123 results on '"Rebeca Cruz"'
Search Results
2. Characterization of Liquid Dosage Forms of Atenolol and Enalapril Maleate for Oral and Enteral Feeding Administration
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Sandra Mota, Ana Torres, Clara Quintas, António M. Peres, Nuno Ferreiro, Rebeca Cruz, Helena Ferreira, Isabel F. Almeida, and Susana Casal
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stability ,compounding ,oral formulations ,atenolol ,enalapril maleate ,enteral feeding ,Medicine ,Pharmacy and materia medica ,RS1-441 - Abstract
The limited availability of pharmaceutical formulations tailored for cardiovascular diseases in both pediatric and geriatric populations generates the need for compounded dosage forms to guarantee precise dosing and medication adherence. This study aimed to analyze the physicochemical properties and stability of formulations of atenolol and enalapril maleate prepared with a proprietary oral vehicle, SuspendIt®. To this end, palatability, injectability, pH, rheological behavior, and physical, microbiological, and chemical stability over a 180-day storage period at 25 °C and 5 °C were evaluated. Injectability tests confirmed the suitable use of both formulations for administration through enteral feeding tubes. By using a potentiometric electronic tongue, it was confirmed that the SuspendIt® vehicle effectively served as a bitter-blocking strategy for atenolol and enalapril maleate. Adequate stability throughout the storage period was confirmed in terms of the mechanical properties, pH, and effectiveness of the preservative system. The atenolol concentration remained above 90% of the initial amount, while the concentration of enalapril maleate decreased to 88% after 90 days of storage at 25 °C. In summary, the atenolol formulation maintained suitable chemical, physical, and microbiological stability after 180 days at both storage temperatures, while the enalapril maleate formulation remained stable up to 60 days at 25 °C and for 180 days at 5 °C.
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- 2024
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3. Non disseminative nano-strategy against in vivo Staphylococcus aureus biofilms
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Rita M. Pinto, Saleh Yazdani, Catarina Leal Seabra, Martine De Jonge, Mukaddes Izci, Rebeca Cruz, Susana Casal, Stefaan J. Soenen, Salette Reis, Cláudia Nunes, and Patrick Van Dijck
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Microbial ecology ,QR100-130 - Abstract
Abstract Staphylococcus aureus is considered a high priority pathogen by the World Health Organization due to its high prevalence and the potential to form biofilms. Currently, the available treatments for S. aureus biofilm-associated infections do not target the extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) matrix. This matrix is a physical barrier to bactericidal agents, contributing to the increase of antimicrobial tolerance. The present work proposes the development of lipid nanoparticles encapsulating caspofungin (CAS) as a matrix-disruptive nanosystem. The nanoparticles were functionalized with D-amino acids to target the matrix. In a multi-target nano-strategy against S. aureus biofilms, CAS-loaded nanoparticles were combined with a moxifloxacin-loaded nanosystem, as an adjuvant to promote the EPS matrix disruption. In vitro and in vivo studies showed biofilm reduction after combining the two nanosystems. Besides, the combinatory therapy showed no signs of bacterial dissemination into vital organs of mice, while dissemination was observed for the treatment with the free compounds. Additionally, the in vivo biodistribution of the two nanosystems revealed their potential to reach and accumulate in the biofilm region, after intraperitoneal administration. Thus, this nano-strategy based on the encapsulation of matrix-disruptive and antibacterial agents is a promising approach to fight S. aureus biofilms.
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- 2023
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4. Carcass Yields and Meat Composition of Roosters of the Portuguese Autochthonous Poultry Breeds: 'Branca', 'Amarela', 'Pedrês Portuguesa', and 'Preta Lusitânica'
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Márcio Meira, Isabel M. Afonso, Rebeca Cruz, Júlio Cesar Lopes, Raquel S. Martins, Jéssica Domingues, Virgínia Ribeiro, Rui Dantas, Susana Casal, and Nuno V. Brito
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poultry ,autochthonous breeds ,carcass yield ,physicochemical properties ,nutrient profile ,Chemical technology ,TP1-1185 - Abstract
Poultry meat is an important part of the human diet, and the valorisation of autochthonous breeds is a determinant for the sustainability of the rural areas. The increasing demand for niche products demands for better knowledge of the carcass characteristics and meat quality of these local populations. The present study aims to characterise the roosters’ meat from the “Branca” (BR), “Amarela” (AM), “Pedrês Portuguesa” (PP), and “Preta Lusitânica” (PL) breeds. A total of 80 birds (n = 20 per breed) between 38 and 42 weeks old were slaughtered. The physicochemical and nutritional composition were determined in the breast and drumstick meat. The meat of the PL breed had a higher (p ≤ 0.05) pH value, the AM meat revealed a water-holding capacity (WHC) of superior value and moisture content (p ≤ 0.05), while the BR breed had the highest (p ≤ 0.05) ash content. On the other hand, it was observed that the PP meat had a higher (p ≤ 0.05) yellowness index (b*). The breast meat exhibited, in all breeds, a lower pH value, WHC, redness (a*), and lipid content and greater (p ≤ 0.05) lightness (L*), b*, moisture, and ash and protein contents compared to the drumstick. Furthermore, it presented higher (p ≤ 0.05) K, P, and Mg contents and a superior proportion of total and sensorial relevant amino acids. Regarding the fatty acid profile, the breed differences were more significant in the drumstick, with the AM breed lipids presenting a higher (p ≤ 0.05) percentage of MUFAs in the fat, a lower atherogenic index, and a higher (p ≤ 0.05) value for the hypocholesterolemic/hypercholesterolemic fatty acids ratio, while the BR breed lipids presented a higher (p ≤ 0.05) percentage of PUFAs and PUFAs/SFAs ratio and a lower n-6/n-3 ratio. Considering the results obtained, it can be concluded that the meat from these breeds is a wholesome dietary option, distinguished by a favourable overall nutritional composition marked by elevated protein content, reduced lipid amounts, and amino and fatty acid profiles with desirable nutritional indices.
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- 2023
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5. Influence of Interannual Climate Conditions on the Composition of Olive Oil from Centenarian Olive Trees
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Leticia Bortoluzzi, Susana Casal, Rebeca Cruz, António M. Peres, Paula Baptista, and Nuno Rodrigues
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climate change ,olive oil ,composition ,interannual variations ,Agriculture - Abstract
In recent years, occurrences of heat waves and drought have become increasingly frequent, highlighting the undeniable impact of climate change. The rise in temperatures and decline in rainfall have had severe repercussions on olive trees’ behavior and olive oil production. This study aims to evaluate the effects of two-year climate variations on olive oils from centenarian olive trees situated in the Côa Valley region of Northern Portugal. A selection of 25 centenarian plants was made, and the climate influence on fatty acid content, tocopherols, individual phenols, oxidative stability, and antioxidant activity was assessed over two consecutive years. During the second year of the study, a significant variation (p-value < 0.05) in the proportion of palmitic acid was observed, which increased from 12.9% to 13.6%. Conversely, stearic and arachidic acids exhibited a decrease from 2.7% to 2.3% and from 0.37% to 0.35%, respectively. Analysis of the oils revealed a noteworthy difference (p-value < 0.05) in the concentration of β-tocopherol. The concentration of oils derived from hydroxytyrosol and tyrosol significantly decreases (p-value < 0.005) during the second year. Additionally, significant differences (p-value < 0.005) were observed in the total phenol content and the percentage of ABTS inhibition, both of which decreased in the second year. These findings reinforce the notion that climatic conditions play a key role in shaping the composition of olive oils.
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- 2023
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6. Leaf surfaces and neolithization - the case of Arundo donax L
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Sílvia C. Nunes, Ana P. Gomes, Paulo Nunes, Mariana Fernandes, Ana Maia, Eunice Bacelar, João Rocha, Rebeca Cruz, Aline Boatto, Ajith P. Ravishankar, Susana Casal, Srinivasan Anand, Verónica de Zea Bermudez, and António L. Crespí
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A. donax L. leaf ,environmental adaptation ,wax composition ,hydrophobicity ,optical properties ,neolithization ,Plant culture ,SB1-1110 - Abstract
Arundo donax L. (Arundinoideae subfamily, Poaceae family) is a sub-tropical and temperate climate reed that grows in arid and semi-arid environmental conditions, from eastern China to the Mediterranean basin, suggesting potential adaptations at the epicuticular level. A thorough physical-chemical examination of the adaxial and abaxial surfaces of A. donax leaf was performed herein in an attempt to track such chemophenetic adaptations. This sort of approach is of the utmost importance for the current debate about the hypothetical invasiveness of this species in the Mediterranean basin versus its natural colonization along the Plio-Pleistocene period. We concluded that the leaf surfaces contain, apart from stomata, prickles, and long, thin trichomes, and silicon-rich tetralobate phytolits. Chemically, the dominating elements in the leaf ashes are oxygen and potassium; minor amounts of calcium, silicon, magnesium, phosphorous, sulphur, and chlorine were also detected. In both surfaces the epicuticular waxes (whose density is higher in the adaxial surface than in the abaxial surface) form randomly orientated platelets, with irregular shape and variable size, and aggregated rodlets with variable diameter around the stomata. In the case of green mature leaves, the dominating organic compounds of the epicuticular waxes of both surfaces are triterpenoids. Both surfaces feature identical hydrophobic behaviour, and exhibit the same total transmittance, total reflectance, and absorption of incident light. The above findings suggest easy growth of the plant, remarkable epidermic robustness of the leaf, and control of water loss. These chemophenetic characteristics and human influence support a neolithization process of this species along the Mediterranean basin.
