Occurrence and diffusive air-seawater exchanges of organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in Fildes Bay, King George Island, Antarctica

We report the levels of organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in seawater and air, and the air-sea dynamics through diffusive exchange analysis in Fildes Bay, King George Island, Antarctica, between November 2019 and January 30, 2020. Hexachlorobenzene (HCB) was the most abundant compound in both air and seawater with concentrations around 39 ± 2.1 pg m−3 and 3.2 ± 2.4 pg L−1 respectively. The most abundant PCB congener was PCB 11, with a mean of 3.16 ± 3.7 pg m−3 in air and 2.0 ± 1.1 pg L−1 in seawater. The fugacity gradient estimated for the OCP compounds indicate a predominance of net atmospheric deposition for HCB, α-HCH, γ-HCH, 4,4′-DDT, 4,4′-DDE and close to equilibrium for the PeCB compound. The observed deposition of some OCs may be driven by high biodegradation rates and/or settling fluxes decreasing the concentration of these compounds in surface waters, which is supported by the capacity of microbial consortium to degrade some of these compounds. The estimated fugacity gradients for PCBs showed differences between congeners, with net volatilization predominating for PCB-9, a trend close to equilibrium for PCB congeners 11, 28, 52, 101, 118, 138, and 153, and deposition for PCB 180. Snow amplification may play an important role for less hydrophobic PCBs, with volatilization predominating after snow/glacier melting. As hydrophobicity increases, the biological pump decreases the concentration of PCBs in seawater, reversing the fugacity gradient to atmospheric deposition. This study highlights the potential impacts of climate change, through glacier retreat, on the biogeochemistry of POPs, remobilizing those compounds previously trapped within the cryosphere which in turn will transform the Antarctic cryosphere into a secondary source of the more volatile POPs in coastal areas, influenced by snow and ice melting

MYCN mediates cysteine addiction and sensitizes neuroblastoma to ferroptosis

Aberrant expression of MYC transcription factor family members predicts poor clinical outcome in many human cancers. Oncogenic MYC profoundly alters metabolism and mediates an antioxidant response to maintain redox balance. Here we show that MYCN induces massive lipid peroxidation on depletion of cysteine, the rate-limiting amino acid for glutathione (GSH) biosynthesis, and sensitizes cells to ferroptosis, an oxidative, non-apoptotic and iron-dependent type of cell death. The high cysteine demand of MYCN-amplified childhood neuroblastoma is met by uptake and transsulfuration. When uptake is limited, cysteine usage for protein synthesis is maintained at the expense of GSH triggering ferroptosis and potentially contributing to spontaneous tumor regression in low-risk neuroblastomas. Pharmacological inhibition of both cystine uptake and transsulfuration combined with GPX4 inactivation resulted in tumor remission in an orthotopic MYCN-amplified neuroblastoma model. These findings provide a proof of concept of combining multiple ferroptosis targets as a promising therapeutic strategy for aggressive MYCN-amplified tumors

Coat Protein Gene Replacement Results in Whitefly Transmission of an Insect Nontransmissible Geminivirus Isolate

AbstractGeminiviruses are transmitted by whiteflies, leafhoppers, or treehoppers. The whitefly speciesBemisia tabaci(Gennadius) is the most efficient vector of Subgroup III geminiviruses. An isolate of Abutilon mosaic virus (AbMV), a bipartite geminivirus, was not detectable in the DNA extract from insects by Southern blot analysis, nor was the isolate transmissible by the B-biotype ofB. tabaci,although the virus DNA was amplified (by PCR) from some insects. In contrast, Sida golden mosaic virus (SiGMV-Co), a closely related geminivirus, was acquired and transmitted byB. tabacito various host plants. The coat protein of AbMV was replaced with that of SiGMV-Co. The resulting chimeric AbMV was acquired and transmitted to various host plants byB. tabaci, indicating that the coat protein plays an essential role in the transmission process byB. tabaci

