Microplastics (MPs) are emerging and ubiquitous contaminants which have been gaining prominence since the last decade to nowadays. This is due to their possible adverse effects in aquatic ecosystems ...as well as the huge amount of plastic waste exponentially generated around the globe. Plastics may be introduced either directly to water bodies or indirectly to the aquatic systems by being carried by the wind, from emissions of contaminated effluents, and soil leaching, among other processes. In turn, these debris may interact with organic and inorganic contaminants, such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) and trace constituents, and with microorganisms. Although the abundance of microplastics from South Atlantic waters is among the highest found worldwide, the number of studies in these marine waters regarding MP contamination is still scarce. Additionally, there still are no consensus on the best sampling conditions, which may be underestimating MPs. In this way, adequate MPs studies regarding their distribution, exposure levels, chemical and biological interactions are highly suggested in order to better understand both environmental and human health potential risks. This review assessed advances in sampling, analytical methodologies, characterization and understanding of MP sources in these marine waters in comparison to data from other regions around the globe.
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•Microplastics (MPs) are emerging contaminants in the South Atlantic Ocean (SAO).•Studies done in SAO regarding MP contamination is still scarce.•Microplastics smaller than 1 mm are more abundant in most studies from SAO•MP abundance from SAO is largely underestimated.•Hydrophobic compounds are found adsorbed to MPs from marine waters.
Objective
Determine if cocaine use impacts gut permeability, promotes microbial translocation and immune activation in people living with HIV (PLWH) using effective antiretroviral therapy (ART).
...Methods
Cross-sectional analysis of 100 PLWH (ART ≥6 months, HIV-RNA <200 copies/mL) from the Miami Adult Studies on HIV (MASH) cohort. Cocaine use was assessed by self-report, urine screen, and blood benzoylecgonine (BE). Blood samples were collected to assess gut permeability (intestinal fatty acid-binding protein, I-FABP), microbial translocation (lipopolysaccharide, LPS), immune activation (sCD14, sCD27, and sCD163) and markers of inflammation (hs-CRP, TNF-α and IL-6). Multiple linear regression models were used to analyze the relationships of cocaine use.
Results
A total of 37 cocaine users and 63 cocaine non-users were evaluated. Cocaine users had higher levels of I-FABP (7.92±0.35 vs. 7.69±0.56 pg/mL, P = 0.029) and LPS (0.76±0.24 vs. 0.54±0.27 EU/mL, P<0.001) than cocaine non-users. Cocaine use was also associated with the levels of LPS (P<0.001), I-FABP (P = 0.033), and sCD163 (P = 0.010) after adjusting for covariates. Cocaine users had 5.15 times higher odds to exhibit higher LPS levels than non-users (OR: 5.15 95% CI: 1.89–13.9; P<0.001). Blood levels of BE were directly correlated with LPS (rho = 0.276, P = 0.028), sCD14 (rho = 0.274, P = 0.031), and sCD163 (rho = 0.250, P = 0.049).
Conclusions
Cocaine use was associated with markers of gut permeability, microbial translocation, and immune activation in virally suppressed PLWH. Mitigation of cocaine use may prevent further gastrointestinal damage and immune activation in PLWH.
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•D-μSPE-LC/MS for analysis of EDCs in bottled water was optimized using chemometrics.•A method for simultaneous analysis of EDCs in mineral waters is proposed.•The proposed ...D-μ-SPE-LC/MS method was simple, fast, and cost-effective.•DMP and BPA were detected at µg L-1 levels in real samples after heat treatment.•DMP and BPA’s tolerance of daily intake was estimated for adults and children.
