Identifying factors that influence bird richness and abundance on farms

Capsule: Farmers can influence species richness and abundance of typical farmland birds positively, even on rather small farms (20–50 ha) within intensively farmed areas. Aims: To assess the impact of farm settings, farm characteristics and heterogeneity of habitats on bird species richness and abundance, and to indicate which actions and measures farmers can take to promote farmland birds at a farm level. Methods: Farmland bird species richness and abundance were modelled as a function of farm settings, farm characteristics and semi-natural habitats on 133 farms. The data were analysed at the farm scale, as this is the ‘operating range’ of a farmer, but also at the territory scale, which represents the range birds (mainly passerines) use during the breeding season. Additionally, effects of the farm variables on species abundance/occurrence were investigated for nine widespread species. Results: Farmland bird species abundance (but not richness) was elevated on organic compared to non-organic farms. Farmland bird species richness and abundance increased with decreasing mean field size. Crop diversity had positive effects on five species at the territory scale. Several seminatural habitats, especially hedgerows, were associated with higher bird species richness and abundance at both farm and territory scales. Settlement revealed rather negative effects at the farm scale, but several positive relations at the territory scale. Conclusion: Birds, especially passerines, are restricted to a small area during the breeding season, and so even small farms can contribute to their protection by growing diverse crops, reducing field size and managing a diversity of semi-natural, uncropped habitats. These measures should ideally be accessible within the relatively small scale of a bird territory

Ökologische Vorrangflächen fördern Kulturlandvögel

Der Rückgang der Biodiversität im Kulturland ist in weiten Teilen Europas ein dringendes Problem. Ein Lösungsvorschlag geht dahin, von den Landwirten zu verlangen, dass sie ökologische Vorrangflächen anlegen. In der EU wird diskutiert wie hoch der Anteil solcher Vorrangflächen sein sollte und welche Qualität sie aufweisen müssten. In der Schweiz sind ökologische Vorrangflächen seit 15 Jahren Pflicht und damit Gegenstand diverser Forschungsarbeiten. Der Artikel fasst einige aktuelle Arbeiten der Schweizerischen Vogelwarte Sempach zum Thema „Effekte ökologischer Vorrangflächen auf die Kulturlandvögel“ in Form eines „Werkstattberichtes“ zusammen. Trotz eines durchschnittlichen Anteils ökologischer Vorrangflächen an der landwirtschaftlichen Nutzfläche in Tallagen der Schweiz von 9,5% liess sich bisher auf nationaler Ebene keine substanzielle Verbesserung der Bestandssituation von typischen Arten des Landwirtschaftsgebietes feststellen. Untersuchungen zeigen, dass neben der Quantität vor allem die ökologische Qualität der Vorrangflächen für das Vorkommen zahlreicher Vogelarten entscheidend ist. Ein wichtiger Aspekt für die Vögel ist dabei die Erreichbarkeit der Nahrung. Lückige Vegetation ist diesbezüglich ein wichtiger Faktor ebenso wie die Sukzession. So ist die Dichte einiger Feldvogelarten in vier- bis sechsjährigen Buntbrachen (Blühstreifen, -flächen) am höchsten. Mehrere Fallbeispiele dokumentieren, dass sich die Bestände einiger Feldvogelarten mit qualitativ wertvollen ökologischen Vorrangflächen fördern lassen. Aufgrund von statistischen Modellen kann abgeschätzt werden, dass in Ackerbaugebieten rund 14 % hochwertige Lebensräume (Vorrangflächen mit Qualität, naturnahe Lebensräume außerhalb der landwirtschaftlichen Nutzfl äche) notwendig sind, um die Bestände von standorttypischen Vogelarten auf beachtliche Siedlungsdichten ansteigen zu lassen. Die Landwirte spielen bei der Umsetzung von Aufwertungsmaßnahmen die zentrale Rolle. Wir konnten zeigen, dass Landwirte, die eine gesamtbetriebliche Beratung erhalten haben, mehr Leistung für die Biodiversität erbringen. Die 24 im Rahmen eines Projektes beratenen Landwirte stimmten zu, den Anteil von Vorrangflächen mit Qualität auf ihren Betrieben von 3,3 auf 8,7 % der landwirtschaftlichen Nutzfläche zu steigern. Im selben Projekt wurde ein Instrument entwickelt, mit welchem die verschiedenen Maßnahmen zur Lebensraumaufwertung mit Punkten bewertet werden. Eine Erfolgskontrolle auf 133 Betrieben zeigt, dass sich dieses Bewertungsinstrument sehr gut eignet, um die Leistung von landwirtschaftlichen Betrieben zugunsten der Biodiversität objektiv abzubilden. In der Schweiz werden naturnah und umweltfreundlich produzierte Labelprodukte stark nachgefragt. Die Vereinigung der integriert produzierenden Landwirte (IP-Suisse) setzt stark auf die Förderung der Biodiversität und verlangt von ihren Labelproduzenten eine bestimmte Leistung im Bereich Biodiversität. Diese wird mit dem oben erwähnten Punktsystem gemessen. Biodiversität wird damit zu einem Mehrwert, der über höhere Produzentenpreise in Wert gesetzt werden kann

