IntroductionObesity and associated diseases place a severe burden on healthcare systems. Behavioural interventions for weight loss (WL) are successful in the short term but often result in weight regain over time. Self-regulation of eating and activity behaviours may significantly enhance weight loss maintenance (WLM) and may be effectively augmented by contextual behavioural approaches to emotion regulation. The NoHoW trial tests the efficacy of a theoretically informed, evidence-based digital toolkit using a mobile-enabled website, activity trackers and Wi-Fi scales for WLM aiming to target (1) self-regulation and motivation, and (2) emotion regulation in adults who achieved clinically significant (≥5%) WL in the previous 12 months (initial body mass index (BMI) ≥25 kg/m2).Methods and analysisThe study is an 18-month, 3-centre, 2×2 factorial single-blind, randomised controlled trial, which recruited 1627 participants achieving ≥5% WL between March 2017 and March 2018. Participants are randomly allocated to one of four arms: (1) self-monitoring only (self-weighing and activity tracker), (2) self-regulation and motivation, (3) emotion regulation or (4) combined self-regulation, motivation and emotion regulation. Participants attend four clinical investigation days at 0, 6, 12 and 18 months and are instructed to use the digital toolkit for 18 weeks during the first 6 months and at their discretion for the remaining 12 months. The primary outcome is change in weight (kg) at 12 months from baseline. Secondary outcomes are body composition (eg, bioimpedance analysis), health biomarkers (glycated haemoglobin, lipids, blood pressure, hair cortisol), dietary intake, physical activity, sleep, motivational, self-regulatory, emotion regulatory moderators/mediators of WLM, engagement, user experience, acceptability and cost-effectiveness of the interventions.Ethics and disseminationEthical approval was granted by Institutional Ethics Committees at the Universities of Leeds (17–0082; 27 February 2017), Lisbon (17/2016; 20 February 2017) and Capital Region of Denmark (H-16030495, 8 March 2017). Results will be published in scientific journals.Trial registration numberISRCTN88405328.

Purpose Despite the wide availability of effective weight loss programmes, maintenance of weight loss remains challenging. Difficulties in emotion regulation are associated with binge eating and may represent one barrier to long-term intervention effectiveness in obesity. The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between emotion regulation difficulties and the extent of weight regain in a sample of adults who had lost, and then regained, weight, and to examine the characteristics associated with emotional difficulties. Methods 2000 adults from three European countries (UK, Portugal, and Denmark) completed an online survey assessing self-reported weight loss and regain following their most recent weight loss attempt. They also completed a binge eating disorder screening questionnaire and, if they had regained weight, were asked if they attributed it to any emotional factors (a proxy for emotion regulation difficulties). Spearman's correlations and logistic regression were used to assess the associations between emotion regulation, weight regain, and strategy use. Results Emotion regulation difficulties were associated with greater weight regain (N = 1594 who lost and regained weight). Attribution to emotional reasons was associated with younger age, female gender, loss of control and binge eating, lower perceptions of success at maintenance, using more dietary and self-regulatory strategies in weight loss, and fewer dietary strategies in maintenance. Conclusions Weight-related emotion regulation difficulties are common amongst regainers and are associated with regaining more weight. Affected individuals are already making frequent use of behavioural strategies during weight loss, but do not apply these consistently beyond active attempts. Simply encouraging the use of more numerous strategies, without concurrently teaching emotion regulation skills, may not be an effective means to improving weight outcomes in this group. Level of evidence Level V, descriptive (cross-sectional) study.

Current regulations and legislation require critical revision to determine safety for alternative water sources and water reuse as part of the solution to global water crisis. In order to fulfill those demands, Lisbon municipality decided to start water reuse as part of a sustainable hydric resources management, and there was a need to confirm safety and safeguard for public health for its use in this context. For this purpose, a study was designed that included a total of 88 samples collected from drinking, superficial, underground water, and wastewater at three different treatment stages. Quantitative Polimerase Chain Reaction (PCR) detection (qPCR) of enteric viruses Norovirus (NoV) genogroups I (GI) and II (GII) and Hepatitis A (HepA) was performed, and also FIB (E. coli, enterococci and fecal coliforms) concentrations were assessed. HepA virus was only detected in one untreated influent sample, whereas NoV GI/ NoV GI were detected in untreated wastewater (100/100%), secondary treated effluent (47/73%), and tertiary treated effluent (33/20%). Our study proposes that NoV GI and GII should be further studied to provide the support that they may be suitable indicators for water quality monitoring targeting wastewater treatment efficiency, regardless of the level of treatment.

