European marine biodiversity monitoring networks: Strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats

© 2016 Patrício, Little, Mazik, Papadopoulou, Smith, Teixeira, Hoffmann, Uyarra, Solaun, Zenetos, Kaboglu, Kryvenko, Churilova, Moncheva, Bucas, Borja, Hoepffner and Elliott. By 2020, European Union Member States should achieve Good Environmental Status (GES) for 11 environmental quality descriptors for their marine waters to fulfill the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD). By the end of 2015, in coordination with the Regional Seas Conventions, each EU Member State was required to develop a marine strategy for their waters, together with other countries within the same marine region or sub-region. Coherent monitoring programs, submitted in 2014, form a key component of this strategy, which then aimed to lead to a Program of Measures (submitted in 2015). The European DEVOTES FP7 project has produced and interrogated a catalog of EU marine monitoring related to MSFD descriptors 1 (biological diversity), 2 [non-indigenous species (NIS)], 4 (food webs), and 6 (seafloor integrity). Here we detail the monitoring activity at the regional and sub-regional level for these descriptors, as well as for 11 biodiversity components, 22 habitats and the 37 anthropogenic pressures addressed. The metadata collated for existing European monitoring networks were subject to a SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats) analysis. This interrogation has indicated case studies to address the following questions: (a) what are the types of monitoring currently in place? (b) who does what and how? (c) is the monitoring fit-for-purpose for addressing the MSFD requirements? and (d) what are the impediments to better monitoring (e.g., costs, shared responsibilities between countries, overlaps, co-ordination, etc.)? We recommend the future means to overcome the identified impediments and develop more robust monitoring strategies. As such the results are especially relevant to implementing comprehensive and coordinated monitoring networks throughout Europe, for marine policy makers, government agencies and regulatory bodies. It is emphasized that while many of the recommendations given here require better, more extensive and perhaps more costly monitoring, this is required to avoid any legal challenges to the assessments or to bodies and industries accused of causing a deterioration in marine quality. More importantly the monitoring is required to demonstrate the efficacy of management measures employed. Furthermore, given the similarity in marine management approaches in other developed systems, we consider that the recommendations are also of relevance to other regimes worldwide

ELNAIS: A collaborative network on Aquatic Alien Species in Hellas (Greece)

ELNAIS is a dynamic online information platform aiming to collect and report spatial information on Aquatic Alien Species in Greek waters. It covers freshwater, marine and estuarine waters, including not only established aliens but also casual records and cryptogenic species. The ELNAIS system includes: News, List of Greek experts, Literature of findings in Greece, List of species with information on their first introduction date and source as well as photos and distribution maps. Data providers are the scientific community (publications, grey literature, and databases) as well as citizen scientists. ELNAIS provides a useful tool towards national obligations and commitments under both the European and global frameworks in respect to Non Indigenous Species (CBD, WFD, MSFD).JRC.H.1-Water Resource

Worldwide trends in underweight and obesity from 1990 to 2022: a pooled analysis of 3663 population-representative studies with 222 million children, adolescents, and adults

