Abstract P5-20-05: Impact of type of (neo)adjuvant systemic therapy (AdjTx) and total exposure to trastuzumab (TET) on long-term outcome of HER2-positive (HER2+) early stage breast cancer (ESBrCa)

Background

Trastuzumab (T) administered for 12 months (mos) as part of a taxane (Tax)– or Tax+anthracycline (Anthra)–based AdjTx is the standard of care as (neo)AdjTx of HER2+ ESBrCa. Several prospective randomized trials have investigated a shorter duration of Adj T (i.e. 9 weeks or 6 mos) compared to standard 12 mos of T. However, the results have not been conclusive so far. The impact of administering non-Tax/non-Anthra-based AdjTx and single-agent T on long-term outcome of HER2+ ESBrCa is not fully known.

Methods

We conducted a retrospective analysis on a prospectively maintained departmental database of all patients (pts) with Stage I-III HER2+ ESBrCa treated with at least one dose of (neo)Adj T. Pre-planned duration of T was 12 mos for all pts. TTE was defined as the interval in weeks between the first and the last dose of T. In order to ensure that most pts had a minimum FU of 3 yrs we included all pts who received 1st T before March 31st 2014. The database was locked for outcome analyses on March 31st 2017.

Results

506 pts treated between October 2001 and March 2014 were included in the study. Main pts characteristics: median age: 55 years (range: 26-85), oestrogen (ER) and/or progesterone (PR) receptors positive: 321 (63%), axillary lymph nodes positive: 266 (52%), Adj T: 386 (76%), neoAdj T: 120 (24%), Tax- and Tax/Anthra–based AdjTx: 457 (90%), non-Tax/non-Anthra AdjTx and single-agent T (without chemotherapy): 49 (10%). Median FU is 73.3 months (range: 1.4-176.3). In the overall population, DFS and OS rates are 83% and 91%, respectively. Pts treated with non-Tax/non-Anthra AdjTx had a significantly higher risk of BrCa relapse [DFS: HR 3.54 (95%CI:1.24 to 10.06, p=0.018)], and death [OS: HR 2.73 (95%CI:0.63 to 11.77 p=0.176)] compared to those treated with Tax–based AdjTx (e.g. TCH [docetaxel/carboplatin/T]). Pts who received single-agent T also had highly significantly worse DFS [HR 4.21 (95%CI:2.18 to 8.38, p<0.0001)] and OS [HR 6.75 (95%CI:3.13 to 14.6 p=<0.0001)] compared to those treated with Tax-based AdjTx. When adjusted for age (<55 vs >55 yrs), the detrimental impact of type of AdjTx remained highly statistically significant (p<0.0001). Patients with TTE<24 weeks had a highly significantly worse DFS [HR 4.7 (95%CI:2.34-9.47, p<0.0001)] and OS [HR 5.36 (95%CI:2.39-12.01, p<0.0001)] compared to pts with TTE>24weeks. In most cases, shorter duration of T was due to reduction in LVEF or patients refusal. In the multivariate model, positive lymph nodes, type of (neo)AdjTx and TET (<24 weeks vs >24 weeks) remained all significant and independent variables associated with worse DFS and OS.

Conclusions

Our mature results indicate that the administration of non-Tax/non-Anthra-based AdjTx and single-agent T is associated with a significant increase in the risk of disease relapse and death and should not be considered as therapeutic options for pts with HER2+ ESBrCa. The administration of T for <24weeks irrespective of the type of AdjTx is also associated with significantly worse outcome.

Citation Format: Gullo G, Walsh N, Fennelly D, Walshe J, O'Mahony K, Silva N, Ballot J, Calzaferri G, Quinn C, McDonnell D, Crown J. Impact of type of (neo)adjuvant systemic therapy (AdjTx) and total exposure to trastuzumab (TET) on long-term outcome of HER2-positive (HER2+) early stage breast cancer (ESBrCa) [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2017 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium; 2017 Dec 5-9; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2018;78(4 Suppl):Abstract nr P5-20-05.

