Potential of local bio-geoengineering to mitigate dangerous temperature increases in a global warming scenario

Crops and forests are already responding to rising atmospheric carbon dioxide and air temperatures. Increasing atmospheric CO2 concentrations are expected to enhance plant photosynthesis. Nevertheless, after long-term exposure, plants acclimate and show a reduction in photosynthetic activity (i.e. down-regulation). If in the future the Earth"s temperature is allowed to rise further, plant ecosystems and food security will both face significant threats. The scientific community has recognized that an increase in global temperatures should remain below 2°C in order to combat climate change. All this evidence suggests that, in parallel with reductions in CO2 emissions, a more direct approach to mitigate global warming should be considered. We propose here that global warming could be partially mitigated directly through local bio-geoengineering approaches. For example, this could be done through the management of solar radiation at surface level, i.e. by increasing global albedo. Such an effect has been documented in the south-eastern part of Spain, where a significant surface air temperature trend of -0.3°C per decade has been observed due to a dramatic expansion of greenhouse horticulture.

Improved detection of Rhodococcus coprophilus with a new quantitative PCR assay.

Agricultural practices, such as spreading liquid manure or the utilisation of land as animal pastures, can result in faecal contamination of water resources. Rhodococcus coprophilus is used in microbial source tracking to indicate animal faecal contamination in water. Methods previously described for detecting of R. coprophilus in water were neither sensitive nor specific. Therefore, the aim of this study was to design and validate a new quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) to improve the detection of R. coprophilus in water. The new PCR assay was based on the R. coprophilus 16S rRNA gene. The validation showed that the new approach was specific and sensitive for deoxyribunucleic acid from target host species. Compared with other PCR assays tested in this study, the detection limit of the new qPCR was between 1 and 3 log lower. The method, including a filtration step, was further validated and successfully used in a field investigation in Switzerland. Our work demonstrated that the new detection method is sensitive and robust to detect R. coprophilus in surface and spring water. Compared with PCR assays that are available in the literature or to the culture-dependent method, the new molecular approach improves the detection of R. coprophilus.

Tuberculosis screening in patients with psoriasis before antitumour necrosis factor therapy: comparison of an interferon-gamma release assay vs. tuberculin skin test.

BACKGROUND: Antitumour necrosis factor (anti-TNF) treatments may reactivate latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI). For detecting LTBI, the tuberculin skin test (TST) has low sensitivity and specificity. Interferon-gamma release assays (IGRA) have been shown to be more sensitive and specific than TST. OBJECTIVE: To compare the TST and the T-SPOT.TB IGRA for identifying LTBI in patients with psoriasis before anti-TNF treatment. METHODS: A retrospective study was carried out over a 4-year period on patients with psoriasis requiring anti-TNF treatment. All were subjected to the TST, T-SPOT.TB and chest X-ray. Risk factors for LTBI and history of bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) vaccination were recorded. The association of T-SPOT.TB and TST results with risk factors for LTBI was tested through univariate logistic regression models. Agreement between tests was quantified using kappa statistics. Treatment for LTBI was started 1 month before anti-TNF therapy when indicated. RESULTS: Fifty patients were included; 90% had prior BCG vaccination. A positive T-SPOT.TB was strongly associated with a presumptive diagnosis of LTBI (odds ratio 7.43; 95% confidence interval 1.38-39.9), which was not the case for the TST. Agreement between the T-SPOT.TB and TST was poor, kappa = 0.33 (SD 0.13). LTBI was detected and treated in 20% of the patients. In 20% of the cases, LTBI was not retained in spite of a positive TST but a negative T-SPOT.TB. All patients received an anti-TNF agent for a median of 56 weeks (range 20-188); among patients with a positive TST/negative T-SPOT.TB, no tuberculosis was detected with a median follow-up of 64 weeks (44-188). One case of disseminated tuberculosis occurred after 28 weeks of adalimumab treatment in a patient with LTBI in spite of treatment with rifampicin. CONCLUSION: This study is the first to underline the frequency of LTBI in patients with psoriasis (20%), and to support the use of IGRA instead of the TST for its detection. Nevertheless, there is still a risk of tuberculosis under anti-TNF therapy, even if LTBI is correctly diagnosed and treated.

