Estimation of the post-mortem interval in human bones by infrared spectroscopy.

In forensic anthropology, there is an inherent difficulty in estimating the post-mortem interval (PMI). This study aimed to assess whether there is a correlation between changes in the bone mineral component and the PMI estimation. Samples of femur and humerus from 80 identified individuals with known post-mortem interval were analyzed. Infrared spectroscopy in attenuated total reflectance mode (FTIR-ATR) was applied for this analysis, several indices having been obtained from the infrared bands most representative of the bone's relative contents in carbonate and phosphate. Specific relationships between sex/age and PMI were attained: for larger PMIs, there was an increase in the amount of B-type carbonate (BPI), A-type carbonates (API), and in the carbonate/phosphate (C/P) ratio, and a decrease of the crystallinity index (CI) and in the carbonate ratio (C/C). Two particular infrared indices (CI and C/C) were identified as the most suitable for post-mortem interval estimation, especially in females, controlling the effects of sex and age (in the statistical analysis).

The association of osteochemometrics and bone mineral density in humans.

OBJECTIVES: Even though much is known about bone mineral and matrix composition, studies about their relationship with several bone properties and its alterations related to bone diseases such as osteoporosis are practically non-existent in humans. Thus, the development of methods to understand the effects of bone properties at a microscopic level is paramount. This research aimed to evaluate whether Fourier transform infrared-attenuated total reflectance (FTIR-ATR) band intensity ratios correlate with femoral bone mass, bone mineral content (BMC) (total and femoral neck), bone mineral per unit area (BMD) (total, femoral neck, greater trochanter, intertrochanteric region, and Ward's area) and the area (total and femoral neck). A sample of femora from the 21st Century Identified Skeleton Collection (N = 78, 42 females and 36 males) was employed and BMC, BMD, and the femoral areas were acquired by DXA. RESULTS: It was found that only females' BMD had a significant association with the femoral FTIR-ATR indices under study, whereas bone collagen (Am/P) and the content of carbonate Type A (API) in males correlated with the total proximal femur area of the regions of interest and the femoral neck area. DISCUSSION: Men and women showed different changes related to their chemical composition in BMD, BMC, and probed area, most likely due to differences in structure and physiology, as well as mechanical strength in the proximal femoral sites where BMD was analyzed.

Beyond metrics and morphology: the potential of FTIR-ATR and chemometrics to estimate age-at-death in human bone.

In forensic anthropology, the application of traditional methods for estimating the biological profile of human skeletal remains is often hampered by poor preservation and skeletal representativeness, compromising their reliability. Thus, the development of alternative methods to the morphometric analysis of bones to estimate the biological profile of human remains is paramount. The age of an individual can cause changes in bone morphology, mass and size, as well as in its chemical composition. In this sense, the main objective of this research was to evaluate if the contents of bone collagen (Am/P), carbonate type A (API), carbonate type B (BPI), the relation between the carbonate content (types A and B) to type B carbonate (C/C), carbonate-phosphate ratio (C/P) and crystallinity index (CI), spectroscopic indices obtained from relationships between infrared absorption band intensities (FTIR-ATR), can be used as age-at-death predictors. A sample of femora and humeri from the 21st Century Identified Skeleton Collection (N = 80, 44 females and 36 males) was employed. Results show that, with advancing age, women's femora have lower CI values, but BPI and C/P indices increase, and the deformation and disorder of the crystal lattice are probably affected by the integration of type B carbonate content of the femur. The ratios analysed, especially the CI and the BPI, show potential to estimate age-at-death in human skeletal remains, when sex is already known, thus helping to assess the biological profile when conventional methods cannot be applied.

Lemna minor: Unlocking the Value of This Duckweed for the Food and Feed Industry.

Duckweed (Lemna minor L.) is a small floating aquatic plant that has an important economic impact in several industrial areas. With its high biomass production, reasonable protein content, and resilience to several climates, it has been attracting increasing interest for potential use in animal and human food systems. Historically consumed in southwest Asia, this duckweed is now gaining attention as a potential novel food in Europe. This manuscript explores the contributions of duckweed to various food and feed industries, including aquaculture and livestock, while also pointing out the incipient research carried out for human consumption. Most importantly, it highlights the potential of Lemna minor as a vegetable for future human consumption whether eaten whole or through extraction of its nutrients.

It's in the game: A review of neurological lesions associated with sports.

