Honey is a natural substance appreciated for its therapeutic abilities since ancient times. Its content in flavonoids and phenolic acids plays a key role on human health, thanks to the high antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties that they exert. Honey possesses antimicrobial capacity and anticancer activity against different types of tumors, acting on different molecular pathways that are involved on cellular proliferation. In addition, an antidiabetic activity has also been highlighted, with the reduction of glucose, fructosamine, and glycosylated hemoglobin serum concentration. Honey exerts also a protective effect in the cardiovascular system, where it mainly prevents the oxidation of low-density lipoproteins, in the nervous system, in the respiratory system against asthma and bacterial infections, and in the gastrointestinal system. A beneficial effect of honey can also be demonstrated in athletes. The purpose of this review is to summarize and update the current information regarding the role of honey in health and diseases.

Berry fruits are rich in nutrients and polyphenols, providing potential health benefits. Understanding the factors that affect their bioavailability is becoming of utmost importance for evaluating their biological significance and efficacy as functional food. In this study, the phytochemical composition and the total antioxidant capacity of different varieties of five berries (blackberry, blackcurrant, blueberry, raspberry, and strawberry) were evaluated after an in vitro gastrointestinal digestion process. The cultivar of each berry that showed the higher content of total phenols and flavonoids was selected to study its cytotoxic effect on human hepatoma cells. Digestion resulted in a high reduction (p ˂ 0.05) of total phenolic, flavonoid and anthocyanin contents and total antioxidant capacity, in the “IN” samples compared to the “OUT” extracts, which represent the “serum-available” and the “colon-available” fractions, respectively. Incubation of the digested fraction for 24 h didn’t exert any effect on cellular viability, while a dose- and time-dependent cytotoxicity was observed after 48 h and 72 h of incubation for all the berries analyzed. Our results suggest that the approach proposed in this work may represent a rapid tool for evaluating and identifying new berries with increased phytochemical bioavailability, highlighting their antiproliferative agents after an in vitro digestion.

The objectives this study were to examine the integrated use of oil–coagulant for the direct extraction of coagulant from Moringa oleifera (MO) with 5% and 10% (NH₄)₂SO₄ extractor solution to harvest Scenedesmus obliquus cultivated in urban wastewater and to analyze the oil extracted from MO and S. obliquus. An average content of 0.47 g of coagulant and 0.5 g of oil per gram of MO was obtained. Highly efficient algal harvest, 80.33% and 72.13%, was achieved at a dose of 0.38 g L⁻¹ and pH 8–9 for 5% and 10% extractor solutions, respectively. For values above pH 9, the harvest efficiency decreases, producing a whitish water with 10% (NH₄)₂SO₄ solution. The oil profile (MO and S. obliquus) showed contents of SFA of 36.24–36.54%, monounsaturated fatty acids of 32.78–36.13%, and polyunsaturated fatty acids of 27.63–30.67%. The biodiesel obtained by S. obliquus and MO has poor cold flow properties, indicating possible applications limited to warm climates. For both biodiesels, good fuel ignition was observed according to the high cetane number and positive correlation with SFA and negative correlation with the degree of saturation. This supports the use of MO as a potentially harmless bioflocculant for microalgal harvest in wastewater, contributing to its treatment, and a possible source of low-cost biodiesel.

Seven aromatic polyamides and copolyamides were synthesized from two different aromatic diamines: 4,4′-(Hexafluoroisopropylidene)bis(p-phenyleneoxy)dianiline (HFDA) and 2,4-Aminobenzenesulfonic acid (DABS). The synthesis was carried out by polycondensation using isophthaloyl dichloride (1SO). The effect of an increasing molar concentration of the sulfonated groups, from DABS, in the copolymer properties was evaluated. Inherent viscosity tests were carried out to estimate molecular weights. Mechanical tests were carried out under tension, maximum strength ( $\mathsf{\sigma }$ _max), Young’s modulus (E), and elongation at break (ε_max) to determine their mechanical properties. Tests for water sorption and ion exchange capacity (IEC) were carried out. Proton conductivity was measured using electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). The results indicate that as the degree of sulfonation increase, the greater the proton conductivity. The results obtained showed conductivity values lower than the commercial membrane Nafion 115 of 0.0065 S cm⁻¹. The membrane from copolyamide HFDA/DABS/1S0-70/30 with 30 mol DABS obtained the best IEC, with a value of 0.747 mmol g⁻¹ that resulted in a conductivity of 2.7018 × 10⁻⁴ S cm⁻¹, lower than the data reported for the commercial membrane Nafion 115. According to the results obtained, we can suggest that further developments increasing IEC will render membranes based on aromatic polyamides that are suitable for their use in PEM fuel cells.

A video monitoring system has been used in order to track the morphology of an estuary located in La Rabia, due to the high time-space resolution provided by this system. Moreover, the data collection infrastructure allows us to extract relevant information at a relatively low cost. The methodology used to make the image capture and its post-processing procedure, permitted the detection and monitoring of a new tidal channel appearance as well as its evolution in width until it achieved equilibrium. During the course towards this balance, we could observe the characteristic phenomena for this type of process such as incisional narrowing and increase in width.