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This paper describes the SPOWTT project. The intention of this project was to understand how sailing by crew transfer vessel (CTVs) to offshore wind farms affects the mental and physical wellbeing of individuals on board. The focus was on quantifying this impact, understanding the key drivers, with an aim to ensuring personnel can arrive to the wind turbines in a fit state to work safely and effectively. Impacts looked at subjective state beyond simply vomiting. Key results include the ability now to predict vessel motions from given Metocean conditions and vessel designs. We also discovered that the impact of vessel motions on seasickness is different for different symptoms and is driven not only by vertical z‐axis accelerations but also by certain frequencies of motion in the y‐axis. Frequencies other than 0.16 Hz were found to be impactful, and x‐axis movements appeared to have a longer‐lasting effect on the day's work. Through the formulation of a new, evidence‐based understanding of seasickness, we have created an operational planning tool, designed to have a direct benefit on the safety and productivity of offshore wind farm operations.

Objective: The purpose of this correlation study was to evaluate a possible association between the styloid process size and different craniofacial skeletal patterns, in the sagittal and the vertical planes. Methods: 59 consecutive orthodontic adult patients were selected. The styloid process length was measured on pretreatment panoramic radiographs and the cephalometric skeletal variables on lateral cephalometric radiographs. Data were analyzed using independent sample T-Tests, Mann-Whitney U Tests and Spearman´s partial correlations (=5%). Results: Males exhibited longer styloid processes than females (p=0.029), with a mean difference of 7.5mm. Within each individual, right and left styloid process length was similar (r= 0.77; p

Objective The purpose of this study was to assess the effect of a telehealth-delivered nutritional intervention via telephone in maintenance hemodialysis (HD) patients during the coronavirus outbreak. Methods This was a multicenter, observational, prospective, and longitudinal study of 156 patients undergoing maintenance HD from 15 dialysis units conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic. We assigned patients to receive dietary counseling through a phone call, according to their biochemical and nutritional parameters. Dry weight, intradialytic weight gain percentage (%IDWG), body mass index, potassium, phosphorus, calcium, calcium/phosphorus product, normalized protein catabolic rate, albumin, and hemoglobin were recorded at baseline and 1 month after nutrition counseling. Results The prevalence of hyperkalemia and hyperphosphatemia decreased significantly after dietary advice. A statistically significant reduction in serum potassium and phosphorus levels was observed in patients receiving counseling for hyperkalemia and hyperphosphatemia. In addition, there was a statistically significant decrease in the prevalence of hypophosphatemia. We also observed a significant decrease in %IDWG, although no statistically significant differences were detected in patients with high %IDWG. The data demonstrated statistically significant differences in potassium and phosphorus values when the person receiving the phone contact was the patient or the caregiver. The main statistically significant differences in hypophosphatemia %IDWG were only observed when contact was made directly with the patient. No differences were observed when the contact was made through nursing homes. Conclusion Our results suggest that telehealth-delivered dietary interventions can improve the clinical and nutritional parameters of HD patients. Consequently, this strategy may be effective for promoting continuous nutritional monitoring in these patients, in particular when conducting a face-to-face option is not crucial.

