Monitoring the impact of bioaugmentation with a PAH-degrading strain on different soil microbiomes using pyrosequencing

The effect of bioaugmentation with Sphingobium sp. AM strain on different soils microbiomes, pristine soil (PS), chronically contaminated soil (IPK) and recently contaminated soil (Phe) and their implications in bioremediation efficiency was studied by focusing on the ecology that drives bacterial communities in response to inoculation. AM strain draft genome codifies genes for metabolism of aromatic and aliphatic hydrocarbons. In Phe, the inoculation improved the elimination of phenanthrene during the whole treatment, whereas in IPK no improvement of degradation of any PAH was observed. Through the pyrosequencing analysis, we observed that inoculation managed to increase the richness and diversity in both contaminated microbiomes, therefore, independently of PAH degradation improvement, we observed clues of inoculant establishment, suggesting it may use other resources to survive. On the other hand, the inoculation did not influence the bacterial community of PS. On both contaminated microbiomes, incubation conditions produced a sharp increase on Actinomycetales and Sphingomonadales orders, while inoculation caused a relative decline of Actinomycetales. Inoculation of most diverse microbiomes, PS and Phe, produced a coupled increase of Sphingomonadales, Burkholderiales and Rhizobiales orders, although it may exist a synergy between those genera; our results suggest that this would not be directly related to PAH degradation.Facultad de Ciencias ExactasCentro de Investigación y Desarrollo en Fermentaciones Industriale

Monitoring the impact of bioaugmentation with a PAH-degrading strain on different soil microbiomes using pyrosequencing

The effect of bioaugmentation with Sphingobium sp. AM strain on different soils microbiomes, pristine soil (PS), chronically contaminated soil (IPK) and recently contaminated soil (Phe) and their implications in bioremediation efficiency was studied by focusing on the ecology that drives bacterial communities in response to inoculation. AM strain draft genome codifies genes for metabolism of aromatic and aliphatic hydrocarbons. In Phe, the inoculation improved the elimination of phenanthrene during the whole treatment, whereas in IPK no improvement of degradation of any PAH was observed. Through the pyrosequencing analysis, we observed that inoculation managed to increase the richness and diversity in both contaminated microbiomes, therefore, independently of PAH degradation improvement, we observed clues of inoculant establishment, suggesting it may use other resources to survive. On the other hand, the inoculation did not influence the bacterial community of PS. On both contaminated microbiomes, incubation conditions produced a sharp increase on Actinomycetales and Sphingomonadales orders, while inoculation caused a relative decline of Actinomycetales. Inoculation of most diverse microbiomes, PS and Phe, produced a coupled increase of Sphingomonadales, Burkholderiales and Rhizobiales orders, although it may exist a synergy between those genera; our results suggest that this would not be directly related to PAH degradation.Facultad de Ciencias ExactasCentro de Investigación y Desarrollo en Fermentaciones Industriale

Sentinel-1-based monitoring services at regional scale in Italy: State of the art and main findings

In Italy, three different operational continuous monitoring experiences based on the exploitation of Multi Temporal Synthetic Aperture Radar data (MTInSAR) Sentinel-1 data are here depicted, and the results obtained in one year have been analysed. Tuscany region (Central Italy) has been the first region to implement such service, followed by Valle d'Aosta and Veneto regions (North-West and North-East Italy, respectively). In detail, the services benefit from regularly updated deformation maps (every 12 days) to promptly detect anomalies of deformation, i.e., trend variations in the time series of displacement. In this work, anomalies detected between September 2019 and September 2020 are thus correlated with several types of factors, either related to the environment, intrinsic of the data or derived from ancillary data. A statistical analysis has been performed on the three regions, and are discretized into five macro-areas, namely: i) spatial and temporal statistics, related to the geographic setting and the temporal distribution of the anomalies; ii) parametric, i.e., related to the interferometric processing; iii) triggering factors; iv) environmental and geological factors; v) urban setting. The results derived from the analysis of this work show the obvious differences between the three regions, highlighting distinct distributions of the anomalies according to the different settings of each study area. Furthermore, results were analyzed, to provide a summary of the main findings obtained, giving a first evaluation of the services and hypothesizing future further improvements and applications. © 2021The authors gratefully acknowledge TRE ALTAMIRA for having processed the S-1 data

The Effects of ESC/ESH-Based Written Generic Lifestyle Advice and a Nutraceutical on 24-Hour Blood Pressure in Patients with High-Normal Office Blood Pressure and Low-Moderate Cardiovascular Risk

