Enzyme prodrug therapy achieves site-specific, personalized physiological responses to the locally produced nitric oxide

Nitric oxide (NO) is a highly potent but short-lived endogenous radical with a wide spectrum of physiological activities. In this work, we developed an enzymatic approach to the site-specific synthesis of NO mediated by biocatalytic surface coatings. Multilayered polyelectrolyte films were optimized as host compartments for the immobilized β-galactosidase (β-Gal) enzyme through a screen of eight polycations and eight polyanions. The lead composition was used to achieve localized production of NO through the addition of β-Gal–NONOate, a prodrug that releases NO following enzymatic bioconversion. The resulting coatings afforded physiologically relevant flux of NO matching that of the healthy human endothelium. The antiproliferative effect due to the synthesized NO in cell culture was site-specific: within a multiwell dish with freely shared media and nutrients, a 10-fold inhibition of cell growth was achieved on top of the biocatalytic coatings compared to the immediately adjacent enzyme-free microwells. The physiological effect of NO produced via the enzyme prodrug therapy was validated ex vivo in isolated arteries through the measurement of vasodilation. Biocatalytic coatings were deposited on wires produced using alloys used in clinical practice and successfully mediated a NONOate concentration-dependent vasodilation in the small arteries of rats. The results of this study present an exciting opportunity to manufacture implantable biomaterials with physiological responses controlled to the desired level for personalized treatment

En mulighetsstudie for økt vekst innen innlandsoppdrett

Source at http://hdl.handle.net/11250/2482490SINTEF Fiskeri og havbruk har sammen med Bioforsk Nord og Nofuna Marked gjennomført en vurdering av mulighetene for økt vekst innen innlandsoppdrett i Norge. Følgende arter er vurdert: Røye, ørret, sik, regnbueørret, gjørs, abbor og lake. Studien gir en oversikt over innlandsoppdrett i Norge og i andre nordiske land. Mulighetene for utvikling av en innlandsoppdrettsnæring i Norge er ellers vurdert ut fra status og potensial innen produkt og marked, biologiske forhold, ressursbruk og miljøeffekter, teknologi samt forretningsmessige forhold. FoU-behovet er beskrevet og prioritert på grunnlag av vurderingene av status og potensia

En mulighetsstudie for økt vekst innen innlandsoppdrett

SINTEF Fiskeri og havbruk har sammen med Bioforsk Nord og Nofuna Marked gjennomført en vurdering av mulighetene for økt vekst innen innlandsoppdrett i Norge. Følgende arter er vurdert: Røye, ørret, sik, regnbueørret, gjørs, abbor og lake. Studien gir en oversikt over innlandsoppdrett i Norge og i andre nordiske land. Mulighetene for utvikling av en innlandsoppdrettsnæring i Norge er ellers vurdert ut fra status og potensial innen produkt og marked, biologiske forhold, ressursbruk og miljøeffekter, teknologi samt forretningsmessige forhold. FoU-behovet er beskrevet og prioritert på grunnlag av vurderingene av status og potensialpublishedVersio

Chronic kidney disease and valvular heart disease: conclusions from a Kidney Disease: Improving Global Outcomes (KDIGO) Controversies conference

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a major risk factor for valvular heart disease (VHD). Mitral annular and aortic valve calcifications are highly prevalent in CKD patients and commonly lead to valvular stenosis and regurgitation, as well as complications including conduction system abnormalities and endocarditis. VHD, especially mitral regurgitation and aortic stenosis, is associated with significantly reduced survival among CKD patients. Knowledge related to VHD in the general population is not always applicable to CKD patients because the pathophysiology may be different, and CKD patients have a high prevalence of comorbid conditions and elevated risk for periprocedural complications and mortality. This Kidney Disease: Improving Global Outcomes (KDIGO) review of CKD and VHD seeks to improve understanding of the epidemiology, pathophysiology, diagnosis, and treatment of VHD in CKD by summarizing knowledge gaps, areas of controversy, and priorities for research

Innspill vedrørende konsekvensutredning tilknyttet Skjerstadfjordens og Saltstraumens økosystem/miljø

SINTEF Fiskeri og havbruk AS (SINTEF) har bistått Bodø kommune med å gi innspill til hvilke valgmuligheter har Bodø kommune når det gjelder innhold i en konsekvensutredning for Skjerstadfjorden og Saltstraumen. SINTEF har også gitt innspill til de viktigste temaene i problemstillingene konsekvensutredningen bør omfatte, samt gitt et overordnet kostnadsestimat for en konsekvensutredning (nøyaktighet +/- 25 %) og indikert sannsynlig tidsbehov for gjennomføring av konsekvensutredningenpublishedVersio

