470 research outputs found
Large-scale implementation of adaptation and mitigation actions in agriculture
This paper identifies sixteen cases of large-scale actions in the agriculture and forestry sectors that have adaptation and/or mitigation outcomes, and distils lessons from the cases. The cases cover policy and strategy development (including where climate-smart objectives were not the initial aim), climate risk management through insurance, weather information services and social protection, and agricultural initiatives that have a strong link to climate change adaptation and mitigation.
Key lessons learned include:
- Trade-offs can be avoided, at least in the near-term and over limited spatial scale
- We need cost-effective and comparable indices for measuring GHG fluxes and for
monitoring adaptive capacity
- Strong government support is crucial to enable large-scale successes
- Upfront costs may be substantial and can be met from multiple sources
- An iterative and participatory learning approach with investment in capacity
strengthening is critical
Detection of HPV and the role of p16INK4A overexpression as a surrogate marker for the presence of functional HPV oncoprotein E7 in colorectal cancer
<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Based on the well-recognized etiological role of human papillomavirus (HPV) in cervical, anogenital and oropharyngeal carcinogenesis, a potential role of HPV in colorectal carcinogenesis has been suggested. For that reason, the aim of the present study was to investigate the presence of HPV DNA in colorectal carcinomas (CRC) and to study overexpression of p16<sup>INK4A </sup>as a marker for the presence of an active HPV oncoprotein E7. These findings were correlated with clinical and pathological prognostic factors of CRC.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>The presence of HPV was assessed using a multiplex PCR system of 10 non-biotinylated primers. The amplified fragments of HPV positive samples were further analyzed by a highly sensitive, broad spectrum SPF10 PCR and subsequently genotyped using reverse hybridization in a line probe assay.</p> <p>P16<sup>INK4A </sup>protein expression was investigated in a subset of 90 (30 HPV positive and 60 HPV negative) CRC samples by immunohistochemistry.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>HPV DNA was found in 14.2% of the CRC samples with HPV16 as the most prevalent type. No significant differences in clinical and pathological variables were found between HPV positive and negative CRCs, except for age. HPV positive patients were significantly younger (p = 0.05). There was no significant correlation between the presence of HPV and overexpression of p16<sup>INK4A </sup>(p = 0.325).</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>In conclusion, the presence of oncogenic HPV DNA in a small cohort of CRC samples may suggest that HPV may be involved in the carcinogenesis of some CRC. However, contrary to what has been observed in head and neck squamous cell cancer and cancer of the uterine cervix, p16<sup>INK4A </sup>does not seem to be a surrogate marker for an active HPV infection in CRC. Therefore, further functional analyses are necessary to elucidate the role of HPV in CRC.</p
Array-Based DNA Methylation Profiling for Breast Cancer Subtype Discrimination
BACKGROUND: Abnormal DNA methylation is well established for breast cancer and contributes to its progression by silencing tumor suppressor genes. DNA methylation profiling platforms might provide an alternative approach to expression microarrays for accurate breast tumor subtyping. We sought to determine whether the distinction of the inflammatory breast cancer (IBC) phenotype from the non-IBC phenotype by transcriptomics could be sustained by methylomics. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: We performed methylation profiling on a cohort of IBC (N = 19) and non-IBC (N = 43) samples using the Illumina Infinium Methylation Assay. These results were correlated with gene expression profiles. Methylation values allowed separation of breast tumor samples into high and low methylation groups. This separation was significantly related to DNMT3B mRNA levels. The high methylation group was enriched for breast tumor samples from patients with distant metastasis and poor prognosis, as predicted by the 70-gene prognostic signature. Furthermore, this tumor group tended to be enriched for IBC samples (54% vs. 24%) and samples with a high genomic grade index (67% vs. 38%). A set of 16 CpG loci (14 genes) correctly classified 97% of samples into the low or high methylation group. Differentially methylated genes appeared to be mainly related to focal adhesion, cytokine-cytokine receptor interactions, Wnt signaling pathway, chemokine signaling pathways and metabolic processes. Comparison of IBC with non-IBC led to the identification of only four differentially methylated genes (TJP3, MOGAT2, NTSR2 and AGT). A significant correlation between methylation values and gene expression was shown for 4,981 of 6,605 (75%) genes. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: A subset of clinical samples of breast cancer was characterized by high methylation levels, which coincided with increased DNMT3B expression. Furthermore, an association was observed with molecular signatures indicative of poor patient prognosis. The results of the current study also suggest that aberrant DNA methylation is not the main force driving the molecular biology of IBC
