Mitochondria and inflammation: cell death heats up

Mitochondrial outer membrane permeabilization (MOMP) is essential to initiate mitochondrial apoptosis. Due to the disruption of mitochondrial outer membrane integrity, intermembrane space proteins, notably cytochrome c, are released into the cytosol whereupon they activate caspase proteases and apoptosis. Beyond its well-established apoptotic role, MOMP has recently been shown to display potent pro-inflammatory effects. These include mitochondrial DNA dependent activation of cGAS-STING signaling leading to a type I interferon response. Secondly, via an IAP-regulated mechanism, MOMP can engage pro-inflammatory NF-κB signaling. During cell death, apoptotic caspase activity inhibits mitochondrial dependent inflammation. Importantly, by engaging an immunogenic form of cell death, inhibiting caspase function can effectively inhibit tumorigenesis. Unexpectedly, these studies reveal mitochondria as inflammatory signaling hubs during cell death and demonstrate its potential for therapeutic exploitation

Circular consumption to reduce environmental pressure:Potential of behavioural change in the Netherlands

The European Union and various individual countries strive for a more circular economy to reduce environmental pressure. The transition towards a circular economy requires a change in what and how we consume. We argue that a realistic estimation of the environmental mitigation potential depends on 1) the environmental benefit that results from a certain circular behaviour, referred to as the ‘theoretical reduction potential’ (TRP), and 2) the behavioural plasticity, reflecting the share of consumers who are not yet engaging in the behaviour but would be willing to do so if circular goods and services are easily accessible and affordable. The aim of this study was to provide insight into the environmental mitigation potential of circular consumer behaviour by assessing both their TRP and behavioural plasticity. To do so, we conducted a large-scale survey in the Netherlands (n = 2542) in which we examined the current adoption rate and willingness of consumers to engage in 92 circular consumer behaviours. Furthermore, we made a rough estimate of the TRP of these behaviours in terms of greenhouse gas emissions and land use. Our results show that many behaviours with a large TRP (mainly related to consuming less and saving energy) have a rather low behavioural plasticity, either because most consumers are not willing to adopt such a behaviour or because they are already engaging in it. Behavioural plasticity is relatively high when it comes to prolonging product lifetimes and purchasing more sustainable product alternatives, but these behaviours tend to have a relatively small TRP. Our findings demonstrate that the TRP is a limited indicator of the actual environmental mitigation potential of circular consumer behaviour and suggest that behavioural plasticity is an important additional indicator to identify the types of behaviour relevant for research and policymaking.</p

Circular consumption to reduce environmental pressure:Potential of behavioural change in the Netherlands

The European Union and various individual countries strive for a more circular economy to reduce environmental pressure. The transition towards a circular economy requires a change in what and how we consume. We argue that a realistic estimation of the environmental mitigation potential depends on 1) the environmental benefit that results from a certain circular behaviour, referred to as the ‘theoretical reduction potential’ (TRP), and 2) the behavioural plasticity, reflecting the share of consumers who are not yet engaging in the behaviour but would be willing to do so if circular goods and services are easily accessible and affordable. The aim of this study was to provide insight into the environmental mitigation potential of circular consumer behaviour by assessing both their TRP and behavioural plasticity. To do so, we conducted a large-scale survey in the Netherlands (n = 2542) in which we examined the current adoption rate and willingness of consumers to engage in 92 circular consumer behaviours. Furthermore, we made a rough estimate of the TRP of these behaviours in terms of greenhouse gas emissions and land use. Our results show that many behaviours with a large TRP (mainly related to consuming less and saving energy) have a rather low behavioural plasticity, either because most consumers are not willing to adopt such a behaviour or because they are already engaging in it. Behavioural plasticity is relatively high when it comes to prolonging product lifetimes and purchasing more sustainable product alternatives, but these behaviours tend to have a relatively small TRP. Our findings demonstrate that the TRP is a limited indicator of the actual environmental mitigation potential of circular consumer behaviour and suggest that behavioural plasticity is an important additional indicator to identify the types of behaviour relevant for research and policymaking.</p

