Efficacy and safety of enzyme replacement therapy with alglucosidase alfa for the treatment of patients with infantile-onset Pompe disease: a systematic review and metanalysis.

Introduction: Pompe disease (PD) is a glycogen disorder caused by the deficient activity of acid alpha-glucosidase (GAA). We sought to review the latest available evidence on the safety and efficacy of recombinant human GAA enzyme replacement therapy (ERT) for infantile-onset PD (IOPD). Methods: We systematically searched the MEDLINE (via PubMed) and Embase databases for prospective clinical studies evaluating ERT for IOPD on pre-specified outcomes. Meta-analysis was also performed. Results: Of 1,722 articles identified, 16 were included, evaluating 316 patients. Studies were heterogeneous and with very low certainty of evidence for most outcomes. A moderate/high risk of bias was present for most included articles. The following outcomes showed improvements associated with alglucosidase alfa, over natural history of PD/placebo, for a mean follow-up of 48.3 months: left ventricular (LV) mass {mean change 131.3 g/m2 [95% confidence interval (CI) 81.02, 181.59]}, time to start ventilation (TSV) [HR 0.21 (95% CI: 0.12, 0.36)], and survival [HR 0.10 (95% CI: 0.05, 0.19)]. There were no differences between the pre- and post-ERT period for myocardial function and psychomotor development. Adverse events (AEs) after ERT were mild in most cases. Conclusion: Our data suggest that alglucosidase alfa potentially improves LV mass, TSV, and survival in IOPD patients, with no important safety issues. Systematic Review Registration: PROSPERO identifier (CRD42019123700).

Quality of vital event data for infant mortality estimation in prospective, population-based studies: an analysis of secondary data from Asia, Africa, and Latin America.

INTRODUCTION: Infant and neonatal mortality estimates are typically derived from retrospective birth histories collected through surveys in countries with unreliable civil registration and vital statistics systems. Yet such data are subject to biases, including under-reporting of deaths and age misreporting, which impact mortality estimates. Prospective population-based cohort studies are an underutilized data source for mortality estimation that may offer strengths that avoid biases. METHODS: We conducted a secondary analysis of data from the Child Health Epidemiology Reference Group, including 11 population-based pregnancy or birth cohort studies, to evaluate the appropriateness of vital event data for mortality estimation. Analyses were descriptive, summarizing study designs, populations, protocols, and internal checks to assess their impact on data quality. We calculated infant and neonatal morality rates and compared patterns with Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) data. RESULTS: Studies yielded 71,760 pregnant women and 85,095 live births. Specific field protocols, especially pregnancy enrollment, limited exclusion criteria, and frequent follow-up visits after delivery, led to higher birth outcome ascertainment and fewer missing deaths. Most studies had low follow-up loss in pregnancy and the first month with little evidence of date heaping. Among studies in Asia and Latin America, neonatal mortality rates (NMR) were similar to DHS, while several studies in Sub-Saharan Africa had lower NMRs than DHS. Infant mortality varied by study and region between sources. CONCLUSIONS: Prospective, population-based cohort studies following rigorous protocols can yield high-quality vital event data to improve characterization of detailed mortality patterns of infants in low- and middle-income countries, especially in the early neonatal period where mortality risk is highest and changes rapidly.

Reproductive performance of rabbit females from three paternal lines with a different potential for growth rate and resilience.

