinia enterocolitica (minimum inhibitory concentration 1.25 mg mL(-1) in coconut sugar) and Aspergillus fumigatus (minimum inhibitory concentration/minimum fungicidal concentrations 2.5/5 mg mL(-1) in chia seeds). However, the final biscuits only displayed antifungal properties. Carob flour and chia seeds had a remarkably high capacity to inhibit the formation of TBARS and promoted greater antioxidant activity in biscuit formulations, with EC50 values decreasing from 23.25 mg mL(-1) (control) to 4.54 mg mL(-1) (15% defatted ground chia seeds) and 1.19 mg mL(-1) (10% carob flour). Only chia seeds exhibited cellular antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and cytotoxic activity, attributes that were lost when seeds were added into the biscuits. These findings highlight the potential health benefits of these ingredients, particularly when incorporated in new wheat-based formulations.This work was supported by the Community of Madrid and European funding from FSE and FEDER programs (project S2018/BAA-4393, AVANSECAL-II-CM). The authors are grateful to the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT, Portugal) for financial support by national funds FCT/MCTES CIMO (UIDB/00690/2020 and UIDP/00690/2020) and SusTEC (LA/P/0007/2020); national funding by FCT, P.I., through the institutional scientific employment program-contract for L. Barros and R. Calhelha contracts, through the individual scientific employment program-contract for E. Pereira (2021.03908.CEECIND). C. Caleja are grateful to the VIIAFOOD-Plataforma de Valorizac & atilde;o, Industrializac & atilde;o e Inovac & atilde;o comercial para o AgroAlimentar project for her contract (No. C644929456-00000040), a project supported under the PRR (https://www.recuperarportugal.gov.pt; accessed in 22 July 2023), and financed by the European Union/Next Generation EU. project for her contract.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Predicting the distribution of canine leishmaniasis in western Europe based on environmental variables.

The domestic dog is the reservoir host of Leishmania infantum, the causative agent of zoonotic visceral leishmaniasis endemic in Mediterranean Europe. Targeted control requires predictive risk maps of canine leishmaniasis (CanL), which are now explored. We databased 2187 published and unpublished surveys of CanL in southern Europe. A total of 947 western surveys met inclusion criteria for analysis, including serological identification of infection (504, 369 dogs tested 1971-2006). Seroprevalence was 23 2% overall (median 10%). Logistic regression models within a GIS framework identified the main environmental predictors of CanL seroprevalence in Portugal, Spain, France and Italy, or in France alone. A 10-fold cross-validation approach determined model capacity to predict point-values of seroprevalence and the correct seroprevalence class (20%). Both the four-country and France-only models performed reasonably well for predicting correctly the 20% seroprevalence classes (AUC >0 70). However, the France-only model performed much better for France than the four-country model. The four-country model adequately predicted regions of CanL emergence in northern Italy (<5% seroprevalence). Both models poorly predicted intermediate point seroprevalences (5-20%) within regional foci, because surveys were biased towards known rural foci and Mediterranean bioclimates. Our recommendations for standardizing surveys would permit higher-resolution risk mapping

Bee Venom-Loaded Niosomes as Innovative Platforms for Cancer Treatment: Development and Therapeutical Efficacy and Safety Evaluation

