Luis Monteiro Rodrigues

download the pdf version here [+] doi: 10.19277/bbr.18.1.e 

Editorial BBR 18.1

This issue in brief - a renewed vision

The alteration of our normal paths in the last two years created countless challenges around the world, and yet time marched on. As Editor-in-Chief, I am proud that BBR continued forward, thanks to the combined effort of our authors, our reviewers, and our editors. We continued to work to improve our organizational, technical, and scientific quality, and have taken the opportunity to remind ourselves of our vision and prioritise our objectives. From the beginning, our goal with this unique project has been to foster societal progress through knowledge with impact on (individual as in community) health within the Portuguese speaking countries around the world. Still, we recognize that the world is small, and that positive impact with our lusofone universe can positively impact the world at large, and the converse is also true. Our steps forward for this number include operation improvements in our submission and review processes, and important evolutions in our editorial policies, including diversity, equity, and equality, and in our scope, with more and more focus in core issues around the founding domains of Biomedical and Biopharmaceutical Sciences. Our commitment to excellence finds a clear expression in these examples, and we intend to continue to actively consolidate our future in this direction.

BBR is now exclusively structured in these two domains. The Biomedical Sciences section begins with an original cross-sectional study on the the “Impact of the year of graduation on the positioning of nutrition professionals regarding the vegetarian diet,“ a recognised trend that still does not gather an unanimous recognition among nutrition professionals (Biomed Biopharm Res., 2021; 18(1): 4-14; 10.19277/bbr.18.1.248).

The next manuscript is an original exploratory paper comparing the vegetarian-vegan and omnivore body composition of young women. In recent years, vegetarian-vegan diets have gained many followers, though systematic reviews regarding the purported advantages over traditional diets are lacking. An interesting set of results involving the adipose component, in particular, justifies the need for larger study samplings, currently ongoing (Biomed & Biopharm Res., 2021; 18(1): 15-24; 10.19277/bbr.18.1.258).

Another research paper investigating the inhibitory activity of methanolic fruit extracts from several south America species on α-amylase and intestinal α-glucosidase (maltose and sucrose) follows. A potential application of some of these nutrients in the control of glycemia is envisaged (Biomed & Biopharm Res., 2021; 18(1): 25-37; 10.19277/bbr.18.1.259).

The next original paper approaches the in vivo effects of skin topically applied methylnicotinate (MN), one of the most popular challengers used in experimental dermatology. Some questions regarding MN mechanisms remain unanswered, but the results seem to reinforce the good safety profile of this product for human in vivo studies (Biomed & Biopharm Res., 2021; 18(1): 38-47; 10.19277/bbr.18.1.257).

The section continues with with a review on brain metastases from patients with HER2+ metastatic breast cancer, a growing concern in oncology. This review updates current systemic treatment options for these patients and presents a case study in a Portuguese population (Biomed & Biopharm Res., 2021; 18(1): 48-61; 10.19277/bbr.18.1.253).

Closing this section, the Clinical Case category includes an interesting analysis report regarding “herpetiform dermatitis” (Biomed & Biopharm Res., 2021; 18(1): 62-67; 10.19277/bbr.18.1.250).

The Biopharmaceutical Sciences section begins with a research paper on new procedures in community pharmacy practice involving medication review of patients’ electronic records to identify by criteria-based algorithms, patient clusters. This practice will progress to be fully automated, providing tailored pharmacy services (Biomed & Biopharm Res., 2021; 18(1): 68-82; 10.19277/bbr.18.1.251).

The next research paper addresses the acceptability of a kefir drink investigated for its impact on cutaneous health. This dairy product has been referred as especially beneficial to various human health conditions (Biomed & Biopharm Res., 2021; 18(1): 83-91; 10.19277/bbr.18.1.252).

Another original paper focuses on the use of industrial waste as a resource for modern sustainable industry and environmental preservation. This paper shows results from the sensory analysis of grape pomace flour cookies addressing a current issue for many researchers today (Biomed & Biopharm Res., 2021; 18(1): 92-102; 10.19277/bbr.18.1.249).

Continuing this section is an interesting paper concerning the enrichment of French bread with chromium, a strategy associated with improved glycemic control, and confirms that it is possible to produce this chromium enriched - yeast with no compromise of the production technology or the bread’s physical characteristics (Biomed & Biopharm Res., 2021; 18(1): 103-113; 10.19277/bbr.18.1.255).

In sequence, another research paper on natural products, a major regular theme in our editions. The Plectranthus species, a well-known medicinal species with recognised pharmacology, is revisited regarding cytotoxic activities. Results from Royleanone derivatives on brine shrimp (Artemia salina) are here analysed and discussed also in the perspective of the toxicity screening model here applied (Biomed & Biopharm Res., 2021; 18(1): 114-122; 10.19277/bbr.18.1.254).

Closing this section is a paper centred in a current concern from R&D in assuring, as part of the sustainability chain, the safety of new ingredients including compounds used for actives extraction. In this case, the focus is the extraction of collagen, a key ingredient within the cosmetic industry, studying cytotoxic and genotoxic effects of certain solutions used in the extraction process (Biomed & Biopharm Res., 2021; 18(1): 123-138, 10.19277/bbr.18.1.256).

Finally, this issue also includes one additional Supplement only available in this online version – the Abstract Book of the Fascination of Plants Day, an important meeting supported by our journal (Biomed & Biopharm Res., 2021; 18(1): S139-S155, 10.19277/bbr.18.1.260). Held in Lisboa in May at the Universidade Lusofona, the theme this year was “Get to know herbal medicines better.”

L Monteiro Rodrigues
Editor