The enormous biological potential of herbal products is one of the main reasons for their frequent use in the production of dietary supplements and functional foods, which, in addition to their nutritional properties, have pharmacological and physiological effects. New scientific knowledge on the isolation of pharmacologically active compounds from complex matrices has led to significant advances in this field. Today, the process of extraction plays a significant scientific role, with “green” technologies occupying a special place in today’s science. Herbal medicine is one of the oldest human skills, which has worn off with its centuries-old application in the path of modern medicine. Microwave-assisted extraction, or more simply, microwave extraction, is a new extraction technique that combines traditional extraction solvents and microwaves. The mentioned method takes less time, consumes less energy, and has strong penetration power into the plant matrix to obtain more oils, but it can also reduce production costs. This can eventually increase the quality of the final product and reduce the product price at the consumer level. Microwave-assisted extraction could be useful to the herbal industry for oil extraction as well as other pharmaceutically important plant components. Based on a comparison and study of published literature, this research examines the present state of extraction procedures. This review includes a detailed discussion of the most important extraction techniques.

According to the United Nations, by 2050, about 68% of the world’s population will live in urban areas. This population increase requires environmental resilience and planning ability to reduce the negative environmental impacts associated with growth. In this scenario, life cycle analysis, whose standards were introduced by ISO 14000 series, is an essential tool. From this perspective, smart cities whose concern about environmental sustainability is paramount corroborating SDG 11. This study aims to provide a holistic view of environmental technologies developed by Brazilian inventors, focused on life cycle analysis, which promotes innovation by helping cities build greener, more efficient, resilient, and sustainable environments. The methodology of this article was an exploratory study and investigated the scenario of patents in the life cycle. 209 patent processes with Brazilian inventors were found in the Espacenet database. Analyzing each of the results individually revealed processes related to air quality, solid waste, and environmental sanitation. The review of patent processes allowed mapping of the technological advances linked to life cycle analysis, finding that the system is still little explored and can present competitive advantages for cities.

Acute abdomen is a frequent clinical picture in emergency diagnostics. Pathologic changes of the female genital organs play an important role. Gynecologic emergencies threaten fertility and are potentially life-threatening. Many differential diagnoses must be considered in the diagnostic process, depending on the age of the patient and any pregnancy. In particular, acute gastrointestinal symptoms often cannot be differentiated from gynecologic emergencies on clinical examination. Here, imaging makes a significant contribution to narrowing the differential diagnosis, making treatment decisions, and monitoring therapy. This review article will discuss the central role of imaging in the context of common gynecologic emergencies.