Search

International wild Atlantic salmon management priorities have moved from exploitation to conservation since the 1990s, recognizing the need to protect diversity and abundance at individual river levels amid widespread declines. Here we review international salmon-stock assessments and describe a simple, transferable catch-advice framework, established for management of fisheries that conforms to international obligations. The risk assessment approach, applied at the river scale, jointly incorporates uncertainty in estimated and forecasted returning salmon numbers with the level of uncertainty around spawning requirements (Conservation Limits). Outputs include quantification of risk of stocks not attaining conservation limits (CL) and surpluses above CL on stocks able to support sustainable exploitation via total allowable catches (TAC), with monitoring by rod catch or fish counter. Since management implementation and cessation of at-sea mixed-stock fisheries, there has been a deterioration in the performance of many individual stocks, without any sustained increase in fisheries open to harvest. Given declines in mid-latitude Atlantic salmon populations over 30 years, the novel framework presented provides an approach to protect stocks failing to meet spawning thresholds while supporting sustainable exploitation of those achieving them. On-going management policy of adopting scientific advice and allowing exploitation only on stocks exceeding CLs is central to the objective of protecting salmon stocks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Malignant mesothelioma (MM) is an incurable cancer of the serosal lining that is often caused by exposure to asbestos. Therefore, novel agents for the prevention and treatment of this disease are urgently needed. Asbestos induces the release of pro-inflammatory cytokines such as IL-1β and IL-6, which play a role in MM development. IL-6 is a component of the JAK-STAT3 pathway that contributes to inflammation-associated tumorigenesis. Glycoprotein 130 (gp130), the signal transducer of this signaling axis, is an attractive drug target because of its role in promoting neoplasia via the activation of downstream STAT3 signaling. The anticancer drug, SC144, inhibits the interaction of gp130 with the IL-6 receptor (IL6R), effectively blunting signaling from this inflammatory axis. To test whether the inflammation-related release of IL-6 plays a role in the formation of MM, we evaluated the ability of SC144 to inhibit asbestos-induced carcinogenesis in a mouse model. The ability of sulindac and anakinra, an IL6R antagonist/positive control, to inhibit MM formation in this model was tested in parallel. Asbestos-exposed Nf2 +/− ;Cdkn2a +/− mice treated with SC144, sulindac or anakinra showed significantly prolonged survival compared to asbestos-exposed vehicle-treated mice. STAT3 activity was markedly decreased in MM specimens from SC144-treated mice. Furthermore, SC144 inhibited STAT3 activation by IL-6 in cultured normal mesothelial cells, and in vitro treatment of MM cells with SC144 markedly decreased the expression of STAT3 target genes. The emerging availability of newer, more potent SC144 analogs showing improved pharmacokinetic properties holds promise for future trials, benefitting individuals at high risk of this disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Exceptional times call for exceptional measures—this formula is all too familiar in the domestic setting. Governments have often played loose with their state's constitution in the name of warding off an urgent threat. But after decades of increasing interconnectedness and emerging transnational governance, today one sees new forms of emergency politics that are cross-border in range. From the European Union to the World Health Organization, from supranational institutions to state governments acting in concert, the logic of emergency is embraced in international contexts, with Covid-19 the latest occasion. This Forum offers an entry-point into this emerging phenomenon. Taking as its point of departure two recent books, it examines the origins, forms, effects and normative stakes of emergency politics beyond the state. Among the matters discussed are the concept of emergency politics, the historical context of its contemporary forms, the patterns of decision-making associated with it, the implications for the legitimacy of transnational institutions, and the constitutional and political ways in which it might be contained. Transnational emergency politics seems likely to remain a central feature of the coming years, and our aim is to further its study in international relations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Distinguishing normal pressure hydrocephalus (NPH) from Alzheimer's disease (ad) would aid patient selection for lumbar drain trials (LDT). Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) ad biomarkers are altered in NPH, limiting interpretation. This study examines the utility of CSF ad biomarkers in predicting gait and cognitive outcomes in patients undergoing LDT. Methods: 127 patients underwent LDT. CSF ad biomarkers from Mayo Clinic Laboratories (MCL) or Athena Diagnostics were used to classify patients as ad, non-ad, or indeterminate. MCL indeterminate results were further classified as suspected ad, non-ad, or suspected NPH (sNPH) using a derived p-tau threshold (>15 pg/mL & Aß42 <=1026 pg/mL)1. Cognitive improvement was determined using reliable change indices for Trail Making Test A&B and Hopkins Verbal Learning Test-Revised. Physical therapists (PT) utilized the Berg Balance Scale and/or the Timed Up and Go to determine gait improvements. Chi-square tests investigated relationships between diagnostic groups, PT and cognitive improvements, and eventual shunting for the whole sample and then stratified by the two laboratory assays. Results: The sNPH group had the highest percentage of PT (63%–70%) and cognitive (9% -11%) improvement (see Table 1), while the ad group had the lowest (50% and 3%, respectively). The sNPH group underwent shunting more (56%–68%) compared to the ad and non-ad groups (47%). Relationships, however, were not statistically significant (p > 0.05). Conclusion: Patients with sNPH CSF ad biomarker profiles demonstrated clinically meaningful physical improvements and underwent shunting more frequently than those with ad or non-ad biomarker profiles. This highlights the potential for CSF ad biomarkers in predicting NPH treatment response. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]