Assessing the decoupling of economic growth from environmental impacts in the European Union: A consumption-based approach.

Pursuing a responsible and sustainable development, the United Nations urged to decouple economic growth from environmental impacts. Several European Union (EU) policies have been implemented towards such goal. Although multiple authors have evaluated the decoupling of the economic growth from the resource use or environmental concerns, the environmental assessment mostly focused on pressures rather than impacts, and used single indicators assumed to be a proxy of the overall effects on the environment. Furthermore, no studies were found using a process-based life cycle approach to quantify the environmental impacts of consumption. To solve such research gap, this paper assesses the decoupling in the EU focusing on potential environmental impacts, complementing a production-based approach with two options for accounting for the impacts of consumption. The aim of this paper is to evaluate the decoupling of the economic growth (in terms of Gross Domestic Product) from the environmental impacts due to EU-28 consumption, assessed by means of life cycle assessment (LCA). The decoupling is then assessed in impact terms rather than limited to pressures by using the Environmental Footprint (EF2017) indicators, which allows assessing 16 different impacts. The Consumption Footprint indicator quantified the environmental impacts of EU apparent consumption, including the territorial impacts (Domestic Footprint) and the embodied impacts in both imports and exports (Trade Footprint). The inventory of pressures for the trade component is compiled either with a bottom-up approach (process-based LCA of representative traded goods) or a top-down approach (input-output-based LCA). Methodological aspects influencing the decoupling assessment and the resulting outputs are presented and discussed. According to the results, the environmental impacts of EU-28 consumption showed decoupling during the last decades (2005-2014), between relative to absolute decoupling depending on the inventory modeling approach taken. Some countries showed higher decoupling levels than others displaying a heterogeneous map of EU-28 decoupling, which was led by acidification, particulate matter, land use and eutrophication impacts. Notwithstanding current limitations, the assessment of decoupling using consumption-based environmental indicators is very promising for supporting policy-making towards addressing the actual impacts driven by the EU production and consumption system.

[Gastric cancer risk estimate in patients with chronic gastritis associated with Helicobacter pylori infection in a clinical setting]. / Estimación de riesgo de cáncer gástrico en pacientes con gastritis crónica asociada a la infección por Helicobacter pylori en un escenario clínico.

BACKGROUND/AIM: Severity of chronic gastritis associated with Helicobacter pylori infection (CGAHpI) could play a role in evaluating the potential risk to develop gastric cancer. Our aim was to estimate the risk for gastric cancer in a clinical setting, according to histopathologic criteria, by applying the gastric cancer risk index (GCRI) METHODS: Histopathologic study of the gastric biopsies (corpus-antrum) from consecutive adult patients that underwent gastroesophageal duodenoscopy was carried out, and the GCRI was applied in patients presenting with CGAHpI. RESULTS: One hundred eleven patients (77% female) with a mean age of 38.6±13.1 years were included. Active Helicobacter pylori infection (aHpi) was diagnosed in 77 cases (69.40%). In 45% of the cases with aHpi, pangastritis (23%) or corpus-predominant gastritis (22%) was diagnosed. Nine cases were diagnosed with intestinal metaplasia (8%), 7 of which (77.70%) were in the aHpi group. Twenty one percent of the patients with aHpi had a GCRI of 2 (18.10%) or 3 (2.50%) points (high risk index), while 79.10% accumulated a GCRI of 0 or 1 points (low risk index). Of the patients with no aHpi, none of them had 3 points (p=0.001). Of the 18 patients that accumulated 2 or 3 points, 6 (33.30%) presented with intestinal metaplasia (all with pangastritis and corpus-predominant gastritis), of which 4 cases (66.60%) had aHpi. CONCLUSIONS: The estimated gastric cancer risk in patients with CGAHpI in the clinical setting studied was relatively low and 5% of the patients had a histopathologic phenotype associated with an elevated risk for developing gastric cancer.

Effects of different oocyte activation procedures on development and gene expression of porcine pre-implantation embryos.

