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The social confinement resulting from the COVID-19 crisis temporarily reduced greenhouse gas emissions. Although experts contend that the decrease in pollution rates was not drastic, some surveys detect growth in social concern about the climate. In this new climate-conscious environment, municipalities and local governments are promoting a new way of living and caring for cities, even before they can regain national and international freedom of movement. This work analyzes the connections between new climate awareness arising from the COVID-19 crisis, proposals of sustainable citizenship around the world, and its communication on Twitter to educate the new eco-conscious audience. The methodology mixes quantitative and qualitative analysis, using the Twitonomy Premium tool and the Twitter research tool with data extracted at the end of December 2020. Among the top ten most influential and active accounts, the results show educational institutions, local institutions, companies, neighborhoods, associations, and influencers. The impossibility of living in the city has not prevented citizen education and commitment to make real change for when that city and its citizens return to normality. However, this new normality must be different: more ecological, more responsible, more sustainable, and practiced from early childhood.

Abstract As the part of a study to develop buparvaquone (BPQ) formulations for the treatment of cutaneous leishmaniasis, the topical delivery of BPQ and one of its prodrugs from a range of formulations was evaluated. In previous studies, BPQ and its prodrugs were shown to be potent antileishmanials in-vitro, with ED50 values in the nanomolar range. 3-Phosphono-oxymethyl-buparvaquone (3-POM-BPQ) was the most potent antileishmanial and was chosen, together with the parent drug, for further investigation. The ability of the parent and prodrug formulations to cross human and murine skin was tested in-vitro using the Franz diffusion cells. Formulations intended for topical application containing either BPQ or 3-POM-BPQ were developed using excipients that were either acceptable for topical use (GRAS or FDA inactive ingredients) or currently going through the regulatory process. BPQ was shown to penetrate both human epidermal membranes and full thickness BALB/c skin from a range of formulations (gels, emulsions). Similarly, 3-POM-BPQ penetrated full-thickness BALB/c skin from several gel formulations. In-vitro binding studies showed that BPQ bound melanin in a dose-dependent manner and preferably bound to delipidized skin over untreated BALB/c skin (on a weight to weight basis). The results confirm that BPQ and its prodrug 3-POM-BPQ can penetrate the skin from several formulations, making them potentially interesting candidates for further investigation of topical formulations using in-vivo models of cutaneous leishmaniasis.

Sufficient production, consistent food supply, and environmental protection in urban +settings are major global concerns for future sustainable cities. Currently, sustainable food supply is under intense pressure due to exponential population growth, expanding urban dwellings, climate change, and limited natural resources. The recent novel coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic crisis has impacted sustainable fresh food supply, and has disrupted the food supply chain and prices significantly. Under these circumstances, urban horticulture and crop cultivation have emerged as potential ways to expand to new locations through urban green infrastructure. Therefore, the objective of this study is to review the salient features of contemporary urban horticulture, in addition to illustrating traditional and innovative developments occurring in urban environments. Current urban cropping systems, such as home gardening, community gardens, edible landscape, and indoor planting systems, can be enhanced with new techniques, such as vertical gardening, hydroponics, aeroponics, aquaponics, and rooftop gardening. These modern techniques are ecofriendly, energy- saving, and promise food security through steady supplies of fresh fruits and vegetables to urban neighborhoods. There is a need, in this modern era, to integrate information technology tools in urban horticulture, which could help in maintaining consistent food supply during (and after) a pandemic, as well as make agriculture more sustainable.

