The program of Job Creation and Rental (PROGER) and the entrepreneurs of non-essential services during the pandemic moment.

The research investigated how the entrepreneurs of non-essential services of the town of Paranaguá/PR/Brazil have advantaged themselves through the Program of Job Creation and Rental (PROGER), in order to reduce the negative impacts caused by the pandemic on their business. The study has been submitted to the companies´ managers that are located in the job market for more than 03 (three) years, considering 03 (three) analysis categories: knowledge about the PROGER; struggle with raising funds; experience in other funding programs. For the data analysis, the Bardin´s substance analysis technique. The survey revealed that the entrepreneurs make little use of the program because of ignorance, lack of dissemination and the upper bureaucracy required for the funding contract

Audit of the national meal guidelines for home‐delivered and centre‐based meal programs

Objective To evaluate the impact of the National Meal Guidelines on service providers and caterers involved in home‐delivered and centre‐based meal programs in Australia. Methods An anonymous online survey was conducted to explore the uptake of the guidelines by participants and evaluate the impact on their practice. Closed questions were analysed using χ2 and Fisher\u27s exact tests, while open‐ended questions underwent thematic analysis to identify key themes. Results A total of 101 out of 441 participants completed the survey (response rate of 23.0%). Most participants (69%) were currently referring to the guidelines, particularly for nutrition guidelines, menu planning and auditing tools. Key barriers to implementation were cost, supplier compliance issues and lack of staff education. Conclusions The National Meal Guidelines have been successfully implemented in many services around Australia. Further research should investigate their impact on customer satisfaction and external supplier compliance

Application of Anaerobic Co-digestion of Brewery by-Products for Biomethane and Bioenergy Production in a Biorefinery Concept

This study investigated the anaerobic co-digestion (AcoD) of brewery by-products for biomethane and bioenergy recovery, focusing on operational performance evaluation, kinetic analysis, microbial metataxonomic, and metabolic function prediction. The biochemical methane potential was conducted under mesophilic (35 °C) and methanogenic conditions (pH 7.5) by mixing brewery wastewater and sludge from the brewery wastewater treatment plant (1:1, v/v), following the addition (2.5 – 12.5 %, w/v) of brewer’s spent grains (BSG). The results demonstrate that the highest methane yield (88.02 mL CH4/g TVS) was obtained with 12.5 % BSG, which was 20.66-fold higher than the control reactor operated with wastewater and sludge (4.26 mL CH4/g TVS). The bioenergy recovery from biomethane could generate electricity (0.348 kWh/kg TVS) and heat (1556 MJ/kg TVS), avoiding greenhouse gas emissions (0.114 kg CO2-eq/kg TVS). The microbial community dynamics revealed a predominance of Halobacterota, Chloroflexi, and Euryarchaeota phylum. The genera Methanosaeta and Methanobacterium, and the Anaerolineaceae family predominated in the AcoD process. The metabolic function prediction showed the presence of genes (K01895, K00193, K00625, and K00925) associated with the direct activation of acetate in the acetoclastic pathway and methane production. Finally, the data obtained provide a perspective on using brewery by-products for bioenergy production in a biorefinery concept, reducing the environmental impacts and contributing to the circular bioeconomy transition of the beer industry

The role of dietary intake of flavonoids and anthocyanins on vascular function, inflammation and other cardiovascular disease risk factors: From epidemiological to experimental evidence

Vascular health plays a major role in several human disorders, particularly in cardiovascular diseases (CVD) (1,2). The endothelium can be considered an organ that regulates vascular homeostasis by maintaining an appropriate vascular tone, platelet activity, leukocyte adhesion and angiogenesis. When one or more of these components is compromised due to impaired endothelial vascular signalling, endothelial dysfunction (ED) may occur (1). One of the main key metabolic manifestations of ED is reduced nitric oxide (NO) bioavailability. NO is an important signalling molecule that regulates various vascular processes, including through its main role as a vasodilator, acting through relaxation of smooth muscle cells (2,3). Impaired bioavailability of NO and up-regulation of various molecules involved in vascular function are partly explained by the cooperative and synergistic action of inflammation and oxidative stress on ED (4–6). This is particularly evident in older adults, as several studies support a new immune-metabolic viewpoint for age-related diseases, termed “inflammaging” which is characterized by a chronic low-grade inflammation (7). Thus, interventions aiming to regulate the immune response and to prevent the accumulation of deleterious reactive species, have been considered to be a relevant therapeutic target to improve vascular health (8). Nutrition plays a major role in regulating the inflammatory state and enhancing endogenous antioxidant defences (9). Many dietary patterns have been associated with the prevention of diseases associated with inflammation in epidemiological studies (10), while at the same time a large range of dietary interventions have been explored in clinical practice to treat pathological conditions such as ED (11). Flavonoids, a class of dietary polyphenols, are bioactive compounds that have potential to both prevent and treat conditions related to a pro- inflammatory and oxidative stress state (12,13). Meta-analysis of controlled trials and cohort 3 studies demonstrate a protective effect of flavonoid intake on CVD (14–18), particularly on hypertension (19,20). Anthocyanins, a subclass of flavonoids, are emerging as a potential therapeutic option for CVD risk factors (21). Anthocyanins are the largest class of water- soluble plant pigments, that are responsible for the blue, purple and red colour of many fruits and vegetables, such as blueberries, blackberries, red grapes, plums and eggplants (22). The beneficial effects of anthocyanins on CVD risk factors are related to their antioxidant and immunomodulatory effects, thereby attenuating the synergistic deleterious effects of oxidative stress and inflammation in CVD (21,23). In humans, anthocyanin intake has been shown to be associated with a lower risk of cardiovascular events (24,25). Intervention studies using anthocyanins have demonstrated improvements in vascular function (26) and biomarkers related to oxidative stress (27–30), as well as antioxidant status (28,30–32), lipid profile (33– 35) and inflammatory response (36,37) in both long-term and acute designs

