The influence of recipe disaggregation in dietary assessment: results from the national food consumption survey in Saint Kitts and Nevis.

It is not always the case that recipe disaggregation is performed in dietary surveys. This investigation aimed to assess the influence of recipe disaggregation in the 2020-2021 national dietary survey in Saint Kitts and Nevis, and provide recommendations for future assessments. A total of 1,004 individuals provided information on their food consumption obtained using 24-h dietary recalls, and 442 recipes were reported. Some recipes were reported as single ingredients at the data collection stage (n = 65). In most cases, the respondent provided a standard recipe without disaggregation (n = 377). A simple and pragmatic recipe disaggregation methodology was developed. The procedure of recipe disaggregation comprised nine steps, including identifying recipes, ingredients, quantities, conversion factors, and the presence of visible fluid, among others. Seventy-eight non-disaggregated standard recipes were post-disaggregated (21% of recipes) to identify ingredient weights. Either the chi-square or Fisher's exact tests were applied to assess the significance of differences in frequency of food group consumption before and after disaggregation. The proportion of consumers across the different food groups increased dramatically for some food groups after recipe disaggregation, with significant differences (all p < 0.01) for cereals and their products (81.3% before and 94.7% after), eggs and their products (21.7% before and 34.6% after), fats and oils (6.9% before and 44.5% after), fish, shellfish and their products (26.7% before and 38.5% after), meat and meat products (59.7% before and 71.4% after), milk and milk products (30.4% before and 46.1% after), pulses, seeds, nuts and their products (18.6% before and 49.2% after), spices and condiments (34.0% before and 68.5% after, and vegetables and their products (49.9% before and 76.6% after). Consequently, most of the reported intakes in grams were also influenced across all food groups. Recipes are an important source of food consumption, and their disaggregation should be carefully considered in dietary assessment.

Malignant melanoma in Portuguese adult population: a scoping review of the real-world evidence.

PURPOSE: Malignant melanoma is an aggressive cancer, and there is a notable dearth on epidemiology, clinical and treatment characterization within the Portuguese population. We performed a scoping review to identify real-world evidence studies focused in Portuguese adult patients with malignant melanoma. METHODS: A comprehensive search was conducted. After screening, we described the studies by design, sample size, geographics, setting, population, and outcomes reported. RESULTS: The search yielded 54 studies, mainly retrospective (79.6%). The population assessed was heterogeneous varying from patients with melanoma in general to specific types of melanoma, or even more restricted to patients with specific conditions. The evidence found was mostly concerning clinical outcomes (n=46), patients' clinical profile (n=44) and demographic characterization (n=48). Treatment information was described in 30 studies whereas only 18 reported epidemiological parameters. Studies were mainly performed by the major oncology centers in Lisbon, Oporto and Coimbra, and only two evaluated the entire Portuguese population. To allow comparability, only studies including patients with cutaneous malignant melanoma were considered (13 of the 54) for outcomes evaluation analysis. Median OS varied from 18 to 36 months, assessed after melanoma treatment. Incidence was the most reported epidemiological parameter, confirming the increasing number of cutaneous malignant melanoma patients over the years. Only one study reported prevalence and four reported mortality rates. CONCLUSIONS: The evidence found confirms the lack of information about malignant melanoma in Portugal, highlighting the need of real-world studies to assess melanoma prevalence and incidence rates, current treatment approaches, and clinical characterization of these patients.

Potential Challenges of the Extraction of Carotenoids and Fatty Acids from Pequi (Caryocar brasiliense) Oil.

Pequi is a natural source of bioactive compounds with wide versatility for fresh or processed fruit consumption, but it is still little explored economically. Functional foods are the subject of diverse scientific research since, in addition to being nourishing, they contain bioactive compounds capable of promoting several benefits to the human body. Pequi is a fruit species native to the Brazilian Cerrado, which is rich in oil and has components with a high nutritional value, such as unsaturated fatty acids (omega-3, omega-6, EPA, and DHA), antioxidants (carotenoids and phenolic compounds), and vitamins. Therefore, the present narrative review aims to compile and critically evaluate the methods used to extract oil from the pulp and almonds of pequi and describes the carotenoid separation from the oil because carotenoids are natural pigments of great interest in the pharmaceutical and food industries. It is emphasized that the main challenges linked to bioactive compound extraction are their susceptibility to degradation in the processing and storage stages of pequi and its derived products.

