A conceptual framework for evaluating cooking systems

PUBLISHED 7 March 2022Tami C Bond, Christian L, Orange, Paul R Medwell, George Sizoomu, Samer Abdelnour, Verena Brinkmann, Philip Lloyd and Crispin Pemberton-Pigot

The immunopathology of ANCA-associated vasculitis.

The small-vessel vasculitides are a group of disorders characterised by variable patterns of small blood vessel inflammation producing a markedly heterogeneous clinical phenotype. While any vessel in any organ may be involved, distinct but often overlapping sets of clinical features have allowed the description of three subtypes associated with the presence of circulating anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies (ANCA), namely granulomatosis with polyangiitis (GPA, formerly known as Wegener's Granulomatosis), microscopic polyangiitis (MPA) and eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis (eGPA, formerly known as Churg-Strauss syndrome). Together, these conditions are called the ANCA-associated vasculitidies (AAV). Both formal nomenclature and classification criteria for the syndromes have changed repeatedly since their description over 100 years ago and may conceivably do so again following recent reports showing distinct genetic associations of patients with detectable ANCA of distinct specificities. ANCA are not only useful in classifying the syndromes but substantial evidence implicates them in driving disease pathogenesis although the mechanism by which they develop and tolerance is broken remains controversial. Advances in our understanding of the pathogenesis of the syndromes have been accompanied by some progress in treatment, although much remains to be done to improve the chronic morbidity associated with the immunosuppression required for disease control

Efficacy and safety of SARS-CoV-2 vaccines for individuals with haematological malignancies: protocol for a systematic review

The objective of the systematic review is to assess the efficacy and safety of SARS-CoV-2 vaccines for individuals with haematological malignancies. We will limit inclusion to studies on the four vaccines currently authorized by the EMA and vaccines authorised in at least 10 countries worldwide (up to September 2, 2021), those are: • BNT162; • CX-024414 (mRNA-1273), and its equivalent TAK-919; • AZD1222 (ChAdOx1); • JNJ-78436735 (Ad26.COV2.S); • rAd26; • rAd5; • BBIBP-CorV (BIBP-CorV/ Covilo/ Hayat-Vax); • Sinovac (CoronaVac/ PiCoVac]

Regulation of neuronal differentiation by proteins associated with nuclear bodies.

Nuclear bodies are large sub-nuclear structures composed of RNA and protein molecules. The Survival of Motor Neuron (SMN) protein localizes to Cajal bodies (CBs) and nuclear gems. Diminished cellular concentration of SMN is associated with the neurodegenerative disease Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA). How nuclear body architecture and its structural components influence neuronal differentiation remains elusive. In this study, we analyzed the effects of SMN and two of its interaction partners in cellular models of neuronal differentiation. The nuclear 23 kDa isoform of Fibroblast Growth Factor - 2 (FGF-2(23)) is one of these interacting proteins - and was previously observed to influence nuclear bodies by destabilizing nuclear gems and mobilizing SMN from Cajal bodies (CBs). Here we demonstrate that FGF-2(23) blocks SMN-promoted neurite outgrowth, and also show that SMN disrupts FGF-2(23)-dependent transcription. Our results indicate that FGF-2(23) and SMN form an inactive complex that interferes with neuronal differentiation by mutually antagonizing nuclear functions. Coilin is another nuclear SMN binding partner and a marker protein for Cajal bodies (CBs). In addition, coilin is essential for CB function in maturation of small nuclear ribonucleoprotein particles (snRNPs). The role of coilin outside of Cajal bodies and its putative impacts in tissue differentiation are poorly defined. The present study shows that protein levels of nucleoplasmic coilin outside of CBs decrease during neuronal differentiation. Overexpression of coilin has an inhibitory effect on neurite outgrowth. Furthermore, we find that nucleoplasmic coilin inhibits neurite outgrowth independent of SMN binding revealing a new function for coilin in neuronal differentiation

