Social capital and soil conservation: Evidence from the Philippines

The formation of social capital is hypothesised to enhance collective efforts for soil conservation. The Landcare Program in the Southern Philippines promotes simple conservation practices in upland environments by supporting community landcare groups and municipal landcare associations, thus augmenting social capital. A study was conducted in 2002 to evaluate the Landcare Program, using a mix of quantitative and qualitative techniques. In this paper the relationship between social capital formation and adoption of soil conservation is investigated. It is concluded that, although membership in a local landcare group was not a major factor in adoption, the Landcare Program as a whole created a valuable stock of bridging social capital, with significant benefits for long-term natural resource management

HEART UK Consensus Statement on Lipoprotein(a) - a call to action

Lipoprotein(a), Lp(a), is a modified atherogenic low-density lipoprotein particle that contains apolipoprotein(a). Its levels are highly heritable and variable in the population. This consensus statement by HEART UK is based on the evidence that Lp(a) is an independent cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factor, provides recommendations for its measurement in clinical practice and reviews current and emerging therapeutic strategies to reduce CVD risk. Ten statements summarise the most salient points for practitioners and patients with high Lp(a). HEART UK recommends that Lp(a) is measured in adults as follows: 1)those with a personal or family history of premature atherosclerotic CVD; 2)those with first-degree relatives who have Lp(a)levels > 200nmol/l; 3) patients with familial hypercholesterolemia; 4) patients with calcific aortic valve stenosis and 5) those with borderline (but<15%) 10 year risk of a cardiovascular event. The management of patients with raised Lp(a) levels should include: 1) reducing overall atherosclerotic risk; 2)controlling dyslipidemia with a desirable nonHDL-cholesterol level of <100mg/d (2.5mmol/l) and 3) consideration of lipoprotein apheresis

Comparison of IFCC-calibrated HbA1c from laboratory and point of care testing systems

Objective: WHO, IDF and ADA recommend HbA1c ≥6.5% (48 mmol/mol) for diagnosis of diabetes with pre-diabetes 6.0% (42 mmol/mol) [WHO] or 5.7% (39 mmol/mol) [ADA] to 6.4% (47 mmol/mol). We have compared HbA1c from several methods for research relating glycaemic markers.Research design and methods: HbA1c was measured in EDTA blood from 128 patients with diabetes on IE HPLC analysers (Bio-Rad Variant II NU, Menarini HA8160 and Tosoh G8), point of care systems, POCT, (A1cNow+ disposable cartridges and DCA 2000®+ analyser), affinity chromatography (Primus Ultra2) and the IFCC secondary reference method (Menarini HA8160 calibrated using IFCC SRM protocol).Results: median (IQ range) on IFCC SRM was 7.5% (6.8–8.4) (58(51–68) mmol/mol) HbA1c with minimum 5.3%(34 mmol/mol)/maximum 11.9%(107 mmol/mol). There were positive offsets between IFCC SRM and Bio-Rad Variant II NU, mean difference (1SD), +0.33%(0.17) (+3.6(1.9) mmol/mol), r2 = 0.984, p &lt; 0.001 and Tosoh G8, +0.22%(0.20) (2.4(2.2) mmol/mol), r2 = 0.976, p &lt; 0.001 with a very small negative difference −0.04%(0.11) (−0.4(1.2) mmol/mol), r2 = 0.992, p &lt; 0.001 for Menarini HA8160. POCT methods were less precise with negative offsets for DCA 2000®+ analyser −0.13%(0.28) (−1.4(3.1) mmol/mol), r2 = 0.955, p &lt; 0.001 and A1cNow+ cartridges −0.70%(0.67) (−7.7(7.3) mmol/mol), r2 = 0.699, p &lt; 0.001 (n = 113). Positive biases for Tosoh and Bio-Rad (compared with IFCC SRM) have been eliminated by subsequent revision of calibration.Conclusions: small differences observed between IFCC-calibrated and NGSP certified methods across a wide HbA1c range were confirmed by quality control and external quality assurance. As these offsets affect estimates of diabetes prevalence, the analyser (and calibrator) employed should be considered when evaluating diagnostic data.</p

