Bacterial diversity in aqueous/sludge phases within diesel fuel storage tanks.

Diesel fuel storage tanks are not hostile environments for microorganisms and tend to form sludges in the water deposited at the bottom of the tanks. The lack of nutrient, carbon and energy limitations within these habitats boost the abundance and the metabolic activity of microorganisms providing microbial hotspots with high growing rates of diesel degradation (0.10 ± 0.021 d-1). Five different Phyla (Thermotogae, Spirochaetes, Firmicutes, Bacteroidetes Proteobacteria) were identified within the aqueous/sludge phase from in situ diesel storage tanks, by cultured independent molecular surveys using the 16S rDNA gene fragment. The identified dominant strains were Geotoga aestuarianus, Flavobacterium ceti, Spirochaeta thermophila, Propionispira arboris, Sporobacterium olearium and Dysgonomonas genera. The altitude where the storage tanks are located and the organic carbon concentration within the aqueous/sludge phases affected the bacterial diversity. Therefore, the more diverse the microbial communities are, the more probability of the presence of bacteria with capacity to metabolized diesel and eliminate organic matter. Despite, only phosphate showed an effect on the bacterial distribution within the storage tanks, there was an apparent lack of deterministic process in structuring microbial communities. Consequently, preventative protocols are a priority to avoid the microbial growth within diesel fuel storage tanks. A new focus of this worldwide problem within the oil industry would be to explore deeply the wide range of metabolic and adaptive capacities of these microorganisms. These microbial consortia are potential tools with new specific services to apply in bioremediation among others.

Suicidal risk, hopelessness and depression in patients with schizophrenia and internalized stigma.

BACKGROUND: Internalized stigma has negative consequences on subjective and objective aspects of the recovery in people diagnosed with mental disorders. Despite its relevance, it has been poorly studied in patients with schizophrenia. METHODS: A sample of 71 outpatients with a diagnosis of schizophrenia who attended Psychosocial Rehabilitation Centers of Gran Canaria, Spain, were evaluated. We assessed the prevalence of internalized stigma and its possible association with sociodemographic, clinical, psychological and psychopathological variables, as well as suicidal behaviour and suicidal ideation. RESULTS: 21.1% of the patients had internalized stigma. Internalized stigma was associated with higher prevalence of suicidal ideation during the last year, higher number of suicide attempts, higher current suicidal risk, worse self-compassion, higher self-esteem, higher scores on depression, higher prevalence of depression and higher hopelessness. After multivariate analysis, hopelessness and the existence of depression were independently associated with internalized stigma, although depression showed trend towards significance. CONCLUSIONS: The association between internalized stigma and higher hopelessness, depression and higher suicidal risk suggests the necessity to systematically assess internalized stigma in patients with schizophrenia, and to intervene to reduce it.

Bacterial Diversity in Old Hydrocarbon Polluted Sediments of Ecuadorian Amazon River Basins.

The Ecuadorian Amazon rainforest stands out as one of the world's most biodiverse regions, yet faces significant threats due to oil extraction activities dating back to the 1970s in the northeastern provinces. This research investigates the environmental and societal consequences of prolonged petroleum exploitation and oil spills in Ecuador's Amazon. Conducted in June 2015, the study involved a comprehensive analysis of freshwater sediment samples from 24 locations in the Rio Aguarico and Napo basins. Parameters such as water and air temperature, conductivity, soil pH, and hydrocarbon concentrations were examined. Total petroleum hydrocarbon (TPH) concentrations ranged from 9.4 to 847.4 mg kg-1, with polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) levels varying from 10.15 to 711.1 mg kg-1. The pristane/phytane ratio indicated historic hydrocarbon pollution in 8 of the 15 chemically analyzed sediments. Using non-culturable techniques (Illumina), bacterial analyses identified over 350 ASV, with prominent families including Comamonadaceae, Chitinophagaceae, Anaeromyxobacteraceae, Sphingomonadaceae, and Xanthobacteraceae. Bacterial diversity, assessed in eight samples, exhibited a positive correlation with PAH concentrations. The study provides insights into how microbial communities respond to varying levels of hydrocarbon pollution, shedding light on the enduring impact of oil exploitation in the Amazonian region. Its objective is to deepen our understanding of the environmental and human well-being in the affected area, underscoring the pressing need for remedial actions in the face of ongoing ecological challenges.

Family Intervention in Severe Mental Disorder: An Online Intervention Format in Psychosocial Rehabilitation Centers.

The use of new technologies and online interventions with family members of people affected by severe mental disorders (SMD) seems to emerge as a promising complementary strategy to face-to-face care. The article presents a new online intervention format, aimed at relatives of people with SMD. A qualitative methodology sequenced in seven phases has been used. (1) The incorporation of relatives into the programme has allowed the intervention format to be adapted to the needs and opinions of the relatives themselves. (2) All the relatives were completely satisfied with the new online intervention format, and with how useful it had been for them. (1) The attention and support to family members of people with SMD through the Internet is a complementary intervention strategy to face-to-face care. (2) The online format of attention to family members can be incorporated into the usual practice of care services. Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s40737-022-00310-7.