INTRODUCTION: The practice of sports may lead to neurological injuries. While relatively uncommon (overall incidence of approximately 2.5%), and mostly benign and transient, some conditions may be life-threatening and permanent. Thus, both clinical neurologists and sports physicians should be aware of their existence and relevance. We aimed to review all sports-related neurological injuries and illnesses reported in the literature. METHODS: Following SANRA guidelines, we performed a narrative review and searched PubMed and Scopus databases. Relevant sports were selected based on their recognition as an Olympic sport by the International Olympic Committee. Chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) and other neurodegenerative disorders were not included. RESULTS: A total of 292 studies were included concerning 33 different sports. The most reported neurological injury was damage to the peripheral nervous system. Traumatic injuries have also been extensively reported, including cerebral haemorrhage and arterial dissections. Non-traumatic life-threatening events are infrequent but may also occur, e.g. posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome, cerebral venous thrombosis, and arterial dissections. Some conditions were predominantly reported in specific sports, e.g. yips in baseball and golf, raising the possibility of a common pathophysiology. Spinal cord infarction due to fibrocartilaginous embolism was reported in several sports associated with minor trauma. CONCLUSION: Sports-related neurological injuries are increasingly receiving more social and medical attention and are an important cause of morbidity and mortality. This review may serve as a guide to physicians managing these challenging situations.

Arbutus unedo leaf extracts as potential dairy preservatives: case study on quark cheese.

The plant kingdom is an endless source of molecules that can be applied in almost all realms of society. The food industry has profited from the use of plants and their derived materials for many decades. Recently, the food industry has been looking into plants to find different ways of either preserving, coloring or sweetening foods. In this work, leaf extracts of Arbutus unedo L. obtained by dynamic maceration and ultrasound assisted extraction with prior optimization of their extraction conditions through the response-surface methodology, were incorporated in quark cheese as natural preservatives and analyzed over 8 days of shelf-life. Both extracts showed antioxidant activity with no toxicity towards primary cell lines at the maximum tested concentration, as well as antibacterial activity, especially against Gram-positive strains. After their incorporation in quark cheese, no significant changes were observed in the nutritional profile and physical traits of the quark cheeses, while the microbial load was highly reduced in the cheese, especially using the extracts obtained from dynamic maceration. Thus, leaf extracts of A. unedo can be promising candidates for use in the food industry as natural preservatives.

Improving the physicochemical properties of a traditional Portuguese cake - "económicos" with chestnut flour.

"Económicos" are traditional Portuguese pastry products; although their production is low-cost, their nutritional value is equally low. Since it is a widely consumed product in the Trás-os-Montes region, it is important to add value to it without making significant changes to the traditional recipe. Thus, this work has the main objective to increase the nutritional power of "económicos" through the incorporation of chestnut (Castanea sativa) fruit flour. The influence of the incorporation of 9% of chestnut flour as a new ingredient was analysed in terms of physical parameters (texture, colour, pH, water activity and moisture), nutritional content (according to the official AOAC methodology) and chemical parameters (sugars, fatty acids and organic acids) and the ability to control the microbial load over shelf life (32 days). Overall, the addition of the chestnut flour did not drastically change the appearance of the chemical and physical profiles of the cakes, but resulted in a lighter crumb (L*), slight changes in the texture profile, reduction of fat, and most importantly, introduced healthier flour to this inexpensive cake. Moreover, it did not stimulate the growth of microorganisms (total aerobic mesophiles, coliforms, Bacillus cereus, molds, and yeasts) during the 32 days of storage.

Food Metabolites as Tools for Authentication, Processing, and Nutritive Value Assessment.

Secondary metabolites are molecules with unlimited applications that have been gaining importance in various industries and studied from many angles. They are mainly used for their bioactive capabilities, but due to the improvement of sensibility in analytical chemistry, they are also used for authentication and as a quality control parameter for foods, further allowing to help avoid food adulteration and food fraud, as well as helping understand the nutritional value of foods. This manuscript covers the examples of secondary metabolites that have been used as qualitative and authentication molecules in foods, from production, through processing and along their shelf-life. Furthermore, perspectives of analytical chemistry and their contribution to metabolite detection and general perspectives of metabolomics are also discussed.

Preservation of Chocolate Muffins with Lemon Balm, Oregano, and Rosemary Extracts.

Muffins are snacks made from flour and chocolate and preserved with synthetic additives. Following consumer trends, the search for natural food additives has gained traction. Plants such as rosemary, lemon balm, and oregano were analyzed following an optimization of ultrasound assisted extraction, screened for their antioxidant and antimicrobial activity and incorporated in chocolate muffins, comparing them to synthetic preservatives over the course of 8 days. The nutritional profile, organic and fatty acids, soluble sugars, texture profile, external color and digital imaging of the muffin pores were analyzed. Slight changes were sought for the muffins incorporated with the natural extracts. By means of linear discriminant analysis, rosemary extract was considered the most promising extract to preserve the muffins due to its similarity to potassium sorbate, showing no changes in the muffins it was incorporated in, although it showed a lower amount of phenolic compounds when compared to lemon balm.

Promising Preserving Agents from Sage and Basil: A Case Study with Yogurts.

