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Journal of Environmental Management Dec 2023Anaerobic digestion (AD) as a waste management strategy for the organic fraction of municipal waste (OFMSW) has received attention in developed countries for several...
Anaerobic digestion (AD) as a waste management strategy for the organic fraction of municipal waste (OFMSW) has received attention in developed countries for several decades, leading to the development of large-scale plants. In contrast, AD of OFMSW has only recently drawn attention in developing countries. This systematic review was carried out to investigate the implementation of AD to treat the OFMSW in developing countries, focusing on assessing pilot and full-scale AD plants reported in the last ten years. Studies that met the selection criteria were analyzed and data regarding operating parameters, feedstock characteristics, and biogas, digestate, and energy production were extracted. As outlined in this systematic review, AD plants located in developing countries are mostly one-stage mesophilic systems that treat OFMSW via mono-digestion, almost exclusively with the aim of producing electrical energy. Based on the analysis done throughout this systematic review, it was noted that there is a large difference in the maturity level of AD systems between developing and developed countries, mainly due to the economic capacity of developed countries to invest in sustainable waste management systems. However, the number of AD plants reported in scientific papers is significantly lower than the number of installed AD systems. Research articles regarding large-scale implementation of AD to treat OFMSW in developed countries were analyzed and compared with developing countries. This comparison identified practices used in plants in developed countries that could be utilized in the large-scale implementation and success of AD in developing countries. These practices include exploiting potential products with high market-values, forming partnerships with local industries to use industrial wastes as co-substrates, and exploring different biological and physical pretreatment technologies. Additionally, the analysis of capital and operational costs of AD plants showed that costs tend to be higher for developing countries due to their need to import of materials and equipment from developed countries. Technical, economical, and political challenges for the implementation of AD at a large-scale in developing countries are highlighted.
Topics: Solid Waste; Refuse Disposal; Anaerobiosis; Developing Countries; Bioreactors; Biofuels; Methane
PubMed: 37751665
DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2023.118993 -
Journal of Sports Sciences Jun 2023Understanding the reliability and validity of field-based mobility and performance tests used within the wheelchair sports of basketball (WCB), rugby (WCR) and tennis... (Review)
Review
BACKGROUND
Understanding the reliability and validity of field-based mobility and performance tests used within the wheelchair sports of basketball (WCB), rugby (WCR) and tennis (WCT) can assist in understanding an athletes' physiological state, training effects, and/or assist with optimising their wheelchair-user interface.
PURPOSE
To examine, evaluate and synthesize current aerobic and anaerobic field-based mobility and performance tests used in WCB, WCR and WCT.
METHODS
A systematic search was performed according to PRISMA guidelines. Studies were included if they investigated performance tests in WCB, WCR and WCT and reported reliability.
RESULTS
Twenty-one studies covering 45 mobility/performance tests were included (anaerobic, = 35; aerobic, = 10), with agility and repeated sprints ( = 13) being the most common, followed by linear-sprints ( = 11). Repeated sprint ability ( = 2) and submaximal field-tests ( = 2) were the least frequent. Intra-class correlations among all tests ranged from 0.62 to 0.99, with agility and repeated sprints being 0.65-0.98, followed by values of 0.62-0.99 for linear-sprint, 0.96-0.99 for repeated sprints and 0.85-0.97 for submaximal field-tests.
CONCLUSION
The most frequently measured performance tests were anaerobic tests focusing on agility and repeated sprints. Given the low number of aerobic tests in WCB, WCR and WCT, future research should focus on reliable and valid ways to measure and track performance.
PubMed: 37748031
DOI: 10.1080/02640414.2023.2259726 -
Cureus Sep 2023Using the guidelines from the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA), this meta-analysis (MA) tried to figure out how well creatine... (Review)
Review
Using the guidelines from the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA), this meta-analysis (MA) tried to figure out how well creatine (Cr) improves metabolic performance. We searched Google Scholar, PubMed, and the Cochrane Library to identify relevant randomized clinical trials (RCTs) exploring the various effects of Cr across different age groups compared to a placebo (PLA). We also investigated the synergistic effects of combining other supplements with Cr. In order to emphasize the different ways and sports where Cr has been used in the past years, we found from the selected articles that Cr demonstrated a more pronounced effect during aerobic or anaerobic exercise compared to PLA groups in the studies. Furthermore, in sports that demand significant cumulative energy, such as long-distance races, biking, or triathlons, athletes have observed performance enhancements with Cr supplementation. We also stipulate that Cr enhances resistance training in people over 50 years old and that adding other training supplements, such as β-hydroxy β-methylbutyrate (HMB), synergistically improves training outcomes when combined with Cr. The current MA was based on a thorough analysis of 10 separate studies. When these results were added together, we found that taking Cr supplements demonstrated statistically significant benefits over PLA. In conclusion, the present MA has found evidence that Cr has positive effects on metabolic outcomes for people who consume it.
