Early degradation of myosin light chains beneficially impacts human health of sea bream (Sparus aurata) consumers

This work investigated on the pre-slaughter changes in sea bream muscle proteins as affected by fish pre-slaughter fasting in comparison to full feeding and how these changes could affect the presence of active peptides and the gastric digestibility of sea bream fillet. In the early post-mortem, actin fragments were detected in both the samples regardless of the feeding regime, while only in the fasted fish samples myosin light chains were found markedly degraded in the early post-mortem. On the other hand, degradation was also evident in the full feeding samples, where myosin light chains were no longer visible during post mortem storage at 4 \ub0C, consistent with the natural instability of these fish proteins in comparison to the mammal ones. ACE-inhibitor gastric-resistant bioactive peptides (VF, MF, VAF), which derived from myosin light chains, were found in both the samples, regardless of the feeding regime, with one of these peptides (VF) seeming in larger amount in the fasted samples. By using static standardized in-vitro digestion methods, digestibility of myosin was found to increase to a greater extent in the fasted samples at pH 4.0, when individual test enzymes were applied under conditions of drug-induced high pH occurring in GERD patients. Differences in myosin gastric digestibility were also apparent at pH 3.0, while at this pH actin was found susceptible to full proteolysis, irrespective of the feeding regime. Therefore, it appeared that under conditions which caused an early degradation of the myosin light chain and possibly an impaired myosin integrity, gastric digestibility of the main myofibrillar proteins was much higher in the altered gastric milieu. In conclusion, sea bream feed restriction, other than decreases the environmental impact of fish aquaculture, seems to act on fish proteins, resulting in nutritional benefits for hypertensive and GERD patients.ingles

YOUNG WOMEN’S NARRATIVES OF DECISION-MAKING ABOUT HUMAN PAPILLOMAVIRUS VACCINATION

This thesis examines young women’s decision-making regarding Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination. Using a narrative approach, five young women were asked to share their stories of how they came to be or not be vaccinated. Two in-depth interviews were used to elicit participants’ stories, and an overall narrative for each young woman was constructed. The five individual narratives reveal a number of themes that capture the diversity of young women’s decision-making experiences and point to the complex ways in which young women are negotiating decisions regarding vaccination. Within this thesis, I take a critical stance on the topic of HPV vaccine decision-making in order to illuminate how young women’s decisions are embedded within broader social and discursive contexts. This critical approach to understanding participant narratives was informed by a strong sensitivity to conceptual frames of medicalization, healthism, and neo-medicalization and dominant discourses related to health risk and individual responsibility

The Effects of Centering Pregnancy on Attitudes towards Breastfeeding among Women with Opioid Use Disorder

Introduction: Breastfeeding has been found to decrease severity of neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS), however, breastfeeding rates among women with opioid use disorder (OUD) are significantly lower than national averages. CenteringPregnancy, a group prenatal care model, increases exposure to education regarding breastfeeding, making it more likely that patients breastfeed in traditional populations. Objective: This project’s purpose was to identify and understand current infant feeding attitudes among mothers with OUD and explore whether participation in the CenteringPregnancy “Breastfeeding Session” positively impacted knowledge and attitudes towards breastfeeding. Methods: Data were collected from 12 women in treatment for OUD who participated in CenteringPregnancy. A survey was given prior to and after the CenteringPregnancy “Breastfeeding Session,” and after completion of CenteringPregnancy. Descriptive statistics, including means for continuous data and count and percent frequencies for categorical data used to describe data. Results: Concern for transmission of methadone and hepatitis C through breast milk, travel schedules to the OUD treatment center, and desire to smoke cigarettes were identified as barriers to breastfeeding. After the breastfeeding session, 58.3% of the women intended to breastfeed. Among those women, none indicated that they did not feel confident in their ability to breastfeed. Follow-up surveys revealed participants found the discussions surrounding breastfeeding helpful and played a role in their decision to breastfeed. Conclusion: Breastfeeding education programs, such as PregnancyCentering, are needed to address deficits in knowledge of and attitudinal barriers towards breastfeeding among women with OUD. Due to small study size, further studies are needed

Biomolecules of Muscle Fatigue in Metabolic Myopathies

Metabolic myopathies are a group of genetic disorders that affect the normal functioning of muscles due to abnormalities in metabolic pathways. These conditions result in impaired energy production and utilization within muscle cells, leading to limitations in muscle function with concomitant occurrence of related signs and symptoms, among which fatigue is one of the most frequently reported. Understanding the underlying molecular mechanisms of muscle fatigue in these conditions is challenging for the development of an effective diagnostic and prognostic approach to test targeted therapeutic interventions. This paper outlines the key biomolecules involved in muscle fatigue in metabolic myopathies, including energy substrates, enzymes, ion channels, and signaling molecules. Potential future research directions in this field are also discussed

Assessing mental health therapeutic communities functioning

Empirical and clinical evidence shows that therapeutic communities produce changes in people’s mental health and well-being. Treatment in communities has effects on improving interpersonal relationships, acceptance among members, ability to recognize other people’s feelings, symptomatology, life satisfaction and self-esteem. This paper aims to investigate which factors can explain the treatment effectiveness, measured by an index which incorporates the point of view of the communities staff members, by means of a beta regression model with random intercept. The results show the influence of some organizational dimension as well as staff roles, providing a meaningful insights into the functioning of mental therapeutic communities with implications of particular interest to the mental health sector stakeholders

