Participatory research: a catalyst for greater impact

This paper discusses the notion of farmer empowerment as a primary objective of participatory research. The authors argue that agricultural technologies are adapted - not adopted – through a social and cultural process which includes the transformation of the technology. Farmer participation in agricultural research is important and necessary first of all to increase the efficiency and impact of agricultural research and technology development. This includes the identification of traits that can guide crop breeders’ work. Farmer empowerment is valuable and desirable, and while it can result from participatory research, direct empowerment per se should not be the main objective of participatory research conducted by research organizations. Of more importance is the empowerment of partner organizations and the identification of future research needs, i.e. the functional purposes of participatory approaches in agricultural research

Fascin-1 is released from proximal tubular cells in response to calcineurin inhibitors (CNIs) and correlates with isometric vacuolization in kidney transplanted patients

Fascin-1; Nephrotoxicity; TransplantFascina-1; Nefrotoxicitat; TrasplantamentFascina-1; Nefrotoxicidad; TrasplanteImmunosuppression based on calcineurin inhibitors (CNIs) has greatly improved organ transplantation, although subsequent nephrotoxicity significantly hinders treatment success. There are no currently available specific soluble biomarkers for CNI-induced nephrotoxicity and diagnosis relies on renal biopsy, which is costly, invasive and may cause complications. Accordingly, identification of non-invasive biomarkers distinguishing CNI-induced kidney tubular damage from that of other etiologies would greatly improve diagnosis and enable more precise dosage adjustment. For this purpose, HK-2 cells, widely used to model human proximal tubule, were treated with CNIs cyclosporine-A and FK506, or staurosporine as a calcineurin-independent toxic compound, and secretomes of each treatment were analyzed by proteomic means. Among the differentially secreted proteins identified, only fascin-1 was specifically released by both CNIs but not by staurosporine. To validate fascin-1 as a biomarker of CNI-induced tubular toxicity, fascin-1 levels were analyzed in serum and urine from kidney-transplanted patients under CNIs treatment presenting or not isometric vacuolization (IV), which nowadays represents the main histological hallmark of CNI-induced tubular damage. Patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) and healthy volunteers were used as controls. Our results show that urinary fascin-1 was only significantly elevated in the subset of CNI-treated patients presenting IV. Moreover, fascin-1 anticipated the rise of sCr levels in serially collected urine samples from CNI-treated pulmonary-transplanted patients, where a decline in kidney function and serum creatinine (sCr) elevation was mainly attributed to CNIs treatment. In conclusion, our results point towards fascin-1 as a putative soluble biomarker of CNI-induced damage in the kidney tubular compartment

Setting the agenda: Climate change adaptation and mitigation for food systems in the developing world

New agricultural development pathways are required to meet climate change adaptation and mitigation needs in the food systems of low-income countries. A research and policy agenda is provided to indicate where innovation and new knowledge are needed. Adaptation requires identifying suitable crop varieties and livestock breeds, as well as building resilient farming and natural resources systems, institutions for famine and crop failure relief, and mechanisms for rapid learning by farmers. Mitigation requires transitioning to ‘low climate impact’ agriculture that reduces emissions while achieving food security, economic well-being and sustainability. Efficient interventions, incentives for large-scale shifts in practices, and monitoring systems are required. Integrated assessments of adaptation and mitigation are needed to better understand the synergies and trade-offs among outcomes

Routine versus needs-based MRI in patients with prolonged low back pain: a comparison of duration of treatment, number of clinical contacts and referrals to surgery

