The evolution of ocean literacy: A new framework for the United Nations Ocean Decade and beyond.

First introduced in the early 2000s, the concept of ocean literacy has evolved in recent years, not least since its inclusion as a mechanism for change within the United Nations Ocean Decade's goals. Building on early definitions of ocean literacy, there has been increasing recognition of a range of additional dimensions which contribute to an individual or collective sense of 'ocean literacy'. Drawing on existing research, and parallel and supporting concepts, e.g., marine citizenship, ocean connectedness, and public perceptions research, this paper proposes ten dimensions of ocean literacy: knowledge, communication, behaviour, awareness, attitudes, activism, emotional connection, access and experience, adaptive capacity and trust and transparency, and recommends expanding previously recognised dimensions, in a bid to ensure that ocean literacy encompasses diverse knowledges, values and experiences. The paper provides a useful framework for ongoing ocean literacy research, and highlights aspects of ocean literacy which have received limited focus to date.

Oil and gas infrastructure decommissioning in marine protected areas: System complexity, analysis and challenges.

Many offshore oil and gas production facilities are nearing the end of their operational life, with decommissioning now becoming a global challenge. The compatibility of decommissioning operations to marine protected areas (MPAs) creates further challenges. The recently-developed DAPSI(W)R(M) problem structuring framework (covering Drivers, Activities, Pressures, State changes, Impacts (on Welfare) and Responses (as Measures)) was applied here to interrogate the complexity of decommissioning oil and gas infrastructure within MPAs, with outputs feeding into the development of a novel database tool for Screening Potential Impacts of Decommissioning Activities (SPIDA). In meeting the current requirements of the marine regulatory regime, SPIDA provides a more streamlined, evidence-based process which can be applied by industry, statutory nature conservation bodies and regulators for identifying and evaluating evidence that supports the implications of decommissioning alternatives on the condition of MPAs. SPIDA has been developed to be adapted for other activities and sectors, including offshore renewables.

"And DPSIR begat DAPSI(W)R(M)!" - A unifying framework for marine environmental management.

The marine environment is a complex system formed by interactions between ecological structure and functioning, physico-chemical processes and socio-economic systems. An increase in competing marine uses and users requires a holistic approach to marine management which considers the environmental, economic and societal impacts of all activities. If managed sustainably, the marine environment will deliver a range of ecosystem services which lead to benefits for society. In order to understand the complexity of the system, the DPSIR (Driver-Pressure-State-Impact-Response) approach has long been a valuable problem-structuring framework used to assess the causes, consequences and responses to change in a holistic way. Despite DPSIR being used for a long time, there is still confusion over the definition of its terms and so to be appropriate for current marine management, we contend that this confusion needs to be addressed. Our viewpoint advocates that DPSIR should be extended to DAPSI(W)R(M) (pronounced dap-see-worm) in which Drivers of basic human needs require Activities which lead to Pressures. The Pressures are the mechanisms of State change on the natural system which then leads to Impacts (on human Welfare). Those then require Responses (as Measures). Furthermore, because of the complexity of any managed sea area in terms of multiple Activities, there is the need for a linked-DAPSI(W)R(M) framework, and then the connectivity between marine ecosystems and ecosystems in the catchment and further at sea, requires an interlinked, nested-DAPSI(W)R(M) framework to reflect the continuum between adjacent ecosystems. Finally, the unifying framework for integrated marine management is completed by encompassing ecosystem structure and functioning, ecosystem services and societal benefits. Hence, DAPSI(W)R(M) links the socio-ecological system of the effects of changes to the natural system on the human uses and benefits of the marine system. However, to deliver these sustainably in the light of human activities requires a Risk Assessment and Risk Management framework; the ISO-compliant Bow-Tie method is used here as an example. Finally, to secure ecosystem health and economic benefits such as Blue Growth, successful, adaptive and sustainable marine management Responses (as Measures) are delivered using the 10-tenets, a set of facets covering all management disciplines and approaches.

Coastal Zone Ecosystem Services: from science to values and decision making; a case study.

