Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) waste as a unique source of biofunctional protein hydrolysates: Emerging productions, promising applications, and challenges mitigation.

The Atlantic salmon is an extremely popular fish for its nutritional value and unique taste among several fish species. Researchers are focusing on the utilization of Atlantic salmon waste for generating protein hydrolysates rich in peptides and amino acids and investigating their health benefits. Several technological approaches, including enzymatic, chemical, and the recently developed subcritical water hydrolysis, are currently used for the production of Atlantic salmon waste protein hydrolysates. Hydrolyzing various wastes, e.g., heads, bones, skin, viscera, and trimmings, possessing antioxidant, blood pressure regulatory, antidiabetic, and anti-inflammatory properties, resulting in applications in human foods and nutraceuticals, animal farming, pharmaceuticals, cell culture, and cosmetics industries. Furthermore, future applications, constraints several challenges associated with industrial hydrolysate production, including sensory, safety, and economic constraints, which could be overcome by suggested techno processing measures. Further studies are recommended for developing large-scale, commercially viable production methods, focusing on eradicating sensory constraints and facilitating large-scale application.

Statistical considerations for cardiovascular clinical trials straddling the continuum of pandemic phases.

In 2020, the NIH and FDA issued guidance documents that laid the foundation for human subject research during an unprecedented pandemic. To bridge these general considerations to actual applications in cardiovascular interventional device trials, the PAndemic Impact on INTErventional device ReSearch (PAIINTERS) Working Group was formed in early 2021 under the Predictable And Sustainable Implementation Of National CardioVascular Registries (PASSION CV Registries). The PAIINTER's Part I report, published by Rymer et al. [5], provided a comprehensive overview of the operational impact on interventional studies during the first year of the Pandemic. PAIINTERS Part II focused on potential statistical issues related to bias, variability, missing data, and study power when interventional studies may start and end in different pandemic phases. Importantly, the paper also offers practical mitigation strategies to adjust or minimize the impact for both SATs and RCTs, providing a valuable resource for researchers and professionals involved in cardiovascular clinical trials.

Factors Underlying Vaccine Hesitancy and Their Mitigations in Saudi Arabia: Protocol for a Systematic Review.

BACKGROUND: Vaccine hesitancy is a growing concern in Saudi Arabia, impacting even well-educated parents. The decision-making process involves various factors such as accessibility, trustworthy information, and the influence of social networks, reflecting a complex interplay of emotional, cultural, social, spiritual, and political dimensions. OBJECTIVE: This review seeks to evaluate the prevalence and trends of vaccine hesitancy, identify contributing factors, and explore potential solutions to enhance immunization rates. This review aligns with global concerns, as the World Health Organization has identified vaccine hesitancy as a top global health threat. METHODS: Our systematic review will follow the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) guidelines and PICOS (Population, Intervention, Comparison, Outcomes, and Study) criteria for comprehensive assessment. We will conduct a thorough search across various databases, encompassing a wide range of vaccines, and pay special attention to vaccination campaigns and refusals. Inclusion criteria involve descriptive, observational, and analytical studies focusing on factors influencing vaccine acceptance or hesitancy. The study will use the Crowe Critical Appraisal Tool for quality assessment and perform a narrative synthesis to summarize findings thematically. RESULTS: This systematic review is expected to unveil the prevalence and trends of vaccine hesitancy in diverse populations in Saudi Arabia, shedding light on cultural, religious, and social factors contributing to hesitancy. It aims to assess the effectiveness of implemented strategies, enable regional and global comparisons, and provide implications for tailored vaccination policies. Additionally, the review may pinpoint research gaps, guiding future investigations to address and mitigate vaccine hesitancy effectively. CONCLUSIONS: The findings are expected to have direct policy implications and guide interventions to strengthen vaccination programs and improve public health outcomes. INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT IDENTIFIER (IRRID): PRR1-10.2196/54680.

Mitigation and community preparedness in anticipating tsunami disasters in Muara Batu, Aceh.