Background and Aims Telehealth technologies are being implemented widely and can be used to provide education and self-management support to help and sustain lifestyle changes, namely in patients with chronic diseases. The purpose of this study was to assess the effect of a telehealth-delivered nutritional intervention, via the telephone, in maintenance hemodialysis (HD) patients during the coronavirus outbreak. Method This was a multicenter observational prospective longitudinal study of a cohort of 156 patients in maintenance HD from 15 dialysis units conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic. We assigned patients to receive dietary counselling, through a phone call, according to their biochemical and nutritional parameters (potassium >5.5mEq/L; phosphorus >5.5mg/dL or 4.5%). Dry weight, %IDWG, body mass index, potassium, phosphorus, calcium, calcium/phosphorus product, normalized protein catabolic rate, albumin and hemoglobin were recorded at baseline and 1 month after the nutrition counselling. A p-value < 0.05 was considered statistical significant. Results The prevalence of patients with hyperkaliemia and hyperphosphatemia decreased significantly after the dietary advice (50% vs. 34.6% and 36.5% vs. 19.2%, respectively). A statistical significant reduction in serum potassium (mEq/L) [median: 6.2 (IQ:6.0-6.5) vs. 5.7 (IQR:5.3-6.1)] and phosphorus (mg/dL) [median: 6.5 (IQR: 6.1-7.2) vs. 5.5 (4.7-6.1)] was observed in patients receiving counselling for hyperkalemia and hyperphosphatemia. In addition, there was a statistical significant decrease in the prevalence of patients with hypophosphatemia (28.8% vs. 18.6%). There was also a significant decrease in the %IDWG [(median: 4.8% (IQR: 4.2-6.8) vs. 4.4% (IQR: 3.8-6.2)], although no statistically significant differences were observed in the prevalence of patients with high %IDWG. Regarding the person contacted by telephone, data showed statistically significant differences in potassium (mEq/L) [patient – median: 6.2 (IQR:6.1-6.4) vs. 5.7 (IQR: 5.4-6.0); caregiver – mean: 6.3 ± 0.3 vs. 5.7 ± 0.7] and phosphorus (mg/dL) [patient –median: 6.5 (6.1-7.2) vs. 5.6 (4.9-6.1); caregiver – mean: 6.7±0.8 vs. 5.1±1.5] values when the contact was with the patient or the caregiver. In relation to hypophosphatemia (mg/dL) (mean: 2.4±0.7 vs. 3.0±0.9) and %IDWG [median: 4.6% (IQR: 4.1-7.1) vs. 4.1% (IQR: 3.5-6.6)], the main statistically significant differences were only observed when the contact was done directly with the patient. No differences were seen whenever the contact was with the nursing homes. Conclusion Our results suggest that telehealth-delivered dietary interventions can improve clinical and nutritional parameters in HD patients. Therefore, it may be an effective strategy to promote a continuous nutritional monitoring in these patients, at least, when or where the face-to-face option is a critical factor.

Triple negative breast cancer presents higher mortality and poorer survival rates than other breast cancer (BC) types, due to the proneness to brain metastases formation, which are usually diagnosed at advanced stages. Therefore, the discovery of BC brain metastases (BCBM) biomarkers appears pivotal for a timely intervention. With this work, we aimed to disclose microRNAs (miRNAs) and extracellular vesicles (EVs) in the circulation as biomarkers of BCBM formation. Using a BCBM animal model, we analyzed EVs in plasma by nanoparticle tracking analysis and ascertained their blood-brain barrier (BBB) origin by flow cytometry. We further evaluated circulating miRNAs by RT-qPCR and their brain expression by in situ hybridization. In parallel, a cellular model of BCBM formation, combining triple negative BC cells and BBB endothelial cells, was used to differentiate the origin of biomarkers. Established metastases were associated with an increased content of circulating EVs, particularly of BBB origin. Interestingly, deregulated miRNAs in the circulation were observed prior to BCBM detection, and their brain origin was suggested by matching alterations in brain parenchyma. In vitro studies indicated that miR-194-5p and miR-205-5p are expressed and released by BC cells, endothelial cells and during their interaction. These results highlight miRNAs and EVs as biomarkers of BCBM in early and advanced stages, respectively.

Objectives: This cephalometric study intended to evaluate pre-surgical changes in cephalometric variables on the lower third of the face produced by the orthodontic treatment, in patients with severe Class III malocclusions. Methods: The sample included 40 adults, divided into three groups: no-extractions (N), extractions for orthodontic reasons (E), and previous extractions for non-orthodontic reasons (E-NO). Student t-tests were used to evaluate the influence of orthodontic treatment on the cephalometric variables. An ANOVA was used for group comparisons before treatment and to compare the changes produced by the orthodontic treatment in the three groups. The significance level was established at 5%. Results: In Group E, significant (p

Our society is currently experiencing increased lifespan; one of the top causes for the high incidence of neurodegenerative disorders. The lack of effective treatments delaying or blocking disease progression has encouraged the active search for novel therapies. Many evidences support the protective role of phytochemicals in the prevention of neurodegenerative diseases, particularly (poly)phenols. In this review, we described the use of cellular-based models of neurodegenerative diseases and the benefits of their use as potent tools in the search for bioactive molecules, particularly (poly)phenols. Studies to assess the biological activity of (poly)phenols involve experimentation with in vitro and in vivo systems. In vitro systems are a useful tool as a first approach to test the underlined molecular mechanisms of candidate molecules. They can provide valuable information about biological activity, which can be then used to design animal and human intervention studies.

