Algae Incorporation and Nutritional Improvement: The Case of a Whole-Wheat Pasta.

Algae contain high-quality proteins, dietary fiber, minerals, and phenolic compounds, making them promising alternative ingredients. Since pasta is consumed worldwide, it can be an effective vehicle for incorporating algae. This study compares the nutritional and antioxidant composition of whole-wheat pasta without and with enrichment of an algae mixture (containing Himanthalia elongata and Spirulina) and ascertains the influence of the cooking procedure on their features. Spirulina and H. elongata were also analyzed in parallel for comparison purposes. Macronutrients, chlorides and salt, total and free amino acid profiles, and antioxidant properties (total phenolic content and ferric reducing antioxidant power) were analyzed using AOAC, Mohr's, high performance liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection, and spectrophotometric methods, respectively. The results show a significant increase in fat (70.4%), protein (29.7%), ash (26.5%), and total amino acid (except for serine, tryptophan, isoleucine, and threonine) contents in the raw algae-enriched pasta. The antioxidant activity was also higher (4.15 versus 3.68 g ferrous sulfate eq./g dw, respectively). After cooking, protein, dietary fiber, total amino acids (except threonine) and antioxidant activity were stable in the algae-enriched pasta. Thus, algae can be an excellent ingredient for food applications with health benefits.

Bioactive Potential and Chemical Composition of Coffee By-Products: From Pulp to Silverskin.

Processing the coffee cherry into roasted beans generates a large amount of by-products, which can negatively impact the environment. The aim of this study was to analyze the bioactive potential and chemical composition of different coffee by-products (pulp, husk, parchment, silverskin, defective beans, and green coffee sieving residue) having in mind their bioactive potential for health and well-being. The coffee by-products showed a distinct nutritional composition. The content of ash, protein, fat, and total dietary fiber was significantly higher (p < 0.05) in coffee pulp (10.72% dw), silverskin (16.31% dw), defective beans (8.47% dw), and parchment (94.19% dw), respectively. Defective beans and the sieve residue exhibited a higher content of total phenolics (6.54 and 5.11 g chlorogenic acid eq./100 g dw, respectively) as well as higher DPPH• scavenging activity (3.11 and 2.85 g Trolox eq./100 g, respectively) and ferric-reducing antioxidant power (17.68 and 17.56 g ferrous sulfate eq./100 g dw, respectively). All the coffee by-products considered in this study are sources of caffeine and chlorogenic acids, in particular 5-caffeoylquinic acid (5.36-3787.58 mg/100 g dw, for parchment and defective beans, respectively). Thus, they can be recycled as functional ingredients for food, cosmetic and/or pharmaceutical industries, contributing to the social, economic, and environmental sustainability of the coffee industry.

Coffee by-products: An underexplored source of prebiotic ingredients.

Consumers' demand for foods with high nutritional value and health benefits has fueled the development of prebiotic foods. In coffee industry, cherries transformation into roasted beans generates a large amount of waste/by-products (pulp/husks, mucilage, parchment, defective beans, silverskin and spent coffee grounds) that usually end up in landfills. The possibility to use coffee by-products as relevant sources of prebiotic ingredients is herein ascertained. As a prelude to this discussion, an overview of pertinent literature on prebiotic action was conducted, including on biotransformation of prebiotics, gut microbiota, and metabolites. Existing research indicates that coffee by-products contain significant levels of dietary fiber and other components that can improve gut health by stimulating beneficial bacteria in the colon, making them excellent candidates for prebiotic ingredients. Oligosaccharides from coffee by-products have lower digestibility than inulin and can be fermented by gut microbiota into functional metabolites, such as short-chain fatty acids. Depending on the concentration, melanoidins and chlorogenic acids may also have prebiotic action. Nevertheless, there is still a lack of in vivo studies to validate such findings in vitro. This review shows how coffee by-products can be interesting for the development of functional foods, contributing to sustainability, circular economy, food security, and health.

Coffee by-product oligosaccharides increase short-chain fatty acid levels.Melanoidins and chlorogenic acids promote the growth of lactobacillus and bifidobacteria.Coffee by-products show prebiotic potential, but further in vivo studies are required.

Enzyme-Assisted Release of Antioxidant Peptides from Porphyra dioica Conchocelis.