Species Distribution Modelling: Contrasting presence-only models with plot abundance data

Species distribution models (SDMs) are widely used in ecology and conservation. Presence-only SDMs such as MaxEnt frequently use natural history collections (NHCs) as occurrence data, given their huge numbers and accessibility. NHCs are often spatially biased which may generate inaccuracies in SDMs. Here, we test how the distribution of NHCs and MaxEnt predictions relates to a spatial abundance model, based on a large plot dataset for Amazonian tree species, using inverse distance weighting (IDW). We also propose a new pipeline to deal with inconsistencies in NHCs and to limit the area of occupancy of the species. We found a significant but weak positive relationship between the distribution of NHCs and IDW for 66% of the species. The relationship between SDMs and IDW was also significant but weakly positive for 95% of the species, and sensitivity for both analyses was high. Furthermore, the pipeline removed half of the NHCs records. Presence-only SDM applications should consider this limitation, especially for large biodiversity assessments projects, when they are automatically generated without subsequent checking. Our pipeline provides a conservative estimate of a species’ area of occupancy, within an area slightly larger than its extent of occurrence, compatible to e.g. IUCN red list assessments.

Abstract P5-14-12: Long-term outcome of HER2-normal early stage breast cancer (ESBC) patients (Pts) treated with docetaxel-cyclophosphamide (TC) chemotherapy (CTx): Mature results of a single-institution experience

BACKGROUND

Anthracycline(A)-containing regimens (AReg) became an established standard (neo)adj CTx for ESBC following fairly consistent demonstration of a modest superiority over older anti-metabolite/alkylating CTx. However, substantial translational data and a recently presented pooled analysis [Blum, 2016] suggest that this superiority could be largely driven by greater benefits in specific ESBC subgroups, i.e. HER2-altered BrCa (due to co-amplification of topoisomerase 2 and HER2), and triple-negative BrCa (TNBC). A are cardiotoxic (including late onset of cardiomyopathic congestive heart failure) and potentially leukaemogenic. In late 2006, following the results of the first USONC randomized clinical trial that showed superior outcomes of the non-AReg TC (docetaxel/cyclo­phosphamide) over AC, we established a routine, uniform policy of TC for all Pts receiving (neo)adj CTx for HER2-normal ESBC. We report the mature follow up of this single-institution unselected experience.

METHODS

We performed a retrospective outcome analysis of all Pts who received at least 1 cycle of (neo)adj TC (docetaxel 75 mg/m2 + cyclophosphamide 600 mg/m2 IV every 3 weeks) at our Department for HER2-normal ESBC and with at least 5 years of follow up (FU). Pts were identified by systematic analysis of the dataset of the Oncology Pharmacy Unit. Information on tumour characteristics [e.g. axillary lymph nodes (N) metastases, hormonal receptors (HR) and HER2 status] and Pts FU were retrieved and collected into an ad hoc designed database. Pts with node-positive (N+) ESBC received TC×6 cycles, and Pts with high-risk node-negative (N−) [e.g. primary tumour (T) >2 cm, or HRneg, or T >3 cm] ESBC received TC×4 cycles. Pts received adjuvant hormone therapy and radiotherapy as per standard of care. From 2008 on, many lower risk HR+/N− Pts were not given CTx due to OncotypeDx availability.

RESULTS

Between September 2006 and December 2015, 810 female HER2-normal ESBC Pts were treated with (neo)adj TC. In the final outcome analysis we included 464 Pts treated before June 2011 thus having a minimum FU of 5 years. Pts characteristics are: median age 53 yrs (range 30-77), N− 246 (53%), N+ 218 (47%), hormone receptors positive (HR+) 391 (84%), TNBC 73 (16%). The database was locked as of June 1st 2016. Median FU from first cycle of TC is 7.5 yrs (range 5.3-10). 63 BrCa-specific relapse events (defined as time to local, regional or distant recurrence, invasive contralateral breast cancer, excluding non-breast second primaries) have been observed, accounting for an overall Relapse-Free Survival (RFS) rate of 86.4%. 42 deaths have occurred, 36 (86%) due to BrCa, accounting for an Overall Survival (OS) rate of 91%. RFS and OS rates for the different Pts subgroups are reported in Table 1

Table 1 - Outcome parameters RFS (%)OS (%)All Pts8691HR+/N-9396HR+/N+8190TN/N-9191TN/N+5858

CONCLUSIONS

These mature data with long FU suggest that the outcome for a large cohort of unselected Pts with HER2-normal HR+ ESBC (regardless of nodal status) and for TN/N− ESBrCa treated with nonAReg TC is excellent. However, N+TN ESBrCa in this setting remains a significant clinical challenge.