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- 2022
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7. Vicariance Between Cercis siliquastrum L. and Ceratonia siliqua L. Unveiled by the Physical–Chemical Properties of the Leaves’ Epicuticular Waxes
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Rui F. P. Pereira, João Rocha, Paulo Nunes, Tânia Fernandes, Ajith P. Ravishankar, Rebeca Cruz, Mariana Fernandes, Srinivasan Anand, Susana Casal, Verónica de Zea Bermudez, and António L. Crespí
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Cercidoideae ,Caesalpinoideae ,Mediterranean basin ,epicuticular waxes ,wettability ,optical properties ,Plant culture ,SB1-1110 - Abstract
Classically, vicariant phenomena have been essentially identified on the basis of biogeographical and ecological data. Here, we report unequivocal evidences that demonstrate that a physical–chemical characterization of the epicuticular waxes of the surface of plant leaves represents a very powerful strategy to get rich insight into vicariant events. We found vicariant similarity between Cercis siliquastrum L. (family Fabaceae, subfamily Cercidoideae) and Ceratonia siliqua L. (family Fabaceae, subfamily Caesalpinoideae). Both taxa converge in the Mediterranean basin (C. siliquastrum on the north and C. siliqua across the south), in similar habitats (sclerophyll communities of maquis) and climatic profiles. These species are the current representation of their subfamilies in the Mediterranean basin, where they overlap. Because of this biogeographic and ecological similarity, the environmental pattern of both taxa was found to be very significant. The physical–chemical analysis performed on the epicuticular waxes of C. siliquastrum and C. siliqua leaves provided relevant data that confirm the functional proximity between them. A striking resemblance was found in the epicuticular waxes of the abaxial surfaces of C. siliquastrum and C. siliqua leaves in terms of the dominant chemical compounds (1-triacontanol (C30) and 1-octacosanol (C28), respectively), morphology (intricate network of randomly organized nanometer-thick and micrometer-long plates), wettability (superhydrophobic character, with water contact angle values of 167.5 ± 0.5° and 162 ± 3°, respectively), and optical properties (in both species the light reflectance/absorptance of the abaxial surface is significantly higher/lower than that of the adaxial surface, but the overall trend in reflectance is qualitatively similar). These results enable us to include for the first time C. siliqua in the vicariant process exhibited by C. canadensis L., C. griffithii L., and C. siliquastrum.
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- 2022
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8. Parâmetros psicométricos da Prosocial and Antisocial Behavior Sport Scale (PABSS) para o contexto brasileiro
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Marina Pereira Gonçalves, Evandro Morais Peixoto, Leonardo Pestillo de Oliveira, Rebeca Cruz Porto, and João Ricardo Nickenig Vissoci
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comportamentos pró-sociais ,comportamentos antissociais ,atletas ,sporte ,Psychology ,BF1-990 - Abstract
Contar com uma medida psicometricamente adequada para a avaliação dos comportamentos moralmente relevantes de atle-tas é importante para fomentar pesquisas e viabilizar estratégias de intervenção eficazes. O objetivo da presente pesquisa foi estimar propriedades psicométricas da Prosocial and Antisocial Behavior Sport Scale (PABSS) para o contexto brasileiro. A amostra foi composta por 360 atletas de ambos os sexos (idade média 16.1 ± 3.61; 64.7 % homens). A análise fatorial exploratória indicou a pertinência da estrutura composta por quatro fatores: (1) comportamento pró-social direcionado aos companheiros de equipe (CPC); (2) comportamento pró-social direcionado aos adversários (CPA); (3) comportamento antissocial direcionado aos companheiros de equipe (CAC); (4) comportamento antissocial direcionado aos adversários (CAA), explicando conjuntamente 66.1 % da variância total, o que corrobora a hipótese teórica. Adicionalmente, a análise fatorial semiconfirmatória apresentou comprovação do modelo composto por quatro fatores: [(ƛ2 = 126.685, gl = 116. p = .234; ƛ2/gl = 1.09; CFI = 0.998 (IC 95 % = 0.997-0.999); GFI = 0.991 (IC 95 % = 0.997- 0.999); RMSEA = 0.018 (IC 95 % = 0.016-0.020)]. Todos os fatores apresentaram índices desejáveis de consistência interna, alfa de Cronbach superi-ores a .78 e ômega de Mcdonald superiores a .88. Também foram observadas as associações entre comportamento moral e valores no esporte. Conclui-se que a versão brasileira da PABSSreúne evidências psicométricas adequadas, podendo ser utilizada em estudos futuros.
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- 2021
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9. Valorization of Phenolic and Carotenoid Compounds of Sechium edule (Jacq. Swartz) Leaves: Comparison between Conventional, Ultrasound- and Microwave-Assisted Extraction Approaches
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Elsa F. Vieira, Suene Souza, Manuela M. Moreira, Rebeca Cruz, Aline Boatto da Silva, Susana Casal, and Cristina Delerue-Matos
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chayote leaves ,ultrasound-assisted extraction ,optimization ,carotenoids ,phenolic compounds ,Organic chemistry ,QD241-441 - Abstract
Chayote leaves are known for culinary and traditional medicine applications. This work intended to recover carotenoids and phenolic compounds from chayote leaves using the ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE). A Box–Behnken design was employed to investigate the impact of extraction time, temperature, and ultrasonic power on the recovery of total carotenoids, total phenolic compounds, and antioxidant activities. For comparative purposes, chayote leaf extracts were prepared by maceration (ME) and microwave-assisted extraction (MAE), using the same time and temperature conditions optimized by UAE. Extraction at 50 °C and 170 Watts for 30 min provided the optimal UAE conditions. UAE showed better extraction efficacy than ME and MAE. The HPLC analysis of the extracts showed that the xanthophyll class was the main class of carotenoids, which constituted 42–85% of the total carotenoid content, followed by β-carotene and tocopherol. Moreover, 26 compounds, classified as phenolic acids, flavonols, flavonoids and other polar compounds, were identified in the chayote leaf extracts. Flavonols accounted for 55% of the total compounds quantified (the major compound was myricetin) and phenolic acids represented around 35%, mostly represented by ferulic acid, chlorogenic acid and (+)-catechin. This study revealed the potential of UAE as an effective green extraction technique to recover bioactive compounds from chayote leaves, for food, and for pharmaceutical and cosmetic applications.
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- 2022
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10. Effects of Seed Roasting Temperature on Sesame Oil Fatty Acid Composition, Lignan, Sterol and Tocopherol Contents, Oxidative Stability and Antioxidant Potential for Food Applications
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Radia Arab, Susana Casal, Teresa Pinho, Rebeca Cruz, Mohamed Lamine Freidja, José Manuel Lorenzo, Christophe Hano, Khodir Madani, and Lila Boulekbache-Makhlouf
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sesame oil ,roasting temperature ,composition ,oxidative stability ,lipid oxidation ,meat products ,Organic chemistry ,QD241-441 - Abstract
Roasting is a key step for preparing sesame oil that leads to important changes in its organoleptic properties and quality. In this study, white sesame seeds were roasted for 20 min in an electric oven at different temperatures (120, 150, 180, 210, 250 and 300 °C). The oils extracted from unroasted and roasted seeds were compared for their chemical composition: fatty acids (including trans isomers), phytosterols, lignans (sesamin and sesamolin), tocopherols and total phenolic compounds, as well as their oxidative stability and antiradical capacity. There were no obvious differences in the oil densities, refractive indexes or iodine values, but the saponification values were affected by temperature. Relevant primary and secondary lipid oxidation were observed at T > 250 °C, resulting in a higher p-anisidine value and K232 as well as K268 values. Roasting improved oil yield (from 33.5 to 62.6%), increased its induction period (from 5.5 to 10.5 h) and enhanced the total phenolic content (from 152 to 194 mg/100 g) and antiradical activity of the extracted oil. Depending on roasting temperature, a gradual decline was recorded in total amounts of phytosterols (up to 17.4%), γ-tocopherol (up to 10.6%), sesamolin (maximum of 27.5%) and sesamin (maximum of 12.5%). All the investigated oils presented a low quantity in triglyceride polymers, clearly below the maximum tolerated quantity according to the European regulation. The optimal roasting temperature for obtaining high nutritional grade oil within the permissible values was 210 °C. The unsaponifiable components (including lignans and sterols) extracted from roasted seeds have been shown to be natural additives to fresh meatball products to extend shelf life. The results of this study may help to boost the nutritional content of plant-based diets by allowing for the use of roasted sesame seed oil and its components.
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- 2022
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11. Safety and Quality of Canned Sardines after Opening: A Shelf-Stability Study
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Rebeca Cruz, Vânia Pereira, Teresa Pinho, Isabel M. P. L. V. O. Ferreira, Carla Novais, and Susana Casal
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shelf life ,canned sardines ,food safety ,food quality ,refrigeration ,Chemical technology ,TP1-1185 - Abstract
This study aimed to define the shelf life of canned sardines after opening to increase consumer awareness of their quality and safety and reduce food waste. For this purpose, canned sardines (Sardina pilchardus) packed with different sauces were opened and stored at 4 °C for 7 days. Microbiological, sensorial, physical and chemical stability was monitored daily by standard methodologies. Results show that the overall quality and safety are highly dependent on the sauce type. To preserve their full quality, sardines in brine and in vegetable oil should be consumed up to 1 day after opening, while sardines in tomato sauce were stable for up to 3 days, although none were considered nonedible up to the 7th day. Many parameters demonstrated statistical differences and correlations with storage, although they were not as decisive as sensory evaluation. This integrated approach should be adopted by the food industry and regulating authorities to provide information to consumers regarding the quality and safety of handled goods.
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- 2022
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12. Chemical Characterization of the Oil Separated by Mechanical Pressing from Strychnos madagascariensis Dried Fruit Pulp Flour
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Sandra S. I. Chemane, Susana Casal, Rebeca Cruz, Teresa Pinho, Maida Khan, Olívia Pinho, and Olga Viegas
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native fruits ,Strychnos madagascariensis ,high-oleic oil ,monounsaturated oil ,monkey fruit ,sterols ,Chemical technology ,TP1-1185 - Abstract
In Mozambique, rural communities produce flours from the dried pulp of Strychnos madagascariensis fruits. Owing to its high lipid content, the oil from this flour is frequently separated by pressing to be used as seasoning and medicine. Aiming to characterize this oil, flour samples (n = 24), dried at two different temperatures (55 °C and 65 °C), were collected from four local communities, together with a control sample prepared in the lab (50 °C). The resulting oil was fluid at room temperature, deep orange, and characterized by a high content of oleic acid (62–63%), followed by palmitic (20%) and linoleic (7%). It contained considerable amounts of tocols (25–34 mg/100 g) and carotenoids (8–10 mg/100 g), as well as sterols (431 ± 10 mg/100 g) and triterpenic alcohols (823 ± 4 mg/100 g mg/100 g). The overall composition was highly consistent between origins and temperatures, with only small statistically significant differences (p < 0.05), mostly between the community dried flours and control group. However, its high free fatty acid content (22–25%) reveals intensive enzymatic hydrolysis during the drying/fermentation steps, whose extension can be reduced by optimizing its technological process. Its chemical profile supports some of its folklore uses, revealing that it can be a promising source of edible oil, with health and technological potential that is worth optimizing and exploring.
