•Soil organic matter is significantly related to crop nutrient composition.•Soil organic matter is impacted by land use type and farm management.•Increasing soil organic matter by 1% can meet the ...nutrient needs of an extra 0.5 persons per hectare.
Global crop yield gains have not be associated with increases in the many macro- and micro-nutrients needed for a balanced human diet. There is thus growing interest in improving agricultural practices to increase nutrient availability to people. Because nutrients in crops come from soil, soil management—such as building soil organic matter—could be a tool in managing agriculture to produce more nutritious food. To understand the relationship between soil organic matter and nutritional quality, we measured soil organic matter fractions, crop yield, and wheat nutrient composition on smallholder farms along a land-use and land-cover gradient in Ethiopia. We found that wheat yields and protein content were related to organic matter nitrogen, and zinc content was related to organic matter carbon. Increasing organic matter carbon by 1% was associated with an increase in zinc equivalent to the needs of 0.2 additional people per hectare; increasing organic matter nitrogen by 1% was associated with an increase in protein equivalent to the daily needs of 0.1 additional people per hectare. Soil organic matter—and its associated fractions—was greatest in soils closest to a state forest and in home gardens (as opposed to in wheat fields). Wheat fields closer to the forest had elevated soil organic matter fractions relative to wheat soils closest to the market town. Our results indicate that realistic gains in soil organic matter could make human-health-relevant increases in wheat nutrient content. Soil organic matter management can therefore be an additional tool for feeding the world well.
Although now believed to be two distinct disorders, autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and schizophrenia spectrum disorders (SSD) share multiple phenotypic similarities and risk factors, and have been ...reported to co-occur at elevated rates. In this narrative review, we give a brief overview of the phenomenological, genetic, environmental, and imaging evidence for the overlap between ASD and SSD, highlighting similarities and areas of distinction. We examine eight possible alternate models of explanation for the association and comorbidity between the disorders, and set out a research agenda to test these models. Understanding how and why these disorders co-occur has important implications for diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis, as well as for developing fundamental aetiological models of the disorders.
Cesarean delivery is being increasingly used by obstetricians for indicated deliveries in the second stage of labor. Unplanned extension of the uterine incision involving the cervix often occurs with ...these surgeries. Therefore, we hypothesized that cesarean delivery in the second stage of labor may increase the rate of subsequent spontaneous premature birth.
We sought to determine if cesarean delivery in the late first stage of labor or in the second stage of labor increases the risk of a subsequent spontaneous preterm birth.
We conducted a retrospective cohort study of matched first and second births from a large Canadian perinatal database. The primary outcomes were spontaneous premature birth <37 and <32 weeks of gestation in the second birth. The exposure was stage of labor and cervical dilation at the time of the first cesarean delivery. The protocol and analysis plan was registered prior to obtaining data at Open Science Foundation.
In total, 189,021 paired first and second births were identified. The risk of spontaneous preterm delivery <37 and <32 weeks of gestation in the second birth was increased when the first birth was by cesarean delivery in the second stage of labor (relative risk, 1.57; 95% confidence interval, 1.43–1.73 and relative risk, 2.12; 95% confidence interval, 1.67–2.68, respectively). The risk of perinatal death in the second birth, excluding congenital anomalies, was also correspondingly increased (relative risk, 1.44; 95% confidence interval, 1.05–1.96).
Cesarean delivery in second stage of labor was associated with a 2-fold increase in the risk of spontaneous preterm birth <32 weeks of gestation in a subsequent birth. This information may inform management of operative delivery in the second stage.