Among the factors that affect the efficiency of somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) in pigs, the activation protocol is the most variable among the current SCNT procedures. The aim of this study is focused on defining an efficient activation treatment of porcine oocytes. In Experiment 1, we studied the effects of nine different oocyte activation procedures (including chemical- and electrical-based treatments) on parthenogenetic embryo development. In Experiment 2, we studied the effect of the more efficient activation procedures on the gene expression profile of Oct4 and Igf2r in parthenogenetic blastocysts. In conclusion, ionomycin as a first calcium stimulus is not able to activate porcine oocytes efficiently in comparison with electric procedures. Electrical treatments with 6-DMAP significantly increased the level of Oct4 expression, whereas the single and double pulse treatments alone maintained the same profile as the IVF group.

Intracytoplasmic sperm injection in livestock species: an update.

Intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) is a powerful technique in the field of assisted reproduction (ART) and provides exciting opportunities for studying the basic mechanisms of fertilization and early embryo development. Nevertheless, its application in agriculture and conservation biology has been greatly hampered by the low success rate reported for this method in respect of economically important species. Specifically, the rates of blastocyst formation and live newborn are greatly reduced when zygotes are generated by ICSI. Except for humans, ICSI remains a low efficiency technology in comparison with alternatives such as in vitro fertilization (IVF) and its application is less widespread. In this paper, we discuss the present status, applications and factors affecting ICSI in pigs and other species.

Detection of pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors: 23 years of experience. / Detección de tumores neuroendocrinos pancreáticos: 23 años de experiencia.

INTRODUCTION AND AIMS: Neuroendocrine tumors are of great scientific interest, given that they are difficult to diagnose and treat. Despite being relatively rare (< 1/100,000 individuals, 1-2% of the gastrointestinal neoplasias) and indolent, their potential malignancy must not be forgotten. An increase in the number of diagnosed tumors has been observed in recent years. The aim of the present study was to update a published case series of 19 patients suspected of presenting with pancreatic neuroendocrine tumor with 51 current cases, to study and compare the new results with those of the previous case series, as well as with other recent publications from Spain, the United States, China, and India. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A retrospective, multicenter case series was conducted on 70 patients (19 cases published in 2011), whose data has been collected over a period of 23 years. The variables analyzed were: age, sex, symptomatology, tumor size, location, metastasis, final diagnosis, and surgery, among others. RESULTS: Mean patient age was 55 years and 60% of the patients were men. Disease location was the pancreatic head in 28.5% of the patients and the tail in 27.1%, mean tumor size was 3.9cm (0.2-10cm), 71.4% of the patients had non-functioning tumors, 32.8% had metastases (100% to the liver), 74.2% of the patients were operated on, and actuarial survival was 75%. CONCLUSIONS: Differences were observed between the previously published case series and the current results. There was an increase in incidentalomas and non-functioning tumors, but no variation in the overall survival rate. The differences with other case series (age, sex, and tumor location) were dependent on the country where the cases were compiled. The increase in tumors could be related to a higher number of diagnoses made through imaging studies and to the greater sensitivity of the devices employed.

Improving water management in European catfish recirculating aquaculture systems through catfish-lettuce aquaponics.

In the context of climate change and population growth, aquaculture plays an important role for food security, employment and economic development. Intensive recirculating aquaculture systems (RAS) allow to treat and recycle fish effluents to reduce waste concentration in outflow water thereby reducing environmental contamination. RAS sustainability may be further improved using aquaponics, a circular productive system in which RAS wastewater is recovered for crop cultivation and recycled back to the fish tanks. In this study, water metabolism of a catfish RAS was assessed and the opportunity to produce lettuce with the RAS effluent was tested. Crop growth and water consumption in aquaponics were compared to those experienced in hydroponics at three nutrient solution concentration (EC of 1.6, 2.0 and 3.0 dS∙m-1), also considering water- (WUE) and nitrogen- use efficiency (NUE). A scenario for converting the RAS in a catfish-lettuce aquaponic system was, then, proposed. The RAS water balance included an input of 555 L∙day-1, out of which 32 L∙day-1 were lost by evaporation from the tubs whereas 460 L∙day-1 were discarded. The lettuce yield, NUE and WUE in aquaponics were respectively 20.3%, 22.3% and 20.6% lower than those obtained in hydroponics. Best performances in hydroponics were achieved with EC of 2.0 dS m-1. No difference in term of water consumption arose between the treatments, with average water use of 46 mL∙plant-1∙day-1. Considering the current RAS productivity of 329 kg year-1, a 10 m2 raft system hosting 160 lettuces would satisfy the nitrogen filtration demand. Once closed the water loop between the two productive sub-units, the current water input of 532 L∙day-1 could be reduced to the amount needed to replace the water lost by evaporation (50 L∙day-1) and the RAS water output would decrease from 555 to 103 L∙day-1.

