Oral Bacteriotherapy Reduces the Occurrence of Chronic Fatigue in COVID-19 Patients

Long COVID refers to patients with symptoms as fatigue, “brain fog,” pain, suggesting the chronic involvement of the central nervous system (CNS) in COVID-19. The supplementation with probiotic (OB) would have a positive effect on metabolic homeostasis, negatively impacting the occurrence of symptoms related to the CNS after hospital discharge. On a total of 58 patients hospitalized for COVID-19, 24 (41.4%) received OB during hospitalization (OB+) while 34 (58.6%) taken only the standard treatment (OB–). Serum metabolomic profiling of patients has been performed at both hospital acceptance (T0) and discharge (T1). Six months after discharge, fatigue perceived by participants was assessed by administrating the Fatigue Assessment Scale. 70.7% of participants reported fatigue while 29.3% were negative for such condition. The OB+ group showed a significantly lower proportion of subjects reporting fatigue than the OB– one (p < 0.01). Furthermore, OB+ subjects were characterized by significantly increased concentrations of serum Arginine, Asparagine, Lactate opposite to lower levels of 3-Hydroxyisobutirate than those not treated with probiotics. Our results strongly suggest that in COVID-19, the administration of probiotics during hospitalization may prevent the development of chronic fatigue by impacting key metabolites involved in the utilization of glucose as well as in energy pathways.

Interaction between upper-ocean submesoscale currents and convective turbulence

The interaction between upper-ocean submesoscale fronts evolving with coherent features, such as vortex filaments and eddies, and finescale convective turbulence generated by surface cooling of varying magnitude is investigated. While convection is energized by gravitational instability, predominantly at the finescale (FS), which feeds off the potential energy that is input through cooling, the submesoscale (SMS) is energized at larger scales by the release of available potential energy stored in the front. Here, we decompose the flow into FS and SMS fields explicitly to investigate the energy pathways and the strong interaction between them. Overall, the SMS is energized due to surface cooling. The frontogenetic tendency at the submesoscale increases, which counters the enhanced horizontal diffusion by convection-induced turbulence. Downwelling/upwelling strengthens, and the peak SMS vertical buoyancy flux increases as surface cooling is increased. Furthermore, the production of FS energy by SMS velocity gradients is significant, up to half of the production by convection. Examination of potential vorticity reveals that surface cooling promotes higher levels of secondary symmetric instability, which coexists with the persistent baroclinic instability.

Bridging the Gap: An Empirical Approach to Studying the Social Sustainability of Future Energy Systems

Background: Given the multitude of scenarios on the future of our energy systems, multi-criteria assessments are increasingly called for to analyze and anticipate long-term effects of possible pathways with regards to their environmental, economic and social sustainability. While economic and ecologic indicators are covered through energy systems modelling and life cycle sustainability assessments, approaches to the social sustainability of future energy systems remain methodologically under-developed. Previous studies have either focused only on the social acceptance of single energy technologies or used expert-based environmental and economic indicators with social implications. Approach and results: We argue that in order to gather empirical insights on the social sustainability of future energy systems and to integrate it in multi-criteria assessments, citizens’ preferences and values need to be more systematically analyzed while informing their decisions more transparently with full life cycle data. Given the lack of theoretical underpinnings of sustainability and of empirical insights into citizens’ perceptions of sustainability with respect to future energy systems, we further argue that an explorative research design is needed. Therefore, next to six focus groups, we conducted a discrete choice experiment. The method is currently becoming more popular to analyze individuals’ preference structures for energy technologies or investments. As we show in our paper, it can be fruitfully applied to study the values and trade-offs of citizens with regards to sustainability issues. Our combined empirical methods provide two main insights with strong implications for the future development and assessment of energy pathways: While environmental and climate-related effects significantly influenced citizens’ preferences for or against certain energy pathways, total systems and production costs were of far less importance to citizens than the public discourse suggests. Conclusions: Our findings are contrary to the focus of many scenario studies that seek to optimize pathways according to total systems costs. The role of fairness and distributional justice in transition processes featured as a dominant theme in all focus groups. This adds central dimensions for future multi-criteria assessments that, so far, have been neglected by current energy systems models.

