Hydrogen Sulfide as a Toxic Product in the Small-Large Intestine Axis and its Role in IBD Development

The small-large intestine axis in hydrogen sulfide accumulation and testing of sulfate and lactate in the gut-gut axis of the intestinal environment has not been well described. Sulfate reducing bacteria (SRB) of the Desulfovibrio genus reduce sulfate to hydrogen sulfide and can be involved in ulcerative colitis development. The background of the research was to find correlations between hydrogen sulfide production under the effect of an electron acceptor (sulfate) and donor (lactate) at different concentrations and Desulfovibrio piger Vib-7 growth, as well as their dissimilatory sulfate reduction in the intestinal small-large intestinal environment. METHODS: Microbiological, biochemical, and biophysical methods, and statistical processing of the results (principal component and cross-correlation analyses) were used. RESULTS: D. piger Vib-7 showed increased intensity of bacterial growth and hydrogen sulfide production under the following concentrations of sulfate and lactate: 17.4 mM and 35.6 mM, respectively. The study showed in what kind of intestinal environment D. piger Vib-7 grows at the highest level and produces the highest amount of hydrogen sulfide. CONCLUSIONS: The optimum intestinal environment of D. piger Vib-7 can serve as a good indicator of the occurrence of inflammatory bowel diseases; meaning that these findings can be broadly used in medicine practice dealing with the monitoring and diagnosis of intestinal ailments

INTELLIGENT WELDING IN CONTEXT OF INDUSTRY 4.0

Welding is analyzed here as an intelligent process in the context of Industry 4.0, with a focus on two aspects: automatization and machine learning. In the case of automatization, starting from the first industrial robots as applied in spot welding in car industry 50 years ago, advances in other welding processes like Gas Shielded Arc Welding (GSAW) and Laser Beam Welding (LBW) are presented. As for the machine learning, starting from the early efforts to use neural networks to correlate input welding parameters with a shape of a welded joint in early nineties, advances in modern machine learning technologies to predict mechanical properties and microstructure are presented

The Prevalence of Depression and Anxiety in Seafarers Type 2 Diabetic Patients

Depression and anxiety are co-morbid condition in diabetes as disease-related psychological reactions on this chronic metabolic illness. This study was aimed to determine the occurrence of depression and anxiety in seafarer’s type 2 diabetic patients. A random sample of 52 diabetic seafarers treated with diet and oral glucose lowering agents, and 56 healthy seafarers were screened for depression with The Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) and for anxiety with State- -Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI 1, STAI 2). Depression (BDI>18.5) and anxiety (STAI<28.5) was significantly higher in the group of diabetic seafarers than in control group (more than 30%). Significant correlation was noted between depression and duration of diabetes mellitus, degree of obesity and poor glycaemic control (HbA1C>8%) and longer duration of shipping routes (over 6 months). The proportion of depression and anxiety was found higher in seafarer’s type 2 diabetic patients than in the healthy seafarers

Minireview: Prospect of Doxycycline in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Treatment

Doxycycline has non-antibiotic effects which are necessary for lupus treatment, such as immunosuppressive, anti-inflammatory, and anti-depressive effects. This widely used drug is a promising one to be developed as lupus drug since doxycycline has no data of its microbial resistance and it is safe for maternity. The other benefit is that doxycycline has lower side effects than the current drugs for lupus treatment. It gives excellent chances for women with lupus to be pregnant and have healthy babies. This article contains the compilation data of doxycycline target sites beyond its beneficial activities for lupus and also its limitations. Finally, this data will be a background for doxycycline in lupus drug development

The Prevalence of Depression and Anxiety in Seafarers Type 2 Diabetic Patients

Depression and anxiety are co-morbid condition in diabetes as disease-related psychological reactions on this chronic metabolic illness. This study was aimed to determine the occurrence of depression and anxiety in seafarer’s type 2 diabetic patients. A random sample of 52 diabetic seafarers treated with diet and oral glucose lowering agents, and 56 healthy seafarers were screened for depression with The Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) and for anxiety with State- -Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI 1, STAI 2). Depression (BDI>18.5) and anxiety (STAI<28.5) was significantly higher in the group of diabetic seafarers than in control group (more than 30%). Significant correlation was noted between depression and duration of diabetes mellitus, degree of obesity and poor glycaemic control (HbA1C>8%) and longer duration of shipping routes (over 6 months). The proportion of depression and anxiety was found higher in seafarer’s type 2 diabetic patients than in the healthy seafarers