A total of 197 nulliparous rabbits (from three paternal lines) were used to test potential strategies to overcome the consequences on reproduction associated with the selection for high growth rate. The R line was selected for growth rate during the growing period for 37 generations, the RF line was founded through a high selection intensity of elite animals of the R line, and the RFLP line, which was obtained by backcrossing RF animals with the LP line (a long-lived productive maternal line, characterised by high resilience). BW, perirenal fat thickness, fertility, daily feed intake, milk yield and blood metabolites of females were controlled from 1st artificial insemination to 3rd parturition. Litter size, litter weight, individual weight and feed ingestion of kits were controlled from birth to weaning. Our results show that RF females were significantly lighter than R and RFLP females throughout the trial (-5.0%; P < 0.05). Furthermore, RF animals had a higher fertility rate than RFLP females, at first cycle (+10.5 percentage points; P < 0.05). However, RFLP had a higher fertility rate than RF females at second cycle (+21.5 percentage points; P < 0.01). On average, RFLP females had higher perirenal fat thickness than R females at parturition (+3.0%; P < 0.05) and higher daily feed intake than of R and RF females during gestation and late lactation (+9.7 and +8.7%, respectively; P < 0.05). RFLP females produced more milk than R and RF females in the two first lactations (+18.5%; P < 0.001). In the first three parturitions, R females delivered fewer kits born alive (-1.7 kits than RF and RFLP; P < 0.05). In addition, R females' blood had a higher concentration of glutamine and glutamate than RFLP (+24 and +22.7%, respectively; P < 0.05). RFLP litters were heavier than both R and RF litters throughout lactation. However, R kits were heavier at birth than RF and RFLP (+7.9%). Results suggest that the foundation of a paternal line using elite animals could generate females with better early reproductive performance. In addition, backcrossing the RF line with a maternal LP line resulted in a genetic line whose females had a different resource allocation strategy to foster reproduction during the studied period.

Low frequency of AIP mutations in patients with young-onset sporadic pituitary macroadenomas.

PURPOSE: Mutations in the aryl hydrocarbon receptor interacting protein (AIP) gene cause familial isolated pituitary adenomas (FIPA). AIP mutations have also been found in patients with apparently sporadic pituitary adenomas, particularly in young patients with large adenomas. The aim of this study was to determine the frequency of AIP germline mutations in patients with young-onset sporadic pituitary macroadenomas. METHODS: The AIP gene was sequenced in 218 Portuguese patients with sporadic pituitary macroadenomas diagnosed before the age of 40 years. RESULTS: Heterozygous rare sequence variants in AIP were identified in 18 (8.3%) patients. However, only four (1.8%) patients had pathogenic or likely pathogenic variants. These consisted of two already known mutations (p.Arg81* and p.Leu115Trpfs*41) and two novel mutations (p.Glu246*, p.Ser53Thrfs*36). All four patients had GH-secreting adenomas diagnosed between the ages of 14 and 25 years. The frequency of AIP pathogenic or likely pathogenic variants in patients under the age of 30 and 18 years was 3.4% and 5.0%, respectively. CONCLUSION: The frequency of AIP mutations in this cohort was lower than in other studies. Previous reports may have overestimated the contribution of AIP mutations due to the inclusion of genetic variants of uncertain significance. The identification of novel AIP mutations expands the known spectrum of genetic causes of pituitary adenomas and may help understand the role of AIP mutations in the molecular mechanisms underlying pituitary tumorigenesis.

The Joint Associations of Physical Activity and Sedentary Behaviors on Adiposity during Adolescence: The 1993 Pelotas (Brazil) Cohort Study.

A prior study conducted in high-income countries demonstrated that specific sedentary behavior, such as TV viewing, is prospectively associated with adiposity in both active and inactive adolescents. The aim of this study was to examine the joint associations of sedentary behaviors and moderate- and vigorous-intensity physical activity (MVPA) with adiposity among Brazilian adolescents. This prospective cohort study included 377 participants of the 1993 Pelotas (Brazil) Study who completed an accelerometry assessment at age 13 years and a dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) assessment at age 18 years. Accelerometer-measured MVPA was dichotomized into high (≥60 min/day) and low (<60 min/day). Accelerometer-measured sedentary time (SED) was dichotomized into low (<49 min/h) and high (≥49 min/h) based on the median. Self-reported TV viewing time was also dichotomized into low (<3 h/day) and high (≥3 h/day) based on the median. We combined the two MVPA groups (high and low) and two SED groups (low and high) to form the four MVPA&SED groups: high&low, high&high, low&low, and low&high. We also created four MVPA&TV groups in the same manner. Fat mass index (FMI; kg/m2) was calculated using DXA-derived fat mass. Multivariable linear regression analyses compared FMI at 18 years among the four MVPA&SED groups and among the four MVPA&TV groups, adjusting for socioeconomic status, energy intake, and baseline adiposity. The analysis results showed that SED or TV viewing time was not prospectively associated with adiposity in both active and inactive Brazilian adolescents. This study suggests that the association between specific sedentary behaviors, such as TV viewing, and adiposity may differ across societal settings-in this case, high-income vs. middle-income countries.