A simple method was developed to determine 14 endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) in bottled waters, based on dispersive micro-solid phase extraction (d-µ-SPE) and liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS). Extraction was optimized using 2 k-1 factorial and Doehlert experimental designs. Optimized conditions were 80 mg C18, 25 min extraction at 1000 rpm, and 6 min desorption time. Repeatability was below 17 % for all EDCs. LOD and LOQ varied from 1.60 ng L-1 (estradiol, E2) to 23.2 ng L-1 (dimethylphthalate, DMP) and from 5.33 ng L-1 (E2) to 77.3 ng L-1 (DMP). We found DMP and bisphenol A (BPA) in samples after the heat treatment. DMP was up to 58.7 µg L-1, while BPA was up to 1.34 µg L-1. Tolerance of daily intake (TDI) for DMP were 2.50–2.94 µg kg−1 day−1 (children) and 1.43–1.68 µg kg−1 day−1 (adults). TDI for BPA were 0.03–0.07 µg kg−1 day−1 (children) and 0.01–0.04 µg kg−1 day−1 (adults).
The prevalence of prediabetes in people living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is two to three times higher than that of the general population. The aim of this study was to assess the ...effectiveness of an intervention in guiding low-income people living with HIV (PLWH) and prediabetes through the stages of change and promote self-efficacy of positive health behavior.
A 6- month randomized, controlled intervention was conducted where participants (N = 38) were randomized into the intervention group (n = 20) or the control group (n = 18). The participants' stages of change, nutrition knowledge, and self-efficacy were assessed using questionnaires. Participants were recruited in August 2017-December 2018, were HIV seropositive, had undetectable viral load, were prediabetic, and not currently receiving glucose-altering medications. Participants randomized into the intervention group received medical nutrition therapy/counseling and nutrition education; participants randomized into the control group received educational material related to nutrition, HIV, and prediabetes at baseline. Primary outcome measures were progression through the stages of change as measured by the transtheoretical ("stages of change") model, improvements in nutrition knowledge, and self-efficacy of the participants.
Significant improvement in stage of behavioral change was observed in the intervention group for physical activity, fruit/vegetable intake, fiber intake as well as nutrition knowledge and self-efficacy; however, no significant changes were observed in the control group.
A nutrition intervention was effective in promoting positive health behavior by progressing participants through the stages of behavioral change in low-income people living with HIV and prediabetes.
The 30 November 2018, magnitude (Mw) 7.1 earthquake in Southcentral Alaska triggered substantial landslides, liquefaction, and ground cracking throughout the region, resulting in widespread ...geotechnical damage to buildings and infrastructure. Despite a challenging reconnaissance and remote-sensing environment, we constructed a detailed digital inventory of ground failure associated with the event from several sources. Sources included information derived from remotely sensed data, and data compiled from literature, social media postings, and earthquake damage information compiled by local, state, and federal agencies. Each instance of ground failure within the inventory contains information on the location and type of observed ground failure, and the methods and data used to document the occurrence. Where high-quality data, such as LIDAR or satellite imagery, were available and showed the ground-failure instance clearly, the extent is mapped as a polygon or polyline. All other locations are mapped as points. There are a total of 886 ground-failure instances documented within the inventory (400 landslides, 286 liquefaction features, and 200 features unattributed to specific processes). A semi-quantitative confidence scheme is used to describe mapping certainty associated with each ground-failure feature. This inventory represents a relatively moderate ground-failure-triggering event that occurred in a subarctic environment. This data paper describes the content within the inventory, the inventory data collection procedures, and limitations of the data. Events of this type are not often documented in detail; thus, adding the inventory data to the US Geological Survey Open Repository of Earthquake-Triggered Ground-Failure Inventories further diversifies the datasets available to the scientific community to be used to better understand and model earthquake-triggered ground failure.
