Sense of Loneliness, Sense of Effectiveness, Interpersonal Trust and Interpersonal Relations of Academic Youth During the COVID-19 Pandemic

The article aims to present the levels of the sense of loneliness, sense of effectiveness and interpersonal trust presented by academic youth and to demonstrate their importance for the subjective assessment of the quality of interpersonal relationships during the COVID-19 pandemic. It presents the results of empirical research conducted with the participation of 2,285 respondents studying in a full-time mode in Poland. The research material was collected using an online questionnaire (CAWI) and subjected to statistical analysis (Spearman’s rank correlation coefficient, V-Cramer coefficient, chi-square test, Student’s t-test, one-way ANOVA and Levene’s test were used). The survey questionnaire used the De Jong Gierveld (DJGLS) Loneliness Scale in the Polish adaptation, the scale to measure interpersonal trust by Dorota Hybiak and the scale to measure the sense of effectiveness by Krystyna Skarżyńska. The results obtained show a statistically significant correlation, with the respondents showing a higher sense of effectiveness, a lower level of loneliness and a higher level of interpersonal trust, and higher subjective satisfaction with interpersonal relationships experienced during a pandemic. These research categories can therefore be considered as protective factors in a pandemic situation and as factors of “hope” for the rebuilding of interpersonal contacts in a post-pandemic reality.The article aims to present the levels of the sense of loneliness, sense of effectiveness and interpersonal trust presented by academic youth and to demonstrate their importance for the subjective assessment of the quality of interpersonal relationships during the COVID-19 pandemic. It presents the results of empirical research conducted with the participation of 2,285 respondents studying in a full-time mode in Poland. The research material was collected using an online questionnaire (CAWI) and subjected to statistical analysis (Spearman’s rank correlation coefficient, V-Cramer coefficient, chi-square test, Student’s t-test, one-way ANOVA and Levene’s test were used). The survey questionnaire used the De Jong Gierveld (DJGLS) Loneliness Scale in the Polish adaptation, the scale to measure interpersonal trust by Dorota Hybiak and the scale to measure the sense of effectiveness by Krystyna Skarżyńska. The results obtained show a statistically significant correlation, with the respondents showing a higher sense of effectiveness, a lower level of loneliness and a higher level of interpersonal trust, and higher subjective satisfaction with interpersonal relationships experienced during a pandemic. These research categories can therefore be considered as protective factors in a pandemic situation and as factors of “hope” for the rebuilding of interpersonal contacts in a post-pandemic reality

Current Advances in the Concept of Quorum Sensing-Based Prevention of Spoilage of Fish Products by Pseudomonads

Microbial spoilage of fish is attributed to quorum sensing (QS)-based activities. QS is a communication process between the cells in which microorganisms secrete and sense the specific chemicals (autoinductors, AIs) that regulate proteolysis, lipolysis, and biofilm formation. These activities change the organoleptic characteristics and reduce the safety of the products. Although the microbial community of fish is diverse and may consist of a range of bacterial strains, the deterioration of fish-based products is attributed to the growth and activity of Pseudomonas spp. This work summarizes recent advancements to assess the influence of QS mechanisms on seafood spoilage by Pseudomonas spp. The quorum sensing inhibition (QSI) in the context of fish preservation has also been discussed. Detailed recognition of this phenomenon is crucial in establishing effective strategies to prevent the premature deterioration of fish-based products

Potassium Chloride, Sodium Lactate and Sodium Citrate Impaired the Antimicrobial Resistance and Virulence of <i>Pseudomonas aeruginosa</i> NT06 Isolated from Fish

Sodium chloride (NaCl) is a commonly used additive in minimally processed fish-based products. The addition of NaCl to fish products and packaging in a modified atmosphere is usually efficient with regard to limiting the occurrence of the aquatic environmental pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Given the negative effects of excess NaCl in the diet, there is a growing demand to reduce NaCl in food products with safer substituents, but the knowledge of their impact on antibiotic resistant P. aeruginosa is limited. This study aimed to evaluate the physiological and transcriptome characteristics of P. aeruginosa NT06 isolated from fish and to determine the effect of selected concentrations of alternative NaCl compounds (KCl/NaL/NaC) on the P. aeruginosa NT06 virulence phenotype and genotype. In the study, among the isolated microorganisms, P. aeruginosa NT06 showed the highest antibiotic resistance (to ampicillin, ceftriaxone, nalidixic acid, and norfloxacin) and the ability to grow at 4 °C. The Comprehensive Antibiotic Resistance Database (CARD) and the Virulence Factor Database (VFDB) revealed the presence of 24 and 134 gene products assigned to AMR and VF in the P. aeruginosa NT06 transcriptome, respectively. KCl, KCl/NaL and KCl/NaL/NaC inhibited pyocyanin biosynthesis, elastase activity, and protease activity from 40 to 77%. The above virulence phenotypic observations were confirmed via RT–qPCR analyses, which showed that all tested AMR and VF genes were the most downregulated due to KCl/NaL/NaC treatment. In conclusion, this study provides insight into the potential AMR and VF among foodborne P. aeruginosa and the possible impairment of those features by KCl, NaL, and NaC, which exert synergistic effects and can be used in minimally processed fish-based products

African Journal of Microbiology Research

Selection and characterization of Clostridium bifermentans strains from natural environment capable of producing 1,3-propanediol under microaerophilic condition

Hypothetical glycerol pathways of newly isolated strains capable of 1,3-propanediol production

Study presented here demonstrates the ability of three newly isolated strains, obtained from environmental probes (manure, bottom sediment, and food waste) and identified as Clostridium bifermentans, Clostridium butyricum, and Hafnia alvei, to synthesize 1,3-propanediol (1,3-PD), organic acids (such as lactic, acetic, fumaric, succinic, and butyric acids), and ethanol from glycerol. The production of 1,3-PD as well as the glycerol pathways in C. bifermentans and H. alvei cells have not been investigated and described yet by others. Moreover, there is no data in the available literature on the products of glycerol utilization by H. alvei and there is only some incoherent data (mainly from the first half of the twentieth century) about the ability of C. bifermentans to carry out glycerol degradation. Additionally, this study presents complete hypothetical glycerol pathways and the basic fermentation kinetic parameters (such as yield and productivity) for both strains as well as for the newly isolated C. butyricum strain

Production of Bioactive Compounds by Food Associated Galactomyces geotrichum 38, as Determined by Proteome Analysis

Fried cottage cheese is a dairy product, popular in some parts of Poland. Proteomic analysis of a culture of the mold Galactomyces geotrichum 38 isolated from fried cottage cheese was performed using UHPLC/MS. From the proteins identified, we selected those involved in the biosynthesis of bioactive compounds and those useful in industry. In the G. geotrichum 38 culture, the production quantities of vitamin B2 (224 &mu;g/L), ergosterol (54.63 mg/kg), and trehalose (0.91 g/L) were determined by HPLC. The identified proteins were also used to prepare a hypothetical fatty acid biosynthesis pathway, and the percentage of individual sphingolipids in the culture was determined. Sphingolipids are also bioactive compounds. During culturing of G. geotrichum 38, the percentage of three sphingolipids increased. The last step of the research was to prepare a model of fried cottage cheese. The mold G. geotrichum 38, used in the process of ripening fried cottage cheese, synthesized vitamin B2 and erogsterol, which influenced the nutritional value of the product