Million years of Greenland Ice Sheet history recorded in ocean sediments

Geological records from Tertiary and Quaternary terrestrial and oceanic sections have documented the presence of ice caps and sea ice covers both in the Southern and the Northern hemispheres since Eocene times, approximately since 45 Ma. In this paper focussing on Greenland we mainly use the occurrences of coarse ice-rafted debris (IRD) in Quaternary and Tertiary ocean sediment cores to conclude on age and origin of the glaciers/ice sheets, which once produced the icebergs transporting this material into the adjacent ocean. Deep-sea sediment cores with their records of ice-rafting from off NE Greenland, Fram Strait and to the south of Greenland suggest the more or less continuous existence of the Greenland ice sheet since 18 Ma, maybe much longer, and hence far beyond the stratigraphic extent of the Greenland ice cores. The timing of onset of glaciation on Greenland and whether it has been glaciated continuously since, are wide open questions of its long-term history. We also urgently need new scientific drilling programs in the waters around Greenland, in particular in the segment of the Arctic Ocean to the north of Greenland

Chemical Composition and Inhibitory Effect of the Essential Oil from Mentha Spicata Irrigated by Wastewater on the Alkaline Corrosion of Aluminum

Mentha Spicata irrigated by wastewater from the city of Settat (Morocco) was tested as corrosion inhibitor of aluminum in 0.1 M Na2CO3 using polarization method and weight loss measurements. The inhibition efficiency of mentha spicata oil was calculated and compared. We note good agreement between these methods. The results obtained showed that the tested inhibitor reduces the kinetic process of corrosion of aluminum.  Its efficiency increases with the concentration and attained 82 % at 1600 ppm. The effect of temperature on the corrosion behaviour of aluminum in 0.1 M Na2CO3 was also studied in the range 283 K and 313 K. The thermodynamic data of activation were determined. The analysis of mentha spicata oil obtained by hydro-distillation using gas chromatography (GC) showed that the major components are carvone 57.11 % and limonene 27.77%

Coincidence Angular Correlation in Electron Impact Single or Double Ionisation of Atoms and Molecules

Experimental results obtained with our multi-parameter multi-coincidence spectrometer are presented for the (e,3e) double ionisation of Ar and (e,2e) single ionisation of small molecules. The (e,3e) measurements are discussed in terms of competition between the two double ionisation processes present under the chosen kinematics, and qualitative conclusions are given. The results for the ionisation of H2 and the outer orbital of N2 are compared with the predictions of the most elaborate available theoretical models for description of the molecular ionisation process. Overall reasonable agreement is observed and tentative interpretations for the discrepancies are discussed

Cardiolipin synthesis in brown and beige fat mitochondria is essential for systemic energy homeostasis

Activation of energy expenditure in thermogenic fat is a promising strategy to improve metabolic health, yet the dynamic processes that evoke this response are poorly understood. Here we show that synthesis of the mitochondrial phospholipid cardiolipin is indispensable for stimulating and sustaining thermogenic fat function. Cardiolipin biosynthesis is robustly induced in brown and beige adipose upon cold exposure. Mimicking this response through overexpression of cardiolipin synthase (Crls1) enhances energy consumption in mouse and human adipocytes. Crls1 deficiency in thermogenic adipocytes diminishes inducible mitochondrial uncoupling and elicits a nuclear transcriptional response through endoplasmic reticulum stress-mediated retrograde communication. Cardiolipin depletion in brown and beige fat abolishes adipose thermogenesis and glucose uptake, which renders animals insulin resistant. We further identify a rare human CRLS1 variant associated with insulin resistance and show that adipose CRLS1 levels positively correlate with insulin sensitivity. Thus, adipose cardiolipin has a powerful impact on organismal energy homeostasis through thermogenic fat bioenergetics

Benzodiazepine prescribing behaviour and attitudes: a survey among general practitioners practicing in northern Thailand

