Exopolysaccharides production by aerobic granular sludge upon exposure to dual anthropogenic stresses

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Bioprospecting microalgae for treatment of marine aquaculture wastewater

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Reinfection with SARS-CoV-2: An inconvenient truth?

Data show that antibody-related immunity against SARS-CoV-2 may not be long-lasting. We report two cases regarded as cured from COVID-19, which presented again with symptoms and a positive SARS-CoV-2 RT-PCR test. Case one, a 60-year-old male, had a biphasic presentation of symptoms compatible with COVID-19 infection, associated with a positive RT-PCR test. Case two, a 25-year-old female, had a first positive RT-PCR test during hospital screening, and months later a symptomatic presentation of COVID-19, associated with a positive RT-PCR test. All cases were immunocompetent. Anti-IgG-SARS-CoV-2 blood samples were negative in both. Elevation of analytical inflammatory markers suggested new infection in both cases. COVID-19 reinfection may be a differential diagnosis and primary care physicians should acknowledge it. Previously cured patients should be encouraged to comply with health public preventive measures

Rapid granulation and stable performance of a microalgal-bacterial granular sludge system treating saline wastewater

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Microalgae-bacterial granular sludge systems - on the road for more sustainable processes in the aquaculture sector

With population growth and stagnation of capture fisheries, the aquaculture sector has been challenged to achieve remarkable production targets to meet the ever-increasing fish demand. However, land-based aquaculture industries need to capture high water volumes from nearby water bodies to ensure an adequate production and, consequently, high wastewater volumes, containing organic carbon, nutrients, and often contaminants of emerging concern, are produced. If not properly handled, aquaculture effluents pose a threat to receiving aquatic ecosystems. The rapid expansion of these industries, facing the increased demand for food worldwide, is only possible if more sustainable practices are adopted. To face the current water shortages and protect water resources, the development of environmentally friendly treatment systems that allow water recirculation is of utmost importance. This work aimed to develop a microalgae-bacteria granular sludge system able to efficiently treat marine aquaculture effluents so they can meet the requirements for recirculation. A photo-sequencing batch reactor was inoculated with a phototrophic microbial consortium obtained from water streams in a marine aquaculture facility and was fed with wastewater mimicking marine aquaculture streams. The aggregation of the microbial biomass occurred rapidly and, on day-21, ca. 49% of the total reactor biomass was in the form of granules. The system exhibited high and stable organic carbon removal (>80%), even when florfenicol, an antibiotic widely used in aquaculture, was present in the wastewater. Concerning the nitrogen content, a high-chemical quality effluent was obtained, complying with ammonium, nitrite, and nitrate concentrations for water recirculation within a marine aquaculture farm, even in periods where florfenicol was present in the wastewater. In addition, the dissolved oxygen levels in the treated effluents where within the ideal range for fish growth thus reducing the need for oxygenation and, consequently, the farms operational costs. Additionally, the coexistence of microalgae and bacteria within the granules allowed to treat wastewater at low air flow rates potentially reducing the energy needed for system’s aeration. Microalgae-bacterial granular sludge systems can contribute for the aquaculture sector sustainability as they enable to reduce energy and water usage whilst ensuring environmental protection.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Recycling of marine aquaculture wastewater using a microalgae-bacterial granular sludge system