The Postprandial Effect of Anthocyanins on Cardiovascular Disease Risk Factors: a Systematic Literature Review of High-Fat Meal Challenge Studies

© 2020, Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature. Purpose of review: Recurrent post-prandial metabolic imbalances are important contributing factors to the development of cardiovascular disease (CVD). This study evaluated whether anthocyanin consumption attenuates the deleterious postprandial response of high-fat meals on CVD risk factors including blood pressure, vascular endothelial function, lipid profile and biomarkers related to oxidative stress, antioxidant status and immune response. Recent findings: Five electronic databases were searched up to the period of 1 February 2020, yielding 13 eligible studies, including randomised or cross-over clinical trials (18–59 years of age), using PRISMA guidelines (PROSPERO registration: CRD42019126265). Potential bias was assessed using the revised Cochrane risk-of-bias tool for randomised trials. Beneficial effects of anthocyanins were reported in biomarkers of oxidative stress and antioxidant status in 6 out of 9 studies, and in 3 out of 6 studies for inflammatory response. Two positive results were found concerning attenuation of post-prandial endothelial dysfunction, increased triacylglycerol and total cholesterol exerted by the high fat meal. Blood pressure and lipoproteins were the parameters with least beneficial results. Summary: Our systematic literature review revealed beneficial effects of dietary anthocyanin interventions on CVD risk factors following a HFM challenge; however, heterogeneity in results exists. The most promising results were for the attenuation of deleterious postprandial effects on oxidative stress and antioxidant status, triacylglycerol and total cholesterol concentrations, vascular endothelial function and inflammatory biomarkers. Post-prandial changes in blood pressure and lipoproteins were least affected by anthocyanins. Further studies are required in order to better elucidate the post-prandial effects of anthocyanins and CVD risk factors

The impact of home-delivered meal services on the nutritional intake of community living older adults: a systematic literature review

Background: There is a global increase in populations aged over 65 years. Physiological changes that occur during ageing may increase the nutritional risk for older adults. To avoid malnutrition and address some of the barriers to obtain an adequate food supply, home-delivered meals services provide meals in the home or in congregate settings for older adults who require nutritional support. Methods: This systematic literature review explored whether nutritional intake is improved in community-living older adults when receiving meal services compared to when meal services are not received. Four electronic databases were searched up to 31 January 2019. In total, 13 original studies were included in this analysis with the components: intervention of home-delivered meal or congregate meal services to older adults; comparison with groups not receiving meal services or days not receiving the meal service; and nutritional intake as an outcome measured by food history, dietary recall and/or food frequency questionnaire. Results: The results supported a beneficial effect of home-delivered meals on dietary intake of energy, protein and/or certain micronutrients in older adults. Conclusions: The increased total energy intake is a positive influence on malnutrition risk in frail older adults and the increased protein intake supports good health, promotes recovery from illness and assists in maintaining functionality in older adults. Additionally, there was a particular increase in calcium intake, which is relevant in ageing, especially for bone health

Low anthocyanin plum nectar does not impact cognition, blood pressure and gut microbiota in healthy older adults: A randomized crossover trial

Queen Garnet plum (QGP), known for its high levels of anthocyanins, is a hybrid of the Japanese plum developed in Queensland, Australia. Anthocyanins provide the red, blue and purple pigments in plants with demonstrated beneficial health effects. This study hypothesized that low-dose anthocyanin QGP intake will have a significant positive effect on cognition, blood pressure and gut microbiota in healthy older adults. A randomized crossover trial was conducted to determine the effect and within subject variance on cognition and 24 hr. ambulatory blood pressure in older adults without cognitive impairment following daily consumption of 200 mL low-dose anthocyanin (5 mg/100 g) QGP nectar (intervention) or raspberry cordial (control). Secondary outcomes included inflammatory markers (C-reactive protein), nerve growth factor (BDNF), and gut microbiota (16S rRNA gene sequencing). Twenty-eight participants (55+ years) were recruited. Each randomized treatment arm lasted for eight weeks with a 4-week washout period. Cognition, blood pressure and urine samples were measured at each visit (five total) while blood and fecal samples collected at baseline, eight and 20 weeks. Repeated measures ANOVA was used to analyze the data. Across the treatments, no significant difference was observed for the different domains of cognition, blood pressure or anti-inflammatory biomarkers. No intervention effect was found for genera or class of gut microbes. Low anthocyanin nectar derived from the QGP did not have any significant effects on cognition, blood pressure or gut microbiota in healthy older adults