The tsunami disaster in 2004 that caused thousands of causalities forced the community of Aceh to carry out mitigation and preparedness. This study aims to describe about the mitigation and preparedness of the community in Muara Batu, North Aceh, Indonesia, in the face of the tsunami disaster. Data collection techniques used are in-depth interviews, observation, questionnaire and documentation. The results showed that the tsunami disaster mitigation in Muara Batu District was as follows: (1) construction of breakwater by government and plantation of coconut trees by residents along the coast and (2) the provision of education about disasters has been carried out. Meanwhile, related to the preparedness of the community in dealing with the tsunami disaster, the following were concluded: (1) the preparedness of the community in dealing with the tsunami disaster was classified as ready; (2) the knowledge and attitude of the household community in dealing with the tsunami disaster is classified as ready; (3) the community policy in dealing with the tsunami disaster is low; (4) the community emergency response plan in dealing with the tsunami disaster is ready; (5) the tsunami warning system still uses a hereditary tradition of using sirens and loudspeakers in the meunasah and/or mushola; (6) the level of mobilisation of community resources is still low. Contribution: This study recommends strengthening mitigation and preparedness with periodic community training by the village or district government. This will increase and strengthen synergies and interconnections between communities, village and district governments in dealing with the tsunami disaster.

Conducting an Ebola vaccine trial in a remote area of the Democratic Republic of the Congo: Challenges, mitigations, and lessons learned.

Conducting a vaccine trial in a low- and middle-income country (LMIC) can present unique challenges and lessons learned. This Ebola vaccine trial, enrolling 699 healthcare providers and frontliners and jointly set up by the University of Antwerp (Sponsor) and the University of Kinshasa (Principal Investigator (PI)), was conducted in Boende, a remote city in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), between December 2019 and October 2022 (ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT04186000). While being bound by strict ICH-GCP and international funder regulations, this trial, exemplary for being a public-private partnership, required collaboration between several international stakeholders (e.g., two universities, a pharmaceutical company, and a clinical research organization), local communities and government agencies. Here we address several logistical and administrative challenges, cultural differences, language barriers and regulatory, political, and ethical considerations over the trial's 2.5-year duration, while tailoring and adapting the study to the specific local context. Lessons learned include the importance of clear communication with participants in all phases of the study, but also within the study team and among different stakeholders. Challenges, mitigations, and lessons learned are presented in nine categories (e.g., safety management; trial documentation, tools, and materials; communication, staff training and community engagement/sensitization; financial and administrative hurdles; and more). Ultimately, to reach the successful end of the vaccine trial in this remote Ebola endemic area in the DRC, careful planning, collaboration, and great flexibility and adaptability was often required from all involved partners. Despite the encountered challenges, the vaccine trial discussed in this paper was able to obtain high participant retention rates (i.e., 92% of participants completed the study). We hope that other international teams aspiring to conduct similar trials in remote areas of LMICs can learn from the way our challenges were addressed, mitigations developed, and lessons were learned.

A case-crossover study of the effect of vaccination on SARS-CoV-2 transmission relevant behaviours during a period of national lockdown in England and Wales.

BACKGROUND: Studies of COVID-19 vaccine effectiveness show increases in COVID-19 cases within 14 days of a first dose, potentially reflecting post-vaccination behaviour changes associated with SARS-CoV-2 transmission before vaccine protection. However, direct evidence for a relationship between vaccination and behaviour is lacking. We aimed to examine the association between vaccination status and self-reported non-household contacts and non-essential activities during a national lockdown in England and Wales. METHODS: Participants (n = 1154) who had received the first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine reported non-household contacts and non-essential activities from February to March 2021 in monthly surveys during a national lockdown in England and Wales. We used a case-crossover study design and conditional logistic regression to examine the association between vaccination status (pre-vaccination vs 14 days post-vaccination) and self-reported contacts and activities within individuals. Stratified subgroup analyses examined potential effect heterogeneity by sociodemographic characteristics such as sex, household income or age group. RESULTS: 457/1154 (39.60 %) participants reported non-household contacts post-vaccination compared with 371/1154 (32.15 %) participants pre-vaccination. 100/1154 (8.67 %) participants reported use of non-essential shops or services post-vaccination compared with 74/1154 (6.41 %) participants pre-vaccination. Post-vaccination status was associated with increased odds of reporting non-household contacts (OR 1.65, 95 % CI 1.31-2.06, p < 0.001) and use of non-essential shops or services (OR 1.50, 95 % CI 1.03-2.17, p = 0.032). This effect varied between men and women and different age groups. CONCLUSION: Participants had higher odds of reporting non-household contacts and use of non-essential shops or services within 14 days of their first COVID-19 vaccine compared to pre-vaccination. Public health emphasis on maintaining protective behaviours during this post-vaccination time period when individuals have yet to develop full protection from vaccination could reduce risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection.

