Phenolic Acids and Methylxanthines Composition and Antioxidant Properties of Mate (Ilex paraguariensis) Residue

ABSTRACT: Ilex paraguariensis is known to contain compounds with antioxidant properties, such as phenolic acids, and its stimulant properties are attributed to methylxanthines, such as caffeine. The aims of this study were to evaluate the phenolic, methylxanthinic, and tannin composition of a mate residue (mate powder), to compare the quali-quantitative phenolic composition and the antioxidant potential of extracts obtained from distinct solvent systems. Among the extracts prepared with different solvents, the 80% methanol extract showed the highest total polyphenol content (11.51 g/100 g) and antioxidant activity. HPLC analysis showed that 4,5 dicaffeoylquinic acid is the major component of the phenolic fraction of mate powder. The caffeine, theobromine, and tannin contents in mate powder were 1.01, 0.10, and 0.29 g/100 g, respectively. Consumption of mate powder would significantly contribute to antioxidant and stimulant intake, providing high amounts of phenolic acids, tannins, and methylxanthines with biological effects potentially beneficial for human health. Practical Application: This article contributes to the minimization of residues in yerba-mate processing.     

Enrichment of fresh pasta with antioxidant extracts obtained from artichoke canning by‐products by ultrasound‐assisted technology and quality characterisation of the end product

This work is aimed at: (i) analysing the extracts obtained from canning by‐products of three artichoke cultivars (Opal, Capriccio and Catanese) for antioxidant parameters; (ii) comparing UHPLC‐ESI‐MS/MS profile, colour, textural properties and cooking performance of fresh pasta enriched of the most antioxidant extract, with control pasta. The concentrated Catanese cv. extracts showed the highest antioxidant activity (1662 μmol Trolox equivalents L^?1) and the highest levels of luteolin‐7‐O‐rutinoside, luteolin‐7‐O‐glucoside and apigenin‐7‐O‐rutinoside compared to other cultivars. Fresh pasta enriched of Catanese extract showed higher (P < 0.05) phenolic compounds and antioxidant activity (500 mg gallic acid kg^?1 and 1324 μmol Trolox kg^?1, respectively) than control pasta (306 mg gallic acid kg^?1 and 886 μmol Trolox kg^?1, respectively). The extract increased (P < 0.05) pasta brownness (from 19.93 to 23.34), and decreased yellowness (from 27.11 to 23.09), but did not alter textural and cooking parameters. So, pasta was a good vehicle to increase the antioxidant dietary intake.     

Green Leaf Volatiles: A Plant’s Multifunctional Weapon against Herbivores and Pathogens

Plants cannot avoid being attacked by an almost infinite number of microorganisms and insects. Consequently, they arm themselves with molecular weapons against their attackers. Plant defense responses are the result of a complex signaling network, in which the hormones jasmonic acid (JA), salicylic acid (SA) and ethylene (ET) are the usual suspects under the magnifying glass when researchers investigate host-pest interactions. However, Green Leaf Volatiles (GLVs), C₆ molecules, which are very quickly produced and/or emitted upon herbivory or pathogen infection by almost every green plant, also play an important role in plant defenses. GLVs are semiochemicals used by insects to find their food or their conspecifics. They have also been reported to be fundamental in indirect defenses and to have a direct effect on pests, but these are not the only roles of GLVs. These volatiles, being probably one of the fastest weapons exploited, are also able to directly elicit or prime plant defense responses. Moreover, GLVs, via crosstalk with phytohormones, mostly JA, can influence the outcome of the plant’s defense response against pathogens. For all these reasons GLVs should be considered as co-protagonists in the play between plants and their attackers.     

TMABoost: an integrated system for comprehensive management of tissue microarray data.

In the last decade, high-throughput technologies such as DNA and tissue microarrays (TMAs) have become a means of large-scale investigation of gene expression, providing a plethora of new biomedical data in a relatively short time. Data collection and organization are critical aspects in this process to ensure the quality and reliability of future data interpretation. In this work, we propose a comprehensive approach to handle TMA data with the aim of supporting and promoting biomarker development. We describe a web-based system for the complete management of tissue microarray data in the field of pathology. The system has been in use since June, 2003. Our approach includes automatic localization and identification of tissue microarray samples, and quantitative image analysis that allows high-throughput screening of TMAs by ensuring nonsubjective measures and novel prognosis associations. In this paper, we present the architecture and the components of this system.     