Aquaculture has become the fastest growing animal food-producing sector. In a near future, an intensification of the aquaculture practices is expected to cope with the ever-increasing fish demand. However, for land-based aquaculture farms, this growth implies the capture of higher water volumes from nearby water bodies and, consequently, the discharge of higher volumes of wastewater, containing organic carbon, nutrients, and often recalcitrant pollutants (e.g. pharmaceuticals). The expansion of the land-based aquaculture sector is currently offset due to the lack of space and water supplies, but also due to environmental concerns. Therefore, there is a need for innovative wastewater treatment systems able to reduce energy input, to improve resource use and to reduce the environmental impact. In the present study, microalgae-bacterial granules were developed from a phototrophic microbial consortium autochthonous to the water streams of a marine aquaculture facility. The granular biomass was able to efficiently treat marine aquaculture streams, even when sporadically the antibiotic florfenicol was present, with pollutant reaching levels that allowed water recirculation in fish farms. The ammonium, nitrite, and nitrate concentrations in the treated effluents were below the toxicity limits for marine fish and, the dissolved oxygen levels were within the ideal range for water recirculation. The granules microbial community was dynamic and, its structure was susceptible and adaptable to the changing operational reactor conditions such as the presence of the antibiotic florfenicol. The microbial diversity and functional redundancy within the microbial community seemed to be crucial for the adaptability of the system to the stressors presence. Th symbiosis established between microalgae and bacteria within granules allowed for the effective and environmentally sustainable treatment of marine aquaculture wastewater.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Bioremediation of coastal aquaculture effluents spiked with florfenicol using microalgae-based granular sludge – a promising solution for recirculating aquaculture systems

Aquaculture is a crucial industry in the agri-food sector, but it is linked to serious environmental problems. There is a need for efficient treatment systems that allow water recirculation to mitigate pollution and water scarcity. This work aimed to evaluate the self-granulation process of a microalgae-based consortium and its capacity to bioremediate coastal aquaculture streams that sporadically contain the antibiotic florfenicol (FF). A photo-sequencing batch reactor was inoculated with an autochthonous phototrophic microbial consortium and was fed with wastewater mimicking coastal aquaculture streams. A rapid granulation process occurred within ca. 21 days, accompanied by a substantially increase of extracellular polymeric substances in the biomass. The developed microalgae-based granules exhibited high and stable organic carbon removal (83-100%). Sporadically wastewater contained FF which was partially removed (ca. 5.5-11.4%) from the effluent. In periods of FF load, the ammonium removal slightly decreased (from 100 to ca. 70%), recovering 2 days after FF feeding ceased. A high-chemical quality effluent was obtained, complying with ammonium, nitrite, and nitrate concentrations for water recirculation within a coastal aquaculture farm, even during FF feeding periods. Members belonging to the Chloroidium genus were predominant in the reactor inoculum (ca. 99%) but were replaced from day-22 onwards by an unidentified microalga from the phylum Chlorophyta (>61%). A bacterial community proliferated in the granules after reactor inoculation, whose composition varied in response to feeding conditions. Bacteria from the Muricauda and Filomicrobium genera, Rhizobiaceae, Balneolaceae, and Parvularculaceae families, thrived upon FF feeding. This study demonstrates the robustness of microalgae-based granular systems for aquaculture effluent bioremediation, even during periods of FF loading, highlighting their potential as a feasible and compact solution in recirculation aquaculture systems.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Knowledge about type 2 diabetes: its impact for future management

Diabetes can cause several long-term complications. Knowledge about this disease can play an important role in reducing diabetes-related complications. In addition, the lack of awareness leads to misconceptions, which joined with inadequate knowledge, are relevant barriers to proper diabetes management. In this study, we aimed to assess the diabetes knowledge of a type 2 diabetes (T2D) population and identify major knowledge gaps, in order to prevent complications and to increase quality of life. In a cross-sectional, observational study in a convenience sample, we identified individuals diagnosed with T2D attending ambulatory visits from five health settings, older than 18 years, with a time diagnosis of at least 1 year, and attending multidisciplinary visits for at least 3 months. To assess the knowledge of T2D individuals, we applied the Portuguese version of the Diabetes Knowledge Test. The sample included a total of 1,200 persons, of whom almost half were female. The age range of the participants varied from 24 to 94 years old, and the mean age was 65.6 ± 11.4 years. Most of the sample had a level of education under secondary and lived with someone. In our sample, 479 (39.9%) were insulin-treated. The percentage of correct answers was 51.8% for non-insulin vs. 58.7% for insulin treated (p < 0.05). There were three items with a percentage of correct answers lower than 15%; the item with the lower value of correct answers was the one related to the identification of signs of ketoacidosis with only 4.4% of correct answers, the errors presented a random pattern; the item related to the identification of which food should not be used to treat low blood glucose with 11.9%, where 56.9% of the sample’s participants considered that one cup of skim milk would be the correct answer (53.1% in non-insulin patients and 62.6% in insulin treated patients; p < 0.001). The item regarding the knowledge of free food presented a 13.3% of correct answers (10.8% non-insulin group vs. 17.1% insulin group; p < 0.01). Two of the three items with lower value of correct answers were related to glycemic control and health status monitoring, the other was related to diet and food.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