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- 2022
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13. Impact of Frost on the Morphology and Chemical Composition of cv. Santulhana Olives
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Nuno Rodrigues, Susana Casal, Ana I. Rodrigues, Rebeca Cruz, António M. Peres, and José Alberto Pereira
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frost ,cv. Santulhana ,fruit morphology ,fatty acids profile ,bioactive compounds ,Technology ,Engineering (General). Civil engineering (General) ,TA1-2040 ,Biology (General) ,QH301-705.5 ,Physics ,QC1-999 ,Chemistry ,QD1-999 - Abstract
Frost events and extreme weather phenomena greatly affect several characteristics of the olive fruit. This study evaluated the impact of frost on the morphology, composition (moisture, fat, fatty acids, tocopherols, and total phenolic contents), and antioxidant activity of olives of cv. Santulhana. A total of 14 trees from the same geographical region (Santulhão, northeast of Portugal) were chosen, including trees subjected or not subjected to frost conditions (n = 7 each). The results showed that frost led to morphological changes in olive fruits, particularly in terms of weight and diameter, which were imposed by a huge decrease in the moisture content (−20%). Fat relative content increased as a consequence of the water loss (+29% in fresh pulp weight), with a slight reduction of the relative abundance of saturated fatty acids (−4%) and tocopherol contents in the fat (−17%). However, the total phenolic contents and antioxidant activity were severely affected (−70% and −42%, respectively), with potential consequences for the olive oil stability and sensorial attributes. Principal component analysis showed that both morphological and chemical parameters could be used as biomarkers to identify olives subjected or not subjected to frost. The overall negative impact of frost on the minor antioxidant contents of cv. Santulhana olives may anticipate a quality loss of olive oils extracted from olives affected by frost.
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- 2022
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14. Validation of a Simple HPLC-Based Method for Lysine Quantification for Ruminant Nutrition
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João Albuquerque, Susana Casal, Rebeca Cruz, Ingrid Van Dorpe, Margarida Rosa Garcez Maia, António José Mira Fonseca, Ana Rita Jordão Cabrita, Ana Rute Neves, and Salette Reis
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high-performance liquid chromatography ,lysine quantification ,biological samples ,Organic chemistry ,QD241-441 - Abstract
Robust and selective quantification methods are required to better analyze feed supplementation effectiveness with specific amino acids. In this work, a reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography method with fluorescence detection is proposed and validated for lysine quantification, one of the most limiting amino acids in ruminant nutrition and essential towards milk production. To assess and widen method applicability, different matrices were considered: namely Li2CO3 buffer (the chosen standard reaction buffer), phosphate buffer solution (to mimic media in cellular studies), and rumen inoculum. The method was validated for all three matrices and found to be selective, accurate (92% ± 2%), and precise at both the inter- and intra-day levels in concentrations up to 225 µM, with detection and quantification limits lower than 1.24 and 4.14 µM, respectively. Sample stability was evaluated when stored at room temperature, 4 °C, and −20 °C, showing consistency for up to 48 h regardless of the matrix. Finally, the developed method was applied in the quantification of lysine on real samples. The results presented indicate that the proposed method can be applied towards free lysine quantification in ruminant feeding studies and potentially be of great benefit to dairy cow nutrition supplementation and optimization.
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- 2021
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15. Fatty Acid Composition from Olive Oils of Portuguese Centenarian Trees Is Highly Dependent on Olive Cultivar and Crop Year
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Nuno Rodrigues, Susana Casal, Teresa Pinho, Rebeca Cruz, António M. Peres, Paula Baptista, and José Alberto Pereira
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olive heritage ,chemical characterization ,chemometrics ,crop year ,monounsaturated fatty acids ,Chemical technology ,TP1-1185 - Abstract
The high proportions of monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA) represent one of the most important technological and nutritional features of olive oils. The present study details the fatty acid (FA) composition of autochthonous cultivars (Lentisca, Madural, Redondal, Rebolã, Verdeal, and Verdeal Transmontana) produced from centenarian trees during five crop years (2013–2017). Olive cultivar highly influenced the FA composition, namely, oleic acid (70.3% for Madural to 80.7% for Redondal) and palmitic acid (10.4% for Lentisca to 13.5% for Verdeal). Similarly, crop year significantly influenced the individual FA contents. Principal component analysis of FA data enabled the unsupervised classification by cultivar and, within each cultivar, by crop year. Furthermore, the levels of nine individual FAs, together with the polyunsaturated fatty acid contents, selected using the simulated annealing algorithm, allowed for their correct classification, on the basis of linear discriminant analysis, according to the olive cultivar, with an overall sensitivity of 92%, for leave-one-out cross-validation procedure. Globally, the cultivar effect superimposed that of crop year, showing that some cultivars, such as Redondal and Verdeal Transmontana, have consistently high and homogeneous proportions of MUFA, indicating that they are worth exploring in terms of future selection of cultivars that are able to produce olive oils with increased nutritional value and that are less prone to oxidation.
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- 2021
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16. Carotenoids of Lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) Grown on Soil Enriched with Spent Coffee Grounds
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Susana Casal, Sara Cunha, José Alberto Pereira, Rebeca Cruz, and Paula Baptista
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β-carotene ,lutein ,chlorophyll ,spent coffee grounds ,soil amendment ,lettuce ,Organic chemistry ,QD241-441 - Abstract
The impact of spent coffee grounds on carotenoid and chlorophyll content in lettuce (Lactuca sativa L. var. capitata) was evaluated. A greenhouse pot experiment was conducted with spent coffee amounts ranging from 0% to 20% (v/v). All evaluated pigments increased proportionally to spent coffee amounts. Lutein and β-carotene levels increased up to 90% and 72%, respectively, while chlorophylls increased up to 61%. Biomass was also improved in the presence of 2.5% to 10% spent coffee, decreasing for higher amounts. Nevertheless, all plants were characterized by lower organic nitrogen content than the control ones, inversely to the spent coffee amounts, pointing to possible induced stress. Collected data suggests that plants nutritional features, with regards to these bioactive compounds, can be improved by the presence of low amounts of spent coffee grounds (up to 10%). This observation is particularly important because soil amendment with spent coffee grounds is becoming increasingly common within domestic agriculture. Still, further studies on the detailed influence of spent coffee bioactive compounds are mandatory, particularly regarding caffeine.
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- 2012
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17. Direitos civis dos embriões in vitro
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Pinheiro, Ana Maria Bezerra, primary, Piveta, Diana Sales, additional, Amorim Júnior, Geraldo Uchoa de, additional, Lisboa, Rebeca Cruz, additional, Santana, Roselma Coelho, additional, Nogueira, Sâmara Christina Souza, additional, Miranda, Sarah Clarimar Ribeiro de, additional, Silva, Verônica Maria Félix da, additional, and Ribeiro, Viviane, additional
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- 2023
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18. ALEITAMENTO MATERNO EXCLUSIVO NO ESTADO DO PARANÁ EM UM CONTEXTO DE PANDEMIA
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Oliveira, Rebeca Cruz de, primary, Felipin, Larissa Carolina Segantini, additional, Mariano, Pâmela Patrícia, additional, Vieira, Viviane Cazetta de Lima, additional, Frez, Flávia Cristina Vieira, additional, Rodrigues, Thamires Fernandes Cardoso da Silva, additional, Back, Ivi Ribeiro, additional, Silva, Isabela Rosa dos Santos, additional, Santos, Fernanda Pereira dos, additional, Corrêa, Sarah Anna dos Santos, additional, Stolarz, Marjorie Fairuzy, additional, and Uema, Roberta Tognollo Borotta, additional
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- 2022
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19. Motivação e envolvimento acadêmico: um estudo com estudantes universitários
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Rebeca Cruz Porto and Marina Pereira Gonçalves
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Motivation ,participation ,Higher education ,Psychology ,BF1-990 - Abstract
Resumo Pesquisas sugerem que motivação e envolvimento acadêmico sejam variáveis importantes para o contexto educacional. Assim, a presente pesquisa teve por objetivo principal investigar a relação entre estes construtos. A amostra foi composta por 406 estudantes universitários, a maioria (81,3%) com idades variando entre 20 e 30 anos, do sexo feminino (55,2%) e de instituições de ensino superior pública (70,4%). Estes responderam a Escala de Motivação Acadêmica (EMA), a Escala de Envolvimento Acadêmico (EEA) e a questões sociodemográficas. Os resultados apontaram correlação positiva e significativa entre motivação e envolvimento acadêmico. Foram encontradas ainda diferenças em relação ao sexo, ao período e área do curso e ao envolvimento com atividades extracurriculares. Tais resultados foram discutidos à luz das teorias do envolvimento acadêmico e da autodeterminação. Sugere-se a realização de novas pesquisas a fim de melhor compreender as variáveis que influenciam na motivação e no envolvimento acadêmico de estudantes universitários.
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20. ESTÍMULOS ESTRESSORES RELACIONADOS À ASSISTÊNCIA DE ENFERMAGEM A PACIENTES VÍTIMAS DA COVID-19
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Silva, Thays Cristina Camilo da, primary, Boigny, Reagan Nzundu, additional, Silva, Francisca Moraes da, additional, Timbó, Bruno Gomes Camelo, additional, Braga, Marcos Eduardo Mendes, additional, Freire, José Osório Feijó de Lima, additional, Carvalho, Larissa Fortes, additional, Ribeiro, Renata Aparecida Lobianco, additional, Arrais, Iris Daian Queiroz, additional, Fechine, Rebeca Cruz, additional, and Morais, Yohanna Pâmella Vieira de, additional
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- 2022
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21. Clostridioides difficile infections in the intensive care unit: a monocentric cohort study
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Aguilar, Rebeca Cruz, Salmanton-García, Jon, Carney, Jonathan, Böll, Boris, Kochanek, Matthias, Jazmati, Nathalie, Cornely, Oliver A., and Vehreschild, Maria J. G. T.
