Effects of probiotics on strength and power performance in a trained population: A systematic review and meta-analysis

The main purpose of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to evaluate the effects of probiotics intake on strength and power performance in a trained population. This study was designed following Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) statement guidelines. The review was registered in PROSPERO with the following registration number: CRD42021248173. PubMed/MEDLINE, Web of Science, and Scopus databases were searched from their inception to the 18th March 2022 to find original research studies evaluating the effects of probiotic supplementation on strength and power performance tests in a trained population. The following inclusion criteria were applied to select studies: probiotics supplementation; trained population; strength and power performance measurements; human experimental trial; controlled with a placebo group; peer-reviewed and original articles written in English language. Random effects model and standardized mean differences (SMD) were used following Hedges’ G for the meta-analysis. Seven studies were finally included after the inclusion/exclusion criteria were applied (n=142 participants). Results of the meta-analysis identified a significant benefit of probiotics compared to placebo treatments (p=.04), with a small pooled effect size (SMD=0.36 [0.02-0.70]; I2=43%), and no funnel plot asymmetry was present. In summary, this systematic review and meta-analysis demonstrated that probiotic supplementation could effectively enhance strength and power performance in a trained population

Reporte de reservorios domiciliares de agua colonizados por Aedes (Stegomyia) aegypti (Linnaeus, 1762) en un área de Camagüey (Cuba)

En el presente estudio se analiza la amplitud del nicho ecológico de Aedes aegypti (Diptera, Culicidae), el principal transmisor del vi- rus del dengue en la región de las Américas, a fin de entender los mecanismos básicos de su actual distribución espacial en un área de Camagüey, Cuba. Se calculó el Índice Recipiente específico (IRe) por tipo de depósitos positivos, así como la correlación entre el total de focos y los depósitos permanentes y útiles positivos/mes mediante la correlación no paramétrica de Spearman (R=0,93; p<0,001). Esta especie es la más frecuente y abundante en los re- cipientes artificiales, con un alto nivel de exclusividad. Los depósi- tos permanentes y útiles deben tener la primacía en la ejecución de las intervenciones de vigilancia y control larvario

A collection and analysis of amphibians and reptiles from Nicaragua with new country and departmental records

Nicaragua is a biodiverse country, but documented herpetological specimens are underrepresented compared to neighboring countries. In 2018 we conducted a collaborative expedition between the University of Michigan Museum of Zoology and Nicaraguan biologists. We visited sites in the Pacific Low‑ lands, Caribbean Lowlands, and the Central Highlands, representing the three major biogeographic regions of Nicaragua. We collected specimens of 100 species from a total of 106 encountered. We provide acces‑ sion numbers and morphological, genetic, and ecological information for these specimens. We recorded 23 new departmental records and the first country record of Metlapilcoatlus indomitus (Smith & Ferrari‑Castro, 2008), filling gaps in the known distribution of the species within Nicaragua and across Central America. When available for each species, we provide range maps and comparative genetic trees including conspecific reference sequences from the region, making this work a significant addition to existing checklists of the herpetofauna in Nicaragua

Global variation in diabetes diagnosis and prevalence based on fasting glucose and hemoglobin A1c

Fasting plasma glucose (FPG) and hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) are both used to diagnose diabetes, but these measurements can identify different people as having diabetes. We used data from 117 population-based studies and quantified, in different world regions, the prevalence of diagnosed diabetes, and whether those who were previously undiagnosed and detected as having diabetes in survey screening, had elevated FPG, HbA1c or both. We developed prediction equations for estimating the probability that a person without previously diagnosed diabetes, and at a specific level of FPG, had elevated HbA1c, and vice versa. The age-standardized proportion of diabetes that was previously undiagnosed and detected in survey screening ranged from 30% in the high-income western region to 66% in south Asia. Among those with screen-detected diabetes with either test, the age-standardized proportion who had elevated levels of both FPG and HbA1c was 29-39% across regions; the remainder had discordant elevation of FPG or HbA1c. In most low- and middle-income regions, isolated elevated HbA1c was more common than isolated elevated FPG. In these regions, the use of FPG alone may delay diabetes diagnosis and underestimate diabetes prevalence. Our prediction equations help allocate finite resources for measuring HbA1c to reduce the global shortfall in diabetes diagnosis and surveillance

