Search

Abstract Currently, microwaves, ultrasound, and ultrasound‐microwaves are technologies with several applications, one of which is their use as a method of pasteurization. So far, these techniques have not been used for the pasteurization of a functional aguamiel beverage. This beverage was pasteurized and enriched with probiotic LAB to generate an antihypertensive effect. The physicochemical characteristics (pH, total soluble solids, and color) of the aguamiel beverage were evaluated. Microbiological analysis of the product was also carried out. The probiotic LAB were added to the beverage with the selected pasteurization technique. The growth of LAB in the aguamiel beverage and the prebiotic effects that this product as well as the antihypertensive activity of the beverage were evaluated. It was shown that there is no significant effect of the techniques used on the physicochemical characteristics of the product. However, the storage time may be affected. Compared to traditional pasteurization, microwave, ultrasound, and ultrasound‐microwave techniques were found to reduce the concentration of some pathogenic microorganisms. The microwave technique was selected as the most effective for pasteurization. The probiotic LAB were able to grow in the pasteurized aguamiel beverage and produce an antihypertensive effect. In summary, a functional microwavable pasteurized aguamiel beverage with antihypertensive activity was produced.

Abstract Background Structural income inequality – the uneven income distribution across regions or countries – could affect brain structure and function, beyond individual differences. However, the impact of structural income inequality on the brain dynamics and the roles of demographics and cognition in these associations remains unexplored. Methods Here, we assessed the impact of structural income inequality, as measured by the Gini coefficient on multiple EEG metrics, while considering the subject‐level effects of demographic (age, sex, education) and cognitive factors. Resting‐state EEG signals were collected from a diverse sample (countries = 10; healthy individuals = 1394 from Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Chile, Cuba, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Turkey and United Kingdom). Complexity (fractal dimension, permutation entropy, Wiener entropy, spectral structure variability), power spectral and aperiodic components (1/f slope, knee, offset), as well as graph‐theoretic measures were analysed. Findings Despite variability in samples, data collection methods, and EEG acquisition parameters, structural inequality systematically predicted electrophysiological brain dynamics, proving to be a more crucial determinant of brain dynamics than individual‐level factors. Complexity and aperiodic activity metrics captured better the effects of structural inequality on brain function. Following inequality, age and cognition emerged as the most influential predictors. The overall results provided convergent multimodal metrics of biologic embedding of structural income inequality characterised by less complex signals, increased random asynchronous neural activity, and reduced alpha and beta power, particularly over temporoposterior regions. Conclusion These findings might challenge conventional neuroscience approaches that tend to overemphasise the influence of individual‐level factors, while neglecting structural factors. Results pave the way for neuroscience‐informed public policies aimed at tackling structural inequalities in diverse populations.

Abstract Greenland ice core records feature Dansgaard–Oeschger (D‐O) events, which are abrupt warming episodes followed by gradual cooling during ice age climate. The three climate models used in this study (CCSM4, MPI‐ESM, and HadCM3) show spontaneous self‐sustained D‐O‐like oscillations (albeit with differences in amplitude, duration, and shape) in a remarkably similar, narrow window of carbon dioxide (CO2) concentration, roughly 185–230 ppm. This range matches atmospheric CO2 during Marine Isotopic Stage 3 (MIS 3: between 27.8 and 59.4 thousand of years BP, hereafter ka), a period when D‐O events were most frequent. Insights from the three climate models point to North Atlantic (NA) sea‐ice coverage as a key ingredient behind D‐O type oscillations, which acts as a “tipping element.” Other climate state properties such as Mean Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation strength, global mean temperature and salinity gradient in the Atlantic Ocean do not determine whether D‐O type behavior can occur in all three models.

Abstract Force output of muscle is partly mediated by the adjustment of motor unit (MU) firing rate (FR). Disparities in MU features in response to fatigue may be influenced by contraction type, as concentric (CON) and eccentric (ECC) contractions demand variable amounts of neural input, which alters the response to fatigue. This study aimed to determine the effects of fatigue following CON and ECC loading on MU features of the vastus lateralis (VL). High‐density surface (HD‐sEMG) and intramuscular (iEMG) electromyography were used to record MU potentials (MUPs) from bilateral VLs of 12 young volunteers (six females) during sustained isometric contractions at 25% and 40% of the maximum voluntary contraction (MVC), before and after completing CON and ECC weighted stepping exercise. Multi‐level mixed effects linear regression models were performed with significance assumed as P 0.1) but neuromuscular junction transmission instability increased in both legs (P

Abstract Many bumble bee species are declining worldwide. Disease and habitat loss are two contributors to these declines, yet little is known about disease transmission within bumble bee colonies or bumble bee nesting habitat requirements. These gaps are especially wide for Arctic species, as prior bumble bee research focuses disproportionately on the contiguous United States, southern Canada, and Europe. Here, we describe the nesting habitat, spatial distribution, and nest architecture of 10 frigid bumble bee (Bombus frigidus) nests found in the low Arctic in western Alaska. In these nests, we observed a novel nest architecture, the “outhouse,” that consisted of an additional subterranean cavity containing concentrated fecal materials and observed that the bees continued to defecate in one or a few locations outside of the main nest cavity when transplanted to the laboratory. Finally, we measured fecal‐borne trypanosome parasites in frigid bumble bee workers in this region. Together, our findings provide natural history information on this Arctic bee species and suggest that the outhouse architecture could function as a social immunity trait to reduce the transmission of fecal‐borne pathogens within the nest.

