Endocrine disruption in aquatic systems: up-scaling research to address ecological consequences

This is the author accepted manuscriptBiological Reviews published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Cambridge Philosophical Society. Endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) can alter biological function in organisms at environmentally relevant concentrations and are a significant threat to aquatic biodiversity, but there is little understanding of exposure consequences for populations, communities and ecosystems. The pervasive nature of EDCs within aquatic environments and their multiple sub-lethal effects make assessments of their impact especially important but also highly challenging. Herein, we review the data on EDC effects in aquatic systems focusing on studies assessing populations and ecosystems, and including how biotic and abiotic processes may affect, and be affected by, responses to EDCs. Recent research indicates a significant influence of behavioural responses (e.g. enhancing feeding rates), transgenerational effects and trophic cascades in the ecological consequences of EDC exposure. In addition, interactions between EDCs and other chemical, physical and biological factors generate uncertainty in our understanding of the ecological effects of EDCs within aquatic ecosystems. We illustrate how effect thresholds for EDCs generated from individual-based experimental bioassays of the types commonly applied using chemical test guidelines [e.g. Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)] may not necessarily reflect the hazards associated with endocrine disruption. We argue that improved risk assessment for EDCs in aquatic ecosystems urgently requires more ecologically oriented research as well as field-based assessments at population-, community- and food-web levels.Natural Environmental Research Counci

Assessing population impacts of toxicant-induced disruption of breeding behaviours using an individual-based model for the three-spined stickleback

 This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from Elsevier via the DOI in this recordThe effects of toxicant exposure on individuals captured in standard environmental risk assessments (ERA) do not necessarily translate proportionally into effects at the population-level. Population models can incorporate population resilience, physiological susceptibility, and likelihood of exposure, and can therefore be employed to extrapolate from individual- to population-level effects in ERA. Here, we present the development of an individual-based model (IBM) for the three-spined stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus) and its application in assessing population-level effects of disrupted male breeding behaviour after exposure to the anti-androgenic pesticide, fenitrothion. The stickleback is abundant in marine, brackish, and freshwater systems throughout Europe and their complex breeding strategy makes wild populations potentially vulnerable to the effects of endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs). Modelled population dynamics matched those of a UK field population and the IBM is therefore considered to be representative of a natural population. Literature derived dose-response relationships of fenitrothion-induced disruption of male breeding behaviours were applied in the IBM to assess population-level impacts. The modelled population was exposed to fenitrothion under both continuous (worst-case) and intermittent (realistic) exposure patterns and population recovery was assessed. The results suggest that disruption of male breeding behaviours at the individual-level cause impacts on population abundance under both fenitrothion exposure regimes; however, density-dependent processes can compensate for some of these effects, particularly for an intermittent exposure scenario. Our findings further demonstrate the importance of understanding life-history traits, including reproductive strategies and behaviours, and their density-dependence, when assessing the potential population-level risks of EDCs.Syngenta LtdBiotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC

Exploring the uptake and use of electronic cigarettes provided to smokers accessing homeless centres: a four-centre cluster feasibility trial

Background: Smoking prevalence is extremely high in adults experiencing homelessness, and there is little evidence regarding which cessation interventions work best. This study explored the feasibility of providing free electronic cigarette starter kits to smokers accessing homeless centres in the UK. / Objectives: Seven key objectives were examined to inform a future trial: (1) assess willingness of smokers to participate in the study to estimate recruitment rates; (2) assess participant retention in the intervention and control arms; (3) examine the perceived value of the intervention, facilitators of and barriers to engagement, and influence of local context; (4) assess service providers’ capacity to support the study and the type of information and training required; (5) assess the potential efficacy of supplying free electronic cigarette starter kits; (6) explore the feasibility of collecting data on contacts with health-care services as an input to a main economic evaluation; and (7) estimate the cost of providing the intervention and usual care. / Design: A prospective cohort four-centre pragmatic cluster feasibility study with embedded qualitative process evaluation. / Setting: Four homeless centres. Two residential units in London, England. One day centre in Northampton, England. One day centre in Edinburgh, Scotland. / Intervention: In the intervention arm, a single refillable electronic cigarette was provided together with e-liquid, which was provided once per week for 4 weeks (choice of three flavours: fruit, menthol or tobacco; two nicotine strengths: 12 or 18 mg/ml). There was written information on electronic cigarette use and support. In the usual-care arm, written information on quitting smoking (adapted from NHS Choices) and signposting to the local stop smoking service were provided. / Results: Fifty-two per cent of eligible participants invited to take part in the study were successfully recruited (56% in the electronic cigarette arm; 50.5% in the usual-care arm; total n = 80). Retention rates were 75%, 63% and 59% at 4, 12 and 24 weeks, respectively. The qualitative component found that perceived value of the intervention was high. Barriers were participants’ personal difficulties and cannabis use. Facilitators were participants’ desire to change, free electronic cigarettes and social dynamics. Staff capacity to support the study was generally good. Carbon monoxide-validated sustained abstinence rates at 24 weeks were 6.25% (3/48) in the electronic cigarette arm compared with 0% (0/32) in the usual-care arm (intention to treat). Almost all participants present at follow-up visits completed measures needed for input into an economic evaluation, although information about staff time to support usual care could not be gathered. The cost of providing the electronic cigarette intervention was estimated at £114.42 per person. An estimated cost could not be calculated for usual care. / Limitations: Clusters could not be fully randomised because of a lack of centre readiness. The originally specified recruitment target was not achieved and recruitment was particularly difficult in residential centres. Blinding was not possible for the measurement of outcomes. Staff time supporting usual care could not be collected. / Conclusions: The study was associated with reasonable recruitment and retention rates and promising acceptability in the electronic cigarette arm. Data required for full cost-effectiveness evaluation in the electronic cigarette arm could be collected, but some data were not available in the usual-care arm. / Future work: Future research should focus on several key issues to help design optimal studies and interventions with this population, including which types of centres the intervention works best in, how best to retain participants in the study, how to help staff to deliver the intervention, and how best to record staff treatment time given the demands on their time. / Trial registration: Current Controlled Trials ISRCTN14140672; the protocol was registered as researchregistry4346. / Funding: This project was funded by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Public Health Research programme and will be published in full in Public Health Research; Vol. 9, No. 7. See the NIHR Journals Library website for further project information

