•Cool community strategies include cool roofs, cool pavements and urban vegetation.•A mix of local and state initiatives are spreading cool communities in California.•Local governments and school ...districts have launched successful pilots and programs.•Statewide efforts to advance cool community measures are more exploratory.•Strong leadership, broad support, and policy complementarity can lead to success.
In 2006, California introduced the Global Warming Solutions Act (Assembly Bill 32), which requires the state to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to 1990 levels by 2020. “Cool community” strategies, including cool roofs, cool pavements, cool walls and urban vegetation, have been identified as voluntary measures with potential to reduce statewide emissions. In addition, cool community strategies provide co-benefits for residents of California, such as reduced utility bills, improved air quality and enhanced urban livability. To achieve these savings, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) has worked with state and local officials, non-profit organizations, school districts, utilities, and manufacturers for 4 years to advance the science and implementation of cool community strategies. This paper summarizes the accomplishments of this program, as well as recent developments in cool community policy in California and other national and international efforts. We also outline lessons learned from these efforts to characterize successful programs and policies to be replicated in the future.
Summary
Background
Infection and dehiscence of simple lacerations is common in horses, and consistently effective methods of prevention are yet to be found. Honey has been shown to promote wound ...healing when applied topically; however, intralesional application prior to wound closure has not been reported.
Objectives
To examine whether intralesional application of medical grade honey (MGH) would reduce the incidence of infection and dehiscence following wound closure.
Study design
Prospective, open‐label randomised block design clinical study.
Methods
Lacerations, treated by field practitioners, were divided into treatment and control groups using block randomisation. Horses in the treatment group received a single intralesional treatment with l‐mesitran gel (MGH). Data were collected at the time of wound closure and at suture removal.
Results
Data from 127 horses were included, 69 MGH‐treated and 58 control cases. No adverse effects of the MGH were recorded. MGH‐treated horses were more likely to completely heal (P = 0.006, odds ratio OR 3.40 95% confidence interval CI 1.41–8.20), to have no signs of infection (P = 0.007, OR 3.64, CI 1.42–9.26) and for the veterinarians to report some degree of satisfaction (P = 0.04, OR 2.72, CI 1.05–7.09) compared to control cases. Numbers needed to treat for complete healing was 5.1 (CI 2.8–40).
Main limitations
Clinical studies have inherent flaws compared to wound healing models, because of variability between wounds. There were more horses with limb injuries in the control group, although not statistically significant, this may have biased the results. Clinical satisfaction and signs of infection were subjective evaluations and evaluators were not blinded to the treatment group.
Conclusions
Intralesional application of MGH to lacerations prior to wound closure may be beneficial in preventing infection and dehiscence. Larger, blinded studies focusing on wounds at a specific location with more objective assessment should be pursued.
The purpose of this investigation was to determine whether there has been a change in the human blood concentration of perfluorooctanesulfonate (PFOS), perfluorooctanoate (PFOA), and five other ...fluorochemicals since 1974. Blood samples were collected in 1974 (serum) and 1989 (plasma) from volunteer participants of a large community health study. The study included a total of 356 samples (178 from each time period). These samples were analyzed by high-pressure liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry methods. The median 1974 and 1989 fluorochemical concentrations, respectively, were as follows: PFOS, 29.5 ng/mL vs. 34.7 ng/mL; PFOA, 2.3 ng/mL vs. 5.6 ng/mL; perfluorohexanesulfonate (PFHS), 1.6 ng/mL vs. 2.4 ng/mL; and N-ethyl perfluorooctanesulfonamidoacetate (PFOSAA), less than the lower limit of quantitation (LLOQ; 1.6 ng/mL, vs. 3.4 ng/mL). For N-methyl perfluorooctanesulfonamidoacetate (M570), perfluorooctanesulfonamide, and perfluorooctanesulfonamidoacetate, median serum concentrations in both years were less than the LLOQ values (1.0, 1.0, and 2.5 ng/mL, respectively). Statistical analysis of 58 paired samples indicated that serum concentrations of PFOS, PFOSAA, PFOA, PFHS, and M570 were significantly (p < 0.001) higher in 1989 than in 1974. The data from 1989 were then compared with geometric mean fluorochemical concentrations of serum samples collected in 2001 from 108 American Red Cross adult blood donors from the same region. Except for M570, there were no statistically significant (p < 0.05) geometric mean fluorochemical concentration differences between the 1989 and 2001 samples. In conclusion, based on this study population, PFOS and other serum fluorochemical concentrations have increased between 1974 and 1989. Comparison with other regional data collected in 2001 did not suggest a continued increase in concentrations since 1989.