Responsiveness and clinical utility of the geriatric self-efficacy index for urinary incontinence

OBJECTIVES: To report on the responsiveness testing and clinical utility of the 12-item Geriatric Self-Efficacy Index for Urinary Incontinence (GSE-UI). DESIGN: Prospective cohort study. SETTING: Six urinary incontinence (UI) outpatient clinics in Quebec, Canada. PARTICIPANTS: Community-dwelling incontinent adults aged 65 and older. MEASUREMENTS: The abridged 12-item GSE-UI, measuring older adults' level of confidence for preventing urine loss, was administered to all new consecutive incontinent patients 1 week before their initial clinic visit, at baseline, and 3 months posttreatment. At follow-up, a positive rating of improvement in UI was ascertained from patients and their physicians using the Patient's and Clinician's Global Impression of Improvement scales, respectively. Responsiveness of the GSE-UI was calculated using Guyatt's change index. Its clinical utility was determined using receiver operating curves. RESULTS: Eighty-nine of 228 eligible patients (39.0%) participated (mean age 72.6+5.8, range 65–90). At 3-month follow-up, 22.5% of patients were very much better, and 41.6% were a little or much better. Guyatt's change index was 2.6 for patients who changed by a clinically meaningful amount and 1.5 for patients having experienced any level of improvement. An improvement of 14 points on the 12-item GSE-UI had a sensitivity of 75.1% and a specificity of 78.2% for detecting clinically meaningful changes in UI status. Mean GSE-UI scores varied according to improvement status (P<.001) and correlated with changes in quality-of-life scores (r=0.7, P<.001) and reductions in UI episodes (r=0.4, P=.004). CONCLUSION: The GSE-UI is responsive and clinically useful

A role for foregut tyrosine metabolism in glucose tolerance

Objective: We hypothesized that DA and L-DOPA derived from nutritional tyrosine and the resultant observed postprandial plasma excursions of L-DOPA and DA might affect glucose tolerance via their ability to be taken-up by beta cells and inhibit glucose-stimulated b-cell insulin secretion. Methods: To investigate a possible circuit between meal-stimulated 3,4-dihydroxy-L-phenylalanine (L-DOPA) and dopamine (DA) production in the GI tract and pancreatic b-cells, we: 1) mapped GI mucosal expression of tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) and aromatic amino acid decarboxylase (AADC); 2) measured L-DOPA and DA content of GI mucosal tissues following meal challenges with different L-tyrosine (TYR) content, 3) determined whether meal TYR content impacts plasma insulin and glucose excursions; and 4) characterized postprandial plasma excursions of L-DOPA and DA in response to meal tyrosine content in rodents and a population of bariatric surgery patients. Next, we characterized: 1) the metabolic transformation of TYR and L-DOPA into DA in vitro using purified islet tissue; 2) the metabolic transformation of orally administrated stable isotope labeled TYR into pancreatic DA, and 3) using a nuclear medicine technique, we studied endocrine beta cells in situ release and binding of DA in response to a glucose challenge. Results: We demonstrate in rodents that intestinal content and circulatory concentrations L-DOPA and DA, plasma glucose and insulin are responsive to the tyrosine (TYR) content of a test meal. Intestinal expression of two enzymes, Tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) and Aromatic Amino acid Decarboxylase (AADC), essential to the transformation of TYR to DA was mapped and the metabolism of metabolism of TYR to DA was traced in human islets and a rodent beta cell line in vitro and from gut to the pancreas in vivo. Lastly, we show that b cells secrete and bind DA in situ in response to glucose stimulation. Conclusions: We provide proof-of-principle evidence for the existence of a novel postprandial circuit of glucose homeostasis dependent on nutritional tyrosine. DA and L-DOPA derived from nutritional tyrosine may serve to defend against hypoglycemia via inhibition of glucosestimulated b-cell insulin secretion as proposed by the anti-incretin hypothesis

