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Current global research aims to explore the key role of diet and understand the benefits of a balanced diet. Furthermore, many authors have pointed to the added value of by-products as a solution to make food production chains more environmentally and economically sustainable. By-products emerge as an alternative matrix to fermentation, and the fermentation process has the potential to transform by-products into value-added products through an efficient and sustainable process. During fermentation, besides the consumption of molecules to grow, microbial enzymes act on several phytochemical compounds, creating new derivative compounds that affect the flavour and function of fermented beverages. As an alternative for consumers with lactose intolerance or vegan or vegetarian diets, new beverages produced from plant by-products and probiotic bacteria hold great promise for the global functional food market. Several challenges were overcome in developing these new products from by-products, namely the availability and quality/standardization of raw materials, adapted microbial starter cultures for fermentation, and optimization of production processes to maximize consumer acceptance and product yield. This review provides an overview of recent research/developments in the field of new fermented beverages from by-products, and aspects related to their functionality, beyond the challenges of these new beverages.

Acorns are an abundant but despised fruit in Portugal. To explore this resource, the effect of different dehusking methods (thermal dehusking and dehusking by drying) on the phenolic contents and antioxidant activity of different acorn species from Peneda-Gerês National Park was studied. Regarding the free phenolics, the phenolic contents and antioxidant activity values of Q. pyrenaica decreased after thermal dehusking and dehusking by drying. Similar results were observed for the thermally dehusked Q. robur acorns, despite the increase in gallic acid. However, the phenolic contents and antioxidant activity values increased when Q. robur acorns were dehusked by drying, despite the decrease in ellagic acid and ORAC antioxidant values. The phenolic content of Q. ilex acorns increased after both dehusking methods due to the increase of ellagic acid, which led to the increase of the ABTS, DPPH, and FRAP antioxidant activity, but the ORAC antioxidant activity decreased. In the bound fraction, the phenolic, flavonoid, and gallic acid contents increased for all species when dehusked by both methods, thus increasing the antioxidant activity values. The thermal dehusking had a very dependent effect on ellagic acid content between species, while the dehusking by drying increased the ellagic acid contents for acorn species.

People with disabilities correspond to about 25% of the Brazilian population. A great part of these people have physical impairments that difficult the use computer peripherals. This article presents the development of a system for detection of hand movements through the acquisition and classification of electromyographic (EMG) signals using machine learning techniques. The purpose of the proposed system is to be used by people with disabilities to control an adapted text editor. The signals are capture by surface EMG electrodes and used to the detect 4 different hand movements. In addition, a database with 3200 EMG signals generated by the hand movements was created, made by one user diagnosed with cerebral palsy and another user without diagnosed motor disabilities. Several tests were carried out, showing the good accuracy of the proposed system, with a success classification rate of 96% to 98%.

Made available in DSpace on 2022-05-01T08:15:12Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2021-11-01 Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES) Mirabegron is a selective β₃-adrenergic receptors agonist, which has been recently shown to improve metabolic health in rodents and humans. In this study, we investigated the effects of 2-week mirabegron treatment on the metabolic parameters of mice with a diet-induced obesity (DIO). C57BL/6JUnib mice were divided into control (CTR) and obese (OB) groups treated with vehicle, and an OB group treated with mirabegron (OB + MIRA). The obese groups were fed a high-fat diet for 12 weeks. Mirabegron (10 mg/kg/day) was administrated orally by gavage from weeks 10–12. After 2 weeks of mirabegron treatment, the energy expenditure was assessed with indirect calorimetry. Blood glucose, insulin, glycerol, free fatty acids (FFA), thiobarbituric acid reactive substance (TBAR), and tumour necrosis factor (TNF)-α levels were also assessed, and the HOMA index was determined. Liver tissue, brown adipose tissue (BAT), and inguinal white adipose tissue (iWAT) samples were collected for histological examination. The protein expressions of uncoupling protein 1 (UCP1) and mitochondrial transcription factor A (TFAM) were assessed using western blotting of the BAT and iWAT samples. In this study, mirabegron increased the energy expenditure and decreased adiposity in OB + MIRA. Increased UCP1 expression in BAT without changes in iWAT was also found. Mirabegron decreased circulating levels of FFA, glycerol, insulin, TNF-α, TBARS and HOMA index. DIO significantly increased the lipid deposits in the liver and BAT, but mirabegron partially reversed this change. Our findings indicate that treatment with mirabegron decreased inflammation and improved metabolism in obese mice. This effect was associated with increased BAT-mediated energy expenditure, but not iWAT beiging, which suggests that mirabegron might be useful for the treatment of obesity and diabetes. Dorothy M. Davis Heart and Lung Research Institute The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center Department of Physiology and Cell Biology The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center Department of Physical Education Institute of Biosciences São Paulo State University (UNESP) Department of Pharmacology Faculty of Medical Sciences University of Campinas (UNICAMP) Department of Structural and Functional Biology Institute of Biology University of Campinas (UNICAMP) Medical School Graduate Program in Environmental Health Metropolitan University of Santos Department of Physical Education Institute of Biosciences São Paulo State University (UNESP)

Starch modification arises from the need to obtain starches with the desirable properties, being the physical modification techniques preferred over the chemical ones. Pulsed electric fields (PEF) ...

In this work, a resource allocation problem is investigated for a relay-based multiuser cooperative orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA) uplink system, considering a very large antenna array at the base station and nonlinear power amplifiers (PAs) in both user and relay nodes. Firstly, a theoretical characterization of the considered scenario is performed. Then, some analytical expressions for the nonlinear distortion (NLD) variance and the PA constant of a third-order polynomial PA are derived, as well as the instantaneous signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of the considered system is calculated. Then, a low-complexity suboptimal relay selection and subcarrier allocation technique is proposed for the considered scenario based on the developed expressions. Numerical simulation results are presented to validate the derived expressions and to evaluate the performance of the proposed technique.