In vitro fermentation of raffinose to unravel its potential as prebiotic ingredient

Supplementary data to this article can be found online athttps://doi.org/10.1016/j.lwt.2020.109322.Until now the prebiotic potential of pure trisaccharide raffinose on human health assessed through high-throughput sequencing remains poorly investigated. In this work, an in vitro model using human fecal inocula of two healthy volunteers (D1 and D2) was used to study the prebiotic potential of raffinose and compare it with the well-stablished and commercial prebiotic lactulose. The intestinal microbiota showed preference for raffinose as substrate showing the highest consumption value at 48h (96.0±0.9% D1 and 95.3±0.7% D2). The fermentation of raffinose decreased the medium pH, the ammonia concentration and the relative amount of Proteobacteria, while increasing the total production of lactate and short chain fatty acids (129.9±2.6mmol/L D1 and 179.6±0.6mmol/L D2), CO2 (10.8±0.8 mmol/Lmedium D1 and 5.2±0.3 mmol/Lmedium D2) and the relative amount of Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus. This study suggests that raffinose holds potential functional properties for human health.CA an BBC acknowledge her grants (UMINHO/BPD/4/2019 and SFRH/BD/132324/2017) from Portuguese Foundation for Science andTechnology (FCT). The study receivedfinancial support from FCT underthe scope of the strategic funding of UID/BIO/04469/2020 unit;COMPETE 2020 (POCI-01-0145-FEDER-006684), through nationalfunds and where applicable co-financed by the FEDER, within thePT2020 Partnership Agreement; the Projects FoSynBio (POCI-01-0145-FEDER-029549) and NewFood–Food Technologies Valorization(NORTE-324 01-0246-FEDER-000043). The authors also acknowledgeBioTecNorte operation (NORTE-01-0145-FEDER-000004) funded bythe European Regional Development Fund under the scope ofNorte2020 -Programa Operacional Regional do Norte.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

The infection of soybean leaves by Phakopsora pachyrhizi during conditions of discontinuous wetness.

The ability of Phakopsora pachyrhizi to cause infection under conditions of discontinuous wetness was investigated. In in vitro experiments, droplets of a uredospore suspension were deposited onto the surface of polystyrene. After an initial wetting period of either 1, 2 or 4 h, the drops were dried for different time intervals and then the wetness was restored for 11, 10 or 8 h. Germination and appressorium formation were evaluated. In in vivo experiments, soybean plants were inoculated with a uredospore suspension. Leaf wetness was interrupted for 1, 3 or 6 h after initial wetting periods of 1, 2 or 4 h. Then, the wetting was re-established for 11, 10 or 8 h, respectively. Rust severity was evaluated 14 days after inoculation. The germination of the spores and the formation of the appressoria on the soybean leaves after different periods of wetness were also quantified in vivo by scanning electron microscopy. P. pachyrhizi showed a high infective capacity during short periods of time. An interruption of wetness after 1 h caused average reductions in germination from 56 to 75% and in appressorium formation from 84 to 96%. Rust severity was lower in all of the in vivo treatments with discontinuous wetness when compared to the control plants. Rust severity was zero when the interruption of wetness occurred 4 h after the initial wetting. Wetting interruptions after 1 and 2 h reduced the average rust severity by 83 and 77%, respectively. The germination of the uredospores on the soybean leaves occurred after 2 h of wetness, with a maximum germination appearing after 4 h of wetness. Wetness interruption affected mainly the spores that had initiated the germination