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- 2020
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22. ESTÃO ROUBANDO A AMAZÔNIA : BIOPIRATARIA UMA PRÁTICA TÃO ANTIGA E TÃO ATUAL
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silva, veronica maria felix da, primary, SANTOS, ALLAN RIBEIRO DOS, additional, LISBOA, REBECA CRUZ, additional, SANTANA, ROSELMA COELHO, additional, and JÚNIOR, BIANOR SARAIVA NOGUEIRA, additional
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- 2023
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23. Doença de Scheuermann: uma abordagem diagnóstica, evolução clínica e revisão
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Braz, Henrique Santos, primary, Chiaradia, Clara Ferreira Claudino, additional, De Sousa, Camylla Borba, additional, Nicolau, Thaís Monção, additional, Ribeiro, Luiz Miguel Carvalho, additional, Rosa, João Pedro Valim, additional, E Silva, Millena Fernandes de Souza Costa, additional, De Souza, Mariana Caldeira, additional, Giongo, Victoria Campos, additional, Quaranta, Luana dos Reis Calçado, additional, Antunes, Ludmilla Rebeca Cruz, additional, Nunes, Amanda Naves, additional, Silva, Henrique Oliveira, additional, Costa, Hendrio Freitas de Souza, additional, Alencar, Monise Amélia Martins de Oliveira, additional, Vargas, Aline Bezerra, additional, and Corrêa, Letícia Longue, additional
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- 2023
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24. Doença de Adrenoleucodistrofia: uma abordagem diagnóstica, evolução clínica e revisão
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Antunes, Ludmilla Rebeca Cruz, primary, Nunes, Amanda Naves, additional, Silva, Henrique Oliveira, additional, Costa, Hendrio Freitas de Souza, additional, Alencar, Monise Amélia Martins de Oliveira, additional, Vargas, Aline Bezerra, additional, Braz, Henrique Santos, additional, Chiaradia, Clara Ferreira Claudino, additional, De Sousa, Camylla Borba, additional, Ribeiro, Luiz Miguel Carvalho, additional, Rosa, João Pedro Valim, additional, E Silva, Millena Fernandes de Souza Costa, additional, Nicolau, Thaís Monção, additional, De Souza, Mariana Caldeira, additional, Giongo, Victoria Campos, additional, Quaranta, Luana dos Reis Calçado, additional, and Corrêa, Letícia Longue, additional
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- 2023
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25. Olive and echium oil gelled emulsions: Simulated effect of processing temperature, gelling agent and in vitro gastrointestinal digestion on oxidation and bioactive compounds
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Katherine Gutiérrez-Luna, Diana Ansorena, Rebeca Cruz, Iciar Astiasarán, and Susana Casal
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Alginates ,Temperature ,In vitro digestion ,Gelled emulsion ,General Medicine ,Carrageenan ,Analytical Chemistry ,Echium oil ,Excipients ,Phenols ,Olea ,Plant Oils ,Echium ,Emulsions ,Olive Oil ,Oxidation-Reduction ,Oils ,Olive oil ,Delivery system ,Food Science - Abstract
The impact and relative relevance of in vitro gastrointestinal digestion, processing temperature (room temper- ature or 180 ◦C), and gelling agent (GA) (carrageenan and alginate) on the bioactive compounds and oxidation status of olive and echium oils gelled formulations with 40% lipid incorporation was assessed. In vitro digestion was not affected by the GA, with >90% lipolysis in all formulations, but was the most relevant variable, pro- moting oxidation (MDA) regardless of the oil type, GA or temperature applied. Tocopherols and phenolic decreased with digestion, which could be interpreted as a protective response to pro-oxidative conditions during digestion. Temperature decreased olive oil phenolics. Gelification of echium oil using alginate reduced secondary oxidation products formation in comparison with carrageenan, with oxidation degrees after digestion equivalent to those shown with olive oil. The use of alginate with olive oil resulted in the most stable formulations, although not protecting its minor bioactive compounds from thermal degradation.
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- 2023
26. Retinoic acid (
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Bruno M, Fonseca, Rebeca, Cruz, Beatriz, Pinto, Lia, Costa, Eduarda, Felgueira, Pedro, Oliveira, Susana, Casal, and Irene, Rebelo
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Both vitamin A and E support female reproduction and embryonic development. These vitamins have been associated with decreased fertility or failure to end the pregnancy in animals. An observational study was conducted on follicular fluid (FF) samples to determine the concentrations of fat-soluble vitamins of women undergoing
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- 2022
27. Combined effects of climate change and BDE-209 dietary exposure on the behavioural response of the white seabream, Diplodus sargus
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Marta Dias, José Ricardo Paula, Pedro Pousão-Ferreira, Susana Casal, Rebeca Cruz, Sara C. Cunha, Rui Rosa, António Marques, Patrícia Anacleto, and Ana Luísa Maulvault
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Environmental Engineering ,Environmental Chemistry ,Pollution ,Waste Management and Disposal - Published
- 2023
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28. Inoculation of cv. Arbequina olives with fungi isolated from leaves and its effect on the extracted oils' stability and health-related composition
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Ítala M. G. Marx, Paula Baptista, Susana Casal, Nuno Rodrigues, Rebeca Cruz, Ana C. A. Veloso, José A. Pereira, António M. Peres, and Universidade do Minho
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Fungal suspension ,Phenolic profile ,Enzymatic activity ,Science & Technology ,Epicoccum nigrum ,General Chemistry ,Biochemistry ,Aureobasidium pullulans ,Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering ,Food Science ,Biotechnology - Abstract
Cv. Arbequina fruits were inoculated during one day with suspensions of Aureobasidium pullulans, Epicoccum nigrum or both species (104 spores/g olives), isolated from olive leaves, aiming to increase the phenolic content of the olive oils. Oils were extracted from non-inoculated (control) and inoculated olives, being evaluated for their oxidative stability, and phenolic composition. Compared to the control oils, those extracted from inoculated olives showed higher oxidative stability (+1629%), phenolic acids contents (up to+37%), phenolic alcohols (up to+101%), flavonoids (up to+154%) and secoiridoid derivatives (up to + 12%). These positive effects could be attributed to the hydrolytic activity of enzymes secreted by the studied fungi on the fruit cellular membranes and extracted phenolics, increasing the extractability and, consequently, altering the phenolic concentration. Considering the two fungi species, E. nigrum inoculation had a more significant positive impact on the contents of tyrosol, oleuropein, and ligstroside derivatives, showing an inhibition effect regarding the oleacein formation. Contrary, A. pullulans inoculation mainly resulted into an accentuated increase of luteolin and oleacein contents (3 and 12-times higher compared with control oils, respectively). Overall, no enhanced positive synergetic effect could be attributed to the inoculation with a suspension containing both fungi. The significant changes observed on the phenolic contents, due to the fungal inoculation, allowed the successful discrimination of the four types of extracted oils using an electronic tongue. This device acts as an artificial taste device allowing anticipating an impact at the oils basic taste sensations due to the fungi inoculation., The authors are grateful to the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT, Portugal) for fnancial support by national funds FCT/MCTES (PIDDAC) to CIMO (UIDB/00690/2020 and UIDP/00690/2020), CEB (UIDB/04469/2020), REQUIMTE-LAQV (UIDB/50006/2020) units and SusTEC (LA/P/0007/2020); to Project “GreenHealth—Digital strategies in biological assets to improve well being and promote green health” (Norte-01–0145-FEDER-000042) and to Project AgriFood XXI (NORTE-01–0145-FEDER-000041), funded by the European Regional Development Fund under the scope of Norte2020 ‐ Programa Operacional Regional do Norte. Ítala M.G. Marx acknowledges the Ph.D. grant (SFRH/BD/137283/2018) pro vided by FCT. Nuno Rodrigues thanks to National funding by FCT-Foundation for Science and Technology, P.I., through the institutional scientifc employment program-contract, info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion
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- 2022
29. Effects of Seed Roasting Temperature on Sesame Oil Fatty Acid Composition, Lignan, Sterol and Tocopherol Contents, Oxidative Stability and Antioxidant Potential for Food Applications
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Boulekbache-Makhlouf, Radia Arab, Susana Casal, Teresa Pinho, Rebeca Cruz, Mohamed Lamine Freidja, José Manuel Lorenzo, Christophe Hano, Khodir Madani, and Lila
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sesame oil ,roasting temperature ,composition ,oxidative stability ,lipid oxidation ,meat products - Abstract
Roasting is a key step for preparing sesame oil that leads to important changes in its organoleptic properties and quality. In this study, white sesame seeds were roasted for 20 min in an electric oven at different temperatures (120, 150, 180, 210, 250 and 300 °C). The oils extracted from unroasted and roasted seeds were compared for their chemical composition: fatty acids (including trans isomers), phytosterols, lignans (sesamin and sesamolin), tocopherols and total phenolic compounds, as well as their oxidative stability and antiradical capacity. There were no obvious differences in the oil densities, refractive indexes or iodine values, but the saponification values were affected by temperature. Relevant primary and secondary lipid oxidation were observed at T > 250 °C, resulting in a higher p-anisidine value and K232 as well as K268 values. Roasting improved oil yield (from 33.5 to 62.6%), increased its induction period (from 5.5 to 10.5 h) and enhanced the total phenolic content (from 152 to 194 mg/100 g) and antiradical activity of the extracted oil. Depending on roasting temperature, a gradual decline was recorded in total amounts of phytosterols (up to 17.4%), γ-tocopherol (up to 10.6%), sesamolin (maximum of 27.5%) and sesamin (maximum of 12.5%). All the investigated oils presented a low quantity in triglyceride polymers, clearly below the maximum tolerated quantity according to the European regulation. The optimal roasting temperature for obtaining high nutritional grade oil within the permissible values was 210 °C. The unsaponifiable components (including lignans and sterols) extracted from roasted seeds have been shown to be natural additives to fresh meatball products to extend shelf life. The results of this study may help to boost the nutritional content of plant-based diets by allowing for the use of roasted sesame seed oil and its components.
