Exploring the Immune-Boosting Functions of Vitamins and Minerals as Nutritional Food Bioactive Compounds: A Comprehensive Review

Food components have long been recognized to play a fundamental role in the growth and development of the human body, conferring protective functionalities against foreign matter that can be severe public health problems. Micronutrients such as vitamins and minerals are essential to the human body, and individuals must meet their daily requirements through dietary sources. Micronutrients act as immunomodulators and protect the host immune response, thus preventing immune evasion by pathogenic organisms. Several experimental investigations have been undertaken to appraise the immunomodulatory functions of vitamins and minerals. Based on these experimental findings, this review describes the immune-boosting functionalities of micronutrients and the mechanisms of action through which these functions are mediated. Deficiencies of vitamins and minerals in plasma concentrations can lead to a reduction in the performance of the immune system functioning, representing a key contributor to unfavorable immunological states. This review provides a descriptive overview of the characteristics of the immune system and the utilization of micronutrients (vitamins and minerals) in preventative strategies designed to reduce morbidity and mortality among patients suffering from immune invasions or autoimmune disorders.

Structure and Functionality of the Mesozooplankton Community in a Coastal Marine Environment: Portofino Marine Protected Area (Liguria)

This research is part of the LTER (Long-Term Ecological Research) project, a network of terrestrial, freshwater, transitional water and marine sites, on which ecological research is conducted on a multi-decade scale. LTER studies ecosystems, their dynamics and evolution, the relationships between biodiversity and ecological functionality, water quality, productivity, the role of resource availability, the effects of pollution and climate change. The research focuses on the study of the variability of zooplankton groups in the Portofino marine protected area, in Punta Faro. The samplings were carried out in the years 2018–2019, and the results were compared with the values of the years 2003–2005, interesting from a meteorological climatic and biological point of view. The plankton community of the Punta Faro system was analyzed by means of a modeling approach to obtain information on the functionality and health status of the system and to verify whether this has undergone any alterations in the last decade. The analyses carried out show a clear difference between the three-year period 2003–2005 and the two-year period 2018–2019, highlighting how environmental changes, such as the increase in temperature, have led to higher costs of system functioning in the last two years. The mesozooplankton community has changed both in terms of abundance of organisms and in terms of organization and functionality.

Age features of O2 mass transfer regimes in adolescents’ body at rest

The results of complex studies of the quantitative relationship between the stage-by-stage mass transfer of O2 and the efficiency of cardiorespiratory system functioning in relation to its consumption in adolescents’ body under conditions of relative rest are presented. The results obtained show that in adolescents, the modes of mass transfer of O2 in the body and the nature of the respiratory and circulatory systems functioning in relation to its consumption have a number of age-related differences compared with adult men. So, in adolescents, the external respiration system at rest functions less economically than in adults. Each liter of O2 consumed by adolescents is extracted from almost 3 liters more than in adults the amount of air ventilated per minute through the lungs. The volumetric indicators of blood circulation are also higher in adolescents, which may indicate the influence of neuro-humoral rearrangements in the body during the pubertal period. The coefficient of oxygen utilization by tissues from arterial blood in adolescents turned out to be significantly higher, which may characterize a higher tension of tissue metabolic processes.

COGNITIVE SYSTEMS FUNCTIONING DYNAMICS MODEL

Monitoring of the functioning of the control system for the calibration of nanometry reference measures is carried out on the basis of a previously developed methodology, which includes the construction of the phase space of the system functioning, the construction of acceptable boundaries of the functioning area, and the determination of the current state of the system.

Development of a method for identification of the state of computer systems based on bagging classifiers

The subject of the research is methods and means of identifying the state of a computer system . The purpose of the article is to improve the quality of computer system state identification by developing a method based on ensemble classifiers. Task: to investigate methods for constructing bagging classifiers based on decision trees, to configure them and develop a method for identifying the state of the computer system. Methods used: artificial intelligence methods, machine learning, ensemble methods. The following results were obtained: the use of bagging classifiers based on meta-algorithms were investigated: Pasting Ensemble, Bootstrap Ensemble, Random Subspace Ensemble, Random Patches Ensemble and Random Forest methods and their accuracy were assessed to identify the state of the computer system. The research of tuning parameters of individual decision trees was carried out and their optimal values were found, including: the maximum number of features used in the construction of the tree; the minimum number of branches when building a tree; minimum number of leaves and maximum tree depth. The optimal number of trees in the ensemble has been determined. A method for identifying the state of the computer system is proposed, which differs from the known ones by the choice of the classification meta-algorithm and the selection of the optimal parameters for its adjustment. An assessment of the accuracy of the developed method for identifying the state of a computer system is carried out. The developed method is implemented in software and investigated when solving the problem of identifying the abnormal state of the computer system functioning. Conclusions. The scientific novelty of the results obtained lies in the development of a method for identifying the state of the computer system by choosing a meta-algorithm for classification and determining the optimal parameters for its configuration.

