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OBJETIVO: explorar el estado de la literatura científica sobre los aspectos de infodemia y desinformación en salud vinculados al género y a la interseccionalidad, detectar vacíos de conocimiento y brindar recomendaciones. MÉTODOS: revisión de alcance global, con la detección de vacíos de conocimiento y recomendaciones. Se buscó en ocho bases de datos: MEDLINE (Pubmed), Anthropological Index Online, Studies on Women & Gender Abstracts, LILACS, Scielo, Global Index Medicus, Web of Science, Google académico y se hizo una búsqueda manual en Google de documentos de los últimos 10 años, sin restricciones de idioma y geográficas. Se realizó un análisis de contenido de los estudios incluidos. RESULTADOS: 855 registros fueron identificados y 21 cumplieron con los criterios de inclusión. Predominan los estudios que tuvieron como primer autor/a una mujer (13/21), aunque en la autoría global se destacaron los hombres (10/21). El modelo binario fue el enfoque principal (16/21). La mayoría (18/21) se publicaron a partir del 2020. Se abordaron principalmente temas relacionados con la COVID-19 y la salud sexual y reproductiva (antes de la pandemia), y en menor medida la salud mental. Se identificaron interacciones entre diferencias de sexo/género en la desinformación/infodemia en salud especialmente en mujeres, colectivos de género diverso, personas mayores y población de bajo nivel socioeducativo. CONCLUSIONES: existen brechas de conocimiento en el tema explorado, con escaso número de estudios, y limitaciones de alcances y del enfoque de género y/o feminista (más allá del binario). No obstante, los resultados tentativos constatan la presencia de inequidades de género e interseccionalidad en la desinformación en salud. PALABRAS CLAVE: infodemia, desinformación, género, COVID-19, revisión sistemática.

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Bacteria persisting in environments contaminated with polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) have developed physiological mechanisms to counteract environmental stress. Inorganic polyphosphate accumulation represents one of these possible mechanisms. Likewise, properties such as cell-surface hydrophobicity, auto-aggregation, biofilm formation and bioemulsifying activity could facilitate interaction of microorganisms with hydrophobic organic compounds. In this work, these physiological properties were compared in indigenous bacteria from polluted sediments from Argentinian Patagonia, which were cultivated in two culture media (LBm and JPP) as a way to improve in the next future the PAHs removal. The highest hydrophobicity values were obtained in Rhodococcus strains, while Bacillus sp. B18 showed the highest auto-aggregation percentage and emulsion index. The highest numerical values of biofilm formation were determined in Rhodococcus sp. F27, Pseudomonas sp. P26, and Gordonia sp. H19 either on hydrophilic or on hydrophobic support. The qualitative and quantitative polyP determinations confirmed the presence of this biopolymer in the strains evaluated. The highest intracellular phosphate mean values were obtained in Bacillus sp. B18 in LBm and Rhodococcus erythropolis 20 in JPP. The bacteria evaluated belonging to different genera showed significant differences in their cell-surface characteristics, bioemulsifying activity and polyP accumulation. The low-cost JPP culture medium was selected for future contaminant removal studies.

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Background: Bacteriophage therapy is becoming part of mainstream Western medicine since antibiotics of clinical use tend to fail. It involves applying lytic bacteriophages that self-replicate and induce cell lysis, thus killing their hosts. Nevertheless, bacterial killing promotes the selection of resistant clones which sometimes may exhibit a decrease in bacterial virulence or antibiotic resistance. Methods: In this work, we studied the Pseudomonas aeruginosa lytic phage φDCL-PA6 and its variant φDCL-PA6α. Additionally, we characterized and evaluated the production of virulence factors and the virulence in a Galleria mellonella model of resistant mutants against each phage for PA14 and two clinical strains. Results: Phage φDCL-PA6α differs from the original by only two amino acids: one in the baseplate wedge subunit and another in the tail fiber protein. According to genomic data and cross-resistance experiments, these changes may promote the change of the phage receptor from the O-antigen to the core lipopolysaccharide. Interestingly, the host range of the two phages differs as determined against the Pseudomonas aeruginosa reference strains PA14 and PAO1 and against nine multidrug-resistant isolates from ventilator associated pneumonia. Conclusions: We show as well that phage resistance impacts virulence factor production. Specifically, phage resistance led to decreased biofilm formation, swarming, and type III secretion; therefore, the virulence towards Galleria mellonella was dramatically attenuated. Furthermore, antibiotic resistance decreased for one clinical strain. Our study highlights important potential advantages of phage therapy's evolutionary impact that may be exploited to generate robust therapy schemes.