BACterial Hosts for production of Bioactive phenolics from bERRY fruits (BacHBerry) was a 3-year project funded by the Seventh Framework Programme (FP7) of the European Union that ran between November 2013 and October 2016. The overall aim of the project was to establish a sustainable and economically-feasible strategy for the production of novel high-value phenolic compounds isolated from berry fruits using bacterial platforms. The project aimed at covering all stages of the discovery and pre-commercialization process, including berry collection, screening and characterization of their bioactive components, identification and functional characterization of the corresponding biosynthetic pathways, and construction of Gram-positive bacterial cell factories producing phenolic compounds. Further activities included optimization of polyphenol extraction methods from bacterial cultures, scale-up of production by fermentation up to pilot scale, as well as societal and economic analyses of the processes. This review article summarizes some of the key findings obtained throughout the duration of the project., The authors would like to thank the European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme (BacHBerry, Project No. FP7-613793, and FP7-PEOPLE2013-COFUND, Project No. FP7-609405) for the financial support. AD, RF, MHHN, PG, SGS, and JF would also like to acknowledge the Novo Nordisk Foundation. We express our gratitude to Dr. Martha Cyert (Stanford School of Medicine, EUA), Dr. Hitoshi Shimoi (National Research Institute of Brewing, Japan) and Dr. Yoshio Araki (Graduate School of Biosphere Science, Hiroshima University, Japan) for providing the yeast strain YAA5. We also thank Dr. Ian Macraedie, RMIT University, Australia) for providing the plasmid p416_GPDprGFP-A42., info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion

The purpose of this in vitro study is to assess whether the elemental content of tooth enamel is altered when bleaching the teeth with bleaching gel. Because of tooth bleaching growing popularity and to match the public demands, manufacturers increased the range of bleaching products available, changing its presentation, techniques and concentration of active principles. This way, two different bleaching products were compared, one for in-office and another for domestic use. In order to perform this evaluation, sound vestibular surfaces of anterior healthy teeth, extracted for periodontal or orthodontic reasons, were treated with the bleaching products accordingly to manufacturer instructions. Spectra were acquired using the M4 Tornado μ-XRF setup, and quantitative calculations were performed using fundamental parameter method to determine the elemental composition of the analyzed samples before and after treatment. No significant statistical differences in the mineral content of the analyzed teeth were obtained. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Objective To present a synthetic review and analysis of data describing the epidemics of HIV, syphilis and drug use in Central Asia (except Turkmenistan), and structural factors driving these. Design Achieving a comprehensive understanding of the co-epidemiology of HIV and STI and the structural factors driving these is key to the development of an effective response. We used a multi-methods situational analysis design to achieve this. Methods We used three primary methods of data collection during the first 6 months of 2004: interviews with key informants; recording and analysis of government statistics and review of scientific and grey literature. Results The Central Asian countries are experiencing major epidemics of drug use driven by poor economic circumstances and the transit of at least 35% of global opiate production from Afghanistan through their territories. They are in the early stages of drug injection-associated epidemics of HIV infection, set against a background of high rates of sexually transmitted diseases. The region is one of the poorest in the world and experiences extremely high levels of economic migration, with attendant vulnerability to HIV transmission. Conclusions Central Asia is highly vulnerable to a crisis of HIV/AIDS, driven by structural factors which require a regional response. Without concerted action, we may expect to see the rapid development over 4–5 years of an HIV epidemic concentrated among IDUs, and achieving very high prevalence levels in this group; followed by a generalising epidemic, developing over 15–30 years with sexual transmission as the predominant mode. The region should be considered a global priority for intervention.

This article addresses the problem of managing change at the local level, by focusing on the experience of the research and action project ‘Tipping the Balance Towards Primary Health Care’. The experience of this project and case studies in other countries is abstracted. It includes some characteristics of the actors and forces under which local services operate, pointing to some opportunities and constraints in managing change and development, as well as organizational relationships in the field of primary health care. In this article it is argued that the ongoing structural reform is a necessary prerequisite, but it is not the unique key, for solving local health services problems. If the mission of the health sector is to satisfy the real and the perceived needs of the population, skilled professionals, appropriate technology, and enough financial resources must be allocated to the local level.