Availability of and access to water and energy are key ingredients for economic and social development. Unfortunately, more than a billion people still lack access to both safe freshwater and basic ...energy services. Future predictions show that the situation may become worse with about a 40% increase in energy demand and 30% increase in water demand by 2040. In addition, water and energy are highly interdependent, with water needed in all phases of the energy lifecycle and energy needed in all phases of the water lifecycle. While recent years have seen an increasing number of studies on the water-energy nexus, the research is focused on scattered individual areas of the nexus, each important in their own right. However, there is now a need to synthesize these efforts and identify the most important elements needed for a holistic water-energy nexus methodology. This paper focuses on the benefits to be gained from and the drawbacks of ignoring various water-energy interlinks for policy makers and planners in their goals to meet long term resource security. Several possible combinations of socio-economic and climate change scenarios make these goals even more challenging. The lessons learnt from reviewing different integration methodologies and studies are compiled into a list of key recommendations. It is found that current integration efforts are often biased towards the energy sector and its water requirements. There is still a need for better representations of the water infrastructure and corresponding linkages with the energy sector. There is also a need to harmonize the energy and water systems from both a technical and policy perspective. This calls for compatible disaggregation of spatial and temporal elements in both systems as well as designing model outputs to allow evaluation of the synergies and tradeoffs of multi-scale, cross-sector policies.
Background
A close association between hereditary alpha‐tryptasemia (HAT) and mast cell (MC) disorders has been previously reported. However, the relationship between HAT and the diagnostic subtypes ...and clinical features of MC disorders still remains to be established.
Objective
To determine the prevalence of HAT in healthy donors (HD) vs patients with different diagnostic subtypes of MC activation syndromes (MCAS) and mastocytosis, and its relationship with the clinical behavior of the disease.
Methods
A total of 959 subjects were studied including 346 healthy donors (HD), 464 mastocytosis, and 149 non‐clonal MCAS patients. Molecular studies to assess the TPSAB1 genotype were performed, and data on serum baseline tryptase (sBT) and basal MC‐mediator release episodes and triggers of anaphylaxis were collected.
Results
HAT was detected in 15/346 (4%) HD versus 43/149 (29%) non‐clonal MCAS and 84/464 (18%) mastocytosis cases. Among mastocytosis, HAT was more frequently found in patients with MC‐restricted KITD816V (21% vs. 10% among multilineage KITD816V patients; p = .008). Overall, median sBT was higher in cases presenting with HAT (28.9 vs. 24.5 ng/mL; p = .008), while no significant differences in sBT were observed among HAT+ mastocytosis patients depending on the presence of 1 vs. ≥2 extra copies of the α‐tryptase gene (44.1 vs. 35.2 ng/mL, p > .05). In turn, anaphylaxis was more frequently observed in HAT+ versus HAT− mastocytosis patients (76% vs. 65%; p = .018), while HAT+ and HAT− patients who did not refer anaphylaxis as the presenting symptom (n = 308) showed a similar prevalence of subsequent anaphylaxis (35% vs. 36%, respectively).
Conclusion
The frequency of HAT in MC disorders varies according to the diagnostic subtype of the disease. HAT does not imply a higher risk (and severity) of anaphylaxis in mastocytosis patients in whom anaphylaxis is not part of the presenting symptoms of the disease.
This study aimed to determine the prevalence of hereditary alpha‐tryptasemia (HAT) in healthy controls and patients with different diagnostic subtypes of mast cell activation syndromes and mastocytosis. HAT was detected in 4% healthy controls and in 29% of nc‐MCAS. Among mastocytosis patients, HAT was detected in 23% CM, 22% BMM, 16% ISM, 13% SSM, and 13% AvdSM cases. Median sBT was higher in cases presenting with HAT+ compared to HAT− mastocytosis patients. However, among HAT+ patients, there is no correlation between the number of extra copies of the α‐tryptase gene and sBT levels. Anaphylaxis was more frequently observed in HAT+ patients with mastocytosis. Those who did not refer anaphylaxis as the presenting symptom showed a similar prevalence of subsequent anaphylaxis (35% HAT− and 36% HAT+ patients).Abbreviations: HAT, hereditary alpha‐tryptasemia; MC, mast cell; sBT, serum baseline tryptase; SM, systemic mastocytosis; TPSAB1, tryptase alpha/beta 1 gene.
