Do biotransformation data from laboratory experiments reflect micropollutant degradation in a large river basin?

Identifying a chemical's potential for biotransformation in the aquatic environment is crucial to predict its fate and manage its potential hazards. Due to the complexity of natural water bodies, especially river networks, biotransformation is often studied in laboratory experiments, assuming that study outcomes can be extrapolated to compound behavior in the field. Here, we investigated to what extent outcomes of laboratory simulation studies indeed reflect biotransformation kinetics observed in riverine systems. To determine in-field biotransformation, we measured loads of 27 wastewater treatment plant effluent-borne compounds along the Rhine and its major tributaries during two seasons. Up to 21 compounds were detected at each sampling location. Measured compound loads were used in an inverse model framework of the Rhine river basin to derive k’bio,field values – a compound-specific parameter describing the compounds’ average biotransformation potential during the field studies. To support model calibration, we performed phototransformation and sorption experiments with all the study compounds, identifying 5 compounds that are susceptible towards direct phototransformation and determining Koc values covering four orders of magnitude. On the laboratory side, we used a similar inverse model framework to derive k’bio,lab values from water-sediment experiments run according to a modified OECD 308-type protocol. The comparison of k’bio,lab and k’bio,field revealed that their absolute values differed, pointing towards faster transformation in the Rhine river basin. Yet, we could demonstrate that relative rankings of biotransformation potential and groups of compounds with low, moderate and high persistence agree reasonably well between laboratory and field outcomes. Overall, our results provide evidence that laboratory-based biotransformation studies using the modified OECD 308 protocol and k’bio values derived thereof bear considerable potential to reflect biotransformation of micropollutants in one of the largest European river basins

A new role for complement C3: regulation of antigen processing through an inhibitory activity.

International audienceIncreasing evidence underlines the involvement of complement component C3 in the establishment of acquired immunity which appears to play a complex role and to act at different levels. As antigen proteolysis by antigen presenting cells is a key event in the control of antigen presentation efficiency, and consequently in the quality of the immune response, we investigated whether C3 could modulate this step. Our results demonstrate for the first time that C3 can interfere with antigen proteolysis: (i) proteolysis of tetanus toxin (TT) by the lysosomal fraction from a human monocytic cell line (U937) is impaired in the presence of C3, (ii) this effect is C3-specific and involves the C3c fragment of the protein, (iii) C3c is effective even after disulfide disruption, but none of its three constitutive peptides is individually accountable for this inhibitory effect and (iv) the target-protease(s) exhibit(s) a serine-protease activity. The physiological relevance of our results is demonstrated by experiments showing a subcellular colocalisation of TT and C3 after their uptake by U937 and the reduction of TT proteolysis once internalised together with C3. These results highlight a novel role for C3 that broadens its capacity to modulate acquired immune response

Minimum wages in 2023 : annual review

Aquesta publicació s'elabora a partir de les contribucions de cadascú dels membres nacionals que integren la Network of Eurofound Correspondents. Pel cas d'Espanya la contribució ha estat realitzada per l'Oscar Molina (veure annex Network of Eurofound Correspondents)The 2023 annual review of minimum wages was prepared in the context of unprecedented inflation across Europe. While this led to hefty increases in nominal wage rates in many countries, it was in many cases not enough to maintain workers' purchasing power. Based on developments over the last decade, this report shows that, overall, minimum wage earners in nearly all countries saw their purchasing power rising, the gap between their wages and average wages narrowing, and to some degree growth exceeding labour productivity development

A feasibility study for NOn-Traditional providers to support the management of Elderly People with Anxiety and Depression: the NOTEPAD study Protocol

BACKGROUND: Anxiety and depression are common among older people, with up to 20% reporting such symptoms, and the prevalence increases with co-morbid chronic physical health problems. Access to treatment for anxiety and depression in this population is poor due to a combination of factors at the level of patient, practitioner and healthcare system. There is evidence to suggest that older people with anxiety and/or depression may benefit both from one-to-one interventions and group social or educational activities, which reduce loneliness, are participatory and offer some activity. Non-traditional providers (support workers) working within third-sector (voluntary) organisations are a valuable source of expertise within the community but are under-utilised by primary care practitioners. Such a resource could increase access to care, and be less stigmatising and more acceptable for older people. METHODS: The study is in three phases and this paper describes the protocol for phase III, which will evaluate the feasibility of recruiting general practices and patients into the study, and determine whether support workers can deliver the intervention to older people with sufficient fidelity and whether this approach is acceptable to patients, general practitioners and the third-sector providers. Phase III of the NOTEPAD study is a randomised controlled trial (RCT) that is individually randomised. It recruited participants from approximately six general practices in the UK. In total, 100 participants aged 65 years and over who score 10 or more on PHQ9 or GAD7 for anxiety or depression will be recruited and randomised to the intervention or usual general practice care. A mixed methods approach will be used and follow-up will be conducted 12 weeks post-randomisation. DISCUSSION: This study will inform the design and methods of a future full-scale RCT. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ISRCTN, ID: ISRCTN16318986 . Registered 10 November 2016. The ISRCTN registration is in line with the World Health Organization Trial Registration Data Set. The present paper represents the original version of the protocol. Any changes to the protocol will be communicated to ISRCTN

