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Plant-based beverages are one of the foods that currently arouse a lot of interest in the population due to their composition with compounds beneficial to health in addition to their being used as milk substitutes for people who suffer from food disorders. Also, their fortification with different nutrients or healthy ingredients with the aim of improving plant-based health potential is actually gaining importance in the food industry. For this reason, the aim of the present investigation was the preparation of a healthy Brazil nut beverage enriched with Opuntia stricta var. dillenii pulp green extracts (ODPs), in order to produce a healthy plant-based beverage with improved nutritional characteristics. The microstructural characterization of the Brazil nut beverage, its stability during cold storage for up to 24 days at 5 °C, the composition of bioactive compounds provided via ODP extract (betalains and phenolic compounds), and their antioxidant activity were evaluated in this study. Green ODP extracts (0.5 and 1 g/100 g beverage) were added to a standardized Brazil nut beverage (reduced fat beverage). The characterization of the bioactive composition (betalains and phenolic compounds) of the elaborated beverage was achieved via HPLC (UV-vis and MS-QT of detection), and the antioxidant activity measurements via ORAC were also carried out. Optical microscopy, particle size, and Z potential analysis was conducted to characterize the structure of the Brazil nut beverages as food emulsions in which ODP extract was added. Most of the bioactive compounds from the green ODP extract added to the beverages showed good retention and remained stable throughout the 24 days of storage at 7 °C, with encapsulation efficiencies ranging from 98.34% to 92.35% for betalains and from 93.67% and 81.20% for phenolic compounds. According to the results of this study, Brazil nut beverage seems to be a healthy and efficient food emulsion system to encapsulate ODP extract rich in betalains and phenolic compounds, with high antioxidant activity, making possible the development of a Brazil nut beverage with improved health potential.
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High-pressure homogenization (HPH) is an emerging technology for obtaining physical and microbial stability of plant-based milks, but there is little information on the effects of this technology on the phytochemical components of the processed plant food beverage and during its cold storage. The effect of three selected HPH treatments (180 MPa/25 °C, 150 MPa/55 °C, and 50 MPa/75 °C) and pasteurization (PAS) (63 °C, 20 min) on minor lipid constituents, total proteins, phenolic compounds, antioxidant capacity, and essential minerals of Brazil nut beverage (BNB) were studied. Additionally, the study of the possible changes in these constituents was carried out during cold storage at 5 °C for 21 days. The fatty acid profile (dominated by oleic acid and linoleic acid), free fatty acid content, protein, and essential minerals (notable source of Se and Cu) of the processed BNB remained almost stable to treatments (HPH and PAS). Specifically, reductions in squalene (22.7 to 26.4%) and γ-γ-tocopherol (28.4 to 36%) were observed in beverages processed via both non-thermal HPH and thermal PAS, but ß-sitosterol remained unchanged. Total phenolics were reduced (24 to 30%) after both treatments, a factor that influenced the observed antioxidant capacity. The studied individual phenolics in BNB were gallic acid, catechin, epicatechin, catechin gallate, and ellagic acid, being the most abundant compounds. During cold storage (5 °C) up to 21 days, changes in the content of phytochemicals, minerals, and total proteins were not noticeable for any treated beverages, and no lipolysis processes were promoted. Therefore, after the application of HPH processing, Brazil nut beverage (BNB) maintained almost unaltered levels of bioactive compounds, essential minerals, total protein, and oxidative stability, remarkable characteristics for its potential development as a functional food.
