Browsing by Author "Cruz, Andreia"
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- Extending the shelf-life of live clams, Venerupis corrugata - important aspects of current packaging and advances in modified atmosphere packagingPublication . Goes, Cintia Borghetti; Teixeira, Susana; Mena, Cristina; Silva, Fátima; Cruz, Andreia; Basílio, Inês; Hogg, Maria Conceição; Sivertsvik, Morten; Teixeira, Paula; Poças, FátimaVenerupis corrugata (pullet carpet shell) is a premium native clam species in Portugal. This species is highly perishable, typically sold live within 3 or 4 days, posing a significant risk of loss. Therefore, efforts to extend its shelf-life are relevant. The impact of the storage temperature (3, 5, 8 and 12 °C) on clams in plastic net bags and the effect of modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) were investigated. The survival percentage and microbiological and chemical parameters were evaluated, as well as sensory characteristics. The survival percentage and sensory aspects results indicate that the longest time with 95% live clams was observed at 5 °C and 8 °C, but lower temperatures (3 and 5 °C) have lower death rates after the threshold. In the MAP tests, the clams were kept closed due to confinement in plastic trays applying a vacuum, before gas flushing that drew the lid film over the clams. However, a negative effect of CO2 was observed for clams, with lower survival when packaged in 30% CO2. The shelf-life increased by only 1–2 days under >70% O2 with no CO2. These results show that this species is very sensitive, and MAP is not commercially effective for this application.
- Neoadjuvant gastric cancer treatment and associated nutritional critical domains for the optimization of care pathways: a systematic reviewPublication . Correia, Marta; Moreira, Ines; Cabral, Sonia; Castro, Carolina; Cruz, Andreia; Magalhães, Bruno; Santos, Lúcio Lara; Irving, Susana Couto(1) Background: Gastric cancer patients are known to be at a high risk of malnutrition, sarcopenia, and cachexia, and the latter impairs the patient’s nutritional status during their clinical course and also treatment response. A clearer identification of nutrition-related critical points during neoadjuvant treatment for gastric cancer is relevant to managing patient care and predicting clinical outcomes. The aim of this systematic review was to identify and describe nutrition-related critical domains associated with clinical outcomes. (2) Methods: We performed a systematic review (PROSPERO ID:CRD42021266760); (3) Results: This review included 14 studies compiled into three critical domains: patient-related, clinical-related (disease and treatment), and healthcare-related. Body composition changes during neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) accounted for the early termination of chemotherapy and reduced overall survival. Sarcopenia was confirmed to have an independent prognostic value. The role of nutritional interventions during NAC has not been fully explored. (4) Conclusions: Understanding critical domain exposures affecting nutritional status will enable better clinical approaches to optimize care plans. It may also provide an opportunity for the mitigation of poor nutritional status and sarcopenia and their deleterious clinical consequences.
- Neoadjuvant gastric cancer treatment associated nutritional critical points for the optimization of care pathways: a systematic reviewPublication . Correia, Maria Marta; Moreira, Inês Costa; Irving, Susana Couto; Cabral, Sónia; Magalhães, Bruno; Santos, Lúcio Lara; Castro, Carolina; Cruz, Andreia
- Pedobacter lusitanus sp. nov., isolated from sludge of a deactivated uranium minePublication . Covas, Cláudia; Caetano, Tânia; Cruz, Andreia; Santos, Tiago; Dias, Liliana; Klein, Guenter; Abdulmawjood, Amir; Rodriguez-Alcala, Luis M.; Pimentel, Ligia L.; Gomes, Ana; Freitas, Ana Cristina; Garcia-Serrano, Alba; Fontecha, Javier; Mendo, SoniaStrain NL19(T) is a Gram-stain-negative, aerobic bacterium that was isolated from sludge of a deactivated uranium mine in Portugal. 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis revealed that strain NL19(T) is a member of the genus Pedobacter and closely related to the strains Pedobacter himalayensis MTCC 6384(T), Pedobacter cryoconitis DSM 14825(T), Pedobacter westerhofensis DSM 19036 (T) and Pedobacter hartonius DSM 19033(T). It had a DNA G+C content of 40.8 mol%, which agreed with the genus description. The main fatty acids included C-16 : 1 omega 7c, C-14 : 1 omega 5c, C-4 : 0, iso-C-17 : 0, iso-C-17 : 0 3-OH, C-16 : 0, anteiso-C-15 : 0 and isoC(15 : 0) 3-OH. The main lipids present were phospholipids (60 %) and sphingolipids (35 %). The most abundant phospholipids included phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylinositol and phosphatidylcholine. Menaquinone-7 (MK-7) was the only isoprenoid quinone detected. DNA-DNA hybridization similarities between strain NL19(T) and Pedobacter himalayensis MTCC 6384(T), Pedobacter cryoconitis DSM 14825(T), Pedobacter westerhofensis DSM 19036(T) and Pedobacter hartonius DSM 19033(T) were 15.3, 16.2, 11.5 and 16.0 %, respectively. Strain NL19(T) can also be distinguished from these four species based on gyrB and intergenic transcribed spacers (ITS) sequences and by some phenotypic traits such as NaCl tolerance, pH, growth temperature and carbon source utilization. Strain NL19(T) represents a novel species of the genus Pedobacter, for which the name Pedobacter lusitanus sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is NL19(T) (= LMG 29220(T) = CECT 9028(T)). An amended description of Pedobacter himalayensis is also included.