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Interest increased recently in manufacturing food packaging, such as films and coatings, from protein-based biopolymers. Among various protein sources, canola protein is a novel source for manufacturing polymer films. It can be concentrated or isolated by aqueous extraction technology followed by protein precipitation. Using this procedure, it was claimed that more than 99% of protein was extracted from the defatted canola meal, and protein recovery was 87.5%. Canola protein exhibits thermoplastic properties when plasticizers are present, including water, glycerol, polyethylene glycol, and sorbitol. Addition of these plasticizers allows the canola protein to undergo glass transition and facilitates deformation and processability. Normally, canola protein-based bioplastics showed low mechanical properties, which had tensile strength (TS) of 1.19 to 4.31 MPa. So, various factors were explored to improve it, including blending with synthetic polymers, modifying protein functionality through controlled denaturation, and adding cross-linking agents. Canola protein-based bioplastics were reported to have glass transition temperature, T g , below -50°C but it highly depends on the plasticizer content. Canola protein-based bioplastics have demonstrated comparable mechanical and moisture barrier properties compared with other plant protein-based bioplastics. They have great potential in food packaging applications, including their use as wraps, sacks, sachets, or pouches.

Oligomannose-type glycans are among the major targets on the gp120 component of the HIV envelope protein (Env) for broadly neutralizing antibodies (bnAbs). However, attempts to elicit oligomannose-specific nAbs by immunizing with natural or synthetic oligomannose have so far not been successful, possibly due to B cell tolerance checkpoints. Here we design and synthesize oligomannose mimetics, based on the unique chemical structure of a recently identified bacterial lipooligosaccharide, to appear foreign to the immune system. One of these mimetics is bound avidly by members of a family of oligomannose-specific bnAbs and their putative common germline precursor when presented as a glycoconjugate. The crystal structure of one of the mimetics bound to a member of this bnAb family confirms the antigenic resemblance. Lastly, immunization of human-antibody transgenic animals with a lead mimetic evokes nAbs with specificities approaching those of existing bnAbs. These results provide evidence for utilizing antigenic mimicry to elicit oligomannose-specific bnAbs to HIV-1.

A water resistant surface was first obtained by immobilizing hydrophobic copolymers, poly (styrene-co-glycidyl methacrylate) (PSG), with functional groups on soy protein isolate (SPI) films. XPS and AFM results showed that PSG copolymers were immobilized on the film by chemical bonding, and formed a rough surface with some bumps because of the segregation of two different phases on PSG copolymers. Water resistance of the modified films could be adjusted dramatically by further immobilizing different amounts of guanidine-based antimicrobial polymers, poly (hexamethylene guanidine hydrochloride) (PHMG) on the resulting hydrophobic surface. The introduction of hydrophilic PHMG on the resulting surface generated many micropores, which potentially increased the water uptake of the modified films. Furthermore, the modified SPI films showed higher thermostability compared to native SPI film and broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity by contact killing, attributed to the presence of PHMG on the surface. The modified SPI film with a multi-functional surface showed potential for applications in the packaging and medical fields., (Crown Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Black beans (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) are a rich source of flavonoids and saponins with proven health benefits. Spray dried black bean extract powders were used in different formulations for the production of nutraceutical capsules with reduced batch-to-batch weight variability. Factorial designs were used to find an adequate maltodextrin-extract ratio for the spray-drying process to produce black bean extract powders. Several flowability properties were used to determine composite flow index of produced powders. Powder containing 6% maltodextrin had the highest yield (78.6%) and the best recovery of flavonoids and saponins (>56% and >73%, respectively). The new complexes formed by the interaction of black bean powder with maltodextrin, microcrystalline cellulose 50 and starch exhibited not only bigger particles, but also a rougher structure than using only maltodextrin and starch as excipients. A drying process prior to capsule production improved powder flowability, increasing capsule weight and reducing variability. The formulation containing 25.0% of maltodextrin, 24.1% of microcrystalline cellulose 50, 50% of starch and 0.9% of magnesium stearate produced capsules with less than 2.5% weight variability. The spray drying technique is a feasible technique to produce good flow extract powders containing valuable phytochemicals and low cost excipients to reduce the end-product variability.