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Antioxidantes , Bertholletia , Antioxidantes/análise , Bebidas/análise , Pasteurização , Minerais , FenóisRESUMO
Aloe vera products, both in food and cosmetics, are becoming increasingly popular due to their claimed beneficial effects, which are mainly attributed to the active compound acemannan. Usually, these end products are based on powdered starting materials. High temperatures during the drying process to obtain the starting materials have several advantages, like shortening the drying time, eliminating toxic aloin and reducing bacterial contamination. Nevertheless, there are two major drawbacks: first, at temperatures of 80 °C or higher, structural changes in acemannan, especially its deacetylation (>46%), are triggered, which does not happen at lower temperatures (14% at 60 °C); secondly, a toxic principle is formed at higher temperatures, resulting in a higher cytotoxicity. Thus, two temperature-dependent but opposing effects cause with a median cytotoxic concentration of CC50 = 0.4× a peak of cytotoxicity at 80 °C; at 60 °C this cytotoxic substance is not formed and at 100 °C aloin is more readily eliminated, resulting in a CC50 = 1.1× and CC50 = 1.4×, respectively. The cytotoxic substance generated by dry heat at 80 °C is not a modified polysaccharide because its polysaccharide-enriched alcohol-insoluble fraction is with CC50 = 0.9× less cytotoxic. Moreover, this substance is polar enough to be washed away with ethanol. Additionally, when Aloe gel is heated at 80 °C under humid conditions (pasteurization), the cytotoxicity does not increase (CC50 = 1.6×). Finally, to produce powdered starting materials from Aloe gel, it is recommended to use temperatures of around 60 °C in order to preserve the acemannan structure (and thus biological activity) and the low cytotoxicity.
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The consumption of plant-based beverages is a growing trend and, consequently, the search for alternative plant sources, the improvement of beverage quality and the use of their by-products, acquire great interest. Thus, the purpose of this work was to characterize the composition (nutrients, phytochemicals and antioxidant activity) of the Brazil nut (BN), its whole beverage (WBM), water-soluble beverage (BM-S), and its by-products of the beverage production: cake, sediment fraction (BM-D), and fat fraction (BM-F). In this study, advanced methodologies for the analysis of the components were employed to assess HPLC-ESI-QTOF (phenolic compounds), GC (fatty acids), and MALDI-TOF/TOF (proteins and peptides). The production of WBM was based on a hot water extraction process, and the production of BM-S includes an additional centrifugation step. The BN showed an interesting nutritional quality and outstanding content of unsaturated fatty acids. The investigation found the following in the composition of the BN: phenolic compounds (mainly flavan-3-ols as Catechin (and glycosides or derivatives), Epicatechin (and glycosides or derivatives), Quercetin and Myricetin-3-O-rhamnoside, hydroxybenzoic acids as Gallic acid (and derivatives), 4-hydroxybenzoic acid, ellagic acid, Vanillic acid, p-Coumaric acid and Ferulic acid, bioactive minor lipid components (ß-Sitosterol, γ-Tocopherol, α-Tocopherol and squalene), and a high level of selenium. In beverages, WBM had a higher lipid content than BM-S, a factor that influenced the energy characteristics and the content of bioactive minor lipid components. The level of phenolic compounds and selenium were outstanding in both beverages. Hydrothermal processing can promote some lipolysis, with an increase in free fatty acids and monoglycerides content. In by-products, the BM-F stood out due to its bioactive minor lipid components, the BM-D showed a highlight in protein and mineral contents, and the cake retained important nutrients and phytochemicals from the BN. In general, the BN and its beverages are healthy foods, and its by-products could be used to obtain healthy ingredients with appreciable biological activities (such as antioxidant activity).
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Delayed canopy senescence or 'stay-green' (SG) trait in maize (Zea mays L.) could improve drought tolerance. Two field trials comparing four to six maize hybrids with different senescence rate were carried out at Buenos Aires, Argentina, varying water availability during the reproductive period. Green leaf area at maturity was related to kernel weight (r2=0.94***) but its relationship with yield was weaker (r2=0.51-53*) and post-silking dry matter remobilisation was negatively related with the SG trait (r2=0.84**). Two additional experiments were carried out in 63 L pots by withholding irrigation in half of the pots after silking. The SG hybrid achieved lower root biomass at silking, a shallower root distribution and larger root growth in the post-silking period. Under drought conditions, stomatal conductance was lower in the SG hybrid but photosynthetic electron transport rate was higher. Higher post-silking dry matter assimilation in the SG hybrid was compensated for by higher dry matter remobilisation in the non-SG. Higher kernel number per plant in the non-SG hybrid with no ability to compensate for by higher kernel weight in the SG, resulted in slightly higher yields in the non-SG under drought. A water conservation strategy associated with a shallower root system could be linked to the SG trait, promoting faster water depletion at upper soil levels and reduced stomatal conductance at the leaf level but with no conclusive yield advantage.