Chest Computed Tomography Is an Efficient Method for Initial Diagnosis of COVID-19: An Observational Study.

Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is an infectious disease that can lead to pneumonia, pulmonary oedema, acute respiratory distress syndrome, multiple organ and system dysfunction, and death. This study aimed to verify the efficacy of chest computed tomography (CT) for the initial diagnosis of COVID-19. This observational, retrospective, cross-sectional study included 259 individuals who underwent clinical evaluation, blood collection, chest CT, and a reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) diagnostic test for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) during their course of treatment at a reference hospital in Belém, Pará, Brazil between April and June 2020. Inclusion criteria were flu-like symptoms in adults of both sexes. Individuals with an inconclusive COVID-19 molecular test or who had artifacts in the chest CT images were excluded. Parametric data were analyzed using Student-t-test and non-parametric data were analyzed using average test and Fisher exact test. Participants were divided into two groups: Group 1 (COVID-19 positive), n = 211 (124 males, 87 females), 51.8 ± 17.9 years old and Group 2 (COVID-19 negative), n = 48 (22 males, 26 females), 47.6 ± 18.6 years old. Most frequent symptoms were cough [Group 1 n = 199 (94%)/Group 2 n = 46 (95%)], fever [Group 1 n = 154 (72%)/Group 2 n = 28 (58%)], myalgia [Group 1 n = 172 (81%)/Group 2 n = 38 (79%)], dyspnoea [Group 1 n = 169 (80%) / Group 2 n = 37 (77%)], headache [Group 1 n = 163 (77%)/Group 2 n = 32 (66%)], and anosmia [Group 1 n = 154 (73%)/Group 2 n = 29 (60%)]. Group 1 had a higher proportion of ground-glass opacity [Group 1 n = 175 (83%)/Group 2 n = 24 (50%), 0.00], vascular enhancement sign [Group 1 n = 128 (60%)/Group 2 n = 15 (31%), 0.00], septal thickening [Group 1 n = 99 (47%)/Group 2 n = 13 (27%), 0.01], crazy-paving pattern [Group 1 n = 98 (46%) / Group 2 n = 13 (27%), 0.01], consolidations [Group 1 n = 92 (43%)/Group 2 n = 8 (16%), 0.00], and CO-RADS 4 and 5 [Group 1 n = 163 (77.25%)/Group 2 n = 24 (50%), 0.00] categories in chest CT. Chest CT, when available, was found to be an efficient method for the initial diagnosis and better management of individuals with COVID-19.

Computed tomography with 6-year follow-up demonstrates the evolution of HTLV-1 related lung injuries: A cohort study.

Previous observational studies have demonstrated the development of pulmonary impairments in human T-lymphotropic virus type 1 (HTLV-1) infected individuals. The main observed lesions due to chronic inflammation of viral infection in situ are bronchiectasis and lung-scarring injuries. This lung inflammation may be the causal agent of restrictive and obstructive lung diseases, primarily in tropical spastic paraparesis/HTLV-1-associated myelopathy (TSP-HAM) patients. We conducted a prospective cohort study to compare spirometry and high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT) findings among 28 HTLV-1-carrier patients over the course of 6 years (2014-2019) (male/female: 7/21; mean age: 54.7 ± 9.5, range: 41-68 years). Chest HRCT exams revealed the development and evolution of lung lesions related to TSP-HAM: including centrilobular nodules, parenchymal bands, lung cysts, bronchiectasis, ground-glass opacity, mosaic attenuation, and pleural thickening. Spirometry exams showed maintenance of respiratory function, with few alterations in parameters suggestive of obstructive and restrictive disorders primarily in individuals with lung lesions and TSP-HAM. The findings of the present study indicate that pulmonary disease related to HTLV-1 is a progressive disease, with development of new lung lesions, mainly in individuals with TSP-HAM. To improve clinical management of these individuals, we recommend that individuals diagnosed with PET-MAH undergo pulmonary evaluation.

Simulation of ethanol recovery and economic analysis of pectin production on an industrial scale.