Experiências turísticas nas zonas rurais – estudo de caso de Cabo Verde

O turismo rural e as experiências turísticas têm sido cada vez mais cruciais para a diferenciação, competitividade e desenvolvimento das localidades rurais, oferecendo aos turistas a oportunidade de interagir com a vida rural e as tradições locais, bem como a oportunidade para as populações rurais participarem no turismo. No entanto, a relação entre o Turismo Rural e as Experiências Turísticas deve ser cuidadosamente gerida para que os benefícios sejam equilibrados e o impacto ambiental seja minimizado. Para isso, é essencial incentivar as experiências turísticas de acordo com as necessidades e desejos dos turistas, bem como promover o sentimento de pertencimento das comunidades rurais Com a presente investigação pretende-se analisar o desenvolvimento turístico nas ilhas de Santiago, Santo Antão e Fogo em termos de Turismo Rural e de Experiências Turísticas. Neste sentido, a fim de dar resposta ao principal objetivo deste estudo, definiram-se os seguintes objetivos específicos: OE.1 Analisar o desenvolvimento do Turismo Rural nas ilhas de Santiago, Santo Antão e Fogo; OE.2 Analisar a oferta de Experiências Turísticas nas ilhas de Santiago, Santo Antão e Fogo; OE.3 Analisar a relação existente entre o Turismo Rural e as Experiências Turísticas nas ilhas de Santiago, Santo Antão e Fogo. Assim, recorreu-se a uma metodologia qualitativa, com aplicação de uma entrevista semiestruturada ao Diretor de Serviço do Turismo de Cabo Verde, aos Guias Intérpretes de Santiago, Fogo e Santo Antão, ao Gerente do Atelier Mar (Organização Não Governamental cabo-verdiana) e responsável pela criação dos conteúdos para a oferta das Experiências Turísticas de Santo Antão e Fogo, e aos Gerentes dos Hotéis Rurais das ilhas em estudo (Santiago, Fogo e Santo Antão). Para a realização desta investigação foram realizadas 12 entrevistas, que decorreram de 8 de abril a 27 de maio de 2022. A fim de analisar as informações obtidas através das entrevistas optou-se pela análise de conteúdo. Os dados obtidos permitiram concluir que as ilhas de Santiago, Santo Antão e Fogo têm um enorme potencial para o Turismo Rural e Experiências Turísticas, mas ainda existem desafios a ser ultrapassados como o acesso aos locais turísticos, a promoção das atrações turísticas locais, os equipamentos para os guias intérpretes e os recursos para o desenvolvimento do turismo. É necessário sensibilizar os agentes envolvidos para a importância desse potencial e desenvolver estratégias que aliem o crescimento económico à preservação do meio ambiente, para que os turistas e as comunidades locais possam desfrutar dos benefícios do turismo e a qualidade de vida dos habitantes seja melhorada. Todos os entrevistados concordam que a oferta de experiências turísticas constitui uma grande oportunidade para os destinos rurais das ilhas de Santiago, Fogo e Santo Antão, pois permite aos turistas conhecer melhor a cultura, a história, a vida rural e as paisagens naturais desses destinos. Adicionalmente, contribui para a procura do Turismo Rural, o desenvolvimento da economia local e o reforço do sentimento de pertença às comunidades rurais, gerando empregos e rendimento, melhorando assim a qualidade de vida dos seus habitantes.Rural tourism and tourism experiences have become increasingly crucial for the differentiation, competitiveness, and development of rural localities, offering tourists the opportunity to interact with rural life and local traditions as well as the opportunity for rural populations to participate in tourism. However, the relationship between rural Tourism and Tourism Experiences must be carefully managed so that the benefits are balanced, and the environmental impact is minimized. For this, it is necessary to enhance Tourism Experiences by considering the needs and expectations of tourists and strengthening their sense of belonging to rural communities. This research aims to analyze the Tourism development on the islands of Santiago, Santo Antão, and Fogo in terms of rural tourism and Tourism Experiences. In this sense, in order to answer the main objective of this study, the following objectives were defined: OE.1: analyze the development of Rural Tourism on the islands of Santiago, Santo Antão, and Fogo; OE.2: analyze the supply of Tourism Experiences on the islands of Santiago, Santo Antão, and Fogo; OE.3: analyze the existing relationship between Rural Tourism and Tourism Experiences on the islands of Santiago, Santo Antão, and Fogo. Thus, a qualitative methodology was used, with the application of a semi structured interview to the Director of the Cabo Verde Tourism Service, to Santiago's, Fogo and Santo Antão interpreter guides, to the manager of the sea atelier and responsible for creating the contents for the Santo Antão and Fogo tourist experiences, and to the managers of the rural hotels of the islands under study (Santiago, Fogo, and Santo Antão). Of the 12 interviewees, all cooperated in conducting this research. Data were collected from April 8 to May 27, 2022. In order to analyze the information obtained through the interviews, we opted for content analysis. The data obtained allowed us to verify that the islands of Santiago, Santo Antão, and Fogo have a huge potential for Rural Tourism and Tourism Experiences, but there are still challenges to be overcome, such as access to tourist sites, promotion of local tourist attractions, a lack of equipment for interpreter guides, and a lack of resources for tourism development. It is necessary to make the agents involved aware of the importance of these potentials and develop strategies that combine economic growth with environmental preservation so that tourists and local communities can enjoy the benefits of tourism and the quality of life of the inhabitants is improved. All the interviewees agree that offering Tourist Experiences is a great opportunity for the rural destinations on the islands of Santiago, Fogo, and Santo Antao, as it allows tourists to get to know better the culture, history, rural life, and natural landscapes of these destinations, contributes to the demand for Rural Tourism, the development of the local economy, generates jobs and income for rural communities, and strengthens the sense of belonging to rural communities, thus improving the quality of life of its residents