The Potential of Whey Protein in Food Packaging

Whey protein has great potential to produce biodegradable and edible packaging. A broader spectrum of properties, namely antioxidant and antimicrobial, can be achieved through the incorporation of substances, such as essential oils, intended to be released during food storage, as an active system.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Sublethal exposure to copper supresses the ability to acclimate to hypoxia in a model fish species

This is the final version. Available on open access from Elsevier via the DOI in this recordHypoxia is one of the major threats to biodiversity in aquatic systems. The association of hypoxia with nutrient-rich effluent input into aquatic systems results in scenarios where hypoxic waters could be contaminated with a wide range of chemicals, including metals. Despite this, little is known about the ability of fish to respond to hypoxia when exposures occur in the presence of environmental toxicants. We address this knowledge gap by investigating the effects of exposures to different levels of oxygen in the presence or absence of copper using the three-spined sticklebacks (Gasterosteus aculeatus) model. Fish were exposed to different air saturations (AS; 100%, 75% and 50%) in combination with copper (20 μg/L) over a 4 day period. The critical oxygen level (Pcrit), an indicator of acute hypoxia tolerance, was 54.64 ± 2.51% AS under control conditions, and 36.21 ± 2.14% when fish were chronically exposed to hypoxia (50% AS) for 4 days, revealing the ability of fish to acclimate to low oxygen conditions. Importantly, the additional exposure to copper (20 μg/L) prevented this improvement in Pcrit, impairing hypoxia acclimation. In addition, an increase in ventilation rate was observed for combined copper and hypoxia exposure, compared to the single stressors or the controls. Interestingly, in the groups exposed to copper, a large increase in variation in the measured Pcrit was observed between individuals, both under normoxic and hypoxic conditions. This variation, if observed in wild populations, may lead to selection for a tolerant phenotype and alterations in the gene pool of the populations, with consequences for their sustainability. Our findings provide strong evidence that copper reduces the capacity of fish to respond to hypoxia by preventing acclimation and will inform predictions of the consequences of global increases of hypoxia in water systems affected by other pollutants worldwide.University of ExeterCentre for Environment Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (Cefas)Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC)ONICYT-FONDECY

P-selectin glycoprotein ligand 1 promotes T cell lymphoma development and dissemination

P-selectin glycoprotein ligand-1 (PSGL-1) is a membrane-bound glycoprotein expressed in lymphoid and myeloid cells. It is a ligand of P-, E- and L-selectin and is involved in T cell trafficking and homing to lymphoid tissues, among other functions. PSGL-1 expression has been implicated in different lymphoid malignancies, so here we aimed to evaluate the involvement of PSGL-1 in T cell lymphomagenesis and dissemination. PSGL-1 was highly expressed at the surface of human and mouse T cell leukemia and lymphoma cell lines. To assess its impact on T cell malignancies, we stably expressed human PSGL-1 (hPSGL-1) in a mouse thymic lymphoma cell line, which expresses low levels of endogenous PSGL-1 at the cell surface. hPSGL-1-expressing lymphoma cells developed subcutaneous tumors in athymic nude mice recipients faster than control empty vector or parental cells. Moreover, the kidneys, lungs and liver of tumor-bearing mice were infiltrated by hPSGL-1-expressing malignant T cells. To evaluate the role of PSGL-1 in lymphoma cell dissemination, we injected intravenously control and hPSGL-1-expressing lymphoma cells in athymic mice. Strikingly, PSGL-1 expression facilitated disease infiltration of the kidneys, as determined by histological analysis and anti-CD3 immunohistochemistry. Together, these results indicate that PSGL-1 expression promotes T cell lymphoma development and dissemination to different organs.We thank Roger McEver, José M Almendral, Hind Medyouf, João T Barata and Neil D Perkins for providing reagents and cells, André Mozes (CBMR Flow Cytometry Unit) for technical assistance and Sara Miranda and Nuno Bastos for immunohistochemistry technical assistance. This work was supported by Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (Portugal), European Social Fund , European Regional Development Fund ( PTDC/SAU-OBD/103336/2008 , PTDC/MED-ONC/32592/2017 , UID/BIM/04773/2013 , NORTE-01-0145-FEDER-000029 and POCI-01-0145-FEDER-007274 grants, IF/00056/2012 contract to NRdS and SFRH/BD/147979/2019 fellowship to JLP), and Gilead Sciences Portugal (Programa Gilead GÉNESE PGG/038/2017 grant). The authors acknowledge the support of the i3S Scientific Platform Histology and Electron Microscopy , member of the national infrastructure PPBI - Portuguese Platform of Bioimaging ( PPBI-POCI-01-0145-FEDER-022122 ). We thank Roger McEver, Jos? M Almendral, Hind Medyouf, Jo?o T Barata and Neil D Perkins for providing reagents and cells, Andr? Mozes (CBMR Flow Cytometry Unit) for technical assistance and Sara Miranda and Nuno Bastos for immunohistochemistry technical assistance. This work was supported by Funda??o para a Ci?ncia e a Tecnologia (Portugal), European Social Fund, European Regional Development Fund (PTDC/SAU-OBD/103336/2008, PTDC/MED-ONC/32592/2017, UID/BIM/04773/2013, NORTE-01-0145-FEDER-000029 and POCI-01-0145-FEDER-007274 grants, IF/00056/2012 contract to NRdS and SFRH/BD/147979/2019 fellowship to JLP), and Gilead Sciences Portugal (Programa Gilead G?NESE PGG/038/2017 grant). The authors acknowledge the support of the i3S Scientific Platform Histology and Electron Microscopy, member of the national infrastructure PPBI - Portuguese Platform of Bioimaging (PPBI-POCI-01-0145-FEDER-022122)

