Biochelates from Spent Coffee Grounds Increases Iron Levels in Dutch Cucumbers but Affects Their Antioxidant Capacity.

Spent coffee grounds (SCG) are a type of food waste and are produced in abundance around the world. However, their utilization as a soil organic amendment is challenging due to their phytotoxic effect. In the present work, the impact of agronomic biofortification on Dutch cucumbers was investigated using different chemically modified SCG and analyzing their effects on iron contents, their capacity for releasing antioxidants, and the production of short-chain fatty acids after in vitro digestion-fermentation. The results indicated variations in the iron contents and chemical compositions of cucumbers according to the treatment groups. Functionalized and activated hydrochar from SCG increased Fe levels in cucumbers. Although activated hydrochar obtained at 160 °C and functionalized with Fe showed the highest iron supply per serving, differences in antioxidant capacity and short-chain fatty acid production were observed between the groups. It is concluded that growing conditions and the presence of iron may significantly influence the contribution of these cucumbers to the dietary intake of nutrients and antioxidants, which could have important implications for human health and nutrition.

Zn Biofortification of Dutch Cucumbers with Chemically Modified Spent Coffee Grounds: Zn Enrichment and Nutritional Implications.

Spent coffee grounds (SCGs) are a food waste with a large generation around the world. However, their utilization as a soil organic amendment is difficult due to their phytotoxic effect. In the present work, the impact of agronomic biofortification on Dutch cucumbers was studied by using different chemically modified SCGs, analyzing their effects on Zn content, the release of antioxidant capacity and the production of short-chain fatty acids after in vitro digestion-fermentation. The results indicated variations in the Zn content and chemical composition of cucumbers according to the treatment groups. The functionalized with Zn and activated SCGs were able to increase Zn levels in cucumbers. Meanwhile, the activated hydrochar obtained at 160 °C and the activated and functionalized with Zn SCGs showed the highest Zn supply per serving. Differences in the antioxidant capacity and short-chain fatty acid production were observed between the groups. It is concluded that the growing conditions and the presence of Zn may significantly influence the contribution of these cucumbers to the dietary intake of nutrients and antioxidants, which could have important implications for human health and nutrition.

Necrotic Upper-Extremity Infections in People Who Inject Drugs: A Case Series.

PURPOSE: Our institution has noted an increase in severe upper-extremity infections within the last 2 years. These patients have required transhumeral amputation. This case series demonstrates some of the catastrophic outcomes of these infections in people who inject drugs, which has been postulated to be related to the addition of xylazine to injectable drugs in our community. METHODS: The study included patients presenting with severe upper-extremity infections resulting from intravenous drug use and requiring upper-extremity amputation between January 1, 2020 and September 30, 2022 at a single, urban, level 1 trauma center. Patient information and clinical images were collected through retrospective chart review. RESULTS: Eight patients were identified at our institution with extensive necrosis of the skin and soft tissues in the forearm and hand, resulting in exposure of the radius and ulna. None of these patients had viable motor function in the hand and presented with a lack of sensation. All underwent transhumeral amputations, including bilaterally in one case. CONCLUSIONS: The patients in this case series self-reported injection of tranquilizer-containing drugs, and xylazine has been reported to be present in 91% of heroin and fentanyl samples in our community. Although more studies are needed to confirm that xylazine is the definitive cause of the extensive tissue necrosis seen in these patients, we have found the severity of these infections to be noteworthy, given the likely expansion of xylazine to drug samples beyond our region. TYPE OF STUDY/LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Therapeutic V.

A scuticociliate causes mass mortality of Diadema antillarum in the Caribbean Sea.

Echinoderm mass mortality events shape marine ecosystems by altering the dynamics among major benthic groups. The sea urchin Diadema antillarum, virtually extirpated in the Caribbean in the early 1980s by an unknown cause, recently experienced another mass mortality beginning in January 2022. We investigated the cause of this mass mortality event through combined molecular biological and veterinary pathologic approaches comparing grossly normal and abnormal animals collected from 23 sites, representing locations that were either affected or unaffected at the time of sampling. Here, we report that a scuticociliate most similar to Philaster apodigitiformis was consistently associated with abnormal urchins at affected sites but was absent from unaffected sites. Experimentally challenging naïve urchins with a Philaster culture isolated from an abnormal, field-collected specimen resulted in gross signs consistent with those of the mortality event. The same ciliate was recovered from treated specimens postmortem, thus fulfilling Koch's postulates for this microorganism. We term this condition D. antillarum scuticociliatosis.