There is growing evidence for a main role of environment in the occurrence of mental disorders such as a psychosocial risk factor, for example, childhood trauma, discrimination linked to minority status, or migrant status. One hypothesis is that social adversity factors influence the risk of schizophrenia through a common pathway: social defeat which could be defined as the impotence of a subject in the face of a situation of social adversity, with a consequential experience of devaluation on the social scale. This review proposes to explain the animal model of social defeat which provides an overview of the neurobiological consequences of chronic stress. Then, we expose this topic in humans, the assessment methods, and its psychopathological field. Finally, we expose epidemiologic and neurobiological evidences, in particular the dopaminergic sensitization process, which provide evidence of a significant role of social defeat in schizophrenia risk due to exposure to psychosocial factors. This etiopathogenic hypothesis has several issues. First, a common pathway to several environmental risk factors could allow an ethiopathogenic model more parcimonious for schizophrenia. It could also allow the assessment and prevention of adversity factors involved in social defeat so as to finally improve the outcome of subjects who have an individual risk for schizophrenia.

Chemsex is defined by the use of psychoactive substances to facilitate or improve sexual relations. Our objectives were to assess the prevalence of the practice of 'chemsex' in a population of French university students and to identify socio-demographic and clinical factors associated with this practice.We have used an anonymous online questionnaire comprising 15 questions on socio-demographic characteristics, chemsex use, sexual satisfaction, the type of substances used in this sexual context and their route of administration.A total of 680 people were included in our study. Among them, 22.5% reported chemsex behaviour in the past year. Using a multivariate analysis, factors associated with chemsex were dating application use (This is the first study reporting a high prevalence of chemsex in a university student population. Further larger studies should be conducted to confirm these results showing a high prevalence of this at-risk behaviour.

Vascular aging leads to structural and functional changes. Iliac arteries (IA) provide blood flow to lower urinary tract and pelvic ischemia has been reported as an important factor for bladder remodeling and overactivity. Dysfunction of the nitric oxide (NO)-cyclic guanosine monophosphate pathway (cGMP) is one factor involved in the development of lower urinary tract (LUT) disorders. Therefore, we hypothesized that ageing-associated LUT disorders is a consequence of lower cGMP productions due to an oxidation of soluble guanylate cylase (sGC) that results in local ischemia. In the present study IA from middle-aged and young rats were isolated and the levels of NO, reactive oxygen species (ROS), the gene expression of the enzymes involved in the NO-pathway and concentration-response curves to the soluble guanylate (sGC) stimulator (BAY 41-2272), sGC activator (BAY 58-2667), tadalafil, acetylcholine (ACh) and sodium nitroprusside (SNP) were determined. In IA from middle-aged rats the gene expression for endothelial nitric oxide synthase and the ROS were lower and higher, respectively than the young group. The relaxations induced by ACh and SNP were significantly lower in IA from middle-aged rats. In IA from middle-aged rats the mRNA expression of PDE5 was 55% higher, accompanied by lower relaxation induced by tadalafil. On the other hand, the gene expression for sGCα1 were similar in IA from both groups. Both BAY 41-2272 and BAY 58-2667 produced concentration-dependent relaxations in IA from both groups, however, the latter was 9-times more potent than BAY 41-2272 and produced similar relaxations in IA in both middle-aged and young groups. Yet, the sGC oxidant, ODQ increased the relaxation and the cGMP levels induced by BAY 58-2667. On the other hand, in tissues stimulated with SNP, tadalafil and BAY-2272, the intracellular levels of cGMP were lower in IA from middle-aged than young rats. In conclusion, our results clearly showed that the relaxations induced by the endothelium-dependent and -independent agents, by the PDE5 inhibitor and by sGC stimulator were impaired in IA from aged rats, while that induced by sGC activator was preserved. It suggests that sGC activator may be advantageous in treating ischemia-related functional changes in the lower urinary tract organs in situations where the NO levels are reduced.

Introduction OPTIMIZE evaluated the efficacy, safety and treatment satisfaction of insulin glargine 300 U/mL once daily (Gla-300 OD) in people with type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) previously uncontrolled on basal insulin twice daily (BID) as part of basal–bolus therapy. Methods OPTIMIZE was a 28-week, prospective, interventional, single-arm phase 4 trial in adults with T1DM. At baseline, basal insulin BID treatment was switched to Gla-300 OD titrated to a fasting self-monitored blood glucose target of 4.4–7.2 mmol/L (80–130 mg/dL). The primary endpoint was the mean glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c) change from baseline to week 24. Secondary endpoints included self-monitored blood glucose, fasting-plasma glucose, hypoglycaemia and patient-reported outcomes including the Diabetes Treatment Satisfaction Questionnaire status version (DTSQs). Results Switching to Gla-300 OD significantly improved mean HbA1c (8.54% at baseline and 8.27% at week 24 [last observation carried forward, N = 94, p

Resveratrol is a polyphenol found naturally in fruits and plants. Recently, studies in humans and animal models have suggested beneficial properties of this polyphenol, such as improvements to metabolic and lipid profiles, along with antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and anti-proliferative effects. In the urogenital tract (UGT), resveratrol has also been tested clinically and experimentally as a therapeutic drug in several diseases; however, the translational efficacy of resveratrol, especially in UGT, is still a matter of debate. In the present review, we address the pre-clinical efficacy of resveratrol in UGT-related dysfunctions, focusing on lower urinary tract symptoms, non-cancerous prostatic disease (benign prostatic hyperplasia and prostatitis) and erectile dysfunction. In vitro studies indicate that resveratrol reduces inflammatory markers and oxidative stress, and improves endothelial function in UGT organs and cells isolated from humans and animals. Despite displaying low oral bioavailability, in vivo administration of resveratrol largely improves erectile dysfunction, benign prostatic hyperplasia, prostatitis and voiding impairments, as evidenced in different animal models. Resveratrol also acts as a microbiota modulator, which may explain some of its beneficial effects in vivo. In contrast to the large amount of pre-clinical data, there are insufficient clinical trials to establish resveratrol treatment efficacy in human UGT-related diseases. In summary, we provide an overview of the in vivo and in vitro efficacy of resveratrol in animal and human UGT dysfunctions, which may support future clinical trials.

