Reimagining infrastructure for a biodiverse future.

Civil infrastructure will be essential to face the interlinked existential threats of climate change and rising resource demands while ensuring a livable Anthropocene for all. However, conventional infrastructure planning largely neglects the contributions and maintenance of Earth's ecological life support systems, which provide irreplaceable services supporting human well-being. The stability and performance of these services depend on biodiversity, but conventional infrastructure practices, narrowly focused on controlling natural capital, have inadvertently degraded biodiversity while perpetuating social inequities. Here, we envision a new infrastructure paradigm wherein biodiversity and ecosystem services are a central objective of civil engineering. In particular, we reimagine infrastructure practice such that 1) ecosystem integrity and species conservation are explicit objectives from the outset of project planning; 2) infrastructure practices integrate biodiversity into diverse project portfolios along a spectrum from conventional to nature-based solutions and natural habitats; 3) ecosystem functions reinforce and enhance the performance and lifespan of infrastructure assets; and 4) civil engineering promotes environmental justice by counteracting legacies of social inequity in infrastructure development and nature conservation. This vision calls for a fundamental rethinking of the standards, practices, and mission of infrastructure development agencies and a broadening of scope for conservation science. We critically examine the legal and professional precedents for this paradigm shift, as well as the moral and economic imperatives for manifesting equitable infrastructure planning that mainstreams biodiversity and nature's benefits to people. Finally, we set an applied research agenda for supporting this vision and highlight financial, professional, and policy pathways for achieving it.

Silver and Antimicrobial Polymer Nanocomplexes to Enhance Biocidal Effects.

Antimicrobial resistance has become a major problem over the years and threatens to remain in the future, at least until a solution is found. Silver nanoparticles (Ag-NPs) and antimicrobial polymers (APs) are known for their antimicrobial properties and can be considered an alternative approach to fighting resistant microorganisms. Hence, the main goal of this research is to shed some light on the antimicrobial properties of Ag-NPs and APs (chitosan (CH), poly-L-lysine (PLL), ε-poly-L-lysine (ε-PLL), and dopamine (DA)) when used alone and complexed to explore the potential enhancement of the antimicrobial effect of the combination Ag-NPs + Aps. The resultant nanocomplexes were chemically and morphologically characterized by UV-visible spectra, zeta potential, transmission electron microscopy, and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy. Moreover, the Ag-NPs, APs, and Ag-NPs + APs nanocomplexes were tested against Gram-positive Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) and the Gram-negative Escherichia coli (E. coli) bacteria, as well as the fungi Candida albicans (C. albicans). Overall, the antimicrobial results showed potentiation of the activity of the nanocomplexes with a focus on C. albicans. For the biofilm eradication ability, Ag-NPs and Ag-NPs + DA were able to significantly remove S. aureus preformed biofilm, and Ag-NPs + CH were able to significantly destroy C. albicans biofilm, with both performing better than Ag-NPs alone. Overall, we have proven the successful conjugation of Ag-NPs and APs, with some of these formulations showing potential to be further investigated for the treatment of microbial infections.

High-frequency repetitive magnetic stimulation rescues ischemia-injured neurons through modulation of glial-derived neurotrophic factor present in the astrocyte's secretome.

Due to its ability to improve the most frequent clinical sequelae left by ischemia, repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation has been considered a promising therapeutic strategy for stroke. Those improvements are associated with changes in neurons and their synaptic liaisons. However, the hypothesis that this technique modulates astrocytes, potentiating their neuroprotective capabilities, was also raised. This study aims to identify the effects triggered by high-frequency repetitive magnetic stimulation (HF-rMS) on astrocytes that contribute to its neuroprotective effects. Neuron-glia and astrocyte cortical cultures subject to oxygen and glucose deprivation were used as an in vitro model of ischemia. Neuroprotection promoted by HF-rMS was evaluated by analysis of markers of neuronal activity and morphometric analysis of neurons. Glial reactivity was determined by immunocytochemistry. The levels of growth factors in the astrocyte-conditioned medium (CM) were assessed through a Growth Factor Array and glial-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) expression was analyzed by RT-PCR and Western blot. Our results show that neurons injured by ischemia can be rescued through the modulation of astrocytes by HF-rMS. This modulation helps to maintain the number and length of neurites and increases the number of neurons expressing ERK1/2 and c-Fos. Analysis of the astrocyte-CM showed that HF-rMS stimulated the release of several trophic factors by astrocytes. Moreover, GDNF was one of the released factors that contributed to the recovery mechanisms triggered by HF-rMS. Our results show that modulation of astrocytes by HF-rMS effectively rescues neurons injured by ischemia and suggest that by targeting astrocytes this approach can also be used to promote neuroprotection in other brain lesions.