We report a new family of titanium–organic frameworks that enlarges the limited number of crystalline, porous materials available for this metal. They are chemically robust and can be prepared as ...single crystals at multi‐gram scale from multiple precursors. Their heterometallic structure enables engineering of their photoactivity by metal doping rather than by linker functionalization. Compared to other methodologies based on the post‐synthetic metallation of MOFs, our approach is well‐fitted for controlling the positioning of dopants at an atomic level to gain more precise control over the band‐gap and electronic properties of the porous solid. Changes in the band‐gap are also rationalized with computational modelling and experimentally confirmed by photocatalytic H2 production.
Metal doping in titanium MOFs: MUV‐10 are crystalline, porous titanium frameworks with excellent chemical stability in water. The presence of heterometallic clusters in the structure of the frameworks enables chemical engineering of the band‐gap by suitable doping with open shell metals rather than by linker functionalization. This observation is confirmed by computational modelling of the electronic structure of this family of solids.
The aim of our study was to evaluate the diagnostic performance of two antigen rapid diagnostic tests (Ag‐RDTs) to diagnose severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‐CoV‐2) infection. We ...evaluated Panbio and SD‐Biosensor Ag‐RDTs. We employed 186 polymerase chain reaction (PCR) negative samples to evaluate the specificity and 170 PCR positive samples to assess the sensitivity. We evaluated their sensitivity according to Cycle threshold (C
t) values and days post onset of symptoms (d.p.o.). Tests were compared using the McNemar's test. Agreement was evaluated using the kappa score. Specificity was 100% for Panbio and 97.3% for SD‐Biosensor. Sensitivity for samples with C
t ≤ 20 was 100% for both assays and for samples with C
t = 20–25 was 93.0% (Panbio) and 95.3% (SD‐Biosensor) (p = 1.000). Sensitivity decreased for samples wit C
t = 25–30 (Panbio: 41.3%, SD‐Biosensor: 52.2%, p = 0.125) and samples with C
t ≥ 30 (Panbio: 5.0%, SD‐Biosensor: 17.5%, p = 0.063). Sensitivity within seven d.p.o. was 87.7% for Panbio and 90.4% for SD‐Biosensor and notably decreased after seven d.p.o. Agreement with PCR was excellent for high viral load samples (C
t ≤ 25): Panbio, 98.9%, kappa = 0.974; SD‐Biosensor, 97.4%, kappa = 0.940. Agreement between Ag‐RDTs was excellent (94.9%, kappa = 0.882). Panbio and SD‐Biosensor Ag‐RDTs showed excellent agreement and diagnostic performance results for samples with high viral loads (C
t ≤ 25) or samples within seven d.p.o.
Highlights
Panbio and SD‐Biosensor Ag‐RDTs are reliable to diagnose SARS‐CoV‐2 infection.
They showed high specificity: 100% (Panbio) and 97.3% (SD‐Biosensor).
Sensitivity for samples with Ct ≤ 20 was 100% and for samples with Ct ≤ 25 was over 93%.
Their sensitivity was over 87% within 7 days after symptoms onset. Agreement between them was excellent (agreement = 94.9%, kappa = 0.882).
Atherosclerosis is a chronic inflammatory disease, but data on arterial inflammation at early stages is limited.
The purpose of this study was to characterize vascular inflammation by hybrid ...18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (18F-FDG) positron emission tomography/magnetic resonance imaging (PET/MRI).
Carotid, aortic, and ilio-femoral 18F-FDG PET/MRI was performed in 755 individuals (age 40 to 54 years; 83.7% men) with known plaques detected by 2-/3-dimensional vascular ultrasound and/or coronary calcification in the PESA (Progression of Early Subclinical Atherosclerosis) study. The authors evaluated the presence, distribution, and number of arterial inflammatory foci (increased 18F-FDG uptake) and plaques with or without inflammation (coincident 18F-FDG uptake).
Arterial inflammation was present in 48.2% of individuals (24.4% femorals, 19.3% aorta, 15.8% carotids, and 9.3% iliacs) and plaques in 90.1% (73.9% femorals, 55.8% iliacs, and 53.1% carotids). 18F-FDG arterial uptakes and plaques significantly increased with cardiovascular risk factors (p < 0.01). Coincident 18F-FDG uptakes were present in 287 of 2,605 (11%) plaques, and most uptakes were detected in plaque-free arterial segments (459 of 746; 61.5%). Plaque burden, defined by plaque presence, number, and volume, was significantly higher in individuals with arterial inflammation than in those without (p < 0.01). The number of plaques and 18F-FDG uptakes showed a positive albeit weak correlation (r = 0.25; p < 0.001).