Leg dominance and performance in change of directions tests in young soccer players.

The present study aimed to examine the influence of leg dominance on the change of direction (COD) performance. In this study participated 94 healthy young highly trained male soccer players belonging from two categories (n = 27 vs. n = 67; 14.81 ± 0.40 vs. 16.64 ± 1.25 years of age; 170.61 ± 5.61 vs. 173.73 ± 7.19 cm of height; 64.74 ± 8.44 vs. 66.70 ± 7.95 kg of weight, for U16 and U18, respectively). Fitness assessments were performed two times in a period of three months, and included: (1) anthropometry measures, (2) 30-15 IFT, (3) 10-m sprint test, (4) 505-COD test, 90° COD test and cross-over hop test. A paired sample t-test was performed to evaluate the asymmetries at the intragroup level in each of the COD's tests. A symmetry index was used to analyse the asymmetries between categories, and an independent sample t-test was used to compare the variability between the two categories in each of the three tests performed. The effect size was also evaluated. Analysis demonstrated that evidence a trend for a better performance with the preferred leg in the cross-over hop and 505-COD tests, and with the non-dominant leg in the 90° COD. However, in the intragroup analysis, only the 505-COD test registered differences, and no differences were notice din the intergroup comparison. Only in the 505-COD test the percentage of variability (CV) was statistically significant (7.03 ± 4.18% vs. 4.03 ± 2.02% from U16 and U18, respectively). In sum, bilateral differences were noticed in the intragroup comparison, although only in 505-COD test the leg dominance showed to influence performance. In the intergroup analysis any difference was noticed between age categories.

Relationship between sprint, jump, dynamic balance with the change of direction on young soccer players' performance.

The aim of the present paper was to determine the relationship between linear sprinting and jump performance, dynamic balance and change of direction on young soccer players. Ninety-four healthy young highly trained male soccer players belonging to the same high-performance academy agreed to participate in the study [twenty-seven soccer players U16 (14.8 ± 0.4 years; height: 170.6 ± 5.6 cm; body mass 64.7 ± 8.4 kg)] and [sixty-seven soccer players U19 (16.6 ± 1.3 years; height: 173.7 ± 7.2 cm; body mass 66.7 ± 8.0 kg)]. Participants completed 3 testing sessions, 7 days apart. Data from a CMJ, Crossover Hop Test, 10-m sprint test, 505 COD tests and the 90° COD test were collected. Moderate correlations were found in some of the cases (r values were between 0.2 and 0.5 in all cases, being p < 0.05), indicating that linear sprinting, jumping performance and dynamic balance are influential factors in agility but are not the main limiting factor. The highest correlation was found between the cross-over hop test and the 505 COD test (r = 0.44; p < 0.001). The main evidence from the current study suggested that linear sprinting, jumping performance and dynamics balance are determinants of COD, namely explaining the variations in such a skill. The current study revealed that short-distance sprint and jumping performance significantly explain the variations of COD performance on young soccer players.

Widespread microplastic pollution across the Caribbean Sea confirmed using queen conch.

