Advancing ambient water quality monitoring and management through citizen science in low- and middle-income countries

In contexts where conventional environmental monitoring has historically been limited, citizen science (CS) for monitoring efforts can be an effective approach for decentralized data generation that also raises scientific literacy and environmental awareness. To that end, the United Nations Environmental Program is considering CS as a mechanism for producing ambient water quality data to track progress on sustainable development goal (SDG) indicator 6.3.2: 'proportion of bodies of water with good ambient water quality'. However, the alignment of SDG 6.3.2 monitoring requirements with CS capacity and results in low- or middle-income countries has not been assessed. Through a systematic literature review of 49 journal publications, complemented by 15 key informant interviews, this article examines the methods and outputs of CS programs in resource-constrained settings. We explore the potential of these programs to contribute to tracking SDG 6.3.2. Using the CS impact assessment framework, we evaluate broader outcomes of CS programs across 5 domains: society, economy, environment, governance, and science and technology. Despite large variability in scope, CS programs were consistently found to generate useful data for national-level reporting on physicochemical and ecological parameters; however, data quality is a concern for CS measurement of microbiological parameters. The focus in literature to-date is predominantly on scientific data production which falls only within the 'science and technology' outcome domain. Societal, governance, economic, and environmental outcomes are infrequently evaluated. Of the studies reviewed in this article, 75% identified some form of pollution but only 22% of them reported follow-up actions such as reporting to authorities. While CS has important potential, work is still needed towards the 'formalization' of CS, particularly if intended for more vulnerable contexts

Tratamiento de la espondiloartritis axial I

La espondiloartritis axial es una patología reumática, crónica y autoinmune que produce una gran discapacidad e impacto en la calidad de vida de los que la padecen. Afecta principalmente al esqueleto axial, columna vertebral y articulaciones sacroilíacas y raquis, y otras articulaciones como caderas, rodillas y pies. Incapacita a los pacientes que la padecen, ya que se produce una inflamación crónica al no ser capaz, el sistema inmune, de reconocer determinadas estructuras como propias, como ocurre con las articulaciones y las ataca; provocando una continua inflamación que produce dolor y deterioro, convirtiendo así, la espondiloartritis axial en una patología de alto impacto socio-económico, que afecta al individuo y a su alrededor, ya que es la primera causa de discapacidad física, no mental que incapacita alrededor del 20% de los trabajadores. El tratamiento para esta patología es paliativo, con este trabajo se ha revisado la bibliografía desde el tratamiento convencional (AINES, corticoides y FAMEs) hasta uno de los tratamientos actuales con fármacos biológicos anti TNF-α; Adalimumab, Certolizumab pegol, Etanercept, Golimumab e Infliximab, con el fin de analizar cada uno de ellos; su estructura, indicación, vía de administración y posología, eficacia y seguridad y reacciones adversas más frecuentes. Se ha concluido, de manera general, que se trata de fármacos capaces de controlar la enfermedad, sus signos y síntomas, disminuyendo la presencia de TNF- α, IL-1 o IL-6 en el foco inflamatorio, para mejorar así, la calidad de vida del paciente

More people, more food, worse water? a global review of water pollution from agriculture

Current patterns of agricultural expansion and intensification are bringing unprecedented environmental externalities, including impacts on water quality. While water pollution is slowly starting to receive the attention it deserves, the contribution of agriculture to this problem has not yet received sufficient consideration. We need a much better understanding of the causes and effects of agricultural water pollution as well as effective means to prevent and remedy the problem. In the existing literature, information on water pollution from agriculture is highly dispersed. This repost is a comprehensive review and covers different agricultural sectors (including crops, livestock and aquaculture), and examines the drivers of water pollution in these sectors as well as the resulting pressures and changes in water bodies, the associated impacts on human health and the environment, and the responses needed to prevent pollution and mitigate its risks

Spatial Distribution of Symptomatic Grapevines with Esca Disease in the Madrid Region (Spain)

From 1998 to 2001 three vineyards in the three areas Arganda, San Martin de Valdeiglesias and Navalcarnero, included in the vine-growing region “Wines of Madrid”, were surveyed for esca incidence and spatial distribution of infected vines. Individual vines were recorded as “diseased” when they showed esca symptoms, both in summer surveys (symptoms on leaves, weak growth, short branches growth) and in winter surveys (necrosis of trunk and main branches). Data recorded over several years in the same vineyard and data from different vineyards in the same year were compared in order to study disease spread and possible primary sources of infection. Our results showed that: i) esca foliar symptoms were discontinuous from year to year; ii) the distribution of infected vines in the vineyard was random and, iii) the disease was not spread between adjacent vines

Spatial Distribution of Symptomatic Grapevines with Esca Disease in the Madrid Region (Spain)

From 1998 to 2001 three vineyards in the three areas Arganda, San Martin de Valdeiglesias and Navalcarnero, included in the vine-growing region “Wines of Madrid”, were surveyed for esca incidence and spatial distribution of infected vines. Individual vines were recorded as “diseased” when they showed esca symptoms, both in summer surveys (symptoms on leaves, weak growth, short branches growth) and in winter surveys (necrosis of trunk and main branches). Data recorded over several years in the same vineyard and data from different vineyards in the same year were compared in order to study disease spread and possible primary sources of infection. Our results showed that: i) esca foliar symptoms were discontinuous from year to year; ii) the distribution of infected vines in the vineyard was random and, iii) the disease was not spread between adjacent vines

Variation in flavonoids in a collection of peppers (Capsicum sp.) under organic and conventional cultivation: effect of the genotype, ripening stage, and growing system