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Interpersonal emotion regulation (ER) refers to the different processes aimed at changing the emotional states of others. Some authors have speculated about the pivotal role of empathy for interpersonal ER to happen. However, the very limited empirical evidence suggests that only cognitive empathy as opposed to affective empathy may be a necessary antecedent. As previous research only considered interpersonal affect improvement and showed mixed evidence for the regulation strategies, we aimed to address this gap in the current research. To that aim, 374 adults (M = 30.3 years, 249 female) reported their tendency to engage in cognitive (perspective-taking) and affective empathy (empathic concern and personal distress) as well as their tendency to improve and worsen others' mood, and to use different regulation strategies (situation modification, attention deployment, cognitive change, and modulation of the emotional response) to change others' feelings. Results of the regression analyses showed that while affect improvement was not significantly predicted by any of the empathy variables, affect worsening was positively predicted by personal distress. Concerning the regulation strategies, while cognitive change and situation modification were positively predicted by personal distress, attention deployment was positively predicted by perspective-taking. Overall, the obtained results highlight the need to further investigate the link between empathy and ER and to carefully consider the methods selected for that purpose.

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RESUMEN Objetivo: Determinar la efectividad de la ventilación no invasiva frente a oxigenoterapia convencional en pacientes con insuficiencia respiratoria aguda tras fracaso de la extubación. Métodos: Ensayo clínico pragmático realizado una unidad de cuidados intensivos de marzo de 2009 a septiembre de 2016. Se incluyeron pacientes sometidos a ventilación mecánica > 24 horas, y que desarrollaron insuficiencia respiratoria aguda tras extubación programada, siendo asignados a ventilación no invasiva u oxigenoterapia convencional. El objetivo primario fue reducir la tasa de reintubación. Los objetivos secundarios fueron: mejora de los parámetros respiratorios, reducción de las complicaciones, de la duración de la ventilación mecánica, de la estancia en unidad de cuidados intensivos y hospitalaria, así como de la mortalidad en unidad de cuidados intensivos, hospitalaria y a los 90 días. También se analizaron los factores relacionados con la reintubación. Resultados: De un total de 2.574 pacientes, se analizaron 77 (38 en el grupo de ventilación no invasiva y 39 en el grupo de oxigenoterapia convencional). La ventilación no invasiva redujo la frecuencia respiratoria y cardíaca más rápidamente que la oxigenoterapia convencional. La reintubación fue menor en el grupo de ventilación no invasiva [12 (32%) versus 22(56%) en grupo oxigenoterapia convencional, RR 0,58 (IC95% 0,34 - 0,97), p = 0,039], el resto de los parámetros no mostró diferencias significativas. En el análisis multivariante, la ventilación no invasiva prevenía la reintubación [OR 0,17 (IC95% 0,05 - 0,56), p = 0,004], mientras que el fracaso hepático previo a la extubación y la incapacidad para mantener vía aérea permeable predisponían a la reintubación. Conclusión: El empleo de la ventilación no invasiva en pacientes que fracasa la extubación podría ser beneficiosa frente a la oxigenoterapia convencional.

