A global research priority agenda to advance public health responses to fatty liver disease

Background & aims An estimated 38% of adults worldwide have non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). From individual impacts to widespread public health and economic consequences, the implications of this disease are profound. This study aimed to develop an aligned, prioritised fatty liver disease research agenda for the global health community. Methods Nine co-chairs drafted initial research priorities, subsequently reviewed by 40 core authors and debated during a three-day in-person meeting. Following a Delphi methodology, over two rounds, a large panel (R1 n = 344, R2 n = 288) reviewed the priorities, via Qualtrics XM, indicating agreement using a four-point Likert-scale and providing written feedback. The core group revised the draft priorities between rounds. In R2, panellists also ranked the priorities within six domains: epidemiology, models of care, treatment and care, education and awareness, patient and community perspectives, and leadership and public health policy. Results The consensus-built fatty liver disease research agenda encompasses 28 priorities. The mean percentage of ‘agree’ responses increased from 78.3 in R1 to 81.1 in R2. Five priorities received unanimous combined agreement (‘agree’ + ‘somewhat agree’); the remaining 23 priorities had >90% combined agreement. While all but one of the priorities exhibited at least a super-majority of agreement (>66.7% ‘agree’), 13 priorities had 90% combined agreement. Conclusions Adopting this multidisciplinary consensus-built research priorities agenda can deliver a step-change in addressing fatty liver disease, mitigating against its individual and societal harms and proactively altering its natural history through prevention, identification, treatment, and care. This agenda should catalyse the global health community’s efforts to advance and accelerate responses to this widespread and fast-growing public health threat. Impact and implications An estimated 38% of adults and 13% of children and adolescents worldwide have fatty liver disease, making it the most prevalent liver disease in history. Despite substantial scientific progress in the past three decades, the burden continues to grow, with an urgent need to advance understanding of how to prevent, manage, and treat the disease. Through a global consensus process, a multidisciplinary group agreed on 28 research priorities covering a broad range of themes, from disease burden, treatment, and health system responses to awareness and policy. The findings have relevance for clinical and non-clinical researchers as well as funders working on fatty liver disease and non-communicable diseases more broadly, setting out a prioritised, ranked research agenda for turning the tide on this fast-growing public health threat

DATAGRALP - a new database for reconstructing the spatial-temporal evolution of the Glacial Resource in the Italian Alps over the last 100 years in the framework of the NextData Project - The Central Italian Alps

In the framework of the CNR-NextData Project, the DataGRALP working group aims to improve the knowledge on Italian glacial resources, by developing an adequate system for the management of numerical, textual, iconographic and spatial glaciological data. The Central Alps team focuses on the collection, validation, storage and analysis of glaciological data from the Lombardy region. The method adopted will furnish an updated picture of the glacial resource referred to 2006-2007 as well as of existing data related to the 1950s (CGI-CNR Inventory) and to the 1980s (WGI). Updating of data 2006-2007 is based on photointepretative analysis of orthophotos available via WMS (http://www.pcn.minambiente.it/GN/). All data have been managed in GIS environment for constructing a glaciological database. All glacier outlines have been associated to attribute tables for glacier main parameters taking into account the existing international standards (WGMS). The Central Alps hosted 185 active glaciers while 86 were extinct at the date of CGI–CNR Inventory (1959-1962). These glaciers covered an area of about 11.68 km2 (including the Mandrone Glacier as part of the Adamello Glacier). The WGI indicates in 1981-1983 305 glaciers covering an area of about 117 km2. Preliminary data derived from 2006-2007 orthophotos, indicate the existence of more than 250 glacial bodies and 45 glacierets, covering 88.65 km2 and about 26 km2 respectively. Since 1950 about 30 glacial bodies disappeared and, on the contrary, about 60 newly formed glaciers derived from the fragmentation of wider glaciers. Comparing data derived from the CGI-CNR Inventory and the new updated data for the 2006, glaciers of the Central Alps show an areal reduction of about 24%. The amount of areal reduction varies from 7% in the Orobie to 54% in the Tambo-Stella Group. The maximum glacial reduction was registered in the Ortles Cevedale Group where about 13.5 km2 were lost since 1950s

DATAGRALP – A new database for reconstructing the spatial-temporal evolution of the glacial resource in the Italian Alps over the last 100 years in the framework of the NextData Project

An updated picture of the glacial resource in the Italian Alps is being realized through the acquisition of the most up to date available information on glaciers taking into account the existing international standards. In particular, the project aims to: i) make available to the scientific community and disseminate to all stakeholders multi-temporal data on the Italian glacial resource, by developing and populating a knowledge management system of validated glaciological data; ii) quantify glacial parameters, for specific time periods, needed by quantitative models aimed to simulate the response of glacial bodies to changing climatic scenarios; iii) reconstruct the recent (last 100 years) spatial-temporal evolution of the Italian glaciers, as terrestrial indicators of climate fluctuations, in consideration of the extreme sensitiveness of glacial bodies to climatic parameters. A dedicated system is under construction for the management of these data, in line with the requirements of NextData Portal, and in agreement with the GeoNetwork architecture – like that of the SHARE Project. The project also aims to update and make easily available to the scientific community and to the stakeholders multitemporal data on the Italian glacial resource, through an integrated information management system made for this purpose. The system will represent a validated and reliable information base for quantitative modeling of glaciers response to climatic forcing. It will be a valuable tool for further research projects on glacial/periglacial environments. Promotion of a free, distributed use of information on Italian glaciers, to be implemented within the NextData project, but also updatable in the future, will represent a breakthrough in the availability of glaciological data from the Italian Alps and will also satisfy the rising demand of open source availability of environmental data in the mountain regions

