The wine industry represents a significant economic sector; however, it generates large volumes of waste that can be valorized due to the presence of bioactive compounds, particularly stilbenes. These naturally occurring stilbenes exhibit remarkable potential in the prevention and treatment of various diseases, including cardioprotection, neuroprotection, antidiabetic properties, anti-inflammatory activity, and cancer prevention and therapy. This review discusses biosynthesis, structures, extraction methods, and mechanisms of action of stilbenes, with a particular emphasis on cancer prevention and treatment. Evidence from in vitro, in vivo, and clinical studies demonstrate that stilbenes modulate multiple molecular pathways by promoting apoptosis, inhibiting cell proliferation, and regulating inflammation, oxidative stress, and metabolism. However, the clinical application of stilbenes is limited by their low bioavailability. To overcome this, pharmaceutical formulations have been developed to enhance their stability and bioavailability, reduce side effects, and improve target interactions. These advances are expected to increase the therapeutic efficacy of stilbenes. Furthermore, information on the health benefits of less common stilbenes remains limited, highlighting the need for further research on these compounds.

Investigations on the use of microalgae biomass, converted by pyrolysis, to replace fossil fuels have increased over the past decade. However, bio-oil contains oxygenated and nitrogenous compounds that prevent its direct application. Although prejudicial to biofuel, nitrogenous compounds could be separated and used for other applications, such as in the production of fine chemicals. Therefore, the potential of the highly proteinaceous biomass Spirulina platensis was evaluated to identify the optimum conditions for the production of high added-value nitrogenous compounds in liquid fraction via slow pyrolysis. Thus, in this work, the effects of operational conditions mass load, temperature, and heating rate on the liquid yield and the formation of nitrogenous compounds were evaluated using Experimental Design and Response Surface Methodology (RSM) techniques. An optimization study was performed through the use of Differential Evolution methodology (DE) to determine the operating conditions that maximize the liquid yield. After the pyrolysis process, extraction and adsorption routes were evaluated as potential processes for the separation of nitrogenous compounds. The experimental results indicated that bio-oil produced from slow pyrolysis of Spirulina platensis is a promising source for the generation of nitrogenous compounds, with a maximum of 90.64% of the compounds identified by gas chromatography – mass spectrometry (GC-MS) at mass conditions of 3.75 g, temperature 450 °C and heating rate of 1.7 ° C min-1. The results showed that operating conditions, especially the heating rate, significantly impacted both the liquid yield and the formation of these compounds. From the experimental test at optimal conditions (1.78 g, 556 °C and 10.48 °C m-1) a maximum liquid yield of 64.59% was obtained. The experimental values showed good agreement with the corresponding predicted values, with an error of less than 10%. The extraction with phosphoric acid showed to be a promising route to selectively separate the classes of compound, having remained cyclic compounds in the heavy phase and non-cyclic compounds in the light phase. While adsorption using activated carbon from coconut shell chemically treated with phosphoric acid (FAAC) was favorable in the selective separation of nitrogen compounds, especially the class of amides.

Certas condições médicas e seus respectivos tratamentos farmacológicos tem influenciado o tratamento odontológico de uma forma geral. A terapia com anticoagulante oral (TAO) tem sido utilizada com sucesso na redução do risco de tromboembolismo. Frequentemente, pacientes que fazem terapia com anticoagulante oral necessitam de procedimentos cirúrgicos odontológicos. O controle pré-operatório destes pacientes que serão submetidos à cirurgia bucal é um problema comum e desafiador. O objetivo deste estudo foi avaliar complicações hemorrágicas associadas à cirurgia bucal em pacientes em TAO sem alterar o regime terapêutico. Os pacientes que foram incluídos neste estudo estavam em tratamento com anticoagulante oral e necessitavam de um procedimento cirúrgico (extrações, alveoloplastias). Um total de 73 intervenções em 25 pacientes foi realizado. A média do INR no pré-operatório foi de 2.59, variando entre 1.20 e 4.61. Apenas 1 paciente (4%) evoluiu, no segundo dia de pós-operatório, com hemorragia leve, que foi resolvida com pressão local. Sendo assim, podemos concluir que os pacientes em TAO, que necessitam de exodontias, não devem interromper ou alterar o regime terapêutico devido ao baixo risco de sangramento e potencial risco de desenvolver um acidente tromboembólico. A incidência de complicações hemorrágicas neste estudo foi de 4%. A exodontia é um procedimento seguro em pacientes sob a TAO com valor de INR dentro da faixa terapêutica preconizada como ideal para a condição clínica de que se está tratando, desde que associada a cuidados locais de hemostasia.

