SARS-CoV-2 RNA Presence in Outdoor Air of Public Spaces in Valladolid During Winter, 2021.

As SARS-CoV-2 continues to evolve and herd immunity establishes, an increasing number of asymptomatic infections have been reported, increasing the risk of airborne spread of the virus. Most of the studies regarding SARS-CoV-2 RNA presence in air refer to indoor environments, with few studies having reported SARS-CoV-2 RNA in outdoor air. The aim of this study was to assess the presence of SARS-CoV-2 RNA at two different settings, crowded outdoor versus empty outdoor environments in Valladolid, Spain, during winter 2021.

Firefighters' occupational exposure to air pollution: impact on COPD and asthma-study protocol.

Introduction: Firefighting continues to be among the most hazardous yet least studied occupations in terms of the impact of exposure to occupational disease. In particular, firefighters are at increased risk of adverse health effects due to exposure to significant levels of potentially harmful substances, namely carbon monoxide, particulate matter and formaldehyde, during their professional duties.This paper reports an epidemiologic study aiming to reduce the gaps in assessing the long-term effects of air pollution exposure to forest fires' combat on firefighters, namely regarding chronic obstructive pulmonary Disease (COPD) and asthma.

Colocalised Genetic Associations Reveal Alternative Splicing Variants as Candidate Causal Links for Breast Cancer Risk in 10 Loci.

Genome-wide association studies (GWASs) have revealed numerous loci associated with breast cancer risk, yet the precise causal variants, their impact on molecular mechanisms, and the affected genes often remain elusive. We hypothesised that specific variants exert their influence by affecting cis-regulatory alternative splice elements. An analysis of splicing quantitative trait loci (sQTL) in healthy breast tissue from female individuals identified multiple variants linked to alterations in splicing ratios.

Is it worth screening quarry workers for TB infection in high-incidence areas? A cost-benefit analysis.

Background: Tuberculosis (TB) infection screening of high-risk groups is an important strategy for achieving End TB targets. A TB infection screening program was implemented for quarry workers from a Portuguese high-incidence area in 2018-2022. We aimed to calculate the cost-benefit of the screening program from the societal perspective.

Darifenacin: a promising chitinase 3-like 1 inhibitor to tackle drug resistance in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma.

Purpose: Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is among the most aggressive malignancies. Our previous work revealed Chitinase 3-like 1 (CHI3L1) involvement in PDAC resistance to gemcitabine, identifying it as a promising therapeutic target. Here, we aimed to identify putative CHI3L1 inhibitors and to investigate their chemosensitizing potential in PDAC.

Biopsychosocial Factors That Influence Depression, Anxiety, and Neuropsychological Functions in the Aging Process.

Background: Aging is a process inherent to the human condition that is characterized by various biological, psychological, and social changes that can lead to certain mental health problems.

Objective: This study aimed to understand and characterize how biological, psychological, and social factors influence mental health symptoms and neuropsychological function in the aging process.

Methods: A sample consisting of 616 participants (73.

A review of relevant parameters for assessing indoor air quality in educational facilities.

Indoor air quality (IAQ) in educational facilities is crucial due to the extended time students spend in those environments, affecting their health, academic performance, and attendance. This paper aimed to review relevant parameters (building characteristics and factors related with occupancy and activities) for assessing IAQ in educational facilities, and to identify the parameters to consider when performing an IAQ monitoring campaign in schools. It also intended to identify literature gaps and suggest future research directions.

Occupational exposure of firefighters to hazardous pollutants during prescribed fires in Portugal.

Firefighters perform high-risk activities and during the course of their functions are highly exposed to a wide range of occupational hazards, including air pollution. Thus, this study aimed to assess the exposure of firefighters in prescribed wildland fires and their occupational exposure, as well as to identify and chemically characterise the particles collected during wildland firefighting and inside fire stations. Exposure to wildfire smoke was evaluated in 7 prescribed fires in Portugal, 2 in the north and 5 in the south of Viseu district.

Investigating the role of symptom valorisation in tuberculosis patient delay in urban areas in Portugal.

Background: Diagnosis delay contributes to increased tuberculosis (TB) transmission and morbimortality. TB incidence has been decreasing in Portugal, but median patient delay (PD) has risen. Symptom valorisation may determine PD by influencing help-seeking behaviour.

Airborne SARS-CoV-2 is more frequently detected in environments related to children and elderly but likely non-infectious, Norway, 2022.

This study investigates the presence of SARS-CoV-2 in indoor and outdoor environments in two cities in Norway between April and May 2022. With the lifting of COVID-19 restrictions in the country and a focus on vaccination, this research aims to shed light on the potential for virus transmission in various settings. Air sampling was conducted in healthcare and non-healthcare facilities, covering locations frequented by individuals across different age groups.

Health and economic burden of wildland fires PM-related pollution in Portugal - A longitudinal study.