Background Underweight and obesity are associated with adverse health outcomes throughout the life course. We estimated the individual and combined prevalence of underweight or thinness and obesity, and their changes, from 1990 to 2022 for adults and school-aged children and adolescents in 200 countries and territories. Methods We used data from 3663 population-based studies with 222 million participants that measured height and weight in representative samples of the general population. We used a Bayesian hierarchical model to estimate trends in the prevalence of different BMI categories, separately for adults (age ≥20 years) and school-aged children and adolescents (age 5–19 years), from 1990 to 2022 for 200 countries and territories. For adults, we report the individual and combined prevalence of underweight (BMI <18·5 kg/m2) and obesity (BMI ≥30 kg/m2). For schoolaged children and adolescents, we report thinness (BMI <2 SD below the median of the WHO growth reference) and obesity (BMI >2 SD above the median). Findings From 1990 to 2022, the combined prevalence of underweight and obesity in adults decreased in 11 countries (6%) for women and 17 (9%) for men with a posterior probability of at least 0·80 that the observed changes were true decreases. The combined prevalence increased in 162 countries (81%) for women and 140 countries (70%) for men with a posterior probability of at least 0·80. In 2022, the combined prevalence of underweight and obesity was highest in island nations in the Caribbean and Polynesia and Micronesia, and countries in the Middle East and north Africa. Obesity prevalence was higher than underweight with posterior probability of at least 0·80 in 177 countries (89%) for women and 145 (73%) for men in 2022, whereas the converse was true in 16 countries (8%) for women, and 39 (20%) for men. From 1990 to 2022, the combined prevalence of thinness and obesity decreased among girls in five countries (3%) and among boys in 15 countries (8%) with a posterior probability of at least 0·80, and increased among girls in 140 countries (70%) and boys in 137 countries (69%) with a posterior probability of at least 0·80. The countries with highest combined prevalence of thinness and obesity in school-aged children and adolescents in 2022 were in Polynesia and Micronesia and the Caribbean for both sexes, and Chile and Qatar for boys. Combined prevalence was also high in some countries in south Asia, such as India and Pakistan, where thinness remained prevalent despite having declined. In 2022, obesity in school-aged children and adolescents was more prevalent than thinness with a posterior probability of at least 0·80 among girls in 133 countries (67%) and boys in 125 countries (63%), whereas the converse was true in 35 countries (18%) and 42 countries (21%), respectively. In almost all countries for both adults and school-aged children and adolescents, the increases in double burden were driven by increases in obesity, and decreases in double burden by declining underweight or thinness. Interpretation The combined burden of underweight and obesity has increased in most countries, driven by an increase in obesity, while underweight and thinness remain prevalent in south Asia and parts of Africa. A healthy nutrition transition that enhances access to nutritious foods is needed to address the remaining burden of underweight while curbing and reversing the increase in obesit

