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In response to the rise of Non-communicable Diseases, public policies, such as Front-of-package (FOP) nutrition labeling, have been implemented to clarify information on food labels and promote healthier eating habits. Brazil adopted black magnifier warning label in 2020, which consists of a black rectangle with a magnifier glass followed by the expression "High in" for three critical nutrients: added sugar, saturated fat and/or sodium. This study aims to evaluate the effect of black magnifier warning label, brand, and claims on Brazilian consumers' perceived healthiness. To achieve this, four products were considered: chocolate flavored milk, granola, mate tea, and cookies. A total of 448 Brazilian consumers took part in an online survey. For each product category, a series of packages were designed considering the following 2-level factors: brand (familiar vs. unfamiliar), black magnifier warning label (presence vs. absence), visual claim (presence vs. absence) and textual claim (presence vs. absence). Participants were shown eight pairs of packages from two of four products and were asked to select the healthiest product in each pair. The data were analyzed using a mixed logit model with random parameters, and conjoint analysis was conducted to estimate the main effects, average coefficients, and standard errors. A significance level of 5 % was considered. For all product categories, the presence of the warnings reduced perceived healthiness of products. On the other hand, the presence of familiar brand and nutritional marketing claims had a greater effect on the perceived healthiness compared to black magnifier. These results demonstrate the effectiveness of warning labels, but the need to regulate claims for strengthening label policies in the Brazilian context., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Cubosomes are dispersions of bicontinuous surfactant phases that constitute an assertive option to carry and release drugs and biomolecules, offering high efficiency of entrapment and specificity towards biological targets. This paper reports, for the first time to the best of our knowledge, the immobilization and characterization of cubosomes in chemically cross-linked oxi-hyaluronic acid and the evaluation of their use for controlled delivery of diclofenac, which is chosen as a model drug. Immobilized cubosomes prepared with phytantriol and bearing either negative or positive charges (in this case due to the addition of a cationic surfactant) were characterized by small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) analysis and high-resolution confocal microscopy, confirming that their internal structure remains unaltered and that they appear uniformly distributed within the hydrogel matrix. Their release properties were assessed, and a limited leaching of the cubosomes from the hydrogel matrix with sustained release of the entrapped diclofenac was confirmed. These results enable the use of immobilized cubosomes as an attractive platform for biomedical applications, significantly extending the already promising features of cubosomes., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Background & Aim: Probiotics in the gut have been suggested to have a beneficial effect on anxiety response and depressive disorder. Hence we conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to summarize the effects of probiotics associated with or without pharmacological or psychological therapies in patients with depressive and/or anxiety symptoms or disorders., Methods: We conducted searches of MEDLINE, EMBASE, CENTRAL, PsycINFO, CINAHL, ProQuest, LILACS, and Web of Science up to February 2020 to identify randomized controlled trials (RCTs) investigating the efficacy of probiotics associated with or without pharmacological or psychological therapies for patient-important outcomes including relief of depressive, anxiety and stress symptoms, cognitive functions, adverse events and quality of life. We used the GRADE approach to rate the overall certainty of the evidence by outcome. The protocol of the systematic review was registered with PROPSERO and published under the number CRD4202016329., Results: 16 RCTs including 1,125 patients proved eligible. Results suggested a significant improvement in using Beck Depression Index (MD, -3.20 [95% CI, -5.91 to -0.49], p = 0.02; I 2  = 21%, p = 0.28) for depression symptoms and State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) (MD, -6.88 [95% CI, -12.35 to -1.41], p = 0.01; I 2  = 24%, p = 0.25) for anxiety with overall certainty in evidence rated as moderate and low, respectively. However, Depression Scale (DASS-Depression) (MD, 2.01 [95% CI, -0.80 to 4.82], p = 0.16; I 2  = 0%, p = 0.62), Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRAS) (MD, -2,41 [95% CI, -10,55 to 5,72], p = 0,56; I 2  = 87%, p = 0,006), Anxiety scale (DASS-Anxiety) (MD, 0.49 [95% CI, -4.05 to 5.02], p = 0.83; I 2  = 74%, p = 0.05), and Stress Scale (DASS-Stress) (MD, 0.84 [95% CI, -2.64 to 4.33], p = 0.64; I 2  = 34%, p = 0.22) showed no significant decrease in the relief of depression, anxiety and stress symptoms of probiotics compared to placebo with overall certainty in evidence rated as very low for all outcomes. We also found no differences in the Beck Anxiety Index (BAI) (MD, -3.21 [95% CI, -6.50 to 0.08], p = 0.06; I 2  = 0%, p = 0.88) with overall certainty in evidence rated as low. Results suggested a non-statistically significantly effect of probiotics in the adverse events outcomes., Conclusions: The current review suggests that probiotics may improve symptoms of depression and anxiety in clinical patients. However, given the limitations in the included studies, RCTs with long-term follow-up and large sample sizes are needed., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no competing interests., (Copyright © 2021 European Society for Clinical Nutrition and Metabolism. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Autologous leukocyte- and platelet-rich plasma (L-PRP) combined with hyaluronic acid (HA) has been widely used in local applications for cartilage and bone regeneration. The association between L-PRP and HA confers structural and rheological changes that differ among individual biomaterials but has not been investigated. Therefore, the standardization and characterization of L-PRP-HA are important to consider when comparing performance results to improve future clinical applications. To this end, we prepared semi-interpenetrating polymer networks (semi-IPNs) of L-PRP and HA and characterized their polymerization kinetics, morphology, swelling ratio, stability and rheological behavior, which we found to be tunable according to the HA molar mass (MM). Mesenchymal stem cells derived from human adipose tissue (h-AdMSCs) seeded in the semi-IPNs had superior viability and chondrogenesis and osteogenesis capabilities compared to the viability and capabilities of fibrin. We have demonstrated that the preparation of the semi-IPNs under controlled mixing ensured the formation of cell-friendly hydrogels rich in soluble factors and with tunable properties according to the HA MM, rendering them suitable for clinical applications in regenerative medicine., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare no conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Silk fibroin (SF) and konjac glucomannan (KGM) are promising materials in the biomedical field due to their low toxicity, biocompatibility, biodegradability and low immune response. Beads of these natural polymers are interesting scaffolds for biomedical applications, but their fabrication is a challenge due to their low stability and the necessary adaptation of their chemical and mechanical properties to be successfully applied. In that sense, this study aimed to synthesize a blend of silk fibroin and konjac glucomannan (SF/KGM) in the form of porous beads obtained through dripping into liquid nitrogen, with a post-treatment using ethanol. Intermolecular hydrogen bonds promoted the integration of SF and KGM. Treated beads showed higher porous size, crystallinity, and stability than untreated beads. Characterization analyses by Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), thermogravimetric (TGA), and X-ray diffraction (XDR) evidenced that ethanol treatment allows a conformational transition from silk I to silk II in SF and an increase in the KGM deacetylation. Those chemical changes significantly enhanced the mechanical resistance of SF/KGM beads in comparison to pure SF and KGM beads. Moreover, samples showed cytocompatibility with HaCaT and BALB/c 3T3 cells.

In recent years, a common strategy, to obtain more uniform and controlled synthesis of polyelectrolytes multilayers (PEMs), relies on a previous polyethylenimine (PEI) coating of the substrate surface. PEI is a synthetic cationic polymer which provides a positive charge distribution on the materials to be covered with PEMs. Despite being an important step, this pre-layer deposition is frequently overlooked and no comprehensive characterizations or deep discussions are reported in literature. In that sense, this work reports on the synthesis of a typical PEI film that works as a precursor for PEMs, and its detailed physicochemical characterization. As many PEMs are produced for antibacterial and biomedical applications, the cytotoxicity of the film was also tested using fibroblasts, and its antibacterial activity was studied using Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Our results present the formation of an ultra-thin film of PEI with a thickness around 3.5nm, and with a significant percent of NH 3 + (35% of the total amount of N) in its chemical structure; NH 3 + is a key chemical group because it is considered an important bacterial killer agent. The film was stable and did not present important cytotoxic effect for fibroblasts up to 7days, contrary to other reports. Finally, the PEI film showed high antibacterial activity against the S. aureus strain: reductions in cell density were higher than 95% up to 24h., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Objective: We present a case of split notochord syndrome, an extremely rare form of spinal dysraphism., Description: We treated a 2 month-old boy presenting with an extensive lumbosacral deformity, hydrocephalus and apparent enteric segments in the dorsal midline, accompanied by an enteric fistula and imperforated anus. The malformation was diagnosed as split notochord syndrome. The baby died as a result of sepsis before surgical treatment could be attempted., Comments: Split notochord syndrome is the rarest form of neuroenteric cyst described until this moment (< 25 cases in the literature). It is frequently associated with anorectal malformation, intestinal fistulae and hydrocephalus. Prognosis is not necessarily poor and survival is possible if digestive malformations, hydrocephalus and the dysraphism itself are treated simultaneously.