Enhanced low-cost lipopeptide biosurfactant production by Bacillus velezensis from residual glycerin.

Biosurfactants (BSFs) are molecules produced by microorganisms from various carbon sources, with applications in bioremediation and petroleum recovery. However, the production cost limits large-scale applications. This study optimized BSFs production by Bacillus velezensis (strain MO13) using residual glycerin as a substrate. The spherical quadratic central composite design (CCD) model was used to standardize carbon source concentration (30 g/L), temperature (34 °C), pH (7.2), stirring (239 rpm), and aeration (0.775 vvm) in a 5-L bioreactor. Maximum BSFs production reached 1527.6 mg/L of surfactins and 176.88 mg/L of iturins, a threefold increase through optimization. Microbial development, substrate consumption, concentration of BSFs, and surface tension were also evaluated on the bioprocess dynamics. Mass spectrometry Q-TOF-MS identified five surfactin and two iturin isoforms produced by B. velezensis MO13. This study demonstrates significant progress on BSF production using industrial waste as a microbial substrate, surpassing reported concentrations in the literature.

The effects of nature-based vs. indoor settings on the adaptability, performance and affect of calisthenics exercisers. A registered report.

Comparisons of the beneficial effects of nature-based versus indoor physical activity have been extensively reported, but existing research addresses mainly aerobic activity (running, jogging), not resistance or mixed (aerobic and resistance) exercise. It is unclear if the psychological benefits extend to functionality, i.e., if participants perform their activities better in nature, and how movement is expressed in nature-based and indoor environments, during similar exercise. The present registered report was a randomized controlled trial investigating how engaging in similar resistance-based exercise (calisthenics) in nature-based and indoor settings differed in affective valence, perceived exertion, visual attention, movement adaptability, heart rate variability, and performance. Nature-based exercisers (N = 51) showed increased performance output than indoor exercisers (N = 53) (p < 0.001). There were no group differences in affective valence, perceived exertion, or visual attention. However, psychological states of nature-based exercisers showed stronger associations to performance output (r < 0.33) than those of indoor exercisers (r < 0.03). Nature-based exercisers' movement variability and structure, measured with non-linear and fractal techniques (Sample Entropy and Detrended Fluctuation Analysis), were more regular (p < 0.001) and more functionally adaptive (long-term Detrended Fluctuation Analysis, p = 0.022) to achieve better performance output. Heart rate variability measures were not different between groups. Distinct environments can influence movement adaptability in a calisthenics exercise routine, and ultimately contribute to better performance. These results show how action is specific to task environment, and how action implies not only the task, but also the characteristics of the environment. TRIAL REGISTRATION: NCT05090501 (Clinicaltrials.gov). Registered October 21, 2021.

Prevalence of Neisseria gonorrhoeae and Chlamydia trachomatis infections among adolescent men who have sex with men and transgender women in Salvador, Northeast Brazil.

Adolescent men who have sex with men (AMSM) and transgender women (ATGW) enrolled as part of the PrEP1519 study between April 2019 and February 2021 in Salvador were tested for Neisseria gonorrhoeae (NG) and Chlamydia trachomatis (CT) infections.We performed real-time polymerase chain reaction using oropharyngeal, anal, and urethral swabs; assessed factors associated with NG and CT infections using multivariable Poisson regression analysis with robust variance; and estimated the prevalence ratios (PRs) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs). In total, 246 participants were included in the analyses (median age: 18.8; IQR: 18.2-19.4 years). The overall oropharyngeal, anal, and urethral prevalence rates of NG were 17.9%, 9.4%, 7.6%, and 1.9%, respectively. For CT, the overall, oropharyngeal, anal, and urethral prevalence rates were 5.9%, 1.2%, 2.4%, and 1.9%, respectively. A low level of education, clinical suspicion of STI (and coinfection with Mycoplasma hominis were associated with NG infection. The prevalence of NG and CT, especially extragenital infections, was high in AMSM and ATGW. These findings highlight the need for testing samples from multiple anatomical sites among adolescents at a higher risk of STI acquisition, implementation of school-based strategies, provision of sexual health education, and reduction in barriers to care.

Prevalence of Mollicutes among men who have sex with men and transgender women aged 15 to 19 years in Salvador, North-eastern Brazil.

