Can lifestyle factors be the key in deciding the COVID-19 outcome?

The COVID-19 recovery rate of 97.3% and the death per million of 345 in India are better than the corresponding values in the USA and most of Europe despite better health infrastructure in these countries. The mean COVID fatality rate of Europe and a few countries in America is seven times that of India. This warrants a systematic study of the factors behind this conspicuous disparity. It is time to study lifestyle and other factors that may be related to recovery with minimal medical intervention or serious complications, leading to belated recovery and sometimes mortality. Obesity and excessive consumption of soft drinks, red meat and processed food may have a role to play in the European and American countries. On the other hand, the use of turmeric, black pepper, ginger in daily cooking, consumption of Indian gooseberry, Tulasi, different decoctions (Kashaya) and practice of various immune-boosting breathing exercises including yoga might have had a role in India. A detailed study involving a sizable number of cases of recovery and death in India, USA and some European countries will throw light on these factors behind the significant differences. The results shall provide crucial learning to the world for managing future waves and pandemics.

Models of Sustainable Software: A Scoping Review

Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) play a double role in the strife for sustainable development goals, as both an enabler of green solutions and a cause of excessive consumption. While the primary focus of sustainability-related research is on the hardware aspect of ICT, its software aspect also deserves attention. In order for the notion of green and sustainable software to become widespread among practitioners, models are needed, both to be used as a reference on how to develop sustainable software, and to check whether given software or its development process is sustainable. In this paper, we present the results of a scoping review of literature on sustainable software models, based on 41 works extracted from an initial set of 178 query results from four bibliographic data providers. The relevant literature is mapped using five categories (model scope, purpose, covered sustainability aspects, verification or validation, and the economic category of the country of research), allowing us to identify recent trends and research gaps, which can be addressed in future work.

Energy Drink-Associated Cardiomyopathy after Excessive Consumption: A Case Report

The basic components of energy drinks include caffeine, guarana, taurine, ginseng, and sugar. The excessive consumption of energy drinks has been associated with cardiovascular events such as tachycardia and myocardial infarction in the literature. We herein describe a 24-year-old man admitted to the emergency department. The patient’s medical history and family history were unremarkable. It was, however, learned that he had consumed 8 to 10 cans of energy drinks per day (3.5–4 Lit/d) in the 2-week period leading to the hospital admission. Physical examination revealed bilateral diffuse rales and 2+ pretibial edema. Echocardiography showed a left ventricular ejection fraction of 25% with global left ventricular hypokinesia and dilated left ventricular dimensions. Coronary angiography demonstrated normal coronary arteries. On cardiac magnetic resonance imaging, the left ventricle was dilated, and the systolic function was reduced. No pathological enhancement was observed. This case report and many previous studies support a possible link between caffeinated energy drinks and cardiovascular events.

Factors associated with the consumption of ultra-processed food by Brazilian adolescents: National Survey of School Health, 2015

ABSTRACT Objective: To identify the prevalence and factors associated with the consumption of ultra-processed foods by Brazilian adolescents. Methods: The sample was representative of adolescents and participants in the cross-sectional population-based study National Survey of School Health, 2015 edition (PeNSE-2015). A self-administered questionnaire was used for data collection. The variable weekly consumption of ultra-processed foods was considered, and consumption more than seven times a week was considered excessive. Descriptive and inferential analyses of demographic, socioeconomic, behavioral and environmental characteristics potentially associated with the outcome were performed. Poisson's multiple regression model was adjusted to control for confounding factors. Results: The prevalence of excessive consumption of ultra-processed foods among 16,324 adolescents in Brazil was 75.4%. Nine factors independently associated with this outcome were identified: age under 15 years (RR 1.08; p<0.001), daily sitting time greater than four hours (RR 1.13; p<0.001), eating while watching TV or studying more than four days a week (RR 1.09; p<0.001), daily TV time greater than three hours (RR 1.08; p<0.001), breakfast frequency less than four days a week (RR 1,03; p=0.001), having a cell phone (RR 1.12; p<0.001), absent maternal education (RR 0.88; p<0.001), being enrolled in a private school (RR 1.05; p=0.002) located in the urban area (RR 1.13; p=0.002). Conclusions: The results express the multifactorial characteristic of excessive consumption of ultra-processed foods and suggest the need for the development and implementation of health policies to guide the consumption of these foods and the importance of adopting healthy behaviors for this population group in both school and home environments.

