Monitoring fructooligossacharides production using Aspergillus aculeatus by HPLC ELSD

Fructooligosaccharides (FOS) are present in plants and fruits at low concentrations, thus their extraction from natural sources may not be economically viable for a large scale industrial application. Therefore, FOS production by fermentation using fungi can be an alternative. In this work, FOS were produced using Aspergillus aculeatus at different sucrose initial concentrations (88 to 265 g/L) and at temperatures from 22 to 32ºC. FOS production was monitored by HPLC-ELSD, allowing to confirm that the initial sucrose concentration significantly influenced biomass growth (a maximum value of 16 ± 2 g was achieved) although it did not significantly affect the maximum FOS yield (amount of FOS produced per initial sucrose) obtained, which varied from 51 to 59 g/g) obtained, which varied from 51 to 59 g/g. Finally, the preliminary results enabled verifying that depending on the fermentation conditions, slightly different FOS production profiles were obtained (Figure 1), revealing differences in the individual FOS concentrations (i.e., 1-kestose, nystose and fructofuranosylnystose), which could be of interest since it has been reported that the beneficial health effects of FOS may depend on the relative FOS composition.This work was also financially supported by Project POCI-01–0145-FEDER-006984–Associate Laboratory LSRE-LCM, UID/AGR/00690/2013 –CIMO and UID/BIO/04469/2013 funded by FEDER - Fundo Europeu de Desenvolvimento Regional through COMPETE2020-Programa Operacional Competitividade e Internacionalização (POCI) – and by national funds through FCT - Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia, Portugal.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Portuguese recommendations for the use of biological and targeted synthetic diseasemodifying antirheumatic drugs in patients with rheumatoid arthritis – 2020 update

Objective: To update the recommendations for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) with biological and targeted synthetic disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (bDMARDs and tsDMARDs), endorsed by the Portuguese Society of Rheumatology (SPR). Methods: These treatment recommendations were formulated by Portuguese rheumatologists taking into account previous recommendations, new literature evidence and consensus opinion. At a national meeting, in a virtual format, three of the ten previous recommendations were re-addressed and discussed after a more focused literature review. A first draft of the updated recommendations was elaborated by a team of SPR rheumatologists from the SPR rheumatoid arthritis study group, GEAR. The resulting document circulated among all SPR rheumatologists for discussion and input. The level of agreement with each of all the recommendations was anonymously voted online by all SPR rheumatologists. Results: These recommendations cover general aspects such as shared decision, treatment objectives, systematic assessment of disease activity and burden and its registry in Reuma.pt. Consensus was also achieved regarding specific aspects such as initiation of bDMARDs and tsDMARDs, assessment of treatment response, switching and definition of persistent remission. Conclusion: These recommendations may be used for guidance of treatment with bDMARDs and tsDMARDs in patients with RA. As more evidence becomes available and more therapies are licensed, these recommendations will be updated.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Monitoring fructooligossacharides production using Aspergillus aculeatus by HPLC-ELSD

Fructooligosaccharides (FOS) are present in plants and fruits at low concentrations, thus their extraction from natural sources may not be economically viable for a large scale industrial application. Therefore, FOS production by fermentation using fungi can be an alternative. In this work, FOS were produced using Aspergillus aculeatus at different sucrose initial concentrations (88 to 265 g/L) and at temperatures from 22 to 32ºC. FOS production was monitored by HPLC-ELSD, allowing to confirm that the initial sucrose concentration significantly influenced biomass growth (a maximum value of 16 ± 2 g was achieved) although it did not significantly affect the maximum FOS yield (amount of FOS produced per initial sucrose) obtained, which varied from 51 to 59 g/g) obtained, which varied from 51 to 59 g/g. Finally, the preliminary results enabled verifying that depending on the fermentation conditions, slightly different FOS production profiles were obtained (Figure 1), revealing differences in the individual FOS concentrations (i.e., 1-kestose, nystose and fructofuranosylnystose), which could be of interest since it has been reported that the beneficial health effects of FOS may depend on the relative FOS composition.This work was also financially supported by Project POCI-01–0145-FEDER-006984–Associate Laboratory LSRE-LCM, UID/AGR/00690/2013 – CIMO and UID/BIO/04469/2013 funded by FEDER - Fundo Europeu de Desenvolvimento Regional through COMPETE2020-Programa Operacional Competitividade e Internacionalização (POCI) – and by national funds through FCT - Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia, Portugal.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Effects of semicarbazide exposure on endocrine pancreas morphology