This work presents the development of an in situ solid phase extraction method (SPE-ISS) for the determination of chromium (III) in herbal infusion samples using flame atomic absorption spectrometry (F AAS). Thus, in order to evaluate the inorganic composition of medicinal plant samples (calendula, chamomile, carqueja, green tea, leather hat, melissa and passiflora) we used the EDXRF (Dispersive Energy X-ray Fluorescence). the presence of plant essential metals in addition to toxic metals. Subsequently, a quantitative analysis of some metal ions was performed in infusion samples prepared from these plants, and Fe(III) was the only one found in considerable concentration, while Pb(II), Cr(III), and Cd(II) presented concentrations below the detection limit of the technique. Therefore, it is necessary to develop extraction and preconcentration methods that allow the determination of Cr(III) simply and safely, even when present in low concentrations. In this work, the SPE-ISS method was optimized by multivariate techniques, and the results showed that the formation of the Cr-PAN complex is favored at pH 9.5, with the complexant at 0.18 mmol L-1 concentration. For optimization of solid phase formation and extraction, factorial design and response surfaces were used, which pointed to the use of CTAB as phase transfer agent, NaClO4 0.26 mol L-1 as ionic pairer and agitation time of 7.5 minutes. Studies of possible interferents indicated negative interference of the metallic ions Al(III), Zn(II), Fe(III) and Ca(II). The analytical performance was evaluated by the parameters, preconcentration factor, detection limit (LD) and limit of quantification (LQ) and the values ​​found were 1.66 μg L-1 and 5,5 μg L-1, respectively. The intra-day and inter-day precision (RPD) was 0.001% and 0.0004%, respectively, being the linear range of the method from 250 to 5000 μg L-1, presenting the potential to determine low chromium concentrations. Finally, the accuracy of the method was evaluated from analysis of certified reference water material (APS-1071), as well as recovery tests on water samples and herbal infusions 77.60 - 116%.

A utilização de fibras vegetais como material de reforço em compósitos tem despertado interesse de empresas e pesquisadores de diversos ramos de atuação em resposta a preservação e minimização do impactos ambientais, além do desenvolvimento de comunidades locais, aproveitando o potencial de uso das espécies. Entre a grande variedade de fibras vegetais existentes, foi escolhida para ser caracterizada neste trabalho a fibra de Butiá-anão, espécie endêmica da região. O objetivo desta pesquisa foi desenvolver metodologia para obtenção das fibras do pecíolo do Butiá-anão e posterior caracterização das fibras. Inicialmente, os pecíolos do Butiá-anão foram esmagados com auxílio de uma calandra e tratados quimicamente em solução de hidróxido de sódio (NaOH) nas concentrações 2%, 6% e 12% que provocou o amolecimento dos pecíolos, com objetivo de retirar parcialmente a lignina e separar as fibras. Suas caracterizações se deram a partir de análises de termogravimetria (TGA), análise morfológica (teor de umidade, densidade, absorção de água), caracterização química pela determinação de seus principais constituintes (celulose, hemicelulose, lignina, extrativos, teor de cinzas), ensaios de tração e microscopia eletrônica de varredura. As fibras apresentaram boa estabilidade térmica, tendo suas degradações iniciadas na faixa de 250ºC. As fibras se comportaram fragilmente quando submetidas aos testes de tração, observando que a resistência mecânica diminuiu continuamente com a severidade do tratamento. Os resultados obtidos demostraram que os tratamentos químicos proporcionaram a redução de lignina e hemicelulose das fibras. A redução destas frações foi constatada também através de imagens de microscopia que mostraram as superfícies das fibras vegetais. Os resultados obtidos foram avaliados e comparados com resultados publicados de outras fibras vegetais, mostrando que as fibras de Butiá-anão tem potencialidades técnicas para utilização como reforço de compósitos poliméricos.