Worldwide trends in underweight and obesity from 1990 to 2022: a pooled analysis of 3663 population-representative studies with 222 million children, adolescents, and adults

Background Underweight and obesity are associated with adverse health outcomes throughout the life course. We estimated the individual and combined prevalence of underweight or thinness and obesity, and their changes, from 1990 to 2022 for adults and school-aged children and adolescents in 200 countries and territories. Methods We used data from 3663 population-based studies with 222 million participants that measured height and weight in representative samples of the general population. We used a Bayesian hierarchical model to estimate trends in the prevalence of different BMI categories, separately for adults (age ≥20 years) and school-aged children and adolescents (age 5–19 years), from 1990 to 2022 for 200 countries and territories. For adults, we report the individual and combined prevalence of underweight (BMI <18·5 kg/m2) and obesity (BMI ≥30 kg/m2). For schoolaged children and adolescents, we report thinness (BMI <2 SD below the median of the WHO growth reference) and obesity (BMI >2 SD above the median). Findings From 1990 to 2022, the combined prevalence of underweight and obesity in adults decreased in 11 countries (6%) for women and 17 (9%) for men with a posterior probability of at least 0·80 that the observed changes were true decreases. The combined prevalence increased in 162 countries (81%) for women and 140 countries (70%) for men with a posterior probability of at least 0·80. In 2022, the combined prevalence of underweight and obesity was highest in island nations in the Caribbean and Polynesia and Micronesia, and countries in the Middle East and north Africa. Obesity prevalence was higher than underweight with posterior probability of at least 0·80 in 177 countries (89%) for women and 145 (73%) for men in 2022, whereas the converse was true in 16 countries (8%) for women, and 39 (20%) for men. From 1990 to 2022, the combined prevalence of thinness and obesity decreased among girls in five countries (3%) and among boys in 15 countries (8%) with a posterior probability of at least 0·80, and increased among girls in 140 countries (70%) and boys in 137 countries (69%) with a posterior probability of at least 0·80. The countries with highest combined prevalence of thinness and obesity in school-aged children and adolescents in 2022 were in Polynesia and Micronesia and the Caribbean for both sexes, and Chile and Qatar for boys. Combined prevalence was also high in some countries in south Asia, such as India and Pakistan, where thinness remained prevalent despite having declined. In 2022, obesity in school-aged children and adolescents was more prevalent than thinness with a posterior probability of at least 0·80 among girls in 133 countries (67%) and boys in 125 countries (63%), whereas the converse was true in 35 countries (18%) and 42 countries (21%), respectively. In almost all countries for both adults and school-aged children and adolescents, the increases in double burden were driven by increases in obesity, and decreases in double burden by declining underweight or thinness. Interpretation The combined burden of underweight and obesity has increased in most countries, driven by an increase in obesity, while underweight and thinness remain prevalent in south Asia and parts of Africa. A healthy nutrition transition that enhances access to nutritious foods is needed to address the remaining burden of underweight while curbing and reversing the increase in obesit

Impact of opioid-free analgesia on pain severity and patient satisfaction after discharge from surgery: multispecialty, prospective cohort study in 25 countries