Real-time quantitative PCR assay for measurement of bird telomeres

We present the application of a real-time quantitative PCR assay, previously developed to measure relative telomere length in humans and mice, to two bird species, the zebra finch Taeniopygia guttata and the Alpine swift Apus melba. This technique is based on the PCR amplification of telomeric (TTAGGG)(n) sequences using specific oligonucleotide primers. Relative telomere length is expressed as the ratio (T/S) of telomere repeat copy number (T) to control single gene copy number (S). This method is particularly useful for comparisons of individuals within species, or where the same individuals are followed longitudinally. We used glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH) as a single control gene. In both species, we validated our PCR measurements of relative telomere length against absolute measurements of telomere length determined by the conventional method of quantifying telomere terminal restriction fragment (TRF) lengths using both the traditional Southern blot analysis (Alpine swifts) and in gel hybridization (zebra finches). As found in humans and mice, telomere lengths in the same sample measured by TRF and PCR were well correlated in both the Alpine swift and the zebra finch.. Hence, this PCR assay for measurement of bird telomeres, which is fast and requires only small amounts of genomic DNA, should open new avenues in the study of environmental factors influencing variation in telomere length, and how this variation translates into variation in cellular and whole organism senescence.

Can wild ungulate carcasses provide enough biomass to maintain avian scavenger populations? An empirical assessment using a bio-inspired computational model

Background: The reduction in the amount of food available for European avian scavengers as a consequence of restrictive public health policies is a concern for managers and conservationists. Since 2002, the application of several sanitary regulations has limited the availability of feeding resources provided by domestic carcasses, but theoretical studies assessing whether the availability of food resources provided by wild ungulates are enough to cover energetic requirements are lacking. Methodology/Findings: We assessed food provided by a wild ungulate population in two areas of NE Spain inhabited by three vulture species and developed a P System computational model to assess the effects of the carrion resources provided on their population dynamics. We compared the real population trend with to a hypothetical scenario in which only food provided by wild ungulates was available. Simulation testing of the model suggests that wild ungulates constitute an important food resource in the Pyrenees and the vulture population inhabiting this area could grow if only the food provided by wild ungulates would be available. On the contrary, in the Pre-Pyrenees there is insufficient food to cover the energy requirements of avian scavenger guilds, declining sharply if biomass from domestic animals would not be available. Conclusions/Significance: Our results suggest that public health legislation can modify scavenger population trends if a large number of domestic ungulate carcasses disappear from the mountains. In this case, food provided by wild ungulates could be not enough and supplementary feeding could be necessary if other alternative food resources are not available (i.e. the reintroduction of wild ungulates), preferably in European Mediterranean scenarios sharing similar and socio-economic conditions where there are low densities of wild ungulates. Managers should anticipate the conservation actions required by assessing food availability and the possible scenarios in order to make the most suitable decisions.

Toxicity screenings of nanomaterials: challenges due to interference with assay processes and components of classic in vitro tests.

Given the multiplicity of nanoparticles (NPs), there is a requirement to develop screening strategies to evaluate their toxicity. Within the EU-funded FP7 NanoTEST project, a panel of medically relevant NPs has been used to develop alternative testing strategies of NPs used in medical diagnostics. As conventional toxicity tests cannot necessarily be directly applied to NPs in the same manner as for soluble chemicals and drugs, we determined the extent of interference of NPs with each assay process and components. In this study, we fully characterized the panel of NP suspensions used in this project (poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid)-polyethylene oxide [PLGA-PEO], TiO2, SiO2, and uncoated and oleic-acid coated Fe3O4) and showed that many NP characteristics (composition, size, coatings, and agglomeration) interfere with a range of in vitro cytotoxicity assays (WST-1, MTT, lactate dehydrogenase, neutral red, propidium iodide, (3)H-thymidine incorporation, and cell counting), pro-inflammatory response evaluation (ELISA for GM-CSF, IL-6, and IL-8), and oxidative stress detection (monoBromoBimane, dichlorofluorescein, and NO assays). Interferences were assay specific as well as NP specific. We propose how to integrate and avoid interference with testing systems as a first step of a screening strategy for biomedical NPs.

Conservação pós-colheita de manga 'Tommy Atkins' orgânica sob recobrimentos bio-orgânicos

O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar a conservação pós-colheita de manga 'Tommy Atkins' orgânica destinada à exportação, colhida com Boas Práticas Agrícolas (CBP) e sem Boas Práticas Agrícolas (SBP), sob recobrimentos bio-orgânicos. Manga colhida na maturidade comercial foi recoberta com extrato de erva-doce a 1,5% (CBP+ED, SBP+ED), com extrato de erva-doce adicionada à fécula de mandioca a 3,0% (CBP+ED+F, SBP+ED+F) e Controle (sem recobrimento, CBP e SBP), armazenada a 10±0,5 ºC e 85±2% UR. O uso de BPA manteve a qualidade. O recobrimento com ED comprometeu a aparência da manga pela incidência de manchas na casca; recobrimento associando F + ED manteve a qualidade e retardou o amadurecimento.