Globalisierung und gesellschaftliche Naturverhaeltnisse

'Der neoliberalen Globalisierung liegen Rationalitaetsmuster zugrunde, die weder neu noch liberal sind. Dies gilt fuer herrschaftliches Denken ueber Natur (als Ressource) ebenso wie fuer den sich verstaerkenden Zugriff auf Naturgueter und die Ausblendung reproduktiver Elemente aus der Debatte ueber Umgangsweisen mit Natur. Mit Blick auf Landnutzung und Livelihood wird lokale Vielfalt durch Globalisierung zerstoert. Der Absolutheitsanspruch eines weltweit entfesselten Marktes mit seinem grenzenlos freien Wettbewerb untergraebt das Recht auf- und die Moeglichkeit zu je eigener, der Lokalitaet gemaesser Naturnutzung. Wenn immer mehr Menschen ihrer an die jeweiligen Lokalitaeten gebundenen Produktionsmittel beraubt werden, koennen sich Gesellschaften nicht von innen heraus nachhaltig entwickeln.' (Autorenreferat)SIGLEAvailable from Wissenschaftszentrum Nordrhein-Westfalen Wuppertal Institut fuer Klima, Umwelt, Energie GmbH, Wuppertal (DE) / FIZ - Fachinformationszzentrum Karlsruhe / TIB - Technische InformationsbibliothekDEGerman

Project house water: a novel interdisciplinary framework to assess the environmental and socioeconomic consequences of flood-related impacts

Abstract Protecting our water resources in terms of quality and quantity is considered one of the big challenges of the twenty-first century, which requires global and multidisciplinary solutions. A specific threat to water resources, in particular, is the increased occurrence and frequency of flood events due to climate change which has significant environmental and socioeconomic impacts. In addition to climate change, flooding (or subsequent erosion and run-off) may be exacerbated by, or result from, land use activities, obstruction of waterways, or urbanization of floodplains, as well as mining and other anthropogenic activities that alter natural flow regimes. Climate change and other anthropogenic induced flood events threaten the quantity of water as well as the quality of ecosystems and associated aquatic life. The quality of water can be significantly reduced through the unintentional distribution of pollutants, damage of infrastructure, and distribution of sediments and suspended materials during flood events. To understand and predict how flood events and associated distribution of pollutants may impact ecosystem and human health, as well as infrastructure, large-scale interdisciplinary collaborative efforts are required, which involve ecotoxicologists, hydrologists, chemists, geoscientists, water engineers, and socioeconomists. The research network “project house water” consists of a number of experts from a wide range of disciplines and was established to improve our current understanding of flood events and associated societal and environmental impacts. The concept of project house and similar seed fund and boost fund projects was established by the RWTH Aachen University within the framework of the German excellence initiative with support of the German research foundation (DFG) to promote and fund interdisciplinary research projects and provide a platform for scientists to collaborate on innovative, challenging research. Project house water consists of six proof-of-concept studies in very diverse and interdisciplinary areas of research (ecotoxicology, water, and chemical process engineering, geography, sociology, economy). The goal is to promote and foster high-quality research in the areas of water research and flood-risk assessments that combine and build off-laboratory experiments with modeling, monitoring, and surveys, as well as the use of applied methods and techniques across a variety of disciplines

SMN inhibits FGF-2²³ activation of Nurr1-dependent transcription.

<p>In this reporter-gene assay, the effects of FGF-2²³, Nurr1 and SMN on transcription driven from the Nurr1 monomer binding responsive element (NBRE) were assessed by transfection of neuroblastoma cells NB. For this purpose, expression vectors for each protein and the NBRE-Luc reporter were used. Empty vector pcDNA3.1 was employed as a FGF-2 expression negative control and pβ-gal as a negative control for SMN constructs. Full-length-SMN (SMN1-294) inhibits transcriptional activation mediated by FGF-2²³, whereas coexpression of the SMN mutant protein SMN235-294 (without the N-terminal FGF-2²³-binding sequence and comprising amino acid residues 235-294) did not exhibit an inhibitory effect. Data represent the mean ± SEM of the ratio of firefly to <i>Renilla</i> luciferase activity (Fluc/Rluc) for n = 3 experiments, each performed in quadruplicate. Results were analyzed using one-way ANOVA followed by Tukeýs posthoc test (means ± SEM; ***, p<0.001; *, p<0.05; compared with pcDNA3.1/pNurr1.</p