Eco-friendly technologies for obtaining antioxidant compounds and protein hydrolysates from edible insect Tenebrio molitor beetles.

The functional properties of edible insects can be explored by a joint use of novel technologies. This work applied varied pre-treatments (ultra-sound-assisted extraction, UAE; microwave-assisted extraction, MAE; temperature-assisted extraction, TAE; CO2-assisted extraction) and solvents (water, ethanol, water:ethanol) in Tenebrio molitor beetles to enhance the extraction of phenolic compounds with antioxidant activity. An enzymatic hydrolysis (EH) was performed in wet and treated biomasses to determine the protein hydrolysis.

Yarrowia lipolytica produces lipid-rich biomass in medium mimicking lignocellulosic biomass hydrolysate.

In recent years, lignocellulosic biomass has become an attractive low-cost raw material for microbial bioprocesses aiming the production of biofuels and other valuable chemicals. However, these feedstocks require preliminary pretreatments to increase their utilization by microorganisms, which may lead to the formation of various compounds (acetic acid, formic acid, furfural, 5-hydroxymethylfurfural, p-coumaric acid, vanillin, or benzoic acid) with antimicrobial activity. Batch cultures in microplate wells demonstrated the ability of Yarrowia strains (three of Y.

Shelf-Life Performance of Fish Feed Supplemented with Bioactive Extracts from Fermented Olive Mill and Winery By-Products.

Fortifying fish feeds with bioactive compounds, such as enzymes and antioxidants, has been an adopted strategy to improve feed nutritional quality and sustainability. However, feed additives can lose activity/effectiveness during pelleting and storage processes. This work aimed to monitor functional activity stability in feeds supplemented with a bioactive extract, including cellulases, xylanases, and antioxidants.

Potential of Red, Green and Brown Seaweeds as Substrates for Solid State Fermentation to Increase Their Nutritional Value and to Produce Enzymes.

Seaweeds are valuable feedstocks with the potential to be used as ingredients in aquafeeds. However, their use are still limited, given their recalcitrant polysaccharide structure. To break this structure, a biotechnological approach such as solid-state fermentation (SSF) by filamentous fungi can be used, which simultaneously increases the nutritional value of the biomass.

Eco-friendly fabricated multibioactive Ca(II)-antibiotic coordination framework coating on zinc towards improved bone tissue regeneration.

Zinc is a biodegradable candidate material for bone regeneration; however, concomitant implant-related infection and rejection require new solutions to raise the biomedical potential of zinc. Functionalization towards localized drug administration with bioactive frameworks can be a solution. It is herein reported for the first time an eco-friendly approach for coating zinc with multibioactive antibiotic coordination frameworks (ACF).

Pulsed Light Application for Control on Poultry Meat and Its Effect on Colour and Volatile Profile.

Campylobacter on poultry meat needs to be controlled to reduce the risk of infection caused by the consumption of chicken meat. Pulsed light (PL) application on poultry meat was studied to control spp. The effect of this technology was evaluated regarding poultry meat colour and volatile compound changes.

Valorization of Brewer's Spent Grain Using Biological Treatments and its Application in Feeds for European Seabass ().

Brewer's spent grain (BSG) is the main brewery industry by-product, with potential applications in the feed and food industries due to its carbohydrate composition. In addition, the lignocellulosic nature of BSG makes it an adequate substrate for carbohydrases production. In this work, solid-state fermentation (SSF) of BSG was performed with a non-mycotoxin producer fungus with a high capacity to hydrolyze the lignocellulosic matrix of the agro-industrial by-products.

Solid-state fermented brewer's spent grain enzymatic extract increases in vitro and in vivo feed digestibility in European seabass.

Brewer's spent grain (BSG) is the largest by-product originated from the brewery industry with a high potential for producing carbohydrases by solid-state fermentation. This work aimed to test the efficacy of a carbohydrases-rich extract produced from solid-state fermentation of BSG, to enhance the digestibility of a plant-based diet for European seabass (Dicentrarchus labrax). First, BSG was fermented with A.

Mechanical writing of electrical polarization in poly (L-lactic) acid.

