Impact of Micronized Salt in Reducing the Sodium Content in Fresh Sausages.

This study aimed to investigate the incorporation of micronized salt (MS) to reduce sodium content in fresh sausages while preserving technological, chemical, textural, and sensory characteristics. Four treatments were prepared: control (C) with 2.0% regular salt; M2.0% with 2.0% micronized salt; M1.5% with 1.5% micronized salt; and M1.0% with 1.0% micronized salt, containing 1004, 1133, 860, and 525 mg of sodium/100 g of product, respectively. To characterize the samples, analyses of sodium content, cooking loss, relative myoglobin content, and instrumental color were carried out. The sensory analysis was performed using the Temporal-Check-All-That-Apply (TCATA) method. Half of the micronized salt treatment was mixed with the fat during the processing of the fresh sausages. It was possible to achieve a 50% reduction in sodium (M1.0%) in the fresh sausages without negative effects on most technological, chemical, and textural parameters, which did not differ from the control treatment (C). Conversely, "chewiness" decreased in M2.0% compared to the control (C) due to mixing micronized salt with the fat. The sodium reduction did not impact the temporal sensory profile and overall liking. Therefore, using micronized salt in fresh sausages reduces sodium content without affecting sensory traits and product stability.

Minimally invasive esophagectomy versus open esophagectomy: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

The paradigm of the treatment of esophageal cancer has been changing with the increasing use of minimally invasive esophagectomy (MIE) in detriment of open esophagectomy (OE). We aimed to perform a meta-analysis to evaluate and compare these two techniques in terms of mortality and associated complications. The literature search was conducted in MEDLINE and U.S. National Library of Medicine Clinical Trials, considering eligible articles since 2015 to 2020. Clinical trials and observational studies were included. We presented results as mean differences with 95% confidence intervals and calculation of heterogeneity associated to the included studies. Thirty-one articles were included with a total of 34,465 participants diagnosed with esophageal adenocarcinoma or squamous cell carcinoma. MIE had tendency towards a decrease in 30- and 90- day mortality after surgery, but no statistically significative results were found. Major cardiovascular and respiratory complications were less frequent in the MIE group, despite high heterogeneity. Also, MIE might contribute to a decrease of minor post-operative complications, to an increase need of a second surgical intervention, to a greater risk for vocal cord lesions; but these results were not statistically significant. Additionally, no differences were found concerning risk of wound infection and for local and systemic recurrence. MIE may be more beneficial than OE, but these findings should be considered carefully.

Stratigraphic Relations of the Ipubi Formation: Siliciclastic-Evaporitic Succession of the Araripe Basin.

The Ipubi Formation represents the Aptian-Albian siliciclastic-evaporitic succession of Araripe Basin, NE Brazil. This succession comprises siliciclastic rocks (bituminous shales and claystones) and evaporites (gypsum and secondary anhydrite) and represents part of the lacustrine-shallow marine post-rift phase I. This study used sequence stratigraphy concepts to define the relations between changes in the relative lake level and the formation of Ipubi deposits. Results show that the organic-rich shales of the Ipubi Formation formed during a transgressive pulse that covered large areas of the proximal domains. These deposits overlie a regional unconformity that marks the end of the deposition of the underlying Crato Formation. A High Stand stage that followed the transgression influenced the formation of evaporitic deposits. Climate conditions played a major role in influencing the triggering and stopping of evaporite deposition. Thus, a new relative lake level fall event caused the exposure of the Ipubi Formation deposits, and created another regional subaerial unconformity accompanied by widespread karstification of evaporite beds. A posterior transgression caused the deposition of siliciclastic rocks of the Romualdo Formation over the Ipubi Formation strata, and also promoted a new event of karstification of the Ipubi upper evaporite beds.

Carbonate Buildups in the Pernambuco Basin, NE Brazil.