Chemical composition, antioxidant, and antimicrobial activities of six commercial essential oils.

Essential oils (EOs) and their components extracted from medicinal and aromatic plants are used in several areas, such as perfumery and chemical, cosmetic, food, and pharmaceutical industries. Considering the different applications of EOs, this work aimed to screen the composition and the bioactivities properties of the EOs of Foeniculum vulgare, Helichrysum stoechas, Mentha pulegium, Pinus pinaster, Ruta graveolens, and Thymus mastichina. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry revealed the presence of different compounds in EOs F. vulgare (12), H. stoechas (27), M. pulegium (8), P. pinaster (24), R. graveolens (8), and T. mastichina (16). All the EOs showed antioxidant activity acting through inhibition of lipid peroxidation, while only two EOs (H. stoechas and M. pulegium) scavenged the free radicals of DPPH. Mentha pulegium and T. mastichina EOs showed the strongest antimicrobial activity. Also, the effect on the fibroblast's viability was directly proportional to the EOs concentration, and the highest cytotoxic effect was registered with R. graveolens EO. The present study revealed significant bioactive properties of different EOs, highlighting M. pulegium and T. mastichina EOs to be considered in further studies for potential use in the food and pharmaceutical industries, due to their antioxidant and antimicrobial properties.

Melissa officinalis essential oil as an antimicrobial agent against Listeria monocytogenes in watermelon juice.

The burden of foodborne illness has a negative effect on public health, but also in countries' economy. Melissa officinalis is an aromatic plant known for its biological properties, including antioxidant and antimicrobial effects. This work highlighted M. officinalis essential oil's antioxidant potential and antimicrobial activity against L. monocytogenes, presenting a bactericidal action and being able to inhibit some virulence attributes, such as biofilm formation. The pre-exposure of the bacterium to subinhibitory levels of essential oil (0.125 µL/mL) did not induce high tolerance to stresses (such as high temperature, low pH, osmotic stress and desiccation) or cross-resistance with antibiotics, while not modifying the invasion ability to Caco-2 cells. When applied in food model media (lettuce, chicken and milk) and watermelon juice, the essential oil showed to have antimicrobial activity in a lettuce leaf model medium, further diminishing L. monocytogenes contamination and inhibiting the natural microbiota present in watermelon juice. M. officinalis essential oil shows potential to be used as control of L. monocytogenes in watermelon juice, while increasing the food's microbial shelf life.

Alternate Wetting and Drying in the Center of Portugal: Effects on Water and Rice Productivity and Contribution to Development.

Rice irrigation by continuous flooding is highly water demanding in comparison with most methods applied in the irrigation of other crops, due to a significant deep percolation and surface drainage of paddies. The pollution of water resources and methane emissions are other environmental problems of rice agroecosystems, which require effective agronomic changes to safeguard its sustainable production. To contribute to this solution, an experimental study of alternate wetting and drying flooding (AWD) was carried out in the Center of Portugal in farmer's paddies, using the methodology of field irrigation evaluation. The AWD results showed that there is a relevant potential to save about 10% of irrigation water with a reduced yield impact, allowing an additional period of about 10 to 29 days of dry soil. The guidelines to promote the on-farm scale AWD automation were outlined, integrating multiple data sources, to get a safe control of soil water and crop productivity. The conclusions point out the advantages of a significant change in the irrigation procedures, the use of water level sensors to assess the right irrigation scheduling to manage the soil deficit and the mild crop stress during the dry periods, and the development of paddy irrigation supplies, to allow a safe and smart AWD.

Development of Phenothiazine Hybrids with Potential Medicinal Interest: A Review.