PubMed: 37720119
DOI: 10.7759/cureus.45282 -
PloS One 2023Aerobic capacity is a fitness measure reflecting the ability to sustain whole-body physical activity as fast and long as possible. Identifying the distribution of... (Comparative Study)
Comparative Study Meta-Analysis
Aerobic capacity is a fitness measure reflecting the ability to sustain whole-body physical activity as fast and long as possible. Identifying the distribution of aerobic capacity in a population may help estimate their health status. This study aimed to estimate standard values of aerobic capacity (peak oxygen uptake [Formula: see text] and anaerobic threshold [AT]/kg) for the Japanese population stratified by sex and age using a meta-analysis. Moreover, the comparison of the estimated standard values of the Japanese with those of other populations was performed as a supplementary analysis. We systematically searched original articles on aerobic capacity in the Japanese population using PubMed, Ichushi-Web, and Google Scholar. We meta-analysed [Formula: see text] (total: 78,714, men: 54,614, women: 24,100) and AT (total: 4,042, men: 1,961, women: 2,081) data of healthy Japanese from 21 articles by sex and age. We also searched, collected and meta-analysed data from other populations. Means and 95% confidence intervals were calculated. The estimated standard values of [Formula: see text] (mL/kg/min) for Japanese men and women aged 4-9, 10-19, 20-29, 30-39, 40-49, 50-59, 60-69, and 70-79 years were 47.6, 51.2, 43.2, 37.2, 34.5, 31.7, 28.6, and 26.3, and 42.0, 43.2, 33.6, 30.6, 27.4, 25.6, 23.4, and 23.1, respectively. The AT/kg (mL/kg/min) for Japanese men and women aged 20-29, 30-39, 40-49, 50-59, 60-69, and 70-79 years were 21.1, 18.3, 16.8, 15.9, 15.8, and 15.2, and 17.4, 17.0, 15.7, 15.0, 14.5, and 14.2, respectively. Herein, we presented the estimated standard values of aerobic capacity according to sex and age in a Japanese population. In conclusion, aerobic capacity declines with ageing after 20-29 years of age. Additionally, aerobic capacity is lower in the Japanese population than in other populations across a wide range of age groups. Standard value estimation by meta-analysis can be conducted in any country or region and for public health purposes.
Topics: Adult; Female; Humans; Male; Young Adult; Aging; Anaerobic Threshold; East Asian People; Exercise; Exercise Tolerance; Physical Fitness; Sex Factors; Age Factors; Japan; Oxygen Consumption; Child, Preschool; Child; Adolescent; Middle Aged; Aged
PubMed: 37713405
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0286936 -
The Science of the Total Environment Nov 2023The growing amount of tannery sludge (TS) generated from leather processing often undergoes uncontrolled landfilling, or open dumping, releasing a significant volume of... (Review)
Review
The growing amount of tannery sludge (TS) generated from leather processing often undergoes uncontrolled landfilling, or open dumping, releasing a significant volume of harmful pollutants, including carcinogenic chromium (Cr) into the air, water, and soil. Therefore, the sustainable TS management through advanced valorization technologies becomes vital to align with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and mitigate the adverse environmental, health, and social impacts. Moreover, TS, as biomass, can be considered a renewable energy source for bioenergy generation, which could be a viable solution for meeting contemporary environmental standards and expediting transition towards a circular economy. However, TS valorization is sensitive and critical due to the potential risk of transforming Cr(III) to Cr(VI) during the valorization process. Therefore, there is an urgency to consider efficient and holistic TS valorization technologies in the design, implementation, and operations phases to avoid any environmental and health hazards. In pursuit of this goal, this systematic literature review (SLR) comprehensively and critically analyzes the existing TS valorization processes to develop sustainable energy recovery solutions from TS. This SLR contributes uniquely to the existing literature in different ways. Firstly, it provides a critical evaluation of the