ABSTRACT
This is our ninth annual horizon scan to identify emerging issues that we believe could affect global biological diversity, natural capital and ecosystem services, and conservation efforts. Our diverse and international team, with expertise in horizon scanning, science communication, as well as conservation science, practice, and policy, reviewed 117 potential issues. We identified the 15 that may have the greatest positive or negative effects but are not yet well recognised by the global conservation community. Themes among these topics include new mechanisms driving the emergence and geographic expansion of diseases, innovative biotechnologies, reassessments of global change, and the development of strategic infrastructure to facilitate global economic priorities.
Subject(s)
Biodiversity , Conservation of Natural Resources , EcosystemABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: The clinical application of stem cell therapy for myocardial infarction will require the development of methods to monitor treatment and pre-clinical assessment in a large animal model, to determine its effectiveness and the optimum cell population, route of delivery, timing, and flow milieu. OBJECTIVES: To establish a model for a) in vivo tracking to monitor cell engraftment after autologous transplantation and b) concurrent measurement of infarct evolution and remodeling. METHODS: We evaluated 22 dogs (8 sham controls, 7 treated with autologous bone marrow monocytes, and 7 with stromal cells) using both imaging of 111Indium-tropolone labeled cells and late gadolinium enhancement CMR for up to12 weeks after a 3 hour coronary occlusion. Hearts were also examined using immunohistochemistry for capillary density and presence of PKH26 labeled cells. RESULTS: In vivo Indium imaging demonstrated an effective biological clearance half-life from the injection site of ~5 days. CMR demonstrated a pattern of progressive infarct shrinkage over 12 weeks, ranging from 67-88% of baseline values with monocytes producing a significant treatment effect. Relative infarct shrinkage was similar through to 6 weeks in all groups, following which the treatment effect was manifest. There was a trend towards an increase in capillary density with cell treatment. CONCLUSION: This multi-modality approach will allow determination of the success and persistence of engraftment, and a correlation of this with infarct size shrinkage, regional function, and left ventricular remodeling. There were overall no major treatment effects with this particular model of transplantation immediately post-infarct.
Subject(s)
Bone Marrow Transplantation , Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Cine/methods , Myocardial Infarction/diagnostic imaging , Myocardial Infarction/surgery , Tomography, Emission-Computed, Single-Photon/methods , Analysis of Variance , Animals , Cell Survival , Dogs , Female , Image Processing, Computer-Assisted , Indium Radioisotopes , Monocytes/transplantation , Myocardial Infarction/physiopathology , Organic Chemicals/pharmacology , Stromal Cells/transplantation , Transplantation, Autologous , Ventricular Dysfunction, Left/diagnostic imaging , Ventricular Dysfunction, Left/physiopathologyABSTRACT
Cd, Zn and Cu levels were determined in sediments and Crangon crangon from 9 sites in the Severn Estuary/Bristol Channel during winter 1999. Metal levels in both shrimp and sediments varied significantly between sites and were related to proximity of input and/or sediment type. In the upper Estuary, Cd levels in shrimp were 100x higher than other reported values whereas sediment Cd contamination was comparable. It is suggested that high Cd levels in shrimp are due to the high inputs and enhanced bioavailability of metal during winter.