The Norwegian seafood industry – Importance for the national economy

Harvesting, processing, and exporting of seafood are longheld traditions in Norway due to its vast marine resources. In the 1970s, Norway became an international leader in marine aquaculture. The seafood industry is of great importance to the Norwegian economy. This paper documents the seafood industry's direct and indirect effects on Norway's economy from 2004 to 2017. We use a national Input–Output model to quantify to what extent the Norwegian seafood industry has created appreciable effects both in the core industries of the value chain, as well as in the supplier industries and other industries through ripple effects. The total contribution is measured in terms of value added (contribution to GNP) and employment (FTE). We find particularly high growth in total value added generated by the seafood industry during the period. However, within the seafood industry, there are different trends associated with development for the value chain of fisheries and aquaculture. The value chain for aquaculture, which includes its impacts on other industries, is the fastest growing part of the seafood value chain, while fisheries show a more moderate growth. Hence, aquaculture became the dominant part of the Norwegian seafood value chain from 2010 to 2013 and onwards measured in value-added and employment, respectively.publishedVersio

Making a Web-Portal With Aquaculture Sustainability Indicators for the General Public

The sustainability of aquaculture is a complex issue that can be hard to assess and communicate. Communicating it to the general public is in many ways an even bigger challenge than communicating to experts on sustainability or aquaculture. The general public's perception of the status and challenges for sustainability is important for the development of the aquaculture industry and for society at large, through its roles both as consumers and electorate, and generally in providing or denying a “social license to operate” for the industry. This paper presents the process and challenges involved in choosing and quality assuring sustainability indicators for Norwegian aquaculture, covering environmental, economic, and social dimensions. It involved a team of researchers, a quality assurance group, IT developers and designers, a literature review, a national survey, and user-testing, all to establish criteria for selecting data and indicators and how to present them, and to do the actual production. The endpoint is a web-portal with indicators currently covering 22 themes, aimed at anyone interested in the sustainability of Norwegian fish farming. The portal does not conclude if or to what degree Norwegian fish farming is sustainable, as that would require making valuation and trade-offs among different sustainability objectives. Many indicators are automatically updated, and data are only from publicly available sources and produced by the authorities or research institutions. The portal is under continuous development, with new themes and indicators, and improving spatial and temporal resolution.publishedVersio

Innovasjon og kompetanse i sjømatindustrien

SINTEF Fiskeri og havbruk har sammen med professor Bjørn Asheim gjennomført en analyse av innovasjon og kompetanse i sjømatindustrien på oppdrag av Nærings- og fiskeridepartementet. Analysen vii inngå i det faglige grunnlaget til utvalget som foretar en gjennomgang av sjømatindustriens rammevilkår. Tre områder er belyst: 1) Ressursbruk i FoU knyttet til sjømatindustrien 2) Kompetanse og attraktivitet 3) Innovasjon og innovasjonsevne i sjømatindustrien En rekke tiltak som kan styrke innovasjonsevnen i sjømatindustrien foreslås, deriblant et forslag til de fem tiltakene som bør prioriteres høyest.Na!rings- og fiskeridepartementetpublishedVersio

Greenhouse gas emissions of Norwegian seafoods: From comprehensive to simplified assessment

The seafood sector is facing difficulties to meet the increasing demand for product greenhouse gas emission (GHG) assessments. We quantified GHGs of important seafood products of Norway, the world's second largest seafood exporter. We present results and improvement options for products of farmed salmon and wild‐caught shrimp, king crab, cod, and herring, followed to their dominating markets, based on detailed data for 2017. To enable more frequent monitoring, without engaging in a full assessment, we then suggest a simplified approach, focusing on the main drivers of production‐related emissions. The simplified approach is used to analyze temporal trends from 2007–2017 for fisheries and 1990–2017 for salmon aquaculture. Finally, the simplified approach was compared to the comprehensive assessment for 2017 to define species‐specific upscaling factors. Results show that salmon and crustacean products in 2017 caused higher emissions than cod and herring products, with feed and fuel use being the main emission drivers, whereas airfreighted products had the highest emissions of all products. Large improvement potential from average to best performers within each production system exists. The simplified approach shows that the fuel‐use intensity of Norwegian fisheries has increased by almost 50% for shrimp over the past decade whereas it has decreased for fish by 20% for demersal species such as cod and 5–10% for pelagic species such as herring. Feed‐related emissions for salmon, on the other hand, have increased by almost 30% during the same period, because of an increasing feed conversion ratio and increased inclusion of emission‐intensive feed inputs