Assessing the ecological status of fluvial ecosystems employing a macroinvertebrate multi-taxon and multi-biomarker approach

Biomarkers are recognised sensitive early-warning tools of biological effects in aquatic organisms. In this scope, the main aim of this study was to investigate the potential usefulness of a battery of biomarkers, evaluated in different benthic macroinvertebrate taxa, to discriminate aquatic ecosystems with different levels of ecological status and to provide further clues supporting environmental management. The study took place during the autumn of 2013 and the spring and summer of 2014, and the study cases were two Mediterranean rivers (Âncora and Ferreira rivers), differing in their ecological status. The biomarkers determined are widely employed and comprise a large set of biochemical responses: the activity of enzymes (cholinesterases, glutathione S-transferases, catalase and lactate dehydrogenase) and the levels of lipid peroxidation. They were assessed seasonally and in different macroinvertebrate taxa. Thirteen water physico-chemical parameters were also seasonally determined, and the concentration of seven organophosphorus pesticides and the percentage of 32 trace metals in sediments were determined in the spring. This is particularly useful for water management. Based on this, authorities can take actions to prevent further damage in the ecological status. Multivariate analyses showed distinct patterns of biological response for the Calopteryx spp., Chironomidae and Baetis spp. taxa. Calopteryx spp. and Chironomidae, in particular, showed distinct response patterns for the two rivers, which were fairly stable across seasons. This study sets the foundations for future cost-effective biomonitoring campaigns in Mediterranean rivers, allowing to establish historical data important to understand ecosystem evolution, as well as baseline levels of diagnostic biomarkers in informative macroinvertebrate taxa.The present study was supported by the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) through a PhDgrant attributed to Rodrigues C. R. (SFRH/BD/87695/2012) and apost-doc fellowship attributed to Cruz V. F. (SFRH/BPD/109153/2015) and by the Strategic Funding UID/Multi/04423/2019 through national funds provided by the FCT and European Re-gional Development Fund (ERDF), in the framework of the pro-gramme PT2020info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Efficient long-range conduction in cable bacteria through nickel protein wires

Filamentous cable bacteria display long-range electron transport, generating electrical currents over centimeter distances through a highly ordered network of fibers embedded in their cell envelope. The conductivity of these periplasmic wires is exceptionally high for a biological material, but their chemical structure and underlying electron transport mechanism remain unresolved. Here, we combine high-resolution microscopy, spectroscopy, and chemical imaging on individual cable bacterium filaments to demonstrate that the periplasmic wires consist of a conductive protein core surrounded by an insulating protein shell layer. The core proteins contain a sulfur-ligated nickel cofactor, and conductivity decreases when nickel is oxidized or selectively removed. The involvement of nickel as the active metal in biological conduction is remarkable, and suggests a hitherto unknown form of electron transport that enables efficient conduction in centimeter-long protein structures

Global Retinoblastoma Presentation and Analysis by National Income Level.

Importance: Early diagnosis of retinoblastoma, the most common intraocular cancer, can save both a child's life and vision. However, anecdotal evidence suggests that many children across the world are diagnosed late. To our knowledge, the clinical presentation of retinoblastoma has never been assessed on a global scale. Objectives: To report the retinoblastoma stage at diagnosis in patients across the world during a single year, to investigate associations between clinical variables and national income level, and to investigate risk factors for advanced disease at diagnosis. Design, Setting, and Participants: A total of 278 retinoblastoma treatment centers were recruited from June 2017 through December 2018 to participate in a cross-sectional analysis of treatment-naive patients with retinoblastoma who were diagnosed in 2017. Main Outcomes and Measures: Age at presentation, proportion of familial history of retinoblastoma, and tumor stage and metastasis. Results: The cohort included 4351 new patients from 153 countries; the median age at diagnosis was 30.5 (interquartile range, 18.3-45.9) months, and 1976 patients (45.4%) were female. Most patients (n = 3685 [84.7%]) were from low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Globally, the most common indication for referral was leukocoria (n = 2638 [62.8%]), followed by strabismus (n = 429 [10.2%]) and proptosis (n = 309 [7.4%]). Patients from high-income countries (HICs) were diagnosed at a median age of 14.1 months, with 656 of 666 (98.5%) patients having intraocular retinoblastoma and 2 (0.3%) having metastasis. Patients from low-income countries were diagnosed at a median age of 30.5 months, with 256 of 521 (49.1%) having extraocular retinoblastoma and 94 of 498 (18.9%) having metastasis. Lower national income level was associated with older presentation age, higher proportion of locally advanced disease and distant metastasis, and smaller proportion of familial history of retinoblastoma. Advanced disease at diagnosis was more common in LMICs even after adjusting for age (odds ratio for low-income countries vs upper-middle-income countries and HICs, 17.92 [95% CI, 12.94-24.80], and for lower-middle-income countries vs upper-middle-income countries and HICs, 5.74 [95% CI, 4.30-7.68]). Conclusions and Relevance: This study is estimated to have included more than half of all new retinoblastoma cases worldwide in 2017. Children from LMICs, where the main global retinoblastoma burden lies, presented at an older age with more advanced disease and demonstrated a smaller proportion of familial history of retinoblastoma, likely because many do not reach a childbearing age. Given that retinoblastoma is curable, these data are concerning and mandate intervention at national and international levels. Further studies are needed to investigate factors, other than age at presentation, that may be associated with advanced disease in LMICs

Clinical features and outcomes of elderly hospitalised patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, heart failure or both