Aim: To evaluate the mortality experience of a cohort of employees of a perfluorooctanesulphonyl fluoride (POSF) based fluorochemical production facility. Methods: A retrospective cohort mortality ...study followed all workers with at least one year of cumulative employment at the facility. The jobs held by cohort members were assigned to one of three exposure subgroups; high exposed, low exposed, and non-exposed, based on biological monitoring data for perfluorooctane sulphonate (PFOS). Results: A total of 145 deaths were identified in the 2083 cohort members. Sixty five deaths occurred among workers ever employed in high exposed jobs. The overall mortality rates for the cohort and the exposure subcohorts were lower than expected in the general population. Two deaths from liver cancer were observed in the workers with at least one year of high or low exposure (standardised mortality ratio (SMR) 3.08, 95% CI 0.37 to 11.10). The risk of death from bladder cancer was increased for the entire cohort (three observed, SMR 4.81, 95% CI 0.99 to 14.06). All three bladder cancers occurred among workers who held a high exposure job (SMR 12.77, 95% CI 2.63 to 37.35). The bladder cancer cases primarily worked in non-production jobs, including maintenance and incinerator and wastewater treatment plant operations. Conclusion: Workers employed in high exposure jobs had an increased number of deaths from bladder cancer; however it is not clear whether these three cases can be attributed to fluorochemical exposure, an unknown bladder carcinogen encountered during the course of maintenance work, and/or non-occupational exposures. With only three observed cases the possibility of a chance finding cannot be ruled out.
This report represents a current summary of the caffeine contents of various commercial products, and provides data on the spectrum of caffeine intake levels in man. A summary of the substance's ...pharmacokinetics describes information on its disposition in the body. The effects of caffeine are related to its interaction with adenosine receptors.
Perfluorooctanesulfonyl fluoride-based products have included surfactants, paper and packaging treatments, and surface protectants (e.g., for carpet, upholstery, textile). Depending on the specific ...functional derivatization or degree of polymerization, such products may degrade or metabolize, to an undetermined degree, to perfluorooctanesulfonate (PFOS), a stable and persistent end product that has the potential to bioaccumulate. In this investigation, a total of 645 adult donor serum samples from six American Red Cross blood collection centers were analyzed for PFOS and six other fluorochemicals using HPLC-electrospray tandem mass spectrometry. PFOS concentrations ranged from the lower limit of quantitation of 4.1 ppb to 1656.0 ppb with a geometric mean of 34.9 ppb 95% confidence interval (CI), 33.3-36.5. The geometric mean was higher among males (37.8 ppb; 95% CI, 35.5-40.3) than among females (31.3 ppb; 95% CI, 30.0-34.3). No substantial difference was observed with age. The estimate of the 95% tolerance limit of PFOS was 88.5 ppb (upper limit of 95% CI, 100.0 ppb). The measures of central tendency for the other fluorochemicals (N-ethyl perfluorooctanesulfonamidoacetate, N-methyl perfluorooctanesulfonamidoacetate, perfluorooctanesulfonamidoacetate, perfluorooctanesulfonamide, perfluorooctanoate, and perfluorohexanesulfonate) were approximately an order of magnitude lower than PFOS. Because serum PFOS concentrations correlate with cumulative human exposure, this information can be useful for risk characterization.
Abstract
Friedreich's ataxia (FRDA) is caused by expansions of GAA•TTC repeats in the first intron of the human FXN gene that occur during both intergenerational transmissions and in somatic cells. ...Here we describe an experimental system to analyze large-scale repeat expansions in cultured human cells. It employs a shuttle plasmid that can replicate from the SV40 origin in human cells or be stably maintained in S. cerevisiae utilizing ARS4-CEN6. It also contains a selectable cassette allowing us to detect repeat expansions that accumulated in human cells upon plasmid transformation into yeast. We indeed observed massive expansions of GAA•TTC repeats, making it the first genetically tractable experimental system to study large-scale repeat expansions in human cells. Further, GAA•TTC repeats stall replication fork progression, while the frequency of repeat expansions appears to depend on proteins implicated in replication fork stalling, reversal, and restart. Locked nucleic acid (LNA)-DNA mixmer oligonucleotides and peptide nucleic acid (PNA) oligomers, which interfere with triplex formation at GAA•TTC repeats in vitro, prevented the expansion of these repeats in human cells. We hypothesize, therefore, that triplex formation by GAA•TTC repeats stall replication fork progression, ultimately leading to repeat expansions during replication fork restart.
