Physical and chemical characterization of drill cuttings: A review.

Drill cuttings comprise a mixture of rocks generated during drilling activities of exploration and production of oil and gas. These residues' properties are variable, depending on several drilling parameters and drilled rock composition. Many scientific studies have been published regarding the characterization of these residues. Articles summarizing these residues' characteristics and toxicity data are poorly explored in the literature. This work reviews the principal methods used to characterize drill cuttings and data about these residues' properties. Some authors have reported the large content of Zn in drill cuttings. These cuttings can be associated with base fluids (as olefins, varying from C11 to C18), and some time crude oil (high range of TPH, unresolved complex mixtures, and PAH compounds). Acute and chronic toxicity tests have shown negative impacts of different types of fluids, the components of these fluids, and cuttings on other marine organisms.

Postnatal women's breastfeeding beliefs, practices, and support during the COVID-19 pandemic: a cross-sectional comparative study across five countries.

BACKGROUND: Women with COVID-19 experienced numerous concerns and doubts about the safety of breastfeeding their babies, and lack of support may have impacted breastfeeding practices. This study aims to compare breastfeeding beliefs, practices, and contact with healthcare professionals regarding the level of postnatal feeding support provided during the COVID-19 pandemic in Brazil, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, and the United Kingdom. METHODS: A multi-country cross-sectional study was conducted with postnatal women in five countries. Women up to six months postpartum were invited to complete an online survey concerning the transmission of preventative measures, beliefs toward breastfeeding, infant feeding practices in the last 24 hours and experiences of postnatal infant feeding support between July to November 2021. Bivariate and multivariate analyses were performed to identify the association. RESULTS: Of the 3,253 eligible responses received, 39.5% of children were aged between one and two months, but in Taiwan (36%) and South Korea (42.8%) they were between three and four months. The mean of the belief score was significantly different among countries (p < 0.0001). Women in Brazil and the UK had a higher rate of breastfeeding at the breast (90.7% and 85.4%, respectively) compared to the three Asian countries (p < 0.0001) while feeding with expressed breastmilk in Thailand (59.9%), Taiwan (52.6%), and South Korea (50.4%) was higher than the others (p < 0.0001). Brazil and UK mothers (mean = 16.0 and 14.5 respectively) had a higher mean score for belief toward breastfeeding during the COVID-19 than the others. These results are inversely associated with breastfeeding but positively related to formula feeding practice. Postnatal feeding support during the COVID-19 pandemic was mainly provided by healthcare professionals (67.1%) and peers / family through face-to-face personal contact (51.6%) in all countries. CONCLUSION: Some differences were found in breastfeeding beliefs during the COVID-19 pandemic in Asian countries. A positive breastfeeding belief was associated with the practice of breastfeeding at the breast. Women from all countries received postpartum infant feeding support from health professionals and peers / family through personal contacts. Governments need to emphasize and disseminate the importance of breastfeeding safety, especially in Asian countries.

Omega-3 Supplementation Prevents Short-Term High-Fat Diet Effects on the α7 Nicotinic Cholinergic Receptor Expression and Inflammatory Response.

The study is aimed at investigating if PUFA supplementation could prevent the effects of a short-term HFD on α7nAChR expression and on the severity of sepsis. Swiss mice were used for the in vivo experiments. For the in vitro experiments, we used a microglia cell line (BV-2) and a hepatoma cell line (Hepa-1c1c7) derived from mice. The animals were either fed standard chow, fed a short-term HFD (60%), or given supplementation with omega-3 fatty acid (2 g/kg or 4 g/kg bw) for 17 days, followed by a short-term HFD. Endotoxemia was induced with an intraperitoneal (i.p.) lipopolysaccharide injection (LPS, 5 or 12 mg/kg), and sepsis was induced by subjecting the animals to cecal ligation and puncture (CLP). BV-2 and Hepa-1c1c7 cells were treated with LPS (100 and 500 ng/mL, respectively) for 3 hours. RT-PCR or Western blotting was used to evaluate α7nAChR expression, inflammatory markers, DNMT1, and overall ubiquitination. LPS and HFD reduced the expression of α7nAChR and increased the expression of inflammatory markers. Omega-3 partially prevented the damage caused by the HFD to the expression of α7nAChR in the bone marrow and hypothalamus, decreased the inflammatory markers, and reduced susceptibility to sepsis-induced death. Exposing the BV-2 cells to LPS increased the protein content of DNMT1 and the overall ubiquitination and reduced the expression of α7nAChR. The inflammation induced by LPS in the BV-2 cell decreased α7nAChR expression and concomitantly increased DNMT1 expression and the ubiquitinated protein levels, indicating the participation of pre- and posttranscriptional mechanisms.