What Is It Like to Be in Alcohol Addiction Recovery? A Dialectical Phenomenological Analysis.

INTRODUCTION: Currently, there is no scientific consensus on the concept of alcohol addiction recovery beyond substance use control. This conceptual issue challenges the implementation of therapeutic strategies and mental health policies that are unrestricted to symptomatic remission. Aiming to contribute to its definition, this study aimed to examine the recovery experience of individuals with alcohol addiction using dialectical phenomenological psychopathology (DPP) as a theoretical and methodological framework. METHODS: A dialectical phenomenological analysis was conducted through an examination of online interviews with eight Brazilian, São Paulo state citizens who were self-declared to be undergoing alcohol addiction recovery (or who declared that they had completely recovered). RESULTS: Participants' reports generated eight categories that were subdivided into two groups. The first group indicated experiential elements of recovery, such as changes in self-relation, changes in interpersonal relations, and changes in time relations, giving new meanings to suffering and alcohol use, and recovery as a continuous process. The second group referred to how the participants interpreted recovery according to their worldviews: as a spiritual experience, moral reformation, and mentality change. CONCLUSION: These categories can be understood through the lens of DPP as a process of change in the subjects' being in the world, characterized by the continued management of their existential imbalances in the dimensions of spatiality, temporality, selfhood, and intersubjectivity. The results are preliminary when it comes to conceptualizing recovery but may help future studies to develop recovery-oriented therapeutic strategies.

Virulence Potential and Antibiotic Susceptibility of S. aureus Strains Isolated from Food Handlers.

Staphylococcus spp. are common members of the normal human flora. However, some Staphylococcus species are recognised as human pathogens due to the production of several virulence factors and enterotoxins that are particularly worrisome in food poisoning. Since many of Staphylococcal food poisoning outbreaks are typically associated with cross-contamination, the detection of S. aureus on food handlers was performed. Hand swabs from 167 food handlers were analysed for the presence of S. aureus. More than 11% of the samples were positive for S. aureus. All S. aureus strains were isolated and analysed for the presence of virulence and enterotoxin genes, namely, sea, seb, sec, sed, seg, sei, tsst-1 and pvl. The same strains were phenotypically characterised in terms of antibiotic susceptibility using the disc diffusion method and antimicrobial agents from 12 different classes. A low prevalence of antibiotic-resistant strains was found, with 55.6% of the strains being sensitive to all of the antimicrobial agents tested. However, a high prevalence of resistance to macrolides was found, with 44.4% of the strains showing resistance to erythromycin. At least one of the virulence or toxin genes was detected in 61.1% of the strains, and seg was the most prevalent toxin gene, being detected in 44.4% of the strains.

Contribuições da Noção de Crise do Senso Comum na Esquizofrenia em Stanghellini / Contributions of Stanghellini's notion of the Crisis of Common Sense in Schizophrenia

Resumo A noção de crise do senso comum na esquizofrenia é introduza por Wolfgang Blankenburg através do conceito de perda da evidência natural. Na contemporaneidade, Giovanni Stanghellini revista e amplia essa noção, propondo uma perspectiva panorâmica dessa crise. Este artigo apresenta as contribuições trazidas pela perspectiva de Stanghellini, introduzindo seu entendimento sobre o conceito de senso comum e a relevância deste para a compreensão da esquizofrenia. Para o autor, o senso comum é compreendido de três modos: como saber socialmente compartilhado, sintonização intuitiva e cenestesia. Através das noções de intercorporeidade e koinè aisthesis, Stanghellini entende a esquizofrenia como experiência de rompimento da relação habitual com o mundo. Sua proposta contribui para a prática clínica ao sugerir direções à psicoterapia com esquizofrênicos.

Abstract The notion of crisis of common sense on schizophrenia is introduced by Wolfgang Blankenburg through his concept of loss of natural evidence. In contemporaneity, Giovanni Stanghellini revisits and amplifies this notion by proposing a panoramic perspective on this crisis. This paper presents the contributions brought by Stanghellini's perspective, introducing his understanding of common sense and its relevance for the comprehension of schizophrenia. For the author, common sense is understood in three ways: as a knowledge socially shared, intuitive attunement, and cenesthesia. Through the notions of intercorporeality and koinè aisthesis, Stanghellini conceives schizophrenia as an experience of disruption of the habitual relation with the world. His proposal contributes to clinical practice by suggesting directions for the psychotherapy with schizophrenics.

Performance of saliva as a specimen to detect SARS-CoV-2.