The development of an acorn beverage can be an opportunity to increase the intake of bioactive compounds and add value to Quercus acorn. However, unprocessed plant-based beverages have a very short shelf-life and thermal treatments affect their overall quality. High-pressure processing (HPP) emerges as a possible solution to better retain nutritional properties and sensorial quality and extend shelf-life. This research assessed the impact of HPP (450/600 MPa, 5/12.5/20 min) and thermal processing (TP, 85 °C, 30 min) on an acorn beverage during 63 days of refrigerated storage (4 °C). From all processing conditions, HPP at 450 MPa for 5 min showed to be suitable to assure microbiological safety (mesophiles, psychrophiles, yeasts and moulds, and Enterobacteriaceae) during 63 days and to better preserve total soluble solids and colour. The antioxidant activity (ABTS/DPPH) was similar to higher for heat-treated samples, being gallic acid the main phenolic compound found in the beverage. Total carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, minerals, and fatty acids contents were similar for HPP and TP. This beverage revealed low thrombogenicity and atherogenicity indices, and potassium as the main mineral. Concluding, HPP extended the shelf-life of the beverage and improved the physicochemical quality, revealed by panellists preference, as revealed by sensorial analysis.

In this paper, we propose a two-hop MIMO multi-relay system with tensor space-time coding (TSTC) at the source and the relays. The multiple relays use orthogonal channels (parallel relaying) to increase the diversity order, assuming that all the relays can communicate directly with the destination. The signals received at destination form a fifth-order tensor that satisfies a new tensor model, called coupled nested Tucker decomposition (CNTD). This model is a generalization of the nested Tucker decomposition (NTD) and extends the coupling concept, introduced for PARAFAC models, to Tucker-based decompositions. The CNTD consists of a coupling of NTD models that share a common factor, resulting in the concatenation of a generalized Tucker model with a Tucker one. This tensor modeling is exploited to derive a semi-blind receiver for jointly estimating the information symbols and the channels. The uniqueness property of the proposed tensor model and the identifiability conditions of the receiver are established. Monte Carlo simulation results are provided to illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed system and the advantage of exploiting cooperative diversity based on tensor modeling.

In this paper, four tensor-based receivers for a multiuser multirelay cooperative uplink are proposed, with the relays employ the amplify-and-forward (AF) protocol and a time-spread coding. Two different scenarios are considered regarding the multiuser interference at the relays. When multiuser interference at the relays is ignored, a quadrilinear PARAFAC model is adopted for the received signals. Otherwise, a new tensor model called Nested PARAFAC-Tucker decomposition (NPT1D) is used to represent the received signals. The proposed receivers jointly estimate the transmitted symbols, channel gains and spatial signatures, two of them being based on the Alternating Least Squares (ALS) algorithm and two of them using the non-iterative Least Squares Khatri-Rao Factorization (LS-KRF) method. Uniqueness is discussed and simulation results are provided to illustrate the performance of the proposed techniques.

Phenolic compounds are important bioactive compounds identified in prickly pear peel that have important antioxidant and antimicrobial properties. However, conventional thermal extraction methods may reduce their bioactivity, and technologies such as high pressure (HP) and ohmic heating (OH) may help preserve them. In this study, both technologies were analyzed, individually and combined (250/500 MPa; 40/70 °C; ethanol concentration 30/70%), and compared with Soxhlet with regard to total phenolics, flavonoids, and carotenoids as well as antioxidant (ABTS, DPPH, ORAC), DNA pro-oxidant, and antimicrobial (inhibition halos, minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC), minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC), growth curves, and viable cells) activities of prickly pear peel extracts. Total phenolics extracted by each technology increased 103% (OH) and 98% (HP) with regard to Soxhlet, but the contents of total flavonoids and carotenoids were similar. Antioxidant activity increased with HP and OH (between 35% and 63%), and OH (70 °C) did not induce DNA degradation. The phenolic compound present in higher amounts was piscidic acid, followed by eucomic acid and citrate. In general, their extraction was significantly favored by HP and OH. Antimicrobial activity against 7 types of bacteria showed effective results only against S. aureus, S. enteritidis, and B. cereus. No synergetic or additive effect was observed for HP/OH., Thanks is due to the Universidade Católica Portuguesa for the financial support of the CBQF Associate Laboratory under FCT project UID/Multi/50016/2019, the University of Aveiro and FCT/MCT for the financial support of the LAQV-REQUIMTE Research Unit (FCT UIDB/50006/2020) through national funds and, where applicable, cofinanced by FEDER within the PT2020 Partnership Agreement, and the University of Minho under the scope of strategic funding of the UIDB/04469/2020 unit and the BioTecNorte operation (NORTE-01-0145-FEDER-000004) funded by the European Regional Development Fund under the scope of Norte2020–Programa Operacional Regional do Norte. Marta Coelho is also grateful for the financial support of this work from FCT through Doctoral Grant SFRH/BD/111884/2015., info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion

Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) is a component of gram-negative bacteria wall that elicits inflammatory response in the host through the toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) activation. In the lower urinary tract (LUT), bacteria-derived LPS has been associated with lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS); however, little is known about the effects of LPS in the urethral smooth muscle (USM). In the present study, we evaluated the functional and molecular effects of LPS in mouse USM in vitro, focusing on the LPS-induced TLR4-signaling pathway. Male C57BL6/JUnib and TLR4 knockout mice (TLR4 KO) were used. The USM contraction was performed in the presence of LPS (62.5–500 μg/mL), indomethacin (10 μM), L-NAME (100 μM), and TAK 242 (1 μM). The RT-PCR assay for the IL-1β, NF-kB, and COX-2 genes was also evaluated in the presence of LPS (125 μg/mL) and caspase 1 inhibitor (20 μM). Our results showed that LPS reduces mouse USM contraction elicited by phenylephrine and vasopressin. This LPS-induced urethral inhibitory effect was not reversed by the TLR4 inhibition or its absence in the TLR4 KO mice. Conversely, indomethacin (but not L-NAME) reversed the LPS-induced USM hypocontractility. Molecular protocols indicated upregulation of IL-1β, NF-kβ, and COX-2 mRNA upon LPS incubation, which were blunted by caspase 1 inhibition. Our data showed that LPS reduced mouse USM contraction independently of TLR4 activation, involving caspase 1 and IL1β, NF-kB, and COX-2 gene overexpression. Therefore, this alternative pathway might be a valuable target to reduce the LPS-induced urethral dysfunction under infection and inflammatory conditions.

Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) is a component of gram-negative bacteria wall that elicits inflammatory response in the host through the toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) activation. In the lower urinary tract (LUT), bacteria-derived LPS has been associated with lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS); however, little is known about the effects of LPS in the urethral smooth muscle (USM). In the present study, we evaluated the functional and molecular effects of LPS in mouse USM in vitro, focusing on the LPS-induced TLR4-signaling pathway. Male C57BL6/JUnib and TLR4 knockout mice (TLR4 KO) were used. The USM contraction was performed in the presence of LPS (62.5-500 μg/mL), indomethacin (10 μM), L-NAME (100 μM), and TAK 242 (1 μM). The RT-PCR assay for the IL-1β, NF-kB, and COX-2 genes was also evaluated in the presence of LPS (125 μg/mL) and caspase 1 inhibitor (20 μM). Our results showed that LPS reduces mouse USM contraction elicited by phenylephrine and vasopressin. This LPS-induced urethral inhibitory effect was not reversed by the TLR4 inhibition or its absence in the TLR4 KO mice. Conversely, indomethacin (but not L-NAME) reversed the LPS-induced USM hypocontractility. Molecular protocols indicated upregulation of IL-1β, NF-kβ, and COX-2 mRNA upon LPS incubation, which were blunted by caspase 1 inhibition. Our data showed that LPS reduced mouse USM contraction independently of TLR4 activation, involving caspase 1 and IL1β, NF-kB, and COX-2 gene overexpression. Therefore, this alternative pathway might be a valuable target to reduce the LPS-induced urethral dysfunction under infection and inflammatory conditions.

Transmission of plane electromagnetic wave through a tiny slit in a metal film covered by monolayer graphene is considered using a semi-analytical approach. We show that it gives rise to the diffraction accompanied by the excitation of standing waves of surface plasmon-polaritons in graphene, localized over the slit. These modes manifest themselves by characteristic peaks in the calculated absorption spectra in the THz range. It is shown that their spectral position depends on the refractive index of the material filling the slit and also can be tuned by the graphene doping level. Additionally, we clarify the physical nature of a low-frequency absorption band, which originates from the lowest order waveguide-type mode of the bare slit.

There is growing evidence for a main role of environment in the occurrence of mental disorders such as a psychosocial risk factor, for example, childhood trauma, discrimination linked to minority status, or migrant status. One hypothesis is that social adversity factors influence the risk of schizophrenia through a common pathway: social defeat which could be defined as the impotence of a subject in the face of a situation of social adversity, with a consequential experience of devaluation on the social scale. This review proposes to explain the animal model of social defeat which provides an overview of the neurobiological consequences of chronic stress. Then, we expose this topic in humans, the assessment methods, and its psychopathological field. Finally, we expose epidemiologic and neurobiological evidences, in particular the dopaminergic sensitization process, which provide evidence of a significant role of social defeat in schizophrenia risk due to exposure to psychosocial factors. This etiopathogenic hypothesis has several issues. First, a common pathway to several environmental risk factors could allow an ethiopathogenic model more parcimonious for schizophrenia. It could also allow the assessment and prevention of adversity factors involved in social defeat so as to finally improve the outcome of subjects who have an individual risk for schizophrenia.

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVE:Urinary frequency and urgency are common symptoms in men with partial bladder outlet obstruction (BOO) due to benign prostate enlargement (BPE). The adenosine receptor (A...

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVE:Normal lower urinary tract (LUT) function is dependent on the coordination between bladder and urethra, which is sensitive to a host of disorders, including diabetes mell...

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVE:Multiple vaginal parities and estrogen deficiency (ED) are considered to be major causes of SUI in women. In rats, bilateral ovariectomy (OVX) reportedly induces the morp...