The molecular hybridization approach has been used to develop compounds with improved efficacy by combining two or more pharmacophores of bioactive scaffolds. In this context, hybridization of various relevant pharmacophores with phenothiazine derivatives has resulted in pertinent compounds with diverse biological activities, interacting with specific or multiple targets. In fact, the development of new drugs or drug candidates based on phenothiazine system has been a promising approach due to the diverse activities associated with this tricyclic system, traditionally present in compounds with antipsychotic, antihistaminic and antimuscarinic effects. Actually, the pharmacological actions of phenothiazine hybrids include promising antibacterial, antifungal, anticancer, anti-inflammatory, antimalarial, analgesic and multi-drug resistance reversal properties. The present review summarizes the progress in the development of phenothiazine hybrids and their biological activity.

Trade-offs Between the Value of Ecosystem Services and Connectivity Among Protected Areas in the Upper Chattahoochee Watershed.

The Upper Chattahoochee Watershed supplies most of the drinking water to the Atlanta Metropolitan Area, a region with one of the fastest urban growth rates in the United States. Smart conservation planning is necessary to conciliate urban development and the provision of critical ecosystem services (ESs) such as water quality, carbon storage, and wildlife habitat. We employed optimization models to compare the value of the ESs provided by alternative allocations of land parcels for conservation. We adopted boundary penalties to determine the trade-offs of choosing higher connectivity among parcels regarding economic values provided by carbon storage, wildlife habitat, and water quality. We used InVEST models to quantify and map ESs and value transfer to assign economic values to them. We set low and high ESs economic value bounds and discounted their values to perpetuity using 3% and 7% discount rates. Our results indicate that incorporating boundary penalties results in solutions with larger, fewer, and more connected parcels but yields lower economic benefits than unconstrained models. However, these differences are relatively small (between 2.6% and 7.3% loss in economic value). Additional transaction costs of purchasing more parcels and improving ecological networks provided by larger forest patches might justify the selection of solutions with higher connectivity. Decision-makers can use the developed models for estimating the economic cost of selecting connected parcels for conservation purposes at the landscape level.

Characterization of AreABC, an RND-Type Efflux System Involved in Antimicrobial Resistance of Aliarcobacter butzleri.

Aliarcobacter butzleri is an emergent enteropathogen for which resistance to several classes of antimicrobial agents has been described, although the underlying mechanisms have been poorly addressed. We aimed to evaluate the contribution of the resistance-nodulation-division-type (RND) efflux system, AreABC, to drug resistance in A. butzleri. A. butzleri strains were first tested against several antimicrobials with and without an efflux pump inhibitor. Then, erythromycin-resistant strains were screened for the presence of a premature stop codon in a putative transcriptional regulator of the AreABC system, areR. Lastly, antimicrobial susceptibility and ethidium bromide (EtBr) accumulation were evaluated using an areB knockout strain and a strain overexpressing the AreABC system through areR truncation. The presence of the efflux pump inhibitor resulted in increased susceptibility to most of the antimicrobials tested. A correlation between erythromycin resistance and the presence of premature stop codons in areR was observed. The truncation of areR resulted in increased expression of the AreABC system and decreased susceptibility to various antimicrobials. In contrast, areB inactivation resulted in increased susceptibility and a higher intracellular accumulation of EtBr. In conclusion, the AreABC efflux pump plays a role in the resistance of A. butzleri to multiple drugs and is regulated by a putative transcriptional repressor, areR. Our results support the importance of efflux pumps in this bacterium's resistance to major classes of antibiotics and other antimicrobials.

Air pollution and noncognitive traits among Chinese adolescents.

Most residents in developing countries live under poor air quality. The adverse effects of air pollution on cardiovascular and respiratory health are well documented. More recently, it has been shown that air pollution adversely affects areas of the central nervous system regulating noncognitive traits. Because the developing brain is particularly vulnerable, this study focuses on adolescents. We match air pollution data from monitoring stations in China to repeated measures of noncognitive traits using panel data. In general, poorer contemporaneous air quality, rather than poorer past air quality, negatively affects adolescent noncognitive traits. Specifically, an increase in the Air Pollution Index by 15 points-the average daily fluctuation-leads to a 5.5% increase in psychological distress, 0.9% decrease in self-esteem, 3.2% reduction in self-satisfaction, and 0.9% decrease in confidence in the future. No such effects are found among adults.