The Pernambuco Basin represents one of the most prominent regions for deep water oil and gas exploration off the Brazilian coast. This study aims to identify and describe the occurrence of carbonate buildups in the offshore regions of the basin. The study was based on an analysis of a set of 143 2D time-migrated seismic sections that cover the offshore region of the Pernambuco Basin. An interpretation of the seismic dataset was used to define the main seismic sequences related to the main regional pulses of deposition and to identify three main groups of carbonate buildups: 1) shelf margin reefs, 2) patch reefs, and 3) isolated carbonate buildups. The carbonate buildups formed in two main intervals during post-rift sequences of the Santonian-Maastrichtian and Paleocene-Middle Miocene, which extend the known periods of carbonate deposit formation in the basin. The formation of carbonate buildups was controlled by the tectonic evolution of the Pernambuco Plateau, which created a series of paleotopographic highs that enabled the establishment of oceanographically and climatically favorable conditions for carbonate formation and deposition. These findings are important for understanding the evolution of the basin and for future evaluations of its petroleum potential.

Carbonate Buildups in the Pernambuco Basin, NE Brazil

ABSTRACT The Pernambuco Basin represents one of the most prominent regions for deep water oil and gas exploration off the Brazilian coast. This study aims to identify and describe the occurrence of carbonate buildups in the offshore regions of the basin. The study was based on an analysis of a set of 143 2D time-migrated seismic sections that cover the offshore region of the Pernambuco Basin. An interpretation of the seismic dataset was used to define the main seismic sequences related to the main regional pulses of deposition and to identify three main groups of carbonate buildups: 1) shelf margin reefs, 2) patch reefs, and 3) isolated carbonate buildups. The carbonate buildups formed in two main intervals during post-rift sequences of the Santonian-Maastrichtian and Paleocene-Middle Miocene, which extend the known periods of carbonate deposit formation in the basin. The formation of carbonate buildups was controlled by the tectonic evolution of the Pernambuco Plateau, which created a series of paleotopographic highs that enabled the establishment of oceanographically and climatically favorable conditions for carbonate formation and deposition. These findings are important for understanding the evolution of the basin and for future evaluations of its petroleum potential.

Three decades of clinical-pathological trends in gastric cancer: prospective data from a Portuguese hospital.

INTRODUCTION: Gastric cancer is a heterogeneous disease, whose pathological and clinical patterns have changed in the last decades. In most western countries, decreases in incidence and mortality and a proximal migration have been reported. The clinical and pathological trends in an European country with high prevalence of gastric cancer were reviewed, based on the patients treated at a University Hospital. METHODS: Analysis of a prospective database with 1618 patients who underwent surgery for gastric cancer in the last 3 decades. The patients were divided in 3 groups according to decades and the cohorts were analyzed according to demographic, surgical and pathological factors. RESULTS: The mean age increased from 59.8 to 65.6 years. Antral tumors and intestinal cancer were the most frequent. The rate of complete resection increased as well as the percentage of total gastrectomies and D2-type lymphadenectomies. There was an increase both in early stage carcinomas and in surgically treated Stage-IV carcinomas. The median overall crude survival almost doubled from 14 to 22 months (p = 0.003), but once stratified for stage, only in stage II patients could we observe a significant increase in survival time. (29-47 months; p = 0.047). CONCLUSION: The proximal migration described for Western Europe was not observed and the intestinal-type carcinoma is still the most frequent. We are treating older patients, often with more advanced disease. In spite of an increasing surgical aggressiveness, the prognosis has only been significantly improved in Stage-II cancers. The prognosis for advanced cancer is still dismal, hence the need for effective adjuvant treatments.

Animal-based remedies as complementary medicines in the semi-arid region of northeastern Brazil.

