Chemometric perspectives on plankton community responses to natural iron fertilisation over and downstream of the Kerguelen Plateau in the Southern Ocean

International audienceWe examined phytoplankton community responses to natural iron fertilisation at 32 sites over and downstream from the Kerguelen Plateau in the Southern Ocean during the austral spring bloom in October–November 2011. The community structure was estimated from chemical and isotopic measurements (particulate organic carbon – POC; 13C-POC; particulate nitrogen – PN; 15N-PN; and biogenic silica – BSi) on size-fractionated samples from surface waters (300, 210, 50, 20, 5, and 1 μm fractions). Higher values of 13C-POC (vs. co-located 13C values for dissolved inorganic carbon – DIC) were taken as indicative of faster growth rates and higher values of 15N-PN (vs. co-located 15N-NO3 source values) as indicative of greater nitrate use (rather than ammonium use, i.e. higher f ratios).Community responses varied in relation to both regional circulation and the advance of the bloom. Iron-fertilised waters over the plateau developed dominance by very large diatoms (50–210 μm) with high BSi / POC ratios, high growth rates, and significant ammonium recycling (lower f ratios) as biomass built up. In contrast, downstream polar frontal waters with a similar or higher iron supply were dominated by smaller diatoms (20–50 μm) and exhibited greater ammonium recycling. Stations in a deep-water bathymetrically trapped recirculation south of the polar front with lower iron levels showed the large-cell dominance observed on the plateau but much less biomass. Comparison of these communities to surface water nitrate (and silicate) depletions as a proxy for export shows that the low-biomass recirculation feature had exported similar amounts of nitrogen to the high-biomass blooms over the plateau and north of the polar front. This suggests that early spring trophodynamic and export responses differed between regions with persistent low levels vs. intermittent high levels of iron fertilisation

Survival After Lung Transplantation for Chronic Hypersensitivity Pneumonitis: Results From a Large International Cohort Study

Repeated exposure to antigens via inhalation is the primary cause of hypersensitivity pneumonitis, a form of interstitial pneumonia. The chronic form of hypersensitivity pneumonitis leads to progressive loss of respiratory function; lung transplantation is the only therapeutic option for chronically ill patients. The ESTS Lung Transplantation Working Group conducted a retrospective multicentred cohort study to increase the body of knowledge available on this rare indication for lung transplantation. Data were collected for every patient who underwent lung transplant for hypersensitivity pneumonitis in participating centres between December 1996 and October 2019. Primary outcome was overall survival; secondary outcome was freedom from chronic lung allograft dysfunction. A total of 114 patients were enrolled from 9 centres. Almost 90% of patients were diagnosed with hypersensitivity pneumonitis before transplantation, yet the antigen responsible for the infection was identified in only 25% of cases. Eighty per cent of the recipients received induction therapy. Survival at 1, 3, and 5 years was 85%, 75%, and 70%, respectively. 85% of the patients who survived 90 days after transplantation were free from chronic lung allograft dysfunction after 3 years. The given study presents a large cohort of HP patients who underwent lung transplants. Overall survival rate is higher in transplanted hypersensitivity pneumonitis patients than in those suffering from any other interstitial lung diseases. Hypersensitivity pneumonitis patients are good candidates for lung transplantation

Irradiation for mold and mycotoxin control : a review

The mycotoxin issue requires constant vigilance from economic, regulatory, and scientific agents to minimize its toxicological effects on human and on animals. The implementation of good practices to avoid fungal growth and mycotoxin production on agricultural commodities is essential to achieve most restrictive safety standards; however, the contribution of novel technologies that may act on post-harvesting and post-storage situations may be equally important. Several methodologies, more or less technologically advanced, may be used for this purpose. In this work, we review the role, contribution, and impact of irradiation technology to control the presence of fungi and mycotoxins in food and in feed. The effect of this technology on the viability of mold spores and on the elimination of mycotoxins is reviewed. A critical evaluation of the advantages and disadvantages of irradiation in this context is presented.Thalita Calado and Luis Abrunhosa received support through grants SFRH/BD/79364/2011 and SFRH/BPD/43922/2008, respectively, from the Fundacao para a Ciencia e Tecnologia - FCT, Portugal. The authors also thank the FCT Strategic Project PEst-OE/EQB/LA0023/2013 and the project "BioInd - Biotechnology and Bioengineering for Improved Industrial and Agro-Food processes, REF. NORTE-07-0124-FEDER-000028," which is cofunded by the Programa Operacional Regional do Norte (ON. 2 - O Novo Norte), QREN, FEDER

