Formulation of the Polysaccharide FucoPol into Novel Emulsified Creams with Improved Physicochemical Properties.

Driven by the customers' growing awareness of environmental issues, the production of topical formulations based on sustainable ingredients is receiving widespread attention from researchers and the industry. Although numerous sustainable ingredients (natural, organic, or green chemistry-derived compounds) have been investigated, there is a lack of comparative studies between conventional ingredients and sustainable alternatives. In this study, olive oil (30 wt.%) and α-tocopherol (2.5 wt.%) containing oil-in-water (O/W) emulsions stabilized with the bacterial fucose-rich polysaccharide FucoPol were formulated envisaging their validation as cosmetic creams. After formula composition design by Response Surface Methodology (RSM), the optimized FucoPol-based emulsion was prepared with 1.5 wt.% FucoPol, 1.5 wt.% cetyl alcohol, and 3.0 wt.% glycerin. The resulting emulsions had an apparent viscosity of 8.72 Pa.s (measured at a shear rate 2.3 s-1) and droplet size and zeta potential values of 6.12 µm and -97.9 mV, respectively, which are within the values reported for cosmetic emulsified formulations. The optimized formulation displayed the desired criterium of a thin emulsion system, possessing the physicochemical properties and the stability comparable to those of commercially available products used in cosmeceutical applications.

Deacetylation and Desuccinylation of the Fucose-Rich Polysaccharide Fucopol: Impact on Biopolymer Physical and Chemical Properties.

FucoPol is an acylated polysaccharide with demonstrated valuable functional properties that include a shear thinning fluid behaviour, a film-forming capacity, and an emulsion forming and stabilizing capacity. In this study, the different conditions (concentration, temperature, and time) for alkaline treatment were investigated to deacylate FucoPol. Complete deacetylation and desuccinylation was achieved with 0.02 M NaOH, at 60 °C for 15 min, with no significant impact on the biopolymer's sugar composition, pyruvate content, and molecular mass distribution. FucoPol depyruvylation by acid hydrolysis was attempted, but it resulted in a very low polymer recovery. The effect of the ionic strength, pH, and temperature on the deacetylated/desuccinylated polysaccharide, d-FucoPol, was evaluated, as well as its emulsion and film-forming capacity. d-FucoPol aqueous solutions maintained the shear thinning behaviour characteristic of FucoPol, but the apparent viscosity decreased significantly. Moreover, contrary to FucoPol, whose solutions were not affected by the media's ionic strength, the d-FucoPol solutions had a significantly higher apparent viscosity for a higher ionic strength. On the other hand, the d-FucoPol solutions were not affected by the pH in the range of 3.6-11.5, while FucoPol had a decreased viscosity for acidic pH values and for a pH above 10.5. Although d-FucoPol displayed an emulsification activity for olive oil similar to that of FucoPol (98 ± 0%) for an oil-to-water ratio of 2:3, the emulsions were less viscous. The d-FucoPol films were flexible, with a higher Young's modulus (798 ± 152 MPa), a stress at the break (22.5 ± 2.5 MPa), and an elongation at the break (9.3 ± 0.7%) than FucoPol (458 ± 32 MPa, 15.5 ± 0.3 MPa and 8.1 ± 1.0%, respectively). Given these findings, d-FucoPol arises as a promising novel biopolymer, with distinctive properties that may render it useful for utilization as a suspending or emulsifier agent, and as a barrier in coatings and packaging films.

Measurement-Based Care in Youth: An Opportunity for Better Clinical Outcomes?