Neurokinin-1 receptors in cholinergic neurons of the rat ventral pallidum have a predominantly dendritic distribution that is affected by apomorphine when combined with startle-evoking auditory stimulation.

Cholinergic neurons of the basal forebrain are implicated in startle reflex inhibition by a prior weak stimulus often referred to as prepulse inhibition (PPI) and used as an index of sensorimotor gating deficits in schizophrenia. Gating deficits can be produced in rodent models by acute systemic administration of apomorphine, a non-selective dopamine D1 and D2 receptor agonist that also affects trafficking of neurokinin-1 (NK(1)) receptors induced by startle evoking auditory stimulation (AS) in midbrain neurons. We used electron microscopic immunolabeling of NK(1) receptors and the vesicular acetylcholine transporter (VAchT) to test the hypothesis that the subcellular distributions of these receptors in cholinergic neurons of the rat ventral pallidum are subject to a similar regulation. In vehicle controls, NK(1) immunogold was often seen near cytoplasmic endomembranes in somata and large dendrites, but was more equally distributed in cytoplasmic and plasmalemmal compartments of medium dendrites, and principally located on the plasma membrane of small dendrites. These labeling patterns appeared to be largely independent of whether the NK(1) receptor was co-expressed with VAchT, however only the medium and small VAchT-labeled dendrites showed significant treatment-specific differences in NK(1) immunogold distributions. The NK(1) receptor immunogold particle density on the plasma membrane of medium cholinergic dendrites was significantly enhanced by combined apomorphine and AS, while neither alone affected either the plasmalemmal density or the equality of the plasmalemmal and cytoplasmic distributions of NK(1) receptors in these dendrites. Small cholinergic dendrites showed a significant AS-induced increase in both the plasmalemmal and cytoplasmic density of NK(1) gold particles, and an apomorphine-induced disruption of the preferential plasmalemmal targeting of the NK(1) receptors. These results provide ultrastructural evidence that NK(1) receptors in cholinergic neurons of the ventral pallidum have subcellular locations and plasticity conducive to active involvement in dopamine-dependent sensorimotor processing.

Arborization patterns of amygdalopetal axons from the rat ventral pallidum.

We previously analyzed the arborization patterns of rat ventral pallidal (VP) axons that coursed caudally to innervate the thalamus and brainstem (Tripathi et al. in Brain Struct Funct 218:1133-1157, 2013). Here, we have reconstructed 16 previously undetected axons from the same tracer deposits that follow a more lateral trajectory. Virtually all 16 axons emanating from the different VP compartments collateralized in the extended amygdala system (EAS) and amygdaloid complex. The most frequent targets of axons from the lateral and medial (VPm) VP compartments were the rostral sublenticular extended amygdala, the extended amygdala (EA), the central nucleus of the amygdala and the posterior part of the basolateral amygdaloid nucleus. In contrast, axons from the rostral extension of the VP preferentially innervated the anterior amygdaloid area, the magnocellular preoptic nucleus, and the anterior part of the basomedial amygdaloid nucleus. We additionally found and reconstructed a single corticopetal axon arising from the VPm. The new results show that both direct and indirect projections from the basolateral complex and EAS to the ventral striatopallidal system are reciprocated by VP projections, and suggest that the systems can be activated simultaneously. The results additionally suggest that the amygdaloid complex and cortex are innervated separately from the VP. Finally, the combination of new and previous data indicate that approximately 84 % of VP axons (88/105) participate in basal ganglia circuits, 15 % (16/105) target the amygdaloid complex, and less than 1 % innervate the cortex.

