Upadacitinib induction is effective and safe in ulcerative colitis patients including those with prior exposure to tofacitinib: a multicenter real-world cohort study.

Background/aims: Upadacitinib is a novel selective Janus kinase inhibitor approved for use in ulcerative colitis. Clinical trials had rigorous criteria and excluded many patient subgroups. Given limited real-world effectiveness data, we examined outcomes of patients treated with upadacitinib for ulcerative colitis in a real-world population.

Ecological restoration and rewilding: two approaches with complementary goals?

As we enter the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration (2021-2030) and address the urgent need to protect and restore ecosystems and their ecological functions at large scales, rewilding has been brought into the limelight. Interest in this discipline is thus increasing, with a large number of conceptual scientific papers published in recent years. Increasing enthusiasm has led to discussions and debates in the scientific community about the differences between ecological restoration and rewilding.

Audience Response to Research-Based Theater on the Societal Impact of COVID-19.

Purpose: Research-based theater uses drama to communicate research findings to audiences beyond those that typically read peer-reviewed journals. We applied research-based theater to translate qualitative research findings on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on different segments of U.S.

Do plant traits help to design green walls for urban air pollution control? A short review of scientific evidences and knowledge gaps.

It is often claimed that green walls (GW) and living wall systems (LWS) have a positive effect on urban air pollution problems if their plants composition is optimal (design of the LWS). An in-depth review of the knowledge on plants traits maximizing GW effects on air pollution shows that these might be hasty conclusions: there are still some important knowledge gaps. Robust conclusions can only be drawn for particulate matter (PM): the other pollutants are not analyzed by a sufficient number of studies.

An Extremes of Phenotype Approach Confirms Significant Genetic Heterogeneity in Patients with Ulcerative Colitis.

Background And Aims: Ulcerative colitis [UC] is a major form of inflammatory bowel disease globally. Phenotypic heterogeneity is defined by several variables including age of onset and disease extent. The genetics of disease severity remains poorly understood.

A shift from phenol to silica-based leaf defences during long-term soil and ecosystem development.

The resource availability hypothesis predicts that plants adapted to infertile soils have high levels of anti-herbivore leaf defences. This hypothesis has been mostly explored for secondary metabolites such as phenolics, whereas it remains underexplored for silica-based defences. We determined leaf concentrations of total phenols and silicon (Si) in plants growing along the 2-million-year Jurien Bay chronosequence, exhibiting an extreme gradient of soil fertility.

Floristic evidence for alternative biome states in tropical Africa.

The idea that tropical forest and savanna are alternative states is crucial to how we manage these biomes and predict their future under global change. Large-scale empirical evidence for alternative stable states is limited, however, and comes mostly from the multimodal distribution of structural aspects of vegetation. These approaches have been criticized, as structure alone cannot separate out wetter savannas from drier forests for example, and there are also technical challenges to mapping vegetation structure in unbiased ways.

Plants sustain the terrestrial silicon cycle during ecosystem retrogression.

The biogeochemical silicon cycle influences global primary productivity and carbon cycling, yet changes in silicon sources and cycling during long-term development of terrestrial ecosystems remain poorly understood. Here, we show that terrestrial silicon cycling shifts from pedological to biological control during long-term ecosystem development along 2-million-year soil chronosequences in Western Australia. Silicon availability is determined by pedogenic silicon in young soils and recycling of plant-derived silicon in old soils as pedogenic pools become depleted.

Vedolizumab for ulcerative colitis: Real world outcomes from a multicenter observational cohort of Australia and Oxford.

Background: Vedolizumab (VDZ), a humanised monoclonal antibody that selectively inhibits integrins is approved for use in adult moderate to severe ulcerative colitis (UC) patients.

Aim: To assess the efficacy and safety of VDZ in the real-world management of UC in a large multicenter cohort involving two countries and to identify predictors of achieving remission.

Methods: A retrospective review of Australian and Oxford, United Kingdom data for UC patients.

Loss of pollinator specialization revealed by historical opportunistic data: Insights from network-based analysis.

We are currently facing a large decline in bee populations worldwide. Who are the winners and losers? Generalist bee species, notably those able to shift their diet to new or alternative floral resources, are expected to be among the least vulnerable to environmental change. However, studies of interactions between bees and plants over large temporal and geographical scales are limited by a lack of historical records.

Topsoil translocation in extensively managed arable field margins promotes plant species richness and threatened arable plant species.

Since the 1950s, agriculture has intensified drastically, which has led to a significant biodiversity decline on arable lands. This decline was especially dramatic for segetal plant species, the specialist species of cereal fields. Due to the low population density and poor dispersal abilities of many segetal species, the recovery of species-rich fields may fail even though the environmental conditions are suitable.

The influence of ecological infrastructures adjacent to crops on their carabid assemblages in intensive agroecosystems.

Background: Conserving biodiversity and enhancing ecosystem services of interest in intensive agroecosystems is a major challenge. Perennial ecological infrastructures (EIs), such as hedges and grassy strips, and annual EI under Agri-Environment Schemes appear to be good candidates to promote both. Our study focused on carabids, an indicator group responding both at the species and functional trait level to disturbances and supporting pest control and weed seed consumption services.

Comment on "The global tree restoration potential".

Bastin 's estimate (Reports, 5 July 2019, p. 76) that tree planting for climate change mitigation could sequester 205 gigatonnes of carbon is approximately five times too large. Their analysis inflated soil organic carbon gains, failed to safeguard against warming from trees at high latitudes and elevations, and considered afforestation of savannas, grasslands, and shrublands to be restoration.

