Technological Advancements in Monoclonal Antibodies.

Biopharmaceuticals are innovative solutions that have revolutionized the treatment of important chronic diseases and malignancies. The approval of biosimilar products has become a complex and balanced process, and there are versions of drugs with established biosimilarity that can offer a more accessible treatment option to patients. The objective of this work was to identify the advancement of these technologies by means of patent and article analysis based on technological and scientific prospection. In patent document recovery, Derwent Innovation Index (DWPI) and PatentInspiration databases were used. The research was based on the search of the selected terms in the title, summary, and claims of the documents through a search strategy containing IPC code and keywords. In articles recovery, the Web of Science tool was used in the search of scientific publications dated from the last 5 years. The search resulted in a total of 2295 individual patent documents and 467 families using DWPI database, 769 individual patents and 205 families using PatentInspiration, and 2602 articles using Web of Science database. Additionally, this work describes the number of organizations that contribute to this area, where they are, how much development they have undergone, and the inventors/authors involved. Based on the number of publications registered, there is an important prominence for scientific research in mAbs. In terms of innovation, it is expected that several therapeutic drugs are already under regulatory review, which will allow drugs to be approved over the next few years and will thus generate a continuous flow of new products based on immunotherapies, mAbs, and biosimilar drugs. These drugs have become essential weapons for the treatment of significant diseases, and the increasing trend in the number of related scientific and technological publications contributes to making these therapies available to the greatest number of people.

Metal Content of Nutritional and Toxic Value in Different Types of Brazilian Propolis.

Brazilian raw propolis samples (brown, green, red, and yellow) were investigated to evaluate the content of three elements of nutritional value (Cu, K, and Se) and three toxic metals (As, Cd, and Pb). The propolis samples (n = 19) were obtained from different regions of Brazil and analysed by atomic absorption spectrometry after microwave-assisted digestion. A descriptive analysis of the variables was carried out, and nonparametric tests (Kruskal-Wallis or Mann-Whitney) were performed to verify the differences in metal contents. The elemental concentrations of the Brazilian propolis were in the following ranges: As < 0.048-8.47 µg·g-1, Pb < 0.006-0.72 µg·g-1, Cu 0.57-11.60 µg·g-1, Se < 0.041-0.54 µg·g-1, and K 0.23-7.94 mg·g-1; Cd was below LOD (0.008 µg·g-1) in all samples, except one. Seven samples exceeded the limits defined for As or Pb by the Brazilian regulation.

Potential Applicability of Cocoa Pulp (Theobroma cacao L) as an Adjunct for Beer Production.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the application of cocoa pulp as an adjunct for malt in beer production. The cocoa pulp was analyzed for humidity, proteins, lipids, sugars, total soluble solids, organic acids, and minerals. A study was carried out to reduce the cocoa pulp viscosity by enzymatic depectinization, making its use viable in beer production. The cocoa pulp showed relevant quantities of compounds important in fermentation, such as sugars, acids, and minerals. In fermentation using the adjunct, the proportions of pulp used were 10, 30, and 49%. A significant difference was found between the adjunct and all-malt worts. The 30% cocoa pulp concentration as an adjunct for malt in the fermentation medium contributed the most to the fermentative performance of the yeasts at both 15 and 22°C based on the consumption of apparent extract (°Plato), ethanol production, and cellular growth.