Desempenho de novilhos suplementados e terminados em pasto, na seca, e avaliação do pasto Performance of steers supplemented and finished on pasture in the dry season and pasture evaluation

Avaliaram-se o ganho de peso e as características de carcaça de novilhos Nelore suplementados com elevado teor de proteína na terminação em pasto, durante a seca, e estimou-se a disponibilidade dos componentes da pastagem. O experimento foi implantado em pastagem de Brachiaria brizantha, cv. Marandu, em seis piquetes de nove hectares. Foram utilizados 48 novilhos Nelore com 30 meses de idade e 415±16 kg. Cada lote, alojado em um piquete, foi pesado no início e a cada 21 dias, durante 84 dias. A suplementação constou de: 0 (grupo-controle); 0,25; 0,5; 1,0; 2,0; ou 4,0 kg/animal/dia. Os suplementos, à exceção do controle, apresentaram porcentagens decrescentes de proteína bruta (111 a 32% da matéria seca) e proporções de mistura mineral:ureia:farelos de 25:25:50; 15:15:70; 10:10:80; 5:5:90 e 2,5:2,5:95, para os respectivos tratamentos. O delineamento foi o inteiramente ao acaso e os tratamentos foram avaliados pela análise de regressão. A proporção de colmo e folha seca aumentou no decorrer dos períodos experimentais, caracterizando o déficit hídrico da estação seca. Houve efeito linear crescente sobre o peso vivo final, ganho médio diário, peso de carcaça, espessura de gordura subcutânea e rendimento de carcaça em função do consumo de suplemento. A conversão do suplemento em kg/kg de ganho de peso, de 10:1, é típica de suplementação energética, mostrando que os animais não responderam satisfatoriamente à suplementação proteica.<br>Daily gain and carcass traits of Nellore steers fed different levels of supplementation with high content of protein at finishing during the dry season and the availability of the components of the pasture were evaluated. The experiment was carried out on pasture of Brachiaria brizantha, cv. Marandu, in six paddocks of nine hectares. Forty-eight Nellore steers averaging 30-month old and 415+16kg were used. Each group was allocated in a paddock, being weighted in the beginning and every 21 days, during 84 days. The levels of supplements were: 0.25, 0.5, 1.0, 2.0, and 4.0kg/animal/day, in addition to a control (mineral mixture). The supplements, except the control, presented decreasing levels of crude protein (111 to 32% of the dry matter) and proportions of mineral mixture:urea:concentrate feeds of 25:25:50, 15:15:70, 10:10:80, 5:5:90, and 2.5:2.5:95, respectively. The statistical design was completely randomized and the treatments were evaluated by regression analysis. The proportion of stem and dead leaf increased in elapsing of the experimental periods characterizing water deficit in the dry season. There was increasing linear effect on the final live weight, average daily gain, carcass weight, fat thickness, and carcass yield as a function of supplement intake. The supplement conversion in kg/kg of weight gain, at 10:1, is typical of energetic supplementation, showing that the animals did not satisfactorily respond to protein supplementation, which would give better values of conversion

Environmental straits of Cryptococcus neoformans variety grubii in the city of Santos, SP, Brazil Amostras ambientais de Cryptococcus neoformans var. grubii na cidade de Santos, SP, Brasil

This study involved a total of 116 samples, 79 taken from pigeon droppings and 37 of atmospheric air taken close to accumulations of excrement. Cryptococcus neoformans var. grubii was isolated from 11 (13.9%) of these samples. Other species of Cryptococcus were also isolated from these samples, such as C. albidus (12.6%) and C. laurentii (8.9%). C. neoformans was not isolated from the air samples, though C. albidus (5.4%) was. All the strains of C. neoformans were found to belong to the A serotype (C. neoformans var. grubii). In regard to the studies with the antifungal agents 5-fluorocytosine, fluconazole, itraconazole, amphotericin B and voriconazole, by means of the microdilution method (EUCAST), we point out that one sample demonstrated resistance to fluconazole, this being especially significant because this is an environmental strain.<br>Analisaram-se 116 amostras, sendo 79 de fezes de pombos e 37 de ar atmosférico de regiões com acúmulo de fezes. Isolou-se Cryptococcus neoformans var. neoformans de 11 (13.9%) destas amostras. Outras espécies de Cryptococcus também foram isoladas destas amostras tais como C. laurentii (8.9%) e C. albidus (12.6 %), o qual também foi isolado de amostras do ar (5.4 %). Todas as amostras de C. neoformans foram sorotipo A (C. neoformans var. grubii). Em relação à avaliação do perfil de sensibilidade às drogas antifúngicas (5-fluorocitosina, fluconazol, itraconazol, anfotericina B e voriconazol) pelo método da microdiluição (EUCAST, 2002), destacou-se a presença de uma amostra com valor de concentração inibitória mínima (CIM) elevado para fluconazol, sendo de grande significância, uma vez tratar-se de isolado ambiental