Hallmarks of aging and immunosenescence: Connecting the dots.

Aging is a natural physiological process that features various and variable challenges, associated with loss of homeostasis within the organism, often leading to negative consequences for health. Cellular senescence occurs when cells exhaust the capacity to renew themselves and their tissue environment as the cell cycle comes to a halt. This process is influenced by genetics, metabolism and extrinsic factors.

Industry 4.0 towards Forestry 4.0: Fire Detection Use Case.

Forestry 4.0 is inspired by the Industry 4.0 concept, which plays a vital role in the next industrial generation revolution.

Pellet diameter of in a repeated-batch fermentation for the trio total production of biomass-exopolysaccharide-endopolysaccharide and its anti-oral cancer beta-glucan response.

The pellet morphology and diameter range (DR) of were observed in a repeated-batch fermentation (RBF) for the trio total production of biomass, exopolysaccharide (EPS) and endopolysaccharide (ENS). Two factors were involved in RBF; broth replacement ratio (BRR: 60%, 75% and 90%) and broth replacement time point (BRTP: log, transition and stationary phase) in days. In RBF, 34.

Life cycle assessment of fish and seafood processed products - A review of methodologies and new challenges.

Life cycle assessment (LCA) has been widely applied in many different sectors, but the marine products and seafood segment have received relatively little attention in the past. In recent decades, global fish production experienced sustained growth and peaked at about 179 million tonnes in 2018. Consequently, increased interest in the environmental implications of fishery products along the supply chain, namely from capture to end of life, was recently experienced by society, industry and policy-makers.

Gaelic Football Match-Play: Performance Attenuation and Timeline of Recovery.

This study investigated acute changes in markers of fatigue and performance attenuation during and following a competitive senior club-level Gaelic football match. Forty-one players were tested immediately pre-match, at half-time, full-time, 24 h post-match and 48 h post-match. Creatine kinase, drop jump height and contact-time, reactive strength index, countermovement jump height and perceptual responses were assessed at the aforementioned time-points.

β-Glucan Metabolic and Immunomodulatory Properties and Potential for Clinical Application.

β-glucans are complex polysaccharides that are found in several plants and foods, including mushrooms. β-glucans display an array of potentially therapeutic properties. β-glucans have metabolic and gastro-intestinal effects, modulating the gut microbiome, altering lipid and glucose metabolism, reducing cholesterol, leading to their investigation as potential therapies for metabolic syndrome, obesity and diet regulation, gastrointestinal conditions such as irritable bowel, and to reduce cardiovascular and diabetes risk.

Production of Polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB) and Factors Impacting Its Chemical and Mechanical Characteristics.

Plastic pollution is fueling the grave environmental threats currently facing humans, the animal kingdom, and the planet. The pursuit of renewable resourced biodegradable materials commenced in the 1970s with the need for carbon neutral fully sustainable products driving important progress in recent years. The development of bioplastic materials is highlighted as imperative to the solutions to our global environment challenges and to the restoration of the wellbeing of our planet.

A Bilayer Vaginal Tablet for the Localized Delivery of Disulfiram and 5-Fluorouracil to the Cervix.

This study was performed to develop an adjuvant therapy in the form of a self-administered vaginal tablet regimen for the localized delivery of chemotherapeutic drugs. This therapy will help to reduce relapse by eradicating cancerous cells in the margin of cervical tumors. The vaginal tablet is a very common formulation that is easy to manufacture, easy to place in the vagina, and has a low cost of manufacture, making them ideal for use in developing countries.

A Novel Mixed Methods Approach to Synthesize EDA Data with Behavioral Data to Gain Educational Insight.

Whilst investigating student performance in design and arithmetic tasks, as well as during exams, electrodermal activity (EDA)-based sensors have been used in attempts to understand cognitive function and cognitive load. Limitations in the employed approaches include lack of capacity to mark events in the data, and to explain other variables relating to performance outcomes. This paper aims to address these limitations, and to support the utility of wearable EDA sensor technology in educational research settings.

Yerba Mate Extract in Microfibrillated Cellulose and Corn Starch Films as a Potential Wound Healing Bandage.