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- 2022
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30. ALEITAMENTO MATERNO EXCLUSIVO NO ESTADO DO PARANÁ EM UM CONTEXTO DE PANDEMIA
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Rebeca Cruz de Oliveira, Larissa Carolina Segantini Felipin, Pâmela Patrícia Mariano, Viviane Cazetta de Lima Vieira, Flávia Cristina Vieira Frez, Thamires Fernandes Cardoso da Silva Rodrigues, Ivi Ribeiro Back, Isabela Rosa dos Santos Silva, Fernanda Pereira dos Santos, Sarah Anna dos Santos Corrêa, Marjorie Fairuzy Stolarz, and Roberta Tognollo Borotta Uema
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- 2022
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31. Fecal microbiota transfer for refractory intestinal graft‐versus‐host disease — Experience from two German tertiary centers
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Paul G. Higgins, Tobias A. W. Holderried, Barbara Sifft, Christoph Scheid, F Goeser, Peter Brossart, Marta Rebeca Cruz Aguilar, Maria J G T Vehreschild, Fedja Farowski, Dominik Wolf, Christian P. Strassburg, and Christoph K. Stein-Thoeringer
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Adult ,Male ,Abdominal pain ,medicine.medical_specialty ,Gastrointestinal Diseases ,Graft vs Host Disease ,Disease ,Gastroenterology ,Tertiary Care Centers ,Refractory ,Germany ,Internal medicine ,Humans ,Transplantation, Homologous ,Medicine ,Adverse effect ,Aged ,business.industry ,Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation ,Disease Management ,Biodiversity ,Hematology ,General Medicine ,Fecal Microbiota Transplantation ,Middle Aged ,medicine.disease ,Gastrointestinal Microbiome ,Transplantation ,Treatment Outcome ,Graft-versus-host disease ,Female ,medicine.symptom ,business ,Complication ,Dysbiosis - Abstract
RATIONALE Steroid refractory graft-vs-host disease (sr-GvHD) represents a challenging complication after allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (allo-HCT). Intestinal microbiota (IM) diversity and dysbiosis were identified as influencing factors for the development of acute GvHD. Fecal microbiota transfer (FMT) is hypothesized to restore IM dysbiosis, but there is limited knowledge about the significance of FMT in the treatment of sr-GvHD. OBJECTIVES We studied the effects of FMT on sr-GvHD in allo-HCT patients from two German tertiary clinical centers (n = 11 patients; period: March 2017 until July 2019). To assess safety and clinical efficacy, we analyzed clinical data pre- and post-FMT (day -14 to +30 relative to FMT). Moreover, IM were analyzed in donor samples and in a subset of patients pre- and post-FMT by 16S rRNA sequencing. RESULTS Post-FMT, we observed no intervention-associated, systemic inflammatory responses and only minor side effects (5/11 patients: abdominal pain and transformation of peristalsis-each 3/11 and vomiting-1/11). Stool frequencies and volumes were significantly reduced [pre- vs post-FMT (d14): P
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- 2021
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32. A quality improvement study on the reduction of central venous catheter-associated bloodstream infections by use of self-disinfecting venous access caps (STERILE)
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Vanessa Mondaini, Boris Böll, Maria J G T Vehreschild, Harald Seifert, Fedja Farowski, Jonathan Carney, Matthias Kochanek, Matas Griskaitis, Rebeca Cruz-Aguilar, Jon Salmanton-García, and Lena M Biehl
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Catheterization, Central Venous ,medicine.medical_specialty ,Epidemiology ,medicine.drug_class ,medicine.medical_treatment ,Population ,Bacteremia ,Single Center ,03 medical and health sciences ,0302 clinical medicine ,Antiseptic ,Sepsis ,Internal medicine ,medicine ,Central Venous Catheters ,Humans ,Prospective Studies ,030212 general & internal medicine ,education ,Retrospective Studies ,0303 health sciences ,education.field_of_study ,030306 microbiology ,business.industry ,Health Policy ,Significant difference ,Hazard ratio ,Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health ,Quality Improvement ,Venous access ,Catheter ,Infectious Diseases ,Catheter-Related Infections ,business ,Central venous catheter - Abstract
Background Contamination of the catheter hub is an important source of central line-associated bloodstream infections (CLABSI); catheter hub caps incorporating a 70% isopropyl alcohol aim are designed to reduce contamination and hence CLABSI rates. Supporting data in high-risk hematological and oncological patients on the clinical effectiveness of this approach are sparse. Methods We conducted a before-after single center study accompanying the introduction of such caps at our department. Retrospective data from the year prior to the introduction were compared to 1 year of prospective data. Results The control and antiseptic barrier cap (ABC) groups consisted of 309 and 289 patients presenting a CLABSI rate of 15.28 and 10.38 per 1,000 catheter days (P= .042), respectively. However, after multivariate analysis, ABCs were not identified as a statistically significant independent protective factor for the occurrence of CLABSI (hazard ratio 0.69, P= .120). There was no significant difference between the groups with respect to time to CLABSI (P= .681), nor the proportion of catheters removed due to suspicion of infection (P= .076). Conclusions The introduction of ABCs in this high-risk population did not significantly alter CLABSI rates.
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- 2021
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33. The Surfaces of the Ceratonia siliqua L. (Carob) Leaflet: Insights from Physics and Chemistry
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Rebeca Cruz, Guido Kickelbick, Susana Casal, Ajith P. Ravishankar, Antonio L. Crespí, Mariana Fernandes, Sushant Anand, Eunice Bacelar, V. de Zea Bermudez, João Rocha, S Rodríguez, and Nils Steinbrück
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Wax ,Leaflet (botany) ,Chemistry ,Evaporation ,02 engineering and technology ,Surfaces and Interfaces ,010402 general chemistry ,021001 nanoscience & nanotechnology ,Condensed Matter Physics ,01 natural sciences ,food.food ,0104 chemical sciences ,Epicuticular wax ,Absorbance ,Ceratonia siliqua ,food ,Chemical engineering ,visual_art ,Electrochemistry ,visual_art.visual_art_medium ,General Materials Science ,Diffuse reflection ,Texture (crystalline) ,0210 nano-technology ,Spectroscopy - Abstract
The production of superhydrophobic coatings inspired by the surface of plant leaves is a challenging goal. Such coatings hold a bright technological future in niche markets of the aeronautical, space, naval, building, automobile, and biomedical sectors. This work is focused on the adaxial (top) and abaxial (bottom) surfaces of the leaflet of the Ceratonia silique L. (carob), a high-commercial-value Mediterranean tree cultivated in many regions of the world. The adaxial and abaxial surfaces feature hydrophobic and superhydrophobic behaviors, respectively. Their chemical composition is very simple: monopalmitin ester and palmitic acid are protuberant in the epicuticular and intracuticular wax layers of the adaxial surface, respectively, whereas 1-octacosanol dominates in the abaxial wax layers. In both surfaces, epicuticular wax is organized along a randomly oriented and intricate network of nanometer-thick and micrometer-long plates, whose density and degree of interconnection are significantly higher in the abaxial surface. The measured tilting angles for the abaxial surface (12-70°) reveal unusual variable density and water adhesion of the nanostructured plate-based texture. Optical measurements demonstrate that light reflectance/absorbance of the glaucous abaxial surface is significantly higher/lower than that of the nonglaucous adaxial surface. In both surfaces, diffuse reflectance is dominant, and the absorbance is weakly dependent on the light incidence angle. We show that the highly dense nanostructured platelike texture of the epicuticular abaxial layer of the C. siliqua leaflet works as a sophisticated light and water management system: it reflects solar radiation diffusely to lower the surface temperature, and it has superhydrophobic character to keep the surface dry. Such attributes enable efficient gas exchange (photosynthesis and respiration), transpiration, and evaporation. To mimic for the first time the abaxial surface, a templation approach was adopted using poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS)/poly(methylphenylsiloxane) (PMPS) positive/negative replicas and a soft polymer/siloxane negative replica produced by the sol-gel process. Because high topographical variations of the biotemplate and wax adhesion to the biohybrid film affected the replication quality, the reproduction of the wax texture via the synthesis of 1-octacosanol-grafted siloxane-based hybrid materials is proposed as a suitable route to duplicate the abaxial surface with high fidelity. The natural chemical/physical strategy adopted by the C. siliqua leaflet to face the harsh Mediterranean climate is a powerful source of bioinspiration for the development of diffuse reflecting and superhydrophobic material systems with foreseen applications as dual-functional antiglare and water-repelling coatings.
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- 2021
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34. Impact of fresh olive leaves addition during the extraction of Arbequina virgin olive oils on the phenolic and volatile profiles
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Ítala M.G. Marx, Susana Casal, Nuno Rodrigues, Rebeca Cruz, Fátima Peres, Ana C.A. Veloso, José A. Pereira, António M. Peres, and Universidade do Minho
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Sensory evaluation ,Volatile Organic Compounds ,Science & Technology ,Abencor system oil extraction ,Secoiridoids biosynthetic pathway ,Lipoxygenase pathway ,General Medicine ,Analytical Chemistry ,Plant Leaves ,Phenols ,Olea ,Plant Oils ,Iridoids ,Olive Oil ,Food Science - Abstract
Leaves incorporation during the extraction of olive oils can enhance their chemical-sensory quality. Thus, leaves from cvs. Arbequina or Santulhana were added (1%, w/w) during the extraction of Arbequina oils using an Abencor system, being discussed the impacts on the phenolics and volatiles formation enzymatic pathways. Leaves addition contributed to a significant decrease (P-value, The authors are grateful to the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT, Portugal) for financial support by national funds FCT/MCTES to CIMO (UIDB/00690/2020), CEB (UIDB/04469/2020), REQUIMTE-LAQV (UIDB/50006/2020) units and SusTEC (LA/P/0007/ 2020); to BioTecNorte operation (NORTE-01-0145-FEDER-000004), to Project “GreenHealth - Digital strategies in biological assets to improve well-being and promote green health” (Norte-01-0145-FEDER-000042) and to Project AgriFood XXI (NORTE-01-0145-FEDER-000041), funded by the European Regional Development Fund under the scope of Norte2020 - Programa Operacional Regional do Norte. Ítala M.G. Marx acknowledges the Ph.D. grant (SFRH/BD/137283/2018) provided by FCT. Nuno Rodrigues thanks to National funding by FCT- Foundation for Science and Technology, P.I., through the institutional scientific employment program-contract., info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion
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- 2022
35. Clostridioides difficile infections in the intensive care unit: a monocentric cohort study
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Nathalie Jazmati, Jon Salmanton-García, Maria J G T Vehreschild, Jonathan Carney, Boris Böll, Rebeca Cruz Aguilar, Oliver A. Cornely, Matthias Kochanek, and Publica
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Microbiology (medical) ,Diarrhea ,Adult ,Male ,medicine.medical_specialty ,Population ,Comorbidity ,Severity of Illness Index ,law.invention ,Cohort Studies ,Hospitals, University ,law ,Risk Factors ,Intensive care ,Internal medicine ,Germany ,Medicine ,Humans ,Mortality ,education ,Survival rate ,Retrospective Studies ,education.field_of_study ,Original Paper ,APACHE II ,business.industry ,Clostridioides difficile ,Mortality rate ,General Medicine ,Middle Aged ,Intensive care unit ,Anti-Bacterial Agents ,Intensive Care Units ,Infectious Diseases ,Logistic Models ,Concomitant ,Clostridium Infections ,Female ,Morbidity ,business ,Cohort study - Abstract
Introduction Patient-level data from Clostridioides difficile infections (CDI) treated in an intensive care setting is limited, despite the growing medical and financial burden of CDI. Methods We retrospectively analyzed data from 100 medical intensive care unit patients at the University Hospital Cologne with respect to demography, diagnostics, severity scores, treatment, and outcome. To analyze factors influencing response to treatment and death, a backward-stepwise multiple logistic regression model was applied. Results Patients had significant comorbidities including 26% being immunocompromised. The mean Charlson Comorbidity Index was 6.3 (10-year survival rate of 2.25%). At the time of diagnosis, the APACHE II was 17.4±6.3 (predicted mortality rate of 25%), and the ATLAS score was 5.2±1.9 (predicted cure rate of 75%). Overall, 47% of CDI cases were severe, 35% were complicated, and 23% were both. At least one concomitant antibiotic was given to 74% of patients. The cure rate after 10 and 90 days was 56% and 51%, respectively. Each unit increment in APACHE II score was associated with poorer treatment response (OR 0.931; 95% CI 0.872–0.995; p = 0.034). Age above 65 years was associated with death (OR 2.533; 95% CI 1.031–6.221; p = 0.043), and overall mortality at 90 days was 56%. Conclusions CDI affects a high-risk population, in whom predictive scoring tools are not accurate, and outcomes are poor despite intensive treatment. Further research in this field is warranted to improve prediction scoring and patient outcomes.