Measurement-based care (MBC) is a procedure in which systematic and routine assessments are performed. Through this practice, clinicians can verify the progress of the symptomatology of the patient and adapt the appointments and the intervention to the current symptoms. Studies have reflected on the importance and the benefits of this type of procedure in the adult population, and have shown positive results. However, there is a lack of evidence concerning the remaining populations. Regarding youth, for instance, few articles have evaluated the benefits of using this procedure in clinical practice. However, research focused on this topic has revealed positive results, especially when clinicians were loyal to the MBC procedures. Still, further research is needed. This letter aims to share the methodology used by our multidisciplinary team, composed of psychologists and psychiatrists, in a clinical context at the Hospital Cruz Vermelha, Lisboa, applied to the adult population; the objective is to share and discuss some alterations that could be made to our evaluation protocol to enable the same to be used with the youth population. We believe that implementing MBC for youth is crucial for several reasons, including enhanced treatment efficacy, more personalized treatment, a reduced reliance on subjectivity, and empowerment not only of patients but also families.

Cosmetic emulsion based on the fucose-rich polysaccharide FucoPol: Bioactive properties and sensorial evaluation.

In this study, the physicochemical characteristics, bioactive properties, and sensorial evaluation of a O/W cosmetic formulation containing FucoPol, a fucose-containing bacterial polysaccharide, were assessed. The stability of the FucoPol-based cream, named F-cream, was demonstrated over a period of 2 months at different temperatures (4, 20 and 30 °C), during which it maintained the organoleptic characteristics and pH (5.88-6.19), with minimal variations on the apparent viscosity. Furthermore, no breaking mechanisms occurred upon centrifuging the samples (accelerated stability test) kept at 4 °C and at 30 °C for 60 days. The F-cream presented a shear-thinning and solid-liquid behavior consistent with its envisaged use for topical applications, proving to be a suitable candidate for an anti-aging application due to its antioxidant capacity and effective photoprotection, maintaining cellular preservation. Moreover, the formulation was proven non-cytotoxic for HaCaT cells at concentrations between 0.78 and 12.5 mg/mL, promoting HFFF2 cell migration (46-70 % of wound closure) at a concentration of 2.5 mg/mL, and HaCaT cell migration at a concentration of 10 mg/mL (95-98 % of wound closure). Upon application over the skin, the F-cream provided a hydration and softness with desired spreadability with no residues after application. These findings show that FucoPol has good potential to be used as a functional and/or active ingredient in cosmetic formulations, forming an emulsified cream with appealing sensorial properties that can act as a moisturizer with photoprotection, antioxidant, and regeneration properties.

Influence of Dissolved Oxygen Level on Chitin-Glucan Complex and Mannans Production by the Yeast Pichia pastoris.

The yeast Pichia pastoris was cultivated under different dissolved oxygen (DO) levels (5, 15, 30 and 50% of the air saturation) to evaluate its impact on the production of the cell-wall polysaccharide chitin-glucan complex (CGC) and mannans. Decreasing the DO level from 50 to 15% had no significant impact on cell growth but substrate conversion into biomass was improved. Under such conditions, a mannans content in the biomass of 22 wt% was reached, while the CGC content in the biomass was improved from 15 to 18 wt%, confirming that the DO level also impacted on P. pastoris cell-wall composition. Overall mannans and CGC volumetric productivity values of 10.69 and 8.67 g/(L. day) were reached, respectively. On the other hand, the polymers' composition was not significantly affected by decreasing the DO level. These results demonstrated that considerable energy savings can be made in the polysaccharide production process by reducing the DO level during cultivation of P. pastoris by improving the overall polymers' productivity without altering their composition. This has impact on the polysaccharide production costs, which is of considerable relevance for process scale-up and products' commercialization.

Extraction of the Bacterial Extracellular Polysaccharide FucoPol by Membrane-Based Methods: Efficiency and Impact on Biopolymer Properties.

