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The present study aimed to identify the most important packaging attributes for purchasing a product not currently on the Brazilian market: antioxidant-rich instant coffee, a blend of roasted coffee and green coffee. Five package types of the same brand of instant antioxidant-rich coffee marketed in different countries were evaluated through a focus group. The attributes’ glass shape, glass lid color and label, information and brand were selected for the quantitative study. The purchase intent for the packaging images was evaluated with conjoint analysis. In general, an increased purchase intent was verified for more modern packages and browner labels that indicated roasted coffee. The consumers preferred the image of green and roasted coffee beans next to the cup of coffee and valued information about the product’s differentiation (the origin, type, quantity and functions of antioxidants) that was presented in the form of explanatory charts on the back of the packaging.

Cotton balls are used in neurosurgical procedures to assist with hemostasis and improve vision within the operative field. Although the surgeon can reshape pieces of cotton for multiple intraoperative uses, this customizability and scale also places them at perpetual risk of being lost, as blood-soaked cotton balls are visually similar to raw brain tissue. Retained surgical cotton can induce potentially life-threatening immunologic responses, impair postoperative imaging, lead to a textiloma or misdiagnosis, and/or require reoperation. This study investigated three imaging modalities (optical, acoustic, and radiographic) to find the most effective method of identifying foreign bodies during neurosurgery. First, we examined the use of dyes to increase contrast between cotton and surrounding parenchyma (optical approach). Second, we explored the ability to distinguish surgical cotton on or below the tissue surface from brain parenchyma using ultrasound imaging (acoustic approach). Lastly, we analyzed the ability of radiography to differentiate between brain parenchyma and cotton. Our preliminary testing demonstrated that dark-colored cotton is significantly more identifiable than white cotton on the surface level. Additional testing revealed that cotton has noticeable different acoustic characteristics (eg, speed of sound, absorption) from neural tissue, allowing for enhanced contrast in applied ultrasound imaging. Radiography, however, did not present sufficient contrast, demanding further examination. These solutions have the potential to significantly reduce the possibility of intraoperative cotton retention both on and below the surface of the brain, while still providing surgeons with traditional cotton material properties without affecting the surgical workflow.

The objective of this study was to present possible formulations for an instant coffee product enriched with chlorogenic acids for the Brazilian market. Formulations were prepared with different concentrations of freeze dried extracts of green Coffea canephora beans (G) added to freeze dried extracts of roasted Coffea arabica (A) and Coffea canephora (C). Medium (M) and dark (D) roasting degrees instant coffee were produced (AM, AD, CM and CD) to obtain four formulations with green extract addition (AMG, ADG, CMG and CDG). Chlorogenic acids were determined by HPLC, with average contents of 7.2 %. Roasted extracts and formulations were evaluated for 5-CQA and caffeine contents (by HPLC), browned compounds (absorbance 420 nm), and antioxidant activity (ABTS and Folin). Coffee brews of the four formulations were also assessed in a lab-scale test by 42 consumers for acceptance of the color, aroma, flavor and body, overall acceptance and purchase intent, using a 10 cm hybrid scale. The formulations obtained acceptance scores of 6.6 and 7.7 for all attributes, thus they were equally acceptable. Greater purchase intent was observed for ADG, CDG and CMG (6.9) in comparison to AMG (6.1). The formulations had, on average, 2.5 times more 5-CQA than the average obtained from conventional commercial instant coffees. In addition to being more economically viable, the formulations developed with C. canephora (CDG and CMG) showed greater antioxidant potential (32.5 g of Trolox/100 g and 13.8 g of gallic acid equivalent/100 g) due to a balance in the amount of bioactive compounds.

This work aimed to compare methods for the formation of complexes of bixin and curcumin with β-cyclodextrin (β-CD) and to evaluate the stability of the complexes formed by these methods and their food applications. The stoichiometric relationship between curcumin and β-CD was 1:2 and that between bixin and β-CD was 1:1. Curcumin-β-CD and bixin-β-CD complexes formed by kneading, coprecipitation, and simple mixing were evaluated by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), thermogravimetry analysis (TGA), or nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR-H). For both curcumin and bixin, the best method of complexation was coprecipitation. Complexation of colorants with β-CD promoted an intensification of color and increased water solubility; however, stabilization in the presence of light occurred only for bixin. Application of curcumin-β-CD in cheese and yogurt and bixin-β-CD in the curd did not alter the initial characteristics of the products, which were sensorialy well accepted. Therefore, the complexation of these natural colorants with β-CD favors their use in low-fat foods, broadening the field of industrial application.

Purpose: With the aim to increase the dose intensity of radiation therapy (RT), and subsequently the locoregional control rate, a very accelerated RT regimen was compared with conventional RT in a series of patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC)., Patients and Methods: Between 1994 and 1998, 268 patients with T3 or T4, N0 to N3 HNSCC (staged by 1997 International Union Against Cancer criteria) that was not eligible for surgery were randomly assigned to receive either conventional RT, delivering 70 Gy in 7 weeks to the primary tumor and 35 fractions of 2 Gy over 49 days, or to receive very accelerated RT, delivering 62 to 64 Gy in 31 to 32 fractions of 2 Gy over 22 to 23 days (2 Gy/fraction bid)., Results: The most common tumor site was the oropharynx and most of the patients (70%) had T4 and N1 to N3 tumors in 72% of patients. The main patient and tumor characteristics were well-balanced between the two arms. The median total doses were 63 Gy (accelerated) and 70 Gy (conventional), with a median overall time of 22 days and 48 days, respectively. Acute mucositis was markedly increased in the accelerated-RT arm (P < .001). The locoregional control rate was improved by 24% at 6 years with accelerated RT. In contrast, disease-free survival and overall survival were not significantly different between the two arms. There was no difference in late effects between the two arms., Conclusion: The very accelerated RT regimen was feasible and provided a major benefit in locoregional control but had a modest effect on survival.

Total-body irradiation (TBI) induces an increase in levels of granulocytes and cortisol in blood. To explore the underlying mechanisms, we studied 26 patients who had TBI prior to bone marrow transplantation. Our findings suggest that only a high dose of TBI (10 Gy) was capable of activating the hypothalamo-pituitary area since corticotropin-releasing factor and blood adrenocorticotropic hormone levels increased at the end of the TBI. There was a concomitant increase in the levels of interleukin 6 and tumor necrosis factor in blood, suggesting that these cytokines might activate the hypothalamo-pituitary adrenal axis. Interleukin 1 was not detected. Since vascular injury is common after radiation treatment, it is possible that interleukin 6 was secreted by endothelial cells. The exact mechanisms of the production of cytokines induced by ionizing radiation remain to be determined.