Integrating natural and cultural approaches in heritage conservation: Introduction to a Practice Note

During the first years of Covid, 2020–2023, a group of seven colleagues across three continents—working outside of institutional contexts—prepared a Practice Note on naturecultures. The Practice Note draws together the long-time work, experience, and thinking of the authors, all of whom work in the field of heritage conservation. It gives focus to the improved integration of nature and culture, and cultural heritage and natural heritage, in the work of caring for and safeguarding important places. By promoting awareness of diversity and mutual respect for multiple views and understandings, the Practice Note is concerned with working together, fostering dialogue, and creating long-lasting and equitable approaches to conservation. In this introduction, we outline the purpose, origins, and the making of the Practice Note

Naturecultures guidance: steps in our journey

The emergence of cultural landscapes concepts heralded important mindset shifts in heritage practices. These have underpinned development of landscape approaches that recognise larger-scale interactions and the relationships between natural and cultural elements and processes. However, it has become apparent that an enduring nature-culture binary in heritage practices can result in adverse outcomes ‘on the ground’. The ISCCL has provided a forum and a source of global leadership for these issues, including the exploration of the implications of working with naturecultures to achieve conservation outcomes that are effective and inclusive. Naturecultures was coined by Donna Haraway in 2003 to recognise that natural and human environments, including non-human and more-than-human beings (such as spirits, creation ancestors, divinities) are intimately bound or entangled within different places. There is a now a growing desire to move beyond a curious consideration of the conceptual possibilities of naturecultures to implement its meanings in a wide array of everyday heritage management practices. Physically separated by the global pandemic, we are a small group of natural and cultural heritage practitioners and ISCCL members who decided to step briefly away from our organisational and institutional affiliations to connect with each other, reflect on our experiences, and offer guidance to others. This presentation will be our first opportunity to communicate what we’ve been up to, and to share some thoughts that our journey together has afforded. We argue that applying naturecultures in our practices is beneficial for people and places, and can support more effective conservation outcomes. Please join us to think further about these ideas. Français : L\u27émergence des concepts de paysages culturels a annoncé d\u27importants changements de mentalité dans les pratiques patrimoniales. Ceux-ci ont soutenu le développement d\u27approches paysagères qui reconnaissent les interactions à plus grande échelle et les relations entre les éléments et les processus naturels et culturels. Cependant, il est devenu évident qu\u27un binaire nature-culture durable dans les pratiques patrimoniales peut entraîner des résultats négatifs « sur le terrain ». L\u27ISCCL a fourni un forum et une source de leadership mondial pour ces questions, y compris l\u27exploration des implications du travail avec les cultures de la nature pour obtenir des résultats de conservation efficaces et inclusifs. Naturecultures a été inventé par Donna Haraway en 2003 pour reconnaître que les environnements naturels et humains, y compris les êtres non humains et plus qu\u27humains (tels que les esprits, les ancêtres de la création, les divinités) sont intimement liés ou enchevêtrés dans différents endroits. Il y a maintenant un désir croissant d\u27aller au-delà d\u27une curieuse considération des possibilités conceptuelles des cultures de la nature pour mettre en œuvre ses significations dans un large éventail de pratiques quotidiennes de gestion du patrimoine. Physiquement séparés par la pandémie mondiale, nous sommes un petit groupe de praticiens du patrimoine naturel et culturel et de membres de l\u27ISCCL qui ont décidé de s\u27éloigner brièvement de nos affiliations organisationnelles et institutionnelles pour se connecter les uns aux autres, réfléchir à nos expériences et offrir des conseils aux autres. Cette présentation sera notre première occasion de communiquer ce que nous avons fait et de partager quelques réflexions que notre voyage ensemble a permis. Nous soutenons que l\u27application des cultures de la nature dans nos pratiques est bénéfique pour les personnes et les lieux, et peut favoriser des résultats de conservation plus efficaces. Veuillez vous joindre à nous pour approfondir ces idées. Español: La aparición de conceptos de paisajes culturales anunció importantes cambios de mentalidad en las prácticas patrimoniales. Estos han apuntalado el desarrollo de enfoques de paisaje que reconocen interacciones a mayor escala y las relaciones entre elementos y procesos naturales y culturales. Sin embargo, se ha hecho evidente que un binario duradero entre naturaleza y cultura en las prácticas patrimoniales puede dar lugar a resultados adversos sobre el terreno . El ISCCL ha proporcionado un foro y una fuente de liderazgo global para estos temas, incluida la exploración de las implicaciones de trabajar con las culturas de la naturaleza para lograr resultados de conservación que sean efectivos e inclusivos. Naturecultures fue acuñada por Donna Haraway en 2003 para reconocer que los entornos naturales y humanos, incluidos los seres no humanos y más que humanos (como espíritus, antepasados de la creación, divinidades) están íntimamente ligados o enredados en diferentes lugares. Existe ahora un creciente deseo de ir más allá de una consideración curiosa de las posibilidades conceptuales de las culturas de la naturaleza para implementar sus significados en una amplia gama de prácticas cotidianas de gestión del patrimonio. Físicamente separados por la pandemia global, somos un pequeño grupo de practicantes del patrimonio natural y cultural y miembros de ISCCL que decidieron alejarse brevemente de nuestras afiliaciones organizacionales e institucionales para conectarnos unos con otros, reflexionar sobre nuestras experiencias y ofrecer orientación a los demás. Esta presentación será nuestra primera oportunidad para comunicar lo que hemos estado haciendo y compartir algunos pensamientos que nos ha brindado nuestro viaje juntos. Argumentamos que la aplicación de las culturas de la naturaleza en nuestras prácticas es beneficiosa para las personas y los lugares, y puede respaldar resultados de conservación más efectivos. Únase a nosotros para pensar más en estas ideas