The Caribbean Sea is reported to have one of the highest levels of plastic pollution of any marine ecosystem. Much less is known about the levels of microplastics as an emerging pollutant in the marine environment, especially in the water column and benthic substrates where they can be easily ingested by marine organisms. This study was carried out to quantify marine microplastics in the Wider Caribbean using the mollusk, queen conch (Aliger gigas). We analyzed feces collected from queen conch, a non-lethal method of sampling, to investigate microplastic pollution in eleven sites across the Wider Caribbean. Microplastics were extracted by degradation of organic matter from feces with peroxide (30%) over 48 h. Microplastics were then analyzed by stereomicroscope and scanning electron microscope. Microplastics were found to be present in the feces of all 175 queen conch sampled, and in statistically different abundances among sites, but with no obvious geographical pattern. The highest and lowest levels were found in Central America; the highest being in Belize (270 ± 55 microplastics/queen conch) and Alacranes, Mexico (203 ± 29 microplastics/queen conch), whilst the lowest levels were found in Puerto Morelos, Mexico. Fibers, mostly between 1000 and 1500 µm in size, were the most frequent microplastic particle types at every site and represented between 60 and 98% of all microplastic particles found. Our results suggest that the use of queen conch feces is a suitable method for detecting benthic microplastic pollution, and have confirmed that microplastic pollution of marine benthos is widespread across the Wider Caribbean.

AI-enabled photonic smart garment for movement analysis.

Smart textiles are novel solutions for remote healthcare monitoring which involve non-invasive sensors-integrated clothing. Polymer optical fiber (POF) sensors have attractive features for smart textile technology, and combined with Artificial Intelligence (AI) algorithms increase the potential of intelligent decision-making. This paper presents the development of a fully portable photonic smart garment with 30 multiplexed POF sensors combined with AI algorithms to evaluate the system ability on the activity classification of multiple subjects. Six daily activities are evaluated: standing, sitting, squatting, up-and-down arms, walking and running. A k-nearest neighbors classifier is employed and results from 10 trials of all volunteers presented an accuracy of 94.00 (0.14)%. To achieve an optimal amount of sensors, the principal component analysis is used for one volunteer and results showed an accuracy of 98.14 (0.31)% using 10 sensors, 1.82% lower than using 30 sensors. Cadence and breathing rate were estimated and compared to the data from an inertial measurement unit located on the garment back and the highest error was 2.22%. Shoulder flexion/extension was also evaluated. The proposed approach presented feasibility for activity recognition and movement-related parameters extraction, leading to a system fully optimized, including the number of sensors and wireless communication, for Healthcare 4.0.

Is conventional brain MRI useful for the diagnosis of cluster headache in patients who meet ICHD-3 criteria? Experience in three hospitals in Spain.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the frequency of symptomatic structural lesions and the diagnostic yield of conventional brain MRI in cluster headache (CH). BACKGROUND: In contrast to migraine, brain MRI is recommended in patients with CH to exclude potential mimics. The prevalence of symptomatic CH is not known. METHODS: We retrospectively analysed in detail the brain MRIs of patients diagnosed as CH in 3 Neurology Services in Spain and reviewed their clinical history. Clinical diagnoses were reassessed based on the ICHD-3 criteria. RESULTS: We included 130 patients: 113 (86.9%) were male; mean age at diagnosis being 41.4 years (range 7-82). Forty-nine (37.7%) showed some abnormal MRI finding. Only in two cases potential symptomatic lesions were found: one trigeminal schwannoma and one craneopharyngioma, but both presented atypical features (facial hypoesthesia on examination and episodes of prolonged duration that had progressed to continuous refractory pain without specific pattern, respectively) and therefore did not fulfil the ICHD-3 CH criteria. The remaining abnormal MRI findings were: white matter lesions (24 patients; 18.4%), sinus inflammatory changes (13; 10.0%), small arachnoid cysts (5; 3.8%), empty sella turca (3; 2.3%), and other unspecific findings (8; 6.2%). All of them were not symptomatic based on neuroimaging characteristics, clinical course and response to treatment. CONCLUSIONS: Brain MRI in patients who meet ICHD-3 CH criteria, with no atypical clinical features, does not show any clinically-relevant findings, suggesting that these criteria are highly predictive of its primary origin and that systematic MRI is not useful for the diagnosis of typical CH.

Current trends in patient-reported outcome measures for clavicle fractures: a focused systematic review of 11 influential orthopaedic journals.

