Geographical and temporal distribution of SARS-CoV-2 clades in the WHO European Region, January to June 2020

We show the distribution of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) genetic clades over time and between countries and outline potential genomic surveillance objectives. We applied three genomic nomenclature systems to all sequence data from the World Health Organization European Region available until 10 July 2020. We highlight the importance of real-time sequencing and data dissemination in a pandemic situation, compare the nomenclatures and lay a foundation for future European genomic surveillance of SARS-CoV-2

Financing measures to avert, minimise and address Loss and Damage: Options for the Green Climate Fund (GCF)

Over the last decade, loss and damage associated with climate change impacts (L&D) has become an important topic at the UN climate negotiations over the past ten years. Increasingly, climate negotiations and research focus on the question of how to finance measures that avert, minimise and address L&D. Literature on L&D has been exploring the financing of L&D-related activities and although several authors have suggested that this could be achieved through the Green Climate Fund (GCF), such suggestions have not been substantiated. The Conference of the Parties (COP) at the UN climate negotiations in Madrid invited the GCF Board to continue providing financial resources for activities relevant to averting, minimizing and addressing L&D, to the extent consistent with the institutional set-up of the GCF, and to facilitate efficient access in this regard. This report identifies to what extent the GCF already finances measures to avert, minimise and address L&D, and how the fund could continue to do so, in the context of the guidance given by the COP. In the context of the five ‘strategic workstreams’ of the work plan of the UNFCCC’s Executive Committee of the WIM Excom, this report analyses both the current institutional set-up and the current project portfolio of the GCF to determine to what extent the GCF may play a role in financing L&D measures in the coming years

The clues in solving the mystery of major psychosis: the epigenetic basis of schizophrenia and bipolar disorder

Avci, Cigir Biray/0000-0001-8251-4520; Yavasoglu, Altug/0000-0003-4227-1637WOS: 000531531100004PubMed: 32147531Schizophrenia (SZ) and bipolar disorder (BD) are severe psychiatric diseases that are characterized by abnormalities of thought, behaviour, cognition and mood. the genetic findings obtained from past molecular genetics research failed to elucidate the molecular pathogenesis of SZ and BD and this situation showed that the risk factors for these diseases were not solely due to the DNA sequence. on the other hand, evidence from cell, animal and postmortem brain studies suggest that abnormal epigenetic mechanisms are important actors in the etiology of complex diseases such as SZ and BD. in this review, epigenetic evidences that obtained from DNA methylation, post-translational histone modifications and non-coding RNA studies in SZ and BD were summarized and the importance of this evidences for advances in the diagnosis and treatment of SZ and BD were discussed briefly

Financing measures to avert, minimise and address Loss and Damage: Options for the Green Climate Fund (GCF)

Over the last decade, loss and damage associated with climate change impacts (L&D) has become an important topic at the UN climate negotiations over the past ten years. Increasingly, climate negotiations and research focus on the question of how to finance measures that avert, minimise and address L&D. Literature on L&D has been exploring the financing of L&D-related activities and although several authors have suggested that this could be achieved through the Green Climate Fund (GCF), such suggestions have not been substantiated. The Conference of the Parties (COP) at the UN climate negotiations in Madrid invited the GCF Board to continue providing financial resources for activities relevant to averting, minimizing and addressing L&D, to the extent consistent with the institutional set-up of the GCF, and to facilitate efficient access in this regard. This report identifies to what extent the GCF already finances measures to avert, minimise and address L&D, and how the fund could continue to do so, in the context of the guidance given by the COP. In the context of the five ‘strategic workstreams’ of the work plan of the UNFCCC’s Executive Committee of the WIM Excom, this report analyses both the current institutional set-up and the current project portfolio of the GCF to determine to what extent the GCF may play a role in financing L&D measures in the coming years

A focus on market imperfections can help governments to mobilize private investments in adaptation

