Transgenerational and intergenerational effects of early childhood famine exposure in the cohort of offspring of Leningrad Siege survivors

Famine exposure during early life development can affect disease risk in late-life period, yet, transmission of phenotypic features from famine-exposed individuals to the next generations has not been well characterized. The purpose of our case–control study was to investigate the association of parental starvation in the perinatal period and the period of early childhood with the phenotypic features observed in two generations of descendants of Leningrad siege survivors. We examined 54 children and 30 grandchildren of 58 besieged Leningrad residents who suffered from starvation in early childhood and prenatal age during the Second World War. Controls from the population-based national epidemiological ESSE-RF study (n = 175) were matched on sex, age and body mass index (BMI). Phenotypes of controls and descendants (both generations, children and grandchildren separately) were compared, taking into account multiple testing. Comparison of two generations descendants with corresponding control groups revealed significantly higher creatinine and lower glomerular filtration rate (GFR), both in meta-analysis and in independent analyses. The mean values of GFR for all groups were within the normal range (GFR less than 60 mL/min/1.73 m2 was recorded in 2 controls and no one in DLSS). Additionally, independent of the creatinine level, differences in the eating pattern were detected: insufficient fish and excessive red meat consumption were significantly more frequent in the children of the Leningrad siege survivors compared with controls. Blood pressure, blood lipids and glucose did not differ between the groups. Parental famine exposure in early childhood may contribute to a decrease in kidney filtration capacity and altered eating pattern in the offspring of famine-exposed individuals.</p

The effects of hypoxia on zooplankton population estimates and migration in lakes

Many zooplankton species typically exhibit diel vertical migration (DVM), where zooplankton migrate from the hypolimnion to the epilimnion of lakes at night. Zooplankton exhibit this behavior to avoid visual predators and UV radiation by remaining in the bottom waters during the day and ascending to the surface waters to feed on phytoplankton at night. However, hypoxic conditions in the hypolimnion of lakes mayinterfere with DVM and force zooplankton to increase diel horizontal migration (DHM) to find predation refuge in littoral zones. Climate change and eutrophication are expected to increase the prevalence and severity of hypoxic conditions worldwide and thereby possibly alter zooplankton migration patterns. We hypothesize that hypoxia will force zooplankton to shift their migration patterns from predominantly DVM to DHM to avoid oxygen-depleted bottom waters. To test our hypothesis, we are conducting a standardized global sampling program to test whether pelagic, full water column estimates of zooplankton are greater at night versus the day under hypolimnetic hypoxic versus oxic conditions. Participants are aiming to sample at least one lake with an oxic hypolimnion and one lake with a hypoxic hypolimnion during the thermally-stratified period at midday and midnight. With our global dataset (currently expecting about 60 lakes in 22 countries), our goal is to improve our understanding of how global change may alter zooplankton migration behavior and patterns in lakes.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Slaughter weight rather than sex affects carcass cuts and tissue composition of Bisaro pigs

Carcass cuts and tissue composition were assessed in Bisaro pigs (n=64) from two sexes (31 gilts and 33 entire males) reared until three target slaughter body-weights (BW) means: 17 kg, 32 kg, and 79 kg. Dressing percentage and backfat thickness increased whereas carcass shrinkage decreased with increasing BW. Slaughter weight affected most of the carcass cut proportions, except shoulder and thoracic regions. Bone proportion decreased linearly with increasing slaughter BW, while intermuscular and subcutaneous adipose tissue depots increased concomitantly. Slaughter weight increased the subcutaneous adipose tissue proportion but this impaired intramuscular and intermuscular adipose tissues in the loin primal. The sex of the pigs minimally affected the carcass composition, as only the belly weight and the subcutaneous adipose tissue proportions were greater in gilts than in entire males. Light pigs regardless of sex are recommended to balance the trade-offs between carcass cuts and their non-edible compositional outcomes.Work included in the Portuguese PRODER research Project BISOPORC – Pork extensive production of Bísara breed, in two alternative systems: fattening on concentrate vs chesnut, Project PRODER SI I&DT Medida 4.1 “Cooperação para a Inovação”. The authors are grateful to Laboratory of Carcass and Meat Quality of Agriculture School of Polytechnic Institute of Bragança ‘Cantinho do Alfredo’. The authors are members of the MARCARNE network, funded by CYTED (ref. 116RT0503).info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Widespread deoxygenation of temperate lakes

The concentration of dissolved oxygen in aquatic systems helps to regulate biodiversity, nutrient biogeochemistry, greenhouse gas emissions, and the quality of drinking water. The long-term declines in dissolved oxygen concentrations in coastal and ocean waters have been linked to climate warming and human activity, but little is known about the changes in dissolved oxygen concentrations in lakes. Although the solubility of dissolved oxygen decreases with increasing water temperatures, long-term lake trajectories are difficult to predict. Oxygen losses in warming lakes may be amplified by enhanced decomposition and stronger thermal stratification8,9 or oxygen may increase as a result of enhanced primary production. Here we analyse a combined total of 45,148 dissolved oxygen and temperature profiles and calculate trends for 393 temperate lakes that span 1941 to 2017. We find that a decline in dissolved oxygen is widespread in surface and deep-water habitats. The decline in surface waters is primarily associated with reduced solubility under warmer water temperatures, although dissolved oxygen in surface waters increased in a subset of highly productive warming lakes, probably owing to increasing production of phytoplankton. By contrast, the decline in deep waters is associated with stronger thermal stratification and loss of water clarity, but not with changes in gas solubility. Our results suggest that climate change and declining water clarity have altered the physical and chemical environment of lakes. Declines in dissolved oxygen in freshwater are 2.75 to 9.3 times greater than observed in the world’s oceans and could threaten essential lake ecosystem services