Objective To explore the effects of hyaluronic acid (HA) on bleeding and associated outcomes after third molar extraction. Methods Forty patients who had undergone molar extraction were randomly divided into two groups; 0.8% (w/v) HA was applied to the HA group (n=20) whereas a control group (n=20) was not treated. Salivary and gingival tissue factor (TF) levels, bleeding time, maximum interincisal opening (MIO), pain scored on a visual analog scale (VAS), and the swelling extent were compared between the two groups. Results HA did not significantly affect gingival TF levels. Salivary TF levels increased significantly 1 week after HA application but not in the control group. Neither the VAS pain level nor MIO differed significantly between the two groups. The swelling extent on day 3 and the bleeding time were greater in the HA group than in the control group. Conclusions Local injection of HA at 0.8% prolonged the bleeding time, and increased hemorrhage and swelling in the early postoperative period after third molar extractions.

Prostate cancer (PCa) is one of the cancer types that most affects males worldwide and is among the highest contributors to cancer mortality rates. Therefore, there is an urgent need to find strategies to improve the diagnosis of PCa. Microtechnologies have been gaining ground in biomedical devices, with microfluidics and lab-on-chip systems potentially revolutionizing medical diagnostics. In this paper, it is shown that prostate-specific antigen (PSA) can be detected through an immunoassay performed in a microbead-based microfluidic device after being extracted and purified from a serum sample through an aqueous biphasic system (ABS). Given their well-established status as ABS components for successful bioseparations, ionic liquids (ILs) and polymers were used in combination with buffered salts. Using both IL-based and polymer-based ABS, it was demonstrated that it is possible to detect PSA in non-physiological environments. It was concluded that the ABS that performed better in extracting the PSA from serum were those composed of tetrabutylammonium chloride ([N4444]Cl) and tetrabutylphosphonium bromide ([P4444]Br), both combined with phosphate buffer, and constituted by polyethylene glycol with a molecular weight of 1000 g/mol (PEG1000) with citrate buffer. In comparison with the assay with PSA prepared in phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) or human serum in which no ABS-mediated extraction was applied, assays attained lower limits of detection after IL-based ABS-mediated extraction. These results reinforce the potential of this method in future point-of-care (PoC) measurements.

Biomarker analysis in biological samples can boost risk profiling, diagnosis, prognosis and clinical decision-making, overall improving patient care. However, due to the complexity of most biological samples, biomarker analysis is a time-, cost-, labor- and resource-intensive task, commonly struggling with the lack of accurate results. To improve biomarker analysis, it is critical to develop efficient strategies to remove main contaminant/interfering molecules and to enrich/concentrate intact biomarkers prior to detection/quantification. Also, the development of more reliant and cost-effective quantification techniques and improved point-of-care (PoC) approaches are on demand. To bridge these gaps, properly designed aqueous two-phase systems (ATPSs) are potential candidates due to their high-water content, structural versatility and high selectivity. Over the past years, ATPSs have been shown to improve biomarker analysis, including proteins, nucleic acids, extracellular vesicles, bacteria, and viruses, in the following areas: (i) proteomic studies to expand proteome coverage; (ii) extraction of biomarkers to improve laboratory analysis; (iii) confinement strategies to improve enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays; and (iv) PoC applications, including the development of lateral flow immunoassays and one-pot reactions, and the miniaturization of extraction and purification techniques. This review describes and critically addresses the main applications of ATPSs in each of the mentioned areas by focusing on the types of ATPSs, biological samples, biomarkers, diseases, and detection/quantification techniques. Main technological advancements in the last two decades and challenges faced in research/clinical laboratories or at the PoC are highlighted. To gain insight on the societal pertinence of the field, the importance of clinical validation towards commercialization is discussed using IsoPSATM as a case study, while pinpointing the respective contributions for the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Considering the reviewed information, main conclusions and future perspectives are finally provided.