Animals (and their derived products) are essential ingredients in the preparation of many traditional remedies. Despite its prevalence in traditional medical practices worldwide, research on medicinal animals has often been neglected in comparison to medicinal plant research. This work documents the medicinal animals used by a rural community in the semi-arid region, inserted in Caatinga Biome, where 66 respondents provided information on animal species used as medicine, body parts used to prepare the remedies and illnesses to which the remedies were prescribed. We calculated the informant consensus factor to determine the consensus over which species are effective for particular ailments, as well as the species use value to determine the extent of utilization of each species. We recorded the use of 51 animal species as medicines, whose products were recommended for the treatment of 68 illnesses. The informant consensus in the use of many specific remedies is fairly high, giving an additional validity to this folk medicine. Eight species not previously reported as having medicinal use were recorded. The local medicinal fauna is largely based on wild animals, including some endangered species. Given a high proportion of medicinal animals observed in the study area, it is logical to conclude that any conservation strategy should include access to modern health care.

Characteristics, distribution and diagenetic stages of chert in the La Silla Formation (Lower Ordovician), Argentine Precordillera

The late Cambrian - late Tremadocian La Silla Formation is a carbonate unit of the eastern Precordillera in Argentina whose facies indicate a shallow platform environment. Until this moment, there were no studies that referred to the diagenetic evolution of these rocks. The present study involves the characteristics and distribution of the silicification that affects this unit and determines its different diagenetic stages through petrographic (with cathodoluminescence support) and stratigraphic analyses. An early diagenetic chert, in a stage previous to the compactation, was observed. This chert is related to silica-rich seawater in contact with permeable and porous sediments. A later pulse of chert, associated with fracturing, also occurs. The knowledge provided by the characteristics and distribution of chert in these carbonates is significant, especially when considering that the La Silla Formation in San Juan province is the most quarried unit for the elaboration of lime.

A Formação La Silla (Neo Cambriano-Neo Tremadociano) é formada por depósitos carbonáticos da região da Pré-Cordilheira leste, Argentina. As faciologias encontradas em tais depósitos indicam um ambiente de deposição caracterizado por uma plataforma rasa. Até o momento, nenhum estudo tratou especificamente da evolução diagenética dessas rochas. O presente estudo envolve as características e distribuição da silicificação que afeta esta formação e apresenta os diferentes estágios diagenéticos ocorridos, através de análises petrográficas (auxiliadas por catodoluminescência) e estratigráficas. Foi identificado um pulso precoce de silicificação, anterior ao processo de compactação das rochas afetadas. Esta silicificação foi favorecida pela presença de água do mar rica em sílica em contato com sedimentos porosos e permeáveis. Também foi identificado um pulso de silicificação tardia, associado a eventos de fraturamento das rochas. O conhecimento adquirido sobre as características e a distribuição da silicificação nestes depósitos carbonáticos é importante, especialmente quando se considera que a Formação La Silla, na Província de San Juan, é a formação mais minerada para a produção de calcário.

The first records of Leishmania (Leishmania) amazonensis in dogs (Canis familiaris) diagnosed clinically as having canine visceral leishmaniasis from Araçatuba County, São Paulo State, Brazil.

Two cases of Leishmania (Leishmania) amazonensis are reported in the domestic dog (Canis familiaris). These are the first records of this parasite in this species. The animals lived in the endemic visceral leishmaniasis area of Araçatuba, São Paulo State, Brazil and were initially diagnosed, on clinical grounds, as having visceral leishmaniasis. Attempted parasite isolation from inguinal lymph node aspirates was unsuccessful and the indirect immunofluorescent test for visceral leishmaniasis was negative in both cases. Parasites were seen in cytological preparations of their lymph nodes and the DNA obtained from these same tissues produced the expected fragment in a Leishmania specific rDNA based PCR assay. The products only hybridized with the L. (L.) amazonensis specific probe S8. No human cases of L. (L.) amazonensis have been reported in this region. These results suggest that L. (L.) amazonensis is being transmitted in the peridomestic habitat and that this parasite is responsible for a clinical condition that is similar to visceral leishmaniasis caused by L. (L.) i. chagasi that is present in the same area.

C-reactive protein-guided approach may shorten length of antimicrobial treatment of culture-proven late-onset sepsis: an intervention study.