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Secas , Zea mays , Folhas de Planta , Solo , ÁguaRESUMO
Parkinson's disease (PD) signs and symptoms regularly include tremor. Interestingly, the nucleoside guanosine (GUO) has already proven to be effective in reducing reserpine-induced tremulous jaw movements (TJMs) in rodent models, thus becoming a promising antiparkinsonian drug. Here, we aimed at revealing the mechanism behind GUO antiparkinsonian efficacy by assessing the role of adenosine A1 and A2A receptors (A1R and A2AR) on GUO-mediated anti-tremor effects in the reserpinized mouse model of PD. Reserpinized mice showed elevated reactive oxygen species (ROS) production and cellular membrane damage in striatal slices assessed ex vivo and GUO treatment reversed ROS production. Interestingly, while the simultaneous administration of sub-effective doses of GUO (5 mg/kg) and SCH58261 (0.01 mg/kg), an A2AR antagonist, precluded reserpine-induced TJMs, these were ineffective on reverting ROS production in ex vivo experiments. Importantly, GUO was able to reduce TJM and ROS production in reserpinized mouse lacking the A2AR, thus suggesting an A2AR-independent mechanism of GUO-mediated effects. Conversely, the administration of DPCPX (0.75 mg/kg), an A1R antagonist, completely abolished both GUO-mediated anti-tremor effects and blockade of ROS production. Overall, these results indicated that GUO anti-tremor and antioxidant effects in reserpinized mice were A1R dependent but A2AR independent, thus suggesting a differential participation of adenosine receptors in GUO-mediated effects.
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Guanosina/uso terapêutico , Doença de Parkinson Secundária/metabolismo , Receptor A1 de Adenosina/metabolismo , Receptor A2A de Adenosina/metabolismo , Tremor/metabolismo , Antagonistas do Receptor A1 de Adenosina/farmacologia , Antagonistas do Receptor A2 de Adenosina , Animais , Córtex Cerebral/efeitos dos fármacos , Córtex Cerebral/metabolismo , Corpo Estriado/efeitos dos fármacos , Corpo Estriado/metabolismo , Guanosina/farmacologia , Hipocampo/efeitos dos fármacos , Hipocampo/metabolismo , Masculino , Camundongos , Doença de Parkinson Secundária/induzido quimicamente , Doença de Parkinson Secundária/tratamento farmacológico , Espécies Reativas de Oxigênio/metabolismo , Tremor/induzido quimicamente , Tremor/tratamento farmacológico , Xantinas/farmacologiaRESUMO
High hydrostatic pressure (HHP) promotes the release of bioactive compounds from their intracellular compartments making them more bioaccessible. Our aim was to propose a schematic tissue model to explain the release mechanisms of betalains and phenolic compounds in vegetable cells submitted to HHP by analyzing cell microstructure, cell morphology, cell viability and the localization of bioactive compounds in prickly pear fruits. Prickly pear slices were pressurized at 100, 350 and 600 MPa at 20 °C. Chlorenchyma cells (in peels) and parenchyma cells (in pulps) were analyzed by transmission electron microscopy, confocal laser scanning microscopy and optical microscopy. After pressurization, the respiration and ethylene production of processed fruits were measured every 6 h (during storage at 16 °C and 75% RH for 24 h). In chlorenchyma cells, HHP ruptured betalain-storing vesicles in the cytoplasm and possibly increased the activity of endogenous enzymes. Contrarily, HHP released betalains from the vacuoles of parenchyma cells due to breaking of the tonoplast where they presented higher stability. In both tissues, phenolic compounds were released from cell walls with increasing pressure and enhanced by cell wall ultrastructural modifications (100 MPa), rupture (350 MPa) and the rearrangement of microfibrillated cellulose (600 MPa). Prickly pears submitted to HHP presented advanced senescence marked by considerable ethylene increase and the gradual loss of CO2 production after 6 h. Cells were viable at 100 MPa by conserving intact cell membranes and after 24 h their respiration rates presented no significant differences compared to controls therefore indicating the possibility of synthesis of bioactive compound as a response to abiotic stress. We have proposed a new approach for analyzing the effects of HHP and have identified the storing of betalains in vesicles located in the cytoplasm of chlorenchyma cells for the first time. This study is the first to fathom the dynamic morphological changes and release mechanisms of bioactive compounds in vegetable cells subjected to HHP.