Citation Format: Losurdo A, Gullo G, Buckley C, Lowry C, Ballot J, Silva N, Hammond L, Crown J. Long-term outcome of HER2-normal early stage breast cancer (ESBC) patients (Pts) treated with docetaxel-cyclophosphamide (TC) chemotherapy (CTx): Mature results of a single-institution experience [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2016 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium; 2016 Dec 6-10; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2017;77(4 Suppl):Abstract nr P5-14-12.

Incapacity to decide in liaison psychiatry: Analysis of sample of patients admitted in somatic departments of a general hospital

Introduction

Decision capacity (DC) is a complex construct, whose assessment poses huge challenges to Liaison Psychiatrist (LP).

Objectives/aims

Assess factors related to DC in patients with somatic disorders admitted in medical and surgical departments of a general hospital.

Methods

Clinical records of patients who were submitted to a DC assessment at Hospital Fernando Fonseca (Portugal), from 1st January 2012 to 31st December 2014 were retrospectively analysed. Collected data were statistically analysed with SPSS®. Univariable analysis was performed, in order to determine factors related to DC.

Results

Data from 35 patients subject to DC evaluation were considered, of whom 42.4% were considered unable to give consent to medical and/or surgical procedures. Most of these assessments were related to patients who refused treatment. Patients unable to decide were predominantly male and mainly affected by organic mental or neurocognitive disorders (P < 0.05). There were no statistical significant differences in the age of those considered able or unable to decide. After PL intervention, 40% of those considered unable to decide changed their decision. However, it was not significantly related to the ability to give consent.

Conclusions

Neurocognitive disorders are common diagnosis found in patients admitted in somatic departments with no DC. Frequent change in decision after LP intervention may reflect not only cognitive fluctuations, but also a possible influence of LP intervention on patients’ choices. Appropriate standardized measures are useful tools in assessing patients with cognitive impairment, reducing evaluation differences between professionals, and in order to increase LP decisions credibility.

Disclosure of interest

The authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.

Liver retransplantation in patients with acquired familial amyloid polyneuropathy: a Portuguese center experience

In 1995 Furtado et al performed the first domino transplantation using a donor liver with familial amyloid polyneuropathy (FAP), thereby increasing the pool of donors. Our experience showed that the onset of FAP symptoms occurs earlier in some patients. Patients with FAP acquired by transplantation are candidates for liver retransplantation to minimize the progression of symptoms. Liver retransplantation is considered to be a high-risk procedure and has lower survival compared with the first transplantation. We evaluated the risk of liver retransplantation in patients with acquired FAP. We did a retrospective analysis of these patients based on the records of perioperative data. From 1995 to 2004 we carried out 81 domino transplantations, of which 10 were submitted to liver retransplantation because of acquired FAP. The better outcomes in this group lead us to think that the liver retransplantation in patients with acquired FAP is not associated with the same risks of liver retransplantation in candidates with graft failure.

The lymphocyte-to-monocyte ratio: an added value for death prediction in heart failure

BACKGROUND AND AIM

Leukocytes and their subpopulation have been long implicated in the progression of the syndrome of heart failure (HF), especially heart infiltration cells. Previous reports have suggested that they can predict worse outcome in patients with HF, and can also affect the function of other cells and myocardial extracellular matrix remodeling process. However, the lymphocyte-to-monocyte ratio (LMR) and its possible value as prognostic marker have not been evaluated.