Possible Role of –374T/A Polymorphism of RAGE Gene in Longevity

Demographic and social changes in the last decades have resulted in improvements in health and longevity. The survival of elderly people has improved significantly and thus centenarians are becoming the fastest growing population group. Environmental, genetic, and accidental factors have influenced the human life span. Researchers have gained substantial evidence that advanced glycation end products may play an important role in the processes of physiological aging. The aim of the present study was to investigate any differences in the frequencies of –374T/A polymorphism in subjects aged >90 years and in middle-aged individuals. We observed association between the A allele and genotype homozygous for this allele (AA) with a longer life expectancy in the male population. In particular, there was a prevalence of AA genotype and A allele in long-living subjects and a prevalence of the allele T in middle-aged subjects, indicating a possible protective role of the allele A to aging. In conclusion, our results support the hypothesis that longevity is the result of a good functioning of the immune system and a presumable hyper-expression of variants of anti-inflammatory genes of immunity. The differences in the genetic regulation of inflammatory processes may influence the presence of age-related disorders.     

Stability of solutions of delay functional integro-differential equations and their discretizations

In this paper we study asymptotic stability and contractivity properties of solutions of a class of delay functional integro-differential equations. These results form the basis for obtaining insight into the analogous properties of numerical solutions generated by continuous Runge-Kutta or collocation methods, where these methods are applied to a suitable reformulation of the given initial-value problem.     

Health screening and random recruitment for cognitive aging research.

A survey of 197 cognitive aging studies revealed infrequent use of structured health assessments and random recruitment. In this study, a health screening questionnaire developed to identify Ss with medical problems that might impair cognition was administered to 315 adults (aged 60+ yrs) who were recruited by random digit dialing. On the basis of self-reported medical problems, 35% of the Ss were excluded. Those excluded were older (p?p?p?p?     

The art of video MashUp: supporting creative users with an innovative and smart application

In this paper, we describe the development of a new and innovative tool of video mashup. This application is an easy to use tool of video editing integrated in a cross-media platform; it works taking the information from a repository of videos and puts into action a process of semi-automatic editing supporting users in the production of video mashup. Doing so it gives vent to their creative side without them being forced to learn how to use a complicated and unlikely new technology. The users will be further helped in building their own editing by the intelligent system working behind the tool: it combines semantic annotation (tags and comments by users), low level features (gradient of color, texture and movements) and high level features (general data distinguishing a movie: actors, director, year of production, etc.) to furnish a pre-elaborated editing users can modify in a very simple way.     

Nutrition and Culinary in the Kitchen Program: a randomized controlled intervention to promote cooking skills and healthy eating in university students – study protocol

Background

Community-based intervention studies that aim at developing cooking skills have increased in the scientific literature and are related to healthier food practices. However, methodological limitations are observed and only a few studies have university students as the target. The university entrance period has been related to negative changes in eating habits among young people and it represents an important period for developing interventions for health promotion. This study describes the study protocol and the evaluation framework for the Nutrition and Culinary in the Kitchen program. This program aims to develop cooking skills in university students, and is based on the Cooking with a Chef program in the United States.

Methods

This ongoing, randomized controlled intervention was designed with a six month follow-up study. The intervention consisted of three-hour weekly classes during a six week period with printed materials provided. Five of the classes were hands-on cooking and one was a tour to a popular food market. There were eight primary outcome measures: changes in relation to i) accessibility and availability of fruits and vegetables; ii) cooking attitudes; iii) cooking behaviors at home; iv) cooking behaviors away from home; v) produce consumption self-efficacy; vi) self-efficacy for using basic cooking techniques; vii) self-efficacy for using fruits, vegetables, and seasonings (while cooking); and viii) knowledge of cooking terms and techniques. Secondary outcomes included changes in body mass index and in personal characteristics related to cooking. Repeated measures were collected through the application of an online self-completed survey, at baseline, after intervention and six months after intervention. A sample of 80 university students (40: intervention group; 40: control group) was estimated to detect a mean change of 1.5 points in cooking knowledge, with study power of 80%, and 95% level of confidence, plus 20% for random losses and 10% for confounding factors. The control group participants have continued with their usual activities. Data analyses will evaluate the intervention effect on changes in outcomes within and between groups, as well as explore relations with personal characteristics.

Discussion

This method provides new evidence about whether or not a culinary intervention targeting university students has an impact on the improvement of cooking skills and healthy eating practices.

Trial registration

Brazilian Clinical Trials Registry - RBR-8nwxh5 (http://www.ensaiosclinicos.gov.br/rg/RBR-8nwxh5/)