Microfibrillated cellulose films have been gathering considerable attention due to their high mechanical properties and cheap cost. Additionally, it is possible to include compounds within the fibrillated structure in order to confer desirable properties. A.

An mHealth Workplace-Based "Sit Less, Move More" Program: Impact on Employees' Sedentary and Physical Activity Patterns at Work and Away from Work.

Background: Most workplace interventions that aim to reduce sedentary behaviour have 38 focused on employees' sedentary patterns at-work but less have focused on understanding the 39 impact beyond working time. The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of a 13-week m-40 health workplace-based 'sit less, move more' intervention (Walk@WorkApp; W@W-App) on 41 physical activity (PA) and sitting in desk-based employees at-work and away from work.

Methods: Participants ( = 141) were assigned by hospital to an intervention group (IG; used the W@W-App; = 90) or an active comparison group (A-CG; monitored occupational activity; = 51).

Evaluation of Nutrition Knowledge in Female Gaelic Games Players.

Improvements in nutrition knowledge have been associated with increased carbohydrate consumption and greater adherence to dietary recommendations among female athletes. In order to assess whether nutrition knowledge interventions in female Gaelic games players may be beneficial, it is necessary to first of all investigate current levels of nutrition knowledge in this population. Given that many demographic characteristics have been shown to influence nutrition knowledge, it is also important for these to be investigated.

The Contribution of Gaelic Football Participation to Youth Physical Activity Levels.

The primary aim of this study was to describe the contribution of Gaelic football participation to youth physical activity (PA) levels. Secondary aims were to objectively quantify the overall daily PA levels of participants across sex and age, to determine the PA levels achieved during Gaelic football practice sessions and games, and to compare PA levels on days with organized sporting activity (sports days) and days without organized sporting activity (non-sports days). One hundred and sixty adolescents (87 male, 73 female; mean age 14.

Food Ingredients and Active Compounds against the Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) Pandemic: A Comprehensive Review.

As media reports have noted, the COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated market mainstreaming of immune-boosting food bioactives, supplements, and nutraceuticals. However, most studies reporting on the potential of bioactives against COVID-19 transmission have been uploaded as preprints with little opportunity to revise content for benefit and impact. The current review discusses current best evidence and information underpinning the role of food ingredients and bioactive compounds in supporting immune functions in humans and animals, specifically in the prevention and treatment of COVID-19 disease.

Unlocking the surge in demand for personal and protective equipment (PPE) and improvised face coverings arising from coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic - Implications for efficacy, re-use and sustainable waste management.

Currently, there is no effective vaccine for tackling the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic caused by SARS-CoV-2 with the occurrence of repeat waves of infection frequently stretching hospital resources beyond capacity. Disease countermeasures rely upon preventing person-to-person transmission of SARS-CoV2 so as to protect front-line healthcare workers (HCWs). COVID-19 brings enormous challenges in terms of sustaining the supply chain for single-use-plastic personal and protective equipment (PPE).

Fetuin-A as a Potential Biomarker of Metabolic Variability Following 60 Days of Bed Rest.

: Fetuin-A is a hepatokine linked to the development of insulin resistance. The purpose of this study was to determine if 60 days head-down-tilt (HDT) bed rest increased circulating fetuin-A and if it was linked to whole body insulin sensitivity (IS). Additionally, we examined whether reactive jump training (RJT) could alleviate the metabolic changes associated with bed rest.

Antioxidant, antibacterial and antitumoural activities of kraft lignin from hardwood fractionated by acid precipitation.

Kraft lignin, so far useful for energy generation, has been gathering considerable attention as an alternative material to replace fossil-based resources mainly due to its high phenolic content. However, the wide molecular weight distribution and chemical composition heterogeneity led to the development of fractionation methods. Herein, to narrow such characteristics we used eucalypt kraft lignin fractionated at pH's 9, 7, 5 and 3 by sequential acid precipitation.

Opportunities for the application of real-time bacterial cell analysis using flow cytometry for the advancement of sterilization microbiology.

