In Vitro Antimicrobial Potential of Portuguese Propolis Extracts from Gerês against Pathogenic Microorganisms.

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is one of humanity's main health problems today. Despite all the breakthroughs and research over the past few years, the number of microbial illnesses that are resistant to the available antibiotics is increasing at an alarming rate. In this article, we estimated the biomedical potential of Portuguese propolis harvested from the Gerês apiary over five years, evaluating the in vitro antimicrobial effect of five hydroalcoholic extracts prepared from five single propolis samples and of a hydroalcoholic extract obtained from the mixture of all samples.

Effects of transcranial direct current stimulation associated with hypocaloric diet on glucose homeostasis in obesity.

Objective: The aim of this study was to test the effects of repetitive active transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) over the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (rDLPFC) associated with a hypocaloric diet on glucose homeostasis in people with excessive weight.

Methods: Adults with overweight or obesity were selected in a randomized, double-blind pilot study to complete 4 weeks (20 sessions) of fixed-dose tDCS (2 mA, 20 minutes) delivered over the rDLPFC and associated with a standard hypocaloric diet. Participants were randomly assigned (1:1) and stratified by sex to the active tDCS group (active) or the sham tDCS group (sham).

An Insight on the Biomedical Potential of Portuguese Propolis from Gerês.

Osteoarthritis (OA), a progressive degenerative disease of weight-bearing joints, is the second leading cause of disability in the world. Despite all the advances and research over the last years, none of the proposed strategies has been effective in generating functional and long-lasting tissue. Due to the high prevalence of OA and the urgent need for an effective and successful treatment, interest in natural products as anti-inflammatory agents, such as propolis and its components, has emerged.

The effects of coconut oil on the cardiometabolic profile: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized clinical trials.

Background: Despite having a 92% concentration of saturated fatty acid composition, leading to an apparently unfavorable lipid profile, body weight and glycemic effect, coconut oil is consumed worldwide. Thus, we conducted an updated systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized clinical trials (RCTs) to analyze the effect of coconut oil intake on different cardiometabolic outcomes.

Methods: We searched Medline, Embase, and LILACS for RCTs conducted prior to April 2022.

The effect of transcranial direct current stimulation along with a hypocaloric diet on weight loss in excessive weight people: A pilot randomized clinical trial.

Background & Aims: The dorsolateral prefrontal cortex plays an important role in the desire to eat and food intake regulation and may be a target for transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) to promote weight loss. Our aim was to test the effect of repeated, active tDCS along with a hypocaloric diet (HD) on weight loss in overweight adults.

Methods: This was a randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind pilot study conducted in Porto Alegre, Brazil.

Flower Conspicuousness to Bees Across Pollination Systems: A Generalized Test of the Bee-Avoidance Hypothesis.

Flower signals of bee- and bird-pollinated plants have converged pollinator-mediated evolution, driven by the visual system of their respective pollinators. For bird flowers, sensory exclusion of less effective bees is also important and such exclusion is also mediated by floral morphological filters. Likewise, other systems based on pollination by red-sensitive insects are also associated with red flowers displaying lower short-wavelength secondary peaks of reflectance, which decreases detectability to animals that are less sensitive to red, such as bees.

Psychiatric profile and quality of life of subjects with excess weight treated with transcranial direct current stimulation combined with a hypocaloric diet.

Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) of the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) may reduce appetite and caloric intake and may be able to play a role as an adjunct treatment for obesity. Stimulation of this brain area is also used for the treatment of depression, which shares a common pathophysiology with obesity. As a result, the effect of tDCS on mental health and its impact on the quality of life of subjects with excess weight needs to be addressed.

Effect of transcranial direct current stimulation associated with hypocaloric diet on weight loss and metabolic profile in overweight or obesity: study protocol for a double-blind, randomized controlled clinical trial.

Background: Dietary interventions have limited success in promoting sustainable weight loss; new treatments allowing better compliance with hypocaloric diets should be developed. The aim of this trial is to describe the effects of a protocol combining repetitive active transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) with a hypocaloric diet on weight loss and food consumption in overweight or obese adults.

Methods/design: Overweight or obese adults between 20 and 50 years of age with stable weight over the last 4 months will be selected for a 4-week randomized clinical trial of fixed-dose tDCS (20 sessions; 5 consecutive weekdays/wk, 2 mA, 20 minutes) over the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex associated with a weight loss diet.

In vivo bioinsecticidal activity toward Ceratitis capitata (fruit fly) and Callosobruchus maculatus (cowpea weevil) and in vitro bioinsecticidal activity toward different orders of insect pests of a trypsin inhibitor purified from tamarind tree (Tamarindus indica) seeds.

A proteinaceous inhibitor with high activity against trypsin-like serine proteinases was purified from seeds of the tamarind tree (Tamarindus indica) by gel filtration on Shephacryl S-200 followed by a reverse-phase HPLC Vidac C18 TP. The inhibitor, called the tamarind trypsin inhibitor (TTI), showed a Mr of 21.42 kDa by mass spectrometry analysis.

Alpha-amylase inhibitors from Ficus sp. seeds and their activities towards coleoptera insect pests.

Alpha-amylase Inhibitors were isolated from Ficus sp. (Gameleira) seeds by acetone fractionation and Sephadex G-50. Two inhibitors (alpha-PPAI and alpha-ZSAI) were tested against alpha-amylases from coleopteran larvae.