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Opuntia/química , Opuntia/ultraestrutura , Compostos Fitoquímicos/análise , Compostos Fitoquímicos/química , Extratos Vegetais/análise , Extratos Vegetais/química , Betalaínas/química , Frutas , Pressão Hidrostática , MicroscopiaRESUMO
Lucuma is a starchy orange-yellow fruit native to the Andean region. It is widely consumed in Latin America and has been recently adapted to the agronomical characteristics of the south region of Spain. However, its carotenoid profile has never been reported. The aim of this study was to characterize the carotenoid and carotenoid ester composition of lucuma pulps (var. Molina and Beltran) and assess their bioaccessibility with an in vitro simulated gastrointestinal digestion according to the INFOGEST® methodology. The carotenoid profile in lucuma pulps revealed a high qualitative diversity composed of 33 compounds, corresponding to 9 free xanthophylls, 9 hydrocarbon carotenes and 15 xanthophyll esters. (13Z)-violaxanthin, (all-E)-violaxanthin and (all-E)-antheraxanthin were the most abundant carotenoids in lucuma fruits and were naturally present as xanthophyll esters: (all-E)-antheraxanthin 3-O-palmitate, (all-E)-violaxanthin laurate and (all-E)-violaxanthin palmitate. Carotenoids were stable during in vitro digestion; however, their release from the food matrix was limited which contributed to their low bioaccessibility.
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Carotenoides/análise , Pouteria/química , Cor , Digestão , Frutas/química , Luteína/análiseRESUMO
Zinc/aluminum layered double hydroxide (LDH) particles were prepared by alkaline precipitation in the presence of dysprosium and dysprosium/gadolinium cations. The particles formed were stable against exchange reactions with folate or glucuronate ions since these organic ions exclusively functionalized the external surface of the layered double hydroxides. While the dysprosium derivatives reached magnetization susceptibilities between 2.06 × 10-5 and 2.20 × 10-5 cm3/g, the samples simultaneously containing dysprosium and gadolinium decreased to a range between 1.08 × 10-5 and 1.73 × 10-5 cm3/g. This last sample was tested as a magnetic resonance imaging contrast agent and demonstrated a reduction in T1 and T2 relaxation times in a linear dependence with the LDH concentration. The oxidative stress assays in rat liver mitochondria demonstrated the low toxicity of the composition simultaneously containing dysprosium and gadolinium as well as the functionalization product with glucuronate ions, suggesting the potential of these particles to design alternative MRI contrast agents.