Dietary Acid Load and Relationship with Albuminuria and Glomerular Filtration Rate in Individuals with Chronic Kidney Disease at Predialysis State

The Western diet, characterized by excessive consumption of animal protein and reduced intake of vegetables and fruits, is also rich in sulfur, chlorine, and organic acids, which are the main sources of dietary acid load. A relationship between dietary acid load, renal function, and progression of chronic kidney disease has been demonstrated. Dietary modifications seem to contribute to a reduction in dietary acid load, and are associated with improved outcomes in individuals with chronic kidney disease (CKD). The aim of this paper was to review the existing evidence concerning the association between dietary acid load and renal function in nondialyzed individuals with CKD. A systematic review was conducted by gathering articles in electronic databases (MEDLINE/PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science) from January 2018 to May 2021. Dietary acid load and GFR and/or albuminuria were analyzed. A total of 1078 articles were extracted, of which 5 met the inclusion criteria. Only one study found no statistically significant associations between the study variables. The remaining showed a negative association between dietary acid load and renal function. This systematic review confirmed the existence of an association between dietary acid load and renal function, with a high dietary acid load contributing to a decreased renal function.

Nefrotoxicidade e Neurotoxicidade Associadas ao Consumo da Averrhoa bilimbi e Averrhoa carambola: Uma Revisão Integrativa / Nephrotoxicity and Neurotoxicity associated with the Consumption of Averrhoa bilimbi and Averrhoa carambola: An Integrative Review

Resumo: As espécies Averrhoa bilimbi (birí-birí) e Averrhoa carambola (carambola) pertencem à família das Oxalidaceae, o fruto que é cultivado em vários países da América do Sul. Estas frutas são habitualmente consumidas pela população, seja na forma de sucos, geléias, doces e conservas. O grande problema é que seus consumos exagerados podem causar efeitos tóxicos que são desconhecidos pela população em geral, necessitando assim de maiores conhecimentos sobre a toxicidade destas plantas. Assim a presente pesquisa trata-se de uma revisão integrativa de literatura onde; após analisar os descritores em sites de busca na internet e aplicar os critérios de inclusão e exclusão pré-estabelecidos, foram selecionados um total de 14 artigos. Todos os artigos selecionados contemplavam de informações sobre a nefrotoxicidade dos frutos desencadeadas pela presença de sais de oxalato; bem como descreveram a neurotoxicidade na carambola desencadeada pela presença da caramboxina. Assim, observa-se a necessidade do conhecimento sobre os respectivos efeitos tóxicos dessas frutas e do conhecimento etnobotânico atribuído ao profissional farmacêutico que propaga informações sobre o uso racional da fitoterapia.Palavras-chave: Averrhoa bilimbi. Averrhoa carambola. Nefrotoxicidade. Neurotoxicidade. Abstract: The species Averrhoa bilimbi (biri biri) and Averrhoa carambola (star fruit) belong to the Oxalidaceae Family, the fruit is cultivated in several South American countries. These fruits are usually consumed by the population, whether in the form of juices, jellies, candy or preserve. The big problem is that the excessive consumption can cause toxic effects that are unknown by the general population, being necessary better knowledge about the toxicity of these plants. Thus, this research is about the integrative literature revision where; after analyzing the descriptors on websites and apply the pre-established inclusion and exclusion criteria, a total of 14 articles were selected. All selected articles contemplated the information about the nephrotoxicity of the fruits trigged by the presence of oxalate salt; as well as described the neurotoxicity of the star fruit trigged by the presence of caramboxin. In that way, there is a need for knowledge about these respective toxic effects of these fruits and for ethnobotanical knowledge assigned to the pharmacist that spreads information about the rational use of herbal medicine. Keywords: Averrhoa bilimbi. Averrhoa carambola. Nephrotoxicity. Neurotoxicity.