The increasing use of rare earth elements (REE) in recent years has led to significant progress in the development of “green technologies”. However, these elements are also linked to the environmental degradation caused by ore mining and their contribution to the growing generation of electronic waste. Although they are gradually being replaced by light-emitting diodes, fluorescent lamps (FL) still represent an abundant waste stream with high REE content and have been explored as a possible secondary source. The typical process of recovering REE from FL waste consists of chemical leaching followed by purification through several solvent extraction steps and precipitation, which presents several environmental drawbacks. The present work aims to develop an alternative method to recover Y and Eu from FL waste by studying the reuse of acids during the leaching stage and using live macroalgae Ulva sp. to remove and pre-concentrate the REE from the leachate. The scalability of the methodology and REE purification and separation were also evaluated. The results showed that reuse made it possible to reduce the amount of acid in the first (HNO₃ 0.5 mol/L) and second extraction (HNO₃ 2.0 mol/L) steps by 66 % and 50 %, respectively, and also to obtain a leachate richer in REE. However, residual amounts of Hg (an element present in FL) were also extracted. Regular renewal of the biosorbent (Ulva sp.) during the pre-concentration stage considerably increased the removal efficiency, up to 68 % for Y and 50 % for Eu. The pre-concentration stage was also found to be scalable, achieving a removal efficiency of 69 % for Y and 52 % for Eu, at a volume of 100 L. After pre-concentration, REE-enriched macroalgae had Y and Eu concentrations much higher than apatite ore (primary source of REE). It was then possible to selectively extract 97 % of Y and 89 % of Eu from the surface of the macroalgae using EDTA while maintaining 80% of the Hg that had also been accumulated on the inside of the macroalgae cells. Finally, most of the Y was separated by chemical reduction and precipitation of Eu, yielding an 80 % Eu precipitate.

Lung cancer is currently considered a major public health problem [1]. To improve the outcomes of patient care, the early detection of lung cancer is extremely important [1]. In this context, the quantification of biomarkers, such as pentraxin-3 (PTX-3) in human serum may play a key role [2]. Unfortunately, human serum is a complex sample, in which the presence of high abundance proteins, namely human serum albumin (HSA) and immunoglobulin G (IgG) is a barrier to accurate detection [3]. Thus, a sample pretreatment step is often required to separate the desired biomarker from the most abundant proteins, further improving detection [3]. To address this need, this study aims to design and evaluate three-phase partitioning (TPP) based on aqueous biphasic systems (ABS) as alternative approaches to perform human serum pretreatment. Systems composed of the homopolymers polypropylene glycol (PPG) and polyethylene glycol (PEG) or copolymers Pluronics and UCON combined with citrate buffered salt were investigated. Their ability to simultaneously deplete HSA and IgG at the interphase and extract PTX-3 in one of the aqueous phases was evaluated. When adequately designed, ABS-TPP present depletion efficiencies above 80% for high abundance proteins, while being able to extract PTX-3 to the polymer-rich phase in one step. A more accurate quantification of PTX-3 by ELISA was obtained in ABS-TPP-pretreated (relative error of 0.8%) than in non-pretreated serum samples (relative error of 28.1%). These results confirm the applicability of polymer-based ABS-TPP to improve the detection of lung cancer biomarkers in complex biological samples.