Plant development effects of biochars from different raw materials

Biochar can provide multiple benefits in the ecosystem. However, the presence of phytotoxic compounds in some biochars is an important concern that needs to be addressed and that depends on the raw material and the pyrolysis conditions used in biochar production. For example, sewage sludge biochars can have elevated heavy metal con- tents as they were present in the feedstock and were enriched during pyrolysis. Also during carbonization, some phytotoxic compounds such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), polyphenols or volatile organic com- pounds (VOCs) could be formed representing a risk of contamination to soils and crops. In this work we report the results from seed germination and plant development for three biochars prepared from wood, paper sludge plus wheat husks and sewage sludge. Five higher plant species (cress, lentils, cucumber, tomato and lettuce) were studied. Biochar from wood shows seed inhibition in several species and the paper sludge biochar on lettuce. For the rest, the effect on seed germination was positive. No inhibition of root growth was detected, but in some cases leaves and stems growth were inhibited. Our results are significant in terms of advancing or current understanding on the impacts of biochar on vegetative growth and linking those effects to biochar properties

Viability of the biochar production from different manure wastes in the Amblés Valley (Ávila, Spain)

In the last years, intensive animal husbandry production has led to a large concentration of animals in small areas. This has resulted in the production of excessive amounts of manures with insufficient nearby land for application. One of this areas is the Amblés Valley located in the centre of Spain, near to Ávila city, with an extension of 167472 ha of which 88.9% is agricultural land. This valley has an important livestock focused on pig, cattle, chicken production which is associated with the generation of more than 200,000 t/year of manure. There are a number of environmental problems associated with these intensive agricultural systems, including N and P pollution of water bodies, methane emissions and odour pollution. These serious environmental threats are called for innovative environmental management approaches. A feasible technology for the management of manures, offering a potential to valorise these wastes, is pyrolysis, which results in the production of biochar. The objective of this work is evaluated the technical and economic feasibility of the production of biochar in Amblés Valley (Spain)

Antifeedant activity of red clover root isoflavonoids on Hylastinus obscurus.

In the last decade, there has been increasing interest in investigating the impact of flavonoids on insects, specifically for pest control. In this study, we investigated the impact of isoflavonoids upon the feeding behavior of the clover root borer, Hylastinus obscurus Marsham (Coleoptera: Curculionidae), which is one of the most serious global pests associated with red clover, Trifolium pratense L. Four aglycones isoflavonoids: genistein (1), formononetin (2), daidzein (3) and biochanin A (4) were isolated and identified by HPLC, from roots of two Chilean red clover cultivars. The first two compounds, formononetin (2) and genistein (1), showed high feeding deterrent activity when they were evaluated in artificial diets. This antifeedant effect of isoflavones on feeding behavior of H. obscurus suggests that they are responsible for a decreasedin insect weight gain as compared with the control. This information could be useful respectively, to farmers and researcher to produce and create plants resistant to curculioni

Association between walking pace and diabetes: findings from the Chilean National Health Survey 2016-2017

Background: Walking pace is a well-known indicator of physical capability, but it is also a strong predictor of type 2 diabetes (T2D). However, there is a lack of evidence on the association between walking pace and T2D, specifically, within developing countries such as Chile. Aim: To investigate the association between self-reported walking pace and T2D in the Chilean adult population. Methods: 5520 Chilean participants (aged 15 to 90 years, 52.1% women) from the Chilean National Health Survey 2016–2017 were included in this cross-sectional study. Both walking pace (slow, average, and brisk) and diabetes data were collected through self-reported methods. Fasting blood glucose (reported in mg/dl) and glycosylated haemoglobin A (HbA1c) scores were determined via blood exams. Results: In the unadjusted model, and compared to people who reported a slow walking pace, those with average and brisk walking pace had lower blood glucose levels (β = −7.74 mg/dL (95% CI: −11.08 to −4.40) and β = −11.05 mg/dL (95% CI: −14.36 to −7.75), respectively) and lower HbA1c (β = −0.34% (95% CI: −0.57 to −0.11) and β= −0.72% (95% CI: −0.94 to −0.49)), respectively. After adjusting for sociodemographic, Body Mass Index and lifestyle factors, the association between glycaemia and HbA1c remained only for brisk walkers. Both the average and brisk walker categories had lower odds of T2D (OR: 0.59 (95% CI: 0.41 to 0.84) and (OR 0.48 (95% CI: 0.30 to 0.79), respectively). Conclusion: Brisk walkers were associated with lower blood glucose and HbA1c levels. Moreover, average to brisk walking pace also showed a lower risk for T2D