METHODS AND RESULTS

A total of 390 patients with acute HF were recruited and followed for 6 months. Their total blood count with leukocyte differential was obtained. Two groups were formed according to the endpoints of HF death and optimal cut-off value of LMR, and were compared. A multivariate Cox-regression model was used to establish the prognostic value with the endpoints of HF and all-cause mortality. Median age of the patients was 78 years and 48.5% of them were men. No major difference was observed between the clinical characteristics of the two groups. Patients who died of HF had significantly higher values of B-type natriuretic peptide and lower values of LMR. Leukocyte and monocyte counts revealed a multivariate-adjusted risk for both endpoints, whereas relative lymphocyte counts had only significant value for all-cause mortality. The multivariate-adjusted hazard ratios for the 6-month HF and all-cause mortality in patients with LMR values < 2.0 were, respectively, 2.28 (95% CI: 1.25-4.15) and 2.39 (95% CI: 1.39-4.10).

CONCLUSION

Our results show that, upon discharge from hospital after an episode of acute HF, a lower value of LMR is independently associated with a higher risk of mortality within 6 months.

GA, Comiskey JA, Damasco G, Dávila N, García-Villacorta R, Diaz PRS, Vincentini A, Emilio T, Levis C, Schietti J, Souza P, Alonso A, Dallmeier F, Ferreira LV, Neill D, Araujo-Murakami A, Arroyo L, Carvalho FA, Souza FC, do Amaral DD, Gribel R, Luize BG, Pansonato MP, Venticinque E, Fine P, Toledo M, Baraloto C, Cerón C, Engel J, Henkel TW, Jimenez EM, Maas P, Mora MCP, Petronelli P, Revilla JDC, Silveira M, Stropp J, Thomas-Caesar R, Baker TR, Daly D, Paredes MR, da Silva NF, Fuentes A, Jørgensen PM, Schöngart J, Silman MR, Arboleda NC, Cintra BBL, Valverde FC, Di Fiore A, Phillips JF, van Andel TR, von Hildebrand P, Barbosa EM, de Matos Bonates LC, de Castro D, de Sousa Farias E, Gonzales T, Guillaumet JL, Hoffman B, Malhi Y, de Andrade Miranda IP, Prieto A, Rudas A, Ruschell AR, Silva N, Vela CIA, Vos VA, Zent EL, Zent S, Cano A, Nascimento MT, Oliveira AA, Ramirez-Angulo H, Ramos JF, Sierra R, Tirado M, Medina MNU, van der Heijden G, Torre EV, Vriesendorp C, Wang O, Young KR, Baider C, Balslev H, de Castro N, Farfan-Rios W, Ferreira C, Mendoza C, Mesones I, Torres-Lezama A, Giraldo LEU, Villarroel D, Zagt R, Alexiades MN, Garcia-Cabrera K, Hernandez L, Huamantupa-Chuquimaco I, Milliken W, Cuenca WP, Pansini S, Pauletto D, Arevalo FR, Sampaio AF, Valderrama Sandoval EH, Gamarra LV. Estimating the global conservation status of more than 15,000 Amazonian tree species

Estimates of extinction risk for Amazonian plant and animal species are rare and not often incorporated into land-use policy and conservation planning. We overlay spatial distribution models with historical and projected deforestation to show that at least 36% and up to 57% of all Amazonian tree species are likely to qualify as globally threatened under International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List criteria. If confirmed, these results would increase the number of threatened plant species on Earth by 22%. We show that the trends observed in Amazonia apply to trees throughout the tropics, and we predict that most of the world's >40,000 tropical tree species now qualify as globally threatened. A gap analysis suggests that existing Amazonian protected areas and indigenous territories will protect viable populations of most threatened species if these areas suffer no further degradation, highlighting the key roles that protected areas, indigenous peoples, and improved governance can play in preventing large-scale extinctions in the tropics in this century.

Evaluation of operative risk in de novo familial amyloid polyneuropathy retransplantation

Familial amyloid polyneuropathy (FAP) is the most common hereditary amyloidosis, characterized by progressive peripheral sensory and motor neuropathy. The livers of patients with FAP are used in domino liver transplantation in selected cases to increase the number of grafts available. In our department 10 patients underwent liver retransplantation (ReLTx) in the absence of liver dysfunction by de novo FAP after domino liver transplantation. Our aim was to compare the differences in the consumption of blood products and intraoperative hemodynamic support among patients with FAP undergoing liver transplantation (LTx) and patients with de novo FAP undergoing ReLTx in the same time frame. The anesthetic records of all patients who underwent LTx for FAP and ReLTx for de novo FAP were analyzed, from January 2009 to May 2014. Patients were divided into 2 groups: group 1 patients with FAP, and group 2 patients with de novo FAP. Statistical differences in the value of preoperative creatinine were found. Hemoglobin levels, preoperative international normalized ratio (INR), use of blood products, aminergic support, and surgical time showed no statistical difference. Major bleeding rates would be expected in patients undergoing ReLTx. Changes in renal function, chronic immunosuppressive therapy, and age may contribute to the increase in intraoperative complications. We did not find statistically significant differences, leading us to the conclusion that de novo FAP does not seem to be a predictor of perioperative risk.