Stimuli responsive materials are found in a broad range of applications, from energy harvesters to biomolecular sensors. Here, we report the production of poly (L-lactic acid) (PLLA) thin films that exhibit a mechanical stress responsive behaviour. By simply applying a mechanical stress through an AFM tip, a local electrical polarization was generated and measured by Kelvin Probe Force Microscopy.

Bioactive and biopassive treatment of poly(ethylene terephthalate) multifilament textile yarns to improve/prevent fibroblast viability.

To modulate the physicochemical features of poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) multifilaments surface composing a complex textile structure (core and shell system), intended to improve upon current implants for high extension injuries of the Achilles tendon or even for its total replacement, two surface treatments with different purposes (bioactive and biopassive) were studied. The first treatment is based on amino groups grafting using ethylenediamine molecules to be applied in the structure core to improve cell adhesion and proliferation. The other treatment relates to a polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) coating to be applied in the structure shell to decrease its coefficient of friction and avoid adhesions.

Polyunsaturated fatty acids production by solid-state fermentation on polyurethane foam by Mortierella alpina.

Polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) are essential in healthy diets and their production is extremely important. Natural sources of PUFAs includes animal and aquatic products such as marine fish oil, however there are several limitations such as the decrease of fish stocks throughout the world. Thus, microbial oils are a preferable source of PUFAs.

Congenital Disorders of Glycosylation in Portugal-Two Decades of Experience.

Objective: To describe the clinical, biochemical, and genetic features of both new and previously reported patients with congenital disorders of glycosylation (CDGs) diagnosed in Portugal over the last 20 years.

Study Design: The cohort includes patients with an unexplained multisystem or single organ involvement, with or without psychomotor disability. Serum sialotransferrin isoforms and, whenever necessary, apolipoprotein CIII isoforms and glycan structures were analyzed.

Defatted microalgae (Nannochloropsis sp.) from biorefinery as a potential feed protein source to replace fishmeal in European sea bass diets.

The present work focuses on the use of defatted biomass of the microalga Nannochloropsis sp. from the biodiesel industry, as a partial substitute of fish meal (FM) in diets for European sea bass. The effects of increasing inclusion levels of microalgal meal on growth performance, body composition, nutrient utilization, gut morphology, and innate immunity were evaluated after 93 days.

Sequential bioprocessing of Ulva rigida to produce lignocellulolytic enzymes and to improve its nutritional value as aquaculture feed.

The macroalgae aquaculture industry has grown up in the last years, and new applications for macroalgae should be considered. In this work, sequential biological treatments as solid-state fermentation (SSF) by Aspergillus ibericus and enzymatic hydrolysis (EH) were applied to washed and unwashed Ulva rigida. SSF of unwashed macroalgae showed higher xylanase (359.

LED Optrode with Integrated Temperature Sensing for Optogenetics.

In optogenetic studies, the brain is exposed to high-power light sources and inadequate power density or exposure time can cause cell damage from overheating (typically temperature increasing of 2 ∘ C). In order to overcome overheating issues in optogenetics, this paper presents a neural tool capable of assessing tissue temperature over time, combined with the capability of electrical recording and optical stimulation. A silicon-based 8 mm long probe was manufactured to reach deep neural structures.

Dietary Protein Requirement During Juvenile Growth of Zebrafish (Danio rerio).

A standard diet for zebrafish, based on their specific nutritional requirements, is of primary importance to improve experimental outcomes with this model organism and optimize its large-scale production. However, the main basic nutritional requirements of zebrafish are yet to be determined. This study aimed at contributing to fill this gap by evaluating the dietary protein requirement of zebrafish juvenile.

PDMS-SiO2-TiO2-CaO hybrid materials - Cytocompatibility and nanoscale surface features.

Two PDMS-SiO2-TiO2-CaO porous hybrid materials were prepared using the same base composition, precursors, and solvents, but following two different sol-gel procedures, based on the authors' previous works where for the first time, in this hybrid system, calcium acetate was used as calcium source. The two different procedures resulted in monolithic materials with different structures, microstructures, and surface wettability. Even though both are highly hydrophobic (contact angles of 127.