Sympathetic nervous system functioning during the face-to-face still-face paradigm in the first year of life

Contemporary theories of early development and emerging child psychopathology all posit a major, if not central role for physiological responsiveness. To understand infants’ potential risk for emergent psychopathology, consideration is needed to both autonomic reactivity and environmental contexts (e.g., parent–child interactions). The current study maps infants’ arousal during the face-to-face still-face paradigm using skin conductance (n = 255 ethnically-diverse mother–infant dyads; 52.5% girls, mean infant age = 7.4 months; SD = 0.9 months). A novel statistical approach was designed to model the potential build-up of nonlinear counter electromotive force over the course of the task. Results showed a significant increase in infants’ skin conductance between the Baseline Free-play and the Still-Face phase, and a significant decrease in skin conductance during the Reunion Play when compared to the Still-Face phase. Skin conductance during the Reunion Play phase remained significantly higher than during the Baseline Play phase; indicating that infants had not fully recovered from the mild social stressor. These results further our understanding of infant arousal during dyadic interactions, and the role of caregivers in the development of emotion regulation during infancy.

Possibilities of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) use in elite sport

Transcranial direct current stimulation has proven to be the method that can modulate neural activity in various cases. As this method has been shown to be effective in improving muscular strength, reaction time and accuracy, motor learning, it seems to be promising in elite sports.This paper provides an overview of studies on tDCS and its impact on central nervous system functioning, with an emphasis on potential sports utility. This review demonstrates that the basic mechanism of the effect of tDCS on nervous system functioning is its ability to modulate the excitability of neurons.tDCS is able to influence various components of electrocortical potentials, the amplitude of the motor evoked potential, as well as the mechanisms of long-term potentiation and, as a consequence, the cellular mechanisms of motor learning and neuroplasticity in general. The beneficial effect of tDCS on attention selectivity and signal detection has been noted. It is also shown that tDCS can accelerate learning and enhance performance in a range of complex cognitive tasks.In addition, a number of studies showing that tDCS can increase the efficiency of performing arithmetic and problem solving tasks are considered.In the context of sports, the influence of tDCS over motor areas on motor learning and on the accuracy of voluntary movements seems to be important. Its ability to influence speed and strength indicators, namely, the maximum isometric force of various muscle groups and explosive strength, as well as endurance indicators seems promising, too. The review also shows that tDCS is reasonably safe and that serious adverse effects are extremely rare; the most common adverse effect is local skin irritation due to poor electrode placement.

Sport supplements and the athlete’s gut: a review.

Vigorous or prolonged exercise poses a challenge to gastrointestinal system functioning and is associated with digestive symptoms. This narrative review addresses 1) the potential of dietary supplements to enhance gut function and reduce exercise-associated gastrointestinal symptoms and 2) strategies for reducing gastrointestinal-related side effects resulting from popular sports supplements. Several supplements, including probiotics, glutamine, and bovine colostrum, have been shown to reduce markers of gastrointestinal damage and permeability with exercise. Yet, the clinical ramifications of these findings are uncertain, as improvements in symptoms have not been consistently observed. Among these supplements, probiotics modestly reduced exercise-associated gastrointestinal symptoms in a few studies, suggesting they are the most evidenced-based choice for athletes looking to manage such symptoms through supplementation. Carbohydrate, caffeine, and sodium bicarbonate are evidence-based supplements that can trigger gastrointestinal symptoms. Using glucose-fructose mixtures is beneficial when carbohydrate ingestion is high (>50 g/h) during exercise, and undertaking multiple gut training sessions prior to competition may also be helpful. Approaches for preventing caffeine-induced gastrointestinal disturbances include using low-to-moderate doses (<500 mg) and avoiding/minimizing exacerbating factors (stress, anxiety, other stimulants, fasting). Adverse gastrointestinal effects of sodium bicarbonate can be avoided by using enteric-coated formulations, low doses (0.2 g/kg), or multi-day loading protocols.

The differential efficacy of systemic therapy: a protocol for a systematic review and meta-analysis

Background: Systemic therapy is a widespread evidence-based psychotherapy approach. Its main goal revolves around the concept of viewing mental symptoms within the context of social systems (e.g., families, couples). Systematic reviews and meta-analyses have confirmed that systemic therapy significantly reduces symptom severity of DSM- or ICD-diagnosed patients. This meta-analysis aims to investigate the differential efficacy of systemic therapy, taking into account moderators (e.g., allegiance, adherence) and outcomes (system functioning) not considered in previous meta-analytical investigations.Methods: To conduct a comprehensive literature search, we will optimize search strategies from previous systematic reviews on systemic therapy. The search strategy presented in this protocol has improved the precision and sensitivity by using an iterative validation and optimization process. We will conduct the literature search in multiple electronic databases (PsycInfo, Pubmed, Embase, and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL)). We will include all randomized controlled trials that report quantitative outcomes for symptom change and/or system functioning. For the calculations, we will conduct a Bayesian meta-analysis for the outcomes based on a random-effects model, a Bayesian meta-regression for the moderators, and Bayesian subgroup analysis for disorder-specific differences.Discussion: Understanding the differential efficacy of systemic therapy is essential for the conceptualization, performance, and analysis of future research and therapeutic practice. This meta-analysis faces potential limitations associated with the definition of systemic therapy, as well as methodological problems in systemic therapy research.