Chromosome stickiness impairs meiosis and influences reproductive success in Panicum maximum (Poaceae) hybrid plants

Chromosome stickiness has been studied in several species of higher plants and is characterized by sticky clumps of chromatin resulting in sterility. Chromosome stickiness was recorded in Panicum maximum hybrid plants that were cultivated in the field. In the meiocytes affected, chromosomes clumped into amorphous masses that did not orient themselves on the equatorial plate, and anaphase I disjunction failed to occur. After a normal cytokinesis, the masses of chromatin were divided between both daughter cells. Metaphase and anaphase of the second division also did not occur, and after the second cytokinesis, polyads were formed. This abnormality arose spontaneously. Abnormalities that cause male sterility are an important tool for obtaining hybrid seeds in plant breeding. This is the first report of an abnormality affecting pollen viability in P. maximum. This finding can open a new opportunity in the breeding program of this species that is devoted to hybridization where manual cross-pollination is difficult and time consuming.

Long-term decline of the Amazon carbon sink

Atmospheric carbon dioxide records indicate that the land surface has acted as a strong global carbon sink over recent decades, with a substantial fraction of this sink probably located in the tropics, particularly in the Amazon. Nevertheless, it is unclear how the terrestrial carbon sink will evolve as climate and atmospheric composition continue to change. Here we analyse the historical evolution of the biomass dynamics of the Amazon rainforest over three decades using a distributed network of 321 plots. While this analysis confirms that Amazon forests have acted as a long-term net biomass sink, we find a long-term decreasing trend of carbon accumulation. Rates of net increase in above-ground biomass declined by one-third during the past decade compared to the 1990s. This is a consequence of growth rate increases levelling off recently, while biomass mortality persistently increased throughout, leading to a shortening of carbon residence times. Potential drivers for the mortality increase include greater climate variability, and feedbacks of faster growth on mortality, resulting in shortened tree longevity. The observed decline of the Amazon sink diverges markedly from the recent increase in terrestrial carbon uptake at the global scale, and is contrary to expectations based on models.

Animal model for chronic massive rotator cuff tear: behavioural and histologic analysis

PURPOSE

Massive rotator cuff tears (MRCT) are usually chronic lesions that present associated degenerative changes of the myotendinous unit that have been implicated in limitations for surgical repair. In order to develop effective therapies, it is important to establish animal models that mimic the hallmarks of the injury itself. Therefore, in the present work, we aimed to (1) optimize a rodent animal model of MRCT that closely reproduces the fatty infiltration of the cuff muscles seen in humans and (2) describe the effects of unilateral or bilateral lesion in terms of histology and behaviour.

METHODS

Massive tear was defined as two rotator cuff tendons-supraspinatus and infraspinatus-section. Twenty-one Wistar rats were randomly assigned to four groups: bilateral lesion (five animals), right-sided unilateral lesion (five animals), left-sided unilateral lesion (five animals) and control (six animals). Behaviour was analyzed with open field and staircase test, 16 weeks after lesion. After that, animals were killed, and the supraspinatus and infraspinatus muscles were processed.

RESULTS

Histologic analysis revealed adipocytes, fatty infiltration and atrophy in the injured side with a greater consistency of these degenerative changes in the bilateral lesion group. Behaviour analysis revealed a significant functional impairment of the fine motor control of the forepaw analyzed in staircase test where the number of eaten pellets was significantly higher in sham animals (sham = 7 ± 5.0; left unilateral = 2.6 ± 3.0; right unilateral = 0 ± 0; and bilateral = 0 ± 0, p < 0.05). A trend to reach a lower level of steps, in more injured animals, was also observed (sham animals = 3 ± 1.6 > left unilateral = 2 ± 2.1 > right unilateral = 0.8 ± 1.3 > bilateral = 0.8 ± 1.1).