Despite past efforts towards therapeutical innovation, cancer remains a highly incident and lethal disease, with current treatments lacking efficiency and leading to severe side effects. Hence, it is imperative to develop new, more efficient, and safer therapies. Bee venom has proven to have multiple and synergistic bioactivities, including antitumor effects. Nevertheless, some toxic effects have been associated with its administration. To tackle these issues, in this work, bee venom-loaded niosomes were developed, for cancer treatment. The vesicles had a small (150 nm) and homogeneous (polydispersity index of 0.162) particle size, and revealed good therapeutic efficacy in in vitro gastric, colorectal, breast, lung, and cervical cancer models (inhibitory concentrations between 12.37 ng/mL and 14.72 ng/mL). Additionally, they also revealed substantial anti-inflammatory activity (inhibitory concentration of 28.98 ng/mL), effects complementary to direct antitumor activity. Niosome safety was also assessed, both in vitro (skin, liver, and kidney cells) and ex vivo (hen’s egg chorioallantoic membrane), and results showed that compound encapsulation increased its safety. Hence, small, and homogeneous bee venom-loaded niosomes were successfully developed, with substantial anticancer and anti-inflammatory effects, making them potentially promising primary or adjuvant cancer therapies. Future research should focus on evaluating the potential of the developed platform in in vivo models.The present study was supported by the Research and Development Project grant 2022. 05270.PTDC, national funds FCT/MCTES (PIDDAC), CIMO funds (UIDB/00690/2020 and UIDP/ 00690/2020) and SusTEC funds (LA/P/0007/2021), supported by Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia I.P. (FCT, Portugal). The authors are also grateful to Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia I.P. (FCT, Portugal) for contracts’ financial support through the institutional scientific employment program-contract for Soraia I. Falcão and Ricardo C. Calhelha.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Physical and morphological characterization of chitosan/montmorillonite films incorporated with ginger essential oil

This work was supported by CNPq - Brazil (grant number 200790/2014-5) and the MEtRICs unit which is financed by national funds from FCT/MCTES (UID/EMS/04077/2019). This work was also supported by the Associate Laboratory for Green Chemistry-LAQV which is financed by national funds from FCT/MCTES (UID/QUI/50006/2019) and UCIBIO, which is funded by national funds from FCT/MCTES (UID/Multi/04378/2019). It is also acknowledged the funding of CENIMAT by FEDER through the program COMPETE 2020 and National Funds through FCT-Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology, under the project UID/CTM/50025/2019.Novel bionanocomposite films of chitosan/montmorillonite (CS/MMT) activated with ginger essential oil (GEO) were produced and characterized in terms of their physical and morphological properties. The homogenization process led to a good interaction between the chitosan and the nanoparticles, however the exfoliation was diminished when GEO was incorporated. Film glass transition temperature did not statistically change with the incorporation of either MMT or GEO, however the value was slightly reduced, representing a relaxation in the polymer chain which corroborated with the mechanical and barrier properties results. Pristine chitosan films showed excellent barrier properties to oxygen with a permeability of 0.184 × 10-16 mol/m·s·Pa being reduced to half (0.098 × 10-16 mol/m·s·Pa) when MMT was incorporated. Although the incorporation of GEO increased the permeability values to 0.325 × 10-16 mol/m·s·Pa when 2% of GEO was integrated, this increment was smaller with both MMT and GEO (0.285 × 10-16 mol/m·s·Pa). Bionanocomposites also increased the UV light barrier. Thus, the produced bioplastics demonstrated their ability to retard oxidative processes due to their good barrier properties, corroborating previous results that have shown their potential in the preservation of foods with high unsaturated fat content.publishersversionpublishe

Association between active genes occurs at nuclear speckles and is modulated by chromatin environment

Genes on different chromosomes can be spatially associated in the nucleus in several transcriptional and regulatory situations; however, the functional significance of such associations remains unclear. Using human erythropoiesis as a model, we show that five cotranscribed genes, which are found on four different chromosomes, associate with each other at significant but variable frequencies. Those genes most frequently in association lie in decondensed stretches of chromatin. By replacing the mouse α-globin gene cluster in situ with its human counterpart, we demonstrate a direct effect of the regional chromatin environment on the frequency of association, whereas nascent transcription from the human α-globin gene appears unaffected. We see no evidence that cotranscribed erythroid genes associate at shared transcription foci, but we do see stochastic clustering of active genes around common nuclear SC35-enriched speckles (hence the apparent nonrandom association between genes). Thus, association between active genes may result from their location on decondensed chromatin that enables clustering around common nuclear speckles

MicroRNA-210 Regulates Mitochondrial Free Radical Response to Hypoxia and Krebs Cycle in Cancer Cells by Targeting Iron Sulfur Cluster Protein ISCU