Prostate inflammation (PI) is a clinical condition associated with infection and/or inflammation of the prostate. It is a common disease frequently associated to lower urinary tract (LUT) symptoms. The urethra is an understudied structure in the LUT and plays a fundamental role in the urinary cycle. Here, we proposed to evaluate the effect of PI on the urethra tissue. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were used, and PI was induced by formalin injection into the ventral lobes of the prostate. The pelvic urethra at the prostatic level was harvested for histological analysis, contraction (electrical field stimulation and phenylephrine), and relaxation (sodium nitroprusside/MK-571) experiments. Various gene targets [cytochrome c oxidase subunit 2, transforming growth factor-β1, interleukin-1β, hypoxia-inducible factor-1α, α1A-adrenoceptor, inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate receptor type 1, voltage-gated Ca2+ channel subunit-α1D, neuronal nitric oxide synthase, soluble guanylyl cyclase, phosphodiesterase 5A, protein kinase CGMP-dependent 1, and multidrug resistance-associated protein 5 (MRP5; ATP-binding cassette subfamily C member 5)] were quantified, and cGMP levels were measured. No histological changes were detected, and functional assays revealed decreased contraction and increased relaxation of urethras from the PI group. The addition of MK-571 to functional assays increased urethral relaxation. Genes associated with inflammation were upregulated in urethras from the PI group, such as cytochrome oxidase c subunit 2, transforming growth factor-β1, interleukin-1β, and hypoxia-inducible factor-1α. We also found increased expression of L-type Ca2+ channels and the neuronal nitric oxide synthase enzyme and decreased expression of the MRP5 pump. Finally, cGMP production was enhanced in urethral tissue of PI animals. The results indicate that PI is associated with proinflammatory gene expression in the urethra without histologically evident inflammation and that PI produces a dysfunctional urethra and MRP5 pump downregulation, which results in cGMP accumulation inside the cell. These findings would help to better understand LUT dysfunctions associated with PI and the role of MRP pumps in the control of LUT function.

Introduction Surgical site infection (SSI) is one of the most common healthcare-associated infections (HAIs). However, there is a lack of data available about SSI in children worldwide, especially from low-income and middle-income countries. This study aimed to estimate the incidence of SSI in children and associations between SSI and morbidity across human development settings. Methods A multicentre, international, prospective, validated cohort study of children aged under 16 years undergoing clean-contaminated, contaminated or dirty gastrointestinal surgery. Any hospital in the world providing paediatric surgery was eligible to contribute data between January and July 2016. The primary outcome was the incidence of SSI by 30 days. Relationships between explanatory variables and SSI were examined using multilevel logistic regression. Countries were stratified into high development, middle development and low development groups using the United Nations Human Development Index (HDI). Results Of 1159 children across 181 hospitals in 51 countries, 523 (45·1%) children were from high HDI, 397 (34·2%) from middle HDI and 239 (20·6%) from low HDI countries. The 30-day SSI rate was 6.3% (33/523) in high HDI, 12·8% (51/397) in middle HDI and 24·7% (59/239) in low HDI countries. SSI was associated with higher incidence of 30-day mortality, intervention, organ-space infection and other HAIs, with the highest rates seen in low HDI countries. Median length of stay in patients who had an SSI was longer (7.0 days), compared with 3.0 days in patients who did not have an SSI. Use of laparoscopy was associated with significantly lower SSI rates, even after accounting for HDI. Conclusion The odds of SSI in children is nearly four times greater in low HDI compared with high HDI countries. Policies to reduce SSI should be prioritised as part of the wider global agenda. ©

Monitoring the spatial footprint of cyclone impacts by remote sensing offers great potential for assessing the extent of damage and monitoring the resilience of the affected territories. For this purpose, as part of the Renovrisk-Impact project, we have developed two change detection processing chains based on optical (Sentinel-2) and SAR (Sentinel-1) data. These chains have been used to track different events in different regions of the world. In this article we focus on two study sites in Madagascar: the city of Miandrivazo, which was heavily affected by severe rainfall from Cyclone AVA in January 2018, and more recently the town of Marovoay which suffered a major disaster following the passage of tropical storm DIANE in January 2020. The obtained results were evaluated and compared with the Copernicus Emergency Mapping Service product, showing good consistency with this product and between them. These results confirm the potential of these Sentinel data and the developed processing chains for monitoring the impacts of cyclones, but also open up prospects for longer-term monitoring.

Extracts from fruit processing by-products usually present high amounts of bioactive compounds with several important activities such as antioxidant and antimicrobial capacities. In this work we studied (i) the cytotoxicity profile of pomegranate peel extract and (ii) safety and quality aspects after incorporating this extract in carrot juice - a beverage with low antioxidant potential and highly prone to microbial growth. The extract was obtained by high-pressure extraction and was non-cytotoxic towards the Caco-2 cell line after in vitro digestion. The non-cytotoxic pomegranate peel extract was added to carrot juice in a concentration of 5 mg mL-1. Fortified juices were processed by high-pressure and conventional heat and stored under refrigeration. On the 28th day of storage, microbial counts in PPE-fortified juices were reduced by 1.0 log10 CFU mL-1 and the pressurized juices showed significantly fewer counts than the thermal-treated ones. Just after processing, phenolic and flavonoid contents, as well as ABTS and FRAP antioxidant capacities, increased 3.6, 3.5, 8.2, and 9.4-fold, respectively in the fortified juices. The extract addition did not affect any colour parameter and all studied physicochemical parameters i.e. total soluble solids, pH, colour, total phenolics, flavonoids, hydrolysable tannins, and antioxidant capacity remained constant throughout storage. These findings could pave the way towards the development of safe beverages with improved bioactive properties.

High-pressure extraction was used to produce pomegranate peel extract, later incorporated in carrot juice. Chemical, microbiological and sensorial analyses were performed during storage to untreated, high-pressure and thermally processed juices incorporating pomegranate peel extract. Fortified juices showed lower counts for mesophiles and psychrophiles than the nonfortified ones (P < 0.05). Total phenolic and hydrolysable tannin contents, and antioxidant activity had superior values in supplemented juices during storage. The extract did not affect any sensorial parameter. On the 28th day, pressurised juices exhibited lower microbial loads in comparison with heated process, but phenolic compounds, antioxidant activity and several sensorial descriptors were identical between both processing technologies. The beta- and alpha-carotene content decreased after processing, and pressurised juices exhibited higher residual activity for peroxidase (P < 0.05). These data suggest that the application of pomegranate peel extract in treated carrot juices (2.5 mg mL(-1)) improves their microbial safety and antioxidant capacity, without impairing the sensorial aspects.