Taking into account that the industrial processing of passion fruit generates significant amounts of waste (only the peels represent 51% of the total mass of the fruit), in the present study an economic analysis was conducted to evaluate industrial line viability for pectin extraction from passion fruit peels. Knowing that absolute ethanol (99.50% purity), used in the precipitation and washing steps, has a higher cost, a simulation of extractive distillation was performed using solvents ethylene glycol and glycerol, in the software Aspen Plus v.11, being possible to recover 99.63% of ethanol for both solvents. The results of the economic evaluation showed that the process using ethylene glycol has an advantage, mainly due to its higher profitability (1.13 times higher), lower production cost (94.86% of the price using glycerol), and a lower breakeven point (around 3% smaller). The financial indicators showed profitability and attractiveness for the implementation of this processing line.

Phylogenetic Evidence for the Existence of Multiple Strains of Rickettsia parkeri in the New World.

The bacterium Rickettsia parkeri has been reported to infect ticks of the "Amblyomma maculatum species complex" in the New World, where it causes spotted fever illness in humans. In South America, three additional rickettsial strains, namely, Atlantic rainforest, NOD, and Parvitarsum, have been isolated from the ticks Amblyomma ovale, Amblyomma nodosum, and Amblyomma parvitarsum, respectively. These three strains are phylogenetically closely related to R. parkeri, Rickettsia africae, and Rickettsia sibirica Herein, we performed a robust phylogenetic analysis encompassing 5 genes (gltA, ompA, virB4, dnaA, and dnaK) and 3 intergenic spacers (mppE-pur, rrl-rrf-ITS, and rpmE-tRNAfMet) from 41 rickettsial isolates, including different isolates of R. parkeri, R. africae, R. sibirica, Rickettsia conorii, and strains Atlantic rainforest, NOD, and Parvitarsum. In our phylogenetic analyses, all New World isolates grouped in a major clade distinct from the Old World Rickettsia species (R. conorii, R. sibirica, and R. africae). This New World clade was subdivided into the following 4 clades: the R. parkerisensu stricto clade, comprising the type strain Maculatum 20 and all other isolates of R. parkeri from North and South America, associated with ticks of the A. maculatum species complex; the strain NOD clade, comprising two South American isolates from A. nodosum ticks; the Parvitarsum clade, comprising two South American isolates from A. parvitarsum ticks; and the strain Atlantic rainforest clade, comprising six South American isolates from the A. ovale species complex (A. ovale or Amblyomma aureolatum). Under such evidences, we propose that strains Atlantic rainforest, NOD, and Parvitarsum are South American strains of R. parkeriIMPORTANCE Since the description of Rickettsia parkeri infecting ticks of the "Amblyomma maculatum species complex" and humans in the New World, three novel phylogenetic close-related rickettsial isolates were reported in South America. Herein, we provide genetic evidence that these novel isolates, namely, strains Atlantic rainforest, NOD, and Parvitarsum, are South American strains of R. parkeri. Interestingly, each of these R. parkeri strains seems to be primarily associated with a tick species group, namely, R. parkerisensu stricto with the "Amblyomma maculatum species group," R. parkeri strain NOD with Amblyomma nodosum, R. parkeri strain Parvitarsum with Amblyomma parvitarsum, and R. parkeri strain Atlantic rainforest with the "Amblyomma ovale species group." Such rickettsial strain-tick species specificity suggests a coevolution of each tick-strain association. Finally, because R. parkerisensu stricto and R. parkeri strain Atlantic rainforest are human pathogens, the potential of R. parkeri strains NOD and Parvitarsum to be human pathogens cannot be discarded.

Familial transmission of human T-cell lymphotrophic virus: silent dissemination of an emerging but neglected infection.