BACKGROUND: Hypoxia in cancers results in the upregulation of hypoxia inducible factor 1 (HIF-1) and a microRNA, hsa-miR-210 (miR-210) which is associated with a poor prognosis. METHODS AND FINDINGS: In human cancer cell lines and tumours, we found that miR-210 targets the mitochondrial iron sulfur scaffold protein ISCU, required for assembly of iron-sulfur clusters, cofactors for key enzymes involved in the Krebs cycle, electron transport, and iron metabolism. Down regulation of ISCU was the major cause of induction of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in hypoxia. ISCU suppression reduced mitochondrial complex 1 activity and aconitase activity, caused a shift to glycolysis in normoxia and enhanced cell survival. Cancers with low ISCU had a worse prognosis. CONCLUSIONS: Induction of these major hallmarks of cancer show that a single microRNA, miR-210, mediates a new mechanism of adaptation to hypoxia, by regulating mitochondrial function via iron-sulfur cluster metabolism and free radical generation

The Assessment for Disinvestment of Intramuscular Interferon Beta for Relapsing-Remitting Multiple Sclerosis in Brazil

In Brazil, inclusion and exclusion of health technologies within the Unified Health System (SUS) is the responsibility of the National Committee for Health Technology Incorporation (CONITEC). A recent Cochrane systematic review demonstrated that intramuscular interferon beta 1a (IFN-beta-1a-IM) was inferior to the other beta interferons (IFN-beta s) for multiple sclerosis (MS). As a result, CONITEC commissioned an analysis to review possible disinvestment within SUS. The objective of this paper is to describe the disinvestment process for IFN-beta-1a-IM in Brazil. The first assessment comprised a literature review and mixed treatment comparison meta-analysis. The outcome of interest was the proportion of relapse-free patients in 2 years. This analysis confirmed the inferiority of IFN-beta-1a-IM. Following this, CONITEC recommended disinvestment, with the decision sent for public consultation. More than 3000 contributions were made on CONITEC's webpage, most of them against the preliminary decision. As a result, CONITEC commissioned a study to assess the effectiveness of IFN-beta-1a-IM among Brazilian patients in routine clinical care. The second assessment involved an 11-year follow-up of a non-concurrent cohort of 12,154 MS patients developed by deterministic-probabilistic linkage of SUS administrative databases. The real-world assessment further demonstrated that IFN-beta-1a-IM users had a statistically higher risk of treatment failure, defined as treatment switching or relapse treatment or death, with the assessment showing that IFN-beta-1a-IM was inferior to the other IFN-beta s and to glatiramer acetate in both direct and indirect analysis. In the drug ranking with 40,000 simulations, IFN-beta-1a-IM was the worst option, with a success rate of only 152/40,000. Following this, CONITEC decided to exclude the intramuscular presentation of IFN-beta from the current MS treatment guidelines, giving patients who are currently on this treatment the option of continuing until treatment failure. In conclusion, we believe this is the first example of this new disinvestment process in action, providing an exemplar for other treatments in Brazil as well as other countries.Ministry of Health of BrazilUniv Fed Minas Gerais, Fac Farm, SUS Collaborating Ctr Technol Assessment & Excell, Sala 1042,Ave Presidente Antonio Carlos 6627, BR-31270901 Belo Horizonte, MG, BrazilUniv Fed Minas Gerais, Fac Med, Programa Posgrad Saude Publ, Sala 533,Ave Porf Alfredo Balena 190,Campus Saude, BR-30130100 Belo Horizonte, MG, BrazilUniv Fed Minas Gerais, Fac Farm, Programa Posgrad Medicamentos & Assistencia Farma, Sala 1023,Ave Presidente Antonio Carlos 6627, BR-31270901 Belo Horizonte, MG, BrazilInst Nacl Cardiol, Nucleo Avaliacao Tecnol Saude, R Laranjeiras 374, BR-22240006 Rio De Janeiro, RJ, BrazilMinist Saude, Dept Gestao & Inc Tecnol Saude, Secretaria Ciencia Tecnol & Insumos Estrateg, Esplanada Minist Bloco G, BR-70058900 Brasilia, DF, BrazilUniv Fed Sao Paulo, Programa Posgrad Saude Baseada Evidencias, Rua Botucatu 740,3 Andar, BR-04023900 Sao Paulo, SP, BrazilKarolinska Inst, Karolinska Univ Hosp Huddinge, Div Clin Pharmacol, S-14186 Stockholm, SwedenUniv Strathclyde, Strathclyde Inst Pharm & Biomed Sci, 161 Cathedral St, Glasgow G4 0RE, Lanark, ScotlandUniv Liverpool, Sch Management, Ctr Hlth Econ, Liverpool, Merseyside, EnglandUniv Fed Sao Paulo, Programa Posgrad Saude Baseada Evidencias, Rua Botucatu 740,3 Andar, BR-04023900 Sao Paulo, SP, BrazilMinistry of Health of Brazil: TED 78/2015, BR/LOA 1500033.001Web of Scienc