Late-onset sepsis (LOS) (i.e., sepsis in a neonate after 72 hours of life) is associated with high mortality and significantly prolonged antibiotic exposure and hospital stay in neonates admitted to intensive care units (ICU). In this study, we assessed the reliability of serum C-reactive protein (CRP) as a determinant of antimicrobial treatment duration of LOS. From January 1996 to December 2002, all consecutive infants aged <28 days admitted to a single medical-surgical ICU and diagnosed with primary LOS were enrolled in a prospective, intervention trial with historical controls. Only blood culture-positive LOSs were included. Exclusion criteria were: age >28 days at diagnosis of LOS, development of site-specific infection, and central venous catheter-related LOS. From January 1996 to July 1998 (historical control group), antimicrobial treatment of LOS was offered for at least 14 days. From August 1998 to December 2002 (intervention group), neonates underwent serial semiquantitative measurements of serum CRP, and antimicrobial treatment was discontinued when CRP was <12 mg/L. Primary efficacy endpoint was the duration of antimicrobial therapy. Secondary efficacy endpoints were the proportion of relapsing sepsis within 72 hours of antibiotic withdrawal and the overall mortality rate. The historical control group comprised 76 neonates developing 85 episodes of LOS; 138 LOS occurring in 120 patients comprised the intervention group. Length of antimicrobial treatment of LOS was significantly shorter during the second study period (16 days vs. 9 days, p<0.001). Secondary efficacy endpoints showed similar rates of relapsing sepsis and overall mortality in both time periods.

C-reactive protein-guided approach may shorten length of antimicrobial treatment of culture-proven late-onset sepsis: an intervention study

Late-onset sepsis (LOS) (i.e., sepsis in a neonate after 72 hours of life) is associated with high mortality and significantly prolonged antibiotic exposure and hospital stay in neonates admitted to intensive care units (ICU). In this study, we assessed the reliability of serum C-reactive protein (CRP) as a determinant of antimicrobial treatment duration of LOS. From January 1996 to December 2002, all consecutive infants aged <28 days admitted to a single medical-surgical ICU and diagnosed with primary LOS were enrolled in a prospective, intervention trial with historical controls. Only blood culture-positive LOSs were included. Exclusion criteria were: age >28 days at diagnosis of LOS, development of site-specific infection, and central venous catheter-related LOS. From January 1996 to July 1998 (historical control group), antimicrobial treatment of LOS was offered for at least 14 days. From August 1998 to December 2002 (intervention group), neonates underwent serial semiquantitative measurements of serum CRP, and antimicrobial treatment was discontinued when CRP was <12 mg/L. Primary efficacy endpoint was the duration of antimicrobial therapy. Secondary efficacy endpoints were the proportion of relapsing sepsis within 72 hours of antibiotic withdrawal and the overall mortality rate. The historical control group comprised 76 neonates developing 85 episodes of LOS; 138 LOS occurring in 120 patients comprised the intervention group. Length of antimicrobial treatment of LOS was significantly shorter during the second study period (16 days vs. 9 days, p<0.001). Secondary efficacy endpoints showed similar rates of relapsing sepsis and overall mortality in both time periods.

The development of selective inhibitory control across the life span.

A modification of the stop-signal task was used to investigate the development of selective inhibitory control. A group of 317 participants, age 6 to 82 years, performed a visual choice reaction time (go) task and attempted to selectively inhibit their response to the go task when hearing one of two randomly presented tones (1000 Hz, 250 Hz), each presented on 20% of trials. Measures of response execution and inhibition were assessed by using reaction times to the go signal (GoRT) and stop signal (SSRT), respectively. Results indicated that SSRT gets faster with increasing age throughout childhood, with pronounced slowing in older adulthood. In addition, strong evidence was obtained for age-related speeding in GoRT throughout childhood, with marked slowing throughout adulthood. Subsequent hierarchical regression analyses illustrated that the age-related changes in selective inhibitory control could not be explained simply by overall slowing or speeding of responses. Findings are discussed in regard to the decay and maturation of selective inhibitory control across the life span.