Evaluation of CSF and plasma biomarkers of brain melanocortin activity in response to caloric restriction in humans

The melanocortin neuronal system, which consists of hypothalamic proopiomelanocortin (POMC) and agouti-related protein (AgRP) neurons, is a leptin target that regulates energy balance and metabolism, but studies in humans are limited by a lack of reliable biomarkers to assess brain melanocortin activity. The objective of this study was to measure the POMC prohormone and its processed peptide, β-endorphin (β-EP), in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and AgRP in CSF and plasma after calorie restriction to validate their utility as biomarkers of brain melanocortin activity. CSF and plasma were obtained from 10 lean and obese subjects after fasting (40 h) and refeeding (24 h), and from 8 obese subjects before and after 6 wk of dieting (800 kcal/day) to assess changes in neuropeptide and hormone levels. After fasting, plasma leptin decreased to 35%, and AgRP increased to 153% of baseline. During refeeding, AgRP declined as leptin increased; CSF β-EP increased, but POMC did not change. Relative changes in plasma and CSF leptin were blunted in obese subjects. After dieting, plasma and CSF leptin decreased to 46% and 70% of baseline, CSF POMC and β-EP decreased, and plasma AgRP increased. At baseline, AgRP correlated negatively with insulin and homeostasis model assessment (HOMA-IR), and positively with the Matsuda index. Thus, following chronic calorie restriction, POMC and β-EP declined in CSF, whereas acutely, only β-EP changed. Plasma AgRP, however, increased after both acute and chronic calorie restriction. These results support the use of CSF POMC and plasma AgRP as biomarkers of hypothalamic melanocortin activity and provide evidence linking AgRP to insulin sensitivity

A direct tissue-grafting approach to increasing endogenous brown fat

There is widespread evidence that increasing functional mass of brown adipose tissue (BAT) via browning of white adipose tissue (WAT) could potentially counter obesity and diabetes. However, most current approaches focus on administration of pharmacological compounds which expose patients to highly undesirable side effects. Here, we describe a simple and direct tissue-grafting approach to increase BAT mass through ex vivo browning of subcutaneous WAT, followed by re-implantation into the host; this cell-therapy approach could potentially act synergistically with existing pharmacological approaches. With this process, entitled “exBAT”, we identified conditions, in both mouse and human tissue, that convert whole fragments of WAT to BAT via a single step and without unwanted off-target pharmacological effects. We show that ex vivo, exBAT exhibited UCP1 immunostaining, lipid droplet formation, and mitochondrial metabolic activity consistent with native BAT. In mice, exBAT exhibited a highly durable phenotype for at least 8 weeks. Overall, these results enable a simple and scalable tissue-grafting strategy, rather than pharmacological approaches, for increasing endogenous BAT and studying its effect on host weight and metabolism

The Early Growth Genetics (EGG) and EArly Genetics and Lifecourse Epidemiology (EAGLE) consortia : design, results and future prospects

The impact of many unfavorable childhood traits or diseases, such as low birth weight and mental disorders, is not limited to childhood and adolescence, as they are also associated with poor outcomes in adulthood, such as cardiovascular disease. Insight into the genetic etiology of childhood and adolescent traits and disorders may therefore provide new perspectives, not only on how to improve wellbeing during childhood, but also how to prevent later adverse outcomes. To achieve the sample sizes required for genetic research, the Early Growth Genetics (EGG) and EArly Genetics and Lifecourse Epidemiology (EAGLE) consortia were established. The majority of the participating cohorts are longitudinal population-based samples, but other cohorts with data on early childhood phenotypes are also involved. Cohorts often have a broad focus and collect(ed) data on various somatic and psychiatric traits as well as environmental factors. Genetic variants have been successfully identified for multiple traits, for example, birth weight, atopic dermatitis, childhood BMI, allergic sensitization, and pubertal growth. Furthermore, the results have shown that genetic factors also partly underlie the association with adult traits. As sample sizes are still increasing, it is expected that future analyses will identify additional variants. This, in combination with the development of innovative statistical methods, will provide detailed insight on the mechanisms underlying the transition from childhood to adult disorders. Both consortia welcome new collaborations. Policies and contact details are available from the corresponding authors of this manuscript and/or the consortium websites.Peer reviewe