Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci
January 2025
Adaptation to climate change is a social-ecological process: it is not solely a result of natural processes or human decisions but emerges from multiple relations within social systems, within ecological systems and between them. We propose a novel analytical framework to evaluate social-ecological relations in nature-based adaptation, encompassing social (people-people), ecological (nature-nature) and social-ecological (people-nature) relations. Applying this framework to 25 case studies, we analyse the associations among these relations and identify archetypes of social-ecological adaptation.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Mating disruption (MD) is a worthwhile technique for the control of and in central Europe and Mediterranean areas. MD efficacy is affected by the pheromone release (PR), which in turn is influenced by environmental conditions.
Methods: The effect of weather conditions on PR was evaluated under four different fields in northern Italy.
The surface behaviours of humpback whales were studied in the presence of a whale-watching vessel at Nosy Be (Madagascar) during whale-watching activities, in order to characterise the ethogram of these animals. Data were collected from July to October 2018. Of the 75 total trips, humpback whales were observed 68 times and different types of aggregations were observed: Groups (33.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe increasing availability of coarse-scale climate simulations and the need for ready-to-use high-resolution variables drive the climate community to the challenge of reducing computational resources and time for downscaling purposes. To this end, statistical downscaling is gaining interest as a potential strategy for integrating high-resolution climate information obtained through dynamical downscaling over limited years, providing a clear understanding of the gains and losses in combining dynamical and statistical downscaling. In this regard, several questions can be raised: (i) what is the performance of statistical downscaling, assuming dynamical downscaling as a reference over a shared time window; (ii) how much the performance of statistical downscaling is affected by changes in the number of years available for training; (iii) how does the climate normal considered for the training affect the predictions.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSour rot (SR) is a grapevine disease complex that is not completely understood in its etiology and epidemiology. Recently, SR has received special attention due to its increasing economic importance due to crop losses and reduced wine quality. In this study, the fungal and bacterial microbiota of healthy (i.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWalnut blight, caused by Xanthomonas arboricola pv. juglandis (Xaj), occurs worldwide in almost all areas where the Persian walnut (Juglans regia) is grown, causing significant reductions in nut yield via defoliation and fruit drop. The disease control relies on the calendar-based, repeated use of chemical bactericides, negatively impacting economic and environmental sustainability and potentially inducing Xaj resistance to chemicals.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPolymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based assays were widely deployed during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic for population-scale testing. High-throughput molecular diagnostic laboratories required a high degree of process automation to cope with huge testing demands, fast turnaround times, and quality requirements. However, process developers and optimizers often neglected the critical step of preparing a PCR Master Mix.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIn this pilot study, a multi-parametric analysis comparing immune responses in sera of adult healthy subjects (HS) or people with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2D) undergoing the single or simultaneous administration of mRNA-based COVID-19 and cellular quadrivalent inactivated influenza vaccines was conducted. While SARS-CoV-2 antibodies remains comparable, influenza antibody titers and seroconversion were significantly higher upon simultaneous vaccination. Magnitude of anti-influenza humoral response closely correlated with an early innate immune signature, previously described for the COVID-19 vaccine, composed of IL-15, IL-6, TNF-α, IFN-γ, CXCL-10 and here extended also to acute-phase protein Pentraxin 3.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPhomopsis cane and leaf spot (PCLS) disease, affecting grapevines ( and spp.), has been historically associated with . Typical disease symptoms, comprising bleaching and black pycnidia, have also been associated with other spp.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective: SARS-CoV-2 vaccination can bring an important benefit for older people in terms of reduction of mortality and hospitalization; however, reports of rare adverse effects like altered consciousness and delirium among this demographic have raised concerns. This study aimed to assess delirium incidence post-SARS-CoV-2 vaccination and its predictors in older residents across 60 Italian long-term care facilities (LTCFs).
Design: This is a prospective cohort study considering data from GeroCovid Vax, a multicenter cohort study jointly performed by the Italian Society of Gerontology and Geriatrics (SIGG) (Florence, Italy) and the Italian National Institute of Health (Istituto Superiore di Sanità-ISS, Rome, Italy), and sponsored by the Italian Medicines Agency (Agenzia Italiana del Farmaco-AIFA).