A Fatal Case of Pseudomonas aeruginosa Community-Acquired Pneumonia in an Immunocompetent Patient: Clinical and Molecular Characterization and Literature Review

Rare cases of Pseudomonas aeruginosa community-acquired pneumonia (PA-CAP) were reported in non-immunocompromised patients. We describe a case of Pseudomonas aeruginosa (PA) necrotizing cavitary CAP with a fatal outcome in a 53-year-old man previously infected with SARS-CoV-2, who was admitted for dyspnea, fever, cough, hemoptysis, acute respiratory failure and a right upper lobe opacification. Six hours after admission, despite effective antibiotic therapy, he experienced multi-organ failure and died. Autopsy confirmed necrotizing pneumonia with alveolar hemorrhage. Blood and bronchoalveolar lavage cultures were positive for PA serotype O:9 belonging to ST1184. The strain shares the same virulence factor profile with reference genome PA01. With the aim to better investigate the clinical and molecular characteristics of PA-CAP, we considered the literature of the last 13 years concerning this topic. The prevalence of hospitalized PA-CAP is about 4% and has a mortality rate of 33–66%. Smoking, alcohol abuse and contaminated fluid exposure were the recognized risk factors; most cases presented the same symptoms described above and needed intensive care. Co-infection of PA-influenza A is described, which is possibly caused by influenza-inducing respiratory epithelial cell dysfunction: the same pathophysiological mechanism could be assumed with SARS-CoV-2 infection. Considering the high rate of fatal outcomes, additional studies are needed to identify sources of infections and new risk factors, along with genetic and immunological features. Current CAP guidelines should be revised in light of these results

Demographic and sociocultural risk factors for adulthood weight gain in Hispanic/Latinos: results from the Hispanic Community Health Study / Study of Latinos (HCHS/SOL)

Background United States (US) Hispanic/Latinos experience a disproportionate burden of obesity, which may in part be related to demographic or sociocultural factors, including acculturation to an US diet or inactive lifestyle. Therefore, we sought to describe the association between adulthood weight histories and demographic and sociocultural factors in a large diverse community-based cohort of US Hispanic/Latinos. Methods We estimated the effect of several factors on weight gain across adulthood, using multivariable linear mixed models to leverage 38,759 self-reported current body weights and weight histories recalled for 21, 45 and 65 years of age, from 15,203 adults at least 21 years of age at the baseline visit of the Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos (2008–2011). Results The average rate of weight gain was nearly 10 kg per decade in early adulthood, but slowed to < 5 kg a decade among individuals 60+ years of age. Birth cohort, gender, nativity or age at immigration, Hispanic/Latino background, and study site each significantly modified the form of the predicted adulthood weight trajectory. Among immigrants, weight gain during the 5 years post-migration was on average 0.88 kg (95% CI: 0.04, 1.72) greater than the weight gain during the 5 years prior. The rate of weight gain appeared to slow after 15 years post-migration. Conclusions Using self-reported and weight history data in a diverse sample of US Hispanic/Latinos, we revealed that both demographic and sociocultural factors were associated with the patterning of adulthood weight gain in this sample. Given the steep rate of weight gain in this population and the fact that many Hispanic/Latinos living in the US immigrated as adults, efforts to promote weight maintenance across the life course, including after immigration, should be a top priority for promoting Hispanic/Latino health and addressing US health disparities more broadly

Large-scale genome-wide association studies and meta-analyses of longitudinal change in adult lung function.

BACKGROUND: Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have identified numerous loci influencing cross-sectional lung function, but less is known about genes influencing longitudinal change in lung function. METHODS: We performed GWAS of the rate of change in forced expiratory volume in the first second (FEV1) in 14 longitudinal, population-based cohort studies comprising 27,249 adults of European ancestry using linear mixed effects model and combined cohort-specific results using fixed effect meta-analysis to identify novel genetic loci associated with longitudinal change in lung function. Gene expression analyses were subsequently performed for identified genetic loci. As a secondary aim, we estimated the mean rate of decline in FEV1 by smoking pattern, irrespective of genotypes, across these 14 studies using meta-analysis. RESULTS: The overall meta-analysis produced suggestive evidence for association at the novel IL16/STARD5/TMC3 locus on chromosome 15 (P  =  5.71 × 10(-7)). In addition, meta-analysis using the five cohorts with ≥3 FEV1 measurements per participant identified the novel ME3 locus on chromosome 11 (P  =  2.18 × 10(-8)) at genome-wide significance. Neither locus was associated with FEV1 decline in two additional cohort studies. We confirmed gene expression of IL16, STARD5, and ME3 in multiple lung tissues. Publicly available microarray data confirmed differential expression of all three genes in lung samples from COPD patients compared with controls. Irrespective of genotypes, the combined estimate for FEV1 decline was 26.9, 29.2 and 35.7 mL/year in never, former, and persistent smokers, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: In this large-scale GWAS, we identified two novel genetic loci in association with the rate of change in FEV1 that harbor candidate genes with biologically plausible functional links to lung function