The Economic Advantage: Assessing the value of climate-change actions in agriculture
This report is aimed at readers who seek to build economic evidence in support of the inclusion of actions on agriculture in climate change plans and programmes, particularly at the national level under the umbrella of nationally determined contributions (NDCs) to the December 2015 Paris Agreement, which aims to restrict a rise in global temperatures and manage risks
The initiator methionine tRNA drives secretion of type II collagen from stromal fibroblasts to promote tumor growth and angiogenesis
Summary:
Expression of the initiator methionine tRNA (tRNAi
Met)
is deregulated in cancer. Despite this fact, it is not
currently known how tRNAi
Met expression levels influence
tumor progression. We have found that tRNAi
Met
expression is increased in carcinoma-associated
fibroblasts, implicating deregulated expression of
tRNAi
Met in the tumor stroma as a possible contributor
to tumor progression. To investigate how elevated
stromal tRNAi
Met contributes to tumor progression,
we generated a mouse expressing additional copies
of the tRNAi
Met gene (2+tRNAi
Met mouse). Growth
and vascularization of subcutaneous tumor allografts
was enhanced in 2+tRNAi
Met mice compared with
wild-type littermate controls. Extracellular matrix
(ECM) deposited by fibroblasts from 2+tRNAi
Met
mice supported enhanced endothelial cell and fibroblast
migration. SILAC mass spectrometry indicated
that elevated expression of tRNAi
Met significantly
increased synthesis and secretion of certain types of
collagen, in particular type II collagen. Suppression
of type II collagen opposed the ability of tRNAi
Metoverexpressing
fibroblasts to deposit pro-migratory
ECM. We used the prolyl hydroxylase inhibitor ethyl-
3,4-dihydroxybenzoate (DHB) to determine whether
collagen synthesis contributes to the tRNAi
Met-driven
pro-tumorigenic stroma in vivo. DHB had no effect
on the growth of syngeneic allografts in wild-type
mice but opposed the ability of 2+tRNAi
Met mice to
support increased angiogenesis and tumor growth.
Finally, collagen II expression predicts poor prognosis
in high-grade serous ovarian carcinoma. Taken
together, these data indicate that increased tRNAi
Met
levels contribute to tumor progression by enhancing
the ability of stromal fibroblasts to synthesize and
secrete a type II collagen-rich ECM that supports
endothelial cell migration and angiogenesis
Competition of fusion and quasi-fission in the reactions leading to production of the superheavy elements
The mechanism of fusion hindrance, an effect observed in the reactions of
cold, warm and hot fusion leading to production of the superheavy elements, is
investigated. A systematics of transfermium production cross sections is used
to determine fusion probabilities. Mechanism of fusion hindrance is described
as a competition of fusion and quasi-fission. Available evaporation residue
cross sections in the superheavy region are reproduced satisfactorily. Analysis
of the measured capture cross sections is performed and a sudden disappearance
of the capture cross sections is observed at low fusion probabilities. A
dependence of the fusion hindrance on the asymmetry of the projectile-target
system is investigated using the available data. The most promising pathways
for further experiments are suggested.Comment: 8 pages, 7 figures, talk presented at 7th International
School-Seminar on Heavy-Ion Physics, May 27 - June 1, 2002, Dubna, Russi
STrengthening the Reporting of OBservational studies in Epidemiology - Molecular Epidemiology (STROBE-ME): An extension of the STROBE statement
Advances in laboratory techniques have led to a rapidly increasing use of biomarkers in epidemiological studies. Biomarkers of internal dose, early biological change, susceptibility and clinical outcomes are used as proxies for investigating interactions between external and / or endogenous agents and body components or processes. The need for improved reporting of scientific research led to influential statements of recommendations such as the STrengthening Reporting of OBservational studies in Epidemiology (STROBE) statement. The STROBE initiative established in 2004 aimed to provide guidance on how to report observational research. Its guidelines provide a user-friendly checklist of 22 items to be reported in epidemiological studies, with items specific to the three main study designs: cohort studies, case-control studies and cross-sectional studies. The present STrengthening the Reporting of OBservational studies in Epidemiology - Molecular Epidemiology (STROBE-ME) initiative builds on the STROBE statement implementing nine existing items of STROBE and providing 17 additional items to the 22 items of STROBE checklist. The additions relate to the use of biomarkers in epidemiological studies, concerning collection, handling and storage of biological samples; laboratory methods, validity and reliability of biomarkers; specificities of study design; and ethical considerations. The STROBE-ME recommendations are intended to complement the STROBE recommendation
Semiautomated isolation and molecular characterisation of single or highly purified tumour cells from CellSearch enriched blood samples using dielectrophoretic cell sorting