Endophytic Microbes Are Tools to Increase Tolerance in Jasione Plants Against Arsenic Stress.

Seed microbiota is becoming an emergent area of research. Host plant microbial diversity is increasingly well described, yet relatively little is known about the stressors driving plant endomicrobiota at the metaorganism level. The present work examines the role of horizontal and vertical transmission of bacterial microbiota in response to abiotic stress generated by arsenic. Horizontal transmission is achieved by bioaugmentation with the endophyte Rhodococcus rhodochrous, while vertical transmission comes via maternal inheritance from seeds. To achieve this goal, all experiments were conducted with two Jasione species. J. montana is tolerant to arsenic (As), whereas J. sessiliflora, being phylogenetically close to J. montana, was not previously described as As tolerant. The Jasione core bacterial endophytes are composed of genera Pseudomonas, Ralstonia, Undibacterium, Cutibacterium, and Kocuria and family Comamanadaceae across different environmental conditions. All these operational taxonomic units (OTUs) coexisted from seeds to the development of the seedling, independently of As stress, or bioaugmentation treatment and Jasione species. R. rhodochrous colonized efficiently both species, driving the endomicrobiota structure of Jasione with a stronger effect than As stress. Despite the fact that most of the OTUs identified inside Jasione seeds and seedlings belonged to rare microbiota, they represent a large bacterial reservoir offering important physiological and ecological traits to the host. Jasione traits co-regulated with R. rhodochrous, and the associated microbiota improved the host response to As stress. NGS-Illumina tools provided further knowledge about the ecological and functional roles of plant endophytes.

A Gnotobiotic Model to Examine Plant and Microbiome Contributions to Survival under Arsenic Stress.

So far, the relative importance of the plant and its microbiome in the development of early stages of plant seedling growth under arsenic stress has not been studied. To test the role of endophytic bacteria in increasing plant success under arsenic stress, gnotobiotic seeds of J. montana were inoculated with two endophytic bacteria: Pantoea conspicua MC-K1 (PGPB and As resistant bacteria) and Arthrobacter sp. MC-D3A (non-helper and non-As resistant bacteria) and an endobacteria mixture. In holobiotic seedlings (with seed-vectored microbes intact), neither the capacity of germination nor development of roots and lateral hairs was affected at 125 µM As(V). However, in gnotobiotic seedlings, the plants are negatively impacted by absence of a microbiome and presence of arsenic, resulting in reduced growth of roots and root hairs. The inoculation of a single PGPB (P. conspicua-MCK1) shows a tendency to the recovery of the plant, both in arsenic enriched and arsenic-free media, while the inoculation with Arthrobacter sp. does not help in the recovery of the plants. Inoculation with a bacterial mixture allows recovery of plants in arsenic free media; however, plants did not recover under arsenic stress, probably because of a bacterial interaction in the mixture.

Drivers of Microbial Carbon Fluxes Variability in Two Oligotrophic Mediterranean Coastal Systems.

The carbon fluxes between phytoplankton and heterotrophic bacterioplankton were studied in two coastal oligotrophic sites in the NW Mediterranean. Phytoplankton and bacterial production rates were measured under natural conditions using different methods. In the Bay of Villefranche, the temporal variability revealed net heterotrophy in July-October and net autotrophy in December-March. The spatial variability was studied in the Bay of Palma, showing net autotrophic areas in the west and heterotrophic areas in the east. On average bacterial respiration, represented 62% of the total community respiration. Bacterial growth efficiency (BGE) values were significantly higher in autotrophic conditions than in heterotrophic ones. During autotrophic periods, dissolved primary production (DPP) was enough to sustained bacterial metabolism, although it showed a positive correlation with organic carbon stock (DOC). Under heterotrophic conditions, DPP did not sustain bacterial metabolism but bacterial respiration correlated with DPP and bacterial production with DOC. Temperature affected positively, DOC, BGE, bacterial respiration and production when the trophic status was autotrophic. To summarize, the response of bacterial metabolism to temperature and carbon sources depends on the trophic status within these oligotrophic coastal systems.

Stability of Selected Hydrogen Bonded Semiconductors in Organic Electronic Devices.

The electronics era is flourishing and morphing itself into Internet of Everything, IoE. At the same time, questions arise on the issue of electronic materials employed: especially their natural availability and low-cost fabrication, their functional stability in devices, and finally their desired biodegradation at the end of their life cycle. Hydrogen bonded pigments and natural dyes like indigo, anthraquinone and acridone are not only biodegradable and of bio-origin but also have functionality robustness and offer versatility in designing electronics and sensors components. With this Perspective, we intend to coalesce all the scattered reports on the above-mentioned classes of hydrogen bonded semiconductors, spanning across several disciplines and many active research groups. The article will comprise both published and unpublished results, on stability during aging, upon electrical, chemical and thermal stress, and will finish with an outlook section related to biological degradation and biological stability of selected hydrogen bonded molecules employed as semiconductors in organic electronic devices. We demonstrate that when the purity, the long-range order and the strength of chemical bonds, are considered, then the Hydrogen bonded organic semiconductors are the privileged class of materials having the potential to compete with inorganic semiconductors. As an experimental historical study of stability, we fabricated and characterized organic transistors from a material batch synthesized in 1932 and compared the results to a fresh material batch.