Even with long‑term glycemic control, diabetes mellitus type 2 (DM2) remains the predominant cause of diabetic neuropathy. Single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) C936T of the vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) gene and the SNP C242T of the p22phox (CYBA) gene have been investigated in relation to DM2 and its complications. The aim of the present study was to investigate the association between these two SNPs and DM2, and also between the SNPs and the signs and symptoms of diabetic distal polyneuropathy. The DM2 group consisted of 98 individuals and the control group consisted of 104 individuals. The results demonstrated that there was no association between the different genotypes or alleles and increased risk of the disease (P>0.05). With SNP C242T, a significant association with body mass index between the CTxTT genotypes (P=0.043) was identified; and the greatest body mass indexes were among individuals with the TT genotype. An association between the degree of neuropathic symptoms and genotypic/allelic distribution of these polymorphisms was not observed. In conclusion, the investigated polymorphisms are not correlated with the risk of developing DM2.

This paper aimed to identify instances of the use of data from the Primary Health Care Information System in the existing scientific literature. This study is an Integrative Literature Review and the search for articles was performed in May, 2013 in the Virtual Healthcare Library (MedLine, Lilacs and SciELO), considering publications from 2008 to 2012. The search for articles initially located 164 texts, though after applying the inclusion and exclusion criteria, this review concentrated on 12 articles. The main results showed that there are fragilities like the use of the form just for the record and the insufficient training of the teams. However, the positive aspect is that the Primary Health Care Information System is the leading source of health information and statistics, and that its information can and must be used for health planning activities. Thus, it is an information system that assists municipal management and the actions in health of its teams, alerting the community to the need for care of individual health.

Antibody B4e8 exhibits modest cross-neutralizing activity, with preference for HIV subtype B. This preference might be explained by B4e8׳s extensive interaction with Arg315, which occurs at the center of most subtype B V3 sequences but is replaced by Gln in subtype C. The extent to which B4e8׳s ability to neutralize subtype C strains is hindered by Gln315 and/or other factors, e.g. epitope masking, is unclear. We confirmed here that an Arg315-to-Gln substitution in a subtype B virus abrogates B4e8 neutralizing activity. Conversely, B4e8-resistant subtype C viruses were rendered sensitive upon Gln 315-to-Arg substitution. V2 region swapping between B4e8-sensitive and- resistant subtype C strains revealed a role for V2 in limiting B4e8 access, but this was less significant than the absence of Arg315. Our findings, while illustrating the importance of Arg315 for B4e8, suggest that some subtype C strains may be vulnerable to B4e8 derivatives capable of binding stronger to Gln315-containing sequences., (Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

This study aimed to explore the perception healthcare sector teachers, students and graduates from two institutions of higher learning in Rio Grande do Sul, on the generation of waste from healthcare services. It used a qualitative research approach, performed with 13 teachers, 18 students and 12 healthcare professionals, who were collected through a focus group. The main results showed there is a perception toward the importance of proper segregation and disposal of Healthcare Service Waste, also there is a lack of concern for the reduction of these wastes. Therefore, the issue requires a broader understanding of the environment, with a view of planetary sustainability, exposing needs to provide the healthcare professionals with knowledge and awareness of the importance of handling these types of waste.