Climate change requires significant adaptation of economies, and the largest part of most economies is composed of private sector actors. In this Viewpoint, we argue that it should not be the role of the public sector to cover the full costs of adaptation - which would also typically exceed government's fiscal space. Rather, we suggest that the public sector should set the right conditions to catalyse private investments in adaptation. While the suggestion is not new, we argue that the current focus on generic ‘barriers’ hindering more private investments in adaptation is not expedient. These barriers are descriptive rather than explanatory, sometimes mix cause and effect, and tend to focus on eliminating obstacles, rather than adapting efficiently. Alternatively, we suggest to focus on addressing three market imperfections that give rise to those barriers. In doing so, the overall welfare of society, including the vulnerability of the most marginalized, should be centre-stage. The development of markets should aim to contribute to such welfare - it is not an end in itself. In that sense, our call for a focus on market imperfections is a call for a larger role of public actors, both in developed and developing countries

The Effects of Different Pressure Pneumoperitoneum Models Created By Standard or Heated-Humidified CO2 Insufflation on Ovary and Peritoneum: an Experimental Study in Rats

There is still controversy over whether structural and morphological changes can be observed in tissues depending on the carbon dioxide (CO2) nature or the applied intra-abdominal pressures (IAP). This study aimed to investigate the effects of different pressure or CO2 nature used for pneumoperitoneum in gynecological laparoscopic surgery on inflammation, DNA damage, oxidative stress, and histopathological changes in ovarian and peritoneal tissue. For this purpose, forty female rats were randomly divided into 6 groups and different pneumoperitoneum models were created in these groups. Rats in group other than control and sham groups received standard (CD) or heated-humidified CO2 (HH) insulations at low (4 mmHg) or high pressure (8 mmHg). The ovary and peritoneum sections were evaluated microscopically for apoptotic index (API) and API scoring was calculated. Tissue and plasma interleukin-6 (IL-6), tumor necrotizing factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), anti-Mullerian hormone (AMH) and 8-hydroxydeoxyguanosine (8-OHdG) levels were analyzed with enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The most severe changes occurred in the 8CD group microscopically, while the least severe changes occurred in the 4HH group. All histopathological parameters except for ovarian apoptotic index and peritoneal PCNA at low pressure were higher in the CD group. TNF-alpha and 8-OHdG levels were higher in the CD group at both low and high pressures. Standard CO2 caused more prominent histopathological changes at high pressures and systemic inflammation in both pressure groups. The least change between the experimental study groups in terms of histopathological and biochemical was observed in the low-pressure heated-humidified group.This study was supported by the Ege University Scientific Research Projects Coordination Unit (grant number: TGA-2019-20808 (to Ilkben Gunusen)).Ege University Scientific Research Projects Coordination Unit [TGA-2019-20808

How Safe Is the Use of Intrathecal Vancomycin?

BACKGROUND: Central nervous system infection after neurosurgical procedures is a severe complication with high morbidity rates and sometimes mortality. Our experimental study aimed to investigate the biochemical and histopathologic effects of vancomycin on neural tissues when applied to the cisterna magna. METHODS: Wistar albino rats were randomly divided into 4 groups: Control (Group 1) and different vancomycin dose groups (Groups 2, 3, and 4). In Group 1, 0.1 mL cerebrospinal fluid was drained from the cisterna magna and 0.1 mL 0.9% NaCI (normal saline) was administered into the subarachnoid space. In the study groups, 0.1 mL cerebrospinal fluid was drained from the cisterna magna and 0.1 mg/200g rat per day (Group 2), 0.2 mg/200g rat per day (Group 3), and 0.4 mg/200g rat per day (Group 4) vancomycin were administered into the subarachnoid space for 7 days. All rats were sacrificed on the eighth day. Serum super-oxide dismutase and catalase levels were measured. Histopathologic and immunohistochemical analyses were conducted. RESULTS: The findings showed that the administration of 0.2 and 0.4 mg/kg doses had significant differences in superoxide dismutase and catalase activity compared with the controls (P < 0.05). These vancomycin doses also induced the apoptotic process, and the enzyme activity results correlated with immunohistochemical results. CONCLUSIONS: Dose-related neurotoxicity of intrathecal vancomycin was shown at the cellular level. The importance of dose regulation of intrathecal vancomycin has come into view. To our knowledge, this is the first study in the literature that has investigated the neurotoxic effects of vancomycin