(1) Background: Lifestyle changes, eventually coupled with a nutraceutical, are recommended strategies for managing high-normal blood pressure (BP) patients with low-moderate cardiovascular (CV) risk. In a real-life clinical setting, we evaluated the effects of generic written lifestyle advice, extrapolated from the 2018 ESC/ESH guidelines, and a beetroot-based nutraceutical on 24 h BP in a population with a high-normal office BP and low-moderate CV risk. (2) Methods: A longitudinal observational study was conducted in two ESH Hypertension Excellence Centres on 43 consecutive subjects with high-normal BP according to repeated office BP (OBP) measurements and a low-moderate CV risk based on SCORE2/SCORE2-OP. Additionally, 24 h ambulatory BP monitoring (ABPM) was carried out at baseline and three months after lifestyle changes, according to generic written advice from the 2018 ESC/ESH guidelines, coupled with a nutraceutical containing 500 mg of dry beetroot extract. (3) Results: The mean age was 50 +/- 11 years, with male prevalence (54%). The prevalence of overweight/obesity was 58%. The mean OBP was 135 +/- 3/85 +/- 3 mmHg. At baseline, the mean 24 h BP, daytime BP, and night-time BP were 127 +/- 7/80 +/- 6 mmHg, 131 +/- 8/83 +/- 6 mmHg, and 118 +/- 8/70 +/- 5 mmHg, respectively, BP profiles compatible with hypertension status in some subjects. After a median follow-up of 98 (92-121) days, all BPs, except night-time diastolic BP, were significantly decreased: -3 +/- 6/-2 +/- 4 mmHg for 24 h BP, -3.9 +/- 6.0/-3.0 +/- 4.0 mmHg for daytime BP, and -3.3 +/- 7.4/-1.3 +/- 4.7 mmHg for night-time BP, respectively. No significant clinical changes in body weight were detected. BP decreased independently of baseline BP levels, sex, smoking status, and body mass index, while a more substantial BP decrease was observed in older patients. (4) Conclusions: Our exploratory study shows, for the first time, that written generic lifestyle advice taken from the ESC/ESH hypertension guidelines coupled with a beetroot-based nutraceutical may represent a valid initial non-pharmacological approach in subjects with a high-normal office BP and low-moderate CV risk, even without personalized diet interventions

Effects of Different Training Intensity Distribution in Recreational Runners

Purpose: To compare the impact of two different training intensity distributions in terms of conditional and performance parameters and spent time to training in recreational athletes. Methods: Two different training intensity distribution model were performed for 8 weeks by 38 recreational runners. Runners recruited were randomly assigned to 2 different training models based on HR intensity detected with maximal test. The percentage distribution splitted in zone 1, 2 and 3 were by 77/3/20 and 40/50/10 in polarized endurance training group (PET) and focused endurance training (FOC) group respectively. Programs were balanced for total training impulse (TRIMP). To evaluate effects of training, before and after treatment were performed a maximal exercise test to determine Maximal Oxygen Uptake (V'O2max), Ventilatory Threshold (VT), respiratory-compensation point (RCT) Running Economy (RE) and 2 Km performance. To investigate the effects of training on muscular performance were performed one repetition maximum (1RM), squat jump (SJ) and counter movement jump (CMJ). Results: Both groups significantly improved their velocity at V'O2max (3.2% and 4.0%), at VT (4.0% and 3.2%), RCT (5.7% and 3.4%), the average velocity in 2 Km performance (3.5% and 3.0%) and RE (-5.3% and -8.7%) for PET and FOC respectively for each variable. No differences were found between the groups on any parameter investigated except about the total training time (PET = 29.8 3.1h and FOC = 24.8 2.0 h). Conclusion: Focused Endurance Training obtains similar improvements than Polarized Endurance Training saving 17% of training time in recreational runners

Monitoring the impact of bioaugmentation with a PAH-degrading strain on different soil microbiomes using pyrosequencing

The effect of bioaugmentation with Sphingobium sp. AM strain on different soils microbiomes, pristine soil (PS), chronically contaminated soil (IPK) and recently contaminated soil (Phe) and their implications in bioremediation efficiency was studied by focusing on the ecology that drives bacterial communities in response to inoculation. AM strain draft genome codifies genes for metabolism of aromatic and aliphatic hydrocarbons. In Phe, the inoculation improved the elimination of phenanthrene during the whole treatment, whereas in IPK no improvement of degradation of any PAH was observed. Through the pyrosequencing analysis, we observed that inoculation managed to increase the richness and diversity in both contaminated microbiomes, therefore, independently of PAH degradation improvement, we observed clues of inoculant establishment, suggesting it may use other resources to survive. On the other hand, the inoculation did not influence the bacterial community of PS. On both contaminated microbiomes, incubation conditions produced a sharp increase on Actinomycetales and Sphingomonadales orders, while inoculation caused a relative decline of Actinomycetales. Inoculation of most diverse microbiomes, PS and Phe, produced a coupled increase of Sphingomonadales, Burkholderiales and Rhizobiales orders, although it may exist a synergy between those genera; our results suggest that this would not be directly related to PAH degradation.Facultad de Ciencias ExactasCentro de Investigación y Desarrollo en Fermentaciones Industriale

Neuromuscular Fatigue Does Not Impair the Rate of Force Development in Ballistic Contractions of Submaximal Amplitudes

The effect of muscle fatigue on rate of force development (RFD) is usually assessed during tasks that require participants to reach as quickly as possible maximal or near-maximal force. However, endurance sports require athletes to quickly produce force of submaximal, rather than maximal, amplitudes. Thus, this study investigated the effect of muscle fatigue induced by long-distance running on the capacity to quickly produce submaximal levels of force. Twenty-one male amateur runners were evaluated before and shortly after a half-marathon race. Knee extensors force was recorded under maximal voluntary and electrically evoked contractions. Moreover, a series of ballistic contractions at different submaximal amplitudes (from 20 to 100% of maximal voluntary force) was obtained, by asking the participants to reach submaximal forces as fast as possible. The RFD was calculated for each contraction. After the race, maximal voluntary activation, resting doublet twitch, maximal force, and RFD during maximal contraction decreased (-12, -12, -21, and -19%, respectively, all P-values < 0.0001). Nevertheless, the RFD values measured during ballistic contractions up to 60% of maximal force were unaffected (all P-values > 0.4). Long-distance running impaired the capacity to quickly produce force in ballistic contractions of maximal, but not of submaximal, amplitudes. Overall, these findings suggest that central and peripheral fatigue do not affect the quickness to which muscle contracts across a wide range of submaximal forces. This is a relevant finding for running and other daily life activities that rely on the production of rapid submaximal contractions rather than maximal force levels