Canola Council of Canada, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada The rising costs of nonrenewable feedstocks and environmental concerns with their industrial usage have encouraged the study and development of renewable products, including thermoplastic starch (TPS). Starch is an abundant, plant-based biodegradable material with interesting physicochemical characteristics that can be exploited, and this has received attention for development of TPS products. Starch exhibits usable thermoplastic properties when plasticizers, elevated temperatures, and shear are present. The choice of plasticizer has an effect on TPS, even when these have similar plasticization principles. Most TPS have glass transition temperature, Tg, in the range of approximately -75 to 10°C. Glassy transition of TPS is detected by differential scanning calorimeter (DSC) and thermodynamic analyzer (DMA), although DMA has been found to be more sensitive and effective. TPS has low tensile properties, typically below 6 MPa in tensile strength (TS). The addition of synthetic polymers, nanoclay, and fiber can improve TS and water-resistance ability. The moisture sorption behavior of TPS is described in GAB and BET models, from which monolayer moisture content and specific area are derived. Current studies on surface tension, gas permeability, crystallinity, and so on of the TPS are also reviewed.

Quality of life is the subjects' perception of their status in society, permeated by culture, values and everyday life and with a view to their life goals and expectations as well as the ways of thinking about life. The study investigated the quality of life of professors of higher education community institutions that have been in operation for more than 40 years and have more than ten thousand students in the State of Rio Grande do Sul. The research, with a qualitative-quantitative cross-sectional approach was conducted in August and September 2011 using a professional profile questionnaire and the WHOQQL-BREF questionnaire, in which 203 professors participated, namely 17% of all the professors in the three institutions analyzed. When the quality of life rate was analyzed according to the teachers' education, the 22 specialists scored highest in the psychological field (72.1 ± 3.1) and lowest in the social field (69.3 ± 4.4). Among the 125 masters and the 43 PhD's, the highest scores were found in the physical domain (74.8 ± 1.3 and 75.7 ± 2.1, respectively) and the lowest in the environmental field (69.4 ±1.0 and 70.8 ± 1.8). The conclusion reached was that the quality of life of the professors was considered good in the fields analyzed. There was no significant statistical difference among them.

Background: The prevalence of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is increasing. Patients with COPD are treated with a variety of inhaled medications. Previous studies evaluating inhaler technique have had varied results but have generally found high rates of misuse of these devices. There is a paucity of studies of inhaler technique focusing on North American patients with COPD who have been admitted to hospital., Objective: To evaluate the inhaler technique of patients with COPD who have been admitted to hospital and to identify baseline patient characteristics and/or inhaler devices associated with poor inhaler technique., Methods: Patients with a diagnosis of COPD who were admitted to the hospitalist or internal medicine service at a tertiary care hospital in British Columbia between October 2010 and April 2011 were identified. After giving informed consent, recruited patients demonstrated their inhaler technique, which was evaluated with standardized checklists. Errors in technique were categorized as either noncritical or critical. Critical errors were defined as those resulting in little or no medication reaching the lungs., Results: Thirty-seven patients (mean age 78 years) participated in the study. Twenty-two (59%) of the patients made critical errors while demonstrating their inhaler technique. Patients using metered-dose inhalers were more likely to make a critical error than patients using other inhalers (13/14 [93%] versus 9/23 [39%]; relative risk 2.38, p = 0.002). On average, 26% of the steps for using an inhaler were performed incorrectly. Twenty-three (62%) of the patients reported having received previous counselling on inhaler technique, but only 13 (57%) of these 23 patients had received such counselling in the previous 6 months., Conclusions: More than half of the patients in this study misused their inhaler devices, and many made critical errors that would result in inadequate amounts of drug reaching the lung. Many of the patients were not receiving regular counselling on appropriate inhaler technique. Health care professionals should be aware of poor inhaler technique, should routinely evaluate their patients' inhaler technique, and should provide counselling.

