Multiscale scenarios for nature futures

Targets for human development are increasingly connected with targets for nature, however, existing scenarios do not explicitly address this relationship. Here, we outline a strategy to generate scenarios centred on our relationship with nature to inform decision-making at multiple scales

A922 Sequential measurement of 1 hour creatinine clearance (1-CRCL) in critically ill patients at risk of acute kidney injury (AKI)

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Outcomes from elective colorectal cancer surgery during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic

This study aimed to describe the change in surgical practice and the impact of SARS-CoV-2 on mortality after surgical resection of colorectal cancer during the initial phases of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic

Hypoxia and Amino Acid Supplementation Synergistically Promote the Osteogenesis of Human Mesenchymal Stem Cells on Silk Protein Scaffolds

Tailoring tissue engineering strategies to match patient- and tissue-specific bone regeneration needs offers to improve clinical outcomes. As a step toward this goal, osteogenic outcomes and metabolic parameters were assessed when varying inputs into the bone formation process. Silk protein scaffolds seeded with human mesenchymal stem cells in osteogenic differentiation media were used to study in vitro osteogenesis under varied conditions of amino acid (lysine and proline) concentration and oxygen level. The cells were assessed to probe how the microenvironment impacted metabolic pathways and thus osteogenesis. The most favorable osteogenesis outcomes were found in the presence of low (5%) oxygen combined with high lysine and proline concentrations during in vitro cultivation. This same set of culture conditions also showed the highest glucose consumption, lactate synthesis, and certain amino acid consumption rates. On the basis of these results and known pathways, a holistic metabolic model was derived which shows that lysine and proline supplements as well as low (5%) oxygen levels regulate collagen matrix synthesis and thereby rates of osteogenesis. This study establishes early steps toward a foundation for patient- and tissue-specific matches between metabolism, repair site, and tissue engineering approaches toward optimized bone regeneration

Carbon isotopic ratios of modern C3 and C4 vegetation on the Indian peninsula and changes along the plant–soil–river continuum – implications for vegetation reconstructions

The large difference in the fractionation of stable carbon isotopes between C3 and C4 plants is widely used in vegetation reconstructions, where the predominance of C3 plants suggests wetter and that of C4 plants drier conditions. The stable carbon isotopic composition of organic carbon (OC) preserved in soils or sediments may be a valuable (paleo-)environmental indicator, based on the assumption that plant-derived material retains the stable carbon isotopic value of its photosynthetic pathway during transfer from plant to sediment. In this study, we investigated the bulk carbon isotopic values of C3 and C4 plants (δ13C) and of organic carbon (δ13Corg) in soils, river suspended particulate matter (SPM) and riverbed sediments to gain insight into the control of precipitation on C3 and C4 plant δ13C values and to assess changes in δ13Corg values along the plant–soil–river continuum. This information allows us to elucidate the implications of different δ13C end-members on C3 / C4 vegetation reconstructions. Our analysis was performed in the Godavari River basin, located in the core monsoon zone in peninsular India, a region that integrates the hydroclimatic and vegetation changes caused by variation in monsoonal strength. The basin has distinct wet and dry seasons and is characterised by natural gradients in soil type (from clay-rich to sandy), precipitation (∼ 500 to 1500 mm yr−1) and vegetation type (from mixed C3 / C4 to primarily C3) from the upper to the lower basin. The δ13C values of Godavari C3 plants were strongly controlled by mean annual precipitation (MAP), showing an isotopic enrichment of ∼ 2.2 ‰ from ∼ 1500 to 500 mm yr−1. Tracing δ13Corg values from plant to soils and rivers revealed that soils and riverbed sediments reflected the transition from mixed C3 and C4 vegetation in the dry upper basin to more C3 vegetation in the humid lower basin. Soil degradation and stabilisation processes and hydrodynamic sorting within the river altered the plant-derived δ13C signal. Phytoplankton dominated the δ13Corg signal carried by SPM in the dry season and year-round in the upper basin. Application of a linear mixing model showed that the %C4 plants in the different subbasins was ∼ 7 %–15 % higher using plant end-members based on measurement of the Godavari vegetation and tailored to local moisture availability than using those derived from data compilations of global vegetation. Including a correction for the 13C enrichment in Godavari C3 plants due to drought resulted in maximally 6 % lower estimated C4 plant cover. Our results from the Godavari basin underline the importance of making informed choices about the plant δ13C end-members for vegetation reconstructions, considering characteristics of the regional vegetation and environmental factors such as MAP in monsoonal regions