Understanding Experiences of Fibromyalgia Patients Involved in the Fimouv Study During COVID-19 Lockdown.

Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic implied a period of lockdown for the general population, increasing the risk to develop some physical or mental disorders. In fibromyalgia patients, these disorders are part of the large clinical picture of the syndrome. Fibromyalgia management is especially based on a regular practice of physical activity. Lockdown imposed a break in rhythms, requiring a restructuring of scheduling. Thus, the present study aimed to investigate the experiences of fibromyalgia patients during COVID-19 lockdown using a qualitative analysis. Method: 19 patients (52 ± 9 years old) who completed a 3-month therapeutic education and/or supervised physical activity program were invited to participate (Fimouv study, Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04107948). A sociologist collected data by means of semi-structured interviews and analyzed them using thematic content analysis. Results: Lockdown exacerbated the main symptoms of fibromyalgia, but adjusting the rhythms of life to fluctuations of these symptoms allowed a better quality of life. Patients felt the lack of physical activity and 68% found alternatives to remain physically active. The reduction of social constraints allowed them to better contend with their pathology. Fibromyalgia stopped being a main priority. Conclusion: Lockdown was positively experienced by fibromyalgia patients. They linked the absence of physical activity with increased pain and fatigue. Nevertheless, reducing social constraints could be a key for fibromyalgia management, where symptoms seemed to take less space in everyday life. Clinical Trial Registration: www.ClinicalTrials.gov, identifier: NCT04107948.

Nonylphenol polyethoxylate adjuvant mitigates the reproductive toxicity of fomesafen on the freshwater snail Lymnaea stagnalis in outdoor experimental ponds.

The influence of nonylphenol polyethoxylates (NPEO), formulated as the adjuvant Agral 90, on the effects of the diphenyl ether herbicide fomesafen in the pond snail Lymnaea stagnalis was investigated, with particular attention to the reproductive performances and underlying energetic and hormonal processes. Separate short-term exposures to low concentrations of fomesafen and fomesafen-Agral mixture were performed in the laboratory. Outdoor experimental ponds (mesocosms) were used for long-term exposures to higher chemical concentrations. At the concentrations used in the studies, NPEO were known as nontoxic in L stagnalis. Fomesafen was mixed with the adjuvant in the 3:7 ratio recommended for agricultural uses (nominal herbicide concentrations of 22 and 40 microg/L in laboratory and mesocosm, respectively). In mesocosms, multiple application of fomesafen, leading to maximal herbicide concentrations of 60.33 +/- 2.68 microg/L in water, resulted in reduced number of egg masses and altered glycogen metabolism in contaminated snails. These changes, as well as affected steroid-like levels in fomesafen-exposed snails, support the hypothesis of impaired neuroendocrine functions. When Agral 90 was added to the herbicide, results obtained in mesocosms showed that the adjuvant softened the impact of fomesafen. In mesocosms treated with the fomesafen-Agral mixture, significantly lower herbicide levels were found in the water (30.33 +/- 14.91 microg/L at the end of the contamination period). Consequently, internal exposure of the snails to fomesafen was reduced when the herbicide was mixed with the adjuvant. Mitigation of the effects of fomesafen by the adjuvant may therefore result from nonionic surfactant activity of NPEO that prevented fomesafen from reaching the snails.