Fructose-Rich Diet Is a Risk Factor for Metabolic Syndrome, Proximal Tubule Injury and Urolithiasis in Rats

Excessive consumption of fructose (FR) leads to obesity, metabolic syndrome (MS) and insulin resistance, which are known risk factors for kidney stones. The epidemiological study has suggested the association between fructose consumption and urolithiasis, but the precise mechanism is still not well understood. Male Wistar rats were assigned for 8 weeks to three groups with different FR content in diet: RD (n = 5)—regular diet with a FR < 3%; F10 (n = 6)—regular diet with an addition of 10% Fr in drinking water; F60 (n = 5)—60% FR as a solid food. Serum concentration of FR, creatinine (Cr), insulin (Ins), triglycerides (Tg), homocysteine (HCS), uric acid (UA), calcium (Ca), phosphate (Pi), magnesium (Mg) and sodium (Na) were measured. Based on 24 h urine collection the following tests were performed: urine pH, proteinuria (PCR), excretion of N-Acetyl-(D)-Glucosaminidase (NAG), monocyte chemoattractant protein (MCP-1), uric acid (uUAEx), phosphate (uPiEx), calcium (uCaEx), magnesium (uMgEx) and sodium (uNaEx). The creatinine clearance (CrCl) was calculated. Calcium deposits in kidney sections were examined using hematoxylin and eosin (HE) and von Kossa stains. The rats on F10 and F60, as compared to the RD diet, showed a tendency for lower CrCl, higher HCS level and some features of MS as higher Ins and TG levels. Interestingly, F10 (fluid) versus F60 (solid) diet led to higher serum Ins levels. F10 and F60 versus RD demonstrated higher urinary excretion of MCP-1 and NAG which were suggestive for inflammatory injury of the proximal tubule. F10 and F60 as compared to RD showed significantly lower uUAEx, although there were no differences in clearance and fractional excretion of UA. F60 versus RD induced severe phosphaturia (>30×) and natriuria (4×) and mild calciuria. F10 versus RD induced calciuria (3×), phosphaturia (2×) and mild natriuria. Calcium phosphate stones within the tubules and interstitium were found only in rats on FR diet, respectively, in two rats from the F10 group and another two in the F60 group. The rats which developed stones were characterized by significantly higher serum insulin concentration and urinary excretion of calcium and magnesium. A fructose-rich diet may promote development of calcium stones due to proximal tubule injury and metabolic syndrome.

Nucleophilic approach to cyanide sensing by chemosensors

: Cyanide anion has wide use in industrial areas and high toxic effect on the environment as waste. Moreover, plant seeds contain cyanide which occurs in excessive consumption. Therefore, many studies are carried out to determine cyanide. Especially, optical sensors showing colorimetric and fluorimetric changes have been of considerable interest due to their easy, cheap, and fast responses. This review discusses recent developments in the colorimetric and fluorimetric detection of cyanide by nucleophilic addition to different types of receptors via the chemodosimeter approach. The sensitivity and selectivity of the sensors have been reviewed for changes in absorption and fluorescence, naked-eye detection, real sample application, and detection limits when interacting with cyanide.

Bioactive Building Blocks and Potential Pharmacological Perspectives of Green Coffee: A Review

Coffee is known to be one of the popular beverages today on the globe. Due to its easy availability and preparation, it is consumed by the population of almost all countries. This wonder crop was discovered in the 6th century in Ethiopia. Since then, people have also used various brewing methods to extract hundreds of the bioactive compounds present in these aromatic seeds. No doubt, excessive consumption of the same can be harmful too. As a functional food, coffee is known to have multiple health benefits. Coffee beans contain vitamins, minerals, caffeine, chlorogenic acid, and various other biologically active ingredients. This review briefly describes the major biologically active compounds present in these seeds – caffeine, trigonelline, diterpenes, and chlorogenic acid (CGA). It also aims to describe various bioactive activities such as antioxidant, antiproliferative, antibacterial, antiviral, etc., against variable hallmarks. Thus, explaining different pharmacological effects for the welfare of the human population.