Seasonal cycles of plasma testosterone and cortisol in the wild rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus algirus Loche) of Zembra Island, studied in its natural biotope and in captivity

Annual variations in plasma testosterone and cortisol levels were determined in male wild rabbits caught monthly in their natural biotope (Zembra island). For comparison, a group of warrens was hold in semi-captivity close to Tunis. In both conditions plasma testosterone concentrations were low from January to September and peak values were observed in October. Captive warrens exhibited a clear cut annual rhythm in plasma cortisol levels also and ether stress resulted in a very large increase of cortisolemia. In rabbits caught in ther habitat however, cortisol concentrations were always extremely high throughout the year, probably due to stressing conditions. Interestingly, wild rabbits of Zembra island appear to subsist from a very remote past without any contact with other strains. As to Zembra, it is a hardly get-at-able, uninhabited island which is a part of a strictly protected natural reserve and constitutes a fairly useful and valuable ecosystem.     

A comparative analysis of the proteins from a cell culture and from field plants of the ecdysteroid producer Serratula coronata L.]

Differences in the composition and amount of proteins synthesized in the cell culture and leaves of field plants Serratula coronata have been shown. They proceed from differences in intensity of synthesis of secondary metabolites, ecdysteroids, whose content in the cell culture is considerably lower.     

Wading through the swamp: what does tropical peatland restoration mean to national‐level stakeholders in Indonesia?

Ecological restoration is considered to play an important role in mitigating climate change, protecting biodiversity, and preventing environmental degradation. Yet, there are often multiple perspectives on what outcomes restoration should be aiming to achieve, and how we should get to that point. In this study we interview a range of policymakers, academics, and non‐governmental organization (NGO) representatives to explore the range of perspectives on the restoration of Indonesia's tropical peatlands—key global ecosystems that have undergone large‐scale degradation. Thematic analysis suggests that participants agreed about the importance of restoration, but had differing opinions on how effective restoration activities to date have been and what a restored peatland landscape should look like. These results exemplify how ecological restoration can mean different things to different people, but also highlight important areas of consensus for moving forward with peatland restoration strategies.     

Bacillus cereus adhesion: Real time investigation of the effect on the chemistry of industrial stainless steel

The initial microorganism adhesion on substrate is an important step for the biofilm formation. The surface properties of the stainless steel and B. cereus were characterized by the sessile drop technique. Moreover, the physicochemical properties of surface adhesion and the impact of bio adhesion to the stainless steel were determined at different time of contact (2, 4, 7, 9 and 24 h). The results showed that the strain was hydrophilic (Giwi = 3.37 mJ/m²), whereas the substratum has hydrophobic character (Giwi = ?57.6 mJ/m²). Stainless steel surface presents a weak electron-donor character (γ^? = 4.1 mJ/m²) conversely to B. cereus that presents an important parameter (γ^? = 31.6 mJ/m²). The bio adhesion was investigated at different time of contact. The data analysis after 2 h, confirmed the adhesion of B. cereus with an amount of 10 cfu/cm² which increased to 1.210⁴ cfu/cm² after 24 h. Interestingly, despite the difference of hydropohbicity, the interaction between B. cereus and substratum was favored by the thermodynamic aspect of adhesion (ΔG_adhesion < 0). Interestingly, the study of the effect of B. cereus adhesion on the stainless steel has revealed that, the substratum becomes hydrophilic (θ° = 41.3, ΔGiwi = 39.6 mJ/m²) and highly electron donor (Γ^? = 52.9 mJ/m²) after 2 h of bio adhesion.     

Land use impacts on freshwater regulation, erosion regulation, and water purification: a spatial approach for a global scale level

Purpose

Rarely considered in environmental assessment methods, potential land use impacts on a series of ecosystem services must be accounted for in widely used decision-making tools such as life cycle assessment (LCA). The main goal of this study is to provide an operational life cycle impact assessment characterization method that addresses land use impacts at a global scale by developing spatially differentiated characterization factors (CFs) and assessing the extent of their spatial variability using different regionalization levels.

Methods

The proposed method follows the recommendations of previous work and falls within the framework and principles for land use impact assessment established by the United Nations Environment Programme/Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry Life Cycle Initiative. Based on the spatial approach suggested by Saad et al. (Int J Life Cycle Assess 16: 198–211, 2011), the intended impact pathways that are modeled pertain to impacts on ecosystem services damage potential and focus on three major ecosystem services: (1) erosion regulation potential, (2) freshwater regulation potential, and (3) water purification potential. Spatially-differentiated CFs were calculated for each biogeographic region of all three regionalization scale (Holdridge life regions, Holdridge life zones, and terrestrial biomes) along with a nonspatial world average level. In addition, seven land use types were assessed considering both land occupation and land transformation interventions.

Results and discussion

A comprehensive analysis of the results indicates that, when compared to all resolution schemes, the world generic averaged CF can deviate for various ecosystem types. In the case of groundwater recharge potential impacts, this range varied up to factors of 7, 4.7, and 3 when using the Holdridge life zones, the Holdridge regions, and the terrestrial biomes regionalization levels, respectively. This validates the importance of introducing a regionalized assessment and highlights how a finer scale increases the level of detail and consequently the discriminating power across several biogeographic regions, which could not have been captured using a coarser scale. In practice, the implementation of such regionalized CFs suggests that an LCA practitioner must identify the ecosystem in which land occupation or transformation activities occur in addition to the traditional inventory data required—namely, the land use activity and the inventory flow.