Redes e canais de TV tradicionais, como RTP Rádio e Televisão de Portugal e SIC Sociedade Independente de Comunicação em Portugal e Globosat e HBO Home Box Office no Brasil, têm uma abordagem mais ...conservadora em suas diretrizes gerais de legendagem no que diz respeito à norma padrão da língua (Ramos Pinto, 2010) e ao uso de palavrões e turpilóquios (HBO, 2001). Entre as orientações gerais para os tradutores de legendas estão, por exemplo, amenizar a linguagem de baixo calão e respeitar a norma culta do português. Com a chegada da Netflix ao mercado de legendagem, notou-se um afrouxamento dessas regras. O serviço de streaming permite o uso de palavrões sem qualquer tipo de censura e a redação de legendas mais idiomáticas e coloquiais (Netflix, 2023). O presente artigo pretende identificar orientações explícitas ou implícitas que justifiquem essa mudança de abordagem na confecção das legendas do serviço de streaming para o português. Para isso, procedemos ao levantamento e à análise das diretrizes gerais de legendagem de dois provedores de conteúdo audiovisual: HBO Latin America (2001) e Netflix (2023), lançando mão do conceito de normas de tradução (Toury, 1978) para detectar três conjuntos distintos de normas que atualmente coexistem no sistema de tradução audiovisual do português. O artigo discute ainda se as traduções amadoras, que costumam ignorar os parâmetros profissionais da indústria, exigem do espectador um esforço cognitivo maior. Como conclusão, sugerimos três explicações para o comportamento não normativo por parte dos tradutores da Netflix: (1) o desconhecimento das normas restritivas de outros agentes da indústria de legendagem, pois, com o advento da Netflix, uma nova geração de tradutores entrou no mercado; (2) o fato de os assinantes do serviço de streaming terem voz ativa na produção e na pós-produção dos programas que consomem; (3) as diretrizes linguísticas menos normativas da Netflix de fato deram espaço a um maior grau de liberdade às soluções tradutórias.
Traditional networks and TV channels, such as RTP Rádio e Televisão de Portugal and SIC Sociedade Independente de Comunicação in Portugal, and Globosat and HBO Home Box Office in Brazil, have a more conservative approach in their general subtitling guidelines regarding the standard language norm (Ramos Pinto, 2010) and the use of profanity and vulgar language (HBO, 2001). Among the general guidelines for subtitle translators are, for example, toning down offensive language and respecting the educated norm of the Portuguese language. With the arrival of Netflix in the subtitling market, a relaxation of these rules has been observed. The streaming service allows the use of profanity without any form of censorship and the creation of more idiomatic and colloquial subtitles (Netflix, 2023). This article aims at identifying the explicit or implicit guidelines that justify this change of approach in the production of subtitles for the Portuguese language on the streaming service. To do so, we conducted an analysis of the general subtitling guidelines from two audiovisual content providers: HBO Latin America (2001) and Netflix (2023), utilizing the concept of translation norms (Toury, 1978) to identify three distinct sets of norms that currently coexist within the Portuguese audiovisual translation system. The article also discusses whether amateur translations, which often disregard the industry's professional guidelines, require a higher cognitive effort from the viewer. As a conclusion, we suggest three explanations for the non-normative behavior on the part of Netflix translators: (1) unfamiliarity with the restrictive norms of other subtitling industry agents, as the advent of Netflix brought a new generation of translators into the market; (2) the fact that streaming service subscribers have an active voice in the production and post-production of the programs they consume; (3) the less normative language guidelines of Netflix have indeed allowed for a greater degree of freedom in translation solutions.
This study indicates the use of Phallusia nigra as a potential biomonitor of mercury contamination. In this way, Hg levels were measured in seawater and different parts of ascidians (tunic, ...hepatopancreas, and branchial basket) from eight different sites in the Todos os Santos Bay, Salvador-Bahia. The ascidians were lyophilized, weighed, and taken to the DMA-80 (direct mercury analyzer); the method accuracy was confirmed by analyzing the certified material DORM- 4 muscle tissue and MEES-3 marine sediment with a confidence level of 95%. The results were evaluated through the Tukey’s test and it was possible to observe a higher concentration of Hg (82.00-312.7 ng g-1) in the branchial basket, followed by the hepatopancreas (69.67‑130.7 ng g-1) and tunic (21.63-33.27 ng g-1). Thus, the branchial basket was the only tissue capable of identifying spatial differences in pollution between the points.
Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the most prevalent liver disease in the United States. Food-insecure individuals often depend on low-cost, energy-dense but nutritionally poor foods, ...resulting in obesity and chronic diseases related to NAFLD.
To determine whether food insecurity is associated with NAFLD in a cohort of HIV and hepatitis C virus (HCV) infected and uninfected adults.