Altimetry for the future: Building on 25 years of progress

In 2018 we celebrated 25 years of development of radar altimetry, and the progress achieved by this methodology in the fields of global and coastal oceanography, hydrology, geodesy and cryospheric sciences. Many symbolic major events have celebrated these developments, e.g., in Venice, Italy, the 15th (2006) and 20th (2012) years of progress and more recently, in 2018, in Ponta Delgada, Portugal, 25 Years of Progress in Radar Altimetry. On this latter occasion it was decided to collect contributions of scientists, engineers and managers involved in the worldwide altimetry community to depict the state of altimetry and propose recommendations for the altimetry of the future. This paper summarizes contributions and recommendations that were collected and provides guidance for future mission design, research activities, and sustainable operational radar altimetry data exploitation. Recommendations provided are fundamental for optimizing further scientific and operational advances of oceanographic observations by altimetry, including requirements for spatial and temporal resolution of altimetric measurements, their accuracy and continuity. There are also new challenges and new openings mentioned in the paper that are particularly crucial for observations at higher latitudes, for coastal oceanography, for cryospheric studies and for hydrology. The paper starts with a general introduction followed by a section on Earth System Science including Ocean Dynamics, Sea Level, the Coastal Ocean, Hydrology, the Cryosphere and Polar Oceans and the ‘‘Green” Ocean, extending the frontier from biogeochemistry to marine ecology. Applications are described in a subsequent section, which covers Operational Oceanography, Weather, Hurricane Wave and Wind Forecasting, Climate projection. Instruments’ development and satellite missions’ evolutions are described in a fourth section. A fifth section covers the key observations that altimeters provide and their potential complements, from other Earth observation measurements to in situ data. Section 6 identifies the data and methods and provides some accuracy and resolution requirements for the wet tropospheric correction, the orbit and other geodetic requirements, the Mean Sea Surface, Geoid and Mean Dynamic Topography, Calibration and Validation, data accuracy, data access and handling (including the DUACS system). Section 7 brings a transversal view on scales, integration, artificial intelligence, and capacity building (education and training). Section 8 reviews the programmatic issues followed by a conclusion

Long-term results of the Heller\u2013Dor operation with intraoperative manometry for the treatment of esophageal achalasia

Objective: In the last 10 years, the Heller-Dor operation has by far been the most reported technique in the English literature for treating esophageal achalasia. Quality of outcome is sometimes different between studies, which is likely due to technical reasons. The aim of this study was to analyze the details of myotomy and fundoplication in relation to curing dysphagia and the occurrence of post-operative reflux esophagitis (RE) achieved over 30 years of a single center\u2019s experience. Methods: This study examined the period between January 1979 and December 2008 in which the same technique was performed by five staff surgeons and several residents. Intraoperative manometry was used in 100% of the 262 patients to abolish the high pressure zone (HPZ) with a long esophagogastric myotomy and to protect the surface of the myotomy with a long but soft anterior fundoplication (six to eight sutures on each side of the myotomy, trimmed to avoid RE without impairing esophageal emptying). A total of 202 patients [97 men, median age 55.5 years; interquartile range (IQR) = 43.7-71] underwent laparotomy, and another 60 patients (24 men, median age 46 years; IQR = 36.2-63) underwent laparoscopy. The follow up consisted of a clinical interview, an endoscopy, barium swallow at given intervals and manometry when needed. We then used a semiquantitative scale to grade the results. Results: Death occurred in 1/202 patients in the laparotomy group (severe portal hypertension in congenital cardiopathy) and 0/60 in the laparoscopy group, with three conversions. All patients received follow-up care. The median follow ups in the laparotomy and laparoscopy groups were 96 months (IQR = 48-190.5) and 48 months (IQR = 27-69.5), respectively. At intraoperative manometry, myotomy resulted in a complete abolition of the HPZ in 100% of the patients. The Dor-related HPZ length and mean pressure were 4.5 (\ub1 0.4) cm and 13.3 (\ub1 2.2) mmHg in the laparotomy group and 4.5 (\ub1 0.5) cm and 13.2 (\ub1 2.2) mmHg in the laparoscopy group (p = 0.75;). In the laparotomy group, poor results [19/201 (9.5%)] were secondary to RE in 15/201 (7.5%) of the patients. In two patients, RE was diagnosed after 184 and 252 months, and recurrent dysphagia was diagnosed in 4/201 patients (2%), all resulting in end-stage sigmoid achalasia. In the laparoscopy group, 2/60 patients (3.3%) had RE and none had recurrent dysphagia. Conclusions: A long esophagogastric myotomy protected by means of Dor fundoplication cures or substantially reduces dysphagia in the great majority of patients affected by esophageal achalasia and effectively controls postoperative esophagitis. Intraoperative manometry is likely the key factor for achieving the reported results

