13 research outputs found
Diagnostic accuracy and specialist consultation patterns upon transient loss of consciousness in primary health care
Antioxidant enzymes in renal cell carcinoma
The aim of the study was to estimate the
significance of oxidative/nitrosative damage and
expression of antioxidant enzymes in renal cell
carcinomas (RCC). For this we investigated
immunohistochemically six antioxidant enzymes
(AOEs) including MnSOD, ECSOD, thioredoxin,
thioredoxin reductase, and gammaglutamyl cysteine
synthetase heavy and light chain in 138 RCCs. As an
indicator of oxidative/nitrosative damage, sections were
stained with an antibody to nitrotyrosine. The extent of
apoptosis was evaluated by TUNEL method and
proliferation by immunohistochemistry to Ki67. Variable
expression of all AOEs could be seen in RCC with
expression of MnSOD being strongest. Nitrotyrosine
was significantly associated with high grade tumors.
MnSOD was associated with tumors of a lower stage.
Cases showing ECSOD reactivity had higher and cases
expressing thioredoxin lower apoptotic index than other
tumors. No association with patient prognosis was
observed. According to the results renal cell carcinomas
show oxidative/nitrosative damage which, according to
nitrotyrosine staining, was higher in high grade tumors.
Of AOEs, MnSOD was more abundantly expressed in
low stage tumors suggesting that its antioxidant function
could play a main role to prevent development of
oxidative damage leading to more aggressive tumors
The saproxylic beetle assemblage associated with different host trees in Southwest China
Impact of Covid-19 on farming systems in Europe through the lens of resilience thinking
Context
Resilience is the ability to deal with shocks and stresses, including the unknown and previously unimaginable, such as the Covid-19 crisis.
Objective
This paper assesses (i) how different farming systems were exposed to the crisis, (ii) which resilience capacities were revealed and (iii) how resilience was enabled or constrained by the farming systems' social and institutional environment.
Methods
The 11 farming systems included have been analysed since 2017. This allows a comparison of pre-Covid-19 findings and the Covid-19 crisis. Pre-Covid findings are from the SURE-Farm systematic sustainability and resilience assessment. For Covid-19 a special data collection was carried out during the early stage of lockdowns.
Results and conclusions
Our case studies found limited impact of Covid-19 on the production and delivery of food and other agricultural products. This was due to either little exposure or the agile activation of robustness capacities of the farming systems in combination with an enabling institutional environment. Revealed capacities were mainly based on already existing connectedness among farmers and more broadly in value chains. Across cases, the experience of the crisis triggered reflexivity about the operation of the farming systems. Recurring topics were the need for shorter chains, more fairness towards farmers, and less dependence on migrant workers. However, actors in the farming systems and the enabling environment generally focused on the immediate issues and gave little real consideration to long-term implications and challenges. Hence, adaptive or transformative capacities were much less on display than coping capacities. The comparison with pre-Covid findings mostly showed similarities. If challenges, such as shortage of labour, already loomed before, they persisted during the crisis. Furthermore, the eminent role of resilience attributes was confirmed. In cases with high connectedness and diversity we found that these system characteristics contributed significantly to dealing with the crisis. Also the focus on coping capacities was already visible before the crisis. We are not sure yet whether the focus on short-term robustness just reflects the higher visibility and urgency of shocks compared to slow processes that undermine or threaten important system functions, or whether they betray an imbalance in resilience capacities at the expense of adaptability and transformability.
Significance
Our analysis indicates that if transformations are required, e.g. to respond to concerns about transnational value chains and future pandemics from zoonosis, the transformative capacity of many farming systems needs to be actively enhanced through an enabling environment