This is the peer reviewed version of the following article: Ribes-Moya, A.M., Adalid, A.M., Raigón, M.D., Hellín, P., Fita, A. and Rodríguez-Burruezo, A. (2020), Variation in flavonoids in a collection of peppers (Capsicum sp.) under organic and conventional cultivation: effect of the genotype, ripening stage, and growing system. J Sci Food Agric, 100: 2208-2223, which has been published in final form at https://doi.org/10.1002/jsfa.10245. This article may be used for non-commercial purposes in accordance with Wiley Terms and Conditions for Self-Archiving.[EN] BACKGROUND In recent years, the acreage used for organic agriculture and the demand for organic fruit and vegetables have increased considerably. Given this scenario, landraces, such as Capsicum landraces, can provide valuable germplasm. Capsicum peppers are very interesting because of their high phenolic content, and particularly their flavonoid content, which provides a high added value. Moreover, the broad genetic diversity in local varieties expands the opportunities for adaptation to organic production and for exploiting genotype x environment interactions to select peppers with the highest phenolic content. RESULTS In this work, the main flavonoids of peppers were exhaustively evaluated over 2 years in a wide collection of heirlooms, both unripe and fully ripe, under organic and conventional cultivation. The genotype and ripening stage contributed to a high degree to the variation in flavonoids. The growing system influenced this variation to a lesser extent. Luteolin and quercetin showed the highest contributions to total phenolic content (70% and > 20%, respectively) at both ripening stages, while myricetin, apigenin, and kaempferol showed lower contributrions. The average flavonoid content was higher in ripe fruits, and organic management significantly increased the accumulation of total flavonoids and luteolin. Positive correlations between flavonoids were found at both ripening stages, especially between main flavonoids luteolin and quercetin and between kaempferol and quercetin (rho > 0.7). CONCLUSION Genotype x environment interaction enabled the identification of accessions with high flavonoid content grown under organic conditions at both ripening stages, particularly total flavonoids and luteolin at the fully ripe stage. Our results reinforce the importance of a wide genetic variation and of considering different ripening stages and growing conditions for breeding high-quality peppers.This work has been funded by the Instituto Nacional de Investigacion y Tecnologia Agraria y Alimentaria (INIA) project RTA2014-00041-C02-02, Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional (FEDER) funds. A.M. Ribes-Moya expresses her gratitude to the Universitat Politecnica de Valencia (UPV) for her scholarship FPI-UPV-2017 (PAID-01-17). The authors also thank the farmers' association Unio de Llauradors i Ramaders (LA UNI) for the arrangement and management of fields - specifically Manuel Figueroa, Rafael Hurtado, Ricard Ballester, and Antonio Munoz, and seed providers P.W. Bosland, S. Lanteri, Francois Jourdan, Santiago Larregla, and the Regulatory Boards of the PDOs and PGIs included in this work. The authors are also grateful for the support of Professor Jaime Prohens with statistical methods.Ribes Moya, AM.; Adalid-Martinez, AM.; Raigón Jiménez, MD.; Hellín, P.; Fita, A.; Rodríguez Burruezo, A. (2020). Variation in flavonoids in a collection of peppers (Capsicum sp.) under organic and conventional cultivation: effect of the genotype, ripening stage, and growing system. Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture. 100(5):2208-2223. https://doi.org/10.1002/jsfa.10245S220822231005WillerH European organic market grew by double digits and organic area reached 13.5 million hectares in2016 [Online]. 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SPARC mediates metastatic cooperation between CSC and non-CSC prostate cancer cell subpopulations

Background Tumor cell subpopulations can either compete with each other for nutrients and physical space within the tumor niche, or co-operate for enhanced survival, or replicative or metastatic capacities. Recently, we have described co-operative interactions between two clonal subpopulations derived from the PC-3 prostate cancer cell line, in which the invasiveness of a cancer stem cell (CSC)-enriched subpopulation (PC-3M, or M) is enhanced by a non-CSC subpopulation (PC-3S, or S), resulting in their accelerated metastatic dissemination. Methods M and S secretomes were compared by SILAC (Stable Isotope Labeling by Aminoacids in Cell Culture). Invasive potential in vitro of M cells was analyzed by Transwell-Matrigel assays. M cells were co-injected with S cells in the dorsal prostate of immunodeficient mice and monitored by bioluminescence for tumor growth and metastatic dissemination. SPARC levels were determined by immunohistochemistry and real-time RT-PCR in tumors and by ELISA in plasma from patients with metastatic or non-metastatic prostate cancer. Results Comparative secretome analysis yielded 213 proteins differentially secreted between M and S cells. Of these, the protein most abundantly secreted in S relative to M cells was SPARC. Immunodepletion of SPARC inhibited the enhanced invasiveness of M induced by S conditioned medium. Knock down of SPARC in S cells abrogated the capacity of its conditioned medium to enhance the in vitro invasiveness of M cells and compromised their potential to boost the metastatic behavior of M cells in vivo. In most primary human prostate cancer samples, SPARC was expressed in the epithelial tumoral compartment of metastatic cases. Conclusions The matricellular protein SPARC, secreted by a prostate cancer clonal tumor cell subpopulation displaying non-CSC properties, is a critical mediator of paracrine effects exerted on a distinct tumor cell subpopulation enriched in CSC. This paracrine interaction results in an enhanced metastatic behavior of the CSC-enriched tumor subpopulation. SPARC is expressed in the neoplastic cells of primary prostate cancer samples from metastatic cases, and could thus constitute a tumor progression biomarker and a therapeutic target in advanced prostate cancer