Mindfulness-Based Mobile Apps and Their Impact on Well-Being in Nonclinical Populations: Systematic Review of Randomized Controlled Trials.

BACKGROUND: Mindfulness-based mobile apps have become popular tools for enhancing well-being in today's fast-paced world. Their ability to reduce geographical, financial, and social barriers makes them a promising alternative to traditional interventions. OBJECTIVE: As most available apps lack a theoretical framework, this review aimed to evaluate their effectiveness and assess their quality. We expected to find small sample sizes, high dropout rates, and small effect sizes in the included studies. METHODS: A systematic literature search was conducted using PsycInfo, PsycNet, PubMed, an institutional search engine (u:search), and Google Scholar. Randomized controlled trials assessing the impact of mobile mindfulness apps on well-being in nonclinical samples were included. Study selection, risk of bias (using the version 2 of the Cochrane risk-of-bias tool for randomized trials), and reporting quality (using selected CONSORT [Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials] statement criteria) assessments were performed by 2 authors independently and discussed until a consensus was reached. RESULTS: The 28 included randomized controlled trials differed in well-being measures, apps, and intervention duration (7 to 56 days; median duration 28 days). A wide range of sample sizes (12 to 2282; median 161) and attrition rates (0% to 84.7%; median rate 23.4%) were observed. Most studies (19/28, 68%) reported positive effects on at least one aspect of well-being. The effects were presented using different metrics but were primarily small or small to medium in size. Overall risk of bias was mostly high. CONCLUSIONS: The wide range of sample sizes, attrition rates, and intervention periods and the variation in well-being measures and mobile apps contributed to the limited comparability of the studies. Although most studies (16/28, 57%) reported small or small to medium effects for at least one well-being outcome, this review demonstrates that the generalizability of the results is limited. Further research is needed to obtain more consistent conclusions regarding the impact of mindfulness-based mobile apps on well-being in nonclinical populations.

LC-MS/MS method development for quantitative analysis of acetaminophen uptake by the aquatic fungus Mucor hiemalis.

Acetaminophen is a pharmaceutical, frequently found in surface water as a contaminant. Bioremediation, in particular, mycoremediation of acetaminophen is a method to remove this compound from waters. Owing to the lack of quantitative analytical method for acetaminophen in aquatic organisms, the present study aimed to develop a method for the determination of acetaminophen using LC-MS/MS in the aquatic fungus Mucor hiemalis. The method was then applied to evaluate the uptake of acetaminophen by M. hiemalis, cultured in pellet morphology. The method was robust, sensitive and reproducible with a lower limit of quantification of 5 pg acetaminophen on column. It was found that M. hiemalis internalize the pharmaceutical, and bioaccumulate it with time. Therefore, M. hiemalis was deemed a suitable candidate for further studies to elucidate its pharmaceutical tolerance and the longevity in mycoremediation applications.

Using aquatic fungi for pharmaceutical bioremediation: Uptake of acetaminophen by Mucor hiemalis does not result in an enzymatic oxidative stress response.

The increasing anthropogenic pollution of aquatic environments and fresh water scarcity worldwide have prompted the development of low-cost and effective water treatment alternatives. One example of a highly released anthropogenic xenobiotics is acetaminophen (APAP), which has been detected in surface waters at concentrations as high as 5 µg L(-1). To date, traditional water treatment plants were unable to remove all pharmaceutical xenobiotics and as in the case with APAP, the breakdown products are toxic. Phytoremediation has proved to remove xenobiotics efficiently producing no toxic breakdown products, however, they are often restrained in their application range. Therefore, it was necessary to find alternate remediation tools to extend and complement the application ranges of existing bioremediation techniques. With the success of mycoremediation as well as the adaptability of fungi, Mucor hiemalis was investigated in terms of its APAP uptake capabilities. The investigation included the examination of concentration- and time-dependent uptake studies to examine the effects of each of these parameters independently. Additionally, the extracellular peroxidase activity of M. hiemalis was measured with exposure to APAP to evaluate possible breakdown and the antioxidative stress enzymes, catalase, glutathione peroxidase, and glutathione reductase, were assayed to investigate whether APAP caused oxidative stress. The results showed that M. hiemalis was able to internalize between 1 and 2 µg APAP per g dried fungal biomass when exposed to 5, 10, 50 and 100 ng mL(-1) APAP for 24-48 h, but not beyond this time frame. Further, exposure to APAP did not result in elevated extracellular peroxidase activity or oxidative stress. The findings led to the conclusion that M. hiemalis could be integrated in bioremediation systems, for short-term degradation at low concentrations of APAP with effective management.