Arterial inflammation is highly prevalent in middle-aged individuals with known subclinical atherosclerosis. Large-scale multiterritorial PET/MRI allows characterization of atherosclerosis-related arterial inflammation and demonstrates 18F-FDG uptake in plaque-free arterial segments and, less frequently, within plaques. These findings suggest an arterial inflammatory state at early stages of atherosclerosis. (Progression of Early Subclinical Atherosclerosis PESA; NCT01410318)
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Scope
Modulation of intestinal microbiota has emerged as a new therapeutic approach for non‐alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Herein, it is addressed whether gut microbiota modulation by ...quercetin and intestinal microbiota transplantation can influence NAFLD development.
Methods and results
Gut microbiota donor mice are selected according to their response to high‐fat diet (HFD) and quercetin in terms of obesity and NAFLD‐related biomarkers. Germ‐free recipients displayed metabolic phenotypic differences derived from interactions between microbiota transplanted, diets, and quercetin. Based on the evaluation of hallmark characteristics of NAFLD, it is found that gut microbiota transplantation from the HFD‐non‐responder donor and the HFD‐fed donor with the highest response to quercetin results in a protective phenotype against HFD‐induced NAFLD, in a mechanism that involves gut–liver axis alteration blockage in these receivers. Gut microbiota from the HFD‐responder donor predisposed transplanted germ‐free mice to NAFLD. Divergent protective and deleterious metabolic phenotypes exhibited are related to definite microbial profiles in recipients, highlighting the predominant role of Akkermansia genus in the protection from obesity‐associated NAFLD development.
Conclusions
The results provide scientific support for the prebiotic capacity of quercetin and the transfer of established metabolic profiles through gut microbiota transplantation as a protective strategy against the development of obesity‐related NAFLD.
A potential preventive strategy of quercetin intake and intestinal microbiota transplantation on obesity‐associated non‐alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is reported. Hight‐fat diet and quercetin administration result in different metabolic phenotypes, which are transmissible through gut microbiota transplantation to germ‐free mice. The interplay between intestinal microbiota profiles transplanted, diet, and quercetin results in metabolic phenotype transfer associated with protection or predisposition to develop obesity and NAFLD.
Childhood obesity has reached epidemic levels and is a serious health concern associated with metabolic syndrome, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, and gut microbiota alterations. Physical exercise ...is known to counteract obesity progression and modulate the gut microbiota composition. This study aims to determine the effect of a 12-week strength and endurance combined training program on gut microbiota and inflammation in obese pediatric patients. Thirty-nine obese children were assigned randomly to the control or training group. Anthropometric and biochemical parameters, muscular strength, and inflammatory signaling pathways in mononuclear cells were evaluated. Bacterial composition and functionality were determined by massive sequencing and metabolomic analysis. Exercise reduced plasma glucose levels and increased dynamic strength in the upper and lower extremities compared with the obese control group. Metagenomic analysis revealed a bacterial composition associated with obesity, showing changes at the phylum, class, and genus levels. Exercise counteracted this profile, significantly reducing the Proteobacteria phylum and Gammaproteobacteria class. Moreover, physical activity tended to increase some genera, such as Blautia, Dialister, and Roseburia, leading to a microbiota profile similar to that of healthy children. Metabolomic analysis revealed changes in short-chain fatty acids, branched-chain amino acids, and several sugars in response to exercise, in correlation with a specific microbiota profile. Finally, the training protocol significantly inhibited the activation of the obesity-associated NLRP3 signaling pathway. Our data suggest the existence of an obesity-related deleterious microbiota profile that is positively modified by physical activity intervention. Exercise training could be considered an efficient nonpharmacological therapy, reducing inflammatory signaling pathways induced by obesity in children via microbiota modulation.
•New hard-linked, linear optimization model for coupled water and energy analysis.•Life-cycle energy and water flows tracked both spatially and temporally.•Water quality changes tracked through ...individual processes.•Temperature change impacts on power plant cooling considered.•Coupled model shows lower costs, better efficiency and improved robustness.