This research is concerned with the following environmental research questions: socio-ecological system complexity, especially when valuing ecosystem services; ecosystems stock and services flow sustainability and valuation; the incorporation of scale issues when valuing ecosystem services; and the integration of knowledge from diverse disciplines for governance and decision making. In this case study, we focused on ecosystem services that can be jointly supplied but independently valued in economic terms: healthy climate (via carbon sequestration and storage), food (via fisheries production in nursery grounds), and nature recreation (nature watching and enjoyment). We also explored the issue of ecosystem stock and services flow, and we provide recommendations on how to value stock and flows of ecosystem services via accounting and economic values respectively. We considered broadly comparable estuarine systems located on the English North Sea coast: the Blackwater estuary and the Humber estuary. In the past, these two estuaries have undergone major land-claim. Managed realignment is a policy through which previously claimed intertidal habitats are recreated allowing the enhancement of the ecosystem services provided by saltmarshes. In this context, we investigated ecosystem service values, through biophysical estimates and welfare value estimates. Using an optimistic (extended conservation of coastal ecosystems) and a pessimistic (loss of coastal ecosystems because of, for example, European policy reversal) scenario, we find that context dependency, and hence value transfer possibilities, vary among ecosystem services and benefits. As a result, careful consideration in the use and application of value transfer, both in biophysical estimates and welfare value estimates, is advocated to supply reliable information for policy making.

What are the costs and benefits of biodiversity recovery in a highly polluted estuary?

Biodiversity recovery measures have often been ignored when dealing with the restoration of degraded aquatic systems. Furthermore, biological valuation methods have been applied only spatially in previous studies, and not jointly on a temporal and spatial scale. The intense monitoring efforts carried out in a highly polluted estuary, in northern Spain (Nervión estuary), allowed for the economic valuation of the costs and the biological valuation of the benefits associated with a 21 years sewage scheme application. The analysis show that the total amount of money invested into the sewage scheme has contributed to the estuary's improvement of both environmental and biological features, as well as to an increase in the uses and services provided by the estuary. However, the inner and outer parts of the estuary showed different responses. An understanding of the costs and trajectories of the environmental recovery of degraded aquatic systems is increasingly necessary to allow policy makers and regulators to formulate robust, cost-efficient and feasible management decisions.

Interleukin-1ß enhances cartilage-to-cartilage integration.

The failure of cartilages to fuse, particularly in the case of articular cartilage under conditions of repair is due to morphological and structural constraints of the tissue. Factors that impede integration include, non-vascularisation, low cellularity, and proteoglycan in the surrounding extracellular matrix acting as a natural barrier to cellular migration. We hypothesised that brief activation of a catabolic cascade by cytokines followed by culture under anabolic conditions would promote tissue fusion in a ring-disk model of cartilage integration. Our results show that transient exposure to 10 ng mL(-1) interleukin-1ß, followed by two weeks post-culture under anabolic conditions, enhanced cartilage-cartilage integration compared to untreated explants. Quantitative PCR analysis of catabolism-related genes ADAMTS4 and MMP13 showed both were transiently upregulated and these findings correlated with evidence of extracellular matrix remodelling. At the level of histology, we observed chondrocytes readily populated the interfacial matrix between fused explants in interleukin-1ß treated explants, whereas in control explants this region was relatively acellular in comparison. Catabolic cytokine treated explants exhibited 29-fold greater adhesive strength (0.859 MPa versus 0.028 MPa, P 〈 0.05) than untreated counterparts. Collectively, our results demonstrate that a single short catabolic pulse followed by an anabolic response is sufficient to generate mechanically robust, integrative cartilage repair.

Retargeted adenoviral cancer gene therapy for tumour cells overexpressing epidermal growth factor receptor or urokinase-type plasminogen activator receptor.

We have assessed the ability of bispecific fusion proteins to improve adenovirus-mediated transfer of therapeutic and marker transgenes. We constructed an expression vector that can be easily modified to synthesize a variety of fusion proteins for retargeting adenoviral gene therapy vectors to cell surface markers, which are differentially expressed between normal and cancer cells. Adenoviral transduction can be improved in a number of tumour cell lines which overexpress EGFR (epidermal growth factor receptor) or uPAR (urokinase-type plasminogen activator receptor), but which have only low levels of endogenous hCAR (human coxsackie B and adenovirus receptor) expression. Up to 40-fold improvement in beta-galactosidase transgene expression was seen using an EGFR retargeting protein, and up to 16-fold using a second fusion protein targeting uPAR. In vitro, our uPAR retargeting fusion protein improved the sensitivity to adenoviral herpes simplex virus thymidine kinase/ganciclovir by an order of magnitude, whereas in vivo, our EGFR retargeting protein is able to significantly delay tumour growth in rodent animal models in a dose-dependent manner. The 'cassette' design of our fusion protein constructs offers a flexible method for the straightforward synthesis of multiple adenoviral retargeting proteins, directed against a variety of tumour-associated antigens, for use in clinical trials.