In the present work, sage (Salvia officinalis L.) and basil (Ocimum basilicum L.) were exploited for their preservative purposes, as viable alternatives to artificial ones. The ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE) of bioactive compounds was pre-optimized using factorial screening analysis, prior to applying response surface methodology (RSM). The obtained extracts were characterized in terms of phenolic compounds by high-performance liquid chromatography coupled to photodiode array detector and mass spectrometer HPLC-DAD-ESI/MS and bioactivities, namely the antioxidant, antimicrobial and cytotoxic potential. In addition, the most promising extracts were incorporated into yogurts, that were further screened for nutritional and physico-chemical properties and microbial load, over a shelf life of 14 days. According to the obtained results, the solvent percentage is the most relevant factor for obtaining rosmarinic acid-rich extract, followed by the extraction time and ultrasonic power. For the antioxidant and antimicrobial activity, sage showed the best result for both analysis and none of the two plant extracts were hepatotoxic. Finally, both extracts did not show changes in the physicochemical and nutritional characteristics of the yogurts and did not interfere with the growth of lactic acid bacteria, an important microorganism during yogurt fermentation. These results highlight the high potential of sage and basil as natural preservatives.

(In)visibilidade da violência contra as mulheres na saúde mental / (In)visibility of violence against women in mental health

RESUMO O objetivo deste estudo foi realizar um levantamento acerca da percepção, crenças e conhecimentos sobre violência contra as mulheres e políticas públicas em profissionais de saúde mental. Foram realizadas 12 entrevistas e, a partir da análise de seus conteúdos, foram criadas cinco categorias: “percepção das demandas apresentadas por homens e mulheres”, “experiência no atendimento a mulheres que sofreram violência”, “relação entre violência e saúde mental”, “conhecimento sobre a Lei Maria da Penha e políticas públicas para as mulheres” e “(des)conhecimento da notificação compulsória da violência contra as mulheres”. Os profissionais apresentaram dificuldade para lidar com o tema, principalmente relacionada à notificação da violência e ao encaminhamento do caso. A atuação é baseada na intuição e não em conhecimentos teórico práticos.

ABSTRACT The aim of this study was to analyze the perception, beliefs and knowledge of mental health professionals about violence against women and public policies related to this issue. To accomplish this objective, 12 interviews were carried out. Based on data analysis, five themes were proposed: “perception of demands presented by women and men”, “experience in providing care to women victims of violence”, “link between violence and mental health”, “knowledge about the Maria da Penha Law and women-centered public policies”, “(Lack of) knowledge about the compulsory notification of violence against women”. Professionals had difficulties dealing with these themes, especially related to addressing and notifying violence. Their practices are based on their intuition rather than on theoretical and practical knowledge.

Percepção de mulheres com relação à ocorrência de sífilis congênita em seus conceptos / Women's perception of the occurrence of congenital syphilis in their offspring

O estudo teve como objetivo analisar a percepção de mulheres que realizaram consulta pré-natal, em relação à ocorrência de sífilis congênita. Trata-se de um estudo descritivo, de natureza qualitativa. Utilizou-se, como instrumento de coleta de dados, a entrevista semiestruturada. As mulheres foram selecionadas mediante dois critérios: realização do pré-natal, e ocorrência de conceptos portadores de sífilis congênita, identificados através da ficha do SINAN (Sis-tema de Notificação de Agravos). A coleta de dados foi interrompida quando ocorreu a saturação de informação. Entrevistaram-se 11 mulheres e, a partir da análise narrativa de conteúdo, criaram-se três categorias: a percepção materna sobre a transmissão da sífilis; a assistência ao ciclo gravídico puerperal e sua influência no conhecimento sobre a sífilis; a doença e o sofrimento materno. As mulheres responsabilizaram os seus parceiros, a assistência pré-natal e a si mesmas pela ocorrência da doença. O acometimento da doença nas crianças produziu angústia, dor e sofrimento. Os achados obtidos permitiram sugerir que há uma lacuna na qualidade da assistência pré-natal, no que diz respeito à difusão de conhecimentos. A pobreza, o baixo nível de escolaridade e o desconhecimento sobre a doença apontam para a necessidade de reformular a abordagem das mulheres sobre as DSTïs (Doenças Sexualmente Transmissíveis). É necessário maior investimento em políticas estruturantes que contribuam com a redução da pobreza. Do ponto de vista setorial, é fundamental a implementação de medidas que tornem as condições de assistência pré-natal mais adequadas.

The study aimed to examine the perception of women who received antenatal care in relation to the occurrence of congenital syphilis. This is a descriptive qualitative study. A semi structured interview was used for data collection. The inclusion criteria selected women who: had completed antenatal care, and had given birth to offspring affected with congenital syphilis, the latter identified through the System for Injury Notification (Sistema de Notificação de Agravos - SINAN). Data collection was stopped when there was a saturation of information. 11 women were interviewed, and narrative content analysis identified three categories: perception of the maternal transmission of syphilis, antenatal care and its influence on knowledge about syphilis, and maternal illness and suffering. Women blamed their partners, antenatal care and themselves for the occurrence of the disease. The presence of the disease in the children produced anguish, pain and suffering. The findings suggest that there is a gap in the quality of antenatal care, as regards the dissemination of knowledge. Poverty, low level of education and ignorance about the disease point to the need to reformulate the approach to women`s education about STD?s. More investment is needed to structure policies that contribute to poverty reduction. It is essential to implement measures to make antenatal care more appropriate.