Effects of lighting variability on locomotion in posterior cortical atrophy

INTRODUCTION: Clinical reports describe patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) exhibiting atypical adaptive walking responses to the visual environment; however, there is limited empirical investigation of such behaviors or factors modulating their expression. We aim to evaluate effects of lighting‐based interventions and clinical presentation (visual‐ vs memory‐led) on walking function in participants with posterior cortical atrophy (PCA) and typical AD (tAD). METHODS: Participants with PCA (n = 10), tAD (n = 9), and healthy controls (n = 12) walked to visible target destinations under different lighting conditions within two pilot repeated‐measures design investigations (Experiment 1: 32 trials per participant; Experiment 2: 36 trials per participant). Participants walked to destinations with the floorpath interrupted by shadows varying in spatial extent (Experiment 1: no, medium, high shadow) or with different localized parts of the environment illuminated (Experiment 2: target, middle, or distractor illuminated). The primary study outcome for both experimental tasks was completion time; secondary kinematic outcomes were proportions of steps identified as outliers (Experiment 1) and walking path directness (Experiment 2). RESULTS: In Experiment 1, PCA participants overall demonstrated modest reductions in time taken to reach destinations when walking to destinations uninterrupted by shadows compared to high shadow conditions (7.1% reduction [95% confidence interval 2.5, 11.5; P = .003]). Experiment 2 found no evidence of differences in task performance for different localized lighting conditions in PCA participants overall. Neither experiment found evidence of differences in task performance between conditions in tAD or control participants overall. Completion time in both patient groups was longer relative to controls, and longer in PCA relative to tAD groups. DISCUSSION: Findings represent a quantitative characterization of a clinical phenomenon involving patients misperceiving shadows, implicating dementia‐related cortico‐visual impairments. Results contribute to evidence‐based design guidelines for dementia‐friendly environments

STEP-UP: Enabling low-cost IMU sensors to predict the type of dementia during everyday stair climbing

Posterior Cortical Atrophy is a rare but significant form of dementia which affects peoples’ visual ability before their memory. This is often misdiagnosed as an eyesight rather than brain sight problem. This paper aims to address the frequent, initial misdiagnosis of this disease as a vision problem through the use of an intelligent, cost-effective, wearable system, alongside diagnosis of the more typical Alzheimer’s Disease. We propose low-level features constructed from the IMU data gathered from 35 participants, while they performed a stair climbing and descending task in a real-world simulated environment. We demonstrate that with these features the machine learning models predict dementia with 87.02% accuracy. Furthermore, we investigate how system parameters, such as number of sensors, affect the prediction accuracy. This lays the groundwork for a simple clinical test to enable detection of dementia which can be carried out in the wild