Identification, definition and quantification of goods and services provided by marine biodiversity: implications for the ecosystem approach.

This paper identifies and defines ecosystem goods and services provided by marine biodiversity. Case studies have been used to provide an insight into the practical issues associated with the assessment of marine ecosystem goods and services at specific locations. The aim of this research was to validate the definitions of goods and services, and to identify knowledge gaps and likely difficulties of quantifying the goods and services. A validated theoretical framework for the assessment of goods and services is detailed, and examples of the goods and services at a variety of case study areas are documented. These results will enable future assessments of marine ecosystem goods and services. It is concluded that the utilisation of this goods and services approach has the capacity to play a fundamental role in the Ecosystem Approach, by enabling the pressures and demands of society, the economy and the environment to be integrated into environmental management.

The role of tumor necrosis factor in the development of multiple organ failure in a murine model.

OBJECTIVE: To elucidate the role of tumor necrosis factor (TNF) in the development of multiple organ dysfunction syndrome (MODS) after zymosan-induced peritonitis in mice. DESIGN: Prospective controlled laboratory study on zymosan-induced generalized inflammation in mice. Over < or =28 days, a single intraperitoneal administration of zymosan induced a three-phase illness in C57BL mice, rendering them very ill with MODS-like symptoms from day 7 onward. Additionally, the same experiment was performed on C57BL/6 TNF-Rc-p55 knockout mice to elucidate the role of TNF and its receptor p55. SETTING: Animal research laboratory. SUBJECTS: Inbred C57BL mice and C57BL p55-/- mice received a single sterile intraperitoneal injection of zymosan suspended in paraffin oil (0.75 mg/g of body weight). MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: The animals were monitored for survival, condition, and body weight for < or =28 days. At 3, 7, 14, and 28 days after zymosan administration, bronchoalveolar lavage was performed and lungs and livers were extracted for isolation of RNA and histopathologic evaluation. Reverse-transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction was performed to quantify TNF-alpha messenger RNA (mRNA) in the respective organs. Both animal strains went through initial shock with a high mortality rate during the first 3 days. The C57BL mice developed MODS with typical symptoms and histopathologic results correlating with excessive TNF-alpha mRNA expression from day 7 onward. In contrast, no disease, histopathologic changes, nor TNF-alpha mRNA expression in liver or lung was found within the TNF-Rc-p55-/- mice. CONCLUSION: Organ-derived TNF-alpha plays a crucial role in the development of MODS in this murine model.

Differences in the anti-inflammatory effects of theophylline and pentoxifylline: important for the development of asthma therapy?

Antiasthma drugs are now being re-evaluated for their anti-inflammatory effects. Theophylline is an immunomodulator; however, weak effects and the narrow therapeutic window make it a controversial drug. We compared the immunomodulatory potencies of theophylline with those of the xanthines pentoxifylline (POF) and A802715. Using a whole-blood, cell-culture system, we studied the effects on the release of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma), and interleukin-6 (IL-6) in six healthy subjects, and, in granulocyte suspensions, the effects on the release of reactive oxygen species (ROS). We also studied the influence of a 14-day treatment with theophylline or POF on the release of the cytokines named above in 14 asthmatics. We found that equimolar concentrations of A802715 most effectively inhibit ROS generation, followed by POF; the effects of theophylline were weakest. A802715-inhibited release of TNF-alpha was four times as potent as that of theophylline, and POF two times as potent. Inhibition of IFN-gamma by A802715 was three times as potent, and by POF two times. Neither drug influenced IL-6 release. After a 14-day treatment of asthmatics, POF proved to inhibit TNF-alpha release more effectively (by 44.3%) than theophylline (7.5%). It is concluded that study of xanthine derivatives in asthmatics might help the development of asthma therapy. POF seems to be an especially promising candidate.

The assessment of recovery in patients after myocardial infarction using three generic quality-of-life measures.