Mitochondria and cell death-associated inflammation

Mitochondria have recently emerged as key drivers of inflammation associated with cell death. Many of the pro-inflammatory pathways activated during cell death occur upon mitochondrial outer membrane permeabilization (MOMP), the pivotal commitment point to cell death during mitochondrial apoptosis. Permeabilised mitochondria trigger inflammation, in part, through the release of mitochondrial-derived damage-associated molecular patterns (DAMPs). Caspases, while dispensable for cell death during mitochondrial apoptosis, inhibit activation of pro-inflammatory pathways after MOMP. Some of these mitochondrial-activated inflammatory pathways can be traced back to the bacterial ancestry of mitochondria. For instance, mtDNA and bacterial DNA are highly similar thereby activating similar cell autonomous immune signalling pathways. The bacterial origin of mitochondria suggests that inflammatory pathways found in cytosol-invading bacteria may be relevant to mitochondrial-driven inflammation after MOMP. In this review, we discuss how mitochondria can initiate inflammation during cell death highlighting parallels with bacterial activation of inflammation. Moreover, we discuss the roles of mitochondrial inflammation during cell death and how these processes may potentially be harnessed therapeutically, for instance to improve cancer treatment

Circular consumption to reduce environmental pressure:Potential of behavioural change in the Netherlands

The European Union and various individual countries strive for a more circular economy to reduce environmental pressure. The transition towards a circular economy requires a change in what and how we consume. We argue that a realistic estimation of the environmental mitigation potential depends on 1) the environmental benefit that results from a certain circular behaviour, referred to as the ‘theoretical reduction potential’ (TRP), and 2) the behavioural plasticity, reflecting the share of consumers who are not yet engaging in the behaviour but would be willing to do so if circular goods and services are easily accessible and affordable. The aim of this study was to provide insight into the environmental mitigation potential of circular consumer behaviour by assessing both their TRP and behavioural plasticity. To do so, we conducted a large-scale survey in the Netherlands (n = 2542) in which we examined the current adoption rate and willingness of consumers to engage in 92 circular consumer behaviours. Furthermore, we made a rough estimate of the TRP of these behaviours in terms of greenhouse gas emissions and land use. Our results show that many behaviours with a large TRP (mainly related to consuming less and saving energy) have a rather low behavioural plasticity, either because most consumers are not willing to adopt such a behaviour or because they are already engaging in it. Behavioural plasticity is relatively high when it comes to prolonging product lifetimes and purchasing more sustainable product alternatives, but these behaviours tend to have a relatively small TRP. Our findings demonstrate that the TRP is a limited indicator of the actual environmental mitigation potential of circular consumer behaviour and suggest that behavioural plasticity is an important additional indicator to identify the types of behaviour relevant for research and policymaking.</p

Circular consumption to reduce environmental pressure:Potential of behavioural change in the Netherlands

The European Union and various individual countries strive for a more circular economy to reduce environmental pressure. The transition towards a circular economy requires a change in what and how we consume. We argue that a realistic estimation of the environmental mitigation potential depends on 1) the environmental benefit that results from a certain circular behaviour, referred to as the ‘theoretical reduction potential’ (TRP), and 2) the behavioural plasticity, reflecting the share of consumers who are not yet engaging in the behaviour but would be willing to do so if circular goods and services are easily accessible and affordable. The aim of this study was to provide insight into the environmental mitigation potential of circular consumer behaviour by assessing both their TRP and behavioural plasticity. To do so, we conducted a large-scale survey in the Netherlands (n = 2542) in which we examined the current adoption rate and willingness of consumers to engage in 92 circular consumer behaviours. Furthermore, we made a rough estimate of the TRP of these behaviours in terms of greenhouse gas emissions and land use. Our results show that many behaviours with a large TRP (mainly related to consuming less and saving energy) have a rather low behavioural plasticity, either because most consumers are not willing to adopt such a behaviour or because they are already engaging in it. Behavioural plasticity is relatively high when it comes to prolonging product lifetimes and purchasing more sustainable product alternatives, but these behaviours tend to have a relatively small TRP. Our findings demonstrate that the TRP is a limited indicator of the actual environmental mitigation potential of circular consumer behaviour and suggest that behavioural plasticity is an important additional indicator to identify the types of behaviour relevant for research and policymaking.</p