Pheochromocytoma: a retrospective study from a single center.

Objectives. Pheochromocytoma (PCC) is a neuroendocrine tumor derived from chromaffin tissue more frequently found in the adrenal medulla. Many discoveries over the last decade have significantly improved our understanding of PCC.Methods. We retrospectively reviewed all patients with a histological diagnosis of PCC at the Centro Hospitalar Universitario de Sao Joao, a tertiary and university hospital in Oporto, Portugal, between January 2009 and December 2017.Results. The study group included 33 patients. In most cases the diagnosis was suspected with more than half of patients presenting with hypertension and the third diagnosed during the work-up of an adrenal incidentaloma. About half of the patients was referred for genetic testing and 6 patients had a positive inherited susceptibility genetic pathogenic variant associated with classic cancer predisposition syndromes and also associated with newly described genes. In the incidentaloma group, genetic testing was performed in 3 (9%) patients with only 1 positive result. In the suspected group, 15 (45%) genetic tests were performed.Conclusions. In contrast to other studies, where only a minority of patients with PCC were referred for genetic counselling, in our study 54% of patients was referred for genetic testing. This study suggests that clinicians were correctly recognizing the need to refer young patients and patients with positive family history. However, opportunities for genetic testing are frequently missed due to low referral rates in patients with apparently sporadic PCC, particularly older than 30 years old. It is imperative that all the providers involved in the multidisciplinary care of patients with pheochromocytomas are aware of the genetic disorders associated with these unique tumors.

Tremor is a major feature of 9p13 deletion syndrome.

Proximal interstitial deletions of chromosome 9p13 have been described only in a few patients with developmental delay, moderate intellectual disability, craniofacial dysmorphism, short stature, genital anomalies, and precocious puberty. To corroborate and expand these findings, we report on two novel syndromic male patients with 9p13 deletions suffering from a similar form of tremor and compare them with literature data. Despite genomic variability in deletion sizes, all patients displayed homogeneous dysmorphism and clinical manifestations, including very invalidating tremor. Furthermore, we outlined a region of around 2 Mb shared in common by all patients with nearly 70 genes, among which NPR2 might have a role in the phenotype. These data delineate interstitial 9p13 deletion syndrome with tremor as a major feature.

Sweet Cherry Extract Targets the Hallmarks of Cancer in Prostate Cells: Diminished Viability, Increased Apoptosis and Suppressed Glycolytic Metabolism.

The present work evaluated the anticancer properties of sweet cherry (Prunus avium) extract on human prostate cells. Several sweet cherry cultivars from Fundão (Portugal) were methanol-extracted and their phytochemical composition characterized. The Saco "late harvest" extract was highly-enriched in anthocyanins and selected for use in biological assays. Non-neoplastic (PNT1A) and neoplastic (LNCaP and PC3) human prostate cells were treated with 0-2,000 µg/ml of extract for 48-96 h. Cell viability was evaluated by the MTT assay. Apoptosis, oxidative stress, and glycolytic metabolism were assessed by Western blotting and enzymatic assays. Glucose consumption and lactate production were measured spectrophotometrically. Saco cherry extract diminished the viability of neoplastic and non-neoplastic cells, whereas enhancing apoptosis in LNCaP. Cherry extract-treatment also diminished oxidative damage and suppressed glycolytic metabolism in LNCaP cells. These findings widened the knowledge on the mechanisms by which cherry extract modulate cell physiology, demonstrating their broad action over the hallmarks of cancer.

Phytochemical Characterization, Bioactivities Evaluation and Synergistic Effect of Arbutus unedo and Crataegus monogyna Extracts with Amphotericin B.