LC-MS/MS based assay and reference intervals in children and adolescents for oxysterols elevated in Niemann-Pick diseases.

BACKGROUND: Niemann-Pick type C (NP-C) is a rare progressive neurodegenerative lipid storage disorder with heterogeneous clinical presentation and challenging diagnostic procedures. Recently oxysterols have been reported to be specific biomarkers for NP-C but knowledge on the intra-individual variation and on reference intervals in children and adolescents are lacking. METHODS: We established a LC-MS/MS assay to measure Cholestane-3β, 5α, 6β-triol (C-triol) and 7-Ketocholesterol (7-KC) following Steglich esterification. To assess reference intervals and intra-individual variation we determined oxysterols in 148 children and adolescents from 0 to 18 years and repeat measurements in 19 of them. RESULTS: The reported method is linear (r>0.99), sensitive (detection limit of 0.03 ng/mL [0.07 nM] for C-triol, and 0.54 ng/mL [1.35 nM] for 7-KC) and precise, with an intra-day imprecision of 4.8% and 4.1%, and an inter-day imprecision of 7.0% and 11.0% for C-triol (28 ng/ml, 67 nM) and 7-KC (32 ng/ml, 80 nM), respectively. Recoveries for 7-KC and C-triol range between 93% and 107%. The upper reference limit obtained for C-triol is 40.4 ng/mL (95% CI: 26.4-61.7 ng/mL, 96.0 nM, 95% CI: 62.8-146.7 nM) and 75.0 ng/mL for 7-KC (95% CI: 55.5-102.5 ng/mL, 187.2 nM, 95% CI: 138.53-255.8 nM), with no age or gender dependency. Both oxysterols have a broad intra-individual variation of 46%±23% for C-triol and 52%±29% for 7-KC. Nevertheless, all Niemann-Pick patients showed increased C-triol levels including Niemann-Pick type A and B patients. CONCLUSIONS: The LC-MS/MS assay is a robust assay to quantify C-triol and 7-KC in plasma with well documented reference intervals in children and adolescents to screen for NP-C in the pediatric population. In addition our results suggest that especially the C-triol is a biomarker for all three Niemann-Pick diseases.

Kuiva-, bio-, hyöty- ja ongelmajätteiden keskitetysti kilpailutettu kuljetusjärjestelmä Etelä-Karjalassa

Tutkimuksen tarkoituksena oli tuottaa tietoa kuiva-, bio-, hyöty- ja ongelmajätteiden keskitetysti kilpailutetun kuljetusjärjestelmän eduista ja haitoista Etelä-Karjalan Jätehuolto Oy:n alueella. Tutkimuksessa esitellään jätteenkuljetusjärjestelmien ominaisuudet ja niiden suunnittelu sekä jätehuoltoa ja jätteenkuljetuksia koskeva lainsäädäntö. Keskitetysti kilpailutettu jätteenkuljetusjärjestelmä mitoitettiin järjestelmän nykytilan kuvauksen sekä muualla Suomessa kilpailutuksesta saatujen kokemusten avulla. Järjestelmää arvioitiin vertaamalla kaluston tarvetta, kuormapainoja sekä kuljetuskustannuksia nykyiseen tilanteeseen. Lopuksi arvioitiin jatkokehitystarpeita ja tarvittavia toimenpiteitä, kun keskitettyyn kilpailuttamiseen siirrytään. Jätteenkuljetusten keskitetyllä kilpailuttamisella voidaan saavuttaa etuja nykyiseen kuntakohtaiseen jätteenkuljetukseen verrattuna. Edut syntyvät kun päällekkäiset ajot sekä siirtoajot vähenevät ja kuormakoot kasvavat. Kuljetukset voidaan hoitaa pienemmällä kalustomäärällä, jolloin myös kuljetuskustannukset laskevat.

Aspectos bio y cronoestratigraficos del Mioceno de Bera (Tarragona )

Se estudian los Moluscos, Foraminíferos, Palinología, Nanoplancton calcáreo de unos nuevos niveles arcilloso-limosos descubiertos en la excavación de un pozo en las proximidades de la Ermita de Berà (Tarragona); la excelente conservación de los restos paleontológicos permite un estudio más exahustivo. En conjunto, la mayoría de las características indican que se trataría de una sedimentación en condiciones neríticas alrededor de los 30 metros de profundidad con ciertas influencias de carácter estuarino. La presencia de abundantes Orbulina, T. mayeri, junto con G. praemenardii y ausencia de G. fohsi peripheroronda (presente en otras secciones próximas) permite atribuir los niveles a la biozona de G. mayeri, de edad Serravalliense; los datos de Nanoplancton son acordes con dicha edad.