The conchocelis life cycle stage of P. dioica represents an unexplored source of bioactive compounds. The aim of this study was to generate and characterise, for the first time, hydrolysates of conchocelis using a specific combination of proteases (Prolyve® and Flavourzyme®). Hydrolysate molecular mass distribution and free amino acid contents were assessed, and the antioxidant activity was determined using a range of in vitro assays. The protein content and the total amino acid profiles of conchocelis were also studied. Conchocelis contained ~25% of protein (dry weight basis) and had a complete profile of essential amino acids. Direct sequential enzymatic treatment modified the profile of the generated compounds, increasing the amount of low molecular weight peptides (<1 kDa). There was a significant improvement in the antioxidant activity of the hydrolysates compared with the control (up to 2.5-fold), indicating their potential as a novel source of antioxidant ingredients.

Amino Acid Profile and Protein Quality Assessment of Macroalgae Produced in an Integrated Multi-Trophic Aquaculture System.

Seaweeds are a recognized source of bioactive compounds and techno-functional ingredients. However, its protein fraction is still underexplored. The aim of this study was to determine the total and free amino acid profile and protein content of four seaweeds species (Porphyra dioica, Porphyra umbilicalis,Gracilaria vermiculophylla, and Ulva rigida) produced in an integrated multi-trophic aquaculture system, while assessing their protein quality. Samples were submitted to acid and alkaline hydrolysis (total amino acids) and to an aqueous extraction (free amino acids) followed by an automated online derivatization procedure, and analyzed by reverse phase-high performance liquid chromatography. Protein-, non-protein and total-nitrogen were quantified by the Kjeldahl method. Crude and true protein contents were estimated based on the nitrogen and amino acid composition. Protein quality was assessed based on the amino acids profile. Porphyra species presented the highest protein content compared to the remaining three seaweed species tested. All samples presented a complete profile of essential amino acids and a high quality protein profile, according to World Health Organization and Food and Agriculture Organization standards. Methionine and tryptophan were the first limiting amino acids in all species. Red species (Porphyra and Gracilaria) presented high levels of free alanine, glutamic, and aspartic acids. The results highlight the potential of using seaweeds as an alternative and sustainable source of protein and amino acids for human nutrition and industrial food processing.

Reticular pattern detection in dermoscopy: an approach using Curvelet Transform

Abstract Introduction Dermoscopy is a non-invasive in vivo imaging technique, used in dermatology in feature identification, among pigmented melanocytic neoplasms, from suspicious skin lesions. Often, in the skin exam is possible to ascertain markers, whose identification and proper characterization is difficult, even when it is used a magnifying lens and a source of light. Dermoscopic images are thus a challenging source of a wide range of digital features, frequently with clinical correlation. Among these markers, one of particular interest to diagnosis in skin evaluation is the reticular pattern. Methods This paper presents a novel approach (avoiding pre-processing, e.g. segmentation and filtering) for reticular pattern detection in dermoscopic images, using texture spectral analysis. The proposed methodology involves a Curvelet Transform procedure to identify features. Results Feature extraction is applied to identify a set of discriminant characteristics in the reticular pattern, and it is also employed in the automatic classification task. The results obtained are encouraging, presenting Sensitivity and Specificity of 82.35% and 76.79%, respectively. Conclusions These results highlight the use of automatic classification, in the context of artificial intelligence, within a computer-aided diagnosis strategy, as a strong tool to help the human decision making task in clinical practice. Moreover, the results were obtained using images from three different sources, without previous lesion segmentation, achieving to a rapid, robust and low complexity methodology. These properties boost the presented approach to be easily used in clinical practice as an aid to the diagnostic process.

Classification of reticular pattern and streaks in dermoscopic images based on texture analysis.

The early detection of melanoma is one of the greatest challenges in clinical practice of dermatology, and the reticular pattern is one of the most important dermoscopic structures to improve melanocytic lesion diagnosis. A texture-based approach is developed for the automatic detection of reticular patterns, whose output will assist clinical decision-making. Feature selection was based on the use of two algorithms by means of the classical graylevel co-occurrence matrix and Laws energy masks optimized on a set of 104 dermoscopy images. The AdaBoost (adaptive boosting) approach to machine learning was used within this strategy. Results suggest superiority of LEM for reticular pattern detection in dermoscopic images, achieving a sensitivity of 90.16% and a specificity of 86.67%. The use of automatic classification in dermoscopy to support clinicians is a strong tool to assist diagnosis; however, the use of automatic classification as a complementary tool in clinical routine requires algorithms with high levels of sensitivity and specificity. The results presented in this work will contribute to achieving this goal.