Large amounts of different starches are produced worldwide since starch is widely used as a functional component in prepared foods and is one of the most important sources of energy for humans. However, in its native form starch does not have properties suitable for processing due to low thermal stability and high retrogradation. To promote and enhance these and other properties, starch is modified by chemical, physical, or enzymatic processes. Treatments such as high-pressure processing can be used to break/change non-covalent chemical linkages in and between starch molecules in order for starch to have the desired properties. The use of pressure can increase starch swelling and solubility depending on the temperature. Higher pressure levels can disrupt the starch granule morphology, induce the starch gelatinization and the granules birefringence can consequently decrease. Pressure can also alter significantly the thermal properties of starch, as well as its pasting properties, the dynamic oscillation and steady flow behavior of starch, and the amount of resistant/fast/slow digestible starch. The use of pressure can also delay/decrease starch retrogradation and change starch polymorphism from type A or C to type B. However, the change of these properties is always dependent on the pressure level, solvent type and treatment time used, but also from the starch type and origin. This paper revises the effect of high pressure on starch properties in order to improve their quality to obtain the desired properties that can promote human health.

We revisit the classical problem of electromagnetic wave refraction from a lossless dielectric to a lossy conductor, where both media are considered to be non-magnetic, linear, isotropic and homogeneous. We derive the Fresnel coefficients of the system and the Poynting vectors at the interface, in order to compute the reflectance and transmittance of the system. We use a particular parametrisation of the referred Fresnel coefficients so as to make a connection with the ones obtained for refraction by an interface between two lossless media. This analysis allows the discussion of an actual application, namely the Fresnel polarisation of infra-red radiation by elemental bismuth, based on the concept of pseudo Brewster's angle., Comment: Version accepted by The European Physical Journal B

Background C-reactive protein (CRP) is a useful predictive test to early detect abdominal complication after colorectal surgery. Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is responsible of chronic inflammation and abnormal basal CRP that could influence the interest of its management after abdominal surgery. The aim of this study was to evaluate CRP as an indicator of postoperative complication in a specific IBD population. Methods Retrospective study of patients undergoing ileocolic resection or ileal pouch-anal anastomosis for IBD between, 2012 and 2019. Intra-abdominal complication was defined as any intra-abdominal event, infectious or otherwise, occurring during the immediate postoperative period. The early postoperative period was defined as post-operative days (POD), 1 and, 2 and late postoperative period as POD, 3 and 4. Results Ileocolic resection represented, 242 patients and ileal pouch-anal anastomosis, 105 patients. Intra-abdominal complications occured in, 18.1% of patients (ICR=40, 16.5% and IPAA=23, 21.9%). Pre-operative CRP (48 hours before surgery) was available for, 96 patients (29.8%). Among them, 64 had an abnormal CRP value (median:, 13±45.4). No relation was found between a preoperative abnormal CRP value and post-operative intra-abdominal complications. CRP was significantly higher at an early (105.2±56.0 vs, 128.1±69.8; p=0.008) and late stage (112.9±72.8 vs, 185.3±111.5; p The best sensitivity and specificity values were obtained at POD, 3–4 with a CRP cut-off of, 75 with an area under the curve of, 0.71. The ability to rule out an intra-abdominal complication with a CRP Value A BMI >25kg/m2 (p=0.04) and an open surgical approach (p=0.009) were associated with higher CRP levels in the first POD. In multivariate analysis, pre-operative steroid use (p=0.03), CRP at POD, 3 >, 100mg/L (p=0.002) and a rise between CRP values more than, 50 mg/L (p=0.005) or, 100 mg/L (p A score using these, 4 independent factors was created and showed significant differences in intra-abdominal complication, anastomotic leakage and readmission rate. Conclusion CRP is a useful predictive marker to detect abdominal complication after surgery in IBD population. Measurement of CRP can help to reduce hospitalization stay and orientate towards complementary examinations.

Obese mice display overactive bladder (OAB) associated with impaired urethra smooth muscle (USM) function. In this study, we evaluated the role of the adipose tissue surrounding the urethra and prostate in obese mice (here referred as periprostatic adipose tissue; PPAT) to the USM dysfunction. Male C57BL6/JUnib mice fed with either a standard-chow or high-fat diet to induce obesity were used. In PPAT, histological analysis, and qPCR analysis for gp91phox, tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) were conducted. In USM, concentration-response curves to contractile and relaxing agents, as well as measurements of reactive-oxygen species and nitric oxide (NO) levels were performed. The higher PPAT area in obese mice was accompanied by augmented gp91phox (NOX2) and TNF-α expressions, together with decreased SOD1 expression. In USM of obese group, the contractile responses to phenylephrine and vasopressin were increased, whereas the relaxations induced with glyceryl trinitrate were reduced. The reactive-oxygen species and NO levels in USM of obese mice were increased and decreased, respectively. A higher SOD expression was also detected in obese group whilst no changes in the gp91phox levels were observed. We next evaluated the effects of the antioxidant resveratrol (100 mg/kg/day, two-weeks, PO) in the functional alterations and NO levels of obese mice. Resveratrol treatment in obese mice reversed both the functional USM dysfunction and the reduced NO production. Our data show that PPAT exerts a local inflammatory response and increases oxidative stress that lead to urethral dysfunction. Resveratrol could be an auxiliary option to prevent obesity-associated urethral dysfunction.