Medical devices provide critical care and diagnostic applications through patient contact. Sterility assurance level (SAL) may be defined as the probability of a single viable micro-organism occurring on an item after a sterilization process. Sterilization microbiology often relies upon using an overkill validation method where a 12-log reduction in recalcitrant bacterial endospore population occurs during the process that exploits conventional laboratory-based culture media for enumeration.

Effect of Stereolithography 3D Printing on the Properties of PEGDMA Hydrogels.

Stereolithography (SLA)-based 3D printing has proven to have several advantages over traditional fabrication techniques as it allows for the control of hydrogel synthesis at a very high resolution, making possible the creation of tissue-engineered devices with microarchitecture similar to the tissues they are replacing. Much of the previous work in hydrogels for tissue engineering applications have utilised the ultraviolet (UV) chamber bulk photopolymerisation method for preparing test specimens. Therefore, it is essential to directly compare SLA 3D printing to this more traditional approach to elucidate the differences in hydrogels prepared by each fabrication method.

Unlocking challenges and opportunities presented by COVID-19 pandemic for cross-cutting disruption in agri-food and green deal innovations: Quo Vadis?

COVID-19 pandemic is on a trajectory to cause catastrophic global upheaval with the potential to alter geopolitical and socio-economic norms. Many countries are frantically responding with staggering financial stimulus recovery initiatives. This opinion-paper reviews challenges, opportunities, and potential solutions for the post-COVID-19 era that focuses on intensive sustaining of agri-food supply chain in tandem with meeting the high demand for new green deal innovation.

Development of alginate beads with encapsulated jabuticaba peel and propolis extracts to achieve a new natural colorant antioxidant additive.

This work aims to encapsulate anthocyanins and phenolic compounds extracted from a native Brazilian fruit peel - jabuticaba (Plinia cauliflora (Mart.) Kausel) and propolis from Tubuna (Scaptotrigona bipunctata) stingless bees, with great potential benefits for human health. The alginate encapsulation was conducted by the ionotropic gelation through the dripping into the CaCl solution.

Effect of cellulose size-concentration on the structure of polyvinyl alcohol hydrogels.

Microfibrillated cellulose as a reinforcement agent has been investigated extensively due to their unique characteristics, which can reorder the structure of polymers and hydrogels leading to improved mechanical properties with minimal disadvantages in terms of the targeted original applications. However, effect of using a macro- to a micro-fibrillated cellulose onto polyvinyl alcohol hydrogels is still unknown, because of the unique ability for both to be produced as hydrogels from freeze-thawing mechanisms - hydrogen bonding - there is a potential synergism. Therefore, macro and microfibrillated kraft bleached paper was synthesised at various concentrations on polyvinyl alcohol hydrogels.

Injectable bone substitute based on chitosan with polyethylene glycol polymeric solution and biphasic calcium phosphate microspheres.

We described a method to produce an injectable bone substitute consisting of a solid and liquid phase, this solid was formed using the coacervation method consisting of a mixture of Hydroxyapatite (HAp) and beta-Tricalcium Phosphate (β-TCP) which the sodium alginate - precursor - was removed during sinterization. The biphasic calcium phosphate microspheres had varying size distributions depending on the flow rate and these microspheres were mixed with a polymeric solution, chitosan and polyethylene glycol, and depending on the ratio of these phases, the injectability results varied. Nonetheless, the force required for complete removal will not disrupt the accuracy of injection into the bone defect while the biomaterial exhibited no cytotoxicity with promising results from in vivo using tibia bone defect in rabbits at 30 and 60 days whereas bone repair was more intense and accentuated with the usage of the biomaterial, and was gradually absorbed during the evaluated periods.

The Development of the MedEx IMPACT Intervention: A Patient-Centered, Evidenced-Based and Theoretically-Informed Physical Activity Behavior Change Intervention for Individuals Living With and Beyond Cancer.

Regular physical activity (PA) can address many of the negative side effects experienced by individuals following cancer treatment and support the optimization of physical and psychosocial well-being. However, many survivors of cancer are not sufficiently active to achieve these health benefits. The purpose of this study was to describe the development of a physical activity behavior change (PABC) intervention, MedEx IMPACT (IMprove Physical Activity after Cancer Treatment), which aims to increase cancer survivors' PA levels.