Abstract Climatic warming following the Last Glacial Maximum caused the southern Laurentide Ice Sheet (LIS) to begin ∼2,000‐year cycles of retreat and readvance whose cause remains ambiguous. By developing a marine‐calibrated chronology of southern LIS position, we counterintuitively demonstrate that between 17.6 and 11.3 ka, ice advanced during times of northern‐hemisphere warming and retreated during times of northern‐hemisphere cooling. Here we propose a cyclical feedback: Meltwater from ice retreat cooled the northern hemisphere by weakening the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC). This eventually lead to ice‐sheet readvance, which reduced and rerouted meltwater discharge, and thereby allowed the AMOC to strengthen and the northern hemisphere to warm. Our data suggest that this antiphased ice–climate interaction, paced by ice‐sheet response time, was initiated by synchronous warming and ice retreat ∼18.7–17.6 ka (corresponding to the Erie “Interstade”) and reached its apex during the Younger Dryas.

Abstract There are contrasting findings regarding the effect of HIV on the pharmacokinetics of first‐line anti‐tubercular drugs (FLATDs) due to a lack of prospective controlled clinical studies, including patients with tuberculosis (TB) and patients with TB living with HIV. This study aims to assess the effect of HIV coinfection and antiviral therapy on the plasma exposure to FLATDs in patients with TB. HIV negative (TB‐HIV− group; n = 15) and HIV positive (TB‐HIV+ group; n = 18) adult patients with TB were enrolled during the second month of FLATDs treatment. All TB‐HIV+ patients were on treatment with lamivudine, tenofovir (or zidovudine), and raltegravir (or efavirenz). Serial blood sampling was collected over 24 h and FLATDs pharmacokinetic parameters were evaluated using noncompartmental methods. In the TB‐HIV+ patients, dose‐normalized plasma exposure area under the curve from zero to 24 h (nAUC0–24; geometric mean and 95% confidence interval [CI]) values at steady‐state to rifampicin, pyrazinamide, and ethambutol were 18.38 (95% CI 13.74–24.59), 238.21 (95% CI 191.09–296.95), and 18.33 (95% CI 14.56–23.09) µg∙h/ml, respectively. Similar plasma exposure was found in the TB‐HIV− patients. The geometric mean and 90% CI of the ratios between TB‐HIV− and TB‐HIV+ groups suggest no significant pharmacokinetic interaction between the selected antivirals and FLATDs. Likewise, HIV coinfection itself does not appear to have any effect on the plasma exposure to FLATDs.

Abstract During abrupt climate changes of the last glacial period paleorecords show large amplitude changes in the dust cycle. We use Earth System model simulations to evaluate processes operating across these events. Idealized Heinrich stadial‐like simulations show a southwards migration of tropical rainfall that dries the Sahel and reduces wet deposition causing a widespread enhancement of tropical dust loading. However, several discrepancies with marine core dust deposition reconstructions are evident. Simulations with a more limited freshwater forcing (0.4 Sv instead of 1.0 Sv) and weaker cooling over the North Atlantic (less than 3°C) show a switch in sign of the stadial dust deposition anomaly in several regions, improving agreement with paleorecords. The simulated dust cycle therefore displays in places a non‐linear response to abrupt change. The global‐mean stadial dust radiative forcing in the more realistic simulations is around −0.2 to −0.6 W m−2 and so could represent an amplifying feedback during these events.

Abstract Introduction The role of insulin resistance in diabetic chronic complications among individuals with type 1 diabetes (T1D) has not been clearly defined. The aim of this study was to examine the performance of insulin resistance, evaluated using the estimated glucose disposal rate (eGDR) for the identification of metabolic syndrome (MS) and diabetic chronic complications. Methods Cross‐sectional study in a tertiary care centre. We included patients of 18 years and older, with at least 6 months of T1D duration. Anthropometric, clinical and biochemical data were collected. Results Seventy patients, 41 (58.6%) women, with a median age of 36.6 years (range 18–65). Mean age of onset and duration of diabetes was 13.5 ± 6.5 and 23.6 ± 12.2 years, respectively. Twenty‐one (30%) patients met the metabolic syndrome (MS) criteria. Patients with MS had lower eGDR compared to patients without (5.17 [3.10–8.65] vs. 8.86 [6.82–9.85] mg/kg/min, respectively, p = .003). Median eGDR in patients with nephropathy, retinopathy and neuropathy compared with those without was 6.75 (4.60–8.20) versus 9.53 (8.57–10.3); p

Abstract Background COVID‐19 has a broad clinical spectrum. We investigated the role of serum markers measured on admission on severity as assessed at discharge and investigated those which relate to the effect of BMI on severity. Methods Clinical and laboratory data from 610 COVID‐19 cases hospitalized in the province of Zheijang, China were investigated as risk factors for severe COVID‐19 (assessed by respiratory distress) compared to mild or common forms using logistic regression methods. Biochemical markers were correlated with severity using spearman correlations, and a ROC analysis was used to determine the individual contribution of each of the biochemical markers on severity. We carried out formal mediation analyses to investigate the extent of the effect of body mass index (BMI) on COVID‐19 severity mediated by hypertension, glycemia, Lactose Dehydrogenase (LDH) at the time of hospitalization and C‐Reactive Protein levels (CRP), in units of standard deviations. Results The individual markers measured on admission contributing most strongly to prediction of COVID‐19 severity as assessed at discharge were LDH, CRP and glucose. The proportion of the effect of BMI on severity of COVID‐19 mediated by CRP, glycemia or hypertension, we find that glucose mediated 79% (p