Mineral and trace element analysis of non-conventional food plants using ICP OES and chemometric techniques.

Non-conventional food plants (or non-conventional edible plants) have the potential to serve as an excellent nutritional alternative while promoting the circular economy. Given the nutritional potential of non-conventional food plants, this study aimed to investigate and determine the composition of these plants using inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy (ICP OES) combined with chemometric techniques. In this context, the following non-conventional food plant species were evaluated: serralha (Sonchus oleraceus), two species of ora-pro-nóbis, Pereskia grandifolia and Pereskia aculeata, peixinho (Nematanthus gregarius), alfavaca (Ocimum basilicum), taioba (Xanthosoma sagittifolium), capeba (Pothomorphe umbellata), tranchagem (Plantago major), and bardana (Arctium lappa).

Comprehensive molecular epidemiology of influenza viruses in Brazil: insights from a nationwide analysis.

Influenza A and B viruses represent significant global health threats, contributing substantially to morbidity and mortality rates. However, a comprehensive understanding of the molecular epidemiology of these viruses in Brazil, a continental-size country and a crucial hub for the entry, circulation, and dissemination of influenza viruses within South America, still needs to be improved. This study addresses this gap by consolidating data and samples across all Brazilian macroregions, as part of the Center for Viral Surveillance and Serological Assessment project, together with an extensive number of other Brazilian sequences provided by a public database during the epidemic seasons spanning 2021-23.

Common Questions and Misconceptions About Energy Drinks: What Does the Scientific Evidence Really Show?

Energy drinks are a commonly consumed beverage, and studies suggest a possible performance-enhancing effect. A Google Scholar search using the keywords "energy drinks" and "exercise" yields numerous results, underscoring the voluminous research on this topic. However, there are questions regarding the effectiveness and safety of energy drinks.

Animal as the Solution II: Phenotyping for Low Milk Urea Nitrogen A1PF Dairy Cows.

The societal pressure on intensive pastoral dairying demands the search for strategies to reduce the amount of N flowing through and excreted by dairy cows. One of the strategies that is being currently explored focuses on the animal as a solution, as there are differences in N metabolism between cows even within the same herd. This work was conducted to explore such an approach in A1PF herds in New Zealand and the possibility of identifying A1PF cows that are divergent for milk urea nitrogen (MUN) concentration through phenotyping as a potential viable strategy to reduce N leaching and emissions from temperate dairy systems.