Portugal has been affected by wildland fires that destroy thousands of hectares of forest, causing damage to the environment and to the exposed populations. This study aims to assess the influence of wildland fire emissions on air quality, its effect on population health and the related costs, between 2015 and 2018 in Portugal. The cause-specific mortality due to PM was calculated considering the exposure for five endpoints in adults, twelve age groups for adults and considering children under five years old.

Liposome-encapsulated zoledronate increases inflammatory macrophage population in TNBC tumours.

Background: Tumour associated macrophages (TAMs) are important players in breast tumour progression and metastasis. Clinical and preclinical evidence suggests a role for zoledronate (ZOL) in breast cancer metastasis prevention. Further, zoledronate is able to induce inflammatory activation of monocytes and macrophages, which can be favourable in cancer treatments.

Biopsychosocial Factors That Influence the Purpose in Life among Working Adults and Retirees.

This study aimed to identify and characterize biopsychosocial factors that impact the purpose in life (PIL) among adults that are working or already retired. This cross-sectional study includes a sample of 1330 participants, of whom 62.2% were female, with ages ranging from 55 and 84 years, with a mean of 61.

Quantifying indoor radon levels and determinants in schools: A case study in the radon-prone area Galicia-Norte de Portugal Euroregion.

Radon is a carcinogenic compound, and is particularly concerning in the education sector, where children and teachers may be exposed even longer than at home. Thus, this study intended to characterise radon in the indoor air of scholar environments in different provinces/districts of the Euroregion Galicia-Norte de Portugal. With a pioneering approach, this study evaluated the influence of specific factors/characteristics (location, type of management, construction material, season and floor within the building) and quantified their relative contribution to indoor radon levels.

Sex-related differences in the efficacy of Baclofen enantiomers on self-administered alcohol in a binge drinking pattern and dopamine release in the core of the nucleus accumbens.

Clinical studies on the effectiveness of Baclofen in alcohol use disorder (AUD) yielded mixed results possibly because of differential effects of the enantiomers and sex-related differences. Here we examined the effect of the different Baclofen enantiomers on alcohol intake and on evoked dopamine release in the core of the nucleus accumbens (NAcc) in male and female Long Evans rats. Rats were trained to chronically self-administer 20% alcohol solution in daily binge drinking sessions and were treated with the different forms of Baclofen [RS(±), R(+) and S(-)].

Relationship between Burden, Quality of Life and Difficulties of Informal Primary Caregivers in the Context of the COVID-19 Pandemic: Analysis of the Contributions of Public Policies.

The study aimed to characterize and understand the difficulties experienced by informal caregivers from a bio-psychosocial and environmental perspective, taking into account the socio-demographic and health characteristics of the informal caregiver and the person cared for, quality of life, perceived burden, social support, and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the informal caregiver and the person cared for. The participants were 371 informal primary caregivers, 80.9% female, aged between 25 and 85 years, mean 53.

SARS-CoV-2 in outdoor air following the third wave lockdown release, Portugal, 2021.

Aiming to contribute with more data on the presence of SARS-CoV-2 (severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2) in outdoor environments, we performed air sampling in outdoor terraces from restaurants in three major cities of Portugal in April 2021, following the third wave lockdown release in the country. Air samples (=19) were collected in 19 restaurant terraces during lunch time. Each air sample was collected using a Coriolis Compact air sampler, followed by RNA extraction and real-time quantitative PCR for the detection of viral RNA.

Repurposing some of the Well-known Non-steroid Anti-inflammatory Drugs (NSAIDs) for Cancer Treatment.

Drug repurposing is a strategy used to develop new treatments based on approved or investigational drugs outside the scope of their original clinical indication. Since this approach benefits from the original toxicity data of the repurposed drugs, the drug-repurposing strategy is timesaving, and inexpensive. It has a higher success rate compared to traditional drug discovery.

Environmental Dissemination of SARS-CoV-2 in a University Hospital during the COVID-19 5th Wave Delta Variant Peak in Castile-León, Spain.

The dominant SARS-CoV-2 Delta variant (B.1.617.

The Effect of Fire Smoke Exposure on Firefighters' Lung Function: A Meta-Analysis.

Firefighters are exposed to a range of harmful substances during firefighting. Exposure to fire smoke has been associated with a decrease in their lung function. However, the cause-effect relationship between those two factors is not yet demonstrated.

Dreaming is not enough. Audiovisual methodologies, social inclusion, and new forms of youth biopolitical resistance.

The eleventh Sustainable Development Goal, "make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable," can only be truly answered when there are no individuals in our societies who feel forgotten by the various social institutions. Not in Education, Employment, or Training [NEET] are among those most affected by this social invisibility. Nevertheless, these young people are not alienated or lost.

Corrigendum: Patterns of street food purchase in cities from Central Asia.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.3389/fnut.2022.