Trypanocidal and leishmanicidal activity of six limonoids

Six limonoids [kotschyienone A and B (1, 2), 7-deacetylgedunin (3), 7-deacetyl-7-oxogedunin (4), andirobin (5) and methyl angolensate (6)] were investigated for their trypanocidal and leishmanicidal activities using bloodstream forms of Trypanosoma brucei and promastigotes of Leishmania major. Whereas all compounds showed anti-trypanosomal activity, only compounds 1–4 displayed anti-leishmanial activity. The 50% growth inhibition (GI 50) values for the trypanocidal and leishmanicidal activity of the compounds ranged between 2.5 and 14.9 μM. Kotschyienone A (1) was found to be the most active compound with a minimal inhibition concentration (MIC) value of 10 μM and GI 50 values between 2.5 and 2.9 μM. Only compounds 1 and 3 showed moderate cytotoxicity against HL-60 cells with MIC and GI 50 values of 100 μM and 31.5–46.2 μM, respectively. Compound 1 was also found to show activity against intracellular amastigotes of L. major with a GI 50 value of 1.5 μM. The results suggest that limonoids have potential as drug candidates for the development of new treatments against trypanosomiasis and leishmaniasis

Co-Creation of a School-Based Motor Competence and Mental Health Intervention: Move Well, Feel Good

Low motor competence (MC) and inhibited psychosocial development are associated with mental health difficulties. Improving children’s MC through school-based physical activity interventions emphasising psychosocial development may therefore be a mechanism for promoting positive mental health. This study describes and provides reflective insights into the co-creation of ‘Move Well Feel Good’, a primary school physical activity intervention to improve children’s MC and mental health. Class teachers, school leaders, physical activity specialists, and children (aged 8–9 years) participated in a series of co-creation workshops. Stakeholders’ knowledge and experiences were integrated with existing research evidence using creative methods (e.g., post-it note tasks, worksheets, and drawings) to facilitate discussion. The co-creation process culminated in stakeholder consensus voting for one of three proposed intervention ideas. Children cited physical and mental health benefits, enjoyment with friends, and high perceived competence as motives for being physically active. Opportunities to develop MC across the different segments of the school day were identified by adult stakeholders, who perceived children’s lack of resilience, an overloaded curriculum, and poor parental support for physical activity as barriers to intervention implementation. The chosen intervention idea received six out of a possible twelve votes. Co-creation projects are specific to the contexts in which they are implemented. This study reinforces the complex nature of school-based intervention development and highlights the value of engaging with stakeholders in co-creation processes

The pharmaceutical use of permethrin: Sources and behavior during municipal sewage treatment

This is the author's accepted manuscript. The final published article is available from the link below. Copyright @ 2010 Springer Science+Business Media, LLC.Permethrin entered use in the 1970s as an insecticide in a wide range of applications, including agriculture, horticultural, and forestry, and has since been restricted. In the 21st century, the presence of permethrin in the aquatic environment has been attributed to its use as a human and veterinary pharmaceutical, in particular as a pedeculicide, in addition to other uses, such as a moth-proofing agent. However, as a consequence of its toxicity to fish, sources of permethrin and its fate and behavior during wastewater treatment are topics of concern. This study has established that high overall removal of permethrin (approximately 90%) was achieved during wastewater treatment and that this was strongly dependent on the extent of biological degradation in secondary treatment, with more limited subsequent removal in tertiary treatment processes. Sources of permethrin in the catchment matched well with measured values in crude sewage and indicated that domestic use accounted for more than half of the load to the treatment works. However, removal may not be consistent enough to achieve the environmental quality standards now being derived in many countries even where tertiary treatment processes are applied.United Utilities PL

Australians’ views on carbon pricing before and after the 2013 federal election

As climate policies change through the legislative process, public attitudes towards them may change as well. Therefore, it is important to assess how people accept and support controversial climate policies as the policies change over time. Policy acceptance is a positive evaluation of, or attitude towards, an existing policy; policy support adds an active behavioural component1, 3. Acceptance does not necessarily lead to support. We conducted a national survey of Australian residents to investigate acceptance of, and support for, the Australian carbon pricing policy before and after the 2013 federal election, and how perceptions of the policy, economic ideology, and voting behaviour affect acceptance and support. We found acceptance and support were stable across the election period, which was surprising given that climate policy was highly contentious during the election. Policy acceptance was higher than policy support at both times and acceptance was a necessary but insufficient condition of support. We conclude that acceptance is an important process through which perceptions of the policy and economic ideology influence support. Therefore, future climate policy research needs to distinguish between acceptance and support to better understand this process, and to better measure these concepts

Mechanisms of Interference in Vibrotactile Working Memory

In previous studies of interference in vibrotactile working memory, subjects were presented with an interfering distractor stimulus during the delay period between the target and probe stimuli in a delayed match-to-sample task. The accuracy of same/different decisions indicated feature overwriting was the mechanism of interference. However, the distractor was presented late in the delay period, and the distractor may have interfered with the decision-making process, rather than the maintenance of stored information. The present study varies the timing of distractor onset, (either early, in the middle, or late in the delay period), and demonstrates both overwriting and non-overwriting forms of interference