Ecosystem restoration is inherently a complex activity with inevitable tradeoffs in environmental and societal outcomes. These tradeoffs can potentially be large when policies and practices are focused on single outcomes versus joint achievement of multiple outcomes. Few studies have assessed the tradeoffs in Nature's Contributions to People (NCP) and the distributional equity of NCP from forest restoration strategies.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSour rot (SR) is one of the major diseases affecting grapevine berries, causing severe yield losses and deterioration of wine quality. SR is caused by an etiologic complex of microorganisms, including yeasts, bacteria, and filamentous fungi. This systematic review focuses on the etiology, epidemiology, and control of SR.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEndothelial dysfunction is a crucial event in the early pathogenesis of cardiovascular diseases and is linked to magnesium (Mg) deficiency. Indeed, in endothelial cells, low Mg levels promote the acquisition of a pro-inflammatory and pro-atherogenic phenotype. This paper investigates the mechanisms by which Mg deficiency promotes oxidative stress and affects endothelial behavior in human umbilical vascular endothelial cells (HUVECs).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Biocontrol agents (BCAs) are alternatives to synthetic fungicides with low risk to the environment and human health. Although several studies on the biocontrol of gray mold in vineyards have been performed, it is necessary to improve the usage of BCAs in fields conditions. Therefore, in the present study, BCAs were used both in calendar-based [based on four growth stages (GSs), i.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFInnate immune responses to coronavirus infections are highly cell specific. Tissue-resident macrophages, which are infected by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in patients but are inconsistently infected in vitro, exert critical but conflicting effects by secreting both antiviral type I interferons (IFNs) and tissue-damaging inflammatory cytokines. Steroids, the only class of host-targeting drugs approved for the treatment of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), indiscriminately suppress both responses, possibly impairing viral clearance.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground And Objective: Polypharmacy is common in older adults, particularly among those living in long-term care facilities. This condition represents a marker of clinical complexity and might directly affect the immunological response. However, there are limited data on the association of polypharmacy with vaccine immunogenicity.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Oral tauroursodeoxycholic acid (TUDCA) is a commercial drug currently tested in patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) both singly and combined with sodium phenylbutyrate. This retrospective study aimed to investigate, in a real-world setting, whether TUDCA had an impact on the overall survival of patients with ALS who were treated with this drug compared to those patients who received standard care only.
Methods: This propensity score-matched study was conducted in the Emilia Romagna Region (Italy), which has had an ALS regional registry since 2009.
Plants (Basel)
September 2023
The growth of four commercial biocontrol agents (BCAs: (BAD), (APD), (MFN), and (TAS)) was evaluated using turbidimetric assays on artificial substrates mimicking the chemical berry composition at four stages: pea-sized berries, veraison, softening, and ripe berries. The response of BCA growth differed among BCAs. Subsequently, the BCAs' population size was assessed after 1 to 13 days of incubation on the substrate mimicking ripe berries at 15 to 35 °C.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEnvironmental pollution, particularly in the marine environment, has become a significant concern due to the increasing presence of pollutants and their adverse effects on ecosystems and human health. This study focuses on the bioaccumulation of trace elements in the muscle tissue of the blackmouth catshark () from different areas in the Mediterranean Sea. Trace elements are of interest due to their persistence, toxicity, and potential for bioaccumulation.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Limited evidence is available on the additional protection conferred by second mRNA vaccine boosters against severe COVID-19 caused by omicron BA.5 infection, and whether the adapted bivalent boosters provide additional protection compared with the monovalent ones. In this study, we aimed to estimate the relative effectiveness of a second booster with monovalent or bivalent mRNA vaccines against severe COVID-19 in Italy.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Numerous individual and organizational factors can influence the spread of SARS-CoV-2 infection in Long Term Care Facilities (LTCFs). A range of outbreak control measures are still implemented in most facilities involving administrations, staff, residents and their families. This study aims to evaluate which measure could influence the transmission of SARS-CoV-2 infection among residents during the period March 2021-June 2022.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMagnesium deficiency is associated with a greater risk of developing cardiovascular diseases since this cation is fundamental in regulating vascular function. This clinical evidence is sustained by in vitro studies showing that culturing endothelial cells in low concentrations of magnesium promotes the acquisition of a pro-oxidant and pro-inflammatory phenotype. Here, we show that the increase in reactive oxygen species in endothelial cells in low-magnesium-containing medium is due to the upregulation of the pro-oxidant protein thioredoxin interacting protein (TXNIP), with a consequent accumulation of lipid droplets and increase in endothelial permeability through the downregulation and relocalization of junctional proteins.
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