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AIM: This observational cohort study aimed: (i) to determine retrospectively after a 1- to 12-year follow-up period, the strength and independence of the association of various patient-, tooth- and treatment-related prognostic variables with the outcome of root canal treatment in patients with pre-therapeutic apical periodontitis; and (ii) to establish the concordance between those predictors evaluated by both cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) and digital periapical radiography (DPR). METHODOLOGY: The study cohort included 125 teeth in 84 individuals. The postoperative clinical signs/symptoms, plus DPR/CBCT-PAI estimations, were used to determine the healing outcome. For statistical analysis, results were dichotomized into completely healed periapical structures versus persistent disease cases. The association between candidate predictor variables with persistent disease was analysed individually and adjusted for confounders using a multivariate binary logistic regression model. RESULTS: The success rate was 53.6%. After logistic regression analysis, mandibular tooth location, periapical lesion size >10 mm, poor quality of the coronal restoration, lack of magnification/illumination, lack of disinfection of gutta-percha, time elapsed to definitive coronal restoration >1 week and poor density of root canal filling remained as robust predictors of failures. Concordance between DPR and CBCT scores varied from moderate to almost perfect agreement. CONCLUSIONS: The findings of this study suggest that several tooth- and treatment-related predictor variables, including tooth location, periapical radiolucency size, quality of the coronal restoration, magnification/illumination, disinfection of gutta-percha, time elapsed to definitive coronal restoration, as well as, the density of root canal filling may act strongly and independently for determining the root canal treatment outcome in teeth with pre-therapeutic apical periodontitis.
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Cavidade Pulpar , Periodontite Periapical , Estudos de Coortes , Tomografia Computadorizada de Feixe Cônico , Humanos , Prognóstico , Estudos Retrospectivos , Tratamento do Canal RadicularRESUMO
Food industries typically use Aloe vera as concentrated (100× to 200×) and dried powders in their final products. These powders are obtained by extrusion of Aloe inner leaf gel (ILG) or Aloe whole leaf (WLP); the juice is filtered through diatomaceous earth and activated carbon before spray drying at temperatures below 70 °C. In another process, Aloe inner leaf gel was dried at ~80 °C and mashed to a powder rich in high molecular weight fibres and soluble polysaccharides (ILF). In contrast to ILG and WLP, the ILF sample was cytotoxic for the human intestinal cell line Caco-2 (CC50 = 1 g/l), even at concentrations below the recommended dose for human consumption. At lower concentrations (250 mg/l) with LPS challenged macrophage-like THP-1 cells decreased by 40% the release of the anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10, whereas the release of the proinflammatory cytokine IL-1ß increased by 35% (compared to untreated but challenged macrophage-like THP-1 cells). Unexpectedly, under the same conditions, the less cytotoxic ILG and WLP, both samples with a lower fibre content, significantly increased (up to 2.4 times) the release of IL-10, while the concentration of IL-1ß remained unaltered and of TNFα decreased by 35%. Even more interesting is that a treatment of the ILF sample with activated carbon reduced its cytotoxicity and increased the IL-10 release (3.1 times). Based on these results, we suggest applying an activated carbon treatment on Aloe-starting products, which have high fibre content and have received high temperature treatment, in order to reduce their cytotoxicity and improve their immunomodulatory properties.
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Fruit by-products are being investigated as non-conventional alternative sources of dietary fiber (DF). High hydrostatic pressure (HHP) treatments have been used to modify DF content as well as its technological and physiological functionality. Orange, mango and prickly pear peels untreated (OU, MU and PPU) and HHP-treated at 600 MPa (OP/55 °C and 20 min, MP/22 °C and 10 min, PPP/55 °C and 10 min) were evaluated. Untreated and treated fruit peels were subjected to fecal in vitro fermentations. The neutral sugar composition and linkage glycosidic positions were related to the production of short chain fatty acids (SCFA) resulting from the fermentation of the materials. After HHP-treatments, changes from multibranched sugars to linear sugars were observed. After 24 h of fermentation, OP yielded the highest amount of SCFA followed by PPU and MP (389.4, 282.0 and 204.6 µmol/10 mg DF, respectively). HHP treatment increased the SCFA concentration of orange and mango peel by 7 and 10.3% respectively, compared with the untreated samples after 24 h of fermentation. The results presented herein suggest that fruit peels could be used as good fermentable fiber sources, because they yielded high amounts of SCFA during in vitro fermentations.