Macroalgal blooms affect the food web of tropical coastal ecosystems impacted by fisheries.

Macroalgal bloom events have been frequent in recent years. Eutrophication and overexploitation fishing may favor blooms through nutrient availability and capturing top predators. We aim to investigate the drivers of the macroalgae blooms and their consequences on the food web of the two tropical coastal ecosystems: Porto do Mangue (with high macroalgae production) and Baía Formosa (control environment, without macroalgae), both exploited by artisanal fisheries in northeastern Brazil. The food webs are modeled using the Ecopath with Ecosim (EwE) approach. Our results suggest that fishing did not favor macroalgae blooms but rather the high concentration of nutrients added to the semi-arid conditions. Furthermore, the macroalgae bloom showed low trophic impact, so much of their biomass is transferred into detritus. However, when it decomposes, this accumulation of matter alters the structure and functioning of the ecosystem, affecting its main fish resources: shrimp and piscivorous fish. Investigating blooms is key to management.

Environmental and bioclimatic factors influencing yeasts and molds distribution along European shores.

The present study employed data collected during the Mycosands survey to investigate the environmental factors influencing yeasts and molds distribution along European shores applying a species distribution modelling approach. Occurrence data were compared to climatic datasets (temperature, precipitation, and solar radiation), soil datasets (chemical and physical properties), and water datasets (temperature, salinity, and chlorophyll-a concentration) downloaded from web databases. Analyses were performed by MaxEnt software. Results suggested a different probability of distribution of yeasts and molds along European shores. Yeasts seem to tolerate low temperatures better during winter than molds and this reflects a higher suitability for the Northern European coasts. This difference is more evident considering suitability in waters. Both distributions of molds and yeasts are influenced by basic soil pH, probably because acidic soils are more favorable to bacterial growth. Soils with high nitrogen concentrations are not suitable for fungal growth, which, in contrast, are optimal for plant growth, favored by this environment. Finally, molds show affinity with soil rich in nickel and yeasts with soils rich in cadmium resulting in a distribution mainly at the mouths of European rivers or lagoons, where these metals accumulate in river sediments.

DOR EM DENTES DECÍDUOS: BUSCA DE INFORMAÇÕES EM UMA PLATAFORMA VIRTUAL / PAIN IN DECIDUOUS TEETH: SEARCH FOR INFORMATION ON A VIRTUAL PLATFORM

Objetivo: Avaliar, através de uma análise quantitativa e qualitativa, vídeos postados em português e espanhol sobre a temática da dor em dentes decíduos disponíveis na plataforma YouTubeTM. Materiais e Métodos: Pesquisa do tipo transversal em que foram utilizados descritores indexados e não indexados e suas combinações nos idiomas português (PT) e espanhol (ES), para buscas na plataforma Youtube™ de vídeos postados nos ultimos dez anos. O conteúdo dos vídeos foi categorizado para a análise final e avaliado de acordo com a literatura. Resultados: Foram identificados um total de 1.129 vídeos e foram incluidos na amostra final 249 em ES e 221 em PT. Destes 67% (ES) e 56,6% (PT) foram realizados por leigos e 22,9% (ES) e 27,6% (PT) por profissionais de saúde. O fator associado a dor mais comumente descrito nos vídeos foi a remoção dentária associada a esfoliação dos dentes decíduos em 50% (ES) e 47,1% (PT). Não foi observada a concordância total com a literatura em nenhum dos dois idiomas. Conclusão: O YouTube™ como fonte de referência para a busca de informações sobre a dor em dentes decíduos mostrou conter uma pobre qualidade das informações e inconsistências para a educação em saúde. Os profissionais de saúde devem ser estimulados a enviar vídeos educativos baseados em evidencias científicas de modo a contribuir com a disseminação de informações verdadeiras e confiáveis para a população em geral.