Dataset on SARS-CoV-2 non-pharmaceutical interventions in Brazilian municipalities

Brazil has one of the fastest-growing COVID-19 epidemics worldwide. Non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) have been adopted at the municipal level with asynchronous actions taken across 5,568 municipalities and the Federal District. This paper systematises the fragmented information on NPIs reporting on a novel dataset with survey responses from 4,027 mayors, covering 72.3% of all municipalities in the country. This dataset responds to the urgency to track and share findings on fragmented policies during the COVID-19 pandemic. Quantifying NPIs can help to assess the role of interventions in reducing transmission. We offer spatial and temporal details for a range of measures aimed at implementing social distancing and the dates when these measures were relaxed by local governments

Can mothers rely on the Brazilian health system for their deliveries? An assessment of use of the public system and out-of-pocket expenditure in the 2004 Pelotas Birth Cohort Study, Brazil

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>In a country where comprehensive free health care is provided via a public health system (SUS), an unexpected high frequency of catastrophic out-of-pocket expenditure has been described. We studied how deliveries were financed among mothers of a birth cohort and whether they were an important source of household out-of-pocket expenditure.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>All deliveries occurring in the city of Pelotas, Brazil, during 2004, were recruited for a birth cohort study. All mothers were interviewed just after birth and three months later. Comprehensive data on the pregnancy, delivery, birth conditions and newborn health were collected, along with detailed information on expenses related to the delivery.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The majority of the deliveries (81%) were financed by the public health system, a proportion that increased to more than 95% among the 40% poorest mothers. Less than 1% of these mothers reported some out-of-pocket expenditure. Even among those mothers covered by a private health plan, nearly 50% of births were financed by the SUS. Among the 20% richest, a third of the deliveries were paid by the SUS, 50% by private health plans and 17% by direct payment.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The public health system offered services in quantity and quality enough to attract even beneficiaries of private health plans and spared mothers from the poorest strata of the population of practically any expense.</p

Complex Polysaccharide-Based Nanocomposites for Oral Insulin Delivery

Polyelectrolyte nanocomposites rarely reach a stable state and aggregation often occurs. Here, we report the synthesis of nanocomposites for the oral delivery of insulin composed of alginate, dextran sulfate, poly-(ethylene glycol) 4000, poloxamer 188, chitosan, and bovine serum albumin. The nanocomposites were obtained by Ca2+-induced gelation of alginate followed by an electrostatic-interaction process among the polyelectrolytes. Chitosan seemed to be essential for the final size of the nanocomposites and there was an optimal content that led to the synthesis of nanocomposites of 400–600 nm hydrodynamic size. The enhanced stability of the synthesized nanocomposites was assessed with LUMiSizer after synthesis. Nanocomposite stability over time and under variations of ionic strength and pH were assessed with dynamic light scattering. The rounded shapes of nanocomposites were confirmed by scanning electron microscopy. After loading with insulin, analysis by HPLC revealed complete drug release under physiologically simulated conditions