This study investigated the influence of personality characteristics and gender on adolescents' perception of risk and their risk-taking behaviour. Male and female participants (157 females: 116 ...males, aged 13-20) completed self-report measures on risk perception, risk-taking and personality. Male participants perceived behaviours as less risky, reportedly took more risks, were less sensitive to negative outcomes and less socially anxious than female participants. Path analysis identified a model in which age, behavioural inhibition and impulsiveness directly influenced risk perception, while age, social anxiety, impulsiveness, sensitivity to reward, behavioural inhibition and risk perception itself were directly or indirectly associated with risk-taking behaviour. Age and behavioural inhibition had direct relationships with social anxiety, and reward sensitivity was associated with impulsiveness. The model was representative for the whole sample and male and female groups separately. The observed relationship between age and social anxiety and the influence this may have on risk-taking behaviour could be key for reducing adolescent risk-taking behaviour. Even though adolescents may understand the riskiness of their behaviour and estimate their vulnerability to risk at a similar level to adults, factors such as anxiety regarding social situations, sensitivity to reward and impulsiveness may exert their influence and make these individuals prone to taking risks. If these associations are proven causal, these factors are, and will continue to be, important targets in prevention and intervention efforts.
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
Objective:Two-thirds of individuals identified as at ultra-high risk for psychosis do not develop psychotic disorder over the medium term. The authors examined outcomes in a group of such ...patients.Method:Participants were help-seeking individuals identified as being at ultra-high risk for psychosis 2–14 years previously. The 226 participants (125 female, 101 male) completed a follow-up assessment and had not developed psychosis. Their mean age at follow-up was 25.5 years (SD=4.8).Results:At follow-up, 28% of the participants reported attenuated psychotic symptoms. Over the follow-up period, 68% experienced nonpsychotic disorders: mood disorder in 49%, anxiety disorder in 35%, and substance use disorder in 29%. For the majority (90%), nonpsychotic disorder was present at baseline, and it persisted for 52% of them. During follow-up, 26% of the cohort had remission of a disorder, but 38% developed a new disorder. Only 7% did not experience any disorder at baseline or during follow up. The incidence of nonpsychotic disorder was associated with more negative symptoms at baseline. Female participants experienced higher rates of persistent or recurrent disorder. Meeting criteria for brief limited intermittent psychotic symptoms at intake was associated with lower risk for persistent or recurrent disorder.Conclusions:Individuals at ultra-high risk for psychosis who do not transition to psychosis are at significant risk for continued attenuated psychotic symptoms, persistent or recurrent disorders, and incident disorders. Findings have implications for ongoing clinical care.
Objective
To provide a comprehensive analysis of cytokine perturbations in antipsychotic‐naïve first‐episode psychosis (FEP) populations and assess the relationship between inflammatory biomarkers ...and negative symptom severity.
Methods
A systematic review and meta‐analysis following PRISMA guidelines were conducted. A total of 1042 records were identified via systematic search of EMBASE, MEDLINE and APA PsycInfo databases. Sixteen studies met the inclusion criteria and were eligible for inclusion in the review. Ten of these studies had sufficient data for inclusion in a random effects, pooled‐effect meta‐analysis.
Results
A significant and large effect size was reported for IFN‐γ, IL‐6 and IL‐12, and a moderate effect size reported for IL‐17 (p = <0.05) in people with antipsychotic naive first episode psychosis, compared to healthy controls, suggesting a significant elevation in proinflammatory cytokine concentration. Non‐significant effect sizes were reported for TNF‐α, IL‐1β, IL‐2, IL‐4, IL‐8 and IL‐10 (p = >0.05). Regarding proinflammatory cytokines and relationships to negative symptomology, moderate positive relationships were reported for negative symptoms and IL‐1β, IL‐2, IL‐6 and TNF‐α, across four studies. For anti‐inflammatory cytokines, one strong and one weak‐to‐moderate negative relationship was described for IL‐10 and negative symptoms. Contrastingly, a strong positive relationship was reported for IL‐4 and negative symptoms.
Conclusion
There is evidence of significantly elevated proinflammatory cytokines in antipsychotic‐naïve FEP populations, alongside promising findings from cohort data suggesting an interaction between inflammation and primary negative symptomology. Future studies should seek to come to a consensus on a panel of cytokines that relate most specifically to negative symptoms, and consider longitudinal studies to investigate how cytokine fluctuations may relate to exacerbation of symptoms.