BACKGROUND: To evaluate the sensitivity to change of three generic quality-of-life measures in patients after myocardial infarction (MI). METHODS: Patients admitted to the Coronary Care Unit of Royal Devon and Exeter Healthcare Trust over a 9-month period were selected on the basis of a first MI and under 80 years of age. Quality of life was assessed 6 weeks and 6 months after MI using the Sickness Impact Profile (SIP), Nottingham Health Profile (NHP), and McMaster Health Inventory Questionnaire (MHIQ). An index of whether these measures are sensitive to change over time was determined by dividing the mean change from 6 weeks to 6 months of each instrument subscale by the baseline standard deviation of that subscale. Values of 0.2, 0.5, and 0.8 and above represent modest, moderate, and good sensitivity, respectively. RESULTS: Eighty-eight patients completed and returned the quality-of-life measures at both 6 weeks and 6 months. Four SIP subscales achieved a sensitivity to change index of 0.20 to 0.50: body care and movement, emotional behavior, work, and eating. Other SIP, NHP, and MHIQ subscales showed sensitivity index values of less than 0.20. No sensitivity index values of 0.50 or more were observed. CONCLUSIONS: During the period of this study, all three generic quality-of-life measures displayed only modest levels of sensitivity to change. Other quality-of-life measures need to be developed for the assessment of cardiac patients. This is particularly important when choosing suitable quality-of-life measures to assess cardiac rehabilitation.

Anti-Borrelia burgdorferi immunoglobulin seroprevalence in pulmonary sarcoidosis: a negative report.

The aetiology of sarcoidosis is still unknown. An infectious microorganism as causal agent for this disease could not be identified, but high titres of antibodies against Borrelia burgdorferi were detected in Chinese studies implying a causality with this disease. These findings, however, could not be reproduced by other researchers. The aim of this study was, therefore, to evaluate the possible role of these spirochetes in the pathogenesis of sarcoidosis by serological examinations. Sixty sera of patients suffering from sarcoidosis were examined for anti-B. burgdorferi immunoglobulin by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). ELISAs for these antibodies show a high sensitivity, but a low specificity; therefore, a specific immunoblot was used to confirm positive results. Initially, 8% of the patients were reactive in the ELISA, and 20% of these could be confirmed by immunoblot. Therefore, the prevalence for B. burgdorferi antibodies in sarcoidosis patients was 1.6%. This result did not differ significantly from the prevalence of B. burgdorferi antibodies in 1,000 regular blood donors of the city of Hamburg (7% reactive in the ELISA, 38% confirmed via immunoblot, prevalence 2.7%). The hypothesis of causality between a B. burgdorferi infection and sarcoidosis cannot be confirmed by this data.

Replication of IFDO on a chemically defined medium.

An agar or liquid medium containing haemoglobin, high density horse lipoprotein, trypsin, Tween 80, phosphate buffer, CaCl(2), glucose, glutamic acid and NaCl supported growth of ileal fluid dependent organism (IFDO). Glucose, glutamic acid and NaCl were not essential but enhanced growth. Trace amounts of lipoprotein were sufficient to support growth, and some human sera and serum fractions rich in low density lipoprotein could be substituted for horse lipoprotein. Addition of lipase enhanced the growth rate, and reduced the requirement for lipoprotein. No nucleic acid precursors were identified as essential for growth. However, nucleosides, especially cytidine, accelerated the growth rate. The growth rate was also increased by DNAase and RNAase. These observations indicate that the organisation of the IFDO particle is more complex than that of a crystal. They are consistent with the hypothesis that IFDO is a replicating agent that utilises specific preformed protein to assemble a proteinaceous particle, and support the postulated relationship of IFDO to transmissible spongiform encephalopathy agents.

Clinical methods of goniometry: a comparative study.

This investigation compared the reliability and interchangeable use of three currently available goniometers--a universal goniometer, a fluid goniometer, and an electrogoniometer. Three consecutive readings of the active range of movement of the right elbow joint were taken from each of 23 healthy female volunteers; three experienced observers each used each type of goniometer on two occasions. A balanced experimental design was used to eliminate order effects with respect to subject, tester, or goniometer, and a rigid protocol was employed to reduce error due to diurnal or methodological variations. The results show that there are significant differences between the goniometers used, the testers, and the replications. Significant interaction effects also exist between the goniometers and the occasion, the goniometers and the testers, and the testers and replications. The data suggest that the interchangeable use of different types of goniometer in a clinical setting is inadvisable.

Effects of chlorhexidine-coated intrauterine device on the bacteriology of the uterine cavity.