Effect of in Situ and Laboratory Compaction on the Retention Behaviour of a Clayey Soil

International audience; A clayey soil has been tested in the laboratory in order to investigate the influence of the compaction procedure on the soil retention behaviour. In common engineering practice, data available for modelling are those of the soil compacted in the laboratory and soil behaviour during the earth structures lifecycle is predicted on that basis. This practice, however, seems to overlook the fact that construction procedures in the field might differ significantly from the compaction techniques used in the laboratory and this may induce considerable differences in material texture and therefore in the soil behaviour. The investigation shown in the present work aims to provide further insight into this aspect and to help endorsing or refuting the validity of such practice

Combined Point of Care Tools Are Able to Improve Treatment Adherence and Health-Related Quality of Life in Patients with Severe Hemophilia: An Observational Prospective Study

Introduction: Ultrasound (US) assessment of joints is an evolving point of care tool for the detection of early joint arthropathy (Napolitano M, Kessler CM. Hemophilia A and B. Consultative Hemostasis and Thrombosis, Kitchens, 4th edition); population pharmacokinetic (pop-PK) studies are adopted as a useful instrument to set the prophylaxis regimen for patients with hemophilia, they may improve adherence (Nagao A.et al. Thromb Res. 2019 Jan; 173:79-84) and reduce the annual bleeding rate (ABR). Adherence to continuous intravenous administrations of factor VIII or Factor IX products is challenging, thus patients may experience breakthrough bleedings while on prophylaxis. Repeated US examinations of joint status have recently been advocated to attempt to remedy sub-optimal medication adherence (Di Minno A et al., Blood Rev. 2019 Jan;33:106-116). Aim of the current prospective analysis was to evaluate the impact of combined US assessment and pop-PK study on adherence to treatment and health related quality of life in patients with severe hemophilia A(HA) and B (HB) under regular prophylaxis. Material and methods: This prospective observational study was performed at a single tertiary center from January 2017 to June 2019. Research was conducted following the Helsinki Declaration. All patients included in the study provided a written informed consent for study participation. Patients with severe HA and HB routinely underwent, as part of regular 12-months follow-up visits, the following: US joints evaluation of elbows, knees and ankles using the HEAD-US protocol, treatment adherence evaluation by VERITAS-Pro questionnaire, health –related quality of life assessment by the standardized EQ-5D,EQ-VAS and pop-PK study (WAPPS-Hemo, McMaster University) as needed (i.e.in case of changes in life style, planned treatment switch); each patient visualised US and his estimated PK profile during medial encounters. Compliance to the prescribed treatment was also determined by analysis of patient diaries with infusion logs. Statistical analysis was performed using the SPSS software version 25.0 (SPSS Chicago, IL). Statistical tests were 2-sided, with a significance threshold of 0.05. Results: Twenty consecutive males with severe haemophilia were included in the current analysis, 13 with severe HA, 2 with HA with previous inhibitors and 5 HB, with a median age of 30 (range 14- 56) years and a median ABR of 5 (range:0-12). Nine patients were under primary prophylaxis, 8 under secondary prophylaxis and 3 under tertiary prophylaxis, they all self-infused at home. Four patients had one target joint and 3 patients had multiple target joints. For each enrolled subject, HEAD-US score, VERITAS-pro, EQ5D and EQ-VAS score were assessed at enrolment (T0) and at 12 (T12) and 24 (T24) months follow-up visits, respectively. Pop-PK was assessed in 11 patients: in 7 (5 HA,2 HB) it was assessed twice, before and after treatment switch to extended half-life (EHL) products, in 4 it was assessed once to modify prophylaxis treatment schedules for a more active life-style (N=2) or weight changes (N=2). Median ABR was 4 at T12 and 3.8 at T24. Reported breakthrough bleeds at T12 were 14, mainly trauma-related (N= 8) or affecting target joints (N=4), they were not reported at T24 in patients with PK-driven modified schedules (N=4) and in 4 patients under EHL treatments. Mean HEAD-US score at T0 resulted 8 (range:0-16), at T24 it was 6 (range:0-16). Mean Veritas-Pro score values were 42.7 at TO, 40.1 at T12 and 38.7 at T24. At T0, EQ-5D mean utility score was 0.82 (range: 0.68-1), at T24, the mean was 0.87 (range:0.72-1). In detail, at 24 months follow-up, there was a statistically significant (p<0.05) improvement in adherence to treatment with particular reference to the dimensions of communication and skipped doses. A tendency toward improved HEAD-US score, higher adherence and better quality of life scores, was observed in particular in patients switched to EHL products at T24, at a mean of 10 months after switching (range: 6-22 months). Conclusion: Several combined measures of haemophilia treatment monitoring, allowing visual assessment of joints status and PK profile estimates by patients have here shown to improve treatment adherence and quality of life in patients with HA and HB, this may be not only related to new available treatments but also to an increased awareness and education of patients