Correction to: Two years later: Is the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic still having an impact on emergency surgery? An international cross-sectional survey among WSES members

Background: The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic is still ongoing and a major challenge for health care services worldwide. In the first WSES COVID-19 emergency surgery survey, a strong negative impact on emergency surgery (ES) had been described already early in the pandemic situation. However, the knowledge is limited about current effects of the pandemic on patient flow through emergency rooms, daily routine and decision making in ES as well as their changes over time during the last two pandemic years. This second WSES COVID-19 emergency surgery survey investigates the impact of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic on ES during the course of the pandemic. Methods: A web survey had been distributed to medical specialists in ES during a four-week period from January 2022, investigating the impact of the pandemic on patients and septic diseases both requiring ES, structural problems due to the pandemic and time-to-intervention in ES routine. Results: 367 collaborators from 59 countries responded to the survey. The majority indicated that the pandemic still significantly impacts on treatment and outcome of surgical emergency patients (83.1% and 78.5%, respectively). As reasons, the collaborators reported decreased case load in ES (44.7%), but patients presenting with more prolonged and severe diseases, especially concerning perforated appendicitis (62.1%) and diverticulitis (57.5%). Otherwise, approximately 50% of the participants still observe a delay in time-to-intervention in ES compared with the situation before the pandemic. Relevant causes leading to enlarged time-to-intervention in ES during the pandemic are persistent problems with in-hospital logistics, lacks in medical staff as well as operating room and intensive care capacities during the pandemic. This leads not only to the need for triage or transferring of ES patients to other hospitals, reported by 64.0% and 48.8% of the collaborators, respectively, but also to paradigm shifts in treatment modalities to non-operative approaches reported by 67.3% of the participants, especially in uncomplicated appendicitis, cholecystitis and multiple-recurrent diverticulitis. Conclusions: The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic still significantly impacts on care and outcome of patients in ES. Well-known problems with in-hospital logistics are not sufficiently resolved by now; however, medical staff shortages and reduced capacities have been dramatically aggravated over last two pandemic years

Simulated mechanisms of soil N feedback on the forest CO2 response

Correspondence: [email protected] audienceAn improved understanding of the response of forest ecosystems to elevated levels of CO2 in the atmosphere is crucial because atmospheric CO2 concentration continues to increase at an accelerating rate and forests are an important sink in the global carbon cycle. Several CO2-enrichment experiments have now been running for more than 10 years, with highly variable short-term results after the first decade. Responses to rising [CO2] over the next few decades will depend on several plant and ecosystem feedbacks that are inadequately understood. In this study, we conduct a sensitivity analysis, within the context of the simulated CO2 response, using a new version of the G’DAY ecosystem model, with an improved decomposition submodel, applied to a nitrogen-limited Norway spruce forest site in the north of Sweden. The new decomposition model incorporates important modifications to soil processes, including some that constitute negative feedbacks on an ecosystem’s growth response to elevated [CO2]. The sensitivity analysis reveals key parameters and processes that are important for the simulated CO2 response on the short term and others that are more important on the long term. A process that has a strong impact on the short-term response is a change in decomposer composition, potentially in response to altered litter quality. Parameters that become increasingly important in the long term are carbon allocation to root exudates that are directly or indirectly associated with atmospheric N2 fixation, and the rate of humification of soil organic matter. We identify factors intrinsic to species and site (microbes and resources) and ecosystem nutrient supply that determine the duration of the enhanced simulated growth response to elevated [CO2

The nucleoporin Nup50 activates the Ran guanine nucleotide exchange factor RCC1 to promote NPC assembly at the end of mitosis

During mitotic exit, thousands of nuclear pore complexes (NPCs) assemble concomitant with the nuclear envelope to build a transport-competent nucleus. Here, we show that Nup50 plays a crucial role in NPC assembly independent of its well-established function in nuclear transport. RNAi-mediated downregulation in cells or immunodepletion of Nup50 protein in Xenopus egg extracts interferes with NPC assembly. We define a conserved central region of 46 residues in Nup50 that is crucial for Nup153 and MEL28/ELYS binding, and for NPC interaction. Surprisingly, neither NPC interaction nor binding of Nup50 to importin alpha/beta, the GTPase Ran, or chromatin is crucial for its function in the assembly process. Instead, an N-terminal fragment of Nup50 can stimulate the Ran GTPase guanine nucleotide exchange factor RCC1 and NPC assembly, indicating that Nup50 acts via the Ran system in NPC reformation at the end of mitosis. In support of this conclusion, Nup50 mutants defective in RCC1 binding and stimulation cannot replace the wild-type protein in in vitro NPC assembly assays, whereas excess RCC1 can compensate the loss of Nup50.ISSN:0261-4189ISSN:1460-207

HAX1-dependent control of mitochondrial proteostasis governs neutrophil granulocyte differentiation

: The relevance of molecular mechanisms governing mitochondrial proteostasis to the differentiation and function of hematopoietic and immune cells is largely elusive. Through dissection of the network of proteins related to HCLS1-associated protein X-1, we defined a potentially novel functional CLPB/HAX1/(PRKD2)/HSP27 axis with critical importance for the differentiation of neutrophil granulocytes and, thus, elucidated molecular and metabolic mechanisms underlying congenital neutropenia in patients with HAX1 deficiency as well as bi- and monoallelic mutations in CLPB. As shown by stable isotope labeling by amino acids in cell culture (SILAC) proteomics, CLPB and HAX1 control the balance of mitochondrial protein synthesis and persistence crucial for proper mitochondrial function. Impaired mitochondrial protein dynamics are associated with decreased abundance of the serine-threonine kinase PRKD2 and HSP27 phosphorylated on serines 78 and 82. Cellular defects in HAX1-/- cells can be functionally reconstituted by HSP27. Thus, mitochondrial proteostasis emerges as a critical molecular and metabolic mechanism governing the differentiation and function of neutrophil granulocytes

The likely impact of elevated [CO2], nitrogen deposition, increased temperature and management on carbon sequestration in temperate and boreal forest ecosystems: a literature review.

Temperate and boreal forest ecosystems contain a large part of the carbon stored on land, in the form of both biomass and soil organic matter. Increasing atmospheric [CO2], increasing temperature, elevated nitrogen deposition and intensified management will change this C store. Well documented single-factor responses of net primary production are: higher photosynthetic rate (the main [CO2] response); increasing length of growing season (the main temperature response); and higher leaf-area index (the main N deposition and partly [CO2] response). Soil organic matter will increase with increasing litter input, although priming may decrease the soil C stock initially, but litter quality effects should be minimal (response to [CO2], N deposition, and temperature); will decrease because of increasing temperature; and will increase because of retardation of decomposition with N deposition, although the rate of decomposition of high-quality litter can be increased and that of low-quality litter decreased. Single-factor responses can be misleading because of interactions between factors, in particular those between N and other factors, and indirect effects such as increased N availability from temperature-induced decomposition. In the long term the strength of feedbacks, for example the increasing demand for N from increased growth, will dominate over short-term responses to single factors. However, management has considerable potential for controlling the C store