A biocompatible hybrid material with simultaneous calcium and strontium release capability for bone tissue repair.

The increasing interest in the effect of strontium in bone tissue repair has promoted the development of bioactive materials with strontium release capability. According to literature, hybrid materials based on the system PDMS-SiO2 have been considered a plausible alternative as they present a mechanical behavior similar to the one of the human bone. The main purpose of this study was to obtain a biocompatible hybrid material with simultaneous calcium and strontium release capability.

Three-dimensional printed PCL-hydroxyapatite scaffolds filled with CNTs for bone cell growth stimulation.

A three-phase [nanocrystalline hydroxyapatite (HA), carbon nanotubes (CNT), mixed in a polymeric matrix of polycaprolactone (PCL)] composite scaffold produced by 3D printing is presented. The CNT content varied between 0 and 10 wt % in a 50 wt % PCL matrix, with HA being the balance. With the combination of three well-known materials, these scaffolds aimed at bringing together the properties of all into a unique material to be used in tissue engineering as support for cell growth.

Contrasting light spectra constrain the macro and microstructures of scleractinian corals.

The morphological plasticity of scleractinian corals can be influenced by numerous factors in their natural environment. However, it is difficult to identify in situ the relative influence of a single biotic or abiotic factor, due to potential interactions between them. Light is considered as a major factor affecting coral skeleton morphology, due to their symbiotic relation with photosynthetic zooxanthellae.

Juvenile Systemic Lupus Erythematosus: neuropsychiatric manifestations.

Juvenile Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (jSLE) is a chronic and multisystemmic autoimmune disease, which appears before 16 years old with an incidence of 10 to 20 cases per 100,000 children. The clinical spectrum of jSLE can be quite variable. The most common symptoms are constitutional, followed by the cutaneous, musculoskeletal, renal, and neuropsychiatric involvement.

Cytotoxicity in L929 fibroblasts and inhibition of herpes simplex virus type 1 Kupka by estuarine cyanobacteria extracts.

The cyanobacteria are known to be a rich source of metabolites with a variety of biological activities in different biological systems. In the present work, the bioactivity of aqueous and organic (methanolic and hexane) crude extracts of cyanobacteria isolated from estuarine ecosystems was studied using different bioassays. The assessment of DNA damage on the SOS gene repair region of mutant PQ37 strain of Escherichia coli was performed.

Crystallization behaviour of nanostructured hybrid SiO2-TiO2 gel glasses to nanocomposites.

The crystallization behaviour of hybrid SiO2-TiO2 nanocomposites derived from titanosiloxanes by sol-gel method has been investigated depending on the type of siloxane precursor and the pirolysis temperature. The resulting hybrid titanosiloxanes, crosslinked with trimethylsilil isocyanate (nitrogen-modified) or methyltrietoxisilane (carbon-modified), were pirolyzed in an inert atmosphere in the temperature range between 600 to 1100 degrees C in order to form C-(N)-Si-O-TiO2 nanocomposites. By means of XRD, FTIR, 29Si NMR, SEM, TEM and AFM investigations have been established that the transformation of the nanostructured SiO2-TiO2 hybrid materials into nanocomposites as well as the crystalline size depend on the titanium content and the type of cross-linking agents used in the synthesizes.

Ash from a pulp mill boiler--characterisation and vitrification.

The physical, chemical and mineralogical characterisation of the ash resulting from a pulp mill boiler was performed in order to investigate the valorisation of this waste material through the production of added-value glassy materials. The ash had a particle size distribution in the range 0.06-53 microm, and a high amount of SiO(2) (approximately 82 wt%), which was present as quartz.

[Metastatic Crohn's disease without intestinal clinical manifestation].

The authors report the case of a 47-year-old female patient with dispersed ulcerated skin lesions that appeared 7 years before medical follow-up. Histopathological and endoscopic findings of such lesions led to the diagnosis of a rare disorder: metastatic Crohn's disease. This diagnosis is even more relevant because there is no case report in the literature of Crohn's disease restricted to cutaneous lesions, without major gastro-intestinal complaints.