Objective: Evaluate, through a quantitative and qualitative analysis, videos posted in Portuguese and Spanish, on the theme of pain in primary teeth available on the YouTube™ platform. Materials and Methods: Cross-sectional research, in which some descriptors indexed and not, and their combination were chosen in Portuguese and Spanish, and used in the YouTube™ search platform in the last decade. The data content was categorized for the final analysis and evaluated according to the literature. Results: 1,129 videos were identified in Spanish (ES) and 784 in Portuguese (PT), of which 249 in ES and 221 in PT were selected in the final sample. 67% (ES) and 56.6% (PT) were carried out by lay people and 22.9% (ES) and 27.6% (PT) by health professionals. The associated factor most described in terms of pain in primary teeth was tooth removal associated with tooth exfoliation with 50% (ES) and 47,1% (PT) and the total agreement with the literature did not occur in both languages. Conclusion: YouTube™ can be a source of reference to get knowledge about pain in primary teeth for parents and children. However, the quality of the evaluated information is inconsistent for health education on this study subject. Health professionals should be encouraged to send educational videos according to scientific information, in order to contribute with guidelines based on scientific evidence that are available to the population

Longitudinal change in physical activity and adiposity in the transition from adolescence to early adulthood: the 1993 Pelotas cohort study.

BACKGROUND: In the current Physical Activity Guidelines (PAG) for moderate- and vigorous-intensity physical activity (MVPA), abrupt transition from ≥ 60 min/day [youth PAG] to ≥ 150 min/week (≥ 22 min/day on average) [adult PAG] during emerging adulthood is poorly justified. The aim of this study was to examine body fat mass changes according to whether meeting the youth and adult PAGs in late adolescence (age 18 years) to early adulthood (age 22 years). METHODS: The study sample included 2,099 participants (1,113 females) from the 1993 Pelotas (Brazil) Study. At ages 18 and 22 years, MVPA was measured using wrist-worn accelerometry and fat mass was measured using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. MVPA at age 18 was categorized into two groups: 0-59 or ≥ 60 min/day (no [N] or yes [Y] for meeting the youth recommendation, respectively). MVPA at age 22 was categorized into three groups: 0-21, 22-59, or ≥ 60 min/day (N, Y22, or Y60 for not meeting the adult recommendation, meeting the adult recommendation, or meeting the youth recommendation, respectively). The combination of these groups created six MVPA groups (N&N, N&Y22, N&Y60, Y&N, Y&Y22, and Y&Y60). Sex-specific multivariable linear regression analyses were conducted to estimate change in fat mass index (FMI) from age 18 to 22 years in the six MVPA groups. RESULTS: Among males, compared to Y&Y60 (FMI increase = 1.2 kg/m2 [95% CI = 1.0, 1.4]), Y&Y22 and Y&N had larger FMI increases (1.9 [1.6, 2.1] and 1.9 [1.2, 2.5], respectively). Among females, Y&Y60 and Y&Y22 had an equal FMI increase (1.6 [1.4, 1.9] for both groups), while Y&N had a larger FMI increase (2.4 [1.8, 3.0]). CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that among those who were active in late adolescence, engaging in ≥ 22 min/day of MVPA in adulthood is associated with lower body fat gain for females, but not for males.

Hyaluronic acid-amphotericin B nanocomplexes: a promising anti-leishmanial drug delivery system.

