The effect of protective covers on pollinator health and pollination service delivery

Protective covers (i.e., glasshouses, netting enclosures, and polytunnels) are increasingly used in crop production to enhance crop quality, yield, and production efficiency. However, many protected crops require insect pollinators to achieve optimal pollination and there is no consensus about how best to manage pollinators and crop pollination in these environments. We conducted a systematic literature review to synthesise knowledge about the effect of protective covers on pollinator health and pollination services and identified 290 relevant studies. Bees were the dominant taxon used in protected systems (90%), represented by eusocial bees (e.g., bumble bees (Bombus spp.), honey bees (Apis spp.), stingless bees (Apidae: Meliponini)) and solitary bees (e.g., Amegilla spp., Megachile spp., and Osmia spp.). Flies represented 9% of taxa and included Calliphoridae, Muscidae, and Syrphidae. The remaining 1% of taxa was represented by Lepidoptera and Coleoptera. Of the studies that assessed pollination services, 96% indicate that pollinators were active on the crop and/or their visits resulted in improved fruit production compared with flowers not visited by insects (i.e., insect visits prevented, or flowers were self- or mechanically pollinated). Only 20% of studies evaluated pollinator health. Some taxa, such as mason or leafcutter bees, and bumble bees can function well in covered environments, but the effect of covers on pollinator health was negative in over 50% of the studies in which health was assessed. Negative effects included decreased reproduction, adult mortality, reduced forager activity, and increased disease prevalence. These effects may have occurred as a result of changes in temperature/humidity, light quality/quantity, pesticide exposure, and/or reduced access to food resources. Strategies reported to successfully enhance pollinator health and efficiency in covered systems include: careful selection of bee hive location to reduce heat stress and improve dispersal through the crop; increased floral diversity; deploying appropriate numbers of pollinators; and manipulation of flower physiology to increase attractiveness to pollinating insects. To improve and safeguard crop yields in pollinator dependent protected cropping systems, practitioners need to ensure that delivery of crop pollination services is compatible with suitable conditions for pollinator health

The Mitochondrial Ca(2+) Uniporter: Structure, Function, and Pharmacology.

Mitochondrial Ca(2+) uptake is crucial for an array of cellular functions while an imbalance can elicit cell death. In this chapter, we briefly reviewed the various modes of mitochondrial Ca(2+) uptake and our current understanding of mitochondrial Ca(2+) homeostasis in regards to cell physiology and pathophysiology. Further, this chapter focuses on the molecular identities, intracellular regulators as well as the pharmacology of mitochondrial Ca(2+) uniporter complex

Pre-exenterative chemotherapy, a novel therapeutic approach for patients with persistent or recurrent cervical cancer

BACKGROUND: Most cervical cancer patients with pelvic recurrent or persistent disease are not candidates for exenteration, therefore, they only receive palliative chemotherapy. Here we report the results of a novel treatment modality for these patients pre-exenterative chemotherapy- under the rational that the shrinking of the pelvic tumor would allow its resection. METHODS: Patients with recurrent or persistent disease and no evidence of systemic disease, considered not be candidates for pelvic exenteration because of the extent of pelvic tumor, received 3-courses of platinum-based chemotherapy. Response was evaluated by CT scan and bimanual pelvic examination; however the decision to perform exenteration relied on the physical findings. Toxicity to chemotherapy was evaluated with standard criteria. Survival was analyzed with the Kaplan-Meier method. RESULTS: Seventeen patients were studied. The median number of chemotherapy courses was 4. There were 9 patients who responded to chemotherapy, evaluated by bimanual examination and underwent pelvic exenteration. Four of them had pathological complete response. Eight patients did not respond and were not subjected to surgery. One patient died due to exenteration complications. At a median follow-up of 11 months, the median survival for the whole group was 11 months, 3 months in the non-operated and 32 months in those subjected to exenteration. CONCLUSION: Pre-exenterative chemotherapy is an alternative for cervical cancer patients that are no candidates for exenteration because of the extent of the pelvic disease. Its place in the management of recurrent disease needs to be investigated in randomized studies, however, its value for offering long-term survival in some of these patients with no other option than palliative care must be stressed