current TS valorization technologies identifying the available waste-to-energy recovery options. Secondly, the review encompasses extensive research from three reputed databases such as Scopus, Web of Science, and ScienceDirect, without temporal restrictions to offer a comprehensive understanding of current TS management practices and available valorization techniques. Moreover, the review categorized 124 published papers into distinct groups, revealing promising avenues for future research in this field. The findings indicated that most of the work concentrating on Chrome (Cr) recovery, pyrolysis, anaerobic co-digestion, and solidification while gasification and biodiesel or biofuel production from TS remained largely unexplored. Additionally, vital aspects such as process optimization, life cycle assessment of different valorization techniques, environmental, economy, energy, emergy, and exergy (5E) analysis, life cycle energy balance, and techno-economic analysis including exergoeconomic and exergoenvironmental are completely absent in the literature. Future studies need to concentrate on process optimization, exergy and energy analysis, and techno-economic assessment including exergoeconomic and exergoenvironmental analysis to understand the feasibility and environmental benefits of various TS valorization technologies and to develop industry-scale valorization plants for TS management in an economically and ecologically sustainable manner. Moreover, the review will serve as a comprehensive guide for scholars, authorities, and stakeholders to advance research in this field and formulate policies for the eco-friendly management of TS, paving the way towards clean energy solutions.
PubMed: 37597567
DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.166244 -
Cureus Jun 2023Central nervous system (CNS) actinomycosis is a rare, serious, life-threatening, suppurative infection caused by Actinomyces species. Actinomyces are anaerobic...
Central nervous system (CNS) actinomycosis is a rare, serious, life-threatening, suppurative infection caused by Actinomyces species. Actinomyces are anaerobic Gram-positive bacteria, which can be normally isolated from the polymicrobial flora of the gastrointestinal- and genital tracts. They are considered very low virulent bacteria to humans. However, they can lead to several types of local or disseminated infections, if certain pathologic states or immunodeficiency occur. Intracranial abscesses caused by Actinomyces meyeri are rarely reported in adults. In this case report, we describe a 66-year-old woman who presented to the emergency department due to progressive complaints of altered sensorium and low-grade fever, due to an A. meyeri-related brain abscess. The only risk factor was represented by immunodeficiency due to the therapy with Methotrexate and steroids.
PubMed: 37525793
DOI: 10.7759/cureus.41204 -
Frontiers in Cellular and Infection... 2023is a Gram-negative oral anaerobic bacterium that plays a key role in the pathogenesis of periodontitis. expresses a variety of virulence factors that disrupt innate... (Review)
Review
is a Gram-negative oral anaerobic bacterium that plays a key role in the pathogenesis of periodontitis. expresses a variety of virulence factors that disrupt innate and adaptive immunity, allowing to survive and multiply in the host and destroy periodontal tissue. In addition to periodontal disease, is also associated with systemic diseases, of which insulin resistance is an important pathological basis. causes a systemic inflammatory response, disrupts insulin signaling pathways, induces pancreatic β-cell hypofunction and reduced numbers, and causes decreased insulin sensitivity leading to insulin resistance (IR). In this paper, we systematically review the studies on the mechanism of insulin resistance induced by , discuss the association between and systemic diseases based on insulin resistance, and finally propose relevant therapeutic approaches. Overall, through a systematic review of the mechanisms related to systemic diseases caused by through insulin resistance, we hope to provide new insights for future basic research and clinical interventions for related systemic diseases.