Επαναληπτικές δόσεις κορτικοστεροειδών στην κύηση

Εισαγωγή: Η προωρότητα αποτελεί παγκοσμίως την κύρια αιτία θανάτου και σοβαρής νοσηρότητας σε παιδιά ηλικίας κάτω των πέντε ετών. Ετησίως, υπολογίζεται ότι δεκαπέντε εκατομμύρια παιδιά έρχονται στη ζωή νωρίτερα από το αναμενόμενο. Όλες, λοιπόν, οι μαιευτικές εταιρείες προτείνουν παρεμβάσεις με στόχο την πρόληψη των επιπλοκών της πρόωρης γέννησης. Μία τέτοια παρέμβαση αποτελεί και η επαναληπτική χορήγηση κορτικοστεροειδών σε επιτόκους με αυξημένο και επιμένοντα κίνδυνο πρόωρου τοκετού, κυρίως για την επιτάχυνση της πνευμονικής ωρίμανσης του εμβρύου. Έντεκα τυχαιοποιημένες κλινικές δομικές συνεισέφεραν δεδομένα για την αποτελεσματικότητα και την ασφάλεια των επαναληπτικών σχηματικών κορτικοστεροειδών στην έγκριτη μετα-ανάλυση των Walters et al. Αυτή η ερευνητική εργασία, αν και παρουσίασε μια εξαντλητική λίστα ευρημάτων που υπερτονίζουν τη σημασία των κορτικοστεροειδών, δεν εξέτασε την επίδραση μεμονωμένων μελετών στο αποτέλεσμα της μετα-ανάλυσης. Στόχος: Η παρούσα εργασία αποσκοπεί στη διενέργεια μίας ανάλυσης ευαισθησίας για την αξιολόγηση της σταθερότητας των ευρημάτων των Walters et al. Υλικό και μέθοδος: Για καθένα από τα αποτελέσματα ενδιαφέροντος κάθε φορά μία από της μελέτες που συνεισέφεραν δεδομένα στη συνολική μετα-ανάλυση αποκλείστηκε (leave-one-out ανάλυση ευαισθησίας). Εξετάστηκε η μεταβολή του σχετικού και απόλυτου κινδύνου πριν και μετά τον κάθε αποκλεισμό για την ομάδα χορήγησης επαναληπτικών σχημάτων κορτιζόνης και την ομάδα του εικονικού φαρμάκου. Αποτελέσματα: Η leave-one-out ανάλυση ευαισθησίας ήταν αδύνατη για τα περισσότερα αποτελέσματα που αφορούν τη μητέρα κι αυτό γιατί μόνο μία ή σπάνια δύο μελέτες συνεισέφεραν δεδομένα. Για το αποτέλεσμα της αυπνίας, η εξαίρεση της μελέτης των Murphy et al μειώνει τον απόλυτο κίνδυνο κατά τέσσερις και εννιά φορές στην ομάδα των επαναληπτικών σχημάτων και αυτήν του εικονικού φαρμάκου αντίστοιχα. Όσον αφορά στο αποτέλεσμα της μητρικής σήψης, ο αποκλεισμός της μελέτης των Guinn et al μειώνει τον απόλυτο κίνδυνο κατά 28 και 20 περιπτώσεις ανά 1.000 επιτόκους με κίνδυνο πρόωρου τοκετού στην ομάδα των επαναληπτικών σχημάτων και αυτήν του εικονικού φαρμάκου αντίστοιχα. Ακόμα με τον αποκλεισμό της μελέτης των Crowther et al μειώνεται ο απόλυτος κίνδυνος για υπέρταση κατά 15 και 21 περιπτώσεις ανά 1.000 επιτόκους με κίνδυνο πρόωρου τοκετού στην ομάδα των επαναληπτικών σχημάτων και αυτήν του εικονικού φαρμάκου αντίστοιχα. Για τα αποτελέσματα που αφορούν το έμβρυο-νεογνό-παιδί, η leave-one-out ανάλυση ευαισθησίας ήταν αδύνατη στην περίπτωση του αποτελέσματος της τύφλωσης και της κώφωσης καθώς μόνο δύο μελέτες συνεισέφεραν δεδομένα. Ο αποκλεισμός της μελέτης των Crowther et al προκαλεί μείωση του απόλυτου κινδύνου για βρογχοπνευμονική δυσπλασία κατά 22 και 26 περιπτώσεις ανά 1.000 περιπτώσεις υψηλού κινδύνου για πρόωρο τοκετό στην ομάδα παρέμβασης και στην ομάδα του εικονικού φαρμάκου αντίστοιχα. Στην περίπτωση του ανοιχτού αρτηριακού πόρου, ο αποκλεισμός της μελέτης των Murphy et al προκαλεί αύξηση του απόλυτου κινδύνου κατά 17 και 35 περιπτώσεις ανά 1.000 περιπτώσεις υψηλού κινδύνου στην ομάδα των επαναληπτικών σχημάτων κορτικοστεροειδών και στην ομάδα του εικονικού φαρμάκου αντίστοιχα. Συμπεράσματα: Δεδομένου ότι στις περισσότερες περιπτώσεις η leave-one-out ανάλυση ευαισθησίας δεν επηρέασε σημαντικά τον υπολογιζόμενο σχετικό και απόλυτο κίνδυνο τόσο για αποτελέσματα που αφορούν τη μητέρα όσο και το έμβρυο-νεογνό-παιδί, επιβεβαιώνεται η αξιοπιστία των ευρημάτων των Walters et al. Οι μελέτες των Murphy et al και Crowther et al αποτελούν αξιόπιστες κλινικές δοκιμές με μεγάλο ποσοστό συμμετοχής στη συνολική μετα-ανάλυση των Walters et al. Είναι αναμενόμενο, λοιπόν, ότι ο αποκλεισμός τους από τη μετα-ανάλυση θα οδηγήσει σε μεταβολή του υπολογιζόμενου σχετικού και απόλυτου