Direct and indirect effects of pesticide exposure on the gut microbiota of a farmland raptor.

Recent studies in humans have shown that certain pesticides could affect the composition and functions of the gut microbiota, an essential modulator of vertebrate physiology, leading to potential dysbiosis. However, this relationship remains largely unknown in wild birds despite the implications of pesticides in the current decline of farmland species. The present study sought to fill this gap by providing data on the association between pesticide concentrations in blood and gut microbiota characteristics in relation to individual traits in a farmland raptor, the Montagu's harrier (Circus pygargus).

Organic compounds in valley fogwater in North and Mount Lebanon during COVID-19 period.

Caltech Active Strand Cloudwater collectors are used to collect valley fog samples from Mount and North-Lebanon during 2021 for the speciation of organic matter for the first time ever. Numerous compounds including pesticides, phenols, acids, and persistent organic pollutants such as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), organochlorine pesticides (OCPs), and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) have been identified in fogwater samples. They are extracted using the liquid-liquid extraction performed on the XTR chromabond columns.

Timing and Graded BMP Signalling Determines Fate of Neural Crest and Ectodermal Placode Derivatives from Pluripotent Stem Cells.

Pluripotent stem cells (PSCs) offer many potential research and clinical benefits due to their ability to differentiate into nearly every cell type in the body. They are often used as model systems to study early stages of ontogenesis to better understand key developmental pathways, as well as for drug screening. However, in order to fully realise the potential of PSCs and their translational applications, a deeper understanding of developmental pathways, especially in humans, is required.

First evidence of age-dependent decreases in non-persistent pesticide mixtures in nestlings of a farmland raptor.

Intensive use of synthetic pesticides in conventional agriculture may harm non-target organisms through sublethal effects on life-history traits. Farmland birds are exposed throughout their life cycle, but the fate of non-persistent pesticide mixtures in wild birds remains unknown. In this study, we investigated changes in pesticide contamination levels in Montagu's harrier (Circus pygargus) nestlings during their growth.

Comparison of pesticide contamination between captive-reared and wild grey partridges: insights into environmental exposure disparities.

Pesticide contamination is often cited as a key factor in the global decline of farmland birds. However, the majority of studies on pesticide exposure in non-target fauna are not representative of what happens in nature because they are limited to artificial conditions. The aim of this study was to define and compare, for the first time, pesticide contamination in grey partridges (Perdix perdix) from two different contexts, i.

Synthesis and Characterization of Novel Adsorbents Based on Functionalization of Graphene Oxide with Schiff Base and Reduced Schiff Base for Pesticide Removal.

Graphene oxide (GO) nanosheets were functionalized with Schiff base and reduced Schiff base. Covalent and non-covalent functionalized GO nanostructures have been tested for the removal of pesticides with different chemical structures and properties (e.g.

Deciphering the circulating microRNA signature of hemophilic arthropathy.

Background: Haemophilic arthropathy (HArt) is a serious complication in patients with hemophilia. Early diagnosis and treatment are essential to minimise the development of HArt. The use of biomarkers may improve early diagnosis of HArt.

Pesticide occurrence and distribution in fogwater collected at four sites at Strasbourg metropolitan between 2015 and 2021.

The presence of pesticides in fogwater plays a major role in accumulating relatively substantial levels of trace compounds due to their unique physico-chemical characteristics. The radiation wintertime fog in Alsace has been studied in the past few years (between 2015 and 2021) at four sites (Geispolsheim, Erstein, Strasbourg, and Cronenbourg). Fog samples are extracted using the liquid-liquid extraction (LLE) performed on the XTR Chromabond cartridge coupled with gas/liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (GC-MS/MS and LC-MS/MS).

Evaluation of circulating microRNA signature in patients with erosive hand osteoarthritis: The HOAmiR study.

Objectives: To identify circulating micro-RNAs differentially expressed in patients with erosive hand osteoarthritis (HOA) compared to patients with non-erosive HOA and patients without HOA.