The increased resistance to drugs by pathogens is a serious problem, with plants showing to be promising sources for the development of new drugs or the improvement of the effect of existing antimicrobial agents. Considering this, we aimed to evaluate the bioactivities of Arbutus unedo and Crataegus monogyna. Thus, the leaves were first extracted with methanol and then fractionated with different solvents. Phenolic compound profiles were assessed by HPLC-PDA-MSn and the antioxidant activity was evaluated using DPPH method and ß-carotene bleaching assay. The antimicrobial activity of extracts was tested against several microorganisms. A. unedo contained mainly galloyl esters, hydrolysable tannins, and flavonoids, while in C. monogyna, 5-caffeoylquinic acid and flavonoids were the most representative polyphenols. Crude extracts showed antioxidant activity and the extracts and fractions displayed a weak antibacterial activity; however inhibiting the growth of Candida tropicalis and C. lusitaniae to which A. unedo extract showed higher activity. Most of the extracts and fractions demonstrated synergistic or additive interactions with amphotericin B against Candida spp. Therefore, the present study revealed significant bioactive properties of the extracts and fractions of A. unedo and C. monogyna, such as antioxidant and antifungal activities.

Fabry disease: Detection of Alu-mediated exon duplication by NGS.

Monogenetic diseases can be analyzed routinely by targeted DNA sequencing. If causative variants are not found, complementary methods like RNA sequencing or analysis of copy number variations by multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification have to be considered. In the latter, especially exonic duplications or deletions can be detected, but the precise sites of mutations remain unclear. As we demonstrate in this casuistic report of Fabry disease, next-generation sequencing (NGS) of a long-range PCR product can identify the recombination site directly and illuminate the underlying molecular mechanism.

Age-specific gastrointestinal parasite shedding in free-ranging cheetahs (Acinonyx jubatus) on Namibian farmland.

The cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus Brookes 1828) is classified as "vulnerable" by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Threats to cheetah populations are a decrease of suitable habitats, an increase of conflicts with livestock farmers and potentially pathogens. While there is some information on the viral and bacterial pathogens circulating in cheetah populations, information on gastrointestinal parasites is scarce. Here, we investigate the gastrointestinal parasites in 39 free-ranging cheetahs in east-central Namibia using a coproscopical parasitological method. Most cheetahs (82%) shed eggs from Ancylostoma which comprised the majority of the total eggs in feces. Eggs and oocysts from Toxascaris (21% of cheetahs), Coccidia (13%), Physaloptera (8%), Taeniidae (5%), Dipylidium (3%), and Diphyllobothriidae (3%) were present at a lower prevalence. Parasite richness and Ancylostoma egg load were higher in juveniles and adults compared to cubs, but were not associated with sex. To our knowledge, this is the first study that assessed gastrointestinal parasites in free-ranging cheetahs and is a key starting point for future studies on the effect of parasites in this threatened species.

Oral Colonization of Staphylococcus Species in a Peritoneal Dialysis Population: A Possible Reservoir for PD-Related Infections?

Peritoneal dialysis-related infections are important morbidity/mortality causes, being staphylococci the most prevalent agents. Since Staphylococcus aureus nasopharynx carriage is a known risk factor for PD infections and the oral cavity is a starting point for systemic diseases development, we aimed at comparing the oral staphylococci colonization between PD patients and controls and studying the association with PD-related infections. Saliva samples were plated in Mannitol salt, and isolates were identified by DnaJ gene sequencing. Staphylococci PD-related infections were recorded throughout the 4-year period following sample collection. Staphylococcus colonization was present in >90% of the samples from both groups (a total of nine species identified). PD patients presented less diversity and less prevalence of multispecies Staphylococcus colonization. Although all patients presenting Staphylococcus epidermidis PD-related infections were also colonized in the oral cavity by the same agent, only 1 out of 7 patients with ESI caused by S. aureus presented S. aureus oral colonization. Staphylococci are highly prevalent in the oral cavity of both groups, although PD patients presented less species diversity. The association between oral Staphylococcus carriage and PD-related infections was present for S. epidermidis but was almost inexistent for S. aureus, so, further studies are still necessary to evaluate the infectious potential of oral Staphylococcus carriage in PD.

Insights in the pathogenesis and resistance of Arcobacter: A review.