Photocrosslinkable polysaccharide hydrogel composites based on dextran or pullulan-amylose blends with cytokines for a human co-culture model of human osteoblasts and endothelial cells

Although a large body of research has been devoted to biomaterial development for bone tissue engineering and related medical disciplines in the last few years, novel and optimized materials especially for bone fractures of critical sizes demand continued development. In this respect, polysaccharide-based hydrogels demonstrate beneficial properties and fulfill the main requirements for a bone tissue scaffold as they are hydrophilic, biocompatible, and biodegradable. The aim of the present study was the development of a natural polysaccharide-based scaffold material that can integrate with the host tissue and support bone regeneration. For this purpose, we prepared and investigated two polymer hydrogel composites of photocrosslinkable derivatives of either pure dextran or a mixture of amylose and pullulan with varying composition. In order to increase their biological activity the swollen hydrogel matrices were compounded with stromal derived growth factor (SDF-1) and bone morphogenic protein (BMP-2). As skeletal development is known to depend on angiogenesis, these hydrogel systems were subjected to mono- and co-culture models of human primary osteoblasts (hOBs) with human endothelial cells (HUVEC-as precursors for blood vessel development). The effect of cytokines on hydrogel-dependent cell behavior was analyzed in the presence and absence of the growth factors SDF-1 and BMP-2. Both the employed cell types grew on all cytokine-modified hydrogel composites, which was assessed by optical microscopy and proliferation assays. Migration assays indicated enhanced HUVEC migration under the influence of SDF-1 and real-time PCR demonstrated an enhanced expression of cell-specific markers for growth factor-modified hydrogels, thus demonstrating their functional bioactivity. Our results demonstrate the fundamental potential of such multi-component polysaccharide hydrogel composites as biomaterials for bone regeneration

The role of psychologists in healthcare during the COVID-19 pandemic

Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted individuals, communities, and whole populations. Experts across many different fields contributed their time and efforts in different ways to respond to the pandemic. Psychologists working in healthcare provided support and led many initiatives, both regionally and nationally. However, it is unknown how this has differed across Europe and its full range of activities and contributions. Aim: The current study is a survey of European member associations of EFPA, carried out to understand the current contributions and the impact those psychology contributions have had on the COVID-19 pandemic response, to share lessons learned, and to propose a roadmap for the future. Results: Overall, our study highlights how psychological expertise was integrated into many countries’ policy/decision-making, action-planning, caregiving, and the promotion of health and well-being to health professionals and the general public. Even in places where psychologists were not directly integrated into governmental systems, they played an important role in responding to this pandemic by providing their services and empirical knowledge. Discussion: Many psychologists possess the skills and tools to adapt their practice to the digital provision of services and to provide a continuity of care during the pandemic. Research carried out by psychologists has contributed important and new knowledge on pandemic effects, consequences, and interventions; yet, more research financial support is needed. We make recommendations for augmenting psychologists’ contributions in the future. In a global health crisis, where the main possible treatment is a preventive approach concentrated on sustainable behavior change, psychologists should be included every step of the way – they can make a difference.info:eu-repo/semantics/acceptedVersio

Wetland extent tools for SDG 6.6.1 reporting from the Satellite-based Wetland Observation Service (SWOS)