The development of an effective amphotericin B (AmB) formulation to replace actual treatments available for leishmaniasis, which present serious drawbacks, is a challenge. Here we report the development of hyaluronic acid-amphotericin B self-assembled nanocomplexes (HA-AmB), processed by freeze-drying (FD) or nano spray-drying (SD), using a simple process that favors the non-covalent drug-polysaccharide association in an amorphous state. These water-soluble formulations, which presented a nanometric size (300-600 nm), high colloidal stability (zeta potential around -39 mV) and an AmB loading (15-18%) in aggregated and super aggregated states, demonstrated less in vitro cytotoxic and hemolytic effects compared to the free-drug. A significant decrease in the number of intramacrophagic L. infantum amastigotes upon treatment (IC50 of 0.026 and 0.030 µM for HA-AmB FD and HA-AmB SD, respectively) was also observed, and the best selectivity index (SI) was observed for the HA-AmB SD nanocomplex (SI of 651). Intravenous administration of the HA-AmB SD nanocomplex for 3 alternate days showed an effective parasite reduction in the spleen and liver of C57BL/6 mice without signs of toxicity commonly observed upon free-AmB treatment. Although lower than that achieved with AmBisome® in the liver, the observed parasite reduction for the nanocomplex was of a similar order of magnitude. The efficacy, stability, safety and low cost of the HA-AmB SD nanocomplex highlight its potential as an alternative treatment for leishmaniasis.

The effect of incarceration on TB treatment outcomes.

BACKGROUND: TB notifications in Latin American prisons have more than doubled over the past two decades; however, treatment outcomes and their determinants among incarcerated individuals in this region are not well understood.METHODS: Newly diagnosed drug-susceptible TB cases reported to Brazil´s Information System for Notifiable Diseases (Sistema de Informação de Agravos de Notificação, SINAN) between January 2015 and December 2017 were included. Multivariate logistic regression was used to assess socio-economic and clinical factors associated with treatment success among incarcerated individuals.RESULTS: Incarcerated individuals (n = 17,776) had greater treatment success than non-incarcerated individuals (n = 160,728; 82.2% vs. 75.1%; P < 0.0001), including after adjusting for demographic and clinical risk factors (adjusted odds ratio aOR 1.27, 95% CI 1.19-1.34). These differences were partially mediated by increased use of directly observed therapy among incarcerated individuals (DOT) (61% vs. 47%; P < 0.001), which was associated with greater efficacy in the incarcerated population (aOR 2.56 vs. aOR 2.17; P < 0.001). DOT was associated with improved treatment success among incarcerated subpopulations at elevated risk of poor outcomes.CONCLUSION: TB treatment success among incarcerated individuals in Brazil is higher than non-incarcerated individuals, but both fall below WHO targets. Expanding the use of DOT and services for socially and medically vulnerable individuals may improve outcomes in carceral settings.

Association of IGHM polymorphisms with susceptibility to type 1 diabetes.

Differentiation of B lymphocytes is accompanied by a regulated switch in the expression pattern and stability of surface and secretory immunoglobulins (Igs). Several lines of evidence show that autoimmune responses evolving in much autoimmune pathologies were associated with a high level of humoral Ig, but their pathogenic role remains elusive. The aim of this study was to test the hypothesis that variants at the immunoglobulin heavy-chain IGH locus are genetic determinants to T1D susceptibility. Here, we tested the genetic association of the variants of the immunoglobulin heavy-chain IGH locus as a genetic determinant to T1D susceptibility. A total of 255 subjects from 59 Tunisian families were genotyped for 15 SNPs mapping in 4 regions in IGH locus. We found that rs1950942, rs2180790, rs1808152, and rs1956596 of IGHM and rs2516751 variant located in the IGHA1/IGHG2 region were significantly associated with a risk for T1D p = 7E-3; p = 0.03; p = 0.02; p = 0.043; and p = 3.65E-5, respectively. The TATGG haplotype derived from LD across three SNPs from IGHM gene and two SNPs from IGHD gene was significantly over-transmitted from parents to affect offspring. Our results suggest that genetic variants at the IGH locus are associated with T1D susceptibility. These variations may predispose to IgG AutoAbs production against pancreatic antigens and AutoAbs multi-reactivity, leading to T1D development.

Arundic Acid (ONO-2506) Attenuates Neuroinflammation and Prevents Motor Impairment in Rats with Intracerebral Hemorrhage.

Intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) is a severe stroke subtype caused by the rupture of blood vessels within the brain. Increased levels of S100B protein may contribute to neuroinflammation after ICH through activation of astrocytes and resident microglia, with the consequent production of proinflammatory cytokines and reactive oxygen species (ROS). Inhibition of astrocytic synthesis of S100B by arundic acid (AA) has shown beneficial effects in experimental central nervous system disorders. In present study, we administered AA in a collagenase-induced ICH rodent model in order to evaluate its effects on neurological deficits, S100B levels, astrocytic activation, inflammatory, and oxidative parameters. Rats underwent stereotactic surgery for injection of collagenase in the left striatum and AA (2 µg/µl; weight × 0.005) or vehicle in the left lateral ventricle. Neurological deficits were evaluated by the Ladder rung walking and Grip strength tests. Striatal S100B, astrogliosis, and microglial activation were assessed by immunofluorescence analysis. Striatal levels of interleukin 1ß (IL-1ß) and tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α) were measured by ELISA, and the ROS production was analyzed by dichlorofluorescein (DCF) oxidation. AA treatment prevented motor dysfunction, reduced S100B levels, astrogliosis, and microglial activation in the damaged striatum, thus decreasing the release of proinflammatory cytokines IL-1ß and TNF-α, as well as ROS production. Taken together, present results suggest that AA could be a pharmacological tool to prevent the harmful effects of increased S100B, attenuating neuroinflammation and secondary brain damage after ICH.

A systematic review and meta-analysis of oral and maxillofacial trauma.

Objective of work: The aim of this study was to determine the most frequent injuries and their relationship with gender, age and aetiology. Materials and Methods: An Epidemiologic Systematic Review was carried out, in the databases PUBMED and Scopus, between 2010-2020. We used Joanna Briggs Institute Checklist to access the Risk of Bias and Grading of recommendations, assessment, development, and the evaluations (GRADE) method was applied to assess the quality of the evidence of the 78 included articles. Results and Conclusions: Out of the 78 articles included, 14 were classified as moderate-risk bias and 58 as low risk. Only 20.5% had a prospective design and the male/female ratio ranged from 0.299 to 11.83. The majority of the studies described fractures (67) and only 26 reported dental injuries. The studies were distributed into five regions of countries: Asia, Africa, Latin America, Europe and Muslin regions. The results showed that road traffic accidents (55.37%) were the most frequent type of trauma, followed by assault (17.56%) and falls (10.21%). Fractures were the most prevalent injuries (84.3%). It was possible to establish an association between road traffic accidents and Asian countries. Assaults were more frequent in Africa, predominantly males, whilst falls increased with age, amongst women, in European countries. Fractures were usually observed in Muslin regions.

Porous aligned ZnSr-doped ß-TCP/silk fibroin scaffolds using ice-templating method for bone tissue engineering applications.

The bone is a complex and dynamic structure subjected to constant stress and remodeling. Due to the worldwide incidence of bone disorders, tissue scaffolds and engineered bone tissues have emerged as solutions for bone grafting, which require sophisticated scaffolding architectures while keeping high mechanical performance. However, the conjugation of a bone-like scaffold architecture with efficient mechanical properties is still a critical challenge for biomedical applications. In this sense, the present study focused on the modulating the architecture of silk fibroin (SF) scaffolds crosslinked with horseradish peroxidase and mixed with zinc (Zn) and strontium (Sr)-doped ß-tricalcium phosphate (ZnSr.TCP) to mimic bone structures. The ZnSr.TCP-SF hydrogels were tuned by programmable ice-templating parameters, and further freeze-dried, in order to obtain 3D scaffolds with controlled pore orientation. The results showed interconnected channels in the ZnSr.TCP-SF scaffolds that mimic the porous network of the native subchondral bone matrix. The architecture of the scaffolds was characterized by microCT, showing tunable pore size according to freezing temperatures (-196 °C: ∼80.2 ± 20.5 µm; -80 °C: ∼73.1 ± 20.5 µm; -20 °C: ∼104.7 ± 33.7 µm). The swelling ratio, weight loss, and rheological properties were also assessed, revealing efficient scaffold integrity and morphology after aqueous immersion. Thus, the ZnSr.TCP-SF scaffolds made of aligned porous structure were developed as affordable candidates for future applications in clinical osteoregeneration and in vitro bone tissue modelling.