BACKGROUND: Some species of Mollicutes have been associated with different pathologies of the urogenital tract in humans, with a high prevalence among adult men who have sex with men (MSM) and transgender women (TGW). However, few studies have been performed to investigate its prevalence among adolescents. In this study, we estimated the initial prevalence of Mycoplasma genitalium (MG), Mycoplasma hominis (MH), Ureaplasma urealyticum (UU), and Ureaplasma parvum (UP); the rate of misdiagnosis at different anatomical sites; and the associated factors with positive tests for Mollicutes among MSM and TGW aged 15 to 19 years enrolled in the PrEP1519 study. METHODS: PrEP-1519 is the first study to investigate the effectiveness of pre-exposure prophylaxis for human immunodeficiency virus among adolescent MSM and TGW aged 15 to 19 in Latin America. Oral, anal, and urethral swabs were taken from 246 adolescents upon enrolment in the study to detect MG, MH, UU, and UP by quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR). Bivariate and multivariate analyses were conducted by Poisson regression and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) were estimated. RESULTS: The prevalence of Mollicutes was 32.1%. UU was the most prevalent species (20.7%), followed by MH (13.4%), MG (5.7%), and UP (3.2%); 67.3% of the positive samples would have been missed if only urethral samples had been taken. Receptive anal sex (prevalence ratio [PR] = 1.79; 95% CI = 1.07-3.01) and clinical suspicion of sexually transmitted infection (PR = 1.62; 95% CI = 1.01-2.61) were factors associated with the detection of Mollicutes in general. Group sex (PR = 1.98; 95% CI = 1.12-3.50) and receptive anal sex (PR = 2.36; 95% CI = 0.95-5.86) were associated with the detection of Mycoplasma spp. No sociodemographic, clinical, or behavioural variable was significantly associated with the detection of Ureaplasma spp. CONCLUSIONS: A high prevalence of Mollicutes was observed among adolescent MSM and TGW, especially at extragenital sites. Further research is required to understand the epidemiological profile of high-risk adolescents in different regions and contexts, and to investigate the pathogenesis of Mollicutes in the oral and anal mucosa before routine screening can be recommended in clinical practice.

Cardiotoxicity in cancer patients treated with chemotherapy: A systematic review.

Objective: The objective of the study was to assess the incidence of chemotherapy cardiotoxicity. Methods: This is a systematic review carried out through the PubMed, VHL and Scientific Electronic Library Online databases, using the descriptors "Cardiotoxicity" and "Chemotherapy" associated with the Boolean operator "AND." Initially, 15,090 articles were found between 2015 and 2021. After applying the defined inclusion and exclusion criteria, 80 studies remained, of which 27 underwent complete reading, after which all were included in the study. Results: In total, 32,009 cancer patients were analyzed, of which 27,270 (85.2%) were female. Breast cancer was the most frequent neoplasm, with 11,145 (34.8%) cases. Regarding the type of chemotherapy, anthracycline was the most prevalent, analyzed in 18 (66.7%) studies, followed by trastuzumab, in 9 (33.3%) studies. Of the studies evaluated, five did not present any case of cardiotoxicity, a total of 2255 (8.3%) cases were recorded, in addition other outcomes mentioned in patients after chemotherapy were arrhythmia (n = 522), acute coronary syndrome (n = 185), diastolic dysfunction (n = 184), cardiomyopathy (n = 161), and arterial hypertension (n = 89). Conclusion: Post-chemotherapeutic cardiotoxicity was mentioned in most studies, being present in a relevant percentage of the sample. Furthermore, these patients may develop other cardiovascular events.

Translation and Construct Validity of the Feeling Scale and the Felt Arousal Scale in Portuguese Recreational Exercisers / Traducción y Validez de Constructo de la Feeling Scale y la Felt Arousal Scale en Ejercitadores Recreativos Portugueses / Tradução e Validade de Constructo da Feeling Scale e Felt Arousal Scale em Praticantes Portugueses de Exercício Recreacional

La Feeling Scale y la Felt Arousal Scale son escalas ampliamente utilizadas en la investigación del deporte. En este estudio, las escalas originales fueron traducidas del inglés al portugués. Posteriormente, se comprobó si las puntuaciones de afecto y activación en el Self-Assessment Manikin, una escala basada en imágenes, predecían las puntuaciones en la Feeling Scale y en la Felt Arousal Scale en 47 deportistas recreativos portugueses, antes y después de una sesión de ejercicio. El Self-Assessment Manikin mostró correlaciones de moderadas a fuertes con la Feeling Scale (r = 0.70 y r = 0.56, p < 0.01) y la Felt Arousal Scale (r = 0.65 y r = 0.72, p < 0.01), y un poder predictivo sustancial sobre la Feeling Scale (R2 = 47% y R2 = 31%) y la Felt Arousal Scale (R2 = 42% y R2 = 52%). En base a este estudio, la Feeling Scale y la Felt Arousal Scale demostraron ser instrumentos válidos para medir el afecto y la excitación en los ejercitantes recreativos portugueses. (AU)

