Bacteriophage Challenges in Industrial Processes: A Historical Unveiling and Future Outlook.

Humans have used fermentation processes since the Neolithic period, mainly to produce beverages. The turning point occurred in the 1850s, when Louis Pasteur discovered that fermentation resulted from the metabolism of living microorganisms. This discovery led to the fast development of fermented food production. The importance of industrial processes based on fermentation significantly increased. Many branches of industry rely on the metabolisms of bacteria, for example, the dairy industry (cheese, milk, yogurts), pharmaceutical processes (insulin, vaccines, antibiotics), or the production of chemicals (acetone, butanol, acetic acid). These are the mass production processes involving a large financial outlay. That is why it is essential to minimize threats to production. One major threat affecting bacteria-based processes is bacteriophage infections, causing substantial economic losses. The first reported phage infections appeared in the 1930s, and companies still struggle to fight against phages. This review shows the cases of phage infections in industry and the most common methods used to prevent phage infections.

Eight Weeks of Aerobic Interval Training Improves Psychomotor Function in Patients with Parkinson's Disease-Randomized Controlled Trial.

BACKGROUND: This study examined the generalized effects of cycle ergometer aerobic interval training (AIT) on psychomotor behaviors in individuals with Parkinson's disease (PD), including bimanual motor control, cognitive function, and neurological motor and non-motor parkinsonian signs. METHODS: Twenty mild to moderate PD patients were randomly allocated to the following groups: (1) trained group (PD-TR, n = 10), which besides receiving usual care, underwent an 8-week moderate intensity AIT program; or (2) control group (PD-CO, n = 10) which received usual care, including participation in conventional physical therapy. Both groups were tested before and after the 8-week AIT program period with the following assessments: (1) laboratory analyses of bimanual motor control, (2) psychological evaluation of cognitive function, and (3) an evaluation of neurological parkinsonian signs. RESULTS: The PD-TR group exhibited improved (1) bimanual motor control, reflected by a decreased time (p = 0.013) and increased rate of grip force development (p = 0.013) in the manipulating hand and a decreased time delay between grip force initiation in the manipulating and stabilizing hand (p = 0.020); (2) executive function, reflected by decreased performance time in part II of the Stroop Test (p = 0.007); and (3) neurological parkinsonian signs, reflected by an amelioration of upper-extremity bradykinesia (p = 0.015) and improvement in daily life manual functions (p = 0.004), mood, and intellectual function (p = 0.005). CONCLUSIONS: Following an 8-week moderate intensity AIT program, patients with PD exhibited improved psychomotor behaviors, reflected by bimanual motor control, executive function, and neurological parkinsonian signs.