Ecotoxicity of single and mixture of perfluoroalkyl substances (PFOS and PFOA) in soils to the earthworm Aporrectodea caliginosa

Per and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are persistent compounds that are massively used in industry, consumer goods and fire-fighting foams. Soil contamination by PFAS is a major environmental concern, and there is a lack of knowledge on both their ecotoxicological mechanisms and the concentrations that induce adverse effects especially to non-target organisms, particularly in the case of PFAS mixtures. This study contributes to filling these gaps by assessing and modelling the effects of PFAS (in single and in mixtures for PFOS and PFOA at different environmental doses) on juvenile endogeic earthworms of a common species in European soils (Aporrectodea caliginosa) at different levels of biological organization (sub-individual and individual). The results showed for the first time combined strong ecotoxicological effects of PFAS on earthworm survival, integumental integrity, growth, sexual maturity and on genomic stability notably with the induction of DNA breaks associated with no abnormal oxidative DNA-lesion levels. Our results demonstrated significant effects at 0.3 mg kg-1 and additive effects in case of mixtures.

The nature of deep overturning and reconfigurations of the silicon cycle across the last deglaciation

Changes in ocean circulation and the biological carbon pump have been implicated as the drivers behind the rise in atmospheric CO2 across the last deglaciation; however, the processes involved remain uncertain. Previous records have hinted at a partitioning of deep ocean ventilation across the two major intervals of atmospheric CO2 rise, but the consequences of differential ventilation on the Si cycle has not been explored. Here we present three new records of silicon isotopes in diatoms and sponges from the Southern Ocean that together show increased Si supply from deep mixing during the deglaciation with a maximum during the Younger Dryas (YD). We suggest Antarctic sea ice and Atlantic overturning conditions favoured abyssal ocean ventilation at the YD and marked an interval of Si cycle reorganisation. By regulating the strength of the biological pump, the glacial-interglacial shift in the Si cycle may present an important control on Pleistocene CO2 concentrations.

Phosphorus-acquisition strategies of canola, wheat and barley in soil amended with sewage sludges

Crops have different strategies to acquire poorly-available soil phosphorus (P) which are dependent on their architectural, morphological, and physiological root traits, but their capacity to enhance P acquisition varies with the type of fertilizer applied. The objective of this study was to examine how P-acquisition strategies of three main crops are affected by the application of sewage sludges, compared with a mineral P fertilizer. We carried out a 3-months greenhouse pot experiment and compared the response of P-acquisition traits among wheat, barley and canola in a soil amended with three sludges or a mineral P fertilizer. Results showed that the P-acquisition strategy differed among crops. Compared with canola, wheat and barley had a higher specific root length and a greater root carboxylate release and they acquired as much P from sludge as from mineral P. By contrast, canola shoot P content was greater with sludge than with mineral P. This was attributed to a higher root-released acid phosphatase activity which promoted the mineralization of sludge-derived P-organic. This study showed that contrasted P-acquisition strategies of crops allows increased use of renewable P resources by optimizing combinations of crop and the type of P fertilizer applied within the cropping system.

Time-calibrated molecular phylogeny of pteropods

Pteropods are a widespread group of holoplanktonic gastropod molluscs and are uniquely suitable for study of long-term evolutionary processes in the open ocean because they are the only living metazoan plankton with a good fossil record. Pteropods have been proposed as bioindicators to monitor the impacts of ocean acidification and in consequence have attracted considerable research interest, however, a robust evolutionary framework for the group is still lacking. Here we reconstruct their phylogenetic relationships and examine the evolutionary history of pteropods based on combined analyses of Cytochrome Oxidase I, 28S, and 18S ribosomal rRNA sequences and a molecular clock calibrated using fossils and the estimated timing of the formation of the Isthmus of Panama. Euthecosomes with uncoiled shells were monophyletic with Creseis as the earliest diverging lineage, estimated at 41-38 million years ago (mya). The coiled euthecosomes (Limacina, Heliconoides, Thielea) were not monophyletic contrary to the accepted morphology-based taxonomy; however, due to their high rate heterogeneity no firm conclusions can be drawn. We found strong support for monophyly of most euthecosome genera, but Clio appeared as a polyphyletic group, and Diacavolinia grouped within Cavolinia, making the latter genus paraphyletic. The highest evolutionary rates were observed in Heliconoides inflatus and Limacina bulimoides for both 28S and 18S partitions. Using a fossil-calibrated phylogeny that sets the first occurrence of coiled euthecosomes at 79-66 mya, we estimate that uncoiled euthecosomes evolved 51-42 mya and that most extant uncoiled genera originated 40-15 mya. These findings are congruent with a molecular clock analysis using the Isthmus of Panama formation as an independent calibration. Although not all phylogenetic relationships could be resolved based on three molecular markers, this study provides a useful resource to study pteropod diversity and provides general insight into the processes that generate and maintain their diversity in the open ocean.