BACKGROUND: HTLV-1 is a retrovirus that causes lymphoproliferative disorders and inflammatory and degenerative diseases of the central nervous system in humans. The prevalence of this infection is high in parts of Brazil and there is a general lack of public health care programs. As a consequence, official data on the transmission routes of this virus are scarce. OBJECTIVE: To demonstrate familial aggregation of HTLV infections in the metropolitan region of Belém, Pará, Brazil. METHOD: A cross-sectional study involving 85 HTLV carriers treated at an outpatient clinic and other family members. The subjects were tested by ELISA and molecular methods between February 2007 and December 2010. RESULTS: The prevalence of HTLV was 43.5% (37/85) for families and 25.6% (58/227) for the family members tested (95% CI: 1.33 to 3.79, P = 0.0033). Sexual and vertical transmission was likely in 38.3% (23/60) and 20.4% (29/142) of pairs, respectively (95% CI: 1.25 to 4.69, P = 0.0130). Positivity was 51.3% (20/39) and 14.3% (3/21) in wives and husbands, respectively (95% CI: 0.04 to 0.63, P = 0.0057). By age group, seropositivity was 8.0% (7/88) in subjects <30 years of age and 36.7% (51/139) in those of over 30 years (95% CI: 0.06 to 0.34, P<0.0001). Positivity was 24.1% (7/29) in the children of patients infected with HTLV-2, as against only 5.8% (4/69) of those infected with HTLV-1 (95% CI: 0.05 to 0.72, P = 0.0143). CONCLUSION: The results of this study indicate the existence of familial aggregations of HTLV characterized by a higher prevalence of infection among wives and subjects older than 30 years. Horizontal transmission between spouses was more frequent than vertical transmission. The higher rate of infection in children of HTLV-2 carriers suggests an increase in the prevalence of this virus type in the metropolitan region of Belém.

Rickettsiosis en América Latina, el Caribe, España y Portugal / Rickettsioses in Latin America, Caribbean, Spain and Portugal

Data on genus and infectious by Rickettsia were retrospectively compiled from the critical review literature regarding all countries in Latin America, Caribbean islands, Portugal and Spain. We considered all Rickettsia records reported for human and/or animal hosts, and/or invertebrate hosts considered being the vector. In a few cases, when no direct detection of a given Rickettsia group or species was available for a given country, the serologic method was considered. A total of 13 Rickettsia species have been recorded in Latin America and the Caribbean. The species with the largest number of country confirmed records were Rickettsia felis (9 countries), R. prowazekii (7 countries), R. typhi (6 countries), R. rickettsii (6 countries), R. amblyommii (5 countries), and R. parkeri (4 countries). The rickettsial records for the Caribbean islands (West Indies) were grouped in only one geographical area. Both R. bellii, R. akari, and Candidatus ‘R. andeane’ have been recorded in only 2 countries each, whereas R. massiliae, R. rhipicephali, R.monteiroi, and R. africae have each been recorded in a single country (in this case, R. africae has been recorded in nine Caribbean Islands). For El Salvador, Honduras, and Nicaragua, no specific Rickettsia has been reported so far, but there have been serological evidence of human or/and animal infection. The following countries remain without any rickettsial records: Belize, Venezuela, Guyana, Surinam, and Paraguay. In addition, except for a few islands, many Caribbean islands remain without records. A total of 12 Rickettsia species have been reported in Spain and Portugal: R. conorii, R. helvetica, R. monacensis, R. felis, R. slovaca, R. raoultii, R. sibirica, R. aeschlimannii, R. rioja, R. massiliae, R. typhi, and R. prowazekii. Amongst these Rickettsia species reported in Spain and Portugal, only R. prowazekii, R. typhi, R. felis, and R. massiliae have also been reported in Latin America. This study summarizes the current...

Thermodynamic studies of partitioning behavior of lysozyme and conalbumin in aqueous two-phase systems.

The objective of this study was to determine the thermodynamic parameters (Delta(tr)G, Delta(tr)H and Delta(tr)S) associated with lysozyme and conalbumin partitioning in aqueous two-phases systems (ATPS). Influence of salt type and polyethylene glycol (PEG) concentrations on the partition coefficient of lysozyme and conalbumin from egg white was studied. The evaluated ATPS were composed of PEG 1500 and inorganic salts (sodium citrate and sodium sulfate) at a temperature of 25 degrees C and pH 7.0, with PEG 1500 g mol(-1) concentrations of 14%, 16% and 18% (mass basis). Partitioning of lysozyme in PEG-citrate ATPS was enthalpically driven, however the PEG-sulfate ATPS was entropically driven. The tested systems can be employed for the separation of these two proteins in egg white, due to the fact that lysozyme migrates toward the polymeric phase and conalbumin to the saline phase in both ATPS. A high recovery of conalbumin in the saline phase of the PEG-sulfate ATPS was determined to be enthalpically driven.