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- 2020
36. GxE Effects on Tocopherol Composition of Oils from Very Old and Genetically Diverse Olive Trees
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António M. Peres, Rebeca Cruz, Nuno Rodrigues, Paula Baptista, José Alberto Pereira, and Susana Casal
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Monovarietal olive oils ,General Chemical Engineering ,Vitamin E ,medicine.medical_treatment ,Organic Chemistry ,Biology ,Olive trees ,α-Tocopherol ,Crop year ,Olive tree germplasm ,medicine ,Composition (visual arts) ,Tocopherol ,Food science - Abstract
Tocopherols are compounds with high biological activity, beneficial for human health that can be found in vegetable oils like olive oil, contributing for its resistance to oxidation. In this work, the tocopherol contents of olive oils extracted from centenarian olive trees of six cultivars (cvs. Lentisca, Madural, Rebol~a, Redondal, Verdeal, and Verdeal Transmontana) were evaluated during five consecutive crop seasons (2013–2017). Three tocopherol isoforms (α-, β- and γ-tocopherols) were detected in all analyzed olive oils, and their content varied significantly with the cultivar and year of production. The highest amounts were found in cv. Lentisca (456 122 mg/kg olive oil), while the lowest were observed in cv. Verdeal (179 45 mg/kg olive oil). Crop year was the most influential factor, with the highest contents observed in 2013 and lowest in 2014. Principal component analysis and hierarchical clustering analysis helped differentiate olive oils according to cultivar or production year. These data suggest that tocopherol composition may serve as a chemical marker to distinguish the subject cultivar olive oils from centenarian trees either by olive cultivar or by crop year, being some cultivars identified as potential candidates for guaranteeing the production of olive oils rich in these compounds. This work was financially supported by Project UIDB/00690/2020 (CIMO) and Project UID/QUI/50006/2019 (REQUIMTE-LAQV); all funded by Fundo Europeu de Desenvolvimento Regional (FEDER) through COMPETE2020-Programa Operacional Competitividade e Internacionalização (POCI) and by national funds through Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT), Portugal. This work was also supported by PRODER project OliveOld—Identificação e caraterização de oliveiras centenárias para obtenção de produtos diferenciados” nº 53988. Nuno Rodrigues thanks FCT, POPH-QREN and FSE for the PhD Grant SFRH/BD/104038/2014 info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion
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- 2020
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37. Vicariance Between
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Rui F P, Pereira, João, Rocha, Paulo, Nunes, Tânia, Fernandes, Ajith P, Ravishankar, Rebeca, Cruz, Mariana, Fernandes, Srinivasan, Anand, Susana, Casal, Verónica, de Zea Bermudez, and António L, Crespí
- Abstract
Classically, vicariant phenomena have been essentially identified on the basis of biogeographical and ecological data. Here, we report unequivocal evidences that demonstrate that a physical-chemical characterization of the epicuticular waxes of the surface of plant leaves represents a very powerful strategy to get rich insight into vicariant events. We found vicariant similarity between
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- 2022
38. Impact of incorporating olive leaves during the industrial extraction of cv. Arbequina oils on the physicochemical--sensory quality and health claim fulfillment
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José Alberto Pereira, Nuno Rodrigues, António M. Peres, Ana C. A. Veloso, Ítala M. G. Marx, Susana Casal, Rebeca Cruz, and Universidade do Minho
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Biochemistry ,Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering ,03 medical and health sciences ,chemistry.chemical_compound ,0404 agricultural biotechnology ,0302 clinical medicine ,Peroxide value ,Cultivar ,Food science ,Olive leaves ,Pungency ,Science & Technology ,Chemistry ,Extraction (chemistry) ,Health claim ,Electronic tongue ,04 agricultural and veterinary sciences ,General Chemistry ,Sweetness ,040401 food science ,Phenolic compounds ,Tyrosol ,030221 ophthalmology & optometry ,Hydroxytyrosol ,Composition (visual arts) ,Olive oil ,Food Science ,Biotechnology - Abstract
The effect of olive leaves addition (1%, w/w, cvs. Arbequina or Santulhana), during the industrial extraction of Arbequina oils, on their physicochemical, color, phenolic profile, and sensory characteristics, was studied. Leaves incorporation reduced the primary oxidation (peroxide value by 33% and K232 by 17%) and increased the oxidative stability (19%), with the impact being more pronounced for Arbequina leaves. For these latter oils, leaves incorporation increased the total phenolic content (293±9 mg GAE/kg), which became richer in secoiridoid derivatives (143.7±3.0 mg/kg). Also, only Arbequina oils extracted with their own leaves supported the health claim regarding the protection of blood lipids against oxidative stress (hydroxytyrosol and tyrosol derivatives content greater than 5 mg per 20 g of olive oil). On the other hand, the incorporation of leaves from cvs. Arbequina and Santulhana during extraction enhanced the bitterness (5559%) and decreased the pungency (2533%). Santulhana leaves promoted an increase of the green-fruitiness (5.3±0.5), while Arbequina leaves enhanced the oils sweetness (7.0±0.4). Moreover, a potentiometric laboratory-made electronic tongue was applied, as a taste sensor device, being capable of successfully discriminating Arbequina oils extracted without or with addition of leaves, allowing the identification of (un)deliberated leaves incorporation during oils extraction. Lastly, it was found that the quality and composition of Arbequina oils industrially extracted were leaf cultivar dependent, with the low level of phenolics of control oils promoted by the incorporation of Arbequina leaves., The authors are grateful to the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT, Portugal) for financial support by national funds FCT/MCTES to CIMO (UIDB/00690/2020), CEB (UIDB/04469/2020) and REQUIMTE-LAQV (UIDB/50006/2020) units and to the Associate Laboratories for Green Chemistry-LAQV (UIDB/50006/2020) and SusTEC (LA/P/0007/2020), as well as to BioTecNorte operation (NORTE‐01‐0145‐FEDER‐000004) and to Project “GreenHealth—Digital strategies in biological assets to improve well-being and promote green health” (Norte-01–0145-FEDER-000042) funded by the European Regional Development Fund under the scope of Norte2020 ‐ Programa Operacional Regional do Norte. Ítala M.G. Marx acknowledges the Ph.D. grant (SFRH/BD/137283/2018) provided by FCT. Nuno Rodrigues thanks to National funding by FCT-Foundation for Science and Technology, P.I., through the institutional scientific employment program-contract., info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion
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- 2022
39. Retinoic acid (all-trans) presents antioxidant properties within human ovary and reduces progesterone production by human granulosa cells
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Bruno M. Fonseca, Rebeca Cruz, Beatriz Pinto, Lia Costa, Eduarda Felgueira, Pedro Oliveira, Susana Casal, and Irene Rebelo
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Reproductive Medicine ,Urology - Abstract
Both vitamin A and E support female reproduction and embryonic development. These vitamins have been associated with decreased fertility or failure to end the pregnancy in animals. An observational study was conducted on follicular fluid (FF) samples to determine the concentrations of fat-soluble vitamins of women undergoing in vitro fertilization and its correlation with assisted reproductive technology characteristics and pregnancy outcomes. Moreover, the effects of all-trans-retinoic acid (atRA) and alpha-tocopherol on granulosa cell viability, apoptosis, autophagy and hormonal production were evaluated. No association was identified between fat-soluble vitamin concentrations in FF and infertility aetiology, body mass index or woman’s age. There were differences in follicular antioxidant profiles and ovarian response stimulation. In vitro evaluation of atRA and alpha-tocopherol reveals that, at physiological concentrations, both compounds may affect the viability of granulosa cells. In addition, these compounds are able to protect granulosa cells from oxidative stress, as well as to affect estradiol and progesterone production. Our data suggest that atRA and alpha-tocopherol levels should be well controlled as they may have implications in the function and viability of granulosa cells and highlights retinol as a marker of the oxidative defenses within ovary environment.