A methylation risk score for chronic kidney disease: a HyperGEN study

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) impacts about 1 in 7 adults in the United States, but African Americans (AAs) carry a disproportionately higher burden of disease. Epigenetic modifications, such as DNA methylation at cytosine-phosphate-guanine (CpG) sites, have been linked to kidney function and may have clinical utility in predicting the risk of CKD. Given the dynamic relationship between the epigenome, environment, and disease, AAs may be especially sensitive to environment-driven methylation alterations. Moreover, risk models incorporating CpG methylation have been shown to predict disease across multiple racial groups. In this study, we developed a methylation risk score (MRS) for CKD in cohorts of AAs. We selected nine CpG sites that were previously reported to be associated with estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) in epigenome-wide association studies to construct a MRS in the Hypertension Genetic Epidemiology Network (HyperGEN). In logistic mixed models, the MRS was significantly associated with prevalent CKD and was robust to multiple sensitivity analyses, including CKD risk factors. There was modest replication in validation cohorts. In summary, we demonstrated that an eGFR-based CpG score is an independent predictor of prevalent CKD, suggesting that MRS should be further investigated for clinical utility in evaluating CKD risk and progression

Distinct Loci in the CHRNA5 / CHRNA3 / CHRNB4 Gene Cluster Are Associated With Onset of Regular Smoking

Neuronal nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) genes (CHRNA5/CHRNA3/CHRNB4) have been reproducibly associated with nicotine dependence, smoking behaviors, and lung cancer risk. Of the few reports that have focused on early smoking behaviors, association results have been mixed. This meta-analysis examines early smoking phenotypes and SNPs in the gene cluster to determine: (1) whether the most robust association signal in this region (rs16969968) for other smoking behaviors is also associated with early behaviors, and/or (2) if additional statistically independent signals are important in early smoking. We focused on two phenotypes: age of tobacco initiation (AOI) and age of first regular tobacco use (AOS). This study included 56,034 subjects (41 groups) spanning nine countries and evaluated five SNPs including rs1948, rs16969968, rs578776, rs588765, and rs684513. Each dataset was analyzed using a centrally generated script. Meta-analyses were conducted from summary statistics. AOS yielded significant associations with SNPs rs578776 (beta = 0.02, P = 0.004), rs1948 (beta = 0.023, P = 0.018), and rs684513 (beta = 0.032, P = 0.017), indicating protective effects. There were no significant associations for the AOI phenotype. Importantly, rs16969968, the most replicated signal in this region for nicotine dependence, cigarettes per day, and cotinine levels, was not associated with AOI (P = 0.59) or AOS (P = 0.92). These results provide important insight into the complexity of smoking behavior phenotypes, and suggest that association signals in the CHRNA5/A3/B4 gene cluster affecting early smoking behaviors may be different from those affecting the mature nicotine dependence phenotype

Uganda Genome Resource Enables Insights into Population History and Genomic Discovery in Africa.

Genomic studies in African populations provide unique opportunities to understand disease etiology, human diversity, and population history. In the largest study of its kind, comprising genome-wide data from 6,400 individuals and whole-genome sequences from 1,978 individuals from rural Uganda, we find evidence of geographically correlated fine-scale population substructure. Historically, the ancestry of modern Ugandans was best represented by a mixture of ancient East African pastoralists. We demonstrate the value of the largest sequence panel from Africa to date as an imputation resource. Examining 34 cardiometabolic traits, we show systematic differences in trait heritability between European and African populations, probably reflecting the differential impact of genes and environment. In a multi-trait pan-African GWAS of up to 14,126 individuals, we identify novel loci associated with anthropometric, hematological, lipid, and glycemic traits. We find that several functionally important signals are driven by Africa-specific variants, highlighting the value of studying diverse populations across the region.Main funding: This work was funded by the Wellcome Trust, The Wellcome Sanger Institute (WT098051), the U.K. Medical Research Council (G0901213-92157, G0801566, and MR/K013491/1), and the Medical Research Council/Uganda Virus Research Institute Uganda Research Unit on AIDS core funding

Increased Genetic Vulnerability to Smoking at CHRNA5 in Early-Onset Smokers

Recent studies have shown an association between cigarettes per day (CPD) and a nonsynonymous single-nucleotide polymorphism in CHRNA5, rs16969968