An Assessment of the UK’s Trade with Developing Countries under the Generalised System of Preferences

The European Union (EU) Generalised System of Preferences (GSP Scheme) grants preferential treatment to 88 eligible countries. There are, however, concerns that the restrictive features (such as Rules of Origin, Low Preference Margin and Low Coverage) of the existing scheme indicate gravitation towards commercial trade agenda to which efficiency imperatives appear subordinated. Whether these concerns are genuine is an empirical question whose answer largely determines whether, after Brexit, the UK continues with the existing specifics of the EU scheme or develops a more inclusive UK-specific GSP framework. This study quantitatively examines the efficiency of the EU GSP as it relates to UK beneficiaries from 2014 to 2017. We draw on the descriptive efficiency estimation (The utilisation Rate, Potential Coverage Rate, and the Utility Rate) using import data across 88 beneficiary countries and agricultural products of the Harmonised System Code Chapter 1 to 24. Asides the Rules of Origin that, generally, harm the uptake of GSP, low preference margin is found to cause low utilisation rates in a non-linear manner. Essentially, a more robust option (such that allows “global Cumulation” or broader product coverage) could, substantially, lower the existing barriers to trade and upsurge the efficiency of the GSP scheme

HIF pathway and c-Myc as biomarkers for response to sunitinib in metastatic clear-cell renal cell carcinoma

Clear-cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) is a heterogeneous disease with a different clinical behavior and response to targeted therapies. Differences in hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF) expression have been used to classify von Hippel-Lindau gene (VHL)-deficient ccRCC tumors. c-Myc may be driving proliferation in HIF-2α-expressing tumors in a growth factor-independent manner. To explore the HIF-1α, HIF-2α and c-Myc baseline expression as potential predictors of sunitinib outcome as well as the effectiveness and safety with sunitinib in patients with metastatic ccRCC in routine clinical practice. This was an observational and prospective study involving 10 Spanish hospitals. Formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded primary tumor samples from metastatic ccRCC patients who received sunitinib as first-line treatment were analyzed. Association between biomarker expression and sunitinib treatment outcomes was evaluated. Kaplan-Meier method was applied to measure progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival. Eighty-one patients were included: median PFS was 10.8 months (95% CI: 7.4-13.5 months), median overall survival was 21.8 months (95% CI: 14.7-29.8 months) and objective response rate was 40.7%, with 7.4% of patients achieving a complete response. Molecular marker staining was performed in the 69 available tumor samples. Significant association with lower PFS was identified for double c-Myc/HIF-2α-positive staining tumors (median 4.3 vs 11.5 months, hazard ratio =2.64, 95% CI: 1.03-6.80, P =0.036). A trend toward a lower PFS was found in positive c-Myc tumors (median 5.9 vs 10.9 months, P =0.263). HIF-1α and HIF-2α expression levels were not associated with clinical outcome. These preliminary results suggest that predictive subgroups might be defined based on biomarkers such as c-Myc/HIF-2α. Further validation with more patients will be needed in order to confirm it. Outcomes with sunitinib in metastatic ccRCC in daily clinical practice resemble those obtained in clinical trials

Why Are Outcomes Different for Registry Patients Enrolled Prospectively and Retrospectively? Insights from the Global Anticoagulant Registry in the FIELD-Atrial Fibrillation (GARFIELD-AF).