ABSTRACT Objective: To determine the effectiveness of noninvasive ventilation versus conventional oxygen therapy in patients with acute respiratory failure after extubation failure. Methods: A pragmatic clinical trial was conducted in an intensive care unit from March 2009 to September 2016. Patients on mechanical ventilation > 24 hours who developed acute respiratory failure after scheduled extubation were included and were assigned to noninvasive ventilation or conventional oxygen therapy. The primary objective was to reduce the reintubation rate. The secondary objectives were to improve respiratory parameters and reduce complications, the duration of mechanical ventilation, the intensive care unit stay, the hospital stay, and mortality in the intensive care unit, in the hospital, and 90 days after discharge. Factors correlated with reintubation were also analyzed. Results: Of a total of 2,574 patients, 77 were analyzed (38 in the noninvasive ventilation group and 39 in the conventional oxygen therapy group). Noninvasive ventilation reduced the respiratory and cardiac rates more rapidly than conventional oxygen therapy. Reintubation was less common in the noninvasive ventilation group [12 (32%) versus 22 (56%) in the conventional oxygen therapy group, relative risk 0.58 (95%CI 0.34 - 0.97), p = 0.039]. The rest of the parameters did not show significant differences. In the multivariate analysis, noninvasive ventilation protected against reintubation [OR 0.17 (95%CI 0.05 - 0.56), p = 0.004], while liver failure before extubation and the inability to maintain airway patency predisposed patients to reintubation. Conclusion: The use of noninvasive ventilation in patients who failed extubation could be beneficial compared to conventional oxygen therapy.

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Quorum sensing modulates bacterial collective behaviors including biofilm formation, motility and virulence in the important human pathogen Acinetobacter baumannii. Disruption of quorum sensing has emerged as a promising strategy with important therapeutic potential. In this work, we show that light modulates the production of acyl-homoserine lactones (AHLs), which were produced in higher levels in the dark than under blue light at environmental temperatures, a response that depends on the AHL synthase, AbaI, and on the photoreceptor BlsA. BlsA interacts with the transcriptional regulator AbaR in the dark at environmental temperatures, inducing abaI expression. Under blue light, BlsA does not interact with AbaR, but induces expression of the lactonase aidA and quorum quenching, consistently with lack of motility at this condition. At temperatures found in warm-blooded hosts, the production of AHLs, quorum quenching as well as abaI and aidA expression were also modulated by light, though in this case higher levels of AHLs were detected under blue light than in the dark, in a BlsA-independent manner. Finally, AbaI reduces A. baumannii's ability to kill C. albicans only in the dark both at environmental as well as at temperatures found in warm-blooded hosts. The overall data indicate that light directly modulates quorum network in A. baumannii.

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OBJECTIVE: To determine the effectiveness of noninvasive ventilation versus conventional oxygen therapy in patients with acute respiratory failure after extubation failure. METHODS: A pragmatic clinical trial was conducted in an intensive care unit from March 2009 to September 2016. Patients on mechanical ventilation > 24 hours who developed acute respiratory failure after scheduled extubation were included and were assigned to noninvasive ventilation or conventional oxygen therapy. The primary objective was to reduce the reintubation rate. The secondary objectives were to improve respiratory parameters and reduce complications, the duration of mechanical ventilation, the intensive care unit stay, the hospital stay, and mortality in the intensive care unit, in the hospital, and 90 days after discharge. Factors correlated with reintubation were also analyzed. RESULTS: Of a total of 2,574 patients, 77 were analyzed (38 in the noninvasive ventilation group and 39 in the conventional oxygen therapy group). Noninvasive ventilation reduced the respiratory and cardiac rates more rapidly than conventional oxygen therapy. Reintubation was less common in the noninvasive ventilation group [12 (32%) versus 22 (56%) in the conventional oxygen therapy group, relative risk 0.58 (95%CI 0.34 - 0.97), p = 0.039]. The rest of the parameters did not show significant differences. In the multivariate analysis, noninvasive ventilation protected against reintubation [OR 0.17 (95%CI 0.05 - 0.56), p = 0.004], while liver failure before extubation and the inability to maintain airway patency predisposed patients to reintubation. CONCLUSION: The use of noninvasive ventilation in patients who failed extubation could be beneficial compared to conventional oxygen therapy.