BACKGROUND: Over-prescribing of benzodiazepines appears common in many countries, a better understanding of prescribing practices and attitudes may help develop strategies to reduce prescribing. This study aimed to evaluate benzodiazepine prescribing behaviour and attitudes in general practitioners practising in Chiang Mai and Lampoon, Thailand. METHODS: Questionnaire survey of general practitioners in community hospitals, to estimate: i) use of benzodiazepines for anxiety/insomnia, panic disorder, depression, essential hypertension, and uncomplicated low back pain and ii) views on the optimal duration of benzodiazepine use. RESULTS: Fifty-five of 100 general practitioners returned the completed questionnaires. They reported use of benzodiazepines for anxiety/insomnia (n = 51, 93%), panic disorder (n = 43, 78%), depression (n = 26, 43%), essential hypertension (n = 15, 27 %) and uncomplicated low back pain (n = 10, 18%). Twenty-eight general practitioners would prescribe benzodiazepines for non-psychiatric conditions, 17 for use as muscle relaxants. Seventy-five per cent, 62% and 29% of the general practitioners agreed or totally agreed with the use of benzodiazepines for insomnia, anxiety and depression, respectively. Practitioners agreed that prescribing should be less than one week (80%); or from 1 week to 1 month (47%); or 1 to 4 months (16%); or 4 to 6 months (5%) or more than 6 months (2%). Twenty-five general practitioners (45%) accepted that they used benzodiazepines excessively in the past year. CONCLUSION: A considerable proportion of general practitioners in Chiang Mai and Lampoon, Thailand inappropriately use benzodiazepines for physical illnesses, especially essential hypertension and uncomplicated low back pain. However, almost half of them thought that they overused benzodiazepines. General practitioner's lack of time, knowledge and skills should be taken into account in improving prescribing behaviour and attitudes

Cleanup of industrial effluents containing heavy metals : a new opportunity of valorising the biomass produced by brewing industry

Heavy metal pollution is a matter of concern in industrialised countries. Contrary to organic pollutants, heavy metals are not metabolically degraded. This fact has two main consequences: its bioremediation requires another strategy and heavy metals can be indefinitely recycled. Yeast cells of Saccharomyces cerevisiae are produced at high amounts as a by-product of brewing industry constituting a cheap raw material. In the present work, the possibility of valorising this type of biomass in the bioremediation of real industrial effluents containing heavy metals is reviewed. Given the auto-aggregation capacity (flocculation) of brewing yeast cells, a fast and off-cost yeast separation is achieved after the treatment of metal-laden effluent, which reduces the costs associated with the process. This is a critical issue when we are looking for an effective, eco-friendly, and low-cost technology. The possibility of the bioremediation of industrial effluents linked with the selective recovery of metals, in a strategy of simultaneous minimisation of environmental hazard of industrial wastes with financial benefits from reselling or recycling the metals, is discussed

Balance between matrix metalloproteinases (MMP) and tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinases (TIMP) in the cervical mucus plug estimated by determination of free non-complexed TIMP

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The cervical mucus plug (CMP) is a semi-solid structure with antibacterial properties positioned in the cervical canal during pregnancy. The CMP contains high concentrations of matrix metalloproteinase 8 and 9 (MMP-8, MMP-9) and tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase 1 (TIMP-1). This indicates a potential to degrade extracellular matrix components depending on the balance between free non-complexed inhibitors and active enzymes.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Thirty-two CMPs collected during active labor at term were analyzed. Twelve CMPs were separated into a cellular and an extracellular/fluid phase and analyzed by gelatin and reverse zymography to reveal MMP and TIMP location. Twenty samples were homogenized, extracted and studied by the TIMP activity assay based on gelatin zymography. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used to determine TIMP-1, MMP-8 and MMP-9 protein concentrations, and gelatin and reverse zymography used to identify gelatinases and TIMPs, respectively. The Western blotting technique was applied for semi-quantification of alpha2-macroglobulin. An ELISA activity assay was used to detect MMP-8 and MMP-9 activity.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>ProMMP-2, proMMP-9, TIMP-1 and TIMP-2 were almost exclusively located in the fluid phase compared to the cellular phase of the CMP. All the extracted samples contained MMP-8, MMP-9, TIMP-1, TIMP-2 and alpha2-macroglobulin. Free non-complexed TIMP was detected in all the samples analyzed by the TIMP activity assay and was associated with TIMP-1 protein (R = 0.71, p < 0.001) and with the TIMP/MMP molar ratio (1.7 (1.1–2.5) (mean (95% confidence interval)) (R = 0.65, p = 0.002). The ELISA activity assay showed no activity from MMP-8 or MMP-9.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Due to their extracellular location, potential proteolytic activity from neutrophil-derived MMPs in the CMP could exert a biological impact on cervical dilatation and fetal membrane rupture at term. The functional TIMP activity assay, revealing excess non-complexed TIMP, and a molar inhibitor/enzyme ratio above unity, indicate that refined MMP control prevents CMP-originated proteolytic activity in the surrounding tissue.</p