CONCLUSIONS

The present study has been able to establish an animal model that disclosed the hallmarks of MRCT. This can now be used as a valuable, cost-effective, pre-clinical instrument to assist in the development of advanced tissue engineered strategies. Moreover, this animal model overcomes some of the limitations of those that have been reported so far and thus represents a more reliable source for the assessment of future therapeutic strategies with potential clinical relevance.

Why the (dis)agreement? Family context and child-parent perspectives on health-related quality of life and psychological problems in paediatric asthma

BACKGROUND

Children's health-related quality of life (HrQoL) and psychological problems are important outcomes to consider in clinical decision making in paediatric asthma. However, children's and parents' reports often differ. The present study aimed to examine the levels of agreement/disagreement between children's and parents' reports of HrQoL and psychological problems and to identify socio-demographic, clinical and family variables associated with the extent and direction of (dis)agreement.

METHODS

The sample comprised 279 dyads of Portuguese children with asthma who were between 8 and 18 years of age (M = 12.13; SD = 2.56) and one of their parents. The participants completed self- and proxy-reported questionnaires on paediatric generic HrQoL (KIDSCREEN-10), chronic-generic HrQoL (DISABKIDS-37) and psychological problems (Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire). Children's and parents' perceptions of family relationships were measured with the Family Environment Scale and the caregiving burden was assessed using the Revised Burden Measure.

RESULTS

The child-parent agreement on reported HrQoL and psychological problems was poor to moderate (intraclass correlation coefficients between 0.32 and 0.47). The rates of child-parent discrepancies ranged between 52.7% (psychological problems) and 68.8% (generic HrQoL), with 50.5% and 31.5% of the parents reporting worse generic and chronic-generic HrQoL, respectively, and 33.3% reporting more psychological problems than their children. The extent and direction of disagreement were better explained by family factors than by socio-demographic and clinical variables: a greater caregiving burden was associated with increased discrepancies in both directions and children's and parents' perceptions of less positive family relationships were associated with discrepancies in different directions.

CONCLUSIONS

Routine assessment of paediatric HrQoL and psychological problems in healthcare and research contexts should include self- and parent-reported data as complementary sources of information, and also consider the family context. The additional cost of conducting a more in-depth assessment of paediatric adaptation outcomes can be offset through more efficient allocation of health resources.

Role of physical exercise on hepatic insulin, glucocorticoid and inflammatory signaling pathways in an animal model of non-alcoholic steatohepatitis

AIMS

Pro-inflammatory mediators, glucocorticoids and transforming growth factor (TGF)-β are implicated in the pathogenesis of non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH)-related insulin resistance. As physical activity is beneficial against NASH, we analyzed the voluntary physical activity (VPA) and endurance training (ET) (preventive and therapeutic strategies) effects on hepatic insulin, pro-inflammatory and glucocorticoid signaling regulators/mediators in high-fat (Lieber-DeCarli) diet (HFD)-induced NASH.

MAIN METHODS

Adult male Sprague-Dawley rats were divided in standard diet (SD) or HFD, with sedentary, VPA and ET animals in both diet regimens. Plasma glucose and insulin concentrations were analyzed; plasma insulin sensitivity index (ISI) was calculated. Hepatic insulin, pro-inflammatory and glucocorticoid signaling regulators/mediators were evaluated by Western blot or reverse transcriptase-PCR.

KEY FINDINGS

ET improved ISI in both diet regimens. HFD-feeding increased interleukin-1β and induced a similar pattern on interleukin-6 and TGF-β, which were globally reduced by physical exercise. ET decreased HFD leukemia inhibitory factor level, SD+VPA animals presenting higher values than HFD+VPA animals. HFD increased the ratio of IRS-1(Ser307)/total IRS-1, which was completely mitigated by physical exercise. Physical exercise reduced total ERK and JNK (total and activated) expression in HFD. In SD vs. HFD, VPA presented higher activated JNK and ET presented higher total JNK. Generally, in HFD, the ratio (activated/total) of AKT, and each separately, decreased with exercise and also for activated AKT in SD. Overall, in both diets, exercise reduced 11β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 1. ET increased glucocorticoid receptor and reduced PTP1B in HFD.