Wetlands are the most fragile and threatened ecosystems worldwide, and also one of the most rapidly declining. At the same time wetlands are typically biodiversity hotspots and provide a range of valuable ecosystem services, such as water supply and purification, disaster risk reduction, climate change adaptation, and carbon sequestration. Pressures on wetlands are likely to further intensify in the coming decades due to increased global demand for land and water, and due to climate change. Stakeholders at all levels of governance have to be involved to slow, stop and reverse these processes. However, the information they need on wetland extent, their ecological character, and their ecosystem services is often scattered, sparse and difficult to find and access. The freely available Sentinel satellite data of the Copernicus Programme, as well as the Landsat archive, provide a comprehensive basis to map and inventory wetland areas (extent), to derive information on the ecological status, as well as long- and short-term trends in wetland characteristics. However, making use of these Earth Observation (EO) resources for robust and standardized wetland monitoring requires expert knowledge on often complex data processing techniques, which impedes practical implementation. In this respect, the Satellite-based Wetland Observation Service (SWOS), a Horizon 2020 funded project (www.swos-service.eu) has developed and made disseminated monitoring approaches based on EO data, specifically designed for less experienced satellite data users. The SWOS monitoring tools aim at assisting countries in conducting national wetland inventories for their Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) reporting and monitoring obligations, and additionally facilitates other monitoring obligations such as those required by the Ramsar Convention and supports decision-making in local conservation activities. The four main components of the SWOS approach are: map and indicator production; software development; capacity building; and initializing the GEO Wetlands Community Portal. Wetland managers and data analysists from more than fifty wetland sites and river basins across Europe, the Middle East, and Africa investigated the benefits and limitations of this EO-based wetland mapping and monitoring approach. We describe research that applies the SWOS tools to test their potential for the mapping of wetlands in a case study based in Albania, and show its effectiveness to derive metrics relevant to the monitoring of SDG indicator 6.6.1

The earthworm fauna of regenerating forests and anthropogenic habitats in the coastal region of Paraná A fauna de minhocas em florestas em regeneração e habitats antropogênicos na região costeira do Paraná

The aim of this study was to evaluate abundance, biomass and diversity of earthworms in the southern coast region of the Mata Atlântica biodiversity hotspot. A total of 51 study sites in pastures, banana monocultures, mixed agroforestry systems, secondary forests in succession and old-growth forests near the coast of Paraná, Brazil, were evaluated. Each site was sampled once. Species richness of the earthworms was generally low and varied little between sites. At all sites except for one, the peregrine species Pontoscolex corethrurus (Glossoscolecidae) strongly dominated. Three other peregrine species, Amynthas corticis, Amynthas gracilis (Megascolecidae) and Ocnerodrilus occidentalis (Ocnerodrilidae), were frequent in moist sites. No autochthonous species were found. Abundance and biomass of earthworms varied strongly within and between sites (0-338 individuals m-2, 0-96 g m-2 fresh weight). Pastures had significantly lower abundance than all other sites. The forest sites had similar earthworm abundance and biomass, with a tendency to be higher in younger succession stages. The coastal plain region has been strongly altered by human activities. Reasons for the lack of any autochthonous species and the dominance of one peregrine species require further investigation.<br>O objetivo deste estudo foi avaliar a abundância, a biomassa e a diversidade de minhocas, na região costeira sul do "hotspot" de biodiversidade Mata Atlântica. Um total de 51 locais foram avaliados em pastagens, monoculturas de banana e sistemas agroflorestais de banana com palmito e florestas secundárias próximos à costa do Estado do Paraná. Cada local foi amostrado apenas uma vez. A riqueza de espécies de minhocas, de modo geral, foi baixa e variou pouco entre os locais. Em todos os locais, exceto um, predominou a espécie peregrina Pontoscolex corethrurus (Glossoscolecidae). Não foram encontradas espécies nativas em nenhum local. Três outras espécies peregrinas, Amynthas corticis, Amynthas gracilis (Megascolecidae) e Ocnerodrilus occidentalis (Ocnerodrilidae), foram frequentes em locais úmidos. A abundância e a biomassa das minhocas variaram muito, dentro e entre os sítios amostrais (0-338 indivíduos m-2, 0-96 g m-2 de massa fresca). Nas pastagens, observou-se menor abundância do que nos demais ecossistemas. As florestas apresentaram abundância e biomassa similares, sendo que estágios mais jovens da regeneração apresentaram abundância e biomassa mais alta. A planície litorânea já foi fortemente alterada por atividades antrópicas. As razões da falta de espécies nativas e da predominância de uma espécie peregrina, na região, necessitam ser mais pesquisadas