We conducted a cross-sectional analysis of low-income, middle-aged adults from the Miami Adult Studies on HIV (MASH) cohort without a history of excessive alcohol consumption. Food security was assessed with the USDA’s Household Food Security Survey. MRIs were used to assess liver steatosis and fibrosis. Metabolic parameters were assessed from fasting blood, anthropometrics, and vitals.
Of the total 603 participants, 32.0% reported food insecurity. The prevalences of NAFLD, fibrosis, and advanced fibrosis were 16.1%, 15.1%, and 4.6%, respectively. For every 5 kg/m2 increase in BMI, the odds of NAFLD increased by a factor of 3.83 (95% CI, 2.37–6.19) in food-insecure participants compared to 1.32 (95% CI, 1.04–1.67) in food-secure participants. Food insecurity was associated with increased odds for any liver fibrosis (OR, 1.65; 95% CI, 1.01–2.72) and advanced liver fibrosis (OR, 2.82; 95% CI, 1.22–6.54), adjusted for confounders. HIV and HCV infections were associated with increased risks for fibrosis, but the relationship between food insecurity and liver fibrosis did not differ between infected and uninfected participants.
Among low-income, middle-aged adults, food insecurity exacerbated the risk for NAFLD associated with a higher BMI and independently increased the risk for advanced liver fibrosis. People who experience food insecurity, particularly those vulnerable to chronic diseases and viral infections, may be at increased risk for liver-related morbidity and mortality. Improving access to adequate nutrition and preventing obesity among low-income groups may lessen the growing burden of NAFLD and other chronic diseases.
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Pulmonary hypertension (PH) is characterized by enhanced pulmonary vascular resistance, which causes right ventricle (RV) pressure overload and results in right sided heart failure and death. This ...work investigated the effectiveness of a combined therapy with PDE5 inhibitor (PDE5i) and a new adenosine A2A receptor (A2AR) agonist in mitigating monocrotaline (MCT) induced PH in rats.
An in vitro isobolographic analysis was performed to identify possible synergistic relaxation effect between sildenafil and LASSBio 1359 in rat pulmonary arteries (PAs). In the in vivo experiments, PH was induced in male Wistar rats by a single intraperitoneal injection of 60 mg/kg MCT. Rats were divided into the following groups: control (saline injection only), MCT + vehicle, MCT + sildenafil, MCT + LASSBio 1359 and MCT + combination of sildenafil and LASSBio 1359. Fourteen days after the MCT injection, rats were treated daily with oral administration of the regimen therapies or vehicle for 14 days. Cardiopulmonary system function and structure were evaluated by echocardiography. RV systolic pressure and PA endothelial function were measured.
Isobolographic analysis showed a synergistic interaction between sildenafil and LASSBio 1359 in rat PAs. Combined therapy with sildenafil and LASSBio 1359 but not monotreatment with low dosages of either sildenafil or LASSBio 1359 ameliorated all of PH related abnormalities in cardiopulmonary function and structure in MCT challenged rats.
The combination of sildenafil and LASSBio 1359 has a synergistic interaction, suggesting that combined use of these pharmacological targets may be an alternative to improve quality of life and outcomes for PH patients.
Evidence for a relationship between polysubstance use, depression, and adherence to antiretroviral therapy (ART) is limited. The objectives of this study were to examine the associations of ...depression, illicit drug, and alcohol use with adherence to ART. People living with HIV (PLHIV) from the Miami Adult Studies on HIV cohort were asked about the number of doses of their ART medication missed to assess ART adherence. Harmful alcohol drinking was evaluated using the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test and illicit substance use assessed with self-report and urine screen. The Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale was used to assess depression symptoms. Of 391 PLHIV, 16.6% missed at least one dose (range:1-4) in the past four days. Cocaine/crack, opiate use, and depression were significantly independently associated with a greater mean number of doses missed. The mean number of doses missed was significantly greater among participants who used alcohol in combination with cocaine/crack, marijuana, and tobacco compared to non-users. In conclusion, polysubstance use increased the risk for poor ART adherence among PLHIV. The use of cocaine/crack or opiates individually and depressive symptoms also promote poor ART adherence. An integrated approach targeting substance disorders and depression may help achieve better ART adherence.
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