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/B6TCR-4PKH640-JC/1/99ecdc75d3328d15c66b5cdf25469cd

Hepatic and renal toxicities of indomethacin acid, salt form and complexed forms with hydroxypropyl-ß-cyclodextrin on Wistar rats after oral administration

3910-3178-31BA | MARIA MARGARIDA COUTINHO DE SEABRA CASTEL-BRANCO CAETANOinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Assessing the prebiotic potential of xylooligosaccharides produced by one-step fermentation using agro-residues

The prebiotic effect is a fundamental concept in the fields of nutrition and gut health, referring to the beneficial effects of specific non-digestible dietary components on the gut microbiota, including xylooligosaccharides (XOS). These compounds function as food sources for beneficial gut bacteria, fostering their growth and activity. In this work, in vitro studies were performed to evaluate the prebiotic potential of XOS produced from olive stones (OS) and coffee silver skin (CSS) via a onestep fermentation using a recombinant Bacillus subtilis 3610 harbouring the xylanase gene xyn2 from Trichoderma reesei. This potential was compared with a commercially available prebiotic oligofructose (Orafti®, BENEO, Germany). A mixture of human faeces from four healthy donors aged between 24 and 28 years old was used as inoculum. The pH variation and the production of short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), gases, and ammonia were analysed during the 48 hours fermentations. The prebiotic supplementation resulted in a reduction of the pH value over time, with oligofructose presenting the most significant pH drop at 48 hours (pH=3.65). The addition of prebiotics also significantly increased the production of beneficial SCFAs, with oligofrutose exhibiting a notable increase in the production of lactic and acetic acid production after 48 hours (28.0±0.1 and 28±1 mM, respectively), while OS-XOS and CSS-XOS demonstrated a more prominent rise towards the production of acetic acid (14.8±0.4 and 20.4±0.1 mM, respectively), butyric acid (2.5±0.3 and 3.29±0.04 mM, respectively), and valeric acid (75±1 and 110±14 mM, respectively) at 48 hours. Remarkably, the gas analysis revealed that the addition of OS/CSS-XOS fully suppressed the production of CH4 and increased the CO2 generation after 48 hours (2.6±0.7 and 5.20±0.05 mmol.L-1medium, respectively). These findings strongly suggest that the XOS produced from OS and CSS holds potential prebiotic properties for human health.CA, AC and JS acknowledge the junior researcher contract (CEECIND/00293/2020) and the PhD scholarships (UI/BD/153689/2022 and 2022.11695.BD), respectively, from the Portuguese Foundation of Science and Technology (FCT). This study was supported by FCT under the scope of the strategic funding of CIMO (UIDB/00690/2020 and UIDP/00690/2020), CEB (UIDB/04469/2020) and Associate Laboratory SusTEC (LA/P/0007/2020).info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

TRAP1 Is Expressed in Human Retinal Pigment Epithelial Cells and Is Required to Maintain their Energetic Status

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the leading cause of severe vision loss and blindness in elderly people worldwide. The damage to the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) triggered by oxidative stress plays a central role in the onset and progression of AMD and results from the excessive accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) produced mainly by mitochondria. Tumor necrosis factor receptor-associated protein 1 (TRAP1) is a mitochondrial molecular chaperone that contributes to the maintenance of mitochondrial integrity by decreasing the production and accumulation of ROS. The present study aimed to evaluate the presence and the role of TRAP1 in the RPE. Here, we report that TRAP1 is expressed in human adult retinal pigment epithelial cells and is located mainly in the mitochondria. Exposure of RPE cells to hydrogen peroxide decreases the levels of TRAP1. Furthermore, TRAP1 silencing increases intracellular ROS production and decreases mitochondrial respiratory capacity without affecting cell proliferation. Together, these findings offer novel insights into TRAP1 functions in RPE cells, opening possibilities to develop new treatment options for AMD