Methods: In the screening phase, 768 well-characterized micro-RNAs using Taqman low-density array cards were measured in 30 sera from 10 patients with erosive HOA, 10 patients with non-erosive HOA, and 10 controls without HOA, matched for age and body mass index (BMI). In a second step, we validated the micro-RNAs identified at the screening phase (adjusted p value < 0.

Baseline DSB repair prediction of chronic rare Grade ≥ 3 toxicities induced by radiotherapy using classification algorithms.

Small fractions of patients suffer from radiotherapy late severe adverse events (AEs Grade ≥ 3), which are usually irreversible and badly affect their quality of life. A novel functional DNA repair assay characterizing several steps of double-strand break (DSB) repair mechanisms was used. DNA repair activities of peripheral blood mononuclear cells were monitored for 1 week using NEXT-SPOT assay in 177 breast and prostate cancer patients.

Radiolytic degradation of 1,2,4-trichlorobenzene (TCB) in some organic solvents by gamma rays: The kinetic properties of complete dechlorination of TCB and its pathway.

This study investigates the degradation of TCB in methanol, ethanol, hexane, and benzene solutions using gamma radiolysis. Kinetic properties of TCB dechlorination and its pathway are examined, with TCB selected as a representative chlorinated organic compound. Chromatograms of irradiated samples and mass spectra of liquid-phase products are presented.

Bioarchaeology aids the cultural understanding of six characters in search of their agency (Tarquinia, ninth-seventh century BC, central Italy).

Etruria contained one of the great early urban civilisations in the Italian peninsula during the first millennium BC, much studied from a cultural, humanities-based, perspective, but relatively little with scientific data, and rarely in combination. We have addressed the unusual location of twenty inhumations found in the sacred heart of the Etruscan city of Tarquinia, focusing on six of these as illustrative, contrasting with the typical contemporary cremations found in cemeteries on the edge of the city. The cultural evidence suggests that the six skeletons were also distinctive in their ritualization and memorialisation.

Biomolecular evidence reveals mares and long-distance imported horses sacrificed by the last pagans in temperate Europe.

Horse sacrifice and deposition are enigmatic features of funerary rituals identified across prehistoric Europe that persisted in the eastern Baltic. Genetic and isotopic analysis of horses in Balt cemeteries [1st to 13th centuries CE (Common Era)] dismantle prevailing narratives that locally procured stallions were exclusively selected. Strontium isotope analysis provides direct evidence for long-distance (~300 to 1500 kilometers) maritime transport of Fennoscandian horses to the eastern Baltic in the Late Viking Age (11th to 13th centuries CE).

Organic farming reduces pesticide load in a bird of prey.

Human activities have led to the contamination of all environmental compartments worldwide, including bird species. In birds, both the environment and maternal transfer lead to high inter-brood variability in contamination levels of pollutants, whereas intra-brood variability is generally low. However, most existing studies focused on heavy metals or persistent compounds and none, to our knowledge, addressed the variability in contamination levels of multiple pesticides and the factors influencing it.

Association of circulating hsa-miRNAs with sarcopenia: the SarcoPhAge study.

Objective: To identify a microRNA signature associated to sarcopenia in community-dwelling older adults form the SarcoPhAge cohort.

Methods: In a screening phase by next generation sequencing (NGS), we compared the hsa-miRome expression of 18 subjects with sarcopenia (79.6 ± 6.

AlphaFold2-guided description of CoBaHMA, a novel family of bacterial domains within the heavy-metal-associated superfamily.

Three-dimensional (3D) structure information, now available at the proteome scale, may facilitate the detection of remote evolutionary relationships in protein superfamilies. Here, we illustrate this with the identification of a novel family of protein domains related to the ferredoxin-like superfold, by combining (i) transitive sequence similarity searches, (ii) clustering approaches, and (iii) the use of AlphaFold2 3D structure models. Domains of this family were initially identified in relation with the intracellular biomineralization of calcium carbonates by Cyanobacteria.