BACKGROUND: Many patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) have been used to follow clavicle fractures, providing an objective means to track outcomes. However, lack of standardization of PROM usage makes cross-study comparison difficult. Therefore, we reviewed articles on clavicle fractures from 11 of the most influential orthopedic journals to assess trends in PROM usage over time and based on geographic location. METHODS: A focused systematic review of 11 of the most influential orthopedic journals was performed using PubMed. All articles published between 1981 and 2020 with greater than 9 patients reporting clinical outcomes of clavicle fractures were included. For each article, patient demographics, treatment modality, geographic location, and outcome measures used were recorded. Temporal trends were identified using the Cochran-Armitage test for trend and linear regression. Pearson chi-square and Kruskal-Wallis tests were used to compare between journals, geographic location, study type, and fracture classification. RESULTS: From the initial literature search of 623 articles, 151 studies reporting on 15,853 primary clavicle fractures were included. Fractures of the middle one-third of the clavicle were most studied in the included literature (71%). Seventeen different PROMs were used, with an average of 1.6 outcome measures per study, and there was a significant increase in the number of PROMs used per article over time (P < .001). The Constant-Murley score was the most-reported outcome measure (44%) followed by the Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder, and Hand score (27%), visual analog scale for pain (23%), and American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons Standardized Shoulder Assessment Form (ASES; 14%). There was a significant difference between the measures used based on geography (P = .002), the most notable being that North American authors use the ASES score more frequently. CONCLUSIONS: The use of PROMs in studies evaluating clavicle fracture treatment outcomes has increased over time, with recent studies reporting more PROMs than older studies, and there are notable differences in usage of the various scores based on geography and journal. Although there is no consensus on the most reliable PROM for assessing clavicle fractures, we recommend the use of at least 2 of the commonly reported PROMs in future studies to facilitate cross-study comparisons.

Spent coffee grounds by-products and their influence on soil C-N dynamics.

SCG are a bio-waste generated in great amount worldwide which are attractive as soil amendment for their high content of organic matter and nutritive elements. Nevertheless, several studies have shown that soil application of untreated SCG has detrimental agronomic and environmental effects due to their high degradability and content of noxious compounds (phenols, caffeine, and tannins). However, SCG can be valorised, in the frame of circular economy, by extraction of energy and valuable products (carbohydrates, proteins, bio-oil, bio-diesel) and generation of solid by products (biochar, hydrochar, compost) that can be utilized as soil fertilizers and amendments. Therefore, the aim of this work was the characterization of different solid SCG by-products (as second-generation products) and their assessment as effective organic amendments. The novelty of this study is that for the first time 8 different by-products derived from the same SCG were characterized and comparatively evaluated for their impact on the C and N cycles of soil. SCG was collected and treated to generate 8 different SCG by-products (biochars produced at 270 and 400 °C, hydrochars produced at 160 and 200 °C, vermicompost, defatted SCG and biochars produced from defatted SCG at 270 and 400 °C). SCG and derived by-products were characterized for SEM micromorphology, pH and EC values, and C, N, H, O, volatile matter, fixed C, LOI, carbonates, water soluble C and N, NO3- and NH4+ content. SCG and SCG by-products assessment as organic amendments was performed with an incubation experiment. The residues were added (2.5%) to a moist Mediterranean agricultural soil and the amended soil samples were placed in mesocosms and incubated at 20 °C for 30 days. During incubation, CO2 and N2O emissions were measured every 6 h by means of a gas chromatography automated system for GHG sampling and measurement. The percentage of added C remaining (CR) in the soil was calculated by fitting the cumulative respiration of amended soil to a two-pool model. After 2, 7 and 30 days of incubation, the control and amended soils were sampled and analyzed for their content of extractable organic C, N, NO3- and NH4+ and microbial biomass C and N. Results showed that SCG by-products presented a great variability in their properties. SCG and hydrochars presented higher contents in volatile matter and water soluble C and N, and low content of fixed C, while biochars showed an opposite behaviour. SEM images confirmed the different characteristics of the SCG by-products: the biochar presented a porous structure, honeycomb-like form, due to the loss of the more soluble compounds, while the SCG and hydrochars' pores were filled with amorphous carbonaceous materials. Consequently, soil addition of SCG by-products showed a distinct impact on C and N cycle and microbial biomass content. Addition of SCG and hydrochars generated the highest cumulative CO2-C emissions (2103-2300 µg g-1), the lower amount of CR (86.8-88.6%), increased the soil extractable organic C and microbial biomass C and N and caused N immobilization. On the other hand, the addition of biochars generated lower CO2-C emissions (542-1060 µg g-1), higher amounts of CR (96. 3-99.9%) and lower amounts of extractable compounds and microbial biomass C and N, generating also N immobilization, but to a lesser extent. The addition of vermicompost generated 723 µg g-1 of CO2-C and 98% of CR remaining. However, this by-product did not generate N immobilization being able to act as N fertilizer. None of the residues generated N2O emissions. The different properties of the SCG by-products and their impact on C and N cycle indicated that they can be effectively applied to soil to exert different agronomical and environmental functions.

