Cardiology researchers' practices and perceived barriers to open science: an international survey.

OBJECTIVE: Open science is a movement and set of practices to conduct research more transparently. Implementing open science will significantly improve public access and supports equity. It also has the potential to foster innovation and reduce duplication through data and materials sharing. Here, we survey an international group of researchers publishing in cardiovascular journals regarding their perceptions and practices related to open science. METHODS: We identified the top 100 'Cardiology and Cardiovascular Medicine' subject category journals from the SCImago journal ranking platform. This is a publicly available portal that draws from Scopus. We then extracted the corresponding author's name and email from all articles published in these journals between 1 March 2021 and 1 March 2022. Participants were sent a purpose-built survey about open science. The survey contained primarily multiple choice and scale-based questions for which we report count data and percentages. For the few text-based responses we conducted thematic content analysis. RESULTS: 198 participants responded to our survey. Participants had a mean response of 6.8 (N=197, SD=1.8) on a 9-point scale with endpoints, not at all familiar (1) and extremely familiar (9), when indicating how familiar they were with open science. When asked about where they obtained open science training, most participants indicated this was done on the job self-initiated while conducting research (n=103, 52%), or that they had no formal training with respect to open science (n=72, 36%). More than half of the participants indicated they would benefit from practical support from their institution on how to perform open science practices (N=106, 54%). A diversity of barriers to each of the open science practices presented to participants were acknowledged. Participants indicated that funding was the most essential incentive to adopt open science. CONCLUSIONS: It is clear that policy alone will not lead to the effective implementation of open science. This survey serves as a baseline for the cardiovascular research community's open science performance and perception and can be used to inform future interventions and monitoring.

Effect of short-term magnesium supplementation on anxiety, depression and sleep quality in patients after open-heart surgery

Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the effect of magnesium supplementation on anxiety, depression and sleep quality of patients after openheart surgery. Materials and Methods: Based on a clinical trial, 60 candidates for open-heart surgery were separated into control and intervention groups. In the intervention group, 500 mg of magnesium was administered daily in the form of two 250-mg magnesium oxide tablets for five days, and routine care was performed in the control group. Patients' demographic information and assessment based on the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) and Petersburg Sleep Quality Inventory (PSQI) were documented at the beginning of the study, after surgery and endotracheal intubation, and at the end of the study. Data were statistically analysed using Stata software version 13. Results: After the intervention, the mean level of magnesium in the intervention group was significantly higher (p=0.001). At the end of the study, the mean level of anxiety and depression was significantly lower in the intervention group than the control group (p=0.007), moreover, mean sleep quality improved in the intervention group (8.3 ± 2.1) compared to the control group (10.3 ± 2.0) (p=0.001). Conclusion: Due to the effects of magnesium supplementation in patients after heart surgery, it is recommended that this supplement be included in the treatment plan in order to prevent anxiety and depression in these patients after surgery and improve their quality of sleep.

Composition and functional profiling of the microbiota in the casts of Eisenia fetida during vermicomposting of brewers' spent grains.

Vermicomposting is a cost-effective biotechnology for the management of organic wastes that relies on the activity of earthworms and their associated microbiota. Here, the microbiotas of the earthworm Eisenia fetida fed with brewers' spent grains (FBSG), cow manure (FCM) and a mix of brewers' spent grains/cow manure (FMIX), were identified by high-throughput DNA sequencing (16S rRNA). Bacterial community variance was correlated with the pH and the organic carbon content of the rearing substrates. FBSG microbiota was enriched in Paenibacillaceae, Enterobacteriaceae, Chitinophagaceae and Comamonadaceae. In addition, FBSG microbiota had a predicted higher abundance of genes involved in cellulose degradation as well as in the nitrogen cycle and showed higher utilization of ammonia and nitrate. Results obtained will allow to optimize the vermicomposting of brewers' spent grains and to evaluate the effect of vermicompost addition on nutrient dynamics in soil.

Comparative analysis of vermicompost quality produced from brewers' spent grain and cow manure by the red earthworm Eisenia fetida.

Brewers' spent grain (BSG) is a by-product of brewing that is usually used as low-value animal feed, although it can be better exploited in biotechnological processes, such as vermicomposting. Here, the chemical, biochemical and microbiological qualities of vermicomposts produced by the earthworm Eisenia fetida were evaluated using three substrates: BSG; cow manure (CM); BSG plus cow manure (1:1; BSG/CM). Over after 5 months of bioconversion by earthworms and microorganisms (thereafter vermicomposting), BSG and BSG/CM showed reduced total organic carbon, and increased total nitrogen and total humic substances like (HSl), suggesting enhanced mineralisation and stabilisation. Suitability of BSG as substrate for earthworms was confirmed by the earthworm fatty acid profile, characterised by prevalence of C:17, C18:1, C18:2 and C18:3 fatty acids. Higher fungi and yeast abundance in BSG vermicompost was accompanied by higher dehydrogenase activity. E. coli, Salmonella spp. and Ochratoxin A levels were below the legal limits.