Biomonitoring of PAHs and PCBs in industrial, suburban, and rural areas using snails as sentinel organisms.

There is a worldwide concern about the presence of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in the environment because of their toxicity, bioaccumulation, and resistance to degradation. Various conventional monitoring techniques have been used to assess their presence in diverse environmental compartments. Most currently available methods, however, have limitations with regards to long-term monitoring.

The name of the game: palaeoproteomics and radiocarbon dates further refine the presence and dispersal of caprines in eastern and southern Africa.

We report the first large-scale palaeoproteomics research on eastern and southern African zooarchaeological samples, thereby refining our understanding of early caprine (sheep and goat) pastoralism in Africa. Assessing caprine introductions is a complicated task because of their skeletal similarity to endemic wild bovid species and the sparse and fragmentary state of relevant archaeological remains. Palaeoproteomics has previously proved effective in clarifying species attributions in African zooarchaeological materials, but few comparative protein sequences of wild bovid species have been available.

A new model of axon degeneration in the mouse optic nerve using repeat intraocular pressure challenge.

We characterize a new experimental model for inducing retinal ganglion cell (RGC) dysfunction and degeneration in mice. C57BL/6J mice were subjected to two acute periods of intraocular pressure (IOP) elevation (50 mmHg for 30 min) by cannulation of the anterior chamber. We used full-field electroretinography and visual evoked potentials (VEPs) to measure subsequent changes in retina and optic nerve function, and histochemical techniques to assess RGC survival and optic nerve structure.

Dysregulation of MicroRNAs in Adult Osteogenesis Imperfecta: The miROI Study.

As epigenetic regulators of gene expression, circulating micro-RiboNucleic Acids (miRNAs) have been described in several bone diseases as potential prognostic markers. The aim of our study was to identify circulating miRNAs potentially associated with the severity of osteogenesis imperfecta (OI) in three steps. We have screened by RNA sequencing for the miRNAs that were differentially expressed in sera of a small group of OI patients versus controls and then conducted a validation phase by RT-qPCR analysis of sera of a larger patient population.

Earth's evolving geodynamic regime recorded by titanium isotopes.

Earth's mantle has a two-layered structure, with the upper and lower mantle domains separated by a seismic discontinuity at about 660 km (refs. ). The extent of mass transfer between these mantle domains throughout Earth's history is, however, poorly understood.

Statement of the Scientific Panel on Plant Protection Products and their Residues (PPR Panel) on the design and conduct of groundwater monitoring studies supporting groundwater exposure assessments of pesticides.

Groundwater monitoring is the highest tier in the leaching assessment of plant protection products in the EU. The European Commission requested EFSA for a review by the PPR Panel of the scientific paper of Gimsing et al. (2019) on the design and conduct of groundwater monitoring studies.

Serum Col3-4: A new type III and IV collagen biochemical marker of synovial tissue turnover in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.

The objective of this study was to develop a serum biochemical marker of the degradation of type III and IV collagens, as an index of synovium turnover, and evaluate its performance in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for serum synovial collagen fragments (Col3-4) was developed using an antibody recognizing a specific sequence from human type III collagen, which shares 70% homology with type IV collagen. Immunohistochemistry was performed to localize Col3-4 and the matrix metalloprotease MMP-9 which is upregulated in RA synovial fibroblasts in the synovial tissue from a RA patient.

Matrix stiffness regulates tumor cell intravasation through expression and ESRP1-mediated alternative splicing of MENA.

During intravasation, cancer cells cross the endothelial barrier and enter the circulation. Extracellular matrix stiffening has been correlated with tumor metastatic potential; however, little is known about the effects of matrix stiffness on intravasation. Here, we utilize in vitro systems, a mouse model, specimens from patients with breast cancer, and RNA expression profiles from The Cancer Genome Atlas Program (TCGA) to investigate the molecular mechanism by which matrix stiffening promotes tumor cell intravasation.