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Fibras na Dieta/metabolismo , Fezes/microbiologia , Fermentação , Frutas/química , Pressão , Fibras na Dieta/análise , Ácidos Graxos Voláteis/análise , Ácidos Graxos Voláteis/biossíntese , Concentração de Íons de Hidrogênio , Pressão Hidrostática , Compostos Fitoquímicos/químicaRESUMO
Seven out of eight methanolic extracts from five plants native to Mexico were inactive against ten bacterial strains of clinical interest. The fruit extract of Chenopodium ambrosioides inhibited the bacteria Enterococcus faecalis (MIC = 4375 µg/ml), Escherichia coli (MIC = 1094 µg/ml), and Salmonella typhimurium (MIC = 137 µg/ml). The fruit extract of C. ambrosioides was with CC50 = 45 µg/ml most cytotoxic against the cell-line Caco-2, followed by the leaf extract from Pithecellobium dulce (CC50 = 126 µg/ml); interestingly, leaves of C. ambrosioides (CC50 = 563 µg/ml) and bark of P. dulce (CC50 = 347 µg/ml) extracts were much less cytotoxic. We describe for the first time the cytotoxic effect from extracts of the aerial parts and the flowers of Cirsium mexicanum (CC50 = 323 µg/ml and CC50 = 250 µg/ml, resp.). Phytochemical analysis demonstrated for both extracts high tannin and saponin and low flavonoid content, while terpenoids were found in the flowers. For the first time we report a cytotoxicological study on an extract of Eryngium carlinae (CC50 = 356 µg/ml) and likewise the bark extract from Amphipterygium adstringens (CC50 = 342 µg/ml). In conclusion the fruit extract of C. ambrosioides is a potential candidate for further biological studies.
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A scanning system for specific absorption rate of ferrofluids with superparamagnetic nanoparticles is presented in this study. The system contains an induction heating device designed and built with a resonant inverter in order to generate magnetic field amplitudes up to 38 mT, over the frequency band 180-525 kHz. Its resonant circuit involves a variable capacitor with 1 nF of capacitance steps to easily select the desired frequency, reaching from 0.3 kHz/nF up to 5 kHz/nF of resolution. The device performance is characterized in order to compare with the theoretical predictions of frequency and amplitude, showing a good agreement with the resonant inverters theory. Additionally, the setup is tested using a synthetic iron oxide with 10 ± 1 nm diameter suspended in liquid glycerol, with concentrations at 1%. Meanwhile, the temperature rise is measured to determine the specific absorption rate and calculate the dissipated power density for each f. This device is a suitable alternative to studying ferrofluids and analyzes the dependence of the power absorption density with the magnetic field intensity and frequency.
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Localized rectal adenocarcinoma is a heterogeneous disease and current treatment recommendations are based on a preoperative multidisciplinary evaluation. High-resolution magnetic resonance imaging and endoscopic ultrasound are complementary to do a locoregional accurate staging. Surgery remains the mainstay of treatment and preoperative therapies with chemoradiation (CRT) or short-course radiation (SCRT) must be considered in more locally advanced cases. Novel strategies with induction chemotherapy alone or preceding or after CRT (SCRT) and surgery are in development.
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Adenocarcinoma/diagnóstico , Adenocarcinoma/terapia , Guias de Prática Clínica como Assunto , Neoplasias Retais/diagnóstico , Neoplasias Retais/terapia , Humanos , Espanha , Resultado do TratamentoRESUMO
Replication protein A-1 (RPA-1) is a single-stranded DNA-binding protein involved in DNA metabolism. We previously demonstrated the interaction between LaRPA-1 and telomeric DNA. Here, we expressed and purified truncated mutants of LaRPA-1 and used circular dichroism measurements and molecular dynamics simulations to demonstrate that the tertiary structure of LaRPA-1 differs from human and yeast RPA-1. LaRPA-1 interacts with telomeric ssDNA via its N-terminal OB-fold domain, whereas RPA from higher eukaryotes show different binding modes to ssDNA. Our results show that LaRPA-1 is evolutionary distinct from other RPA-1 proteins and can potentially be used for targeting trypanosomatid telomeres.