SIGNIFICANCE

Physical exercise mitigates the expression of pro-inflammatory mediators and positively modulates insulin and glucocorticoid signaling in NASH.

Evaluation and selection of indicators for land degradation and desertification monitoring: types of degradation, causes, and implications for management

Indicator-based approaches are often used to monitor land degradation and desertification from the global to the very local scale. However, there is still little agreement on which indicators may best reflect both status and trends of these phenomena. In this study, various processes of land degradation and desertification have been analyzed in 17 study sites around the world using a wide set of biophysical and socioeconomic indicators. The database described earlier in this issue by Kosmas and others (Environ Manage, 2013) for defining desertification risk was further analyzed to define the most important indicators related to the following degradation processes: water erosion in various land uses, tillage erosion, soil salinization, water stress, forest fires, and overgrazing. A correlation analysis was applied to the selected indicators in order to identify the most important variables contributing to each land degradation process. The analysis indicates that the most important indicators are: (i) rain seasonality affecting water erosion, water stress, and forest fires, (ii) slope gradient affecting water erosion, tillage erosion and water stress, and (iii) water scarcity soil salinization, water stress, and forest fires. Implementation of existing regulations or policies concerned with resources development and environmental sustainability was identified as the most important indicator of land protection.

Evaluation and selection of indicators for land degradation and desertification monitoring: methodological approach

An approach to derive relationships for defining land degradation and desertification risk and developing appropriate tools for assessing the effectiveness of the various land management practices using indicators is presented in the present paper. In order to investigate which indicators are most effective in assessing the level of desertification risk, a total of 70 candidate indicators was selected providing information for the biophysical environment, socio-economic conditions, and land management characteristics. The indicators were defined in 1,672 field sites located in 17 study areas in the Mediterranean region, Eastern Europe, Latin America, Africa, and Asia. Based on an existing geo-referenced database, classes were designated for each indicator and a sensitivity score to desertification was assigned to each class based on existing research. The obtained data were analyzed for the various processes of land degradation at farm level. The derived methodology was assessed using independent indicators, such as the measured soil erosion rate, and the organic matter content of the soil. Based on regression analyses, the collected indicator set can be reduced to a number of effective indicators ranging from 8 to 17 in the various processes of land degradation. Among the most important indicators identified as affecting land degradation and desertification risk were rain seasonality, slope gradient, plant cover, rate of land abandonment, land-use intensity, and the level of policy implementation.

Comparative proteomics of an extended spectrum β-lactamase producing Escherichia coli strain from the Iberian wolf

The Iberian wolf (Canis lupus signatus) is an endangered species native to the Iberian Peninsula. Due to their predatory and wild nature, these wolves serve as important indicators of environmental contamination by antimicrobial-resistant bacteria. β-Lactam antibiotics like cefotaxime are the most commonly used antibacterial agents. Bacterial resistance to these antibiotics occurs predominantly through enzymatic inactivation by extended-spectrum beta-lactamases. Escherichia coli strain WA57, isolated from Iberian wolf feces, is a cefotaxime-resistant strain that produces extended-spectrum beta-lactamases. In this study, using 2D-GE combined with MS and bioinformatics, we report significant differences in the abundance of 40 protein spots (p<0.01) from the extracellular, periplasmic, cytoplasmic, and membrane sub-proteomes and the whole-cell proteome of WA57 exposed and non-exposed to cefotaxime. A total of 315 protein spots were collected for protein identification. The comparative proteomics presented gives an overview of the complex changes in expression and metabolism that occur when WA57 is stressed with cefotaxime. Abundance of chaperone, porin and export proteins is particularly affected showing that the stress response and transport functions might directly influence the antibiotic resistance of this strain.

BIOLOGICAL SIGNIFICANCE

This study highlights the importance of proteomics in detecting protein expression changes in bacterial strains exposed to stress such as that caused by cefotaxime. This approach might help us understand which pathways form barriers for antibiotics. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: Environmental and structural proteomics.