Massive testing to detect SARS-CoV-2 is an imperious need in times of epidemic but also presents challenges in terms of its concretization. The use of saliva as an alternative to nasopharyngeal swabs (NPS) has advantages, being more friendly to the patient and not requiring trained health workers, so much needed in other functions. This study used a total of 452 dual samples (saliva and NPS) of patients suspected of having COVID-19 to compare results obtained for the different specimens when using RT-PCR of RNA extracted from NPS and saliva, as well as saliva directly without RNA extraction. SARS-CoV-2 was not detected in 13 saliva (direct) of the 80 positive NPS samples and in 16 saliva (RNA) of a total of 76 NPS positive samples. Sensitivity of detection of viral genes ORF1ab, E and N in saliva is affected differently and detection of these genes in saliva samples presents great variability when NPS samples present Ct-values above approximately 20, with sensitivities ranging from 76.3% to 86.3%. On average an increase in 7.3 Ct-values (average standard deviation of 4.78) is observed in saliva samples when compared to NPS. The use of this specimen should be carefully considered due to the false negative rate and the system used for detection may be also very relevant since the different viral genes are affected differently in terms of detection sensitivity using saliva.

Mesenchymal stem cells and cell-derived extracellular vesicles protect hippocampal neurons from oxidative stress and synapse damage induced by amyloid-ß oligomers.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a disabling and highly prevalent neurodegenerative condition, for which there are no effective therapies. Soluble oligomers of the amyloid-ß peptide (AßOs) are thought to be proximal neurotoxins involved in early neuronal oxidative stress and synapse damage, ultimately leading to neurodegeneration and memory impairment in AD. The aim of the current study was to evaluate the neuroprotective potential of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) against the deleterious impact of AßOs on hippocampal neurons. To this end, we established transwell cocultures of rat hippocampal neurons and MSCs. We show that MSCs and MSC-derived extracellular vesicles protect neurons against AßO-induced oxidative stress and synapse damage, revealed by loss of pre- and postsynaptic markers. Protection by MSCs entails three complementary mechanisms: 1) internalization and degradation of AßOs; 2) release of extracellular vesicles containing active catalase; and 3) selective secretion of interleukin-6, interleukin-10, and vascular endothelial growth factor to the medium. Results support the notion that MSCs may represent a promising alternative for cell-based therapies in AD.

Left atrial mechanics strongly predict functional capacity assessed by cardiopulmonary exercise testing in subjects without structural heart disease.

Left atrium function is essential for cardiovascular performance and is evaluable by two-dimensional speckle-tracking echocardiography (2D-STE). Our aim was to determine how echocardiographic parameters interrelate with exercise capacity and ventilatory efficiency in subjects with no structural heart disease. Asymptomatic volunteers, in sinus rhythm and with normal biventricular size and function, were recruited from a community-based population. Individuals with moderate-to-severe valvular disease, pulmonary hypertension, and history of cardiac disease were excluded. We performed a transthoracic echocardiogram and assessed left atrial (LA) and left ventricular (LV) mechanics via 2D-STE. Cardiopulmonary exercise testing by treadmill took place immediately thereafter. Peak oxygen uptake (VO2) served as measure of functional capacity and ventilation/carbon dioxide output (VE/VCO2) slope as surrogate of ventilation/perfusion mismatch. 20 subjects were included (age 51 ± 14 years, male gender 65%). Peak VO2 strongly correlated with age (r = -0.83; P < 0.01), with E/e' ratio (r = -0.72; P < 0.01), and with LA reservoir- and conduit-phase mechanics, particularly with LA conduit strain rate (SR) (r = -0.82; P < 0.01), but showed no correlation with LA volume index or LV mechanics. A similar pattern of associations was identified for VE/VCO2 slope. In multivariate analysis, LA conduit SR (ß = -0.69; P = 0.02) emerged as sole independent correlate of peak VO2, adjusted for age and for E/e' ratio (adjusted r 2 = 0.76; P < 0.01). Conduit and reservoir components of LA mechanics displayed strong associations with peak VO2 and VE/VCO2 slope. LA conduit-phase SR seems best suited as echocardiographic marker of functional capacity in subjects with no structural heart disease.

Non-bee insects are important contributors to global crop pollination.

Wild and managed bees are well documented as effective pollinators of global crops of economic importance. However, the contributions by pollinators other than bees have been little explored despite their potential to contribute to crop production and stability in the face of environmental change. Non-bee pollinators include flies, beetles, moths, butterflies, wasps, ants, birds, and bats, among others. Here we focus on non-bee insects and synthesize 39 field studies from five continents that directly measured the crop pollination services provided by non-bees, honey bees, and other bees to compare the relative contributions of these taxa. Non-bees performed 25-50% of the total number of flower visits. Although non-bees were less effective pollinators than bees per flower visit, they made more visits; thus these two factors compensated for each other, resulting in pollination services rendered by non-bees that were similar to those provided by bees. In the subset of studies that measured fruit set, fruit set increased with non-bee insect visits independently of bee visitation rates, indicating that non-bee insects provide a unique benefit that is not provided by bees. We also show that non-bee insects are not as reliant as bees on the presence of remnant natural or seminatural habitat in the surrounding landscape. These results strongly suggest that non-bee insect pollinators play a significant role in global crop production and respond differently than bees to landscape structure, probably making their crop pollination services more robust to changes in land use. Non-bee insects provide a valuable service and provide potential insurance against bee population declines.