The Feeling Scale and Felt Arousal Scale are widely used in sport research. They provide a practical assessment of self-reported affect and arousal during exercise. The original scales were translated from English to Portuguese. Afterward, it was tested if the affect and arousal scores in the picture-based Self-Assessment Manikin predicted the scores in the Feeling Scale and the Felt Arousal Scale in 47 Portuguese recreational exercisers, before and after an exercise session. Self-Assessment Manikin showed moderate-to-strong correlations with the Feeling Scale (r = 0.70 and r = 0.56, p < 0.01) and the Felt Arousal Scale (r = 0.65 and r = 0.72, p < 0.01), and substantial predictive power over the Feeling Scale (R2 = 47% and R2 = 31%) and the Felt Arousal Scale (R2 = 42% and R2 = 52%). The Feeling Scale and Felt Arousal Scale are valid instruments to measure affect and arousal in Portuguese exercisers. (AU)

A Feeling Scale e a Felt Arousal Scale são amplamente utilizadas na investigação em desporto. Fornecem uma avaliação prática dos estados psicológicos de afeto e da ativação durante o exercício. Neste estudo, as escalas originais foram traduzidas do inglês para português. Posteriormente, testou-se se a pontuação do afeto e da ativação na Self-Assessment Manikin, uma escala baseada em imagens, previa a pontuação na Feeling Scale e na Felt Arousal Scale em 47 desportistas recreativos portugueses, antes e depois de uma sessão de exercício. A Self-Assessment Manikin mostrou correlações moderadas a fortes com a Feeling Scale (r = 0.70 e r = 0.56, p < 0.01) e com a Felt Arousal Scale (r = 0.65 e r = 0.72, p < 0,01), e um poder preditivo substancial sobre a Feeling Scale (R2 = 47% e R2 = 31%) e a Felt Arousal Scale (R2 = 42% e R2 = 52%). A Feeling Scale e a Felt Arousal Scale são instrumentos válidos para medir o afeto e a ativação em desportistas recreativos portugueses (AU)

An ecological dynamics perspective on designing urban nature environments for wellbeing and health-enhancing physical activity.

The latest World Health Organization report on green and blue space and mental health (2021) calls for greater, and better, urban nature environments, i. e., "wilder" urban parks, tree-laden sidewalks, and overall presence of nature in the urban environment. Evidence shows that living close to and interacting with nature promotes benefits to numerous health and well-being indicators. The present article narratively reviews what are the aspects of urban nature environments that enhance health and wellbeing markers, which aspects are preferred among users and visitors of urban nature environments, and how can the benefits for health and wellbeing be understood from a theoretical perspective. Finally, guided by the ecological dynamics framework, suggestions are put forward on how designers and planners of urban nature environments can consider affordances to promote physical activity behavior, health and wellbeing; and how exercise and health researchers and professionals may channel the interaction of individuals with the nature environment in their interventions and programs.

The Lockdown Impact on the Relations between Portuguese Parents and Their 1- to 3-Year-Old Children during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Many countries have applied mandatory confinement measures in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, such as school and kindergarten closures, which confined families to their homes. The study concerns the impacts of the first COVID-19 lockdown on the relationships between Portuguese parents and their children, in a non-clinical population composed of fathers and mothers of children between the ages of 12 months and 3 years and 364 days. An online questionnaire (set by the research team) and the Parenting Daily Hassles Scale (PDHS) concerning the confinement period were applied between 17 June and 29 July 2020. To assess the impacts of the lockdown, outcomes regarding the impacts perceived by the parents, the potential regression in the development of children, and the willingness to promote changes in family routines in the future, were considered. Of the total sample (n = 1885), 95.4% of the parents (n = 1798) said that, after confinement, the relationship with their children had improved or remained similar to the pre-confinement period; 97.3% (n = 1835) noticed positive changes in the development of their children, and 63.7% (n = 1200) noted that the relationships with their children during the confinement period would lead to some changes in family routines in the future. Multivariate regression analyses showed that most of the sociodemographic variables chosen were not associated with the outcomes. However, significant levels of pressure over parenting and parental overload (reported by high scores in the PDHS intensity and frequency scales), challenging behaviors of the children, and the impacts they had on parental tasks had negative influences on the studied outcomes. On the contrary, the number of adults living with their children, the perceptions regarding the development of their children, and sharing new experiences with them were significant factors for positively-perceived impacts on the relationships between them or in the desire to bring about changes in family routines in the future. The impacts of the lockdown on the relationships between parents and children aged between 1 and 3 years old were more dependent on relational aspects and on the parents' sense of competence in exercising parental functions. We conclude that, despite the increased demands imposed by the lockdown, nearly all of the parents evaluated the quality of the relationship with their children as positive after this period.