Conclusions

The variability of CFs across all three regionalization levels provides an indication of the uncertainty linked to nonspatial CFs. Among other assumptions and value choices made throughout the study, the use of ecological borders over political boundaries was deemed more relevant to the interpretation of environmental issues related to specific functional ecosystem behaviors.     

N-(2-hydroxyphenyl)acetamide and its gold nanoparticle conjugation prevent glycerol-induced acute kidney injury by attenuating inflammation and oxidative injury in mice

Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry - The protective activity of N-(2-hydroxyphenyl)acetamide (NA-2) and NA-2-coated gold nanoparticles (NA-2-AuNPs) in glycerol-treated model of acute kidney injury...     

Heavy metals in the Rosetta estuary of the Nile and the adjoining Mediterranean waters: evidence of removal of dissolved heavy metals from waters as a result of possible binding to suspended matter

The Rosetta estuary was partially separated from the Rosetta branch of the Nile by Edfina Barrage, which controls the Nile discharge into the Mediterranean Sea. The study area covers the Rosetta estuary (lotic environment) and the adjoining seawaters (lentic environment) to investigate the local and seasonal distribution of dissolved and particulate copper and zinc, as well as dissolved cadmium in this estuary and to illustrate its influence on the distribution of these metal forms in the inshore seawaters. Besides, emphasis on the removal of dissolved heavy metals from waters by their adsorption onto suspended matter (SM) was also considered. Contrary to particulate copper (PCu), the vertical values of dissolved copper (DCu) decreased generally with depth. Planktonic scavenging and regeneration processes might determine the vertical profiles of the copper forms. The copper data suggest that the surface sources of DCu exceeded the bottom sources, contrary to the sources of PCu. The markedly high and maximum seasonal averages of DCu in the estuary and inshore seawater in July inspite of the high uptake in summer possibly reflect higher amounts of humic materials. The lowest seasonal average value of DCu in the inshore seawater in January suggests removal of copper in presence of maximum value of SM during highest discharge. The highest regional average of DCu at the estuarine mouth coincided with desorption process during mixing of the fresh and salt waters. The vertical values of dissolved zinc (DZn) and particulate zinc (PZn) showed irregular variations and their high concentrations in the surface of the estuarine and inshore seawater indicate possible land-based sources. The high bottom DZn values, however, resulted from its contribution from the interstitial water of the sediments. The data suggest that the surface sources of DZn exceeded the bottom sources and PZn showed the opposite trend in the open sea area. In the estuary, the maximum seasonal average value of DZn accompanied by the lowest seasonal average of PZn in April inspite of the high uptake in spring suggest that desorption was the dominant process. The minimum regional averages of both zinc forms at the estuarine opening and the highest average of PZn near Edfina Barage are correlated with the amounts of SM, which decreased toward the estuarine mouth. The vertical values of dissolved cadmium (DCd) were much lower in the estuary than the other metals. They showed in both environments irregular variations with depth. The bottom maximum value of DCd can be attributed mainly to contamination from the sediments. There was a distinct seasonal variation of DCd. The minimum seasonal average value of DCd in the estuary in April seems to be caused by its specific binding to living plankton found in abundance. The minimum regional average of DCd value was found at the estuarine mouth. The decrease in Cd concentration due to removal from dissolved state is most pronounced in the early stage of mixing. The correlation coefficients of DCd were positive with salinity and negative with SM, indicating that Cd increased seaward. Statistical correlation between Cd and Zn concludes that the factors affecting their distribution are generally the same.     

Function and quality of kidneys after cold storage, machine perfusion, or retrograde oxygen persufflation: Results from a porcine autotransplantation model

Objectives

Especially for preservation of marginal donor organs, machine perfusion (MP) and retrograde oxygen persufflation (ROP) are alternatives to cold storage (CS). Using a porcine kidney autotransplantation model we compared metabolic and morphologic effects of CS, ROP, and MP on kidneys exposed to warm ischemia.

Methods

Kidneys of 21 pigs were exposed in situ to warm ischemia for 60 min. The kidneys were randomly allocated to three experimental groups, each receiving a 4-h treatment of either cold storage, machine perfusion, or retrograde oxygen persufflation. Tissue samples were examined for malondialdehyde and histological changes. Daily blood samples were examined for creatinine levels.

Results

Seven days after transplantation, the plasma creatinine levels in the CS and MP groups were still significantly elevated above the baseline values. In the ROP group, all animals exhibited nearly normal creatinine levels. Malondialdehyde, an indicator of lipidperoxidation, was dramatically increased in the machine perfused kidneys on day 7, whereas the malondialdehyde levels in the other two groups were near normal values. The MP kidneys exhibited the most striking histological changes.

Conclusion

Though MP has been well introduced in organ transplantation, in our opinion, it must still be optimized and standardized. It is necessary to clarify questions such as whether there is a need for oxygenation during perfusion, the length of perfusion, the impact of pressure, and the effects of additional scavengers. The results of the present study suggest the reconsideration of the ROP-technique for the preservation of predamaged donor grafts especially of NHBD and further studies, comparing MP and ROP upon long term preservation are strongly encouraged.