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- 2022
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40. ESTÍMULOS ESTRESSORES RELACIONADOS À ASSISTÊNCIA DE ENFERMAGEM A PACIENTES VÍTIMAS DA COVID-19
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Thays Cristina Camilo da Silva, Reagan Nzundu Boigny, Francisca Moraes da Silva, Bruno Gomes Camelo Timbó, Marcos Eduardo Mendes Braga, José Osório Feijó de Lima Freire, Larissa Fortes Carvalho, Renata Aparecida Lobianco Ribeiro, Iris Daian Queiroz Arrais, Rebeca Cruz Fechine, and Yohanna Pâmella Vieira de Morais
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- 2022
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41. Does water addition during the industrial milling phase affect the chemical-sensory quality of olive oils? The case of cv. Arbequina oils
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Ítala M.G. Marx, Susana Casal, Nuno Rodrigues, Rebeca Cruz, Ana C.A. Veloso, José A. Pereira, António M. Peres, and Universidade do Minho
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Science & Technology ,Phenolic profile ,Electronic tongue ,General Medicine ,Sensory analysis ,Analytical Chemistry ,Industrial extraction ,Fruit ,Olea ,Potentiometry ,Plant Oils ,Water addition ,Chemometrics ,Oxidation-Reduction ,Olive oil ,Food Science - Abstract
"Available online 24 June 2022", At olive oil industrial extraction, water addition is a practice overcoming the formation of thick pastes. The effect of water addition (0 to 6.2%, kgadded water/kgolives), during the industrial milling of cv. Arbequina olives, on the oils chemical-sensory quality, was evaluated. Despite the extra virgin olive oil classification, compared with the water incorporation (1.2-6.2%), extraction without water addition resulted into oils that showed less primary oxidation (lower peroxide values and K232), greater total phenolic content (+12-22%) and higher oxidative stability (+22-31%). No water addition increased the oils secoiridoids content (+5-13%), mainly oleacein (+27-79%). Oils extracted without water addition had a more intense ripe fruity sensation ( +11%) but lower fruit intensities (at least 4%). Thus, the quality and stability of the cv. Arbequina oils can be favoured if extracted without adding water during the olives industrial milling., The authors are grateful to the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT, Portugal) for financial support by national funds FCT/MCTES to CIMO (UIDB/00690/2020), CEB (UIDB/04469/2020), REQUIMTE-LAQV (UIDB/50006/2020) units and SusTEC (LA/P/0007/2020); to BioTecNorte operation (NORTE‐01‐0145‐FEDER‐000004), to Project “GreenHealth - Digital strategies in biological assets to improve well-being and promote green health” (Norte-01-0145-FEDER-000042) and to Project AgriFood XXI (NORTE-01-0145-FEDER-000041), funded by the European Regional Development Fund under the scope of Norte2020 ‐ Programa Operacional Regional do Norte. Ítala M.G. Marx acknowledges the Ph.D. grant (SFRH/BD/137283/2018) provided by FCT. Nuno Rodrigues thanks to National funding by FCT- Foundation for Science and Technology, P.I., through the institutional scientific employment program-contract., info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion
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- 2022
42. Chemical Characterization of the Oil Separated by Mechanical Pressing from
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Sandra S I, Chemane, Susana, Casal, Rebeca, Cruz, Teresa, Pinho, Maida, Khan, Olívia, Pinho, and Olga, Viegas
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In Mozambique, rural communities produce flours from the dried pulp of
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- 2021
43. Validation of a Simple HPLC-Based Method for Lysine Quantification for Ruminant Nutrition
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Susana Casal, Rebeca Cruz, António J.M. Fonseca, Ana R.J. Cabrita, Ingrid Van Dorpe, Salette Reis, Margarida R.G. Maia, João Albuquerque, and Ana Rute Neves
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Quantification methods ,lysine quantification ,Lysine ,Pharmaceutical Science ,Organic chemistry ,010402 general chemistry ,biological samples ,01 natural sciences ,High-performance liquid chromatography ,Article ,Analytical Chemistry ,Nutrition supplementation ,Rumen ,QD241-441 ,Ruminant ,Drug Discovery ,Animals ,Amino Acids ,Physical and Theoretical Chemistry ,high-performance liquid chromatography ,Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid ,chemistry.chemical_classification ,Chromatography, Reverse-Phase ,Chromatography ,biology ,Chemistry ,010401 analytical chemistry ,Reproducibility of Results ,Ruminants ,biology.organism_classification ,Animal Feed ,Sample stability ,0104 chemical sciences ,Amino acid ,Chemistry (miscellaneous) ,Dietary Supplements ,Molecular Medicine ,Cattle - Abstract
Robust and selective quantification methods are required to better analyze feed supplementation effectiveness with specific amino acids. In this work, a reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography method with fluorescence detection is proposed and validated for lysine quantification, one of the most limiting amino acids in ruminant nutrition and essential towards milk production. To assess and widen method applicability, different matrices were considered: namely Li2CO3 buffer (the chosen standard reaction buffer), phosphate buffer solution (to mimic media in cellular studies), and rumen inoculum. The method was validated for all three matrices and found to be selective, accurate (92% ± 2%), and precise at both the inter- and intra-day levels in concentrations up to 225 µM, with detection and quantification limits lower than 1.24 and 4.14 µM, respectively. Sample stability was evaluated when stored at room temperature, 4 °C, and −20 °C, showing consistency for up to 48 h regardless of the matrix. Finally, the developed method was applied in the quantification of lysine on real samples. The results presented indicate that the proposed method can be applied towards free lysine quantification in ruminant feeding studies and potentially be of great benefit to dairy cow nutrition supplementation and optimization.
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- 2021
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44. Fast and environmental-friendly methods for the determination of polybrominated diphenyl ethers and their metabolites in fish tissues and feed
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Sara C. Cunha, António Marques, Rebeca Cruz, and Susana Casal
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Environmental Engineering ,010504 meteorology & atmospheric sciences ,010501 environmental sciences ,Quechers ,01 natural sciences ,Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry ,Polybrominated diphenyl ethers ,Limit of Detection ,Tandem Mass Spectrometry ,Halogenated Diphenyl Ethers ,Animals ,Humans ,Environmental Chemistry ,Waste Management and Disposal ,0105 earth and related environmental sciences ,Detection limit ,Chemical ionization ,Chromatography ,Chemistry ,Extraction (chemistry) ,Fishes ,Pollution ,Environmentally friendly ,%22">Fish ,Gas chromatography ,Water Pollutants, Chemical - Abstract
Environmental-friendly, cost-effective and fast methods were developed and validated for the analysis of seven PolyBrominated Diphenyl Ethers (PBDEs) and eight methoxylated PBDEs (MeO-PBDEs) in three distinct seafood matrices (muscle, liver and plasma) and feed using a Quick, Easy, Cheap, Efficient, Rugged and Safe (QuEChERS) extraction approach for solid samples and a Dispersive Liquid-Liquid Microextraction method (DLLME) for plasma. Instrumental analyses were performed with gas chromatography coupled to triple quadrupole mass spectrometry using electron impact source (GC-EI-MS/MS) and negative ion chemical ionization (GC-NICI-MS) to assess BDE-209. Statistical validation showed recoveries for all target substances near 100% with average Relative Standard Deviation (RSD) lower than 9% and recovery standards higher than 65% (average RSD below 20%). Average calculated Method Detection Limits (MDLs) were lower than 65 pg·g−1 wet weight (WW) for muscle, 5.35 ng·g−1 WW for liver, 4.50 ng·g−1 WW for feed, and 0.60 ng·mL−1 for plasma samples. Quality assurance and quality control practices were comprehensively described. Methods scored high in an analytical Eco-scale, thus being classified as “an excellent green analysis”. Finally, real seafood samples collected in local markets and local fishermen were analyzed. Positive samples presented both PBDEs and MeO-PBDEs in safe amounts (0.28–125.80 ng·g−1 WW) for human consumption.
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- 2019
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45. La epidemia de obesidad en México: apuntes para su estudio desde la historia social y el pensamiento genealógico
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Rebeca Cruz Santacruz
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General Medicine - Abstract
El estudio de la epidemia de obesidad en México requiere abordajes que den cuenta del entrelazamiento de múltiples dimensiones y elementos que están en juego para su emergencia y reproducción. Este trabajo recupera la perspectiva de la Historia social de la comida, de Patricia Aguirre y propone una periodización que incluye tres transiciones de las cuales este artículo se enfoca únicamente en presentar, a manera de ejemplo, un esbozo de la Primera transición (1900-1940). Además, con la noción de genealogía, concebida como historia del presente, se abordan de manera muy general los procesos que a la larga favorecieron la aparición de la epidemia, en los cuales se entrelazan elementos económicos, demográficos, de urbanización, político-ideológicos y de políticas de salud y alimentarias, cuyas interrelaciones moldearon, en conjunto, las formas culturales de la época — sobre todo las alimentarias—, que a su vez incidieron retroactivamente en la consolidación y expansión de dichos procesos. Se concluye que la Primera transición tuvo como eje estructural y articulador la transformación política que trajo consigo la Revolución Mexicana, cuya base ideológica fue el pensamiento eugenésico y de higiene social que permeó la época, los cuales produjeron cambios determinantes en la demografía, los procesos de urbanización, las políticas educativas, de salud y alimentarias que, en conjunto y de manera retroactiva, consolidaron el modelo capitalista. Se muestran algunos resultados de las interrelaciones entre las dimensiones política, económica e ideológico-cultural y de los cambios en los imaginarios sociales que a su vez modificaron las aspiraciones, conductas y formas de consumo de una parte de la población urbana que se afanó en alcanzar el ideal civilizatorio impulsado por los gobiernos posrrevolucionarios, mediante la negación del pasado indígena y campesino, y la imitación de la forma de vida de las clases altas y los modelos extranjeros que ellas asumieron. También se incluyen algunos ejemplos de cómo inició la modificación de la vida cotidiana de los mexicanos con la incipiente incorporación de alimentos industrializados en su dieta; el contexto general en que aparecieron las primeras industrias de alimentos, el papel de la medicina y la educación en la configuración de prácticas alimentarias, el de la radio en la de las prácticas de sueño y el de los transportes en las formas de movilidad de las personas.
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- 2022
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46. Olive Oil Composition of Cv. Cobrançosa Is Affected by Regulated and Sustained Deficit Irrigation
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Anabela Fernandes-Silva, Pedro Marques, Thyago Brito, Luis Canas, Rebeca Cruz, and Susana Casal
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- 2021
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47. Influencia de la inoculación oral en la enfermedad de Chagas en modelo murino
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Nayeli Gonzalez-Rodriguez, Andrea Rebeca Cruz-Gonzalez, Alan Roman-Cedillo, Oscar A. Reboreda-Hernandez, and Rocio Ortiz-Butron
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medicine.medical_specialty ,Enfermedad de Chagas ,business.industry ,Trypanosoma cruzi ,Internal medicine ,medicine ,Ingestion ,Salud ,Parasitemia ,medicine.disease ,business ,Brotes ,Gastroenterology - Abstract
Objetivo: Determinar el comportamiento de la enfermedad de Chagas, comparando la vía de inoculación intraperitoneal (i.p.) y la vía oral (i.o.), mediante la ingestión alimentos infectados con Trypanosoma cruzi (T. cruzi). Materiales y métodos: En modelo múrido, se comparó la parasitemia en la infección adquirida vía i.p. y vía i.o. Se formaron dos grupos que fueron inoculados con la cepa NINOA de T. cruzi (3x103); uno se administró vía i.o. y otro, se administró vía i.p. Además, se realizó un estudio histopatológico del tejido cardiaco de los individuos. Finalmente, se determinó y comparó la respuesta inmune montada como resultado de la inoculación por ambas vías, evaluando la concentración de IgG séricas contra T. cruzi mediante la realización de una ELISA casera. Resultados: El comportamiento de la infección fue diferente en ambas vías de inoculación. A través de los métodos parasitoscópicos e histopatológicos empleados no fue detectable la infección en aquellos individuos infectados i.o., interesantemente, la infección sí fue detectable mediante métodos inmunológicos. Aquellos individuos infectados vía i.o. empleando açaí tuvieron un comportamiento inmune similar al presentado por aquellos inoculados vía i.p. Discusión: La estrecha convivencia con los insectos transmisores facilita la adquisición de la infección mediante diversas vías. Conocer las variantes en el curso de la infección que implica cada vía de inoculación, aumenta el éxito del diagnóstico. Conclusión: El presente estudio demuestra que la vía de infección del hospedero es determinante para la evolución de la enfermedad. Este hallazgo, representa un área de oportunidad del sector salud para el mejoramiento del diagnóstico de la enfermedad de Chagas (sobre todo en áreas endémicas).
