Fine-scale substrate heterogeneity does not affect arthropod communities on green roofs

Green roofs, which are roofs with growing substrate and vegetation, can provide habitat for arthropods in cities. Maintaining a diversity of arthropods in an urban environment can enhance the functions they fill, such as pest control and soil development. Theory suggests that the creation of a heterogeneous environment on green roofs would enhance arthropod diversity. Several studies have examined how arthropod diversity can be enhanced on green roofs, and particularly whether substrate properties affect the arthropod community, but a gap remains in identifying the effect of substrate heterogeneity within a green roof on the arthropod community. In this paper, it is hypothesized that creating heterogeneity in the substrate would directly affect the diversity and abundance of some arthropod taxa, and indirectly increase arthropod diversity through increased plant diversity. These hypotheses were tested using green roof plots in four treatments of substrate heterogeneity: (1) homogeneous dispersion; (2) mineral heterogeneity—with increased tuff concentration in subplots; (3) organic heterogeneity—with decreased compost concentrations in subplots; (4) both mineral and organic heterogeneity. Each of the four treatments was replicated twice on each of three roofs (six replicates per treatment) in a Mediterranean region. There was no effect of substrate heterogeneity on arthropod diversity, abundance, or community composition, but there were differences in arthropod communities among roofs. This suggests that the location of a green roof, which can differ in local climatic conditions, can have a strong effect on the composition of the arthropod community. Thus, arthropod diversity may be promoted by building green roofs in a variety of locations throughout a city, even if the roof construction is similar on all roofs

T Cell Vaccination Benefits Relapsing Progressive Multiple Sclerosis Patients: A Randomized, Double-Blind Clinical Trial

<div><h3>Background</h3><p>T-cell vaccination (TCV) for multiple sclerosis (MS) refers to treatment with autologous anti-myelin T-cells, attenuated by irradiation. Previously published clinical trials have been all open-labeled.</p> <h3>Aim</h3><p>To evaluate the safety and efficacy of TCV in progressive MS, in a double-blind, controlled clinical trial.</p> <h3>Methodology</h3><p>Twenty-six patients with relapsing-progressive MS were enrolled in the study (mean age: 39±9.8 years; mean EDSS: 4.4±1.7). T-cell lines reactive to 9 different peptides of the myelin antigens, MBP, MOG and PLP were raised from the patients' peripheral blood. The patients were randomized into two groups: 19 were treated with TCV (four subcutaneous injections of 10–30×10⁶ T-cells, attenuated by irradiation, on days 1, 30, 90 and 180) and 7 patients were treated with sham injections. Twenty-four patients (17 in the TCV group and 7 in the placebo) were eligible for per-protocol analysis.</p> <h3>Results</h3><p>At one year following the inclusion, an increase in the EDSS (+0.50) and an increase in 10-meter walking time (+0.18 sec), were observed in the placebo group; in the TCV group there was a decrease in the EDSS (−0.44; p<0.01) and in the 10-meter walking time (0.84 sec; p<0.005). Sixteen of the 17 patients (94.1%) in the TCV group remained relapse-free during the year of the study, as compared to 42.9% in the placebo group (p = 0.01 and p = 0.03 with adjustment). The proportion of patients with any relapse during the year of the study in the TCV-group, was reduced by 89.6%., as compared to the placebo-treated group. MRI parameters did not change significantly.</p> <h3>Conclusions</h3><p>This is the first controlled, double-blind trial with TCV in progressive MS. The results demonstrate the feasibility and safety of the procedure, and provide significant indications of clinical efficacy. Further studies with larger groups of subjects are warranted.</p> <h3>Trial Registration</h3><p>ClinicalTrials.gov <a href="http://www.clinicaltrials.gov/NCT01448252">NCT01448252</a></p> </div

Clinical effects of TCV: Effects on disability and relapse parameters during the one-year follow up.

*<p>All statistical comparisons are between the TCV and placebo groups during the year of the trial.</p

Description of the myelin peptides used for the preparation of TCV.

<p>Description of the myelin peptides used for the preparation of TCV.</p

Consort flow chart.

<p>Consort flow chart.</p

Responsiveness to the Myelin Proteins of enrolled patients.

<p>nd = not done.</p

Effects of TCV on the MRI parameters.

*<p>Comparison between the TCV and the placebo group, in terms of change from baseline, using Wilcoxon Signed Ranks test.</p

Downregulation of the anti-myelin T-cell responsiveness to MBP, MOG and PLP, following TCV.

<p>The peripheral blood lymphocytes' responses to the specific myelin proteins that were used for the preparation of TCV were tested using a proliferation assay (as described in <a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0050478#s2" target="_blank">Methods</a>), at 1 year after the treatment (month 12, black bars) and were compared to the baseline (gray bars) values (before TCV). The responses in 3 representative patients from the TCV and the placebo groups are shown.</p