Screening exons 16 and 17 of the amyloid precursor protein gene in sporadic early-onset Alzheimer's disease

Early-onset Alzheimer's disease (EOAD) can be familial (FAD) or sporadic EOAD (sEOAD); both have a disease onset ≤65 years of age. A total of 451 sEOAD samples were screened for known causative mutations in exons 16 and 17 of the amyloid precursor protein (APP) gene. Four samples were shown to be heterozygous for 1 of 3 known causative mutations: p.A713T, p.V717I, and p.V717G; this highlights the importance of screening EOAD patients for causative mutations. Additionally, we document an intronic 6 base pair (bp) deletion located 83 bp downstream of exon 17 (rs367709245, IVS17 83-88delAAGTAT), which has a nonsignificantly increased minor allele frequency in our sEOAD cohort (0.006) compared to LOAD (0.002) and controls (0.002). To assess the effect of the 6-bp deletion on splicing, COS-7 and BE(2)-C cells were transfected with a minigene vector encompassing exon 17. There was no change in splicing of exon 17 from constructs containing either wild type or deletion inserts. Sequencing of cDNA generated from cerebellum and temporal cortex of a patient harboring the deletion found no evidence of transcripts with exon 17 remov

Discutindo a educação ambiental no cotidiano escolar: desenvolvimento de projetos na escola formação inicial e continuada de professores

A presente pesquisa buscou discutir como a Educação Ambiental (EA) vem sendo trabalhada, no Ensino Fundamental e como os docentes desta escola compreendem e vem inserindo a EA no cotidiano escolar., em uma escola estadual do município de Tangará da Serra/MT, Brasil. Para tanto, realizou-se entrevistas com os professores que fazem parte de um projeto interdisciplinar de EA na escola pesquisada. Verificou-se que o projeto da escola não vem conseguindo alcançar os objetivos propostos por: desconhecimento do mesmo, pelos professores; formação deficiente dos professores, não entendimento da EA como processo de ensino-aprendizagem, falta de recursos didáticos, planejamento inadequado das atividades. A partir dessa constatação, procurou-se debater a impossibilidade de tratar do tema fora do trabalho interdisciplinar, bem como, e principalmente, a importância de um estudo mais aprofundado de EA, vinculando teoria e prática, tanto na formação docente, como em projetos escolares, a fim de fugir do tradicional vínculo “EA e ecologia, lixo e horta”.Facultad de Humanidades y Ciencias de la Educació

Ambulante hulpverlening en/of intramurale zorg: Een verkenning van beoordelingscriteria en randvoorwaarden voor de keuze voor ambulante in plaats van intramurale hulpverlening

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L'histoire de l'éducation des sourds-aveugles à l'Institution pour sourds de Sint-Michielsgestel (Pays-Bas)

History of deafblind education in the Sint-Michielsgestel Institute for the deaf (Netherlands). Theoretical and practical changes The authors have been working for many years in one of the most well known schools for deafblind children in the world. This institution gives a good idea of what have been the changes in theory and practice concerning deafblind education over more than 30 years. Looking at a development which started with Van Uden 's conver- sationnal method of language learning in deaf children and Van Dijk's (movement based) theory of symbol formation, and ends up with the presently used approach of communicative development, one can observe both a striking continuity in the philosophy of education and an ongoing adaptation and refinement of theoretical backgrounds and practical methods of education. The changes which are described here reflect not only changes in the paradigms used in communicative development but also in the nature of the population of deafblind children and in the social context.Les auteurs travaillent depuis de nombreuses années dans l'une des institutions pour sourds-aveugles les plus connues au monde. Cet établissement nous donne un bon exemple de ce que furent en trente ans les évolutions théoriques et pratiques concernant l'éducation des sourds-aveugles. Quand on considère l'évolution qui a conduit de l'approche conversationnelle de Van Uden ou de la conception de la formation des symboles (basée sur le mouvement) de Van Dijk aux présentes approches du développement communicatif on est frappé d'une part, par la continuité de la philosophie éducative et d'autre part, par les adaptations et raffinements constants des approches théoriques et des pratiques éducatives. L'évolution décrite ici reflète non seulement les changements de paradigmes relatifs au développement communicatif, mais aussi ceux qui sont intervenus dans la population accueillie et au niveau du contexte social.Van den Tillaart Bernadette, Janssen Marlene, Visser Anton. L'histoire de l'éducation des sourds-aveugles à l'Institution pour sourds de Sint-Michielsgestel (Pays-Bas). In: Enfance, n°1, 2000. Ce que les enfants sourds-aveugles nous apprennent sur la communication, sous la direction de Jacques Souriau. pp. 67-83