1. Liver biopsies were performed in healthy control subjects and in subjects with alcoholic and non-alcoholic liver disease in order to examine alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH; EC 1.1.1.1) and aldehyde dehydrogenase [ALDH; aldehyde dehydrogenase (NAD+); EC 1. 2. 1. 3] activities. Erythrocyte ALDH and ethanol metabolism were also investigated in the same subjects. 2. Fifteen per cent of the subjects studied (seven of 48 subjects tested) presented atypical ADH activity, characterized by elevated activity at pH 7.4 or 8.8 compared with that found in subjects with the usual ADH form. However, the ethanol elimination curves obtained in two subjects with atypical ADH were indistinguishable from the kinetics of the group with normal ADH. Subjects displaying atypical ADH activity showed normal liver and erythrocyte ALDH activities. 3. Considering only the subjects with the normal ADH form, hepatic ADH activity was unaltered in subjects with non-alcoholic liver disease (chronic hepatitis or cirrhosis) and in those with alcoholic steatosis. Subjects with alcoholic hepatitis or alcoholic cirrhosis showed a lower ADH activity compared with the healthy control group. 4. In spite of the changes detected in subjects with alcoholic liver disease, curves of blood ethanol concentration after oral administration of 0.4 g of ethanol/kg were indistinguishable between the alcoholic hepatitis group and the control group. 5. Hepatic ALDH activity, assayed at 300 μmol/l acetaldehyde, was found to be diminished in all liver pathologies investigated, regardless of their aetiology. Nevertheless, erythrocyte ALDH activity was not modified in subjects with non-alcoholic or alcoholic liver disease. As a result of these findings, no relationship was found between hepatic and erythrocyte ALDH. 6. In summary, our data demonstrate that (a) marked modifications in ADH activity, as found in patients with atypical ADH or in subjects with alcoholic liver disease, are not accompanied by parallel alterations in the kinetics of ethanol disappearance, suggesting that ADH activity per se does not limit ethanol metabolism in vivo, (b) hepatic high-Km ALDH activity is decreased in patients with liver disease independent of alcoholism, and therefore decreased ALDH activity cannot be considered as a primary defect in alcoholism but as a consequence of liver damage, and (c) erythrocyte ALDH does not reflect hepatic high-Km ALDH.

The science of statistics contributes to the development and application of tools for the design, analysis, and interpretation of empirical medical studies [...]

Concurrent drinking and gambling is prevalent among young adults and may increase negative consequences associated with each behavior. The effects of alcohol, initial gambling outcomes, gambling-related cognitions, and impulsivity on gambling behavior were evaluated. Initial gambling outcomes, gambling-related cognitions, and impulsivity were also assessed as potential moderators of the relation between alcohol and gambling behavior. Participants (N = 130) were randomly assigned to receive active placebo or alcohol (0.84 g/kg and 0.76 g/kg for men and women, respectively) and were invited to wager on a simulated slot machine programmed to produce 1 of 3 initial outcomes (win, breakeven, or loss) before beginning a progressive loss schedule. Alcohol consumption was associated with larger average bets and more rapid loss of all available funds, though no evidence was found for predicted main effects and interactions for gambling persistence. The effect of impulsivity was moderated by beverage condition, such that higher levels of impulsivity were associated with larger average bets for participants in the placebo but not the alcohol group. Results have direct implications for individual-focused and public-health interventions.

Abstract Thirty healthy male volunteers drank ethyl alcohol (1.75 g/kg) from 6 p. m. to 9 p. m., which resulted in hangover the next morning, and 10 subjects served as controls. The twenty subjects, who drank alcohol, received glucose or fructose during the same evening (1.0 g/kg) or on the following morning (0.5 g/kg). In the hangover phase psychomotor performance was recorded by a choice reaction test, two coordination tests and an attention test. The intensity of the hangover was graded subjectively and objectively. Blood ethanol, acetaldehyde and glucose concentrations were analysed. The testing procedure was repeated at 8, 10 and 12 a. m. Ethanol, administered alone, increased significantly the number of mistakes on the choice reaction test in hangover phase, but this effect was abolished by the simultaneous administration of sugar. On the other hand, after the combined administration of ethanol and sugars the number of mistakes and mistake percentage on one coordination test were increased. The etiology on the impaired psychomotor skill during the hangover period is probably not directly related to the pathophysiology of the hangover, as there was no correlation between the impairment of the psychomotor performance and the intensity of the hangover of the subjects.

Salaspuro, M. P. & Kesaniemi, Y. A. Intravenous galactose elimination tests with and without ethanol loading in various clinical conditions. Scand. J. Gastroent. 1973, 8, 681-686.Intravenous galact...