Barrel pattern formation requires serotonin uptake by thalamocortical afferents, and not vesicular monoamine release.

Thalamocortical neurons innervating the barrel cortex in neonatal rodents transiently store serotonin (5-HT) in synaptic vesicles by expressing the plasma membrane serotonin transporter (5-HTT) and the vesicular monoamine transporter (VMAT2). 5-HTT knock-out (ko) mice reveal a nearly complete absence of 5-HT in the cerebral cortex by immunohistochemistry, and of barrels, both at P7 and adulthood. Quantitative electron microscopy reveals that 5-HTT ko affects neither the density of synapses nor the length of synaptic contacts in layer IV. VMAT2 ko mice, completely lacking activity-dependent vesicular release of monoamines including 5-HT, also show a complete lack of 5-HT in the cortex but display largely normal barrel fields, despite sometimes markedly reduced postnatal growth. Transient 5-HTT expression is thus required for barrel pattern formation, whereas activity-dependent vesicular 5-HT release is not.

Local NADPH-diaphorase neurons innervate pial arteries and lie close or project to intracerebral blood vessels: a possible role for nitric oxide in the regulation of cerebral blood flow.

Electrical stimulation of perivascular nerves induced a relaxation of endothelium-denuded cat pial arteries that was significantly reduced by nitric oxide (NO) synthase inhibition, indicating that NO was involved in the neurogenic relaxation of these vessels. Histochemical staining of the pial arteries for NADPH-diaphorase (NADPH-d), used as a marker for NO synthase, showed positive nerve fibers in the adventitial layer. Interestingly, in some restricted areas stained neuronal cell bodies were also observed. These neurons were scattered or distributed in small groups in a ganglion-like manner, and they sent fibers to the vessel wall. No NADPH-d-positive nerve fibers or cell bodies were detected in forelimb, pulmonary, or coronary arteries. Within the brain parenchyma, blood vessels also showed positive fibers around their walls. These fibers were organized in a branching pattern and presented varicosities. NADPH-d-positive neurons were found in the proximity of the intracerebral vascular profiles, sending processes to the vessels and/or being directly apposed to their wall. The neurovascular contacts were preferentially located close to the interface between the cerebral cortex and white matter. The anatomical relationship between NADPH-d-positive neurons and fibers and the cerebral blood vessels, together with the participation of NO in the neurogenic relaxation of pial arteries, suggests that NO is involved in the regulation of cerebral blood flow.

Heterogeneous and compartmental distribution of zinc in the striatum and globus pallidus of the rat.

The distribution of vesicular or chelatable zinc was analysed in the dorsal and ventral subdivisions of the striatum and globus pallidus of the rat with Danscher's selenium method. Acetylcholinesterase and Calbindin-D28k were used as striatal and pallidal markers in order to analyse the possible compartmentalization of the distribution of zinc in the striatum and globus pallidus. The main findings of this study are the following: (1) The distribution of vesicular zinc in the dorsal striatum was heterogeneous. A peripheral rim of tissue heavily stained for zinc was detected in the medial, dorsal and lateral striatal areas, along most of the rostrocaudal extent of the striatum. addition, patch-like zones intensely stained for zinc were prominent in the rostral half of the caudate-putamen complex. (2) In some regions of the rostral half of the caudate-putamen complex, the staining for zinc appeared to follow the well-known striatal patches (striosomes)/matrix organization. However, in other regions of the rostral half of the striatum such a relation was not detected. (3) The ventral striatum also showed a heterogeneous staining for zinc. Thus, in the most ventral part of the caudate-putamen complex, both subdivisions of the nucleus accumbens and parts of the olfactory tubercle displayed different patterns of compartmentalized distribution of zinc. In the dorsal half of the shell of the nucleus accumbens, some patches with an intense reaction for zinc seemed to overlap with acetylcholinesterase-poor patches. (4) There was a remarkable absence of staining for zinc in the globus pallidus. This histochemical study illustrates, on the one hand, the high content of vesicular zinc in the dorsal and ventral subdivisions of the striatum, which was distributed following different patterns of chemical compartmentalization, and on the other hand, the absence of vesicular zinc in the globus pallidus of the rat.

