COVID-19 and lockdown, as lived and felt by university students

© 2022 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).In the last 2 years, the COVID-19 pandemic has spread all over the world, forcing the closure of universities, among other unusual measures in recent history. (1) Background: This work is based on the study HOUSE-ULisbon, a survey carried out during the second confinement (March-May 2021) in Portugal with the collaboration of all the Faculties of the University of Lisbon (UL). The present work aims to explore gender differences in how first-year college students experienced and felt COVID-19 and the second confinement. (2) Methods: A questionnaire was carried out. In total, 976 university students (19.66 years (SD = 4.033); Min = 17 and Max = 65) from the first year of the UL were included, of which 69.5% (n = 678) were female, and 30.5% were male (n = 298). SPSS v. 26 was used for quantitative data and MAXQDA 2020 for qualitative data. (3) Results: Overall, students reported various symptoms of physical and mental discomfort (especially females). Statistically significant differences were found in the problems that could arise from the pandemic, such as the prevalence of higher anxiety and worries by females, and online gaming by males. In coping strategies, differences were found in leisure and family relationships, with greater difficulty on the female side. Social interaction was perceived as difficult or very difficult by both genders. As strategies for future pandemics, they highlighted a concerted effort between the government and media in the transmission of messages to the population, facilitating information, knowledge and adoption of protective behaviors. (4) Conclusions: These results are important data for activating or maintaining resources and services for first-year university students, who in some university institutions were supported during the pandemic by psychological, material (e.g., computers, internet), and financial support measures, which are now diminished or extinct. The impacts on their lives will certainly not be extinguished post-pandemic, and health, education, and public policy measures should be prioritized for this group. These results are important data for activating resources and services for students, informing health and education professionals, and supporting public policies.Ana Cerqueira—Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) PhD Grant (SFRH/BD/148403/2019); Fábio Botelho Guedes—Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) PhD Grant (SFRH/BD/148299/2019).info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Inference of Antibiotic Resistance and Virulence among Diverse Group A Streptococcus Strains Using emm Sequencing and Multilocus Genotyping Methods

typing (direct sequencing of the genomic segment coding for the antigenic portion of the M protein) or by multilocus genotyping methods. Phenotype analysis, including critical AbR typing, is generally achieved by much slower and more laborious direct culture-based methods. type and the associated AbR and virulence phenotypes. types

Analysis of phenolic compounds in Muscatel wines produced in Portugal

A liquid chromatography method associated with mass spectrometry and diode array, fluorescence and electrochemical detectors was used in order to study phenolic composition of Muscatel sweet wines from Setubal region in Portugal. Samples were collected during winemaking production at different representative producers of this region. Total phenolic contents of samples were also determined using the Folin-Ciocalteu method. Mass spectrometry results show that atmospheric pressure chemical ionisation (APCI) in negative mode presents higher sensitivity for the majority of the compounds studied. Some phenolic acids. stilbenes as resveratrol and piceid, and flavonols as quercetin and quercetin glycosides were identified in these Muscatel wines. For resveratrol, piceid, gallic acid, protocatechuic acid, catechin and quercetin, fluorescence and electrochemical properties were used as complementary or alternative methods of detection. Differences in phenolic composition and total phenolic contents were found among samples collected. (c) 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved

Treatment of anticancer drugs in hospital and wastewater effluents using nanofiltration

© 2019 Elsevier B.V. Anticancer drugs are currently widely used for the treatment of cancer and have been detected in hospital effluents, wastewater treatment plant effluents and river water samples in concentrations up to the µg·L −1 range. Within the next two decades, the annual number of cancer cases is expected to rise, which will lead to an increase in the consumption of anticancer drugs. These drugs are extremely important due to their highly potent mechanism of action and their potential risk for humans and the environment. Therefore, the development of effective treatment options is crucial to avoid the release of these emerging contaminants in the aquatic environment. The aim of this study was to assess the viability of nanofiltration for remediation, using as benchmark two representative membranes (Desal 5DK and NF270)to remove four widely consumed anticancer drugs (paclitaxel, etoposide, cyclophosphamide and ifosfamide)from different matrices (laboratory grade water, synthetic urine and real secondary effluent). Experimental results showed that the Desal 5DK membrane is more effective than the NF270 membrane for the rejection of these compounds. It presented average rejections higher than 89% for all the target anticancer drugs spiked in synthetic urine and real secondary effluent, showing no significant matrix influence on the rejection results. Daphnia magna toxicity tests showed that the immobilization effect observed in the permeate samples was lower than the feed samples. The target compounds have very different structures and physico-chemical properties and thus the high effectiveness reported for the Desal 5DK membrane is a good indication of what can be expected to a multitude of compounds.status: accepte