Six-Minute-Walk Distance Predicts Waiting List Survival in Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis

Rationale: Functional studies may be useful to predict survival in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). Various cutoffs of 6-min-walk distance (6MWD) have been suggested to identify patients at a high risk of death

Immunoglobulin G Levels before and after Lung Transplantation

Rationale: The determinants of immunoglobulin G (IgG) level and the risk of hypogammaglobulinemia (HGG) in patients with severe lung disease before and after lung transplantation are unknown

Endotracheal nebulization of gold nanoparticles for noninvasive pulmonary drug delivery

: Background & aims: Gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) are useful tools for noninvasive drug delivery. AuNP nebulization has shown poor deposition results, and AuNP tracking postadministration has involved methods inapplicable to clinical settings. The authors propose an intratracheal delivery method for minimal AuNP loss and computed tomography scans for noninvasive tracking. Materials & methods: Through high-frequency and directed nebulization postendotracheal intubation, the authors treated rats with AuNPs. Results & conclusion: The study showed a dose-dependent and bilateral distribution of AuNPs causing no short-term distress to the animal or risk of airway inflammation. The study demonstrated that AuNPs do not deposit in abdominal organs and show targeted delivery to human lung fibroblasts, offering a specific and noninvasive strategy for respiratory diseases requiring long-term therapies

Obesity and Underweight Are Associated with an Increased Risk of Death after Lung Transplantation

Rationale: Obesity is considered a relative contraindication to lung transplantation, based on studies that have not accounted for key confounders. Little is known about the risk of death for underweight candidates after transplantation

Blockade of receptor for advanced glycation end product attenuates pulmonary reperfusion injury in mice

The receptor for advanced glycation end products (RAGE) is expressed at high levels in the lung, particularly in type 1 alveolar cells, and has been shown to amplify injury triggered by acute stress. Previous studies suggest serum concentrations of soluble RAGE increase during pulmonary reperfusion injury after transplantation. RAGE blockade has been shown to suppress hepatic and cardiac ischemia and reperfusion injury in mice. Thus we tested the hypothesis that RAGE mediates tissue-injury mechanisms in ischemia and reperfusion injury in the lung. C57BL/6 mice were subjected to 30 minutes of pulmonary ischemia by clamping the left hilum, followed by 60 minutes of reperfusion. Lung function was assessed by means of blood gas analysis, and capillary leak was assessed by injecting fluorescein isothiocyanate–labeled albumin and comparing fluorescence in bronchial lavage fluid with that in serum. Histologic analysis of the lung was performed by a pathologist naive to the experimental conditions. In animals subjected to RAGE blockade, significant increases in P o 2 (108 vs 73 mm Hg, P = .0094) and more than 3-fold decrease in capillary leak Relative Fluorescent Units (RFU, 6.12 vs 1.75; P = .001) were observed. Histologic examination revealed significant injury reduction in soluble RAGE-treated animals versus control animals. RAGE knockout mice exhibited a protected phenotype when exposed to pulmonary ischemia and reperfusion. Additionally, interleukin 8 production and nuclear factor κB activation were increased in control mice. Abrogation of RAGE signaling attenuates pulmonary ischemia and reperfusion injury. This study suggests that RAGE might play a central role in pulmonary reperfusion injury and in transplantation and that blockade of RAGE might offer a potential target to abrogate pulmonary reperfusion injury in clinical transplantation