A vivência acadêmica em um serviço de atenção psicossocial: relato de experiência / Academic experience in a psychosocial care service: an experience report

Esse artigo objetiva relatar as experiências de acadêmicas de enfermagem vivenciadas no Centro de Atenção Psicossocial (CAPS) através do Programa de Educação pelo Trabalho (PET) para a Saúde/Saúde Mental/Crack, Álcool e outras Drogas. O programa busca qualificar a formação dos futuros profissionais da saúde e é destinado a fomentar grupos de aprendizagem no âmbito da Atenção em Saúde Mental, Crack, Álcool e outras Drogas. Dentro desse contexto, o PET se insere nos serviços de saúde de forma a auxiliar e melhorar a qualidade do serviço prestado aos usuários, familiares e comunidade em que estão inseridos. No CAPS são realizadas diversas atividades, entre elas, grupos de psicofármacos, de artesanato, de atividade física, de alfabetização, de culinária, visitas domiciliares, grupos de familiares, assembleia de usuários, atendimento individual. Estas atividades contribuem no aprendizado dos acadêmicos, proporcionando uma formação cidadã com ampla visão de senso coletivo, percepção de responsabilização e compromisso social.

This article aims reporting the nursing academic experiences faced at the Center of Psychosocial Assistance (CAPS ­ in Portuguese) through the Work Education Program (PET) for Health / Mental Health / Crack, Alcohol and other Drugs. The program aims qualifying the preparation of future health professionals and is developed in order to help learning groups focused on Mental Health Attention, Crack, Alcohol and other Drugs. Within this context, the PET is present in health services in order to help and improve the quality of the service offered to users, families and the community in which these people live. At CAPS, several activities are performed, including psychotropic groups, craftwork, physical education, literacy, cooking, home visits, family groups, users' groups, and individual assistance. These activities contribute in the experience of the students, providing some citizen training with a broad vision of collective sense, perception of accountability and social commitment.

O cuidado em saúde mental no CAPS no entendimento dos profissionais / Mental care delivered in psychosocial care centers (CAPS) from the viewpoint of the professionals

Trata-se de um subprojeto da pesquisa Avaliação dos CAPS da região sul do Brasil, tendo como objetivo conhecer o entendimento dos profissionais de um serviço substitutivo sobre o cuidado em saúde mental prestado neste espaço. Estudo com abordagem qualitativa, realizado em um CAPS II. A coleta dos dados ocorreu através de entrevistas. Os dados foram classificados em três temáticas, analisados segundo a literatura disponível. Neste artigo, abordaremos a temática que trata do entendimento dos profissionais do serviço sobre o cuidado que é prestado neste local. Os resultados mostram que o cuidado para estes profissionais abrange aspectos que vão além do biológico, incluindo também a família e a sociedade. Percebemos que a equipe do serviço está ampliando seu olhar sobre a saúde mental, quando compreende a reabilitação psicossocial como o centro do cuidado.

This article deals with a subproject of the Project for Evaluation of the CAPS psychosocial care centers (CAPS) in the southern region of Brazil, whose purpose was to learn how the professionals of a substitute service feel about of the mental care delivered there. The study was conducted in a CAPS II using a qualitative approach. Data were collected in interviews. The data were classified into three thematic groups and analyzed according to the available literature. In this article we will approach the understanding of the professionals about the care services offered in the CAPS. The results show that for these professionals care involves more than the biological aspects, including the family and society. We perceive that the team is extending its perception of mental health, when considering psychosocial rehabilitation the most important aspect.

[Mental care delivered in psychosocial care centers (CAPS) from the viewpoint of the professionals]. / O cuidado em saúde mental no CAPS no entendimento dos profissionais.

This article deals with a subproject of the Project for Evaluation of the CAPS psychosocial care centers (CAPS) in the southern region of Brazil, whose purpose was to learn how the professionals of a substitute service feel about of the mental care delivered there. The study was conducted in a CAPS II using a qualitative approach. Data were collected in interviews. The data were classified into three thematic groups and analyzed according to the available literature. In this article we will approach the understanding of the professionals about the care services offered in the CAPS. The results show that for these professionals care involves more than the biological aspects, including the family and society. We perceive that the team is extending its perception of mental health, when considering psychosocial rehabilitation the most important aspect.