Secondary Sclerosing Cholangitis in Critically Ill Patients Alters the Gut–Liver Axis: A Case Control Study

Secondary sclerosing cholangitis in critically ill patients (SC-CIP) occurs after long-term intensive care treatment. This study aimed to assess the gut–liver axis in SC-CIP. Stool microbiome composition, gut permeability, bacterial translocation and serum bile acid profiles of 18 SC-CIP patients compared to 11 patients after critical illness without liver disease (CIP controls), 21 patients with cirrhosis and 21 healthy controls were studied. 16S rDNA was isolated from stool and sequenced using the Illumina technique. Diamine oxidase, zonulin, soluble CD14 (sCD14) and lipopolysaccharide binding protein were measured in serum and calprotectin in stool. Serum bile acids were analyzed by high-performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS). Reduced microbiome alpha diversity and altered beta diversity were seen in SC-CIP, CIP controls and cirrhosis compared to healthy controls. SC-CIP patients showed a shift towards pathogenic taxa and an oralization. SC-CIP, CIP controls and cirrhotic patients presented with impaired gut permeability, and biomarkers of bacterial translocation were increased in SC-CIP and cirrhosis. Total serum bile acids were elevated in SC-CIP and cirrhosis and the bile acid profile was altered in SC-CIP, CIP controls and cirrhosis. In conclusions, observed alterations of the gut–liver axis in SC-CIP cannot solely be attributed to liver disease, but may also be secondary to long-term intensive care treatment

Doc: Draft agenda

The Expert Panel on Forests and Food Security convened for its first meeting on 12-14 Marc

Acknowledgements

This publication is the product of the collaborative work of scientific experts in the framework of the Global Forest Expert Panel on Forests and Food Security, who served in different capacities as panel members and authors. We express our sincere gratitude to all of them: Bina Agarwal, Sarah Ayeri Ogalleh, Frédéric Baudron, Sammy Carsan, Paolo Cerutti, Josephine Chambers, Ian K. Dawson, Neil M. Dawson, Beatrice Darko Obiri, Elizabeth Deakin, Ann Degrande, Jason Donovan, Jennie Dey de Pryck,..

Forests and Food: Addressing Hunger and Nutrition Across Sustainable Landscapes (PDF)

As population estimates for 2050 reach over 9 billion, issues of food security and nutrition have been dominating academic and policy debates. A total of 805 million people are undernourished worldwide and malnutrition affects nearly every country on the planet. Despite impressive productivity increases, there is growing evidence that conventional agricultural strategies fall short of eliminating global hunger, as well as having long-term ecological consequences. Forests can play an important role in complementing agricultural production to address the Sustainable Development Goals on zero hunger. Forests and trees can be managed to provide better and more nutritionally-balanced diets, greater control over food inputs – particularly during lean seasons and periods of vulnerability (especially for marginalised groups) – and deliver ecosystem services for crop production. However forests are undergoing a rapid process of degradation, a complex process that governments are struggling to reverse. This volume provides important evidence and insights about the potential of forests to reducing global hunger and malnutrition, exploring the different roles of landscapes, and the governance approaches that are required for the equitable delivery of these benefits. Forests and Food is essential reading for researchers, students, NGOs and government departments responsible for agriculture, forestry, food security and poverty alleviation around the globe

Forests and Food: Addressing Hunger and Nutrition Across Sustainable Landscapes (XML)

As population estimates for 2050 reach over 9 billion, issues of food security and nutrition have been dominating academic and policy debates. A total of 805 million people are undernourished worldwide and malnutrition affects nearly every country on the planet. Despite impressive productivity increases, there is growing evidence that conventional agricultural strategies fall short of eliminating global hunger, as well as having long-term ecological consequences. Forests can play an important role in complementing agricultural production to address the Sustainable Development Goals on zero hunger. Forests and trees can be managed to provide better and more nutritionally-balanced diets, greater control over food inputs – particularly during lean seasons and periods of vulnerability (especially for marginalised groups) – and deliver ecosystem services for crop production. However forests are undergoing a rapid process of degradation, a complex process that governments are struggling to reverse. This volume provides important evidence and insights about the potential of forests to reducing global hunger and malnutrition, exploring the different roles of landscapes, and the governance approaches that are required for the equitable delivery of these benefits. Forests and Food is essential reading for researchers, students, NGOs and government departments responsible for agriculture, forestry, food security and poverty alleviation around the globe

Core components of the international forest regime complex

From the existing full set of international policy instruments on forests eight core components are identified and submitted to two differing assessments. The first (consistency assessment) uses a policy design approach to match the core components with their goals, policy tools, target group preferences and justifications for the choice of goals and policy tools. The second (compatability assessment) examines the institutional inter-linkages of the core components. Both assessments reveal a series of challenges for international forest governance that can, however, be turned into opportunities. It is proposed that the coordination of and cooperation between the representatives of forest and non-forest users be strengthened at the national, regional and international levels, under the shared overarching idea of sustainable forest management, by means of ‘forests+’ policies. Forests+ policies go beyond the forest sector and acknowledge both the inter-sectoral character of forest policymaking and the importance of international regimes that have a decisive impact on forests but for which forests are not the main focus of attention

7. Conclusions

7.1 Forests and Trees Matter for Food Security and Nutrition Close to one out of every six persons directly depends on forests, with food being one essential aspect of this dependence. An even greater number rely on the ecosystem services of forests – notably soil and water protection and pollination – specifically for their food and nutrition. Forests and tree-based systems are particularly critical for food security and nutrition for the poorest and the most vulnerable, including women. For..