Tropical forest soils are an important source and sink of greenhouse gases (GHGs), with tropical montane forests, in particular, having been poorly studied. The understanding of this ecosystem ...function is of vital importance for future climate change research. In this study, we explored soil fluxes of carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), and nitrous oxide (N2O) in four tropical forest sites located on the western flanks of the Andes in northern Ecuador. The measurements were carried out during the dry season from August to September 2018 and along an altitudinal gradient from 400 to 3010 m a.s.l. (above sea level). During this short-term campaign, our measurements showed (1) an unusual but marked increase in CO2 emissions at high altitude, possibly linked to changes in soil pH and/or root biomass, (2) a consistent atmospheric CH4 sink over all altitudes with high temporal and spatial variability, and (3) a transition from a net N2O source to sink along the altitudinal gradient. Our results provide arguments and insights for future and more detailed studies on tropical montane forests. Furthermore, they stress the relevance of using altitudinal transects as a biogeochemical open-air laboratory with a steep in situ environmental gradient over a limited spatial distance. Although short-term studies of temporal variations can improve our understanding of the mechanisms behind the production and consumption of soil GHGs, the inclusion of more rigorous sampling for forest management events, forest rotation cycles, soil type, hydrological conditions and drainage status, ground vegetation composition and cover, soil microclimate, and temporal (seasonality) and spatial (topographic positions) variability is needed in order to obtain more reliable estimates of the CO2, CH4, and N2O source/sink strength of tropical montane forests.
The primary aim of this study was to identify risk factors for delirium after hip fracture surgery. The secondary purpose of this study was to verify peri-operative clinical outcomes, adverse events ...and mortality rates in delirium patients after hip fracture surgery.
A prospective hip fracture database was used to obtain data. In total, 2051 patients older than 70 years undergoing a hip fracture surgery between 01-01-2018 and 01-01-2021 were included. A delirium was diagnosed by a geriatrician based on the DSM-V criteria.
The results showed that 16% developed a delirium during hospital admission. Multivariable analysis showed that male gender (OR: 1.99, p<0.001), age (OR: 1.06, p<0.001), dementia (OR: 1.66, p=0.001), Parkinson's disease (OR: 2.32, p=0.001), Δhaemoglobin loss (OR: 1.19, p=0.022), pneumonia (OR: 3.86, p<0.001), urinary tract infection (UTI) (OR: 1.97, p=0.001) and wound infection (OR: 3.02, p=0.007) were significant independent prognostic risk factors for the development of a delirium after hip surgery. The median length in-hospital stay was longer in patients with a delirium (9 days) vs patients without a delirium (6 days) (p<0.001). The 30-day mortality was 7% (with delirium 16% vs with no delirium 6% (p<0.001)).
Significant independent prognostic factors associated with delirium after hip surgery were male gender, age, dementia, Parkinson's disease, Δhaemoglobin loss, pneumonia, UTI and wound infection.
Pharmacological ascorbate has been proposed as a potential anti-cancer agent when combined with radiation and chemotherapy. The anti-cancer effects of ascorbate are hypothesized to involve the ...autoxidation of ascorbate leading to increased steady-state levels of H2O2; however, the mechanism(s) for cancer cell-selective toxicity remain unknown. The current study shows that alterations in cancer cell mitochondrial oxidative metabolism resulting in increased levels of O2⋅− and H2O2 are capable of disrupting intracellular iron metabolism, thereby selectively sensitizing non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and glioblastoma (GBM) cells to ascorbate through pro-oxidant chemistry involving redox-active labile iron and H2O2. In addition, preclinical studies and clinical trials demonstrate the feasibility, selective toxicity, tolerability, and potential efficacy of pharmacological ascorbate in GBM and NSCLC therapy.
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•High-dose ascorbate sensitizes NSCLC and GBM cells to radio-chemotherapy•O2⋅− and H2O2 increase labile iron causing cancer cell-selective ascorbate toxicity•Therapeutic levels of ascorbate are achievable and well tolerated in GBM and NSCLC•Cancer cell oxidative metabolism can be targeted with ascorbate for cancer therapy
Schoenfeld et al. show that cancer cells are selectively sensitive to ascorbate due to their altered redox-active iron metabolism. They present preclinical and clinical data demonstrating the feasibility, tolerability, and potential efficacy of pharmacological ascorbate for treating glioblastoma and non-small cell lung cancer.
Abstract Aging is associated with reduced function, degenerative changes, and increased neuroinflammation of the central nervous system (CNS). Increasing evidence suggests that changes in microglia ...cells contribute to the age-related deterioration of the CNS. The most prominent age-related change of microglia is enhanced sensitivity to inflammatory stimuli, referred to as priming. It is unclear if priming is due to intrinsic microglia ageing or induced by the ageing neural environment. We have studied this in Ercc1 mutant mice, a DNA repair-deficient mouse model that displays features of accelerated aging in multiple tissues including the CNS. In Ercc1 mutant mice, microglia showed hallmark features of priming such as an exaggerated response to peripheral lipopolysaccharide exposure in terms of cytokine expression and phagocytosis. Specific targeting of the Ercc1 deletion to forebrain neurons resulted in a progressive priming response in microglia exemplified by phenotypic alterations. Summarizing, these data show that neuronal genotoxic stress is sufficient to switch microglia from a resting to a primed state.
A benchmark of South Africa’s freight rail system confirms that South Africa’s export lines compare favourably globally, but that the general freight sector of the business lags in all key ...indicators, and there is no clear comparison as far as a rail reform agenda is concerned. Neither a path of deregulation, rationalisation, investment and efficiency, such as in North America, nor one of a development state – network growth and high relative employment, such as in the Russian, Indian and Chinese railways – has been followed in South Africa. These countries, geographically speaking, are significantly bigger than South Africa, but the challenges are similar: long transport distances, high transport demand and spatial issues. This paper indicates how benchmark analysis can be used to inform a rail reform agenda for South Africa’s freight rail system. Although there is a separation in South Africa as to the business model that the railway is allowed to use, current railway management seems to be achieving a turnaround. A more supportive policy environment, informed by benchmarking, might improve this process.
BACKGROUND:Up to 20 million persons are infected with the human retroviruses human T-lymphotropic virus (HTLV)-I and HTLV-II globally. Most data on the seroprevalence of HTLV-I and HTLV-II in Europe ...are from studies of low-risk blood donors or high-risk injection drug users (IDUs). Little is known about the general population.
METHODS:A prospective anonymous study of HTLV-I and HTLV-II seroprevalence among 234,078 pregnant women in Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Portugal, Spain, and the United Kingdom was conducted. Maternal antibody status was determined by standard methods using sera obtained for routine antenatal infection screens or eluted from infant heel prick dried blood spots obtained for routine neonatal metabolic screens.
RESULTS:Anti-HTLV-I/II antibodies were detected and confirmed in 96 pregnant women (4.4 per 10,000, 95% confidence interval CI3.5-5.2). Of these, 73 were anti-HTLV-I, 17 were anti-HTLV-II, and 6 were specifically anti-HTLV but untyped. The seroprevalence ranged from 0.7 per 10,000 in Germany to 11.5 per 10,000 in France.
CONCLUSIONS:Pregnant women better reflect the general population than blood donors or IDUs. The seroprevalence of HTLV-I and HTLV-II in Western Europe is 6-fold higher among pregnant women (4.4 per 10,000) than among blood donors (0.07 per 10,000). These data provide a robust baseline against which changes in HTLV-I and HTLV-II seroprevalence in Europe can be measured.
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