Management of Grassland-like Wildflower Strips Sown on Nutrient-rich Arable Soils: The Role of Grass Density and Mowing Regime.

Wildflower strips (WS) are proposed in many European countries as a strategy to enhance biodiversity and ecosystem services in arable fields. To create and maintain WS on nutrient-rich cultivated soils reveals challenging. Flowered species may be outcompeted by grasses due to high phosphorus content in soil.

Resilience and restoration of tropical and subtropical grasslands, savannas, and grassy woodlands.

Despite growing recognition of the conservation values of grassy biomes, our understanding of how to maintain and restore biodiverse tropical grasslands (including savannas and open-canopy grassy woodlands) remains limited. To incorporate grasslands into large-scale restoration efforts, we synthesised existing ecological knowledge of tropical grassland resilience and approaches to plant community restoration. Tropical grassland plant communities are resilient to, and often dependent on, the endogenous disturbances with which they evolved - frequent fires and native megafaunal herbivory.

Performance of risk prediction for inflammatory bowel disease based on genotyping platform and genomic risk score method.

Background: Predicting risk of disease from genotypes is being increasingly proposed for a variety of diagnostic and prognostic purposes. Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have identified a large number of genome-wide significant susceptibility loci for Crohn's disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC), two subtypes of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Recent studies have demonstrated that including only loci that are significantly associated with disease in the prediction model has low predictive power and that power can substantially be improved using a polygenic approach.

Infliximab vs. adalimumab in Crohn's disease: results from 327 patients in an Australian and New Zealand observational cohort study.

Background: Maintenance anti-tumour necrosis factor-α (anti-TNFα) treatment for Crohn's disease is the standard of care for patients with an inadequate response to corticosteroids and immunomodulators.

Aim: To compare the efficacy and safety of infliximab and adalimumab in clinical practice and assess the value of concomitant immunomodulator therapy.

Methods: We performed an observational cohort study in consecutive patients with Crohn's disease qualifying for anti-TNFα treatment in Australia and New Zealand between 2007 and 2011.

Copper and cobalt accumulation in plants: a critical assessment of the current state of knowledge.

This review synthesizes contemporary understanding of copper-cobalt (Cu-Co) tolerance and accumulation in plants. Accumulation of foliar Cu and Co to > 300 μg g is exceptionally rare globally, and known principally from the Copperbelt of Central Africa. Cobalt accumulation is also observed in a limited number of nickel (Ni) hyperaccumulator plants occurring on ultramafic soils around the world.

Rare case of sclerosing mesenteritis and low grade follicular lymphoma.

An unusual case of long standing sclerosing mesenteritis; initially presented with recurrent abdominal pain and a mesenteric mass with surrounding fat oedema and stranding with a pseudocapsule and fat ring sign were clearly visualised on the initial computed tomography scan. Laparotomy showed diffuse thickening at the root of the mesentery and histology from this specimen revealed fat necrosis and reactive lymphoid tissue consistent with sclerosing mesenteritis. Initial treatment with steroids and tamoxifen relieved the symptoms and the mass.

Comparison of translocation methods to conserve metallophyte communities in the Southeastern D.R. Congo.

In southeastern Democratic Republic of Congo, unique metallophyte communities supporting numerous endemic species occurred on the highly mineralized copper cobalt (Cu-Co) hills throughout the province. These hills are economically valuable mineral reserves; mining activities represent therefore a threat to the long-term persistence of these communities. Ex situ conservation program was set up by a mining company to rescue and conserve the diversity of Cu-Co communities until restoration activities are initiated.

Potential of copper-tolerant grasses to implement phytostabilisation strategies on polluted soils in South D. R. Congo : Poaceae candidates for phytostabilisation.

Phytostabilisation (i.e. using plants to immobilise contaminants) represents a well-known technology to hamper heavy metal spread across landscapes.

Developing biodiversity indicators on a stakeholders' opinions basis: the gypsum industry Key Performance Indicators framework.

This study aims to establish a common Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) framework for reporting about the gypsum industry biodiversity at the European level. In order to integrate different opinions and to reach a consensus framework, an original participatory process approach has been developed among different stakeholder groups: Eurogypsum, European and regional authorities, university scientists, consulting offices, European and regional associations for the conservation of nature, and the extractive industry. The strategy is developed around four main steps: (1) building of a maximum set of indicators to be submitted to stakeholders based on the literature (Focus Group method); (2) evaluating the consensus about indicators through a policy Delphi survey aiming at the prioritization of indicator classes using the Analytic Hierarchy Process method (AHP) and of individual indicators; (3) testing acceptability and feasibility through analysis of Environmental Impact Assessments (EIAs) and visits to three European quarries; (4) Eurogypsum final decision and communication.

Vegetative regeneration capacities of five ornamental plant invaders after shredding.

Vegetation management often involves shredding to dispose of cut plant material or to destroy the vegetation itself. In the case of invasive plants, this can represent an environmental risk if the shredded material exhibits vegetative regeneration capacities. We tested the effect of shredding on aboveground and below-ground vegetative material of five ornamental widespread invaders in Western Europe that are likely to be managed by cutting and shredding techniques: Buddleja davidii (butterfly bush, Scrophulariaceae), Fallopia japonica (Japanese knotweed, Polygonaceae), Spiraea × billardii Hérincq (Billard's bridewort, Rosaceae), Solidago gigantea (giant goldenrod, Asteraceae), and Rhus typhina L.