Factores de estancia hospitalaria prolongada en una institución de salud de Medellín / Factors of extended hospital stay in a health care institution in Medellin / Fatores de estância hospitalar prolongada numa instituição de saúde de Medellín

Objetivos: el objetivo de este proyecto de investigación se basó en identificar los factores aso-ciados a la estancia hospitalaria prolongada, en una institución de mediana y alta complejidad de Medellín. Materiales y métodos: se realizó un estudio analítico, cuantitativo, de corte transversal, con una selección aleatoria simple de pacientes registrados en el consolidado de estancia hospitalaria prolongada en la institución objeto de estudio, donde (n =291) pacientes. Para el análisis bivariado se utilizó x2 cuadrado en SPSS, los valores P arrojados fueron evaluados con un nivel de confianza del 95% y un margen de error del 5%, con un nivel de significancia o de valor alfa de 0.05 de los 291 registros analizados. Resultados: se encontró asociación estadísticamente significativa entre estancia hospitalaria prolongada y atención domiciliaria (p= 0,028), con procedimientos (p= 0.046) y ayudas diagnósticas (p= 0,38). Conclusiones: La estancia hospitalaria de un paciente, no solo depende de su condición clíni-ca, sino de una interrelación con otros actores en su atención como la institución, el prestador y la red de servicios.

Objectives: The objective of this research project was to identify associated factors of ex-tended hospital stay, in a medium and high-complexity health care institution in Medellin. Materials and methods: An analytic, quantitative, cross-sectional study was made, with a simple random sample of patients (n=291) from the consolidate records of extended hospital stay in the institutions subject of study. For the bivariate analysis, the x2 squared was used in SPSS, the P values generated were evaluated with a confidence level of 95% and a margin of error of 5%, with a significant value or alpha value of 0.05 from the 291 records analyzed. Results: A significant statistical association was found between prolonged hospital stay and home care (p= 0,028), with procedures (p= 0.046) and diagnostic aids (p= 0.38). Conclu-sions: The hospital stay of a patient, does not only depend on their clinical condition, but also on the correlation with other care actors such as the institution, provider, and service network

Objetivo: Identificar os fatores associados à estância hospitalar prologada numa instituição de mediana e alta complexidade de Medellín. Materiais e métodos: Estudo analítico, quantita-tivo, transversal, com uma seleção aleatória simples de 291 pacientes registrados no consol-idado de estância hospitalar prolongada numa instituição de saúde. Para a análise bivariada usou-se o X 2 em SPSS, os valores p obtidos foram avaliados com um nível de confiança do 95% e uma margem de erro do 5%, considerando significativos de alfa de 0,05. Resultados: Encontrou-se associação significativa entre a estância hospitalar prolongada e a assistência domiciliar (p=0,028), com procedimentos (p=0,046) e ajudas diagnosticas (p=0,038). Con-clusões: A estância hospitalar de um paciente não só depende da sua condição clínica, e sim da interação com outros atores no seu atendimento como a instituição, o prestador e rede de serviços.

La gestación: periodo fundamental para el nacimiento y el desarrollo del vínculo paterno / Gestation: fundamental period for the birth and growth of the paternal bond

El objetivo de esta investigación fue describir el significado que el padre asigna al proceso de gestación de su hijo por nacer. Se utilizó una metodología cualitativa con un diseño de carácter descriptivo-analítico, basado en la teoría fundamentada.Participaron ocho padres primigestantes residentes de la ciudad de Bogotá, con los cuales se logró la saturación teórica de la información, por medio de la entrevista a profundidad; se establecieron cinco categorías de análisis: la pertenencia, los cambios, la anticipación, las necesidades y los referentes paternos; las cuales se relacionaron entre sí por medio de la comparación constante y permitieron identificar que “la gestación es el periodo fundamental para el nacimiento y el desarrollo del vínculo paterno”.

This paper intends to describe the meaning given by fathers to the gestation of their child-to-be. The research applied a qualitative methodology with a design of descriptive-analytical nature based on the supporting theory.Eight first-time fathers residing over in the city of Bogotá participated in the research. The collection of theoretical information was achieved through in-depth interviews; five categories of analysis were determined: pertinence, changes, anticipation, needs and paternal referents; which were interrelated by means of a constant comparison that allowed for identifying that “gestation is the fundamental period for the birth and growth of the paternal bond”.

Esta pesquisa visa descrever o significado que o pai atribui ao processo de gestação do seu filho por nascer. Utilizou-se uma metodologia qualitativa com um desenho de caráter descritivo-analítico, baseado na teoria fundamentadaA pesquisa contou com a participação de oito pais primigestantes residentes na cidade de Bogotá, com os quais se conseguiu a saturação teórica da informação, por meio de entrevistas aprofundadas; estabeleceram-se cinco categorias de analise: a pertinência, as mudanças, a antecipação, as necessidades e os referentes paternos que foram relacionados através da comparação constante e permitiram identificar que “a gestação é o período fundamental para o nascimento e o desenvolvimento do vínculo paterno”.