Interstitial Cystitis/Bladder Pain Syndrome (IC/BPS) is a chronic inflammatory disease without consistently effective treatment. We investigate the role of toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) on voiding dysfunction and inflammation in the cyclophosphamide (CYP)-induced mouse cystitis. Male C57BL/6 [wild-type, (WT)] and/or TLR4 knockout (TLR4−/−) mice were treated with an injection of CYP (300 mg/kg, 24 h) or saline (10 ml/kg). The pharmacological blockade of the TLR4 by resatorvid (10 mg/kg) was also performed 1 h prior CYP-injection in WT mice. Urodynamic profiles were assessed by voiding stain on filter paper and filling cystometry. Contractile responses to carbachol were measured in isolated bladders. In CYP-exposed WT mice, mRNA for TLR4, myeloid differentiation primary response 88, and TIR-domain-containing adapter-inducing interferon-β increased by 45%, 72%, and 38%, respectively ( P < 0.05). In free-moving mice, CYP-exposed mice exhibited a higher number of urinary spots and smaller urinary volumes. Increases of micturition frequency and nonvoiding contractions, concomitant with decreases of intercontraction intervals and capacity, were observed in the filling cystometry of WT mice ( P < 0.05). Carbachol-induced bladder contractions were significantly reduced in the CYP group, which was paralleled by reduced mRNA for M2 and M3 muscarinic receptors. These functional and molecular alterations induced by CYP were prevented in TLR4−/− and resatorvid-treated mice. Additionally, the increased levels of inflammatory markers induced by CYP exposure, myeloperoxidase activity, interleukin-6, and tumor necrosis factor-alpha were significantly reduced by resatorvid treatment. Our findings reveal a central role for the TLR4 signaling pathway in initiating CYP-induced bladder dysfunction and inflammation and thus emphasize that TLR4 receptor blockade may have clinical value for IC/BPS treatment.

This paper is regarding the preliminary experimental results on the coexistence evaluation between the fifth (5G) and fourth (4G) generations of mobile communications in the sub-1-GHz band. A coexistence scenario among the three following adjacent channels has been considered in the 700 MHz-band: a broadband signal aiming broadband LTE-A (Long Term Evolution-Advanced) systems; a narrowband signal for NB-IoT applications; another broadband signal intending 5G enhanced mobile broadband services. A peaceful downlink coexistence is demonstrated for providing a unified 4G and 5G network.

Aims To examine the effects of low-dose insulin or a soluble guanylate cyclase activator (sGC) on lower urinary tract dysfunction (LUTD) in rats with diabetes mellitus (DM). Main methods Female Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into non-DM control (N), DM induced by streptozotocin (65 mg/kg), with low-dose insulin (DI), DM with vehicle (D), and DM with sGC (GC) groups. In GC group, BAY 60-2770 (1 mg/kg/day) was orally administered in 6–8 weeks after DM. Voiding assay at 2, 4, and 8 weeks after DM, cystometry, and urethral pressure recordings at 8 weeks of DM were performed. mRNA levels of NO-related markers and cGMP protein levels in the urethra, and ischemia and inflammation markers in the bladder were evaluated by RT-PCR. Key findings Moderate levels of high blood glucose were maintained in Group DI versus Group D. The 24-h voided volume was significantly higher in Group D versus Groups N and DI. Non-voiding contractions were significantly greater, and voiding efficiency and urethral pressure reduction were significantly lower in Group D versus Groups N, DI, and GC. Urethral cGMP levels were significantly lower in Group D versus Groups N and GC. mRNA levels of PDE5 in the urethra and ischemia and inflammation markers in the bladder increased in Group D versus Group N or DI was reduced after sGC treatment. Significance DI rats with a lesser degree of bladder and urethral dysfunction might be useful as a slow-progressive DM model. sGC activation could be an effective treatment of LUTD in DM.

Food waste is a growing problem for the food industry, leading to an increase of pollution and economic problems. Fruits and vegetables are very rich in bioactive compounds having many benefits for humans. These biocompounds can be found not only in the fruit/vegetable itself but also in its wastes, after processing. Nonetheless, the conventional extraction methods are highly problematic, due to solvent consumption, long extraction time, and low extraction yields, making it necessary to develop new extraction techniques. In this review, we aim to review the most recent literature on the extraction of bioactive compounds from fruit peels and seeds, using sub/supercritical fluids, ultrasound, and enzymes.

Urethral smooth muscle (USM) contributes to urinary continence by contracting during the urine storage phase, which is mainly mediated by activation of postjunctional α1-adrenoceptors. Males and females show differences in the functioning of the lower urinary tract and the most common urinary tract symptoms (LUTS). LUTS in men typically occur in association with bladder outlet obstruction, whereas in women urinary urge-incontinence symptoms are more common. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate sex differences in α1-adrenoceptor subtype expression and their importance in proximal urethra contraction in the mouse (C57BL6/J) and marmoset ( Callithrix jacchus). Contractile responses to phenylephrine, norepinephrine, potassium chloride (KCl), and electrical-field stimulation (EFS) were evaluated. Phenylephrine, norepinephrine, KCl, and EFS produced markedly greater contractions in male mice and marmoset USM compared with females. The sex differences remained unchanged by Nω-nitro-l-arginine (l-NAME; nitric oxide synthase inhibitor), atropine (muscarinic receptor antagonist), and PPADS (P2X1-purinoceptor antagonist). Additionally, selective α1A (but not α1B- and α1D-)-adrenoceptor antagonists significantly reduced phenylephrine-induced USM contractions. qRT-PCR for α1A-, B-, and D-adrenoceptor subtypes revealed a marked presence of the α1A-adrenoceptor subtype in male USM, but not females. Male mouse urethra also exhibited a higher tyrosine hydroxylase mRNA expression. Histomorphometric analysis showed a greater USM area in male than female mice. In conclusion, male mouse and marmoset proximal USM shows strong α1A- adrenoceptor-induced contractions and abundant α1A-adrenoceptor expression, whereas α1A-adrenoceptor-mediated mechanisms are much less important in females. The differential expression of α1-adrenoceptors in the proximal urethra may contribute to the higher incidence of urinary incontinence in women and obstructed voiding in men.