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- 2021
- Full Text
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48. Parámetros psicométricos de la Prosocial and Antisocial Behavior Sport Scale (PABSS) para el contexto brasileño
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Marina Pereira Gonçalves, Evandro Morais Peixoto, Leonardo Pestillo de Oliveira, Rebeca Cruz Porto, and João Ricardo Nickenig Vissoci
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Future studies ,Comportamentos pró-sociais ,comportamentos antissociais ,atletas ,esporte ,lcsh:BF1-990 ,sporte ,050109 social psychology ,Context (language use) ,Structural equation modeling ,03 medical and health sciences ,0302 clinical medicine ,Cronbach's alpha ,Internal consistency ,Comportamientos prosociales ,0501 psychology and cognitive sciences ,General Psychology ,Sport ,comportamentos pró-sociais ,biology ,Athletes ,Antisocial behaviors ,05 social sciences ,030229 sport sciences ,Atletas ,Deporte ,biology.organism_classification ,Psychiatry and Mental health ,lcsh:Psychology ,Prosocial behavior ,Moral behavior ,Comportamientos antisociales ,Prosocial behaviors ,Psychology ,Clinical psychology - Abstract
Contar con una medida psicométrica apropiada para evaluar los comportamientos moralmente relevantes de los atletas es importante para fomentar la investigación y permitir estrategias de intervención efectivas. El objetivo de esta investigación fue estimar las propiedades psicométricas de la Prosocial and Antisocial Behavior Sport Scale (PABSS) para el contexto brasileño. La muestra consistió en 360 atletas de ambos sexos (promedio de edad 16.1 ± 3.61; 64.7 % hombres). El análisis factorial exploratorio indicó la relevancia de la estructura que consta de cuatro factores: (1) Comportamiento prosocial dirigido a compañeros de equipo (CPC); (2) Comportamiento prosocial dirigido a oponentes (CPA); (3) Comportamiento antisocial dirigido a compañeros de equipo (CAC); (4) Comportamiento antisocial dirigido a oponentes (CAA), explicando conjuntamente el 66.1 % de la varianza total, lo que corrobora la hipótesis teórica. Además, el análisis factorial semiconfirmatorio mostró pruebas del modelo compuesto por cuatro factores: [(ƛ2 = 126.685, gl = 116, p = .234; ƛ2 /gl = 1.09; CFI = 0.99 (IC 95% = 0.997-0.999); GFI = 0.99 (IC 95 % = 0.997-0.999); RMSEA = 0.018 (IC 95 % = 0.016-0.020)]. Todos los factores tenían índices de consistencia interna alfa de Cronbach deseables mayores a 0.78 y omega de McDonald mayores a 0.88. También se observaron asociaciones entre el comportamiento moral y los valores en el deporte. En conclusión, la versión brasileña del PABSS reúne evidencia psicométrica adecuada y puede ser utilizada en futuros estudios. Having an appropriate psychometric measure for assessing the morally relevant behaviors of athletes is important to encourage research and enable effective intervention strategies. The aim of this research was to verify the psychometric properties of the Prosocial and Antisocial Behaviors Sport Scale (PABSS) for the Brazilian context. The sample consisted of 360 athletes of both sexes (average age 16.1±3.61; 64.7% men). The exploratory factorial analysis indicated the adequacy of the structure comprising four factors: 1) Prosocial behavior directed to teammates (CPC) 2) Prosocial behavior directed to opponents (CPA); (3) Anti-social behavior directed to teammates (CAC); (4) Anti-social behavior directed to opponents (CAA), which jointly explains 66.1% of the total variance, thus corroborating the theoretical hypothesis. In addition, Semi-confirmatory Factor Analysis showed evidence of the four-factor model: [(ƛ2 = 126.685, gl= 116, p= .234; ƛ2 /gl= 1.09; CFI= 0.99 (IC 95%= 0.997-0.999); GFI= 0.99 (IC 95% = 0.997- 0.999); RMSEA= 0.018 (IC 95%= 0.016-0.020)]. All factors had desirable internal consistency indexes of Cronbach's alpha greater than 0.78 and McDonald’s Omega greater than 0.80. Associations between moral behavior and values in sports were also observed. In conclusion, the Brazilian version of the PABSS presented adequate psychometric evidence and can be used in future studies.
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- 2021
49. Fatty Acid Composition from Olive Oils of Portuguese Centenarian Trees Is Highly Dependent on Olive Cultivar and Crop Year
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António M. Peres, José Alberto Pereira, Susana Casal, Nuno Rodrigues, Teresa Pinho, Rebeca Cruz, and Paula Baptista
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Health (social science) ,Plant Science ,olive heritage ,Biology ,lcsh:Chemical technology ,Health Professions (miscellaneous) ,Microbiology ,Article ,Crop ,Palmitic acid ,chemistry.chemical_compound ,Crop year ,lcsh:TP1-1185 ,Cultivar ,Chemometrics ,chemistry.chemical_classification ,Olive heritage ,chemical characterization ,Monounsaturated fatty acids ,monounsaturated fatty acids ,Fatty acid ,chemometrics ,Oleic acid ,Horticulture ,chemistry ,Composition (visual arts) ,Chemical characterization ,crop year ,Centenarian ,Food Science ,Polyunsaturated fatty acid - Abstract
The high proportions of monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA) represent one of the most important technological and nutritional features of olive oils. The present study details the fatty acid (FA) composition of autochthonous cultivars (Lentisca, Madural, Redondal, Rebolã, Verdeal, and Verdeal Transmontana) produced from centenarian trees during five crop years (2013–2017). Olive cultivar highly influenced the FA composition, namely, oleic acid (70.3% for Madural to 80.7% for Redondal) and palmitic acid (10.4% for Lentisca to 13.5% for Verdeal). Similarly, crop year significantly influenced the individual FA contents. Principal component analysis of FA data enabled the unsupervised classification by cultivar and, within each cultivar, by crop year. Furthermore, the levels of nine individual FAs, together with the polyunsaturated fatty acid contents, selected using the simulated annealing algorithm, allowed for their correct classification, on the basis of linear discriminant analysis, according to the olive cultivar, with an overall sensitivity of 92%, for leave-one-out cross-validation procedure. Globally, the cultivar effect superimposed that of crop year, showing that some cultivars, such as Redondal and Verdeal Transmontana, have consistently high and homogeneous proportions of MUFA, indicating that they are worth exploring in terms of future selection of cultivars that are able to produce olive oils with increased nutritional value and that are less prone to oxidation. The authors are grateful to the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT, Portugal) for financial support by national funds FCT/MCTES to CIMO (UIDB/00690/2020), and to REQUIMTE (NORTE-01-0145-FEDER-LAQV (UIDB/50006/2020). This work was also supported by PRODER project OliveOld—“Identificação e caraterização de oliveiras centenárias para obtenção de produtos diferenciados” no. 53988. Nuno Rodrigues thanks national funding by FCT—Foundation for Science and Technology, P.I., through the institutional scientific employment program-contract. info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion
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- 2021
50. Sugars and artificial sweeteners in soft drinks: A decade of evolution in Portugal
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Susana Casal, Rebeca Cruz, Patrícia Barros da Silva, and Instituto de Saúde Pública da Universidade do Porto
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Sucralose ,Aspartame ,010401 analytical chemistry ,Free sugar ,Sweet taste ,04 agricultural and veterinary sciences ,040401 food science ,01 natural sciences ,Artificial Sweetener ,0104 chemical sciences ,chemistry.chemical_compound ,0404 agricultural biotechnology ,chemistry ,Food products ,Food science ,Sugar ,Soft drinks Free sugars Non-nutritive sweeteners Artificial sweeteners Market survey Food safety ,Health implications ,Food Science ,Biotechnology ,Mathematics - Abstract
High consumption of free sugars, particularly through soft drinks, represents a health concern on a global scale. Therefore, several measures, including taxation, were tentatively employed to reduce their intake. However, the decrease of sugars in soft drinks has been occurring mostly at the expense of adding non-nutritive sweeteners (NNS). This study aimed to investigate the recent trends in soft drink reformulations by the food industries and to verify if these modifications can potentially lead to other health implications. For this purpose, the most consumed soft drinks in Portugal (N = 68) were purchased in local supermarkets in 2019 and their free sugar and NNS content were determined by liquid chromatography. The results were further compared with analytical data from 2008. For sugar drinks in 2019 (N = 10), 39% of the samples had a total sugar content near 5 g.L−1 and only a small fraction (15%) was above the upper bound limit of taxation (80 g.L−1). The profile and amount of sugars were distinct between groups with “colas” and “juice drinks” showing the highest variability between brands, being mostly represented by fructose and glucose. Non-nutritive sweeteners were present in most samples (85%), often in mixtures and very dependent on the type of drink. Nevertheless, the main NNS were cyclamate, aspartame and acesulfame K, with the former approaching the recommended daily dose for younger children consuming two cans per day. Over the last decade, sugar content has been reducing, especially in “Juice drinks”, together with a reduction of aspartame in these food products, balanced by an increase in cyclamate, sucralose and steviol glycosides. Unfortunately, the reformulations did not follow any attempt to reduce sweet taste intensity, which could gradually constitute a long-term educational measure. The research leading to these results received financial support from FEDER (Programa Operacional Competitividade e Internacionalização - COMPETE 2020), and from FCT/MCTES through projects POCI-01-0145-FEDER-031949 and UID/QUI/info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/FCT/6817 - DCRRNI ID/UIDB/50006/2020/PT.
- Published
- 2021
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