Litter decomposition is a biogeochemical process fundamental to element cycling within ecosystems, influencing plant productivity, species composition and carbon storage. Climate has long been ...considered the primary broad‐scale control on litter decomposition rates, yet recent work suggests that plant litter traits may predominate. Both decomposition paradigms, however, rely on inferences from cross‐biome litter decomposition studies that analyse site‐level means. We re‐analyse data from a classical cross‐biome study to demonstrate that previous research may falsely inflate the regulatory role of climate on decomposition and mask the influence of unmeasured local‐scale factors. Using the re‐analysis as a platform, we advocate experimental designs of litter decomposition studies that involve high within‐site replication, measurements of regulatory factors and processes at the same local spatial grain, analysis of individual observations and biome‐scale gradients. Synthesis. We question the assumption that climate is the predominant regulator of decomposition rates at broad spatial scales. We propose a framework for a new generation of studies focused on factoring local‐scale variation into the measurement and analysis of soil processes across broad scales. Such efforts may suggest a revised decomposition paradigm and ultimately improve confidence in the structure, parameter estimates and hence projections of biogeochemical models.
La FAM fatale: USP9X in development and disease Murtaza, Mariyam; Jolly, Lachlan A.; Gecz, Jozef ...
Cellular and molecular life sciences : CMLS,
06/2015, Letnik:
72, Številka:
11
Journal Article
La FAM fatale: USP9X in development and disease Murtaza, Mariyam; Jolly, Lachlan A.; Gecz, Jozef ...
Cellular and molecular life sciences : CMLS,
06/2015, Letnik:
72, Številka:
11
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Odprti dostop
Deubiquitylating enzymes (DUBs), act downstream of ubiquitylation. As such, these post-post-translational modifiers function as the final arbitrators of a protein substrate’s ubiquitylation status, ...thus regulating its fate. In most instances, DUBs moderate the absolute level of a substrate, its locality or activity, rather than being an “all-or-none” phenomenon. Yet, disruption of this quantitative regulation can produce dramatic qualitative differences. The ubiquitin-specific protease 9X (USP9X/FAM) is a substrate-specific DUB, which displays an extraordinarily high level of sequence conservation from
Drosophila
to mammals. It is primarily the recent revelations of USP9X’s pivotal role in human cancers, both as oncogene or tumour suppressor, in developmental disorders including intellectual disability, epilepsy, autism and developmental delay that has led to a subsequent re-examination of its molecular and cellular functions. Results from experimental animal models have implicated USP9X in neurodegeneration, including Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s disease, as well as autoimmune diseases. In this review, we describe the current and accumulated knowledge on the molecular, cellular and developmental aspects of USP9X function within the context of the biological consequences during normal development and disease.
Polyanionic phosphates have the potential to act as low-cost cathodes and stable framework materials for Na ion batteries. The mixed phosphates Na4M3(PO4)2P2O7 (M = Fe, Mn, Co, Ni) are a ...fascinating new class of materials recently reported to be attractive Na ion cathodes which display low-volume changes upon cycling, indicative of long-lifetime operation. Key issues surrounding intrinsic defects, Na ion migration mechanisms, and voltage trends have been investigated through a combination of atomistic energy minimization, molecular dynamics (MD), and density functional theory simulations. For all compositions, the most energetically favorable defect is calculated to be the Na/M antisite pair. MD simulations suggest Na+ diffusion extends across a 3D network of migration pathways with an activation barrier of 0.20–0.24 eV, and diffusion coefficients (D Na) of 10–10–10–11 cm2 s–1 at 325 K, suggesting good rate capability. The voltage trends indicate that doping the Fe-based cathode with Ni can significantly increase the voltage, and hence the energy density.
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