OBJETIVO: Determinar la efectividad de la ventilación no invasiva frente a oxigenoterapia convencional en pacientes con insuficiencia respiratoria aguda tras fracaso de la extubación. MÉTODOS: Ensayo clínico pragmático realizado una unidad de cuidados intensivos de marzo de 2009 a septiembre de 2016. Se incluyeron pacientes sometidos a ventilación mecánica > 24 horas, y que desarrollaron insuficiencia respiratoria aguda tras extubación programada, siendo asignados a ventilación no invasiva u oxigenoterapia convencional. El objetivo primario fue reducir la tasa de reintubación. Los objetivos secundarios fueron: mejora de los parámetros respiratorios, reducción de las complicaciones, de la duración de la ventilación mecánica, de la estancia en unidad de cuidados intensivos y hospitalaria, así como de la mortalidad en unidad de cuidados intensivos, hospitalaria y a los 90 días. También se analizaron los factores relacionados con la reintubación. RESULTADOS: De un total de 2.574 pacientes, se analizaron 77 (38 en el grupo de ventilación no invasiva y 39 en el grupo de oxigenoterapia convencional). La ventilación no invasiva redujo la frecuencia respiratoria y cardíaca más rápidamente que la oxigenoterapia convencional. La reintubación fue menor en el grupo de ventilación no invasiva [12 (32%) versus 22(56%) en grupo oxigenoterapia convencional, RR 0,58 (IC95% 0,34 - 0,97), p = 0,039], el resto de los parámetros no mostró diferencias significativas. En el análisis multivariante, la ventilación no invasiva prevenía la reintubación [OR 0,17 (IC95% 0,05 - 0,56), p = 0,004], mientras que el fracaso hepático previo a la extubación y la incapacidad para mantener vía aérea permeable predisponían a la reintubación. CONCLUSIÓN: El empleo de la ventilación no invasiva en pacientes que fracasa la extubación podría ser beneficiosa frente a la oxigenoterapia convencional.

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There are more and more studies that establish that viruses similar to the coronavirus (SARS) can be transmitted from animals to people hundreds of thousands of times a year, facilitating new adaptations in humans and therefore the development of pandemics1 . Recently, a work under review based on samples from the Indochinese peninsula, concludes that these viruses can move rapidly in wide geographic ranges in bat reservoirs, frequently infecting people who work in caves, such as guano collectors, or certain ascetic religious communities who spend time in or very close to caves, as well as tourists who visit caves, at particular risk of exposure2 . In addition, it must be considered that it will also depend on the evolution of the SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) variants associated with global vaccination campaigns in order to maintain the efficacy of current vaccines3 . It is therefore of vital importance to continue innovating in new vaccination strategies that allow covering the majority of coronaviruses of animal origin, as well as new variants derived from SARS-CoV-2

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Plants can respond and adapt to changes in the internal content of carbon and nitrogen by using organic compounds that widely differ in their carbon/nitrogen ratio. Among them, the amides asparagine and glutamine are believed to be preferred by most plants, including Arabidopsis. However, increases in the ureides allantoin and/or allantoate concentrations have been observed in different plant species under several environmental conditions. In this work, changes in the ratio between carbon skeletons and reduced nitrogen were investigated by varying the concentrations of nitrogen and sucrose in the growth media. Allantoin accumulation was observed when plants were grown in media with high ammonia concentrations. This increase was reverted by adding sucrose as additional carbon source. Moreover, mutant plants with a decreased capability to degrade allantoin showed a compromised growth compared to WT in ammonia supplemented media. Together, our results indicate that allantoin accumulation is induced by low carbon/nitrogen ratio and suggest that its degradation is critical for proper plant growth and development.