In this study, membrane-based methods were evaluated for the recovery of FucoPol, the fucose-rich exopolysaccharide (EPS) secreted by the bacterium Enterobacter A47, aiming at reducing the total water consumption and extraction time, while keeping a high product recovery, thus making the downstream procedure more sustainable and cost-effective. The optimized method involved ultrafiltration of the cell-free supernatant using a 30 kDa molecular weight cut-off (MWCO) membrane that allowed for a 37% reduction of the total water consumption and a 55% reduction of the extraction time, compared to the previously used method (diafiltration-ultrafiltration with a 100 kDa MWCO membrane). This change in the downstream procedure improved the product's recovery (around 10% increase) and its purity, evidenced by the lower protein (8.2 wt%) and inorganic salts (4.0 wt%) contents of the samples (compared to 9.3 and 8.6 wt%, respectively, for the previously used method), without impacting FucoPol's sugar and acyl groups composition, molecular mass distribution or thermal degradation profile. The biopolymer's emulsion-forming and stabilizing capacity was also not affected (emulsification activity (EA) with olive oil, at a 2:3 ratio, of 98 ± 0% for all samples), while the rheological properties were improved (the zero-shear viscosity increased from 8.89 ± 0.62 Pa·s to 17.40 ± 0.04 Pa·s), which can be assigned to the higher purity degree of the extracted samples. These findings demonstrate a significant improvement in the downstream procedure raising FucoPol's recovery, while reducing water consumption and operation time, key criteria in terms of process economic and environmental sustainability. Moreover, those changes improved the biopolymer's rheological properties, known to significantly impact FucoPol's utilization in cosmetic, pharmaceutical or food products.

Development of Olive Oil and α-Tocopherol Containing Emulsions Stabilized by FucoPol: Rheological and Textural Analyses.

Biobased raw materials like natural polysaccharides are increasingly sought by the cosmetic industry for their valuable properties. Such biodegradable and usually non-cytotoxic biopolymers are commonly used in skin-care products as rheological modifiers, bioemulsifiers and/or bioactive ingredients. FucoPol is a natural polysaccharide with reported biocompatibility, emulsion-forming and stabilizing capacity, shear-thinning behavior and bioactivity (e.g., antioxidant capacity, wound healing ability) that potentiate its utilization in skin-care products. In this study, olive oil and α-tocopherol containing emulsions were stabilized with FucoPol. Although the presence of α-tocopherol negatively impacted the emulsions' stability, it increased their emulsification index (EI). Moreover, FucoPol outperformed the commercial emulsifier Sepigel® 305, under the tested conditions, with higher EI and higher stability under storage for 30 days. The formulation of FucoPol-based emulsions with olive oil and α-tocopherol was studied by Response Surface Methodology (RSM) that allowed the definition of the ingredients' content to attain high emulsification. The RSM model established that α-tocopherol concentration had no significant impact on the EI within the tested ranges, with optimal emulsification for FucoPol concentration in the range 0.7-1.2 wt.% and olive oil contents of 20-30 wt.%. Formulations with 25 wt.% olive oil and either 0.5 or 2.0 wt.% α-tocopherol were emulsified with 1.0 wt.% or 0.7 wt.% FucoPol, respectively, resulting in oil-in-water (O/W) emulsions. The emulsions had similar shear-thinning behavior, but the formulation with higher FucoPol content displayed higher apparent viscosity, higher consistency, as well as higher firmness, adhesiveness and cohesiveness, but lower spreadability. These findings show FucoPol's high performance as an emulsifier for olive oil/α-tocopherol, which are supported by an effective impact on the physicochemical and structural characteristics of the emulsions. Hence, this natural polysaccharide is a potential alternative to other emulsifiers.

Exopolysaccharide production by a marine Pseudoalteromonas sp. strain isolated from Madeira Archipelago ocean sediments.