Seaweed for climate mitigation, wastewater treatment, bioenergy, bioplastic, biochar, food, pharmaceuticals, and cosmetics: a review.

The development and recycling of biomass production can partly solve issues of energy, climate change, population growth, food and feed shortages, and environmental pollution. For instance, the use of seaweeds as feedstocks can reduce our reliance on fossil fuel resources, ensure the synthesis of cost-effective and eco-friendly products and biofuels, and develop sustainable biorefinery processes. Nonetheless, seaweeds use in several biorefineries is still in the infancy stage compared to terrestrial plants-based lignocellulosic biomass. Therefore, here we review seaweed biorefineries with focus on seaweed production, economical benefits, and seaweed use as feedstock for anaerobic digestion, biochar, bioplastics, crop health, food, livestock feed, pharmaceuticals and cosmetics. Globally, seaweeds could sequester between 61 and 268 megatonnes of carbon per year, with an average of 173 megatonnes. Nearly 90% of carbon is sequestered by exporting biomass to deep water, while the remaining 10% is buried in coastal sediments. 500 gigatonnes of seaweeds could replace nearly 40% of the current soy protein production. Seaweeds contain valuable bioactive molecules that could be applied as antimicrobial, antioxidant, antiviral, antifungal, anticancer, contraceptive, anti-inflammatory, anti-coagulants, and in other cosmetics and skincare products.

Evaluation of deep space exploration risks and mitigations against radiation and microgravity.

Ionizing radiation and microgravity are two considerable health risks encountered during deep space exploration. Both have deleterious effects on the human body. On one hand, weightlessness is known to induce a weakening of the immune system, delayed wound healing and musculoskeletal, cardiovascular, and sensorimotor deconditioning. On the other hand, radiation exposure can lead to long-term health effects such as cancer and cataracts as well as have an adverse effect on the central nervous and cardiovascular systems. Ionizing radiation originates from three main sources in space: galactic cosmic radiation, solar particle events and solar winds. Furthermore, inside the spacecraft and inside certain space habitats on Lunar and Martian surfaces, the crew is exposed to intravehicular radiation, which arises from nuclear reactions between space radiation and matter. Besides the approaches already in use, such as radiation shielding materials (such as aluminium, water or polyethylene), alternative shielding materials (including boron nanotubes, complex hybrids, composite hybrid materials, and regolith) and active shielding (using fields to deflect radiation particles) are being investigated for their abilities to mitigate the effects of ionizing radiation. From a biological point of view, it can be predicted that exposure to ionizing radiation during missions beyond Low Earth Orbit (LEO) will affect the human body in undesirable ways, e.g., increasing the risks of cataracts, cardiovascular and central nervous system diseases, carcinogenesis, as well as accelerated ageing. Therefore, it is necessary to assess the risks related to deep space exploration and to develop mitigation strategies to reduce these risks to a tolerable level. By using biomarkers for radiation sensitivity, space agencies are developing extensive personalised medical examination programmes to determine an astronaut's vulnerability to radiation. Moreover, researchers are developing pharmacological solutions (e.g., radioprotectors and radiomitigators) to proactively or reactively protect astronauts during deep space exploration. Finally, research is necessary to develop more effective countermeasures for use in future human space missions, which can also lead to improvements to medical care on Earth. This review will discuss the risks space travel beyond LEO poses to astronauts, methods to monitor astronauts' health, and possible approaches to mitigate these risks.

Airborne Sound Power Levels and Spectra of Noise Sources in Port Areas.

Airborne port noise has historically suffered from a lack of regulatory assessment compared to other transport infrastructures. This has led to several complaints from citizens living in the urban areas surrounding ports, which is a very common situation, especially in countries facing the Mediterranean sea. Only in relatively recent years has an effort been made to improve this situation, which has resulted in a call for and financing of numerous international cooperation research projects, within the framework of programs such as EU FP7, H2020, ENPI-CBC MED, LIFE, and INTERREG. These projects dealt with issues and aspects of port noise, which is an intrinsically tangled problem, since several authorities and companies operate within the borders of ports, and several different noise sources are present at the same time. In addition, ship classification societies have recently recognized the problem and nowadays are developing procedures and voluntary notations to assess the airborne noise emission from marine vessels. The present work summarizes the recent results of research regarding port noise sources in order to provide a comprehensive database of sources that can be easily used, for example, as an input to the noise mapping phase, and can subsequently prevent citizens' exposure to noise.

