Tropical imaginaries and climate crisis: embracing relational climate discourses

In this Introduction, we set the Special Issue on 'Tropical Imaginaries and Climate Crisis' within the context of a call for relational climate discourses as they arise from particular locations in the tropics. Although climate change is global, it is not experienced everywhere the same and has pronounced effects in the tropics. This is also the region that experienced the ravages – to humans and environments – of colonialism. It is the region of the planet’s greatest biodiversity; and will experience the largest extinction losses. We advocate that climate science requires climate imagination – and specifically a tropical imagination – to bring science systems into relation with the human, cultural, social and natural. In short, this Special Issue contributes to calls to humanise climate change. Yet this is not to place the human at the centre of climate stories, rather we embrace more-than-human worlds and the expansion of relational ways of knowing and being. This paper outlines notions of tropicality and rhizomatics that are pertinent to relational discourses, and introduces the twelve papers – articles, essays and speculative fiction pieces – that give voice to tropical imaginaries and climate change in the tropics

Oekobilanz-Vergleich von intensivem und extensivem Rindfleischproduktionsverfahren: Fallstudie anhand zweier Fallbeispiele

The environmental impact of two contrasting beef production systems was determined by life cycle assessment (LCA). An extensive fattening system of Limousine x Simmental crossbred steers based on grass (EXT) was compared to an intensive fattening system of Simmental bulls (INT). The environmental impacts of EXT were similar or lower than those of INT. The largest differences were found in toxic effects on aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems. The amount and type of fertilizers used to produce the feed were the main source of difference between the systems. For all other environmental impacts however, there were no marked differences. It is concluded that the extensive use of grasslands for beef production has the potential to reduce the environmental impacts per kg of carcass

PLK1-dependent phosphorylation restrains EBNA2 activity and lymphomagenesis in EBV-infected mice

While Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) establishes a life-long latent infection in apparently healthy human immunocompetent hosts, immunodeficient individuals are at particular risk to develop lymphoproliferative B-cell malignancies caused by EBV. A key EBV protein is the transcription factor EBV nuclear antigen 2 (EBNA2), which initiates B-cell proliferation. Here, we combine biochemical, cellular, and in vivo experiments demonstrating that the mitotic polo-like kinase 1 (PLK1) binds to EBNA2, phosphorylates its transactivation domain, and thereby inhibits its biological activity. EBNA2 mutants that impair PLK1 binding or prevent EBNA2 phosphorylation are gain-of-function mutants. They exhibit enhanced transactivation capacities, accelerate the proliferation of infected B cells, and promote the development of monoclonal B-cell lymphomas in infected mice. Thus, PLK1 coordinates the activity of EBNA2 to attenuate the risk of tumor incidences in favor of the establishment of latency in the infected but healthy host

Bibliographie neuchâteloise

Bibliographie de janvier 2001 à juin 2006, recensant 1874 titres

Evaluation of a newly developed flipped-classroom course on interprofessional practice in health care for medical students

Interprofessional education is expected to promote collaborative practice and should therefore be included in health professionals’ curricula. Reports on interprofessional curricular development and its evaluation are rare. We therefore undertook a comprehensive quantitative and qualitative evaluation of a new, mandatory course on interprofessional collaboration for medical students during their third year of the Bachelor of Medicine study programme. The newly developed and implemented course spans over six weeks and was designed in a hybrid, flipped-classroom format. It incorporates experience- and case-based learning as well as interactions with other health professionals. Each student completes an eLearning and a clinical workshadowing individually before attending the – due to the pandemic – virtual live lectures. To assess quality and usefulness of teaching-learning formats and course structure to learn about interprofessional collaboration and to develop interprofessional competencies and identity, a quantitative and qualitative evaluation was performed with more than 280 medical students and 26 nurse educators from teaching hospitals using online surveys (open & closed-ended format). Data were analyzed descriptively and using content analysis processes. Students appreciated the flipped-classroom concept, the real-world case-based learning scenarios with interprofessional lecturer teams, and the possibility of an experience-based learning opportunity in the clinical setting including interaction with students and professionals from other health professions. Interprofessional identity did not change during the course. Evaluation data showed that the course is a promising approach for teaching-learning interprofessional competencies to medical students. The evaluation revealed three factors that determined the success of this course, namely, a flipped-classroom concept, the individual workshadowing of medical students with another health professional, mainly nurses, and live sessions with interprofessional teaching-learning teams. The course structure and teaching-learning methods showed potential and could serve as a template for interprofessional course development in other institutions and on other course topics

Socioeconomic baseline on waste for households in Aveiro, Portugal

Project LIFE PAYT – Tool to reduce waste in South Europe (LIFE 15 ENV/PT/000609) Co-funded by the LIFE programme of the European Commissioninfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Glutamate in dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and auditory verbal hallucinations in patients with schizophrenia:A (1)H MRS study