[Motivational and Volitional Determinants of Applying for Psychosomatic Rehabilitation: Findings of a Cohort Study]

Objective: Analyses of motivational and volitional determinants of applying for psychosomatic rehabilitation Methods: Determinants of a rehabilitation request were assessed by a questionnaire in 2013. Applications for psychosomatic rehabilitation measures until the end of 2014 were extracted from administrative data records. Included were employees with mental disorders. Results: Only 55 of 974 persons requested a rehabilitation measure. The intention to apply for a rehabilitation measure was strongest determined by self-efficacy and family and professional support. Planning was explained by intention and to a lesser extent by family and physician support. Persons with higher planning scores were more likely to apply for a rehabilitation measure. Physician support also increased the likelihood of a rehabilitation request. Conclusion: The analyses identified determinants of rehabilitation claims that are modifiable. This gives opportunities to support rehabilitation claims. However, the contribution of these factors to explain rehabilitation requests is only limited.

Magnetic resonance imaging measurements evidence weak dispersion in homogeneous porous media

We measure the dispersion coefficient through homogeneous bead or sand packings at different flow rates from direct magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) visualizations of the transport characteristics of a pulse of paramagnetic nanoparticles. Through two-dimensional imaging we observe homogeneous dispersion inside the sample, but we show that entrance effects may induce significant radial heterogeneities, which would affect the interpretation of the breakthrough curve. Another MRI approach then provides quantitative measurements of the evolution in time of the longitudinal particle distribution in the sample. These data can be analyzed to deduce the coefficient of dispersion independently of entrance effects. The values obtained for this "effective" dispersion coefficient are almost ten times lower than the commonly accepted values.

The List of Available Names (LAN): A new generation for stable taxonomic names in zoology?

The List of Available Names in Zoology (LAN) is an inventory of names with specific scope in time and content, presented and approved in parts, and constituted as a cumulative index of names available for use in zoological nomenclature. It was defined in Article 79 in the fourth edition of the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature. The LAN is likely to gain importance with the development of the online Official Registry for Zoological Nomenclature (ZooBank) as it is potentially a source of many nomenclaturally certified names. Article 79 describes the deliberative process for adding large numbers of names to the LAN simultaneously, detailing steps and chronology for submission of a candidate Part to the LAN and consideration of a candidate Part by the public and Commission, but it is largely mute about the contents of a candidate Part. It does make clear that a name within the scope of a Part but not on the LAN has no nomenclatural standing, even if it had previously been considered available, thereby preventing long-forgotten names from displacing accepted ones and the accumulation of nomina dubia. Thus, for taxa on the LAN, nomenclatural archaeology - the resurrecting of old unused names to replace by priority names in current usage - will not be worthwhile. Beyond that, it has been unclear if Article 79 is intended to document every available name known within the scope of the Part, or if its intention is to pare the inventory of available names within the scope of the Part. Consideration by the Commission and two committees to deal with the LAN have defined steps to implement Article 79 with the latter intent. Procedures for consideration of a candidate Part are defined in a manual, published as an appendix in this volume.

PESI - a taxonomic backbone for Europe

Background

Reliable taxonomy underpins communication in all of biology, not least nature conservation and sustainable use of ecosystem resources. The flexibility of taxonomic interpretations, however, presents a serious challenge for end-users of taxonomic concepts. Users need standardised and continuously harmonised taxonomic reference systems, as well as high-quality and complete taxonomic data sets, but these are generally lacking for non-specialists. The solution is in dynamic, expertly curated web-based taxonomic tools.

The Pan-European Species-directories Infrastructure (PESI) worked to solve this key issue by providing a taxonomic e-infrastructure for Europe. It strengthened the relevant social (expertise) and information (standards, data and technical) capacities of five major community networks on taxonomic indexing in Europe, which is essential for proper biodiversity assessment and monitoring activities. The key objectives of PESI were: 1) standardisation in taxonomic reference systems, 2) enhancement of the quality and completeness of taxonomic data sets and 3) creation of integrated access to taxonomic information.

New information

This paper describes the results of PESI and its future prospects, including the involvement in major European biodiversity informatics initiatives and programs.