Topics: Humans; Porphyromonas gingivalis; Insulin Resistance; Base Composition; RNA, Ribosomal, 16S; Phylogeny; Sequence Analysis, DNA; Insulin
PubMed: 37520442
DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2023.1209381 -
Pharmaceutics Jul 2023() is a Gram-negative anaerobic bacterium that plays an important role in the development and progression of periodontitis. Hyaluronic acid (HA) is a naturally... (Review)
Review
() is a Gram-negative anaerobic bacterium that plays an important role in the development and progression of periodontitis. Hyaluronic acid (HA) is a naturally occurring glycosaminoglycan that has previously demonstrated antibacterial potential in vitro against multiple bacterial species, including . The purpose of this systematic review is to evaluate the effectiveness of HA as an adjunctive topical antibacterial agent to non-surgical mechanical therapy of periodontitis in reducing the prevalence of in subgingival biofilms. Five clinical studies were identified that satisfied the eligibility criteria. Only three trials were suitable for the meta-analysis as they provided data at three and six months. Data on the prevalence of in each study were collected. The odds ratio (OR) for measuring the effect size with a 95% confidence interval (CI) was applied to the available data. The results did not favor the use of HA during non-surgical mechanical therapy to reduce the prevalence of in subgingival biofilm (odd ratio = 0.95 and 1.11 at three and six months, consecutively). Within their limitations, the current data do not indicate an advantage for using HA during mechanical periodontal therapy to reduce the prevalence of .
PubMed: 37514069
DOI: 10.3390/pharmaceutics15071883 -
Phytotherapy Research : PTR Oct 2023The aim of this systematic review was to determine whether the supplementation with Rhodiola rosea (RR), an herb that has been used for centuries for its various... (Review)
Review
The aim of this systematic review was to determine whether the supplementation with Rhodiola rosea (RR), an herb that has been used for centuries for its various properties, can have an effect on muscle damage and physical performance. The databases PubMed, Web of Science, and Cochrane Library were used to find studies published until March 2023. Randomized controlled trials, healthy participants, and no use of other supplements. The search strategy was conducted by two independent reviewers, and specific information was extracted from the selected studies. Thirteen studies were included with 263 participants (198 men and 65 women between 18 and 65 years old). Two studies followed acute supplementation, 5 chronic, and 6 combined both. The results were heterogenous, having 11 studies with some positive effects, while 2 studies show no effect in variables such as rating of perceive exertion, heart rate, antioxidant capacity, blood lactate, creatine kinase, or C-reactive protein. Two limitations were found, firstly, the difference between supplementation and exercise protocols, and secondly, the existence of unclear or high risk of bias in most of the studies included. Acute supplementation with RR has a positive effect on endurance performance and rating of perceived exertion (RPE). Chronic supplementation has a positive effect on anaerobic exercise performance, but not endurance exercise performance. Chronic supplementation may positively impact muscle damage during exercise. However, more high-quality studies are needed to firmly establish the clinical efficacy of RR.
Topics: Adolescent; Adult; Aged; Female; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Young Adult; Antioxidants; Dietary Supplements; Exercise; Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; Rhodiola
PubMed: 37495266
DOI: 10.1002/ptr.7950 -
Biology of Sport Jul 2023Ice-hockey requires high acceleration and speed sprint abilities, but it is unclear what the distance characteristic is for measuring these capabilities. Therefore, this... (Review)
Review
Ice-hockey requires high acceleration and speed sprint abilities, but it is unclear what the distance characteristic is for measuring these capabilities. Therefore, this systematic meta-analysis aims to summarize the sprint reference values for different sprint distances and suggest the appropriate use of ice-hockey straight sprint testing protocols. A total of 60 studies with a pooled sample of 2254 males and 398 females aged 11-37 years were included. However, the pooled data for women was not large enough to permit statistical analysis. The sprint distance used for measuring the reported acceleration and speed was between 4-48 m. Increased test distance was positively associated with increased speed (r = 0.70) and negatively with average acceleration (r = -0.87). Forward skating sprint speed increases with the measured distance up to 26 m and do not differ much from longer distance tests, while acceleration decreases with a drop below 3 m/s at distances 15 m and longer. The highest acceleration (5.89 m/s peak, 3.31 m/s average) was achieved in the shortest distances up to 7 m which significantly differs from 8-14 m tests. The highest speed (8.1 m/s peak, 6.76 m/s average) has been recorded between 26-39 m; therefore, distances over 39 m are not necessary to achieve maximum speed. Considering match demands and most reported test distances, 6.1 m is the recommended distance for peak acceleration and 30 m for peak speed. The sprint time, acceleration, and speed of each individual and the number of skating strides should be reported in future studies.
PubMed: 37398950
DOI: 10.5114/biolsport.2023.122479