Predictions show that pressure on already limited water and energy resources is expected to increase in many parts of the world as a result of growing populations, rapid urbanization, increasing pollution and climate change impacts. With water and energy playing a critical role in socio-economic development, ensuring resource security is a top policy concern. However, achieving this efficiently requires taking into account the various links between the two sectors through their joint management. Feedback between the water and energy sectors exists across system life-cycles and links the resources both spatially and temporally. Tracking the impacts of policies made in one sector on the other can thus be complicated and several ‘nexus’ methodologies have been developed to try and address these issues. However, the different physical, temporal and spatial characteristics of the water and energy systems present several hurdles in analyzing the two resources simultaneously. This paper overcomes many of these problems with a new, fully coupled water-energy optimization model. Based on a review of contemporary literature, the model develops an original methodology to hard-link the two systems in detail across spatial and temporal scales, as well as between individual system processes throughout the life-cycle of each resource. In addition, the model also tracks changes in water quality through each process, allowing for detailed accounting of the energy needs for water treatment. The methodology proposed in this paper can be used to investigate various cross-sectoral issues and policies such as: water availability and temperature impacts on power plant cooling; emission constraint and biofuel expansion planning impacts on water resources; and the implications of water infrastructure expansion on the energy system. The capabilities of the coupled model are investigated in an example case study for Spain. An integrated approach is shown to have several benefits including lower total costs, better resource efficiency and improved robustness for a wide range of variations in several uncertain parameters. Coupled water-energy planning thus provides a critical opportunity to improve resource security and prevent inefficient decisions which could exacerbate problems even further.
To develop a risk score for patients with advanced systemic mastocytosis (AdvSM) that integrates clinical and mutation characteristics.
The study included 383 patients with AdvSM from the German ...Registry on Disorders of Eosinophils and Mast Cells (training set; n = 231) and several centers for mastocytosis in the United States and Europe, all within the European Competence Network on Mastocytosis (validation set; n = 152). A Cox multivariable model was used to select variables that were predictive of overall survival (OS).
In multivariable analysis, the following risk factors were identified as being associated with OS: age greater than 60 years, anemia (hemoglobin < 10 g/dL), thrombocytopenia (platelets < 100 × 10
/L), presence of one high molecular risk gene mutation (ie, in
,
, and/or
), and presence of two or more high molecular risk gene mutations. By assigning hazard ratio-weighted points to these variables, the following three risk categories were defined: low risk (median OS, not reached), intermediate risk (median OS, 3.9 years; 95% CI, 2.1 to 5.7 years), and high risk (median OS, 1.9 years; 95% CI, 1.3 to 2.6 years;
< .001). The mutation-adjusted risk score (MARS) was independent of the WHO classification and was confirmed in the independent validation set. During a median follow-up time of 2.2 years (range, 0 to 23 years), 63 (16%) of 383 patients experienced a leukemic transformation to secondary mast cell leukemia (32%) or secondary acute myeloid leukemia (68%). The MARS was also predictive for leukemia-free survival (
< .001).
The MARS is a validated, five-parameter, WHO-independent prognostic score that defines three risk groups among patients with AdvSM and may improve up-front treatment stratification for these rare hematologic neoplasms.
HCN polymers are a group of complex and heterogeneous substances that are widely known in the fields of astrobiology and prebiotic chemistry. In addition, they have recently received considerable ...attention as potential functional material coatings. However, the real nature and pathways of formation of HCN polymers remain open questions. It is well established that the tuning of macromolecular structures determines the properties and practical applications of a polymeric material. Herein, different synthetic conditions were explored for the production of HCN polymers from NH4CN or diaminomaleonitrile in aqueous media with different concentrations of the starting reactants and several reaction times. By using a systematic methodology, both series of polymers were shown to exhibit similar, but not identical, spectroscopic and thermal fingerprints, which resulted in a clear differentiation of their morphological and electrochemical properties. New macrostructures are proposed for HCN polymers, and promising insights are discussed for prebiotic chemistry and materials science on the basis of the experimental results.
Making connections: Two sets of HCN polymers were synthesized from NH4CN or diaminomaleonitrile (DAMN) in aqueous medium (see figure). They show similar, but not identical, spectroscopic and thermal fingerprints, morphologies and electrochemical properties. On the basis of the experimental results, new macrostructures are proposed for HCN polymers, and new implications for prebiotic chemistry and materials science are discussed.
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