Fluvastatin attenuates doxorubicin-induced testicular toxicity in rats by reducing oxidative stress and regulating the blood-testis barrier via mTOR signaling pathway

###EgeUn###Doxorubicin (DOX) is an anthracycline derivative antibiotic that still frequently used in the treatment of solid tumors and hematological malignancies. The clinical use of DOX is largely restricted due to acute and chronic renal, cardiac, hematological, and testicular toxicities. Previous studies have indicated that oxidative stress, lipid peroxidation, and apoptosis in germ cells are the main factors in DOX-induced testicular toxicity, but the entire molecular mechanisms that responsible for DOX-induced testicular damage are not yet fully understood. Fluvastatin is a cholesterol-lowering agent that acts by inhibiting hydroxylmethyl glutaryl coenzyme A, the key enzyme for cholesterol biosynthesis. In addition to its cholesterol-lowering effect, fluvastatin showed an antioxidant effect by cleaning hydroxyl and superoxide radicals and this drug could have a protective effect by acting on the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) signal pathway in testicular damage caused by obesity. This study aimed to investigate the possible protective and therapeutic effects of fluvastatin on the DOX-induced testicular toxicity model by histochemical, immunohistochemical, biochemical, and real-time polymerase chain reaction analyses. The present study indicates that fluvastatin may have a protective and therapeutic effect by removing reactive oxygen species and by regulating the mTOR, connexin 43, and matrix metalloproteinase 9 protein and messenger ribonucleic acid expressions, which play an important role in regulating the blood-testis barrier. On the other hand, the use of fluvastatin as a protective/prophylactic agent was found to be more effective than the use of this drug for treatment. In light of this information, fluvastatin may be a candidate agent that can be used to prevent testicular toxicity observed in men receiving DOX treatment

The regulatory effects of clomiphene and tamoxifen on mTOR and LC3-II expressions in relation to autophagy in experimental polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS)

Background Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a metabolic disease that causes infertility due to anovulation in women in reproductive age. It is known that clomiphene citrate (CC) and tamoxifen citrate (TMX) induce ovulation in women with PCOS. In this study, we aimed to investigate the effects of CC and TMX on the autophagy pathway in PCOS. Methods and results Experimental PCOS model was induced by letrozole (1 mg/kg) in rats by gavage for 21 days. After the last letrozole administration, rats were treated TMX (1 mg/kg) or CC (1 mg/kg) for 5 days. At the end of the experimental procedures, rats in all groups were sacrificed and ovarian tissues were removed. It was observed that mRNA and protein expressions of LC3-II were significantly higher in TMX and CC groups than control and PCOS groups (p < 0.05), while mRNA and protein expressions of mTOR in TMX and CC groups were found significantly lower than control and PCOS groups (p < 0.05). Conclusions In conclusion, present study suggests that TMX and CC induce autophagy in ovaries with PCOS. Autophagy is a promising target for understanding pathophysiology of this disease and for developing more effective and safe new protocols for the treatment of PCOS-related anovulation.Ege University Research Fund [BAP-17-TIP-029]This study was supported by the Ege University Research Fund [Grant number BAP-17-TIP-029 (to Altug Yavasoglu)]

Isolation and characterization of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 in Turkey

Copyright: © 2020 Pavel et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and associated with severe respiratory illness emerged in Wuhan, China, in late 2019. The virus has been able to spread promptly across all continents in the world. The current pandemic has posed a great threat to public health concern and safety. Currently, there are no specific treatments or licensed vaccines available for COVID-19. We isolated SARS-CoV-2 from the nasopharyngeal sample of a patient in Turkey with confirmed COVID-19. We determined that the Vero E6 and MA-104 cell lines are suitable for supporting SARS-CoV-2 that supports viral replication, development of cytopathic effect (CPE) and subsequent cell death. Phylogenetic analyses of the whole genome sequences showed that the hCoV-19/Turkey/ERAGEM-001/2020 strain clustered with the strains primarily from Australia, Canada, England, Iran and Kuwait and that the cases in the nearby clusters were reported to have travel history to Iran and to share the common unique nucleotide substitutions