Associations between Device-measured Physical Activity and Cardiometabolic Health in the Transition to Early Adulthood.

PURPOSES: The aims of this study were to investigate the cross-sectional and prospective associations between accelerometer-measured physical activity and cardiometabolic health in the transition to adulthood. METHODS: Data from the 1993 Pelotas (Brazil) Birth Cohort were analyzed (n = 2280). Moderate-to-vigorous intensity physical activity (MVPA) (measured using a triaxial accelerometer) and cardiometabolic health (total fat mass, blood glucose, non-high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, triglycerides, and mean resting blood pressure) were examined at age 18 and 22 yr. RESULTS: Overall, inverse dose-response associations between MVPA and cardiometabolic health at age 18 and 22 yr were observed in cross-sectional analyses of data from men and women. Prospective analyses showed that, in general, MVPA declined, and cardiometabolic health worsened in this 4-yr period in both men and women. Cardiometabolic health at age 22 yr reflected both MVPA at age 18 yr (ß, -0.007; 95% confidence interval [CI], -0.014 to 0.000) and changes in MVPA from 18 to 22 yr (ß, -0.030; 95% CI, -0.043 to -0.016) in men, but only changes in MVPA in women (ß, -0.035; 95% CI, -0.058 to -0.011). In analyses of change over time, men who improved MVPA by 20 to 30 min·d-1 showed significant improvements in cardiometabolic health over 4 yr. The magnitude of association was slightly stronger for MVPA in 10-min bouts than for MVPA accumulated in bouts of 1 min, especially in women. CONCLUSIONS: Moderate-to-vigorous intensity physical activity is an important predictor of cardiometabolic health in early adulthood. Strategies to prevent declines in MVPA at this life stage are required to prevent deteriorating cardiometabolic health profiles.

Mycosands: Fungal diversity and abundance in beach sand and recreational waters - Relevance to human health.

The goal of most studies published on sand contaminants is to gather and discuss knowledge to avoid faecal contamination of water by run-offs and tide-retractions. Other life forms in the sand, however, are seldom studied but always pointed out as relevant. The Mycosands initiative was created to generate data on fungi in beach sands and waters, of both coastal and freshwater inland bathing sites. A team of medical mycologists and water quality specialists explored the sand culturable mycobiota of 91 bathing sites, and water of 67 of these, spanning from the Atlantic to the Eastern Mediterranean coasts, including the Italian lakes and the Adriatic, Baltic, and Black Seas. Sydney (Australia) was also included in the study. Thirteen countries took part in the initiative. The present study considered several fungal parameters (all fungi, several species of the genus Aspergillus and Candida and the genera themselves, plus other yeasts, allergenic fungi, dematiaceous fungi and dermatophytes). The study considered four variables that the team expected would influence the results of the analytical parameters, such as coast or inland location, urban and non-urban sites, period of the year, geographical proximity and type of sediment. The genera most frequently found were Aspergillus spp., Candida spp., Fusarium spp. and Cryptococcus spp. both in sand and in water. A site-blind median was found to be 89 Colony-Forming Units (CFU) of fungi per gram of sand in coastal and inland freshwaters, with variability between 0 and 6400 CFU/g. For freshwater sites, that number was 201.7 CFU/g (0, 6400 CFU/g (p = 0.01)) and for coastal sites was 76.7 CFU/g (0, 3497.5 CFU/g). For coastal waters and all waters, the median was 0 CFU/ml (0, 1592 CFU/ml) and for freshwaters 6.7 (0, 310.0) CFU/ml (p < 0.001). The results advocate that beaches should be monitored for fungi for safer use and better management.

