Deep-water running training at moderate intensity and high intensity improves pain, disability, and quality of life in patients with chronic low back pain: a randomized clinical trial / El entrenamiento de carrera de piscina profunda de intensidad moderada y alta intensidad mejora el dolor, la discapacidad y la calidad de vida en pacientes con dolor lumbar crónico: un ensayo clínico aleatorizado

OBJECTIVE: The present study aimed to verify the influence of training intensity in the aquatic environment on pain, disability, physical capacity, and quality of life in patients with chronic low back pain. Design/SETTING: A randomized clinical trial. Subjects: Twenty-two patients with chronic low back pain of both sexes (13 women and 9 men) participated in the study. MATERIAL AND METHOD: One group performed deep-water walking/running training at moderate intensity (MIT ) and a second group performed deep-water walking/running training at high intensity (HIT ). Pain, disability, peak oxygen uptake (VO2peak), and quality of life were assessed before and after an intervention. RESULTS: Decreases in pain and disability were observed within both groups, without differences in these parameters between training groups. VO2peak did not change in either group after the training intervention. The results of the HIT group showed more significant improvements in quality of life than that of the MIT group, highlighting the social domain, psychological domain, and general quality of life. Both groups presented significant improvements in the physical and environmental domains of quality of life. CONCLUSIONS: Deep-water aerobic exercise training seems to be effective for improving pain symptoms and reducing the disability of people with chronic low back pain. These improvements seem to be independent of the intensity at which the training is performed. In addition, improving pain and disability does not directly reflect all areas of quality of life. In this case, the group that performed the intervention at high intensity achieved more significant improvements in quality of life

OBJETIVO: El presente estudio tuvo como objetivo verificar la influencia de la intensidad del entrenamiento en el ambiente acuático sobre el dolor, la discapacidad, la capacidad física y la calidad de vida en pacientes con dolor lumbar crónico. Diseño/entorno: un ensayo clínico aleatorizado. Sujetos: Veintidós pacientes con dolor lumbar crónico de ambos sexos (13 mujeres y 9 hombres) participaron en el estudio. MATERIAL Y MÉTODO: Un grupo realizó entrenamiento de caminar/correr en aguas profundas a intensidad moderada (MIT ) y un segundo grupo realizó entrenamiento de caminar/correr en aguas profundas a alta intensidad (HIT ). El dolor, la discapacidad, el consumo máximo de oxígeno (VO2pico) y la calidad de vida se evaluaron antes y después de una intervención. RESULTADOS: Se observaron disminuciones en el dolor y la discapacidad en ambos grupos, sin diferencias en estos parámetros entre los grupos de entrenamiento. VO2peak no cambió en ninguno de los grupos después de la intervención de entrenamiento. Los resultados del grupo HIT mostraron mejoras más significativas en la calidad de vida que la del grupo MIT, destacando el dominio social, el dominio psicológico y la calidad de vida general. Ambos grupos presentaron mejoras significativas en los dominios físicos y ambientales de la calidad de vida. CONCLUSIONES: El entrenamiento de ejercicio aeróbico en aguas profundas parece ser efectivo para mejorar los síntomas del dolor y reducir la discapacidad de las personas con dolor lumbar crónico. Estas mejoras parecen ser independientes de la intensidad a la que se realiza el entrenamiento. Además, mejorar el dolor y la discapacidad no refleja directamente todas las áreas de calidad de vida. En este caso, el grupo que realizó la intervención a alta intensidad logró mejoras más significativas en la calidad de vida

Characterization of esterase activity from an Acetomicrobium hydrogeniformans enzyme with high structural stability in extreme conditions.

The biotechnological and industrial uses of thermostable and organic solvent-tolerant enzymes are extensive and the investigation of such enzymes from microbiota present in oil reservoirs is a promising approach. Searching sequence databases for esterases from such microbiota, we have identified in silico a potentially secreted esterase from Acetomicrobium hydrogeniformans, named AhEst. The recombinant enzyme was produced in E. coli to be used in biochemical and biophysical characterization studies. AhEst presented hydrolytic activity on short-acyl-chain p-nitrophenyl ester substrates. AhEst activity was high and stable in temperatures up to 75 °C. Interestingly, high salt concentration induced a significant increase of catalytic activity. AhEst still retained ~ 50% of its activity in 30% concentration of several organic solvents. Synchrotron radiation circular dichroism and fluorescence spectroscopies confirmed that AhEst displays high structural stability in extreme conditions of temperature, salinity, and organic solvents. The enzyme is a good emulsifier agent and is able to partially reverse the wettability of an oil-wet carbonate substrate, making it of potential interest for use in enhanced oil recovery. All the traits observed in AhEst make it an interesting candidate for many industrial applications, such as those in which a significant hydrolytic activity at high temperatures is required.

Cyclic lipopeptide signature as fingerprinting for the screening of halotolerant Bacillus strains towards microbial enhanced oil recovery.

Cyclic lipopeptides (CLPs) are non-ribosomal biosurfactants produced by Bacillus species that exhibit outstanding interfacial activity. The synthesis of CLPs is under genetic and environmental influence, and representatives from different families are generally co-produced, generating isoforms that differ in chemical structure and biological activities. This study to evaluate the effect of low and high NaCl concentrations on the composition and surface activity of CLPs produced by Bacillus strains TIM27, TIM49, TIM68, and ICA13 towards microbial enhanced oil recovery (MEOR). The strains were evaluated in mineral medium containing NaCl 2.7, 66, or 100 g L-1 and growth, surface tension and emulsification activity were monitored. Based on the analysis of 16S rDNA, gyrB and rpoB sequences TIM27 and TIM49 were assigned to Bacillus subtilis, TIM68 to Bacillus vallismortis, and ICA13 to Bacillus amyloliquefaciens. All strains tolerated up to 100-g L-1 NaCl, but only TIM49 and TIM68 were able to reduce surface tension at this concentration. TIM49 also showed emulsification activity at concentrations up to 66-g L-1 NaCl. ESI-MS analysis showed that the strains produced a mixture of CLPs, which presented distinct CLP profiles at low and high NaCl concentrations. High NaCl concentration favored the synthesis of surfactins and/or fengycins that correlated with the surface activities of TIM49 and TIM68, whereas low concentration favored the synthesis of iturins. Taken together, these findings suggest that the determination of CLP signatures under the expected condition of oil reservoirs can be useful in the guidance for choosing well-suited strains to MEOR.