Kationenaustausch und eindimensionales, innerkristallines Quellungsvermögen bei den isotypen Verbindungen (M = P, As; X = Ti, Zr, Sn)

Es wurden die dem kristallinen, sauren Zirkonphosphat H2 [Zr (PO4) 2] · H2O analogen kristallinen Verbindungen Zirkonarsenat H2 [Zr (AsO4) 2] · H2O, Titanphosphat H2 [Ti (PO4) 2] · H2O, Titanarsenat H2 [Ti (AsO4) 2] · H2O, Zinnphosphat H2 [Sn (PO4)2] ·H2Ο und Zinnarsenat H2 [Sn (AsO4) 2] · H2O dargestellt. Alle genannten Verbindungen sind isotyp. Die bisher für das saure Zirkonphosphat angenommene hexagonale Symmetrie ist bei allen genannten Verbindungen nicht streng erfüllt. Das Kristallwasser ist reversibel gebunden. Amine werden als Ammoniumionen in das Kristallinnere aufgenommen. Diese Ammoniumverbindungen besitzen Ionenaustauschereigenschaften und die Fähigkeit zur eindimensionalen, innerkristallinen Quellung. Damit ist der schichtenförmige Gitteraufbau dieser Verbindungen nachgewiesen.

[Perceptions of benign prostatic hyperplasia according to the perspective of patients and general practitioners - the Trophée study]

OBJECTIVE

To compare the perception of benign prostatic hypertrophy (BPH) between patients and general practitioners (GPs) in terms of severity and evolution of symptoms and medication adherence.

METHODOLOGY

A cross-sectional observational study was performed in France in a sample of GPs who included patients for whom a BPH treatment was prescribed. Data were collected on patient and GP characteristics, diagnosis, BPH management, severity and evolution of symptoms and medication adherence.

RESULTS

One thousand and ninety-eight patients were recruited by 247 GPs. In 87.4% of cases, diagnosis was performed by GPs. Among them, 82.7% of patients were treated by monotherapy. The choice of a treatment was mainly based on treatment efficacy and the patient's opinion was taken into account by 5% of GPs. The patient's evaluation of symptoms severity was consistent with the GP's in 53.9% of cases. A worsening of symptoms was reported significantly more frequently by patients (18.5%) than by GPs (8.8%). Among 94 patients who reported poor adherence, GPs estimated that the level of medication adherence was good for 72 of these (77%).

CONCLUSION

There was discordance between the evaluation made by GPs and by patients on the perception of BPH symptoms and medication adherence. The patient's opinion was rarely taken into account in the therapeutic decision, reflecting a lack of shared medical decision-making, which would be helpful for the physician in order to optimize BPH management.

Prolactin--to be reconsidered in canine mammary tumourigenesis?

Mammary tumours represent the most common neoplastic disease of the female dog, and the incidence in female dogs is much higher than in women. Whereas the influence of sexual steroids on breast cancer (BC) development in dogs has been studied, very little is known about the role of prolactin (PRL). New studies show that until recently, the importance of PRL in human BC development and progression has been highly underestimated. PRL plays a role in promoting benign as well as malignant neoplastic cell growth in BC in vitro and in vivo. Sporadic publications proposed a tumour promotor role in the dog. The goal of this review is to summarize our knowledge about PRL and human BC as well as canine mammary tumourigenesis, and propose future research in this area.

Biological nomenclature terms for facilitating communication in the naming of organisms

A set of terms recommended for use in facilitating communication in biological nomenclature is presented as a table showing broadly equivalent terms used in the traditional Codes of nomenclature. These terms are intended to help those engaged in naming across organism groups, and are the result of the work of the International Committee on Bionomenclature, whose aim is to promote harmonisation and communication amongst those naming life on Earth.

Data standards, sense and stability: Scratchpads, the ICZN and ZooBank

The International Commission of Zoological Nomenclature has used the Scratchpads platform (currently being developed and maintained by ViBRANT) as the foundation for its redesigned website and as a platform for engaging with its users. The existing Scratchpad tools, with extensions to provide additional functions, have allowed for a major transformation in presentation of linked nomenclatural tools. Continued development of the new website will act as a springboard for the ICZN to participate more fully in the wider community of biodiversity informatics.

Ventilation of the deep Southern Ocean and deglacial CO2 rise

Past glacial-interglacial increases in the concentration of atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) are thought to arise from the rapid release of CO2 sequestered in the deep sea, primarily via the Southern Ocean. Here, we present radiocarbon evidence from the Atlantic sector of the Southern Ocean that strongly supports this hypothesis. We show that during the last glacial period, deep water circulating around Antarctica was more than two times older than today relative to the atmosphere. During deglaciation, the dissipation of this old and presumably CO2-enriched deep water played an important role in the pulsed rise of atmospheric CO2 through its variable influence on the upwelling branch of the Antarctic overturning circulation.