Exchange Broadening Underlies the Enhancement of IDE-Dependent Degradation of Insulin by Anionic Membranes.

Insulin-degrading enzyme (IDE) is an evolutionarily conserved ubiquitous zinc metalloprotease implicated in the efficient degradation of insulin monomer. However, IDE also degrades monomers of amyloidogenic peptides associated with disease, complicating the development of IDE inhibitors. In this work, we investigated the effects of the lipid composition of membranes on the IDE-dependent degradation of insulin. Kinetic analysis based on chromatography and insulin's helical circular dichroic signal showed that the presence of anionic lipids in membranes enhances IDE's activity toward insulin. Using NMR spectroscopy, we discovered that exchange broadening underlies the enhancement of IDE's activity. These findings, together with the adverse effects of anionic membranes in the self-assembly of IDE's amyloidogenic substrates, suggest that the lipid composition of membranes is a key determinant of IDE's ability to balance the levels of its physiologically and pathologically relevant substrates and achieve proteostasis.

Benefits to Performance and Well-Being of Nature-Based Exercise: A Critical Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Prior reviews point to the superior benefits of exercising in nature vs in conventional indoor venues, particularly in terms of well-being. However, physical exercise performance, neither in terms of efficacy nor efficiency, has not been sufficiently addressed by past reviews of this topic. Therefore, we conducted both a systematic review and meta-analysis of the experimental literature that relates to differences in exercise performance and well-being between exercising in nature and in conventional indoor venues. Forty-nine relevant studies─the outcome data of which were used for the systematic review─were located within the Web of Science, PubMed, and Scopus databases. The meta-analyses, using data from twenty-four of the relevant studies, revealed no significant overall environmental effect on task performance efficacy outcomes (p = 0.100). For nature-based exercise, however, marginally positive cognitive performance outcomes (p = 0.059), lower ratings of perceived exhaustion (p = 0.001), and higher levels of vigor (p = 0.017) were observed, indicating higher performance efficiency. As for the effects of environment on well-being, positive affect was significantly higher for nature-based exercise (p = 0.000), while perceived stress was significantly higher for indoor exercise (p = 0.032). These results must, however, be interpreted with caution. High levels of bias and between-study heterogeneity were observed. Nonetheless, given several noticeable trends in the results, it may be that exercising in nature enhances the efficiency of exercise task performance to a greater extent than does indoor exercise.

Corrigendum to "Effectiveness of a bio-catalytic agent used in the bioremediation of crude oil-polluted seawater" [Heliyon 7 (4), (April 2021) Article e06926].

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2021.e06926.].

Estudo da prevalência da co-infecção HIV/HCV no município de Bragança Paulista - SP no periodo de 1992 a 2004 / HIV/HCV coinfection prevalence study in the city of Braganca Paulista - SP during the period from 1992 to 2004

A infecção pelo vírus da hepatite C (HCV) vem se tornando um agravo importante na saúde do portador do vírus HIV com a piora significativa no prognostico, devido a insuficiencia hepatica e carcinoma hepatocelular. Frente a esta situação, determinar a prevalência da co-infecção HIV/HCV é de extrema importância. A pesquisa foi feita por meio de um estudo retrospectivo baseado no levantamento de prontuários de pacientess do programa DST/AIDS do Centro de Saúde de Bragança Paulista (Secretaria de Saúde) e do Hospital Universitário São Francisco (HUSF) no período de 1992 a 2004. Foram levantados 184 prontuários de pacientes com sorologia positiva para o HIV. Desse universo de pacientes, 141 realizaram o teste, sendo positivo em 47 pacientes (33,3porcento) e negativo em 89 (66,7 porcento); 43 não realizaram o teste (23,4porcento). A analise estatistica dos dados demonstrou um número significativamente maior de HIV positivos do sexo masculino (p<0,04), bem como uma maior quantidade de testes para o virus HCV realizados em homens (p<0,03). Observou-se ainda uma positividade altamente significativa na sorologia para o vírus HCV, sendo maior em homens que em mulheres (p<0,0005). O presente estudo confirma a alta prevalência de sorologia positiva para o vírus da hepatite C em pacientes com HIV na cidade de Bragança Paulista - SP . Observa-se a necessidade de solicitação de exames de sorologia para o HCV de rotina em todos os pacientes portadores do HIV