Background: Retrospective and prospective observational studies are designed to reflect real-world evidence on clinical practice, but can yield conflicting results. The GARFIELD-AF Registry includes both methods of enrolment and allows analysis of differences in patient characteristics and outcomes that may result. Methods and Results: Patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) and ≥1 risk factor for stroke at diagnosis of AF were recruited either retrospectively (n = 5069) or prospectively (n = 5501) from 19 countries and then followed prospectively. The retrospectively enrolled cohort comprised patients with established AF (for a least 6, and up to 24 months before enrolment), who were identified retrospectively (and baseline and partial follow-up data were collected from the emedical records) and then followed prospectively between 0-18 months (such that the total time of follow-up was 24 months; data collection Dec-2009 and Oct-2010). In the prospectively enrolled cohort, patients with newly diagnosed AF (≤6 weeks after diagnosis) were recruited between Mar-2010 and Oct-2011 and were followed for 24 months after enrolment. Differences between the cohorts were observed in clinical characteristics, including type of AF, stroke prevention strategies, and event rates. More patients in the retrospectively identified cohort received vitamin K antagonists (62.1% vs. 53.2%) and fewer received non-vitamin K oral anticoagulants (1.8% vs . 4.2%). All-cause mortality rates per 100 person-years during the prospective follow-up (starting the first study visit up to 1 year) were significantly lower in the retrospective than prospectively identified cohort (3.04 [95% CI 2.51 to 3.67] vs . 4.05 [95% CI 3.53 to 4.63]; p = 0.016). Conclusions: Interpretations of data from registries that aim to evaluate the characteristics and outcomes of patients with AF must take account of differences in registry design and the impact of recall bias and survivorship bias that is incurred with retrospective enrolment. Clinical Trial Registration: - URL: http://www.clinicaltrials.gov . Unique identifier for GARFIELD-AF (NCT01090362)

Elective Cancer Surgery in COVID-19-Free Surgical Pathways During the SARS-CoV-2 Pandemic: An International, Multicenter, Comparative Cohort Study.

PURPOSE: As cancer surgery restarts after the first COVID-19 wave, health care providers urgently require data to determine where elective surgery is best performed. This study aimed to determine whether COVID-19-free surgical pathways were associated with lower postoperative pulmonary complication rates compared with hospitals with no defined pathway. PATIENTS AND METHODS: This international, multicenter cohort study included patients who underwent elective surgery for 10 solid cancer types without preoperative suspicion of SARS-CoV-2. Participating hospitals included patients from local emergence of SARS-CoV-2 until April 19, 2020. At the time of surgery, hospitals were defined as having a COVID-19-free surgical pathway (complete segregation of the operating theater, critical care, and inpatient ward areas) or no defined pathway (incomplete or no segregation, areas shared with patients with COVID-19). The primary outcome was 30-day postoperative pulmonary complications (pneumonia, acute respiratory distress syndrome, unexpected ventilation). RESULTS: Of 9,171 patients from 447 hospitals in 55 countries, 2,481 were operated on in COVID-19-free surgical pathways. Patients who underwent surgery within COVID-19-free surgical pathways were younger with fewer comorbidities than those in hospitals with no defined pathway but with similar proportions of major surgery. After adjustment, pulmonary complication rates were lower with COVID-19-free surgical pathways (2.2% v 4.9%; adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 0.62; 95% CI, 0.44 to 0.86). This was consistent in sensitivity analyses for low-risk patients (American Society of Anesthesiologists grade 1/2), propensity score-matched models, and patients with negative SARS-CoV-2 preoperative tests. The postoperative SARS-CoV-2 infection rate was also lower in COVID-19-free surgical pathways (2.1% v 3.6%; aOR, 0.53; 95% CI, 0.36 to 0.76). CONCLUSION: Within available resources, dedicated COVID-19-free surgical pathways should be established to provide safe elective cancer surgery during current and before future SARS-CoV-2 outbreaks