Thalamic distribution of zinc-rich terminal fields and neurons of origin in the rat.

Several cortico-cortical and limbic-related circuits are enriched in zinc, which is considered as an important modulator of glutamatergic transmission. While heavy metals have been detected in the thalamus, the specific presence of zinc has not been examined in this region. We have used two highly sensitive variations of the Timm method to study the zinc-rich innervation in the rat thalamus, which was compared to the distribution of acetylcholinesterase activity. The origin of some of these zinc-rich projections was also investigated by means of retrograde transport after intracerebral infusions of sodium selenium (Na2SeO3). The overall zinc staining in the thalamus was much lower than in the neocortex, striatum or basal forebrain; however, densely stained terminal fields were observed in the dorsal tip of the reticular thalamic nucleus, the anterodorsal and lateral dorsal thalamic nuclei and the zona incerta. In addition, moderately stained zinc-rich terminal fields were found in the rostral intralaminar nuclei, nucleus reuniens and lateral habenula. Intracerebral infusions of Na2SeO3 in the lateral dorsal nucleus resulted in retrogradely labeled neurons that were located in the postsubiculum, and also in the pre- and parasubiculum. These results are the first to establish the existence of a zinc-rich subicular-thalamic projection. Similar infusions in either the intralaminar nuclei or the zona incerta resulted in labeling of neurons in several brainstem structures related to the reticular formation. Our results provide morphological evidence for zinc modulation of glutamatergic inputs to highly selective thalamic nuclei, arising differentially from either cortical limbic areas or from brainstem ascending activation systems.

Thalamic interaction between the input and the output systems of the basal ganglia.

The striatal return through the thalamus is largely neglected in current studies dealing with basal ganglia function, and its role within this circuitry remains obscure. In this contribution the thalamus is regarded as an important place of interaction between the input and the output organization of the basal ganglia. In support of this idea, a brief overview is provided of some of the most recent findings concerning the thalamus in relation to the basal ganglia circuitry. In particular, we have focused on the thalamostriatal projections themselves, on the output of the basal ganglia to the thalamus and also on the overlapping territories between the thalamic projection of the output nuclei and the thalamostriatal neurons. These data support the existence of several thalamic feedback circuits within the basal ganglia neural system. Finally, some considerations are provided upon the functional significance of these thalamic feedback circuits in the overall organization of the basal ganglia.

Considerations on the thalamostriatal system with some functional implications.

The thalamostriatal projections are largely neglected in current reviews dealing with basal ganglia function. In the past few years, however, several studies have re-evaluated these projections and have postulated their implication in more complex tasks within the basal ganglia organization. In this review, we try to focus on the morphological and functional importance of this system in the basal ganglia of the rat, cat and monkey. Special attention is paid to the thalamus as an important place for interaction between the input and the output systems of the basal ganglia through the thalamostriatal projections. Thus, we stress on the overlapping thalamic territories between the thalamic projection of the output nuclei of the basal ganglia and the thalamostriatal neurons. Our experimental data support the existence of several thalamic feedback circuits within the basal ganglia functional design. Finally, some considerations are provided upon the functional significance of these thalamic feedback circuits in the overall organization of the basal ganglia in health and disease.

Overlapping territories between the thalamostriatal and nigrothalamic projections in cats.

Fluorescent tracers were injected into different regions of the caudate nucleus and HRP-WGA in the substantia nigra of the cat in order to analyse the thalamic distribution of retrogradely labelled thalamostriatal neurones and anterogradely labelled nigrothalamic terminals within the thalamus. Overlapping thalamic territories between the thalamostriatal neurones projecting to areas of the caudate nucleus and the nigrothalamic connections were observed in the rostral nuclei of the central thalamic group (ventral anterior nucleus, ventral anterior-ventral lateral complex and ventral medial nucleus) and, more restricted, in the rostral (rhomboid, paracentral, ventral lateral, dorsal mediodorsal nuclei) and caudal intralaminar nuclei (centromedian-parafascicular complex). This study provides evidence of the existence of thalamic areas in which the input and output of the basal ganglia converge.