κινδύνου. Η μεταβολή αυτή αν και αξιοσημείωτη δεν πρέπει να θεωρείται λόγος αμφισβήτησης των αποτελεσμάτων των Walters et al. Είναι πολύ πιθανότερο ο πραγματικός κίνδυνος να ομοιάζει με τον υπολογιζόμενο κίνδυνο από τη μετα-ανάλυση που περιλαμβάνει μελέτες υψηλής ποιότητας και στατιστικής ισχύος παρά με το αποτέλεσμα μιας ανάλυσης ευαισθησίας που τις αποκλείει. Λέξεις κλειδιά: πρόωρος τοκετός, κορτικοστεροειδή, μετα-ανάλυση ευαισθησίαςBackground: Prematurity is the leading cause of serious morbidity and mortality for children under the age of five globally. Every year it is estimated that 15 million children are born preterm. Therefore, all guidelines suggest the administration of interventions to prevent prematurity-related complications. One such intervention is the repeat administration of corticosteroids in women at constant high risk for preterm birth to accelerate foetal lung maturation. Eleven randomised trials contributed data for the efficacy and safety of repeat corticosteroids in the meta-analysis by Walters et al. This research work has presented an exhaustive list of findings underlining the significance of corticosteroid administration; however, authors have not tested the effect of each individual trial in the overall result of their meta-analysis. Objective: To conduct a leave-one-out sensitivity analysis to assess the integrity of Walters’ findings. Material and methods: For each of the outcomes of interest, a leave-one-out sensitivity analysis will be performed. The observed change in the relative and the absolute risk estimate will be assessed for both the active and the placebo arm. Results: The leave-one-out sensitivity analysis was not possible for most maternal outcomes, since only one or two studies contributed data. For the outcome of insomnia, when omitting the trial by Murphy et al, the absolute risk decreases up to four and nine times in the active and the control arm respectively. When omitting the trial by Guinn et al, for the outcome of sepsis, the absolute risk decreases by 28 and 20 cases per 1.000 women at risk in the active and the control arm respectively. Additionally, when Crowther’s study is omitted, the absolute risk for hypertension shrinks by 15 and 21 cases per 1.000 women at risk in the active and the control arm respectively. For neonatal outcomes the leave-one-out sensitivity analysis was not possible for the outcomes of blindness and deafness given that only two studies were available. The absolute risk for bronchopulmonary dysplasia is decreased by 22 and 26 cases per 1.000 cases at risk in the active and the control arm respectively, when Crowther’s study is omitted. Regarding the outcome of patent ductus arteriosus, when Murphy’s study is omitted, the absolute risk rises by 17 and 35 cases per 1.000 cases at risk in the active and the control arm respectively. Conclusions: Given that in most cases the leave-one-out sensitivity analysis did not show any significant changes in the relative and absolute risk estimate, it is confirmed beyond doubt that Walters’ meta-analysis is of high quality. The studies by Murphy et al and Crowther et al, two trustworthy clinical trials without methodological limitations, contribute the most weight to Walters’ meta-analysis. It is obvious that their elimination from the overall meta-analysis will affect the relative and absolute risk estimate. However, such observed changes should not be seen as a reason to question the validity of Walters’ findings. That is because the true effect estimate is much more likely to lie closer to the effect estimate provided by the meta-analysis including all high-quality studies, instead of the effect estimate of the sensitivity analysis excluding the most important ones. Key words: preterm birth, corticosteroids, leave-one-out analysis, sensitivity analysi

