Ensuring food security is essential for achieving sustainable global development, requiring a balance between sufficient food production and maintaining its safety and nutritional value. However, this objective faces considerable challenges due to the infiltration of toxic metal species into the food supply. Heavy metals and metalloids, depending on their molecular form and daily dose, exhibit varying degrees of toxicity, making the precise identification of their species essential for assessing their impact on human health and the environment. This study focuses on identifying the primary anthropogenic sources and dissemination pathways of heavy metal pollutants, with an emphasis on their speciation and bioavailability. It examines how toxic metal species, such as Pb²⁺, Cd²⁺, Hg²⁺, and various arsenic species (AsIII and AsV), infiltrate ecosystems, bioaccumulate within the food chain, and ultimately compromise food safety and nutritional value. Furthermore, the research explores the physiological and biochemical disruptions caused by these toxic metal species, including the displacement of essential ions from enzymatic active sites and transport proteins due to competitive binding by pollutants, oxidative stress induced by reactive oxygen species generation, and cellular dysfunction affecting metabolic pathways and signaling cascades, all of which contribute to both chronic and acute health conditions. By providing a detailed analysis of exposure routes and toxicological processes, this paper highlights the far-reaching consequences of heavy metal contamination on public health and agricultural sustainability. Special attention is given to the need for precise terminology, as the toxicity of metals is inherently linked to their daily dose and chemical species rather than their elemental form. Finally, this study advocates for integrated, multidisciplinary strategies aimed at mitigating these risks, enhancing ecosystem stability, and ensuring long-term food security in the face of environmental challenges.

This meta-analysis aims to evaluate the effects of exercise in improving cardiometabolic risk factors in overweight children and adolescents until the adolescent age, which is 18 years. A systemic search was conducted using the electronic databases PubMed/Medline, Cochrane Library, and Google Scholar, from inception to 29 June 2021. All statistical analyses were conducted in Review Manager 5.4.1. All studies meeting the inclusion criteria were selected. A random-effect model was used to pool the studies, and the results are reported in the odds ratio (OR) and corresponding 95% Confidence interval (CI). Twelve randomized control trials were selected for meta-analysis. Significant results were obtained for BMI in children after the interventions (0.38 95% CI 0.14, 0.62; p = 0.002; I² = 65%). LDL level was also found significantly reduced (0.41 95% CI 0.01, 0.82; p = 0.05; I² = 83%). Other factors such as HDL level, blood pressure, blood glucose level, body weight, and waist circumference were also analyzed. We found that exercise interventions significantly improved several cardiometabolic risk factors such as BMI, LDL level, BP, and blood glucose level. However, no significant effect on HDL concentration, waist circumference, and body weight were found. Long-term interventions are needed to attain improvement in all cardiometabolic risk factors.

Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are the leading cause of mortality in Europe, with potentially more than 60 million deaths per year, with an age-standardized rate of morbidity-mortality higher in men than women, exceeding deaths from cancer. Heart attacks and strokes account for more than four out of every five CVD fatalities globally. After a patient overcomes an acute cardiovascular event, they are referred for rehabilitation to help them to restore most of their normal cardiac functions. One effective way to provide this activity regimen is via virtual models or telerehabilitation, where the patient can avail themselves of the rehabilitation services from the comfort of their homes at designated timings. Under the funding of the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation program, grant no 769807, a virtual rehabilitation assistant has been designed for elderly patients (vCare), with the overall objective of supporting recovery and an active life at home, enhancing patients’ quality of life, lowering disease-specific risk factors, and ensuring better adherence to a home rehabilitation program. In the vCare project, the Carol Davila University of Bucharest (UMFCD) was in charge of the heart failure (HF) and ischemic heart disease (IHD) groups of patients. By creating a digital environment at patients’ homes, the vCare system’s effectiveness, use, and feasibility was evaluated. A total of 30 heart failure patients and 20 ischemic heart disease patients were included in the study. Despite the COVID-19 restrictions and a few technical difficulties, HF and IHD patients who performed cardiac rehabilitation using the vCare system had similar results compared to the ambulatory group, and better results compared to the control group.

Cardiac rehabilitation is an individualized outpatient program of physical exercises and medical education designed to accelerate recovery and improve health status in heart disease patients. In this study, we aimed for assessment of patients’ perception of the involvement of technology and remote monitoring devices in cardiac recovery. During the Living Lab Phase of the Virtual Coaching Activities for Rehabilitation in Elderly (vCare) project, we evaluated eleven patients (five heart failure patients and six ischemic heart disease patients). Patient admission in the UMFCD cardiology clinical department served as a shared inclusion criterion for both study groups. In addition, the presence of II or III heart failure NYHA stage status was considered an inclusion criterion for the heart failure study group and patients diagnosed with ischemic heart disease for the second one. We conducted a system usability survey to assess the patients’ perception of the system’s technical and medical functions. The survey had excellent preliminary results in the heart failure study group and good results in the ischemic heart disease group. The limited access of patients to cardiac rehabilitation in Romania has led to increased interest and motivation in this study. The final version of the product is designed to adapt to patient needs and necessities; therefore, patient perception is necessary.

Older individuals often face disabilities or diseases that lower their quality of life (QoL). While inpatient rehabilitation can initially enhance QoL, there is often a lack of continuation at home. Virtual coaches (VCs) as specific embodied conversational agents promise appropriate support for home rehabilitation. They emerge as complementary digital aids to ensure care continuity. This paper presents the results of implementing a full-featured VC for older patients’ home rehabilitation in a multi-stage study, summarizing the main results regarding QoL outcomes and user experience tests. The study confirms the intervention as an engaging means for rehabilitation (mostly above user experience thresholds) and improvements of QoL (>10% between experimental and control groups).