Empirical analysis of the feasible solution to mitigate the CO2 emission: evidence from Next-11 countries.

From the empirical findings, economic growth, energy consumption, fossil fuel use, and infrastructure all have a positive impact on CO2 emissions. Forest rent and industrialization show a mix of results to explain CO2 emissions in N-11 countries. Forest and agriculture have negative coefficients in most of the estimations which indicate the reduction of CO2 emissions in 11 countries. Through the evidence of variance decomposition (VD) analysis, this study found an inverted U-shaped EKC hypothesis in the long run. Moreover, through the econometric analysis, it is clear that forest area is important to reduce CO2 emissions in N-11 countries, where forest investment and planning would be effective for carbon reduction. Agricultural activities and production with green investment play an important role in mitigating CO2 emissions in N-11 countries.

Setting-up an Ebola vaccine trial in a remote area of the Democratic Republic of the Congo: Challenges, mitigations, and lessons learned.

Since the largest Ebola outbreak in West Africa (2013-2016) highlighted the potential threat of the Ebola virus to the world, several vaccines have been under development by different pharmaceutical companies. To obtain vaccine licensure, vaccine trials assessing the safety, immunogenicity and efficacy of new vaccines among different populations (e.g. different in age, gender, race, and ethnicity) play a crucial role. However, while this deadly disease mainly affects Central and West Africa, clinical trial regulations are becoming increasingly complex and consequently more expensive, influencing the affected low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) in performing high quality clinical trials. Consequently, the completion of such trials in LMICs takes more time and vaccines and drugs take longer to be licensed. To overcome some of the obstacles faced, the EBOVAC3 consortium, funded by the European Union's Innovative Medicines Initiative and the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations, enabled high quality vaccine trials in Central and West Africa through extensive North-South collaborations. In this article, the encountered challenges, mitigations, recommendations and lessons learned from setting-up an Ebola vaccine trial in a remote area of the Democratic Republic of Congo are presented. These challenges are grouped into eight categories: (1) Regulatory, political and ethical, (2) Trial documents, (3) International collaborations, (4) Local trial staff, (5) Community engagement and sensitization, (6) Logistics, (7) Remoteness and climate conditions, (8) Financial. By sharing the encountered challenges, implemented mitigations and lessons learned for each of these categories, we hope to prepare and inform other researchers aspiring a well-functioning clinical trial unit in similar remote settings in LMICs. ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT04186000.

Avian Orthoavulavirus Type-1 as Vaccine Vector against Respiratory Viral Pathogens in Animal and Human.

Avian orthoavulaviruses type-1 (AOaV-1) have recently transitioned from animal vaccine vector to a bona fide vaccine delivery vehicle in human. Owing to induction of robust innate and adaptive immune responses in mucus membranes in both birds and mammals, AOaVs offer an attractive vaccine against respiratory pathogens. The unique features of AOaVs include over 50 years of safety profile, stable expression of foreign genes, high infectivity rates in avian and mammalian hosts, broad host spectrum, limited possibility of recombination and lack of pre-existing immunity in humans. Additionally, AOaVs vectors allow the production of economical and high quantities of vaccine antigen in chicken embryonated eggs and several GMP-grade mammalian cell lines. In this review, we describe the biology of AOaVs and define protocols to manipulate AOaVs genomes in effectively designing vaccine vectors. We highlighted the potential and established portfolio of AOaV-based vaccines for multiple respiratory and non-respiratory viruses of veterinary and medical importance. We comment on the limitations of AOaV-based vaccines and propose mitigations strategies. The exploitation of AOaVs vectors is expanding at an exciting pace; thus, we have limited the scope to their use as vaccines against viral pathogens in both animals and humans.

Introduction to the Special Issue: New Frontiers in Acrylamide Study in Foods-Formation, Analysis and Exposure Assessment.