Aim of the Study: The purpose of the study was to assess the anti-inflammatory effects of the mushroom Inonotus obliquus (Chaga), Polygala senega (Senega) and Viburnum trilobum (Cranberry) bark extract fractions from locally produced materials in lipopolysaccharide (LPS) induced murine macrophage RAW 164.7 cells., Materials and Methods: Four fractions from each of the three extracts were obtained: (80% ethanol extracted; Fa), (water-soluble polysaccharide fraction; Fb), (Polyphenolic fraction; Fc) and (ETOAc/H(2)O extracted fraction; Fd). These extract fractions were tested in the cell screening system at 50,100 and 500 microg/ml for their ability to inhibit LPS induced inflammatory cytokines IL-1beta, TNFalpha and IL-6. Supernatants from LPS alone treated cells were used as control. The cytokines in the cell culture supernatants following treatments with extract fractions were quantified by ELISA method, using 96 well ELISA plates., Results: All fractions of the extracts significantly inhibited (p<0.05) the levels of IL-1beta, IL-6 and TNFalpha except the polyphenolic Fc fraction of Senega which showed an increased production of IL-6. Furthermore, each fraction showed a dose-dependant anti-inflammatory effect. Nitric oxide production was not affected by cranberry and senega, while Chaga significantly reduced NO production in murine macrophage cell assay., Conclusions: These results demonstrate that the extracts obtained from the root of Polygala senega L., bark of Viburnum trilobum, and the mushroom Inonotus obliquus possess anti-inflammatory properties when tested in a RAW 264.7 macrophage cell system.

It has been hypothesized that pores in the plasma membrane form under conditions of rapid water efflux, allowing extracellular ice to grow into the cytoplasm under conditions of rapid freezing. When cells with intracellular ice are thawed slowly, the transmembrane ice crystal expands through recrystallization causing the cell to lyse. One of the implications of this hypothesis is that osmotic pores will provide an alternative route for water movement under conditions of osmotically induced flow. We show that the plasma membrane water permeability of a fibroblast cell changes as a function of the osmotic pressure gradient that is used to drive water movement. It is further shown that cell volume is more important than the magnitude of water flux in causing this departure from a uniform water permeability. We suggest that these data provide evidence of a transient route for water movement across cell membranes.

We demonstrate difference-frequency generation in the 6.8-12.5-mum range by mixing two high-power single-frequency laser diodes in a type II AgGaS(2) crystal. This compact all-solid-state scheme provides maximum output powers that exceed 1 muW and permits continuous adjustment-free scans larger than 2 cm(-1) across the entire tuning range.

Molecular modeling methods have been used to design a novel series of conformationally constrained cyclic peptide inhibitors of human renin. Three goals were defined: enhanced inhibitory potency, high specificity for renin, and increased metabolic stability. Three cyclic compounds were synthesized with ring sizes 10, 12, and 14, based upon a linear hexapeptide inhibitor with a reduced amide replacing the scissile bond at the active site. When tested, the 14-membered-ring compound was as potent an inhibitor of human renin as the parent while the 12-membered-ring compound was 6-fold more potent than the parent against mouse renin. However, the 10-membered-ring compound was inactive against both renins. The lack of potency of the 10-membered compound was explained by using NMR and molecular modeling techniques. It forms another conformation in solution that is inconsistent with binding at the active site. The cyclic compounds did not inhibit either pepsin or cathepsin D significantly. The cyclic modification rendered these inhibitors significantly resistant to cleavage by chymotrypsin and thus prevented loss of activity by this enzyme. Thus, the goals of enhanced inhibitory potency, high specificity, and metabolic stability were achieved in the series of compounds.

We have designed and synthesized a series of small peptides containing a perfluoroalkyl ketone group at the C-terminal position of the angiotensin I sequence as inhibitors of human renin. From this series of compounds, 8 and 10 showed strong inhibition of human renin (IC50 = 3 X 10(-9), 7 X 10(-9) M, respectively). Compound 10 did not inhibit pepsin and cathepsin D at 10(-4) M. Comparison of the IC50 of compound 8 and compound 11 (8.7 X 10(-7) M) demonstrated the marked effect of the perfluoropropyl group on the potency of inhibition on renin, presumably due to the strong electron-withdrawing effect causing the ketone in 8 to exist predominantly as the hydrate--thus mimicking the tetrahedral transition state during hydrolysis of the scissile Leu10--Val11 amide bond.