Washed hydrochar from spent coffee grounds: A second generation of coffee residues. Evaluation as organic amendment.

Spent coffee grounds (SCG) hydrochar is a second-generation solid waste obtained by hydrothermal carbonization (HTC). Two washed hydrochars from SCG (175 and 185 °C; 12 MPa of N2) were tested as organic amendments of an agricultural soil (Cambic Calcisol), at doses of 1 and 2.5%, in an in vitro assay using Lactuca sativa as a crop plant. The washed hydrochars differ from the SCG in organic carbon (OC) (56 vs 47%), C/N ratio (29 vs 24), polyphenols (186 vs 77 mg GAE/g), pH (4.1 vs 5.8), assimilable P (186 vs 1274 ppm) and K (32 vs 2475 ppm). The particles of washed hydrochars have a lower size and a more porous structure than SCG particles. Higher HTC temperatures generate greater differences with SCG. The effects on the soil of washed hydrochars are similar to SCG, regarding OC, total N, C/N ratio, available K and P contents. The influence of SCG and washed hydrochars on lettuces is also similar: both give rise to plant growth inhibition and increase in the contents of Ca, Mg, Cu, Fe and Mn. Nevertheless, washed hydrochars seem to be more effective in the mobilization of elements in the soil than SCG, which could be attributed to their higher content of polyphenols. For example: Ca (139 mg/100 g with SCG and 160 mg/100 g with hydrochar) and Fe (0.742 mg/100 g with SCG and 1.45 mg/100 g with hydrochar). Therefore, it can be concluded that SCG hydrochars could be used as organic amendments with similar limitations and advantages to SCG.

Effects of Exercise on Body Posture, Functional Movement, and Physical Fitness in Children With Overweight/Obesity.

Molina-Garcia, P, Mora-Gonzalez, J, Migueles, JH, Rodriguez-Ayllon, M, Esteban-Cornejo, I, Cadenas-Sanchez, C, Plaza-Florido, A, Gil-Cosano, JJ, Pelaez-Perez, MA, Garcia-Delgado, G, Vanrenterghem, J, and Ortega, FB. Effects of exercise on body posture, functional movement, and physical fitness in children with overweight/obesity. J Strength Cond Res 34(8): 2146-2155, 2020-This study aims to analyze whether a 13-week exercise program based on "movement quality" and "multi-games" can lead to simultaneous benefits to body posture, fundamental movements, and physical fitness of children with overweight/obesity. A total of 64 children (10.9 ± 1.3 years, 25.9 ± 3.8 kg·m, 38 girls and 26 boys) with overweight/obesity were assigned either to a 13-week exercise-based intervention group (IG) (n = 33) or to a control group (CG) (n = 31). Subjects underwent assessments of basic anthropometry (body mass and height), body posture (2-dimensional photogrammetry), fundamental movements (Functional Movement Screen), and physical fitness (1 repetition maximum [1RM] arm and leg press, and ALPHA test battery). After the exercise program, the IG reduced lower limb angle (high effect size: -0.82 SDs; p = 0.001) and plumb-tragus distance (low effect: -0.43 SDs; p = 0.002) in the sagittal plane and increased lower limb angle in the frontal plane (high effect: 0.82 SDs; p = 0.003) compared with the CG. The IG improved their performance in deep squat (p = 0.004), active straight leg raise (p < 0.001), 1RM arm (low effect: 0.46 SDs; p = 0.002), handgrip strength (medium effect: 0.53 SDs; p < 0.001), and standing long jump (medium effect: 0.59 SDs; p = 0.003), all compared with the CG. In conclusion, children with overweight/obesity who participated in our 13-week exercise program developed a better alignment of the head and lower limb, improved their performance in fundamental movements, and experienced global muscular strength gains compared with the peers who continued with their usual lives. Among other potential implications, these improvements could contribute to the prevention of musculoskeletal disorders associated with childhood obesity and could increase adherence by positioning these children in a better physical status to keep practicing exercise.