Pomegranate peels are very rich in bioactive compounds, particularly antioxidants, that when properly extracted, may be used for different applications such as food, cosmetics, and pharmaceutics. In this paper, we studied the effect of high-pressure extraction on antioxidant activity and bioactive compounds (total phenolics, tannins, flavonoids, and anthocyanins) of pomegranate peel, using a Box–Behnken design to evaluate the effects of pressure, extraction time, and ethanol concentration to estimate the optimum extraction conditions by response surface methodology (RSM). Individual phenolics, tannins, and anthocyanins were also identified and quantified using the optimum extraction conditions identified by RSM. The results indicated that a quadratic polynomial model could be used to optimize high-pressure extraction of bioactive compounds from pomegranate peel (R 2 higher than 0.90). Ethanol concentration was the variable with higher impact and high pressure increased in average 13% the extraction amount of bioactive compounds. The optimum extraction conditions were similar for all compounds (except for anthocyanins) ranging between 356 and 600 MPa, 32 and 56% of ethanol, and 30 min of extraction time. A pressure of 492 MPa, extraction time of 30 min, and an ethanol concentration of 37% were found to result in the highest amount of the quantified individual compounds. Analysis of variance indicated a high goodness of fit of the used models and adequacy of response surface methodology for optimizing high-pressure extraction. The pomegranate peels are industrial by-products that are rich in bioactive compounds and the results obtained in this work show that high pressure is a promising process for scale up of extraction processes. However, pilot plant tests at higher scale will be necessary to ponder the economic viability of the process.

Fruit consumption has significantly increased due to their attractive sensory properties and the growing recognition of its nutritional and therapeutic values. Nevertheless, several tons of fruits are processed by the food industry for the production of different products such as juices and jams, leading to the production of a great amount of fruit waste. Until a few decades ago, fruit residues were not considered a cost neither a benefit but resulted in a significant negative impact on the environment, ending up being used as animal feed, brought to landfills or sent to composting sites. The extraction of high-added value compounds from fruit residues is usually done through conventional methods, such as Soxhlet, hydrodistillation, maceration, and enzyme-assisted extraction. Although these methods are easy to perform and cheap to operate, they present several concerns mainly due to thermo-sensible compound degradation and environment pollution. Recently, new extraction technologies have been in development to improve extraction of high-value compounds, such as high pressure, pressurized liquid extraction, instantly controlled pressure drop, pulse electric fields, and high-voltage electrical discharges, as well its combinations between each other’s. These technologies are considered environmentally friendly, allow the use of lower amounts of organic solvents and the reduction in extraction time and energetic consumption, conducting to higher yields and high-quality final extracts.

Montmorillonite (MMT) and nanoemulsioned ginger essential oil (GEO) were incorporated into gelatin-based films to produce activated films with improved physical properties, with potential for food packaging applications. Nanoemulsions prepared with 1, 3 or 5% of GEO presented similar characteristics. Rheological properties of film-forming solutions were slightly affected by the concentration of GEO used. The incorporation of MMT and GEO into gelatin-based films increased the thickness and decreased the solubility in water, moisture content and superficial hydrophobicity of films (only with MMT). However, the combined effect of MMT and GEO improved significantly (p

The aim of this paper is twofold. In a first part, we present a new tensor decomposition that we call Tucker train decomposition or nested Tucker decomposition (NTD). NTD can be viewed as a particular case of tensor-train decomposition recently proposed for representing and approximating high-dimensional tensors in a compact way. NTD of a fourth-order tensor is more specially analysed in terms of parameter estimation and uniqueness issue. In a second part, we show that the use of a tensor space-time coding (TSTC) structure at both the source node and the relay node of a one-way two-hop multi-input multi-output (MIMO) relay communication system leads to a nested Tucker decomposition of the fourth-order tensor formed by the signals received at the destination. Two semi-blind receivers are then proposed for jointly estimating the transmitted information symbols and the two individual relay channels. The first one is iterative, based on a three-step alternating least squares (ALS) algorithm, whereas the second one, denoted 2LSKP, is a closed-form solution based on the LS estimations of two Kronecker products. Two supervised receivers are also derived by using a (short) pilot-assisted closed-form solution for calculating channel estimates. These estimates are exploited either for initializing the ALS receiver or for designing a zero-forcing (ZF) receiver. Extensive Monte Carlo simulation results are provided to demonstrate the performance of the proposed relay system. HighlightsWe present a new tensor model called a Tucker train decomposition or a nested Tucker decomposition (NTD).Assuming that the core tensors are known, we propose two algorithms for estimating the matrix factors of a NTD(4).We show that a NTD(4) allows to model a one-way two-hop MIMO relay system with TSTC at the source and the relay.We derive two semi-blind receivers allowing to jointly estimate the information symbols and the two individual relay channels.We demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed receivers by means of Monte Carlo simulations.

International audience; A precise analysis of the atrial activity (AA) signal in electrocardiogram (ECG) recordings is necessary for a better understanding of the mechanisms behind atrial fibrillation (AF). Blind source separation (BSS) techniques have proven useful in extracting the AA source from ECG recordings. However, the automated selection of the AA source among the other sources after BSS is still an issue. In this scenario, the present work proposes two contributions: i) the use of the normalized mean square error of the TQ segment (NMSE-TQ) as a new feature to quantify the AA content of a source, and ii) an automated classification of AA and non-AA sources using three well-known machine learning algorithms. The tested classifiers outperform the techniques present in literature. A pattern in the mean and standard deviation of the used features, for AA and non-AA sources, is also observed.