Graphical Abstract
Graphical Abstract
Perfluorooctanesulfonyl fluoride (POSF, C₈F₁₇SO₂F) is used to create applications for surfactants and paper, packaging, and surface (eg, carpets, textiles) protectants. Such POSF-based products or ...their residuals may degrade or metabolize to PFOS (C₈F₁₇SO₃⁻). PFOS concentrates in liver and serum and results in hypolipidemia as an early effect of cumulative dosages. Male and female employees of two perfluoroocta nyl-manufacturing locations (Antwerp, Belgium and Decatur, Alabama) participated in a penodic medical surveillance program that included hematology, clinical chemistry, thyroid hormone, and urinalysis testing. Serum concentrations of PFOS and perfluorooctanoate (PFOA, C₇F₁₅CO₂⁻, used as a fluoropolymer emulsifier) were measured via mass spectrometry methods. The mean serum PFOS and PFOA concentrations for 263 Decatur employees were 1.32 parts per million (ppm; geometric mean 0.91, range 0.06-10.06 ppm) and 1.78 ppm (geometric mean 1.13, range 0.04-12.70 ppm), respectively. Mean concentrations were approximately 50% lower among 255 Antwerp workers. Adjusting for potential confounding factors, there were no substantial changes in hematological, lipid, hepatic, thyroid, or urinary parameters consistent with the known toxicological effects of PFOS or PFOA in cross-sectional or longitudinal analyses of the workers' measured serum fluorochemical concentrations.
Perfluorooctanesulfonate (PFOS, C8F17SO3 -) has been identified in the serum of nonoccupationally exposed humans and in serum and liver tissue in wildlife. The purpose of this investigation was to ...determine whether PFOS liver concentrations in humans are comparable to the approximate 30 ng/mL average serum concentrations reported in nonoccupationally exposed subjects. Thirty-one donors (16 male and 15 female, age range 5−74) provided serum and/or liver samples for analysis of PFOS and three other fluorochemicals: perfluorosulfonamide (PFOSA, C8F17SO2NH2), perfluorooctanoate (PFOA, C7F15CO2 -), and perfluorohexanesulfonate (PFHxS, C6F13SO3 -). Both sera and liver samples were extracted by ion-pair extraction and quantitatively assayed using high-performance liquid chromatography electrospray tandem mass spectrometry. Liver PFOS concentrations ranged from <4.5 ng/g (limit of quantitation, LOQ) to 57.0 ng/g. Serum PFOS concentrations ranged from <6.1 ng/mL (LOQ) to 58.3 ng/mL. Among the 23 paired samples, the mean liver to serum ratio was 1.3:1 (95% confidence interval 0.9:1−1.7:1). This liver to serum ratio is comparable to that reported in a toxicological study of cynomolgus monkeys, which had liver and serum concentrations 2−3 orders of magnitude higher than observed in these human donors. This information may be useful in human risk characterization for PFOS. Liver to serum ratios were not estimated for PFOA, PFHxS, and PFOSA as 90% of the human donor liver samples were determined to be less than the LOQ.
Abstract Objectives Observational and empirical evidence suggest that the average placental shape is round with a centrally inserted umbilical cord. Yet variability of shape is common. When in ...pregnancy do shape and cord insertion variations originate? Materials and methods Placental measures from published datasets obtained ultrasonographically at 11–14 weeks and/or at term were correlated. Results Significant correlations were found between the normalized distance of cord insertion to the margin at 11–14 weeks with the same quantity at delivery ( r = 0.509, p < 0.0001). First trimester cord marginality was not correlated with two measures of roundness of the delivered placenta ( p = 0.448, and p = 0.812). There was a strong correlation between delivered placental thickness and first trimester cord marginality ( r = −0.368, p = 0.009). There was a significant relationship between the cord marginality at 11–14 weeks and the mean chorionic vascular density at delivery ( r = −0.287, p = 0.015). Placental position in the uterine cavity influences cord marginality at delivery. Modeling suggests that placental growth in the first trimester is non-round. Placental shape at 11–14 weeks is found to be irregular. This irregularity is not correlated with the roundness of the delivered placenta. Both empirically, and in the context of IVF pregnancies, deformation of the vasculogenic zone yields a bi-lobate placental shape. Conclusions Our findings strongly support the hypothesis that abnormal cord insertion and a multi-lobate shape result from early influences on the placental growth, such as the shape of the vasculogenic zone, or placental position in the uterus, rather than trophotropism later in pregnancy.
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