Exopolysaccharides (EPS) are polymers excreted by some microorganisms with interesting properties and used in many industrial applications. A new Pseudoalteromonas sp. strain, MD12-642, was isolated from marine sediments and cultivated in bioreactor in saline culture medium containing glucose as carbon source. Its ability to produce EPS under saline conditions was demonstrated reaching an EPS production of 4.4g/L within 17hours of cultivation, corresponding to a volumetric productivity of 0.25g/Lh, the highest value so far obtained for Pseudoalteromonas sp. strains. The compositional analysis of the EPS revealed the presence of galacturonic acid (41-42mol%), glucuronic acid (25-26mol%), rhamnose (16-22mol%) and glucosamine (12-16mol%) sugar residues. The polymer presents a high molecular weight (above 1000kDa). These results encourage the biotechnological exploitation of strain MD12-642 for the production of valuable EPS with unique composition, using saline by-products/wastes as feedstocks.

O impacto da campanha de combate à sífilis congênita sobre diagnóstico e tratamento de sífilis em mulheres admitidas em uma maternidade municipal do Rio de Janeiro / El impacto de la campaña de lucha contra la sífilis congénita diagnóstico y tratamiento de la sífilis en las mujeres en un maternidad municipal de Rio de Janeiro / The impact of the campaign to combat congenital syphilis diagnosis and treatment of syphilis in women in a maternity municipal of Rio de Janeiro

Descrever o momento de diagnóstico e tratamento de sífilis nas mulheres que tiveram seus filhos investigados para Sífilis Congênita (SC) em uma maternidade municipal do Rio de Janeiro, no período da campanha de combate a SC (1999 a 2001). Métodos: pesquisa descritiva, retrospectiva, de levantamento epidemiológico. Resultados: foram analisadas 479 fichas de investigação de SC nos anos de 1999, referente à primeira Campanha de Eliminação da SC, e 2001, referente à segunda. Identificou-se que mais da metade dessas mães foram diagnosticadas no pré-natal (54,3% à 71,9%) e houve um aumento progressivo da antecipação de oferta de tratamento (33,8% à 62,5%). Conclusão: as práticas das campanhas refletiram positivamente no combate a SC, contudo, o número de dados ignorados, principalmente nas variáveis referentes a co-infecção sífilis-HIV e no rastreamento dos parceiros, afeta a confiabilidade dos dados e expressa a necessidade de se pensar em novas estratégias a fim de aumentar a vigilância epidemiológica.

Describe the time of diagnosis and treatment of syphilis in women who had their children screened for congenital syphilis in a maternity of the State of do Rio de Janeiro during the campaign to combat congenital syphilis, (1999 to 2001). Methods: this was a descriptive, retrospective epidemiological. Results: 479 records were analyzed to investigate SC in 1999 on the first Campaign for Elimination of SC, and 2001, on the second. It was found that more than half of these mothers were diagnosed during prenatal care (54.3% to 71.9%) and there was a progressive increase in anticipation of provision of treatment (33.8% to 62.5%). Conclusions: the practice of the campaigns reflected positively in the fight against congenital syphilis, however, the number of missing data, especially for variables co-infection HIV and syphilis-in screening of partners, affects the reliability of data and expressed the need to consider new strategies to increase epidemiological surveillance.

Describir el momento del diagnóstico y el tratamiento de la sífilis en mujeres que habían tenido sus niños para detectar la sífilis congénita en un Maternidad del Estado de Río de Janeiro durante la campaña de lucha contra la sífilis congénita, (1999 a 2001). Métodos: se realizó un estudio descriptivo, estudio epidemiológico retrospectivo. Resultados: 479 registros fueron analizados para investigar SC en 1999 en la primera Campaña para la Eliminación de la SC, y 2001, en el segundo. Se encontró que más de la mitad de estas madres fueron diagnosticados durante la atención prenatal (54,3% a 71,9%) y hubo un aumento progresivo de la previsión de suministro de tratamiento (33,8% a 62,5%). Conclusiones: la práctica de las campañas se refleja positivamente en la lucha contra la sífilis congénita, sin embargo, el número de datos que faltan, especialmente para las variables de co-infección por el VIH y la sífilis en el cribado de la los socios, afecta a la fiabilidad de los datos, y expresó la necesidad de considerar nuevas estrategias para aumentar la vigilancia epidemiológica.