Phytotoxicity and chelating capacity of spent coffee grounds: Two contrasting faces in its use as soil organic amendment.

Spent coffee grounds (SCG) are a bioresidue generated in large amounts worldwide, which could be employed as either fresh or transformed organic soil amendment, by means of different treatments in order to improve its agronomic qualities. An in vitro experiment was conducted in order to evaluate the effect of using different bioamendments derived from spent coffee grounds (SCG) on biomass and Zn, Cu and Fe content of lettuces. Application of 7.5% (w/w) fresh SCG, vermicompost, compost, biochars (at 270 and 400 °C; pyrolysis), SCG washed with ethanol and water, and hydrolysed SCG was carried out in an agricultural soil (Cambic Calcisol). In order to compare with conventional agriculture, the addition of NPK fertilizer was also assessed. Only vermicompost and biochar at 400 °C overcome the growth limitation of SCG. However, these treatments diminished Zn, Cu and Fe concentrations in lettuce probably due to the destruction (microbial degradation/thermal treatment) of natural chelating components (polyphenols). Increase in mineral content was observed in those treatments that did not completely eliminate polyphenols. NPK fertilizer gave rise to lettuces with higher biomass but lower micronutrients content. The results lead us to the possible solution for the use of SCG as organic amendment by vermicomposting and biocharization in order to eliminate toxicity.

Mineral profile of weight loss related foods marketed in Spain.

Low calorie foods are products designed to replace complete meals or to control snacking in many hypocaloric diets. These products provide many nutrients to the human diet, but little is known about their mineral elements composition. Here we study the mineral profile of weight loss related products, including the analysis of 22 elements (As, Ba, Be, Bi, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, K, Mn, Mo, Na, Ni, P, Pb, Th, Tl, Sb, U, V, Y and Zn) in 73 commercial products marketed in Spain. In general a portion of these products provide up to 20-30% of the daily dietary reference intake of essential trace minerals like Cr or Mo. On the contrary, some of these foods have large concentrations of toxic minerals like As, Cd or Pb. In fact, the intake of those products with higher concentrations of toxic elements during a weight loss program could pose a risk to human health.

Draft Genome Sequence of Bacillus thuringiensis Strain UNMSM10RA, Isolated from Potato Crop Soil in Peru.

The 5.5-Mb genome sequence of Bacillus thuringiensis strain UNMSM10RA, isolated from potato crop soil, is reported in this study. The strain UNMSM10RA contains 5,347 protein-coding sequences, 105 tRNA genes, 15 rRNA genes, and 5 noncoding RNA (ncRNA) genes, with an average G+C content of 35.1%.

Acute intraocular pressure changes during isometric exercise and recovery: The influence of exercise type and intensity, and participant´s sex.