CKM Gene rs8111989 Polymorphism and Power Athlete Status

Multiple genetic variants are known to influence athletic performance. These include polymorphisms of the muscle-specific creatine kinase (CKM) gene, which have been associated with endurance and/or power phenotypes. However, independent replication is required to support those findings. The aim of the present study was to determine whether the CKM (rs8111989, c.*800A>G) polymorphism is associated with power athlete status in professional Russian and Lithuanian competitors. Genomic DNA was collected from 693 national and international standard athletes from Russia (n = 458) and Lithuania (n = 235), and 500 healthy non-athlete subjects from Russia (n = 291) and Lithuania (n = 209). Genotyping for the CKM rs8111989 (A/G) polymorphism was performed using PCR or micro-array analysis. Genotype and allele frequencies were compared between all athletes and non-athletes, and between non-athletes and athletes, segregated according to population and sporting discipline (from anaerobic-type events). No statistically significant differences in genotype or allele frequencies were observed between non-athletes and power athletes (strength-, sprint- and speed/strength-oriented) athletes. The present study reports the non-association of the CKM rs8111989 with elite status in athletes from sports in which anaerobic energy pathways determine success.

The influence of front strength on the development and equilibration of symmetric instability. Part 2. Nonlinear evolution

In Part 1 (Wienkers, Thomas & Taylor, J. Fluid Mech., vol. 926, 2021, A6), we described the theory for linear growth and weakly nonlinear saturation of symmetric instability (SI) in the Eady model representing a broad frontal zone. There, we found that both the fraction of the balanced thermal wind mixed down by SI and the primary source of energy are strongly dependent on the front strength, defined as the ratio of the horizontal buoyancy gradient to the square of the Coriolis frequency. Strong fronts with steep isopycnals develop a flavour of SI we call ‘slantwise inertial instability’ by extracting kinetic energy from the background flow and rapidly mixing down the thermal wind profile. In contrast, weak fronts extract more potential energy from the background density profile, which results in ‘slantwise convection.’ Here, we extend the theory from Part 1 using nonlinear numerical simulations to focus on the adjustment of the front following saturation of SI. We find that the details of adjustment and amplitude of the induced inertial oscillations depend on the front strength. While weak fronts develop narrow frontlets and excite small-amplitude vertically sheared inertial oscillations, stronger fronts generate large inertial oscillations and produce bore-like gravity currents that propagate along the top and bottom boundaries. The turbulent dissipation rate in these strong fronts is large, highly intermittent and intensifies during periods of weak stratification. We describe each of these mechanisms and energy pathways as the front evolves towards the final adjusted state, and in particular focus on the effect of varying the dimensionless front strength.

Transcriptomic, proteomic, and metabolomic analyses identify candidate pathways linking maternal cadmium exposure to altered neurodevelopment and behavior

Cadmium (Cd) is a ubiquitous toxic heavy metal of major public concern. Despite inefficient placental transfer, maternal Cd exposure impairs fetal growth and development. Increasing evidence from animal models and humans suggests maternal Cd exposure negatively impacts neurodevelopment; however, the underlying molecular mechanisms are unclear. To address this, we utilized multiple -omics approaches in a mouse model of maternal Cd exposure to identify pathways altered in the developing brain. Offspring maternally exposed to Cd presented with enlarged brains proportional to body weights at birth and altered behavior at adulthood. RNA-seq in newborn brains identified exposure-associated increases in Hox gene and myelin marker expression and suggested perturbed retinoic acid (RA) signaling. Proteomic analysis showed altered levels of proteins involved in cellular energy pathways, hypoxic response, and RA signaling. Consistent with transcriptomic and proteomic analyses, we identified increased levels of retinoids in maternally-exposed newborn brains. Metabolomic analyses identified metabolites with significantly altered abundance, supportive of changes to cellular energy pathways and hypoxia. Finally, maternal Cd exposure reduced mitochondrial DNA levels in newborn brains. The identification of multiple pathways perturbed in the developing brain provides a basis for future studies determining the mechanistic links between maternal Cd exposure and altered neurodevelopment and behavior.

Toward polymer upcycling—adding value and tackling circularity

Plastics have revolutionized modern life, but have created a global waste crisis driven by our reliance and demand for low-cost, disposable materials. New approaches are vital to address challenges related to plastics waste heterogeneity, along with the property reductions induced by mechanical recycling. Chemical recycling and upcycling of polymers may enable circularity through separation strategies, chemistries that promote closed-loop recycling inherent to macromolecular design, and transformative processes that shift the life-cycle landscape. Polymer upcycling schemes may enable lower-energy pathways and minimal environmental impacts compared with traditional mechanical and chemical recycling. The emergence of industrial adoption of recycling and upcycling approaches is encouraging, solidifying the critical role for these strategies in addressing the fate of plastics and driving advances in next-generation materials design.