Twenty-nine women, aged 31-53 years, scheduled for an abdominal hysterectomy, participated in this study. The patients were divided into three groups. The first received a Multiload MLCu250 intrauterine device (IUD); the second group received a chlorhexidine acetate medicated Multiload MLCu250 IUD; the third group acted as a control group receiving no IUD. Bacteriological cultures of the vagina and ectocervix were taken prior to insertion of the IUD. At hysterectomy, some 18 hours later, specimens were taken from the cervical canal, uterine cavity, and the device itself, for culture of anaerobic and aerobic organisms using a standardized previously validated technique. In three of the nine control patients, organisms were cultured from the uterine cavity. There were no differences between the bacteriological results of the two groups with medicated and non-medicated devices, with regard to the cultures from the cervical canal, uterine cavity or the devices themselves. Nor was there any difference between the control and the IUD group.

Short-term chemoprophylaxis with ceftizoxime vs. five-day aminoglycoside with metronidazole in 'contaminated' lower gastrointestinal surgery.

In a prospective, open, randomized controlled trial, 173 patients requiring surgery for potentially "contaminated" lower gastrointestinal surgery were allocated to receive either two doses of ceftizoxime (2 gm) with one dose of metronidazole (1.5 gm) or gentamicin 3 mg/kg/day for five days with one dose of metronidazole (1.5 gm). Eighty-nine patients received ceftizoxime and 84 patients received gentamicin. The groups were comparable with respect to diagnosis, procedure, type of anastomosis, and wound closure. The incidence of withdrawal due to failure to respond to the study drug (11.5 percent) was equivalent in the two groups. There was no difference in the overall incidence of postsurgical infection between the ceftizoxime and metronidazole group (22.2 percent) and the gentamicin and metronidazole group (25.7 percent). The incidence of wound infection (ceftizoxime and metronidazole, 6.9 percent; gentamicin and metronidazole, 10 percent) and deep sepsis (ceftizoxime and metronidazole, 15.3 percent; gentamicin and metronidazole, 15.7 percent) was similar.

Studies of a novel agent possessing resistance to moist heat and disinfectants: parallels with Creutzfeldt-Jakob agent.

The resistance to sterilization and disinfection of a novel replicating agent (IFDO) with similarities to Creutzfeldt-Jakob agent (CJA) was investigated. Moist heat at 121 degrees C for 30 min did not kill the agent. Increasing the temperature to 140 degrees C, and the length of the autoclave cycle to 120 min also failed to guarantee sterilization, although some samples were sterilized after these treatments. Dry heat at 160 degrees C for 1 h sterilized 24 of 25 samples. Overnight disinfection with 10% Stericol or 1.2% chlorhexidine left few detectable survivors. Samples pretreated with these disinfectants and then autoclaved at 134 degrees C for 20 min were sterilized. Disinfection with hypochlorite (500 ppm available chlorine) was very effective if organic matter derived from spent culture medium was removed. We have adopted overnight Stericol disinfection, followed by autoclaving at 134 degrees C for 1 h for sterilization of glassware contaminated by IFDO. The agent may provide a valid model for sterilization of items contaminated with CJA and, if so, our data suggest that current disinfection guidelines for CJA by autoclaving at 134 degrees C for 1 h are inadequate.

A randomized trial to compare amoxycillin/clavulanate with metronidazole plus gentamicin in prophylaxis in elective colorectal surgery.

A randomized controlled trial was designed to compare antibiotic prophylaxis with a standard combination of agents, metronidazole and gentamicin, with a single preparation, amoxycillin/clavulanate in 400 patients undergoing elective colorectal surgery. There were 41 patients who were excluded or withdrawn (wrong dose, inappropriate operation, established sepsis or concurrent disease). Abdominal wound sepsis occurred in 14% of the assessable patients in the amoxycillin/clavulanate group and in 15% of the metronidazole plus gentamicin group. Perineal sepsis occurred in 27% of the amoxycillin/clavulanate group with a perineal wound compared with 18% in the metronidazole plus gentamicin group. Intra-abdominal abscess occurred in 8% of those who received amoxycillin/clavulanate compared with 6% of those given metronidazole plus gentamicin. Only two patients in each group developed septicaemia. Postoperative diarrhoea occurred in 11 patients receiving amoxycillin/clavulanate compared with four given metronidazole plus gentamicin. Clostridium difficile was not isolated from the stool cultures in any of these cases. Thirteen of the 164 abdominal or perineal wounds were infected by 15 strains of Bacteroides spp. in the group receiving amoxycillin/clavulanate compared with only three of the 165 wounds in those given metronidazole plus gentamicin. (P less than 0.01). There was no other significant difference in the pattern of isolates between the groups.