We assessed the intraocular pressure (IOP) behaviour during a 1-minute period of isometric physical effort and the immediate 1-minute of recovery in the mid-thigh clean pull and squat exercises at three different intensities. Twenty physically active individuals performed the isometric mid-thigh clean pull and squat exercises at three intensities (0% [low-intensity], 25% [medium-intensity] and 50% [high-intensity] of the maximum isometric force). IOP was semi-continuously measured by rebound tonometry. There was a statistically significant effect of exercise intensity on IOP (p < 0.001, ƞp² = 0.416), observing that IOP increments were positively associated with exercise intensity. The mid-thigh clean pull and squat exercises did not demonstrate differences (p = 0.510), and also, no differences were observed between men and women (p = 0.683). The IOP changes during the isometric physical effort showed a positive linear behaviour in all conditions (r = 0.70 to 0.96). IOP returned to baseline levels after 8 seconds of recovery.  Our data showed a progressive and instantaneous IOP increment during isometric exercise, which was positively associated with exercise intensity. IOP changes were independent on the type of exercise and participant´s sex. After exercise, IOP rapidly (≈ 8 seconds) returned to baseline levels.

Spent coffee grounds improve the nutritional value in elements of lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) and are an ecological alternative to inorganic fertilizers.

The element concentration in lettuces grouped in 5 categories (baby variety, cultivated in agricultural soils with low or high percentages of spent coffee grounds-SCG, without SCG and with NPK) were measured. Lettuces cultivated in agricultural soils amended with SCG had significantly higher levels of several essential (V, Fe, Co, V, and probably Mn and Zn) and toxic elements (Al and probably As), without reaching their toxicological limits. Additionally, blocking of N uptake and therefore plant biomass, and probably Cd absorption from agricultural soil was observed. Organic farming with SCG ameliorates element concentrations in lettuces vs. NPK fertilization. The linear correlations among element uptake and the amendment of SCG could be related with their chelation by some SCG components, such as melanoidins and with the decrease in the soil pH. In conclusion, the addition of SCG produces lettuces with higher element content.

Fatness and fitness in relation to functional movement quality in overweight and obese children.

This study aimed to investigate the independent and combined associations between several fatness indicators and fitness components with functional movement quality in overweight/obese children. A total of 56 children (33 girls, aged 8-12) classified as overweight/obese according to the World Obesity Federation standard cut points, participated in this study. Participants underwent assessments of fatness [body mass index (BMI), waist circumference, and bioelectrical impedance measures], fitness [1 repetition maximum bench and leg press, and ALPHA test battery], and functional movement quality [4 tests from Functional Movement Screen TM (FMS)]. All fatness outcomes, except waist circumference, were negatively associated with total FMS score, after controlling for cardiorespiratory fitness. Cardiorespiratory fitness, lower limbs muscle strength, and speed-agility were positively associated with the total FMS score, regardless of BMI. Our results suggest that children with greater fatness indicators demonstrate lower functional movement quality independently of their fitness level, whereas children with better fitness level (i.e. cardiorespiratory fitness, lower limbs muscular strength, and speed-agility) demonstrate greater functional movement quality independently of their fatness level. However, children´s weight status seems to be more determinant than their fitness level in terms of functional movement quality, whereas being fit seems to moderately attenuate the negative influence of fatness.

Arrested Sexual Development in Queen Conch (Lobatus gigas) Linked to Abnormalities in the Cerebral Ganglia.

In the Florida Keys, queen conchs (Lobatus gigas) occur in two spatially distinct regions: nearshore in habitats immediately adjacent to the shoreline and offshore in habitats along the reef tract south of the islands. Our previous research demonstrated that adult conchs nearshore are not reproductively active, showing deficiencies in their gonadal condition compared to their offshore counterparts. Because sexual development in gastropods is controlled by hormones secreted by the cerebral ganglia, we hypothesized that the reproductive deficiencies seen in nearshore queen conchs involved the cerebral ganglia. We collected nearshore and offshore adults and made histological comparisons of their gonads and cerebral ganglia. Our results confirmed that gonadal maturity was delayed and that gamete production was reduced in nearshore conchs compared to offshore animals. These gonadal deficiencies in nearshore conchs were associated with abnormal cerebral ganglion histology (i.e., significant hypertrophy of ganglion cells and significantly lower density of ganglion cells). In addition, the shells of nearshore conchs were significantly lighter, which is particularly consequential because shell formation in gastropods is also mediated by hormones secreted by the cerebral ganglia. Given these results, it is apparent that some yet unidentified factor(s) is interfering with hormone production in the cerebral ganglia, to the detriment of gonad development and shell formation.