Amassing diversity in an ancient lake: evolution of a morphologically diverse parthenogenetic gastropod assemblage in Lake Malawi

Exceptional ecological niche diversity, clear waters and unique divergent selection pressures have often been invoked to explain high morphological and genetic diversity of taxa within ancient lakes. However, it is possible that in some ancient lake taxa high diversity has arisen because these historically stable environments have allowed accumulation of lineages over evolutionary timescales, a process impossible in neighbouring aquatic habitats undergoing desiccation and reflooding. Here we examined the evolution of a unique morphologically diverse assemblage of thiarid gastropods belonging to the Melanoides polymorpha'complex' in Lake Malawi. Using mitochondrial DNA sequences, we found this Lake Malawi complex was not monophyletic, instead sharing common ancestry with Melanoides anomala and Melanoides mweruensis from the Congo Basin. Fossil calibrations of molecular divergence placed the origins of this complex to within the last 4 million years. Nuclear amplified fragment length polymorphism markers revealed sympatric M. polymorpha morphs to be strongly genetically differentiated lineages, and males were absent from our samples indicating that reproduction is predominantly parthenogenetic. These results imply the presence of Lake Malawi as a standing water body over the last million years or more has facilitated accumulation of clonal morphological diversity, a process that has not taken place in more transient freshwater habitats. As such, the historical stability of aquatic environments may have been critical in determining present spatial distributions of biodiversity.

2-COM : présentation d’un instrument permettant de faciliter la communication entre médecin et soignants en pratique quotidienne

Communication between the patient and the professional carer lies at the heart of all decisions regarding diagnosis and treatment. However, patients and doctors often have divergent views on care needs; 2-COM (for 2-communication) is a simple patient-completed self-report instrument designed in order to facilitate patient-professional carer communication. Aims - To present 2-COM and to examine whether providing patients with an opportunity to identify and discuss their needs would improve communication and induce changes in care. Methods - The 2-COM is a simple list of 20 common problems, or areas of perceived need, that might be experienced by patients with severe mental illness. The list includes problems with housing, relationships, money, lack of activities, psychological distress, sexuality, symptoms and treatment side effects; 2-COM has shown adequate test-retest reliability and is well accepted by patients as a valued aid to communication with their doctor; 134 patients in a clinical diagnosis of schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder were recruited at seven European centres: Maastricht, Oviedo, Gijon, Hamburg, Copenhagen, Milan and Nice. The assessment took place over 3 out patient clinic visits; at visit 1, the clinician recorded a list of all current interventions, including medication and non-medical treatments, together with demographic information and an assessment of current level of functioning, using the Global Assessment of Functioning scale. Prior to the second visit, patients were randomised to receive either 2-COM or "standard care" - a routine appointment without 2-COM. Immediately after the interview, all patients, whether they had completed 2-COM or not, completed a confidential questionnaire in which they could indicate the perceived quality of communication. Similarly, clinicians completed a repeat of the list of all current interventions, together with an assessment of any changes to the treatment plan implemented after the interview with the patient. Four to six weeks after clinic visit 2, patients attended the clinic for a third, "routine" clinical interview. Both patients and clinicians then completed the same set of post-interview assessments as at visit 2. The 2-COM induced a stable improvement of patient-reported quality of patient-doctor communication (B=0.33, P=0.031), and induced changes in management immediately after the intervention. Treatment change was more likely in patients with more reported needs at the 2-COM and needs most likely to induce treatment changes. In conclusion, the study showed that 2-COM is a useful instrument to expose and subsequently bridge, patient-professional carer discordance on patient needs.

Buprenorphineinsatz bei Kindern

There is a paucity of relevant pediatric data on buprenorphine, especially with respect to the long-term application in children suffering chronic pain or to pediatric pharmacokinetic as well as pharmacodynamic data after repeated sublingual or long-term transdermal administration. Compared to adults, after single-dose buprenorphine, children seem to exhibit a larger clearance related to body weight and a longer duration of action. If combined with other opioids or sedatives or if the metabolite norbuprenorphine cumulates, it is difficult to estimate the risk of respiratory depression. Clear-cut evidence is missing that in children there is a ceiling of buprenorphine-induced respiratory depression. Due to its various application routes, long duration of action, and metabolism largely independent of renal function buprenorphine is of special clinical interest in pediatrics, especially for postoperative pain and cancer pain control. There is no reason to expect effects fundamentally different from those in adults.