Background: Balancing opioid stewardship and the need for adequate analgesia following discharge after surgery is challenging. This study aimed to compare the outcomes for patients discharged with opioid versus opioid-free analgesia after common surgical procedures.Methods: This international, multicentre, prospective cohort study collected data from patients undergoing common acute and elective general surgical, urological, gynaecological, and orthopaedic procedures. The primary outcomes were patient-reported time in severe pain measured on a numerical analogue scale from 0 to 100% and patient-reported satisfaction with pain relief during the first week following discharge. Data were collected by in-hospital chart review and patient telephone interview 1 week after discharge.Results: The study recruited 4273 patients from 144 centres in 25 countries; 1311 patients (30.7%) were prescribed opioid analgesia at discharge. Patients reported being in severe pain for 10 (i.q.r. 1-30)% of the first week after discharge and rated satisfaction with analgesia as 90 (i.q.r. 80-100) of 100. After adjustment for confounders, opioid analgesia on discharge was independently associated with increased pain severity (risk ratio 1.52, 95% c.i. 1.31 to 1.76; P < 0.001) and re-presentation to healthcare providers owing to side-effects of medication (OR 2.38, 95% c.i. 1.36 to 4.17; P = 0.004), but not with satisfaction with analgesia (beta coefficient 0.92, 95% c.i. -1.52 to 3.36; P = 0.468) compared with opioid-free analgesia. Although opioid prescribing varied greatly between high-income and low- and middle-income countries, patient-reported outcomes did not.Conclusion: Opioid analgesia prescription on surgical discharge is associated with a higher risk of re-presentation owing to side-effects of medication and increased patient-reported pain, but not with changes in patient-reported satisfaction. Opioid-free discharge analgesia should be adopted routinely

Contrasting the Individual Reactive Pathways in Protein Unfolding and Disulfide Bond Reduction Observed within a Single Protein

Identifying the dynamics of individual molecules along their reactive pathways remains a major goal of modern chemistry. For simple chemical reactions, the transition state position is thought to be highly localized. Conversely, in the case of more complex reactions involving proteins, the potential energy surfaces become rougher, resulting in heterogeneous reaction pathways with multiple transition state structures. Force-clamp spectroscopy experimentally probes the individual reaction pathways sampled by a single protein under the effect of a constant stretching force. Herein, we examine the distribution of conformations that populate the transition state of two different reactions; the unfolding of a single protein and the reduction of a single disulfide bond, both occurring within the same single protein. By applying the recently developed static disorder theory, we quantify the variance of the barrier heights, σ(2), governing each distinct reaction. We demonstrate that the unfolding of the I27 protein follows a non-exponential kinetics, consistent with a high value of σ(2) ~ 18 (pNnm)(2). Interestingly, shortening of the protein upon introduction of a rigid disulfide bond significantly modulates the disorder degree, spanning from σ(2) ~ 8 to ~21 (pNnm)(2). These results are in sharp contrast with the exponential distribution of times measured for an S(N)2 chemical reaction, implying the absence of static disorder σ(2) ~0 (pNnm)(2). Our results demonstrate the high sensitivity of the force-clamp technique to capture the signatures of disorder in the individual pathways that define two distinct force-induced reactions, occurring within the core of a single protein

New Trans-Configured Acetylide–Cyanide Platinum(II) Anions: Spectroscopic and Optical Studies

A novel series of phosphorescent stable mixed acetylide–cyanide anionic (NBu₄)₂[<i>trans-</i>Pt­(CCR)₂(CN)₂] (R = Tol (<b>1</b>), C₆H₄CF₃-4 (<b>2</b>), C₅H₄N-4 (<b>3</b>), Np (<b>4</b>)) complexes were prepared by reactions of the neutral [<i>trans-</i>Pt­(CCR)₂(PPh₃)₂] precursors with excess (NBu₄)­CN. The formation of <b>1</b>–<b>4</b> takes place through monoanionic [<i>trans-</i>Pt­(CCR)₂(CN)­(PPh₃)]⁻ intermediate species, as confirmed by the isolation of the naphthyl derivative (NBu₄)­[<i>trans-</i>Pt­(CCNp)₂(CN)­(PPh₃)] (<b>5</b>). Further substitution of PPh₃ in <b>5</b> by CN^tBu gives (NBu₄)­[<i>trans-</i>Pt­(CCNp)₂(CN)­(CN^tBu)], containing three different isoelectronic ligands. The complexes have been characterized (¹H, ¹³C, ¹⁹⁵Pt NMR, IR, MALDI-TOF), including X-ray crystallography for <b>2</b>,<b> 4</b>, and <b>6</b>, and their spectroscopic and optical properties compared to those of the related homoleptic [Pt­(CCR)₄]^2– complexes. Time-dependent density functional theory (TD-DFT) calculations were performed for anions <b>1</b>^<b>2–</b> and <b>4</b>^<b>2–</b> and three different conformers of <b>6</b>^<b>–</b> to provide further insight into the nature of the electronic transitions