Simulation-based cheminformatic analysis of organelle-targeted molecules: lysosomotropic monobasic amines

Cell-based molecular transport simulations are being developed to facilitate exploratory cheminformatic analysis of virtual libraries of small drug-like molecules. For this purpose, mathematical models of single cells are built from equations capturing the transport of small molecules across membranes. In turn, physicochemical properties of small molecules can be used as input to simulate intracellular drug distribution, through time. Here, with mathematical equations and biological parameters adjusted so as to mimic a leukocyte in the blood, simulations were performed to analyze steady state, relative accumulation of small molecules in lysosomes, mitochondria, and cytosol of this target cell, in the presence of a homogenous extracellular drug concentration. Similarly, with equations and parameters set to mimic an intestinal epithelial cell, simulations were also performed to analyze steady state, relative distribution and transcellular permeability in this non-target cell, in the presence of an apical-to-basolateral concentration gradient. With a test set of ninety-nine monobasic amines gathered from the scientific literature, simulation results helped analyze relationships between the chemical diversity of these molecules and their intracellular distributions

Mitochondrial dysfunction and mitophagy defects in LRRK2-R1441C Parkinson's disease models

Mutations in the Leucine-Rich Repeat Kinase 2 (LRRK2) gene have been identified as one of the most common genetic causes of Parkinson’s disease (PD). The LRRK2 PD-associated mutations LRRK2G2019S and LRRK2R1441C, located in the kinase domain and in the ROC-COR domain, respectively, have been demonstrated to impair mitochondrial function. Here, we sought to further our understanding of mitochondrial health and mitophagy by integrating data from LRRK2R1441C rat primary cortical and human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived dopamine (iPSC-DA) neuronal cultures as models of PD. We found that LRRK2R1441C neurons exhibit decreased mitochondrial membrane potential, impaired mitochondrial function and decreased basal mitophagy levels. Mitochondrial morphology was altered in LRRK2R1441C iPSC-DA but not in cortical neuronal cultures or aged striatal tissue, indicating a cell-type-specific phenotype. Additionally, LRRK2R1441C but not LRRK2G2019S neurons demonstrated decreased levels of the mitophagy marker pS65Ub in response to mitochondrial damage, which could disrupt degradation of damaged mitochondria. This impaired mitophagy activation and mitochondrial function were not corrected by the LRRK2 inhibitor MLi-2 in LRRK2R1441C iPSC-DA neuronal cultures. Furthermore, we demonstrate LRRK2 interaction with MIRO1, a protein necessary to stabilize and to anchor mitochondria for transport, occurs at mitochondria, in a genotype-independent manner. Despite this, we found that degradation of MIRO1 was impaired in LRRK2R1441C cultures upon induced mitochondrial damage, suggesting a divergent mechanism from the LRRK2G2019S mutation

Policies, Political-Economy, and Swidden in Southeast Asia

For centuries swidden was an important farming practice found across the girth of Southeast Asia. Today, however, these systems are changing and sometimes disappearing at a pace never before experienced. In order to explain the demise or transitioning of swidden we need to understand the rapid and massive changes that have and are occurring in the political and economic environment in which these farmers operate. Swidden farming has always been characterized by change, but since the onset of modern independent nation states, governments and markets in Southeast Asia have transformed the terms of swiddeners’ everyday lives to a degree that is significantly different from that ever experienced before. In this paper we identified six factors that have contributed to the demise or transformation of swidden systems, and support these arguments with examples from China (Xishuangbanna), Laos, Thailand, Malaysia, and Indonesia. These trends include classifying swiddeners as ethnic minorities within nation-states, dividing the landscape into forest and permanent agriculture, expansion of forest departments and the rise of conservation, resettlement, privatization and commoditization of land and land-based production, and expansion of market infrastructure and the promotion of industrial agriculture. In addition we note a growing trend toward a transition from rural to urban livelihoods and expanding urban-labor markets