Arcobacter genus currently comprises 18 recognized species, among which Arcobacter butzleri, Arcobacter cryaerophilus and Arcobacter skirrowii have been associated with human and animal disease. Although these organisms, with special emphasis A. butzleri, are emerging as clinical pathogens, several aspects of their epidemiology and virulence are only starting to be clarified. In vitro human and animal cell culture assays have been used to show that several Arcobacter species can adhere to and invade eukaryotic cells, induce an immune response and produce toxins that damage host cells. In addition, data from genome sequencing highlighted several potential markers that may be helpful candidates for the study and understanding of these mechanisms; however, more work is necessary to clarify the molecular mechanisms involved in Arcobacter virulence. Arcobacter can be considered a relatively robust organism showing to be able to survive in adverse conditions, as the ones imposed by food processing and storage. Moreover, these bacteria have shown increased antibiotic resistance, along with high multidrug resistance. In this review, we seek to update the state-of-the-art concerning Arcobacter distribution, its interaction with the host, the trends of antibiotic resistance, its ability to survive, and finally the use of natural antimicrobials for control of Arcobacter.

Measuring and tracking obesity inequality in the United States: evidence from NHANES, 1971-2014.

BACKGROUND: Because people care about their weight relative to peers and society, obesity inequality plays a role in explaining obesity incidence and the impacts of being obese on subjective well-being. While the increase in obesity prevalence and mean body mass index (BMI) is well documented, the measurement of distributional changes and corresponding obesity inequality is yet to be fully explored. METHODS: The present study analyzed BMI data for adults aged 20 to 74 from the National Health and Nutritional Examination Survey (NHANES) I (1971-1974), II (1976-1980), III (1988-1994), and continuous NHANES (1999-2014). We applied tools developed to measure income inequality to analyze the inter-temporal variation in the BMI distribution among US adults. Using stochastic dominance tests, we construct partial orderings on cumulative BMI distributions during the study period. Shapley decompositions and inequality indices are employed to quantify the source and extent of temporal variation and decompose the inequality into within and between-group components considering age, gender, and race. RESULTS: The BMI distribution of each NHANES study first-order stochastically dominated the BMI distribution of the previous wave from 1971-1974 to 2003-2006, whereas more recent comparisons failed to reject the null hypothesis of non-dominance. The Shapley decomposition analysis revealed that horizontal shifts of BMI distributions accounted for a majority of the increase in obesity prevalence since 1988-1991. Especially in recent years when the rate of obesity growth has slowed down, the contribution of the redistribution component dropped significantly and even became negative between 2007-2010 and 2011-2014. The inequality indexes consistently show a worsening of obesity inequality from the mid-1970s to the mid-2000s regardless of population subgroups, and this disproportionate shift of the BMI distribution is unlikely to be a result of a changing ethnic composition of the US population. CONCLUSION: Our findings demonstrate that seemingly similar increases in obesity prevalence can be accompanied by very different patterns of distribution change. We find that the early phase of the obesity epidemic in the US was largely driven by increasing skewness, whereas more recent growth is a population-wide experience, regardless of demographic characteristics. Increasing morbid obesity certainly played an important role in the initial phase of the epidemic, but more recently the BMI distribution has largely horizontally shifted to the right.

The antimicrobial action of resveratrol against Listeria monocytogenes in food-based models and its antibiofilm properties.

BACKGROUND: Resveratrol (3,5,4'-trihydroxy-trans-stilbene) is a natural phytoalexin synthesized by plants in response to stress. This compound has several beneficial documented properties, namely anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, neuroprotective and antimicrobial activities. In this study the antimicrobial activity of resveratrol against Listeria monocytogenes and Listeria innocua was investigated. RESULTS: Resveratrol had a minimum inhibitory concentration of 200 µg mL(-1) for the tested strains, with time-kill curves demonstrating bacteriostatic activity. Inhibition of biofilm formation was also assessed, with resveratrol strongly inhibiting biofilm formation by both species even at subinhibitory concentrations. Overall, resveratrol showed antimicrobial properties on planktonic cells and on biofilm formation ability. Considering the potential use of resveratrol as a food preservative, the antimicrobial efficacy of resveratrol in food was studied in milk, lettuce leaf model and chicken juice. Resveratrol retained greater efficacy in both lettuce leaf model and chicken juice, but milk had a negative impact on its antilisterial activity, indicating a possible reduction of resveratrol availability in milk. CONCLUSION: This study reinforces resveratrol as an antimicrobial agent, pointing out its antibiofilm activity and its potential use as preservative in some food matrices. © 2016 Society of Chemical Industry.