Combined hydrothermal pre-treatment and enzymatic hydrolysis of corn fibre: production of ferulic acid extracts and assessment of their antioxidant and antiproliferative properties

ABSTRACT: Ferulic acid may be used as a nutraceutical ingredient or as a substrate to produce bio-vanillin. There is an increasing market demand for ferulic acid obtained from natural sources such as low-cost agro-industrial by-products, due to its potential applications as nutraceutical ingredient and as a substrate to produce biovanillin. This work aims to study ferulic acid recovery from corn fibre (one of the most abundant natural sources of ferulic acid), involving an integrated process of hydrothermal pre-treatment followed by enzymatic hydrolysis. The objective is primarily to produce natural extracts with a maximum ferulic acid recovery yield, but it is also to assess their antioxidant and antiproliferative properties and their cytotoxicity. Different commercial enzyme preparations were tested for release of ferulic acid from corn fibre. The best results were obtained for Ultraflo (R) XL in a concentration of 2 % (W-enzyme preparation/W- dry corn fibre) at a pH of 5 and at 55 degrees C, presenting a recovery yield of esterified ferulic acid of 7.83 +/- 1.35 % (w(recovered ferulic acid)/w(total esterified ferulic acid)), which corresponds to 0.13 +/- 0.02 % (w(ferulic acid)/w (thy corn fibre)). When using a hydrothermal pretreatment at a temperature of 140 degrees C for 40 min, prior to the use of the same enzymatic hydrolysis procedure, the recovery yield of esterified ferulic acid increased to 28.94 +/- 2.40 % (W- recovered ferulic acid/ w(total esterified ferulic acid)), which corresponds to 4.9 +/- 0.3 % (w(ferulic acid)/w(dry corn fibre)). The use of this pre-treatment leads not only to the highest yield of ferulic acid, but also to the lowest concentration of furfural and hydroxymethylfurfural, without the formation of formic and levulinic acid (not detected). All pre-treatments tested led to an improved quality of the extract in terms of bioactivity.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Evaluation of the fusion inhibitor P3 peptide as a potential microbicide to prevent HIV transmission in women

Microbicides are an important strategy for preventing the sexual transmission of HIV but, so far, the most advanced tenofovir-based microbicides have had modest efficacy. This has been related to adherence problems and high prevalence of tenofovir-resistant HIV-1 strains. P3 is a new peptide with potent activity against HIV that may be a good microbicide candidate. In this work P3 was formulated in a gel of hydroxyethyl cellulose and its activity, stability and safety profile in Balb/c mice were evaluated. HIV infection was fully blocked by a 1.5% gel containing P3 at the IC90 (366.4 nM) concentration. The antiviral activity did not change at 4°C during 4 months and at 25, 37 and 65°C for 1 week. P3 was stable and fully functional at acidic pH up to 24h, under different concentrations of hydrogen peroxide and in the presence of genital fluids up to 48h. P3 had no antibacterial activity and did not affect sperm motility and vitality. Finally, P3 didn’t cause significant alterations in the vaginal epithelium of Balb/c mice at 0.06 (456.8 μM) and 0.2 mg/day (1522.7 μM) doses. These findings indicate that P3 is an excellent candidate for further development as a microbicide gel for the prevention of HIV transmission in women.Financial support for this research was provided by the Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT), Portugal (project VIH/SAU/0029/2011), part of the EDCTP2 program supported by the European Union. Inês Bártolo is supported by a post-doc fellowship (SFRH/BPD/76225/2011) from Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia (FCT), Portugal. Ana Rita Diniz is supported by a PhD grant (SFRH/BD/89140/2012) from Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia (FCT), Portugal. https://www.fct.pt/.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Inactivation of the CovR/S Virulence Regulator Impairs Infection in an Improved Murine Model of Streptococcus pyogenes Naso-Pharyngeal Infection

Streptococcus pyogenes is a leading cause of pharyngeal infection, with an estimated 616 million cases per year. The human nasopharynx represents the major reservoir for all S. pyogenes infection, including severe invasive disease. To investigate bacterial and host factors that influence S. pyogenes infection, we have devised an improved murine model of nasopharyngeal colonization, with an optimized dosing volume to avoid fulminant infections and a sensitive host strain. In addition we have utilized a refined technique for longitudinal monitoring of bacterial burden that is non-invasive thereby reducing the numbers of animals required. The model was used to demonstrate that the two component regulatory system, CovR/S, is required for optimum infection and transmission from the nasopharynx. There is a fitness cost conferred by covR/S mutation that is specific to the nasopharynx. This may explain why S. pyogenes with altered covR/S have not become prevalent in community infections despite possessing a selective advantage in invasive infection