Novel mutations in the TBX5 gene in patients with Holt-Oram Syndrome

The Holt-Oram syndrome (HOS) is an autosomal dominant condition characterized by upper limb and cardiac malformations. Mutations in the TBX5 gene cause HOS and have also been associated with isolated heart and arm defects. Interactions between the TBX5, GATA4 and NKX2.5 proteins have been reported in humans. We screened the TBX5, GATA4, and NKX2.5 genes for mutations, by direct sequencing, in 32 unrelated patients presenting classical (8) or atypical HOS (1), isolated congenital heart defects (16) or isolated upper-limb malformations (7). Pathogenic mutations in the TBX5 gene were found in four HOS patients, including two new mutations (c.374delG; c.678G > T) in typical patients, and the hotspot mutation c.835C > T in two patients, one of them with an atypical HOS phenotype involving lower-limb malformations. Two new mutations in the GATA4 gene were found in association with isolated upper-limb malformations, but their clinical significance remains to be established. A previously described possibly pathogenic mutation in the NKX2.5 gene (c.73C > 7) was detected in a patient with isolated heart malformations and also in his clinically normal father

Lifestyle and diet in relation to risk of type 2 diabetes in Vietnam: a hospital-based case-control study.

BACKGROUND: Lifestyle and diet are important determinants of type 2 diabetes (T2D). Their impact on T2D can be evaluated using clinical and epidemiological approaches. Randomised controlled trials are the most rigorous design but expensive to conduct, whereas prospective cohort studies are time-consuming and less powerful for populations with a low incidence of the disease. Case-control studies are considered appropriate in resource-limited settings. A hospital-based case-control study protocol has been developed to investigate the role of lifestyle and dietary factors in T2D aetiology for adults in Vietnam. METHODS: A total of 1100 patients aged 40-65 years (550 T2D cases and 550 controls) will be recruited from a tertiary hospital in Hanoi, the capital city of Vietnam. Cases and controls will be frequency-matched on age (±3 years), gender, and residential location. T2D will be diagnosed according to the 2006 World Health Organisation criteria. Habitual physical activity will be assessed by the Vietnamese version of the International Physical Activity Questionnaire-Short Form. Food and beverage consumption will be ascertained using a Validated Food Frequency Questionnaire, specifically developed for the Vietnamese population. Information on demographic and other personal characteristics will be collected, together with anthropometric and blood pressure measurements. Descriptive statistics and unconditional logistic regression analyses will be performed to examine factors associated with the T2D prevalence. DISCUSSION: The proposed study will elucidate the role of lifestyle and diet in T2D prevalence among Vietnamese adults. Findings concerning pertinent factors will provide epidemiological evidence for the development of focused interventions, and contribute to the formulation of national policies to prevent and control T2D in Vietnam

Tropospheric Ozone Assessment Report : A critical review of changes in the tropospheric ozone burden and budget from 1850 to 2100

Our understanding of the processes that control the burden and budget of tropospheric ozone has changed dramatically over the last 60 years. Models are the key tools used to understand these changes, and these underscore that there are many processes important in controlling the tropospheric ozone budget. In this critical review, we assess our evolving understanding of these processes, both physical and chemical. We review model simulations from the International Global Atmospheric Chemistry Atmospheric Chemistry and Climate Model Intercomparison Project and Chemistry Climate Modelling Initiative to assess the changes in the tropospheric ozone burden and its budget from 1850 to 2010. Analysis of these data indicates that there has been significant growth in the ozone burden from 1850 to 2000 (approximately 43 + 9%) but smaller growth between 1960 and 2000 (approximately 16 +/- 10%) and that the models simulate burdens of ozone well within recent satellite estimates. The Chemistry Climate Modelling Initiative model ozone budgets indicate that the net chemical production of ozone in the troposphere plateaued in the 1990s and has not changed since then inspite of increases in the burden. There has been a shift in net ozone production in the troposphere being greatest in the northern mid and high latitudes to the northern tropics, driven by the regional evolution of precursor emissions. An analysis of the evolution of tropospheric ozone through the 21st century, as simulated by Climate Model Intercomparison Project Phase 5 models, reveals a large source of uncertainty associated with models themselves (i.e., in the way that they simulate the chemical and physical processes that control tropospheric ozone). This structural uncertainty is greatest in the near term (two to three decades), but emissions scenarios dominate uncertainty in the longer term (2050- 2100) evolution of tropospheric ozone. This intrinsic model uncertainty prevents robust predictions of near-term changes in the tropospheric ozone burden, and we review how progress can be made to reduce this limitation