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DNA de Cadeia Simples/metabolismo , Leishmania , Proteínas de Protozoários/química , Proteínas de Protozoários/metabolismo , Proteína de Replicação A/química , Proteína de Replicação A/metabolismo , Telômero/genética , Sequência de Aminoácidos , Simulação por Computador , Humanos , Modelos Moleculares , Dados de Sequência Molecular , Oligonucleotídeos/metabolismo , Oligossacarídeos/metabolismo , Ligação Proteica , Estrutura Terciária de Proteína , Especificidade da EspécieRESUMO
A system for imaging magnetic surfaces using a magnetoresistive sensor array is developed. The experimental setup is composed of a linear array of 12 sensors uniformly spaced, with sensitivity of 150 pT*Hz(-1/2) at 1 Hz, and it is able to scan an area of (16 × 18) cm(2) from a separation of 0.8 cm of the sources with a resolution of 0.3 cm. Moreover, the point spread function of the multi-sensor system is also studied, in order to characterize its transference function and to improve the quality in the restoration of images. Furthermore, the images are generated by mapping the response of the sensors due to the presence of phantoms constructed of iron oxide, which are magnetized by a pulse of 80 mT. The magnetized phantoms are linearly scanned through the sensor array and the remanent magnetic field is acquired and displayed in gray levels using a PC. The images of the magnetic sources are reconstructed using two-dimensional generalized parametric Wiener filtering. Our results exhibit a very good capability to determine the spatial distribution of magnetic field sources, which produce magnetic fields of low intensity.
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INTRODUCTION: Prenatal care is a key strategy to reduce maternal mortality. The aims of this work were to ascertain the level of satisfaction of new mothers with their pregnancy monitoring and with the medical professionals who provided prenatal care. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: A descriptive study was conducted on 265 new mothers, 18-43 years of age, who had given birth at the Virgen de las Nieves University Hospital and the San Cecilio University Hospital in Granada (Spain) in April and May 2012. The data were collected with a questionnaire consisting of 28 items that elicited information from the subjects about their pregnancy, prenatal care activities, the healthcare professionals that provided the care, and those that they would like to monitor future pregnancies. There were also two open questions. The first was about the perceived needs of the participants and the second asked them to suggest ways that prenatal care could be improved. RESULTS: The majority of the subjects (59.6%) had given birth for the first time. The midwife was the healthcare professional who performed most of the monitoring activities and resolved their doubts and problems (32.74%), gave the subjects tranquility and security (37.86%) and listened to their worries (34.53%). The subjects' satisfaction with the healthcare professionals was generally high. This was particularly true of the midwife (90.75%). Half of the subjects surveyed said that they wanted the midwife, obstetrician and general practitioner to monitor their pregnancy. They also underlined the need for longer and more visits with the midwife as well as more consultations with the obstetrician and higher number of ultrasounds. CONCLUSIONS: The subjects were very satisfied with the work of the healthcare professionals that monitored their pregnancy, particularly with the midwife. However, they also highlighted expectations and needs that, if met, would increase their satisfaction.
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A scanning system developed for planar magnetic surfaces composed of a moving line of three magnetoresistive ultrasensitive transducers, complemented by a signal conditioning circuit is presented. After the calibration of the sensors, it was used to determine magnetized surface images with different shapes to evaluate the sensitivity of the device, and the images are represented in gray levels on a scale from 0 to 255 intensities, to get a visual representation of the magnetic field strength. The device is shown to be sensitive enough to detect gradients homogeneities and discontinuities in the magnetic field maps and images of magnetic susceptibility.