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Allantoin is a purine oxidative product involved in long distance transport of organic nitrogen in nodulating legumes and was recently shown to play a role in stress tolerance in other plants. The subcellular localization of enzymes that catalyze allantoin synthesis and degradation indicates that allantoin is produced in peroxisomes and degraded in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). Although it has been determined that allantoin is mostly synthesized in roots and transported to shoots either for organic nitrogen translocation in legumes or for plant protection during stress in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana), the mechanism and molecular components of allantoin export from root cells are still unknown. AtUPS5 (Arabidopsis UREIDE PERMEASE 5) is a transmembrane protein that transports allantoin with high affinity when expressed in yeast. The subcellular fate of splicing variants AtUPS5L (long) and AtUPS5S (short) was studied by tagging them with fluorescent proteins in their cytosolic loops. The capability of these fusion proteins to complement the function of the native proteins was demonstrated by nutritional and salt stress experiments. Both variants localized to the ER, but the AtUPS5L variant was also detected in the trans-Golgi network/early endosome and at the plasma membrane. AtUPS5L and AtUPS5S localization indicates that they could have different roles in allantoin distribution between subcellular compartments. Our data suggest that under nonstress conditions UPS5L and UPS5S may function in allantoin degradation for nutrient recycling, whereas under stress, both genes may be involved in vesicular export allowing allantoin translocation from roots to shoots.

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Acinetobacter spp. are found in all environments on Earth due to their extraordinary capacity to survive in the presence of physical and chemical stressors. In this study, we analyzed global gene expression in airborne Acinetobacter sp. strain 5-2Ac02 isolated from hospital environment in response to quorum network modulators and found that they induced the expression of genes of the acetoin/butanediol catabolism, volatile compounds shown to mediate interkingdom interactions. Interestingly, the acoN gene, annotated as a putative transcriptional regulator, was truncated in the downstream regulatory region of the induced acetoin/butanediol cluster in Acinetobacter sp. strain 5-2Ac02, and its functioning as a negative regulator of this cluster integrating quorum signals was confirmed in Acinetobacter baumannii ATCC 17978. Moreover, we show that the acetoin catabolism is also induced by light and provide insights into the light transduction mechanism by showing that the photoreceptor BlsA interacts with and antagonizes the functioning of AcoN in A. baumannii, integrating also a temperature signal. The data support a model in which BlsA interacts with and likely sequesters AcoN at this condition, relieving acetoin catabolic genes from repression, and leading to better growth under blue light. This photoregulation depends on temperature, occurring at 23°C but not at 30°C. BlsA is thus a dual regulator, modulating different transcriptional regulators in the dark but also under blue light, representing thus a novel concept. The overall data show that quorum modulators as well as light regulate the acetoin catabolic cluster, providing a better understanding of environmental as well as clinical bacteria.

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O artigo discute como variáveis individuais e características do local de moradia influenciam a heteroclassificação e suas diferenças com a autoclassificação racial, na Região Metropolitana de Belo Horizonte. A análise busca compreender a construção social da raça e sua fluidez na sociedade, uma vez que as classificações refletem formas de vivências e interpretações da raça. Os dados utilizados são do BH Area Survey (2005), do Censo Demográfico (2010) e do Atlas do Desenvolvimento Humano (2013), por meio de modelos de regressão logística. Os resultados apontam que a heteroclassificação é influenciada por características individuais e contextuais. Para aqueles que se autoidentificam brancos, a escolaridade, a renda e a distribuição racial local se associam às chances de serem heteroclassificados como brancos, ao passo que para os autoidentificados negros, apenas a escolaridade aumenta as chances de sua heteroclassificação ser branca. Dessa forma, sustenta-se que há fluidez racial na Região Metropolitana de Belo Horizonte, no sentido de que a classificação é influenciada pelas características socioeconômicas e contextuais.