Background: Molecular characterisation of single circulating tumour cells (CTCs) holds considerable promise for predictive biomarker assessment and to explore CTC heterogeneity. We evaluate a new method, the DEPArray system, that allows the dielectrophoretic manipulation and isolation of single and 100% purified groups of CTCs from pre-enriched blood samples and explore the feasibility of their molecular characterisation.Methods:Samples containing known numbers of two cell populations were used to assess cell loss during sample loading. Cultured breast cancer cells were isolated from spiked blood samples using CellSearch CTC and Profile kits. Single tumour cells and groups of up to 10 tumour cells were recovered with the DEPArray system and subjected to transcriptional and mutation analysis.Results:On average, 40% cell loss was observed when loading samples to the DEPArray system. Expected mutations in clinically relevant markers could be obtained for 60% of single recovered tumour cells and all groups of tumour cells. Reliable gene expression profiles were obtained from single cells and groups of up to 10 cells for 2 out of 3 spiked breast cancer cell lines.Conclusion:We describe a semiautomated workflow for the isolation of small groups of 1 to 10 tumour cells from whole blood samples and provide proof of principle for the feasibility of their comprehensive molecular characterisation
The recovery of North Atlantic right whales, Eubalaena glacialis, has been constrained by human-caused mortality
North Atlantic right whales (NARW), Eubalaena glacialis, were
nearly exterminated by historical whaling. Their abundance
slowly increased up until 2010, to a maximum of fewer than
500 whales, and since then they have been in decline. We
assessed the extent to which the relatively slow increase
demonstrated by NARW was intrinsic, and how much could
be due to anthropogenic impacts. In order to do so, we first
compared calf counts of three populations of Southern right
whales (SRW), E. australis, with that of NARW, over the
period 1992–2016. By this index, the annual rate of increase
of NARW was approximately one-third of that of SRW. Next
we constructed a population projection model for female
NARW, using the highest annual survival estimates available
from recent mark–resight analysis, and assuming a four-year
calving interval. The model results indicated an intrinsic rate
of increase of 4% per year, approximately twice that
observed, and that adult female mortality is the main factor influencing this rate. Necropsy records demonstrate that anthropogenic mortality is the primary cause
of known mortality of NARW. Anthropogenic mortality and morbidity has limited the recovery of
NARW, and baseline conditions prior to their recent decline were already jeopardizing NARW
recovery.The North Atlantic Right Whale Catalog is maintained with support from ongoing contracts from NOAA
Fisheries. J.B. has been funded since at least 1993 by various Australian Government Environment Agencies, since
2015 the National Environment Marine Sciences Program, Marine Diversity Hub. K.F. thanks the Island Foundation
for support during the collection of the South African aerial survey data between 2012 and 2015. Various
institutions funded the South African aerial surveys over the data collection period, including Moby Dick Rum,
Exclusive Trust, the Island Foundation, the National Research Foundation, members of the Offshore Petroleum
Association of South Africa and the International Whaling Commission. The Brazilian Right Whale Catalog have
been supported by several companies through funding to Projeto Baleia Franca, in particular PETROBRAS
Brazilian Oil Company and Santos Brasil Company. V.R. thanks the many individuals and non-profit organizations
who funded the 47 years of aerial surveys of the Argentine right whales, in particular Sarah Haney for her support
in many of our lean years. V.R.’s research permits were issued annually by the Direccio´n de Fauna y Flora Silvestre
and the Subsecretarı´a de Turismo y A ´ reas Protegidas of Chubut Province, Argentina.http://rsos.royalsocietypublishing.orgam2019Mammal Research InstituteZoology and Entomolog
Salvage treatment for recurrences after first resection of colorectal liver metastases: the impact of histopathological growth patterns
The majority of patients recur after resection of colorectal liver metastases (CRLM). Patients with CRLM displaying a desmoplastic histopathological growth pattern (dHGP) have a better prognosis and lower probability of recurrence than patients
with non-dHGP CRLM. The current study evaluates the impact of HGP type on the pattern and treatment of recurrences after
first resection of CRLM. A retrospective cohort study was performed, including patients with known HGP type after complete
resection of CRLM. All patients were treated between 2000 and 2015. The HGP was determined on the CRLM resected at
first partial hepatectomy. The prognostic value of HGPs, in terms of survival outcome, in the current patient cohort were
previously published. In total 690 patients were included, of which 492 (71%) developed recurrent disease. CRLM displaying
dHGP were observed in 103 patients (21%). Amongst patients with dHGP CRLM diagnosed with recurrent disease, more
liver-limited recurrences were seen (43% vs. 31%, p=0.030), whereas patients with non-dHGP more often recurred at multiple locations (34% vs. 19%, p=0.005). Patients with dHGP CRLM were more likely to undergo curatively intended local
treatment for recurrent disease (adjusted odds ratio: 2.37; 95% confidence interval (CI) [1.46–3.84]; p<0.001) compared
to patients with non-dHGP. The present study demonstrates that liver-limited disease recurrence after complete resection o
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