Seroprevalence and factors associated with hepatitis B virus exposure in the incarcerated population from southern Brazil.

Hepatitis B viral infection (HBV) in prisons poses serious public health challenges because it significantly contributes to the increase in both morbidity and mortality indicators worldwide. Research has shown high HBV prevalence among inmates when compared to the general population. In this study, we estimated the prevalence of HBV exposure and its risk factors among 1,132 inmates detained in high security institutions. A cross-sectional, epidemiological study was carried out in 11 male-only prisons in the State of Paraná, Brazil, between May 2015 to December 2016. HBV exposure was explored using a variety of methods, including HBsAg, anti-HBs, and total anti-HBc. Data were analyzed using univariate and multivariate techniques. The overall prevalence of HBV exposure was 11.9% (95% CI: 10.9-12.8), totaling 135 individuals. In the multivariate analyses, risk factors that remained statistically significant were related to the penitentiary location (Francisco Beltrão; OR = 5.59; 95% CI: 3.32-9.42), age (over 30 years; OR = 5.78; 95% CI: 3.58-9.34), undergoing tattooing procedures in prison (OR = 1.64; 95% CI: 1.03-2.60), self-reported sexual activities with a known drug user (OR = 1.67; 95% CI: 1.12-2.48) and having a history of previous history of hepatitis B or C infection (OR = 2.62; 95% CI: 1.48-4.64). The findings indicate that public policies-including vaccination, early diagnosis, harm reduction strategies, and adequate treatment-should be designed and delivered in the same way for both the incarcerated and the general population in order to reduce the prevalence of HBV and its associated consequences.

The use of probiotics and prebiotics can enable the ingestion of dairy products by lactose intolerant individuals.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate, through a systematic review, the efficiency of the clinical application of probiotic and prebiotic supplements in reducing the symptoms of lactose intolerance (LI). METHODS: This systematic review was conducted without limits for publication time and followed the PRISMA 2020 guidelines. The study was registered at the PROSPERO platform (CRD42022295691). The inclusion criteria were: studies addressing the issue of LI associated with the use of probiotics and prebiotics of any nature; studies performed with adults; randomized, placebo-controlled trials; and open access scientific articles, theses, or dissertations. The studies were retrieved from the following databases: SciELO, PubMed, LILACS, ScienceDirect, and gray literature, with no restrictions imposed regarding the years of publication of the investigations. To document the risk of bias, the RoB 2.0 tool was adopted, and to assess the certainty of the evidence, the GRADE tool was used. RESULTS: A total of 830 studies were found; however, after applying the inclusion and exclusion criteria, only five studies remained. Two studies used the prebiotic GOS (RP-G28) for the treatment of LI and, together, included 462 subjects. The results of these studies showed improvement of LI symptoms during treatment phase and up to 30 days after cessation of GOS use (RP-G28). Three studies used the probiotics Bifidobacterium bifidum 900791, Limosilactobacillus reuteri DSM 17938 (Lactobacillus reuteri), and Lactobacillus acidophilus DDS-1 to evaluate their effects on LI and comprised 117 subjects. The results showed that B. bifidum 900791 did not significantly improve LI symptoms, and only Limosilactobacillus reuteri DSM 17938 showed significant improvement in symptoms and in reduction of expired hydrogen, while Lactobacillus acidophilus DDS-1 showed significant improvement for LI symptoms. The risk of bias for studies on probiotics suggested concerns in all studies, whereas the risk of bias was low in investigations evaluating prebiotics, with only one study classified as concerning. The certainty of evidence was high for the studies using the GOS (RP-G28) prebiotic and low for the probiotics. Pooling for meta-analysis could not be performed due to the lack of similar probiotic strains or lack of common outcomes. CONCLUSION: In summary, the probiotics Limosilactobacillus reuteri DSM 17938 and Lactobacillus acidophilus DDS-1 showed the best results in the management of LI symptoms. The prebiotic GOS (RP-G28) appeared to be more efficient in reducing post-treatment symptoms. However, it is noteworthy that evidence regarding the use of probiotics for the management of LI is considerably scarce; as for prebiotics, data are limited. Studies adopting robust methodologies, especially regarding the complete reporting of data, are therefore warranted.

Antimicrobial activity and mineral composition of shiitake mushrooms cultivated on agricultural waste

The antimicrobial activity and mineral composition of shiitake mushrooms were evaluated in four isolates of Lentinula edodes. Mushrooms were cultivated on artificial logs, based on eucalyptus sawdust enriched with 20 percent rice, wheat, or soybean bran, or combination of 10 percent of two of these supplements. The substrates were humidified with a 0.1 percent mate tea extract or water. Logs of Eucalyptus grandis were also used to cultivate the shiitake mushrooms. The antimicrobial activity of an aqueous extract, corresponding to 40 mg of mushroom dry matter, was in some cases, depending on the isolate, able to inhibit both Bacillus subtilis and Escherichia coli K-12, independent of substrate composition or the growth stage of the mushrooms. Nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, magnesium and calcium concentrations varied according to the substrate on which the mushrooms were cultivated, being, generally, higher with cultivation on artificial rather than natural eucalyptus logs. It could be concluded that, in addition to the fungal isolate, substrate composition and, processing methods must be considered during the production of antimicrobial substance(s) as well as in the mushroom nutritional composition.