The article discusses how individual variables and neighborhood characteristics influence heteroclassification and its differences with racial self-classification, in the Belo Horizonte Metropolitan Area. The analysis seeks to understand the social construction of race and its fluidity in society, given that different types of classifications reflect distinct experiences and interpretations of race. Data used are from the BH Area Survey (2005), the Brazilian Demographic Census (2010) and the Human Development Atlas (2013), for the analysis we used logistic regression models. Results indicate that hetero-classification is influenced by individual and contextual characteristics. For those who self-identify as white, schooling, income and local racial distribution are associated with opportunities of being hetero-classified as white, whereas for individuals self-identifying as black, only schooling increases the chances of being hetero-classified as white. Thus, we conclude that there is racial fluidity in the Belo Horizonte Metropolitan Area, in the sense that classification is influenced by socioeconomic and contextual characteristics.

El artículo discute cómo variables individuales y características de la vivienda influencian la heteroclasificación y sus diferencias con la autoclasificación racial, en la Región Metropolitana de Belo Horizonte. El análisis busca comprender la construcción social de la raza y su fluidez en la sociedad, ya que las clasificaciones reflejan formas de vivencias e interpretaciones de ella. Los datos utilizados son del BH Area Survey de 2005, del censo demográfico de 2010 y del Atlas del Desarrollo Humano (2013). Para el análisis se usaron modelos de regresión logística. Los resultados apuntan a que la heteroclasificación es influenciada por características individuales y contextuales. Para aquellos que se autoidentifican blancos, la escolaridad, la renta y la distribución racial local se asocian a las posibilidades de ser heteroclasificado como blanco, mientras que para los autoidentificados negros, solo la escolaridad aumenta las posibilidades de su heteroclasificación ser blancos. De esta forma, se sostiene que hay fluidez racial en la Región Metropolitana de Belo Horizonte, en el sentido de que la clasificación es influenciada por las características socioeconómicas y contextuales.

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Quorum sensing (QS) in Pseudomonas aeruginosa coordinates the expression of virulence factors, such as exoproteases and siderophores, that are public goods utilized by the whole population of bacteria, regardless of whether they invested or not in their production. These public goods can be used by QS defective mutants for growth, and since these mutants do not contribute to public goods production, they are considered social cheaters. Pyocyanin is a phenazine that is a toxic, QS-controlled metabolite produced by P. aeruginosa. It is a redox-active compound and promotes the generation of reactive oxygen species; it also possesses antibacterial properties and increases fitness in competition with other bacterial species. Since QS-deficient individuals are less able to tolerate oxidative stress, we hypothesized that the pyocyanin produced by the wild-type population could promote selection of functional QS systems in this bacterium. Here, we demonstrate, using competition experiments and mathematical models, that, indeed, pyocyanin increases the fitness of the cooperative QS-proficient individuals and restricts the appearance of social cheaters. In addition, we also show that pyocyanin is able to select QS in other bacteria such as Acinetobacter baumannii.

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Escherichia coli is one of the main causes of uncomplicated urinary tract infections and responsible of vaginal infections. Lactobacilli can inhibit this pathogen by the production of antimicrobial substances as organic acids, hydrogen peroxide and/or bacteriocins. The aim of this work was to study the effects of beneficial vaginal lactobacilli on E. coli through in vitro experiments. The inhibitory activity of three vaginal Lactobacillus strains against E. coli was assessed using the agar plate diffusion. Moreover, the effect of Lactobacillus reuteri CRL (Centro de Referencia para Lactobacilos Culture Collection) 1324 on the adhesion and internalization capabilities of E. coli was studied on HeLa cells. Two Lactobacillus strains inhibited the growth of the pathogens by production of organic acids. L. reuteri CRL 1324 reduced the adhesion and internalization of E. coli 275 into HeLa cells. The results obtained suggest that L. reuteri CRL 1324 can be considered as a probiotic candidate for further in vivo studies for the prevention or treatment of urinary tract infections caused by E. coli.