Purpose: Glutamatergic models of psychosis propose that dysfunction of N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptors, and associated excess of glutamate, may underlie psychotic experiences in people with schizophrenia. However, little is known about the specific relation between glutamate and auditory verbal hallucinations (AVH) in patients with psychosis. In this study, levels of glutamate + glutamine (Glx) in the left lateral prefrontal lobe were determined using proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (H-1 MRS) to calculate their association with AVH. Methods: Sixty-seven patients with schizophrenia and thirty healthy control participants (HC) underwent magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) to estimate levels of Glx in the white matter of the left prefrontal lobe. The spectrum was estimated from an 8 mm(3) voxel placed in the left lateral prefrontal region, belonging to both the cingulum and forceps minor. Patients with lifetime AVH (AVH group; n = 45) and patients without lifetime AVH were compared (NoAVH group; n = 22) to control participants. Results: Levels of Glx were significantly different between the groups (F(2,94) = 5.27, p = 0.007). Planned comparisons showed that higher Glx levels were found in control participants than in the total patient group (p = 0.010). However, patients with lifetime AVH had higher levels of Glx compared to patients without lifetime AVH (p = 0.019). Creatin levels were similar in all three groups. We found no association between Gix and the severity of symptoms (item P3 of the PANSS or PANSS positive subscale). Conclusion: The higher Glx levels in patients with lifetime AVH as compared to patients without lifetime AVH suggest a mediating role for Glx in AVH. Our results are consistent with a previous study that found similar decreased levels of Glx in patients with schizophrenia, and increased levels in an AVH group as compared to a NoAVH group. The role of the glutamatergic system deserves further investigation, for example in different brain regions and in relation to clinical variables

Genetic polymorphisms in the locus control region and promoter of GH1 are related to serum IGF-I levels and height in patients with isolated growth hormone deficiency and healthy controls

Background/Aims: Expression of the human growth hormone (GH) gene (GH1) is regulated by a locus contro

A 6 Month Follow-Up Report

Funding Information: M.I.G. has received a Recordati Rare Disease Grant Ed. 2021–2022 from the Portuguese Society of Metabolic Diseases (SPDM) to develop this work in the worth of 3000€. Funding Information: M.I.G. has received travelling grants from Cambrooke Therapeutics and Nutricia to attend scientific meetings. A.D. received research funding from Vitaflo International, financial support from Nutricia, Mevalia and Vitaflo International to attend study days and conferences. J.C.R. was a member of the European Nutritionist ExpertPanel (Biomarin), the Advisory Board for Applied Pharma Research, Vitaflo, Synlogic, Biomarin and Nutricia, and received honoraria as a speaker from APR, Merck Serono, Biomarin, Nutricia, Vitaflo, Cambrooke, PIAM and Lifediet. S.E. received research funding from Nutricia, and financial support from Nutricia and Vitaflo International to attend study days and conferences. C.A. received honoraria from Nutricia and Vitaflo International to attend study days and conferences. A.M. has received research funding and honoraria from Nutricia, Vitaflo International, and Biomarin. She is a Member of the Advisory Board Element (Danone-Nutricia). The funders had no role in the design of the study; in the collection, analyses, or interpretation of data; in the writing of the manuscript, or in the decision to publish the results. Publisher Copyright: © 2023 by the authors.Introduction: In phenylketonuria (PKU) changes in dietary patterns and behaviors in sapropterin-responsive populations have not been widely reported. We aimed to assess changes in food quality, mental health and burden of care in a paediatric PKU sapropterin-responsive cohort. Methods: In an observational, longitudinal study, patient questionnaires on food frequency, neophobia, anxiety and depression, impact on family and burden of care were applied at baseline, 3 and 6-months post successful sapropterin-responsiveness testing (defined as a 30% reduction in blood phenylalanine levels). Results: 17 children (10.8 ± 4.2 years) completed 6-months follow-up. Patients body mass index (BMI) z-scores remained unchanged after sapropterin initiation. Blood phenylalanine was stable. Natural protein increased (p < 0.001) and protein substitute intake decreased (p = 0.002). There were increases in regular cow’s milk (p = 0.001), meat/fish, eggs (p = 0.005), bread (p = 0.01) and pasta (p = 0.011) intakes but special low-protein foods intake decreased. Anxiety (p = 0.016) and depression (p = 0.022) decreased in caregivers. The impact-on-family, familial-social impact (p = 0.002) and personal strain (p = 0.001) lessened. After sapropterin, caregivers spent less time on PKU tasks, the majority ate meals outside the home more regularly and fewer caregivers had to deny food choices to their children. Conclusion: There were significant positive changes in food patterns, behaviors and burden of care in children with PKU and their families after 6-months on sapropterin treatment.publishersversionpublishe