Acrylamide is a chemical contaminant that naturally originates during the thermal processing of many foods. Since 2002, worldwide institutions with competencies in food safety have promoted activities aimed at updating knowledge for a revaluation of the risk assessment of this process contaminant. The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) ruled in 2015 that the presence of acrylamide in foods increases the risk of developing cancer in any age group of the population. Commission Regulation (EU) 2017/2158 establishes recommended mitigation measures for the food industry and reference levels to reduce the presence of acrylamide in foods and, consequently, its harmful effects on the population. This Special Issue explores recent advances on acrylamide in foods, including a novel insight on its chemistry of formation and elimination, effective mitigation strategies, conventional and innovative monitoring techniques, risk/benefit approaches and exposure assessment, in order to enhance our understanding for this process contaminant and its dietary exposure.

Benefits and Trade-Offs of Dairy System Changes Aimed at Reducing Nitrate Leaching.

Between 2011 and 2016, small-scale farm trials were run across three dairy regions of New Zealand (Waikato, Canterbury, Otago) to compare the performance of typical regional farm systems with farm systems implementing a combination of mitigation options most suitable to the region. The trials ran for at least three consecutive years with detailed recording of milk production and input costs. Nitrate leaching per hectare of the milking platform (where lactating cows are kept) was estimated using either measurements (suction cups), models, or soil mineral nitrogen measurements. Post-trial, detailed farm information was used in the New Zealand greenhouse gas inventory methodology to calculate the emissions from all sources; dairy platform, dairy support land used for wintering non-lactating cows (where applicable) and replacement stock, and imported supplements. Nitrate leaching was also estimated for the support land and growing of supplements imported from off-farm using the same methods as for the platform. Operating profit (NZ$/ha/year), nitrate leaching (kg N/ha/year), and greenhouse gas emissions (t CO2-equivalent/ha/year) were all expressed per hectare of milking platform to enable comparisons across regions. Nitrate leaching mitigations adopted in lower-input (less purchased feed and nitrogen fertiliser) farm systems reduced leaching by 22 to 30 per cent, and greenhouse gas emissions by between nine and 24 per cent. The exception was the wintering barn system in Otago, where nitrate leaching was reduced by 45 per cent, but greenhouse gas emissions were unchanged due to greater manure storage and handling. Important drivers of a lower environmental footprint are reducing nitrogen fertiliser and purchased feed. Their effect is to reduce feed flow through the herd and drive down both greenhouse gas emissions and nitrate leaching. Emission reductions in the lower-input systems of Waikato and Canterbury came at an average loss of profit of approximately NZ$100/t CO2-equivalent (three to five per cent of industry-average profit per hectare).

A multicomponent kinetic model established for investigation on atmospheric new particle formation mechanism in H2SO4-HNO3-NH3-VOC system.

Secondary new particle formation (NPF) plays a significant role in atmospheric particulate matters (e.g., PM2.5), and has been studied over the past decades. However, the mechanism of NPF still remains ambiguous, setting significant barrier for PM2.5 mitigations, especially in complex atmosphere with multi-pollutants. Since the NPF process can hardly be observed directly by experiment methods due to the measuring limitations, a multicomponent kinetic model (MKM), which can be used to analyze the process and the mechanism of NPF in H2SO4-HNO3-NH3-VOC (Volatile Organic Compounds) system, has been developed in this paper. According to MKM, seven cases with initial concentrations of total precursor vapors (CPV) in the range of 107-108cm-3 were calculated to analyze the NPF process. Firstly, the 3nm particle (PM3nm) formation rate was calculated via MKM, which showed a good agreement with the previous measurements. Moreover, according to MKM calculation, it is found that the peak value of PM3nm formation rate, i.e., Jm, is proportional to [CPV]2, while the time at which Jm occurred, i.e., tm, is proportional to [CPV]-1/3, indicating that the increases in CPV would lead to a significant increase of Jm and decrease of tm. That's why NPF bursts immediately and PM2.5 pollution occurs suddenly in heavily pollutant areas. Afterwards, the roles of precursors in H2SO4-HNO3-NH3-VOC system were identified. It indicates that H2SO4, NH3 and VOC mainly contribute to the early stage of the NPF, while the growth of the nuclei is mainly driven by HNO3 and NH3. And HNO3 makes increasing contributions at the early stage of NPF with CPV rising (especially above 108cm-3). Thus in high CPV areas, especially for China, HNO3 should be paid the same attention as H2SO4, NH3 and VOC. The findings provide important implications for haze mitigations in China and other industrializing countries with multi-pollutant emission sources.