Summer thermal comfort and self-shading geometries in Passivhaus dwellings: A pilot study using future UK climates

© 2015 by the authors. This study uses numerical thermal simulation to investigate the potential use of building geometry to eliminate or reduce current and future thermal discomfort overheating risk in UK Passivhaus dwellings. The study focused on the optimum inclination of a south façade to make use of the building shape to self-protect itself. Dynamic simulation modelling software was used to test a range of different inclined façades with regards to their effectiveness in reducing overheating risk. The research found that implementing a tilted façade could completely eliminate the risk of overheating for current UK climates, but with some consequences for natural ventilation and daylighting. Future overheating was significantly reduced by the tilted façade. However, geometric considerations could not eradicate completely the risk of thermal discomfort overheating, particularly by the 2080s

Fertility counseling, sperm cryopreservation and oncoTESE in testicular cancer patients:when, why and how; practical tips

Practical aspects of sperm cryopreservation, surgical sperm retrieval using oncoTESE in case of azoospermia and fertility counseling in testicular cancer patients will be discussed.</p

Pursuing More Sustainable Consumption by Analyzing Household Metabolism in European Countries and Cities

Bringing about more sustainable consumption patterns is an important challenge for society and science. In this article the concept of household metabolism is applied to analyzing consumption patterns and to identifying possibilities for the development of sustainable household consumption patterns. Household metabolism is determined in terms of total energy requirements, including both direct and indirect energy requirements, using a hybrid method. This method enables us to evaluate various determinants of the environmental load of consumption consistently at several levels—the national level, the local level, and the household level. The average annual energy requirement of households varies considerably between the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Norway, and Sweden, as well as within these countries. The average expenditure level per household explains a large part of the observed variations. Differences between these countries are also related to the efficiency of the production sectors and to the energy supply system. The consumption categories of food, transport, and recreation show the largest contributions to the environmental load. A comparison of consumer groups with different household characteristics shows remarkable differences in the division of spending over the consumption categories. Thus, analyses of different types of households are important for providing a basis for options to induce decreases of the environmental load of household consumption. At the city level, options for change are provided by an analysis of the city infrastructure, which determines a large part of the direct energy use by households (for transport and heating). At the national level, energy efficiency in production and in electricity generation is an important trigger for decreasing household energy requirements.

Does Routine Endoscopy or Contrast Swallow Study After Esophagectomy and Gastric Tube Reconstruction Change Patient Management?

Background: Anastomotic leakage is a severe complication after esophagectomy. The objective was to investigate the diagnostic and predictive value of routine contrast swallow study and endoscopy for the detection of anastomotic dehiscence in patients after esophagectomy. Methods: All patients who underwent contrast swallow and/or endoscopy within 7 days after oesophagectomy for cancer between January 2005 and December 2009 were selected from an institutional database. Results: Some 173 patients underwent endoscopy, and 184 patients underwent a contrast swallow study. The sensitivity of endoscopy for anastomotic leakage requiring intervention is 56 %, specificity 41 %, positive predictive value (PPV) 8 %, and negative predictive value (NPV) 95 %. The sensitivity of contrast swallow study for detecting leakage requiring intervention in patients without signs of leakage was 20 %, specificity 20 %, PPV 3 %, and NPV 97 %. Conclusions: In patients without clinical suspicion of leakage, there is no benefit to perform routine examinations