Changes in the occurrence, distribution, and seasonal variation of waterborne pathogens due to global climate change may increase the risk of human exposure to these microorganisms, thus heightening the need for more reliable surveillance systems. Routine monitoring of drinking water supplies and recreational waters is performed using fecal indicator microorganisms, such as Escherichia coli, Enterococcus spp., and coliphages. However, the presence and numbers of these indicators, especially E. coli and Enterococcus spp., do not correlate well with those of other pathogens, especially enteric viruses, which are a major cause of waterborne outbreaks associated with contaminated water and food, and recreational use of lakes, ponds, rivers, and estuarine waters. For that reason, there is a growing need for a surveillance system that can detect and quantify viral pathogens directly in water sources to reduce transmission of pathogens associated with fecal transmission. In this review, we present an updated overview of relevant waterborne enteric viruses that we believe should be more commonly screened to better evaluate water quality and to determine the safety of water use and reuse and of epidemiological data on viral outbreaks. We also discuss current methodologies that are available to detect and quantify these viruses in water resources. Finally, we highlight challenges associated with virus monitoring. The information presented in this review is intended to aid in the assessment of human health risks due to contact with water sources, especially since current environmental and adaptive changes may be creating the need for a paradigm shift for indicators of fecal contamination. . Environmental and adaptive changes necessitate a paradigm shift for indicators of fecal contamination, Microbiol Spectrum 8(2):

We demonstrated that erythrocytes from glaucoma patients have similar availability to release NO both in absence and presence of timolol, and have higher GSNO values in presence of timolol.

In the human erythrocyte, band 3 protein mediates nitric oxide (NO) translocation and its effects are strongly related to phosphorylated/dephosphorylated intracellular states. The metabolism of NO could change in the presence of acetylcholinesterase (AChE). Therefore, the present study was designed to assess the effect of conformational changes in AChE (via N-19 and C-16 antibodies) and enzymatic inhibition/activation of protein kinase C (PKC) in erythrocyte NO mobilization in vitro. Our results show that by inhibiting PKC with cheletrine, impaired erythrocyte NO efflux and s-nitrosoglutathione (GSNO) levels were verified, while PKC's activation by Phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate had the opposite effect. Those results demonstrate the influence of 4.1R complex and band 3 protein level of phosphorylation on NO efflux and GSNO concentration mediated by PKC inhibition/activation. In addition, the present study shows evidence that conformational changes in AChE promoted by incubation with N-19 and C-16 antibodies alter the enzyme's functional connection to acetylcholine (ACh) (AChE-ACh complex) in an irreversible manner, resulting in impaired GSNO concentration and NO efflux from the erythrocyte. Novel insight into NO metabolism in the erythrocyte is brought with the presented findings allowing new possibilities of modulating NO delivery, possibly involving PKC and AChE conformational alterations in combination.

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Glutathione is an abundant molecule inside erythrocyte, originating S-nitrosoglutathione (GSNO) by reacting with nitric oxide (NO). GSNO has been regarded as a store and transporter of NO, with significant interest as a potential therapeutic agent, acting as an NO donor.NO metabolism inside the erythrocyte generates several derivatives, which can be altered by external and internal stimuli such as acetylcholine (ACh), a natural substrate of acetylcholinesterase (AChE). In spite of the knowledge gained in the last decades concerning NO efflux in erythrocytes little is known regarding erythrocyte GSNO efflux, which has also a significant role in microcirculation. Hence, the objective of this research was to evaluate the efflux of GSNO, concomitant with the efflux of NO, after stimulation with AChE effectors. To achieve these goals, the in vitro effect of AChE modulators - ACh and timolol - in erythrocyte NO and GSNO were studied. Timolol is an erythrocyte AChE inhibitor. Venous blood samples were collected from 18 healthy Caucasian men. For each blood sample, erythrocyte suspensions were obtained and incubated in the absence (controls) and presence of ACh and timolol maleate (10 μM final concentration of each modulator). Both timolol and ACh induced significant GSNO efflux in the erythrocyte when compared to the control; however the efflux was lower in the presence of timolol compared to ACh. Although erythrocyte NO efflux in presence of timolol is similar to the control, the efflux decreased when compared to the ACh treatment. The presence of timolol induces significant decrease of intra-erythrocyte GSNO levels, relative to control and ACh treatment. In conclusion, when erythrocytes were stimulated with ACh or timolol, GSNO efflux occurred associated with NO efflux. These new results bring new insight into the metabolism of erythrocyte NO and new possible therapeutic applications for GSNO.