Overlapping territories between the thalamostriatal and nigrothalamic projections in cats.

Fluorescent tracers were injected into different regions of the caudate nucleus and HRP-WGA in the substantia nigra of the cat in order to analyse the thalamic distribution of retrogradely labelled thalamostriatal neurones and anterogradely labelled nigrothalamic terminals within the thalamus. Overlapping thalamic territories between the thalamostriatal neurones projecting to areas of the caudate nucleus and the nigrothalamic connections were observed in the rostral nuclei of the central thalamic group (ventral anterior nucleus, ventral anterior-ventral lateral complex and ventral medial nucleus) and, more restricted, in the rostral (rhomboid, paracentral, ventral lateral, dorsal mediodorsal nuclei) and caudal intralaminar nuclei (centromedian-parafascicular complex). This study provides evidence of the existence of thalamic areas in which the input and output of the basal ganglia converge.

Re-examination of topographic distribution of thalamic neurons projecting to the caudate nucleus. A retrograde labeling study in the cat.

The distribution of thalamic neurons projecting directly to the caudate nucleus (CN) was examined using the retrograde labeling method. Horseradish peroxidase conjugated with wheat germ agglutinin (HRP-WGA) or a fluorescent tracer (either Fast Blue (FB) or Diamidino Yellow (DY)) was injected into various parts of the CN. The main findings were as follows: (1) labeled neurons were distributed most densely in the intralaminar nuclei, midline thalamic nuclei and centre median-parafascicular complex, and less densely in the ventroanterior (VA), ventrolateral (VL) and ventromedial (VM) nuclei. (2) After injections into the rostral parts of the CN, a moderate number of retrogradely labeled neuronal cell bodies was observed in VA, VL and VM. However, only very few, if any, labeled neurons were found in these nuclei after injections into the caudal parts of the CN. (3) After injections into the most dorsolateral parts of the CN, labeled neurons were seen in the lateralmost part of the VA and VL. (4) Many retrogradely labeled neurons were consistently found in the lateral wing of the rhomboid nucleus after injections into the CN. (5) No clear topography was detected in the arrangement of labeled neurons in the rhomboid, dorsal mediodorsal, centrolateral or paracentral nuclei. (6) After injections into the rostral parts of the CN, the most prominent labeling was observed in the ventral part of the centre médian-parafascicular complex.

Nicotinamide-adenine dinucleotide phosphate diaphorase activity matches acetylcholinesterase-rich patches in the medial thalamic nuclei of the cat.

Patches of high nicotinamide-adenine dinucleotide phosphate diaphorase (NADPH-d) activity were found in the mediodorsal and midline thalamic nuclei of cats. These patches matched acetylcholinesterase (AChE)-rich patches within the medial thalamus, whereas other AChE-rich patches were NADPH-d negative. There were also patches of NADPH-d activity in the lateral habenula, but these did not match the AChE staining. These results suggest that the functional role of discrete thalamic regions may require the joint presence of AChE and NADPH-d enzymatic activities.

Clinical results of AcrySof intraocular lens implantation.

PURPOSE: To analyze the clinical results of AcrySof intraocular lens (IOL) implantation. SETTING: San Juan University Hospital, Alicante, Spain. METHODS: This retrospective study comprised 100 patients with cataract 81 without previous eye pathology and 19 with previous eye pathology (i.e., diabetes, traumatic cataract, central corneal leukoma, glaucoma). Phacoemulsification technique depended on the type of cataract. Mean follow-up was 9 months. RESULTS: Best corrected visual acuity was 20/40 or better in 11.52% of patients with preoperative eye pathology and in 100% of those without pathology. CONCLUSION: Implantation of AcrySof IOLs did not result in complications or adverse reactions in our series, indicating that its use is safe in small incision cataract surgery.