Background and objective: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and heart failure (HF) mutually increase the risk of being present in the same patient, especially if older. Whether or not this coexistence may be associated with a worse prognosis is debated. Therefore, employing data derived from the REPOSI register, we evaluated the clinical features and outcomes in a population of elderly patients admitted to internal medicine wards and having COPD, HF or COPD + HF. Methods: We measured socio-demographic and anthropometric characteristics, severity and prevalence of comorbidities, clinical and laboratory features during hospitalization, mood disorders, functional independence, drug prescriptions and discharge destination. The primary study outcome was the risk of death. Results: We considered 2,343 elderly hospitalized patients (median age 81 years), of whom 1,154 (49%) had COPD, 813 (35%) HF, and 376 (16%) COPD + HF. Patients with COPD + HF had different characteristics than those with COPD or HF, such as a higher prevalence of previous hospitalizations, comorbidities (especially chronic kidney disease), higher respiratory rate at admission and number of prescribed drugs. Patients with COPD + HF (hazard ratio HR 1.74, 95% confidence intervals CI 1.16-2.61) and patients with dementia (HR 1.75, 95% CI 1.06-2.90) had a higher risk of death at one year. The Kaplan-Meier curves showed a higher mortality risk in the group of patients with COPD + HF for all causes (p = 0.010), respiratory causes (p = 0.006), cardiovascular causes (p = 0.046) and respiratory plus cardiovascular causes (p = 0.009). Conclusion: In this real-life cohort of hospitalized elderly patients, the coexistence of COPD and HF significantly worsened prognosis at one year. This finding may help to better define the care needs of this population

PENGARUH PERSEPSI KEMUDAHAN PENGGUNA, KUALITAS INFORMASI, DAN ELECTRONIC WORD OF MOUTH TERHADAP MINAT BELI ONLINE (STUDI KASUS PENGGUNA MARKETPLACE SHOPEE)

Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk menganalisis pengaruh persepsi kemudahan pengguna, kualitas informasi, dan electronic word of mouth terhadap minat beli online (studi kasus pengguna marketplace shopee). Penelitian ini menggunakan studi kuantitatif. Metode ini disebut metode kuantitatif karena data penelitian berupa angka-angka dan analisis menggunakan statistik. Permasalahan yang diangkat dalam penelitian ini adalah timbulnya perusahaan sejenis yang menjadi pesaing ketat. Permasalahan yang diangkat dalam penelitian ini adalah timbulnya perusahaan sejenis yang menjadi pesaing ketat Shopee diindonesia hingga menimbulkan masalah pada minat beli online pada marketplace . Responden dalam penelitian ini adalah 140 orang pengguna shopee. Dari hasil analisis Analisis data dilakukan dengan bantuan program aplikasi SPSS (Stastistic Product and Service Solution) yang ditemukan bahwa variabel persepsi kemudahan pengguna, kualitas informasi dan electronic word of mouth mempunyai pengaruh signifikan terhadap minat beli online di marketplace Shopee

Regionalized nitrogen fate in freshwater systems on a global scale

Excessive nitrogen (N) use in agriculture, industry, and household waste leads to widespread N release throughout the environment, causing eutrophication in both freshwater and coastal areas. To better understand N-induced eutrophication and other N-use-related environmental impacts at the local scale, improvements in the spatial resolution of life cycle impact assessment measures are required. Here, we present a method to estimate gridded fate factors (FFs) at a half-degree resolution based on the Integrated Model to Assess the Global Environment-Global Nutrient Model to provide eutrophication indicators for global N-related manufacture, trade, and consumption in life cycle assessment. Across global freshwater systems, our cumulative FFs have a 5th percentile of 0.9 days and a 95th percentile of 184.0 days. Aggregated FFs for administrative units range from 0.3 days to 211.9 days. The hotspots of cumulative FFs are mainly distributed upstream of large reservoirs or lakes. On a global level, advection is the dominant process controlling the FF (69.7% of areas), followed by retention (29.0%), and water consumption (1.3%). N retention dominates in advection-favoring, high-discharge regions due to the high residence times, while water consumption tends to dominate water-scarce zones. The results demonstrate the importance of gridded information to assess eutrophication impacts, as it characterizes N emissions from anthropogenic sources at high spatial resolution in comparison to basin- or country-level assessments. Introducing soil–freshwater N fate complements existing P-related fates to improve global assessments of eutrophication. This article met the requirements for a Gold–Gold Badge JIE data openness badge described at http://jie.click/badges

Geen duurzaamheid zonder sociaal kapitaal: sociale netwerkanalyse binnen de Belgische visserij /

Master of Science in de bio-ingenieurswetenschappen: landbouwkund

Disappearance of oxytetracycline resistance genes in aquatic systems

The disappearance of selected tetracycline resistance genes was investigated in different simulated receiving waters to determine conditions that maximize resistance gene loss after release. Wastewater from an operating cattle feedlot lagoon was provided to four pairs of duplicate 3-L flasks, and tet(O), tet(W), tet(M), tet(Q), and 16S rRNA gene levels were monitored over 29 days using realtime PCR. Treatments included simulated sunlight with 0, 25, and 250 mu g L-1 nominal oxytetracycline (OTC) levels, respectively, and 'dark' conditions. Gene disappearance rates were always highest when light was present, regardless of OTC level. First-order loss coefficients (k(d)) for the sum of resistance genes were 0.84, 0.75, and 0.81 day(-1) for 0.0, 25, and 250 mu g L-1 OTC treatments over the first 7 days after release, respectively, whereas kd was 0.49 day l under dark conditions, which is significantly lower (P < 0.10). k(d) varied fourfold among the four individual genes, although disappearance patterns were similar among genes. Results suggest that light exposure should be maximized in receiving waters in order to maximize resistance gene loss rate after release