Germline MUTYH (MYH) mutations in portuguese individuals with multiple colorectal adenomas

Germinal mutations in the base excision repair (BER) gene MUTYH (MYH) have recently been described in association with predisposition to multiple colorectal adenomas and cancer. In contrast to the classic dominant condition of familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP) due to germinal mutations in the APC gene, the MYH polyposis is an autosomal recessive disease. The identification of individuals affected by MYH polyposis brings new and important implications for the diagnostic, screening, genetic counseling, follow up and therapeutic options in these patients. In this study, screening for germinal mutations in the MYH gene was performed in 53 Portuguese individuals with multiple colorectal adenomas or classic adenomatous polyposis, in whom no mutation had been identified in the APC gene. The results revealed the presence of biallelic germline MYH mutations in 21 patients. In addition, we here report 3 mutations (c.340T>C [p.Y114H]; c.503G>A [p.R168H]; and c.1186_1187insGG [p.E396fsX437]) which, to our knowledge, have not been previously described. © 2004 Wiley-Liss, Incinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Atrial fibrillation as a new prognosis factor in chronic patients after hospitalization: the CHRONIBERIA index

A collaborative project in different areas of Spain and Portugal was designed to find out the variables that influence the mortality after discharge and develop a prognostic model adapted to the current healthcare needs of chronic patients in an internal medicine ward. Inclusion criteria were being admitted to an Internal Medicine department and at least one chronic disease. Patients’ physical dependence was measured through Barthel index (BI). Pfeiffer test (PT) was used to establish cognitive status. We conducted logistic regression and Cox proportional hazard models to analyze the influence of those variables on one-year mortality. We also developed an external validation once decided the variables included in the index. We enrolled 1406 patients. Mean age was 79.5 (SD = 11.5) and females were 56.5%. After the follow-up period, 514 patients (36.6%) died. Five variables were identified as significantly associated with 1 year mortality: age, being male, lower BI punctuation, neoplasia and atrial fibrillation. A model with such variables was created to estimate one-year mortality risk, leading to the CHRONIBERIA. A ROC curve was made to determine the reliability of this index when applied to the global sample. An AUC of 0.72 (0.7–0.75) was obtained. The external validation of the index was successful and showed an AUC of 0.73 (0.67–0.79). Atrial fibrillation along with an advanced age, being male, low BI score, or an active neoplasia in chronic patients could be critical to identify high risk multiple chronic conditions patients. Together, these variables constitute the new CHRONIBERIA index

The measurement of beta-hCG in trophoblastic disease as a biologic marker : experience of a clinic

A dosagem periódica dos níveis séricos de gonadotrofina coriônica (fração beta) por radioimunoensaio tem sido apontada como método eficaz para o seguimento de casos de doença trofoblástica gestacional. O estudo de 36 pacientes com essa patologia confirmou a excelência do método como auxiliar diagnóstico e, principalmente, como critério de cura e alerta nos casos de recidiva. A perfeita correlação clínica das dosagens seriadas observada nos casos estudados mostrou-se de grande utilidade e segurança para o seguimento de pacientes com doença trofoblástica gestacional.The serial human chorionicgonadotropin (beta-hCG) titer analysis in the serum by radioimmunoassay (RIA) has been indicated as an efficient method for the follow-up of trophoblastic disease cases. The study of 36 patients with the diagnosis of trophoblastic disease confirmed the supremacy of this method as a standard of recovery and warning of recurrence and also as a useful diagnostic aid. The correlation between clinical signs and symptoms and serial beta-hCG titers in the cases investigated, indicated the value of this method in follow-up of patients of trophoblastic disease