Challenging the Woodfuel Crisis in West African Woodlands

Fear of an upcoming woodfuel crisis caused by increasing woodfuel consumption in Bamako has had great influence on forestry policies aiming to reduce the impacts of urban woodfuel consumption. During the last 20 years, energy gap analyses—the relationship between supply and demand of woodfuels—have been produced by the government of Mali to prove the impacts of woodfuel consumption in Bamako on surrounding woodlands. This study evaluates the methodology and data used to describe this woodfuel crisis through a comparison with regional and historical data. The results of the energy gap analyses are challenged by using different estimates of woody resource availability and woodfuel consumption to create best and worst case scenarios. These show either high surpluses or high deficits with a difference of 2.7 million tons/yr. The woodfuel system of Bamako is highly dynamic and it is very difficult to evaluate its sustainability using a simple methodology such as the energy gap analysis. Trends over the last 20 years show a highly efficient woodfuel system that has adapted to changing circumstances, ensuring a continued affordable woodfuel supply for the urban residents. Better data on the productivity of West African woodlands and urban consumption are needed to avoid misinterpretations of the impacts of woodfuel harvesting on woody resources.     

Pathways involved in sunburn cell formation: deregulation in skin cancer.

The incidence of squamous cell carcinoma of the skin is rising worldwide for decades. Chronic exposure to sunlight is the most important environmental risk factor for this type of skin cancer. This is predominantly due to the DNA damaging effect of ultraviolet-B (UVB) in sunlight. UVB induces also sunburn cells, i.e. apoptotic keratinocytes, which is a crucial protective mechanism against the carcinogenic effects of UVB irradiation. This process is regulated by a wide range of molecular determinants involved in the balance between pro- and anti-apoptotic pathways. Growing evidence suggests that the deregulation of this balance by chronic UVB irradiation, contributes to the development of skin cancer. This review gives a brief summary of major known pathways involved in the regulation of keratinocyte survival and cell death upon UVB damage and discusses the contribution of the deregulation of these cascades to photocarcinogenesis.     

MLKL in cancer: more than a necroptosis regulator

Mixed lineage kinase domain-like protein (MLKL) emerged as executioner of necroptosis, a RIPK3-dependent form of regulated necrosis. Cell death evasion is one of the hallmarks of cancer. Besides apoptosis, some cancers suppress necroptosis-associated mechanisms by for example epigenetic silencing of RIPK3 expression. Conversely, necroptosis-elicited inflammation by cancer cells can fuel tumor growth. Recently, necroptosis-independent functions of MLKL were unraveled in receptor internalization, ligand-receptor degradation, endosomal trafficking, extracellular vesicle formation, autophagy, nuclear functions, axon repair, neutrophil extracellular trap (NET) formation, and inflammasome regulation. Little is known about the precise role of MLKL in cancer and whether some of these functions are involved in cancer development and metastasis. Here, we discuss current knowledge and controversies on MLKL, its structure, necroptosis-independent functions, expression, mutations, and its potential role as a pro- or anti-cancerous factor. Analysis of MLKL expression patterns reveals that MLKL is upregulated by type I/II interferon, conditions of inflammation, and tissue injury. Overall, MLKL may affect cancer development and metastasis through necroptosis-dependent and -independent functions.Subject terms: Cancer genomics, Prognostic markers     

High‐Quality Biobanks: Pivotal Assets for Reproducibility of OMICS‐Data in Biomedical Translational Research

Human biospecimen samples (HBS) and associated data stored in biobanks (also called “biotrusts,” “biorepositories,” or “biodistributors”) are very critical resources for translational research. As HBS quality is decisive to the reproducibility of research results, biobanks are also key assets for new developments in precision medicine. Biobanks are more than infrastructures providing HBS and associated data. Biobanks have pioneered in identifying and standardizing sources of preanalytical variations in HBS, thus paving the way for the current biospecimen science. To achieve this milestone, biobankers have successively assumed the role of “detective,” and then “architect,” to identify new detrimental impact of preanalytical variables on the tissue integrity. While standardized methods in omics are required to be practiced throughout research communities, the accepted best practices and standards on biospecimen handling are generally not known nor applied by researchers. Therefore, it is mandatory to raise the awareness within omics communities regarding not only the basic concepts of collecting, storing, and utilizing HBS today, but also to suggest insights on biobanking in the cancer omics context.