Human impact on organic matter distribution in the Moskva River

In 2019, we conducted an integrated study on the Moskva River and its tributaries during the low summer season with a focus on organic matter content (OM) assessment in river waters. The maximum OM content was measured at the river headwaters and related to natural sources. The Mozhaysk Reservoir regulation in the summer had the effect of increased organic load below the dam due to a rise in the allochthonous labile OM. Upstream from the Moscow City, the OM content was relatively low, despite wastewater inflow from several densely populated areas and polluted river inflow. Within the city, organic matter concentration increased by a factor of 1.5 due to an inflow from the Volga River via the Moskva-Volga Canal, whereas the release of treated sewage from the Moscow City wastewater treatment facilities did not have a significant effect. Below the city, the OM content increased again by a factor of 1.5 due to the inflow of urban and industrial wastewater and polluted tributaries. The observations in the lower reaches of the Moskva River indicate a high degree of anthropogenic euthrophication

Nutrient dynamics along the Moskva River under heavy pollution and limited self-purification capacity

An extensive study conducted during the dry summer of 2019 provided a detailed picture of the nutrient content dynamics along the Moskva River. Water sampling at 38 locations on the main river and at 17 of its tributaries revealed a manifold increase in phosphorus and nitrogen concentrations as the river crosses the Moscow metropolitan area, which can be attributed to both direct discharge of poorly treated sewage and nonpoint urban pollution. Even at the Moskva River lower reaches, where the anthropogenic pressure on the river and its tributaries is less pronounced, the inorganic nitrogen and phosphorus content remains consistently high and exceeds the environmental guidelines by up to almost 10 times. This indicates increased vulnerability of the Moskva River ecosystem during periods of low flow, which can be a major factor of eutrophication in the entire Moskva-Oka-Volga system. Comparison of our data with some archive records shows no significant improve in the nutrient pollution of the river since the 1990s, which raises further concern about the effectiveness of water quality management in Moscow urban region

Seasonal dynamics of nutrients and organic matter in urban stream

The study presents the results of water quality evaluation in the Setun River watershed, located entirely within the limits of the Moscow City. Multiple point and non-point sources of pollution cause the nutrient and organic matter content of the river and its tributaries to significantly differ from the natural background. Maximum nitrogen and phosphorus concentrations were observed at the upper reaches of the river during the summer low flow due to the landfill impact. Because of the extreme nutrient pollution at the river’s upper course, subsequent water inflow, even from significantly polluted tributaries, has a diluting effect, and the nutrient concentration decreases downstream. The effect of urbanization on the organic matter content is reflected in elevated COD and BOD values that exceed the national environmental guidelines. Seasonal dynamics of organic matter content includes increased organic matter during snowmelt and its relatively low content during summer

Impact Of Mozhaysk Dam On The Moscow River Sediment Transport

Sediments are an essential part of the aquatic environment that define its transformation and development. The construction of dams results in severe changes in sediment fluxes. This study aims to assess how the sediment load of the upper Moskva River is affected by the Mozhaysk Dam flow regulation and to estimate its dynamics over the years of the reservoir’s existence. Our analysis of the 1968, 2012 and 2016 detailed field data shows a 20-40% decrease in the proportion of the spring flood in the annual sediment load into the reservoir, which is caused by changes in the streamflow regime of the inflowing rivers. The peak suspended sediment concentrations have decreased 5- to 10-fold, likely due to a significant decline in the watershed’s cultivated land area, which caused a decrease in the erosion rate. In the Moskva River below the dam, the seasonal dynamics of the suspended sediment concentration no longer corresponds to the natural regime. The annual suspended load of the Moskva River below the Mozhaysk Reservoir decreased up to 9-fold. The sediment retention in the reservoir has dropped from 90% to 70-85% and is to some extent restored by an outflow of the particulate organic matter produced in the reservoir. We also described the relationships between water turbidity and suspended sediment concentration of the reservoir’s tributaries, which allow for the first time to estimate the sediment load with higher accuracy than was previously possible

Dissolved organic carbon and total dissolved nitrogen concentration of Lena River water from 26.08.2021 (#488) to 16.08.2022 (#612)

We collected water samples from the river surface in the center of the Olenekskaya Channel near Samoylov Island using a pre-rinsed HDPE 1 L bottle. During the open water period (June to October), water was sampled from a small boat, and during ice-covered period (November to May), through a hole drilled through the river ice. Some samples during the river ice break-up (between May and June) as well as some samples during the ice freeze-up in October were taken from the shore due to the inaccessibility of a more centered location on the river channel. For DOC and TDN, the sample was filtered through a 0.45 μm cellulose acetate filter which had been rinsed with 20 mL sample water. Samples were filled into a pre-rinsed 20 mL glass vial and acidified with 25 μL HCl Suprapur (10 M) and stored in the dark at 4°C. After transport, samples were analyzed at Lomonosov Moscow State University in Moscow, Russia (MSU). DOC and TDN concentrations were analyzed using a TOPAZ NC manufactured by Informanalitika LLC (Russia). For analysis, ISO 11905-2:1997 for nitrogen and ISO 8245:1999 for carbon was followed. Three replicate measurements of each sample were averaged and three standards (5,15, and 100 mg L-1) as well as blanks (Milli-Q water) were used to ensure high accuracy of the measurements