Seaweed Proteins: A Step towards Sustainability?

This review delves into the burgeoning field of seaweed proteins as promising alternative sources of protein. With global demand escalating and concerns over traditional protein sources' sustainability and ethics, seaweed emerges as a viable solution, offering a high protein content and minimal environmental impacts. Exploring the nutritional composition, extraction methods, functional properties, and potential health benefits of seaweed proteins, this review provides a comprehensive understanding. Seaweed contains essential amino acids, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. Its protein content ranges from 11% to 32% of dry weight, making it valuable for diverse dietary preferences, including vegetarian and vegan diets. Furthermore, this review underscores the sustainability and environmental advantages of seaweed protein production compared to traditional sources. Seaweed cultivation requires minimal resources, mitigating environmental issues like ocean acidification. As the review delves into specific seaweed types, extraction methodologies, and functional properties, it highlights the versatility of seaweed proteins in various food products, including plant-based meats, dairy alternatives, and nutritional supplements. Additionally, it discusses the potential health benefits associated with seaweed proteins, such as their unique amino acid profile and bioactive compounds. Overall, this review aims to provide insights into seaweed proteins' potential applications and their role in addressing global protein needs sustainably.

MODELPlastics workshop - Modelling Ocean Plastic Litter in a Changing Climate: Gaps and future directions.

Here we summarize the overarching issues that emerged from a workshop held to discuss scientific challenges and future directions on the use of numerical models to predict the amount, distribution and effects of plastic pollution on marine ecosystems. The need for multi-disciplinary approaches, standardized protocols for plastic quantification and analyses, using realistic contaminant concentrations in laboratorial experiments and targeting early-life stages of marine organisms were pointed out as needs to improve data accuracy. Participants also enumerated a list of gaps that include, identification of indicator organisms of plastic contamination, selection of biomarkers and the role of extreme events on plastic dynamics. Responding to these gaps will contribute to improve data quantity and quality and, thus, allow developing more reliable models. A crucial role is foreseen for modelling tools as they can incorporate the cumulative impacts of multiple stressors, including the individual-level effects of plastics, to the population- and ecosystem level.

Atendimento a pacientes afásicos e seus familiares: novo enfoque / Speech terapy assistence for aphasics and your family

Tentando aprimorar o tipo de atendimento fonoaudiológico oferecido a afásicos, garantindo o atendimento precoce, a participaçäo da família e absorvendo maior número de pacientes, realizamos um trabalho que busca o restabelecimento da funçäo comunicativa e a reintegraçäo do afásico em seu meio, através de quatro momentos: Entrevista inicial; Avaliaçäo do paciente; Atendimento individual; Grupo com familiares. Como resultados obtivemoss, em tempo limitado, melhora na comunicaçäo do paciente, concientizaçäo e participaçäo efetiva da família no processo terapêutico, diminuiçäo da lista de espera para atendimento individual e aumento do número de pacientes afásicos em atendimento no Setor de Terapia Fonoaudiológica. Diante dos dados obtidos, concluimos que esse tipo de atendimento sendo imediato, mostra-se efetivo no restabelecimento da funçäo comunicativa do afásico e do equilíbrio da dinâmica familiar, bem como proporciona uma oportunidade de atendimento para um número maior de pacientes em períodos de tempo menores