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The routine use of radiology is normally discouraged in patients with low back pain (LBP). Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) provides clinicians and patients with detailed knowledge of spinal structures and has no known physical side effects. It is possible that insight into the pathological changes in LBP patients could affect patient management. However, to our knowledge, this has never been tested. Until June 2006, all patients at our specialised out-patient public clinic were referred for MRI on the basis of clinical indications, economic constraints, and availability of MRI (the "needs-based MRI" group). As a new approach, we now refer all patients who meet certain criteria for routine up-front MRI before the clinical examination (the "routine MRI" group).</p> <p>Objectives</p> <p>The aims of this study were to investigate if these two MRI approaches resulted in differences in: (1) duration of treatment, (2) number of contacts with clinicians, and (3) referral for surgery.</p> <p>Design</p> <p>Comparison of two retrospective clinical cohorts.</p> <p>Method</p> <p>Files were retrieved from consecutive patients in both groups. Criteria for referral were: (1) LBP or leg pain of at least 3 on an 11-point Numeric Rating Scale, (2) duration of present symptoms from 2 to12 months and (3) age above 18 years. A comparison was made between the "needs-based MRI" and "routine MRI" groups on the outcomes of duration of treatment and use of resources.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>In all, 169 "needs-based MRI" and 208 "routine MRI" patient files were identified. The two groups were similar in age, sex, and severity of LBP. However, the median duration of treatment for the "needs-based MRI" group was 160 versus 115 days in the "routine MRI" group (p = 0.0001). The median number of contacts with clinicians for the "needs-based MRI" group was 4 versus 3 for the "routine MRI" group (p = 0.003). There was no difference between the two approaches in frequency of referral for back surgery (p = 0.81). When the direct clinical costs were compared, the "routine MRI" group was less costly but only by €11.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>In our clinic, the management strategy of routinely performing an up-front MRI at the start of treatment did reduce the duration of treatment and number of contacts with clinicians, and did not increase the rate of referral for back surgery. Also, the direct costs were not increased.</p

Estimating maize genetic erosion in modernized smallholder agriculture

Replacement of crop landraces by modern varieties is thought to cause diversity loss. We studied genetic erosion in maize within a model system; modernized smallholder agriculture in southern Mexico. The local seed supply was described through interviews and in situ seed collection. In spite of the dominance of commercial seed, the informal seed system was found to persist. True landraces were rare and most informal seed was derived from modern varieties (creolized). Seed lots were characterized for agronomical traits and molecular markers. We avoided the problem of non-consistent nomenclature by taking individual seed lots as the basis for diversity inference. We defined diversity as the weighted average distance between seed lots. Diversity was calculated for subsets of the seed supply to assess the impact of replacing traditional landraces with any of these subsets. Results were different for molecular markers, ear- and vegetative/flowering traits. Nonetheless, creolized varieties showed low diversity for all traits. These varieties were distinct from traditional landraces and little differentiated from their ancestral stocks. Although adoption of creolized maize into the informal seed system has lowered diversity as compared to traditional landraces, genetic erosion was moderated by the distinct features offered by modern varieties

KAP Degradation by Calpain Is Associated with CK2 Phosphorylation and Provides a Novel Mechanism for Cyclosporine A-Induced Proximal Tubule Injury

The use of cyclosporine A (CsA) is limited by its severe nephrotoxicity that includes reversible vasoconstrictor effects and proximal tubule cell injury, the latter associated whith chronic kidney disease progression. The mechanisms of CsA-induced tubular injury, mainly on the S3 segment, have not been completely elucidated. Kidney androgen-regulated protein (KAP) is exclusively expressed in kidney proximal tubule cells, interacts with the CsA-binding protein cyclophilin B and its expression diminishes in kidneys of CsA-treated mice. Since we reported that KAP protects against CsA toxicity in cultured proximal tubule cells, we hypothesized that low KAP levels found in kidneys of CsA-treated mice might correlate with proximal tubule cell injury. To test this hypothesis, we used KAP Tg mice developed in our laboratory and showed that these mice are more resistant to CsA-induced tubular injury than control littermates. Furthermore, we found that calpain, which was activated by CsA in cell cultures and kidney, is involved in KAP degradation and observed that phosphorylation of serine and threonine residues found in KAP PEST sequences by protein kinase CK2 enhances KAP degradation by calpain. Moreover, we also observed that CK2 inhibition protected against CsA-induced cytotoxicity. These findings point to a novel mechanism for CsA-induced kidney toxicity that might be useful in developing therapeutic strategies aimed at preventing tubular cell damage while maintaining the immunosuppressive effects of CsA

Twinning across the Developing World

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