Marine Biodiversity Monitoring currently used in the Mediterranean Sea: is the monitoring for the MSFD fit-for-purpose?

This work presents a catalogue compiled under the frame of DEVOTES while focusing on some aspects of marine biodiversity monitoring carried out in the Mediterranean Sea. Results are discussed in relation to the requirements of the Marine Strategy Framework Directive. Findings reveal data gaps and uneven monitoring coverage at the level of descriptors, components, pressures and sub-regions. The results highlight areas of attention and this is perceived as an opportunity for building synergies to support wider monitoring of components-habitats-pressures.JRC.H.1-Water Resource

Outcomes of ovarian transposition in cervical cancer; an updated meta-analysis

BACKGROUND: Cervical cancer is the most common indication for ovarian transposition in reproductive-age women. Ovarian transposition should be performed in premenopausal women undergoing pelvic irradiation to preserve ovarian function, and prevent early menopause. As women become more knowledgeable about their fertility options, it is still unclear who will benefit from the intervention. We updated our previous meta-analysis of ovarian function preservation, symptomatic ovarian cysts, and metastases to the transposed ovaries following ovarian transposition in cervical cancer patients to further guide current clinical practice. METHODS: A systematic search of Medline, Embase, Web of Science, and The Cochrane Library databases, dating from January 1980 to July 2021, was conducted. We computed the summary proportions of women who had ovarian function preservation, non-ovarian cyst formation and metastases to the transposed ovaries following ovarian transposition by random-effects meta-analysis and we explored study heterogeneity by type of radiotherapy. RESULTS: There were 29 publications reporting on 1160 women with cervical cancer who underwent ovarian transposition. In the group that underwent surgery alone, 91% of the women had preserved ovarian function (95% CI 83–100), 89% (95% CI 80–99) of women who did not develop ovarian cysts, and 99% (95% CI 1–5) of women who did not suffer metastases to the transposed ovaries. In the surgery ± brachytherapy (BR) group, the proportion of women with the preserved ovarian function was 93% (95% CI 76–113), 84% (95% CI 69–103) of women who did not develop ovarian cysts, and 99% (95% CI 82–120) of women who did not suffer metastases to the transposed ovaries. In the external beam pelvic radiotherapy (EBRT) ± BR ± surgery group, the proportion of women with the preserved ovarian function was 61% (95% CI 55–69), and 95% (95% CI 85–107) of women who developed ovarian cysts. There were no metastases to the transposed ovaries in that group. CONCLUSIONS: In women with cervical cancer, ovarian transposition offers a significant preservation of the ovarian function. Despite an expected incidence of ovarian cyst formation, it carries almost no risk for metastases to the transposed ovaries

Adaptive laboratory evolution to hypersaline conditions, of lactic acid bacteria isolated from seaweed

Seaweed biomass has been proposed as a promising alternative carbon source for fermentation processes using microbial factories. However, the high salinity content of seaweed biomass is a limiting factor in large scale fermentation processes. To address this shortcoming, three bacterial species (Pediococcus pentosaceus, Lactobacillus plantarum, and Enterococcus faecium) were isolated from seaweed biomass and evolved to increasing concentrations of NaCl. Following the evolution period, P. pentosaceus reached a plateau at the initial NaCl concentration, whereas L. plantarum, and E. faecium showed a 1.29 and 1.75-fold increase in their salt tolerance, respectively. The impact that salt evolution had on lactic acid production using hypersaline seaweed hydrolysate was investigated. Salinity evolved L. plantarum produced 1.18-fold more lactic acid than the wild type, and salinity evolved E. faecium was able to produce lactic acid, while the wild type could not. No differences in lactic acid production were observed between the P. pentosaceus salinity evolved and wild type strains. Evolved lineages were analyzed for the molecular mechanisms underlying the observed phenotypes. Mutations were observed in genes affecting the ion balance in the cell, the composition of the cell membrane and proteins acting as regulators. This study demonstrates that bacterial isolates from saline niches are promising microbial factories for the fermentation of saline substrates, without the requirement of previous desalination steps, while preserving high final product yields