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Acinetobacter spp. are found in 53% of air colonization samples from the hospital environment. In this work, we sequenced all the genome of airborne Acinetobacter sp. strain 5-2Ac02. We found important features at the genomic level in regards to the rhizome. By phylogenetic analysis, A. towneri was the species most closely related to Acinetobacter sp. 5-2Ac02.

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Las implicaciones clínicas y sociales derivadas del consumo intensivo de alcohol (CIA) en universitarios motivan la necesidad de analizar los factores que favorecen su aparición. Este estudio evalúa cómo influye la cantidad de alcohol ingerido, la edad de inicio en el consumo de esta sustancia y los motivos asociados a esta conducta en la presencia de un mayor o menor número de consecuencias psicosociales. 312 estudiantes de primero de la Universidad de Valencia que realizan CIA cumplimentaron el instrumento IECI (Cortés et al., 2012): autoregistro de consumo, motivos asociados a esta ingesta y consecuencias psicosociales derivadas. Se confirman resultados de investigaciones precedentes. Ambos sexos duplican los gramos de alcohol que definen un CIA. Aparecen diferencias en los efectos esperados en función del sexo, así como en la edad de inicio en el consumo y en el número de consecuencias experimentadas. Los análisis de regresión de orden jerárquico muestran la importancia de la edad de inicio y los motivos, por encima de los gramos consumidos, para dar cuenta del deterioro psicosocial generado por la ingesta. Esto apoya la necesidad de atender a la combinación de variables en la explicación y posterior intervención para paliar las consecuencias derivadas del CIA.

Drinking onset, motives and alcohol use in the prediction of alcohol-related problems in undergraduate binge drinkers. The clinical and social implications derived from binge drinking (BD) in university students cause the need to analyze the factors which contribute to its appearance. This research assesses the influence of the amount of alcohol consumed, drinking onset and the motives associated with this behaviour in the presence of a greater or least number of psychological consequences. 312 first year university students at Valencia University performing BD completed the IECI instrument (Cortés et al., 2012): self report about consumption, associated motives to their consumption and the psychosocial consequences. Results are confirmed by previous research. Both sexes double the grams of alcohol which define a BD. Differences appear in the expected outcome depending on the sex as well as the age at which they drinking onset and the number of experienced consequences. The hierarchical regression analysis shows the importance of the drinking onset and the motives, above the quantity of consumed grams, in order to report the psychosocial impairment generated by the intake. This supports the need to comply with the combination of variables in the explanation and subsequent intervention to alleviate the consequences of the BD.

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Adhesion and biofilm formation are strain properties that reportedly contribute to the permanence of lactobacilli in the human vagina. The kinetics of biofilm formation and the chemical nature of the biofilm matrix formed by Lactobacillus reuteri CRL (Centro de Referencia para Lactobacilos Culture Collection) 1324 and Lactobacillus rhamnosus CRL 1332, vaginal beneficial strains, were evaluated in this work. Crystal violet-stained microplate assay and techniques of epifluorescence, electron and confocal microscopy were applied. The highest density and complexity of biofilms of both vaginal lactobacilli were observed at 72 h of incubation. Protease, proteinase K, α-chymotrypsin and trypsin treatments efficiently detached L. reuteri CRL 1324 biofilm that was also partially affected by α-amylase. However, L. rhamnosus CRL 1332 biofilm was slightly affected by protease, proteinase K and α-amylase. Confocal microscopy revealed greater amount of polysaccharides in L. rhamnosus CRL 1332 biofilm matrix than in L. reuteri CRL 1324 biofilm matrix. The results indicate that proteins are one of the main components of the L. reuteri CRL 1324 biofilm, while the biofilm matrix of L. rhamnosus CRL 1332 is composed of carbohydrates and proteins. The results obtained support the knowledge, understanding and characterization of two biofilm-forming vaginal Lactobacillus strains.

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