Induced Relaxation Enhances the Cardiorespiratory Dynamics in COVID-19 Survivors.

Most COVID-19 survivors report experiencing at least one persistent symptom after recovery, including sympathovagal imbalance. Relaxation techniques based on slow-paced breathing have proven to be beneficial for cardiovascular and respiratory dynamics in healthy subjects and patients with various diseases. Therefore, the present study aimed to explore the cardiorespiratory dynamics by linear and nonlinear analysis of photoplethysmographic and respiratory time series on COVID-19 survivors under a psychophysiological assessment that includes slow-paced breathing. We analyzed photoplethysmographic and respiratory signals of 49 COVID-19 survivors to assess breathing rate variability (BRV), pulse rate variability (PRV), and pulse-respiration quotient (PRQ) during a psychophysiological assessment. Additionally, a comorbidity-based analysis was conducted to evaluate group changes. Our results indicate that all BRV indices significantly differed when performing slow-paced breathing. Nonlinear parameters of PRV were more appropriate for identifying changes in breathing patterns than linear indices. Furthermore, the mean and standard deviation of PRQ exhibited a significant increase while sample and fuzzy entropies decreased during diaphragmatic breathing. Thus, our findings suggest that slow-paced breathing may improve the cardiorespiratory dynamics of COVID-19 survivors in the short term by enhancing cardiorespiratory coupling via increased vagal activity.

PLHC-1 topminnow liver cells: An alternative model to investigate the toxicity of plastic additives in the aquatic environment.

Plasticizers are widespread environmental contaminants that have been described as obesogens in terrestrial vertebrates. However, its effects on fish lipids homeostasis are almost unknown. This work explores the use of PLHC-1 cells as an alternative model to assess the disruption of hepatic lipids by plastic additives and to gather information on the mode of action of these chemicals in fish. PLHC-1 lipid extracts were analyzed by flow injection coupled to high resolution mass spectrometry (FIA-ESI(+/-)-Orbitrap-Exactive) after 24 h exposure of the cells to the selected plasticizers: dibutyl phthalate (DBP), di-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP), bisphenol A (BPA), bisphenol F (BPF), and chlorinated bisphenol A diglycidyl ether (BADGE·2HCl). The analysis of the culture medium and the intracellular concentration of the chemicals revealed the highest bioconcentration of BADGE·2HCl, DBP and DEHP, which was in agreement with the strongest alteration of the cells lipidome. BADGE·2HCl induced a significant depletion of triacylglycerides (TGs), while DEHP and DBP stimulated the accumulation of TGs. Exposure to BPF induced the generation of reactive oxygen species in PLHC-1 cells and a significant depletion of phosphatidylcholine (PC)- and phosphatidylethanolamine (PE)-plasmalogens, and TGs (cell depots of polyunsaturated fatty acids). Overall, this study evidences different modes of action of plastic additives in topminnow liver cells, describes differential lipidomic signatures, and highlights the higher lipotoxicity of BADGE·2HCl and BPF compared to BPA.

The opening of maitotoxin-sensitive calcium channels induces the acrosome reaction in human spermatozoa: differences from the zona pellucida.

The acrosome reaction (AR), an absolute requirement for spermatozoa and egg fusion, requires the influx of Ca²(+) into the spermatozoa through voltage-dependent Ca²(+) channels and store-operated channels. Maitotoxin (MTx), a Ca²(+)-mobilizing agent, has been shown to be a potent inducer of the mouse sperm AR, with a pharmacology similar to that of the zona pellucida (ZP), possibly suggesting a common pathway for both inducers. Using recombinant human ZP3 (rhZP3), mouse ZP and two MTx channel blockers (U73122 and U73343), we investigated and compared the MTx- and ZP-induced ARs in human and mouse spermatozoa. Herein, we report that MTx induced AR and elevated intracellular Ca²(+) ([Ca²(+)](i)) in human spermatozoa, both of which were blocked by U73122 and U73343. These two compounds also inhibited the MTx-induced AR in mouse spermatozoa. In disagreement with our previous proposal, the AR triggered by rhZP3 or mouse ZP was not blocked by U73343, indicating that in human and mouse spermatozoa, the AR induction by the physiological ligands or by MTx occurred through distinct pathways. U73122, but not U73343 (inactive analogue), can block phospholipase C (PLC). Another PLC inhibitor, edelfosine, also blocked the rhZP3- and ZP-induced ARs. These findings confirmed the participation of a PLC-dependent signalling pathway in human and mouse zona protein-induced AR. Notably, edelfosine also inhibited the MTx-induced mouse sperm AR but not that of the human, suggesting that toxin-induced AR is PLC-dependent in mice and PLC-independent in humans.

Evaluando el conocimiento de menores de edad sobre drogas y alcohol, abuso sexual infantil, violencia intrafamiliar en infecciones de transmisión sexual: el caso de la Escuela Estados Unidos de América / Assessing knowledge of underage drug and alcohol, child sexual abuse, domestic violence in sexually transmitted infections: the case of the U.S. School

Se realizó un trabajo con niños de cuarto grado de una escuela pública para evaluar el conocimiento de los mismos en temas considerados trascendentales en la época actual: drogas y alcohol, abuso sexual infantil, violencia intrafamiliar y enfermedades de transmisión sexual. Con base en los datos obtenidos se concluyó que había serias deficiencias en cuanto a conceptos básicos que se aclararon mediante talleres, los cuales fueron realizados en diciembre del año dos mil nueve y que permitieron retomar dudas importantes reconocer de primera mano las graves falencias en la formación educativa que presentan, en áreas vitales como abuso sexual, abuso de drogas y violencia intrafamiliar...