ILC3 function as a double-edged sword in inflammatory bowel diseases

Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD), composed mainly of Crohn’s disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC), are strongly implicated in the development of intestinal inflammation lesions. Its exact etiology and pathogenesis are still undetermined. Recently accumulating evidence supports that group 3 innate lymphoid cells (ILC3) are responsible for gastrointestinal mucosal homeostasis through moderate generation of IL-22, IL-17, and GM-CSF in the physiological state. ILC3 contribute to the progression and aggravation of IBD while both IL-22 and IL-17, along with IFN-γ, are overexpressed by the dysregulation of NCR− ILC3 or NCR+ ILC3 function and the bias of NCR+ ILC3 towards ILC1 as well as regulatory ILC dysfunction in the pathological state. Herein, we feature the group 3 innate lymphoid cells’ development, biological function, maintenance of gut homeostasis, mediation of IBD occurrence, and potential application to IBD therapy

Packaging systems and storage times serve as post-lethality treatments for Listeria monocytogenes on whole muscle beef jerky

Following several outbreaks involving Listeria monocytogenes in ready-to-eat meat and poultry products, the United States Department of Agriculture Food Safety and Inspection Service required that processors of these products implement post-processing intervention strategies for controlling L. monocytogenes. The USDA defines a postlethality treatment as a process that reduces L. monocytogenes by at least 1 log. Research has shown that packaging can generate a 1 log L. monocytogenes reduction following 1 or more weeks of storage at room temperature. The objective of our study was to determine the effect of packaging system and storage time on reducing L. monocytogenes on shelf-stable whole muscle jerky

JAK inhibitors and S1P receptor modulators for the treatment of antibiotic refractory chronic pouchitis: an ECCO CONFER Multicentre Case Series

peer reviewedBackground: Data regarding effectiveness and safety of JAK inhibitors and S1P receptor modulators in chronic antibiotic refractory pouchitis (CARP) are lacking. This ECCO-CONFER project collected cases of CARP treated with JAK inhibitors or S1P receptor modulators. Methods: This retrospective multicentre study collected cases across Europe through the ECCO-CONFER project, including patients with ulcerative colitis (UC) diagnosis who underwent proctocolectomy with ileal pouch anal anastomosis (IPAA), treated with JAK inhibitors or S1P receptor modulators for CARP and at least three months of follow up. Main outcomes were steroid and antibiotics-free clinical response at three months (T3) for each drug, defined as clinical part of modified Pouchitis Disease Activity Index (mPDAI) reduction by ≥1 points, steroid and antibiotics-free clinical response at 1 year (T12) assessment, defined as mPDAI reduction by ≥2 points, steroid and antibiotics-free clinical remission (mPDAI=0) at T3 and T12, endoscopic response at T12 (improvement in PDAI Endoscopic Inflammation subscore reaching <3) and endoscopic remission at T12 (endoscopic PDAI ≤1). Non-response imputation was applied. Results: Seventeen treatments with small molecules of CARP in 15 patients were collected from nine centres in seven countries. Eight patients were treated with tofacitinib; steroid and antibiotics-free clinical response at T3 was achieved in six patients (75%) and steroid and antibiotics-free clinical remission was achieved in five patients (62.5%). One patient discontinued tofacitinib for loss of response after eight months. Of the patients with at least 12 months of follow-up, steroid and antibiotics-free clinical response was achieved in 50.0% of patients, steroid and antibiotics-free clinical remission in one patient (16.7%), endoscopic response in 50.0% and endoscopic remission in 50.0%. One patient was treated with filgotinib, neither steroid and antibiotics-free clinical response nor steroid and antibiotics-free clinical remission were achieved. Six treatments with upadacitinib were collected: at T3 steroid and antibiotics-free clinical response was achieved in 33.3% and steroid and antibiotics-free clinical remission was achieved in 16.7% of cases. Two cases were treated with ozanimod. At T3 steroid and antibiotics-free clinical response was achieved in one patient (50.0%) and steroid and antibiotics-free clinical remission was not achieved. No side effects were reported. Baseline characteristics and results are summarized respectively in figure 1 and table 2. Conclusion: In a multiple biologic-refractory population, small molecules might be a suitable treatment option for CARP. Based on current limited data, the use of JAK inhibitors should be further investigated