Multiple imputation to deal with missing objectively-measured physical activity data: findings from two cohorts / Imputação múltipla para lidar com dados faltantes em acelerometria: resultados de duas coortes

The objective of this article was to describe patterns of losses of information regarding accelerometer data and to assess the use of multiple imputation to generate physical activity estimates for individu-als without accelerometry data. Two birth cohort studies from Pelotas (Brazil) with participants aged 22 and 11-years old assessed objectively measured physical activity differences between complete and imputed cases. Mean values of overall physical activity for complete cases (n1993 = 2,985 and n2004 = 3,348) and for complete cases plus imputed cases (n1993 = 760 and n2004 = 79) were described accord-ing to predictors. Male individuals, participants with black skin color, and less schooled individuals presented higher averages of overall physical activity than their counterparts. Almost all imputed estimates were comparable to the complete cases, and the highest difference found was 0.7 mg for the first quintile of socioeconomic status of the 1993 birth cohort. Multiple imputation is a positive technique to deal with missing data from objectively measured physical activity. It provides a set of relevant variables to be used in order to efficiently predict accelerometer data

O objetivo desse artigo foi descrever os padrões de perda de informação em dados de acelerometria, além de avaliar o processo de imputação múltipla para estimar o nível de atividade física para indivíduos sem dados de acelerometria. Participantes de duas coortes de nascimentos de Pelotas (Brasil) com 22 e 11 anos participaram do estudo e diferenças entre casos completos e imputados foram avaliadas. A média geral de atividade física para os casos completos (n1993 = 2.985 e n2004 = 3.348) e para casos completos mais imputados (n1993 = 760 e n2004 = 79) foi descrita de acordo com os preditores. Indivíduos do sexo masculino, de cor da pele preta e com menor escolaridade apresentaram maiores médias de atividade física geral. Quase todas as estimativas imputadas foram comparáveis com os valores de casos completos, e a maior diferença encontrada foi 0,7 mg para o primeiro quintil de renda na coorte de 1993. Imputação múltipla é uma boa técnica para lidar com dados faltantes de atividade física medida por acelerometria. Essa técnica fornece um gama relevante de variáveis para serem usadas a fim de predizer valores de acelerometria eficientemente

Applications of gellan natural polymer microspheres in recombinant catechol-O-methyltransferase direct capture from a Komagataella pastoris lysate.

The present work shows the application of nickel- and magnesium-crosslinked gellan microspheres in ionic and affinity capture strategies to directly extract hSCOMT from the complex Komagataella pastoris lysate through a simple batch method. Both formulations present similar morphology, but nickel-crosslinked microspheres present higher crosslinker content and smaller diameters. Four different capture strategies were established, by manipulating the ionic strength, pH, temperature and competing agents' presence. The most promising results for hSCOMT capture and clarification were obtained employing an ionic strategy with nickel-crosslinked microspheres and an affinity strategy with magnesium-crosslinked microspheres at 4 °C. The bioactivity results (200%) and purification degree (70%) of hSCOMT captured by the ionic strategy were more satisfactory probably due to the soft ionic conditions used (100 mM NaCl). For the first time, the gellan polysaccharide versatility was demonstrated in the microsphere application for the direct capture of hSCOMT from a complex lysate, simplifying isolation biotechnological procedures.

Accurate DMBE potential-energy surface for CNO(2A″) and rate coefficients in C(3P)+NO collisions.

A realistic double many-body expansion potential energy surface (PES) is developed for the 2A″ state of the carbon-nitrogen-oxygen (CNO) system based on MRCI-F12/cc-pVQZ-F12 ab initio energies. The new PES reproduces the fitted points with chemical accuracy (root mean square deviation up to 0.043 eV) and explicitly incorporates long range energy terms that can accurately describe the electrostatic and dispersion interactions. Thermal rate coefficients were computed for the C(3P) + NO(2Π) reaction for temperatures ranging from 15 K to 10 000 K, and the values are compared to previously reported results. The differences are rationalized, and the major importance of long range forces in predicting the rate coefficients for barrierless reactions is emphasized.