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open access article Endothelial dysfunction (ED), secondary to diminished nitric oxide (NO) production and oxidative stress, is an early subclinical marker of atherosclerosis. Reduced NO bioavailability enhances the adhesion of monocytes to endothelial cells and promotes atherosclerosis. Elderberry extract (EB) is known to contain high levels of anthocyanins which could exert vascular protective effects. Specifically, we investigated the functional capacity of EB on various markers of ED. Human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC) were pretreated with EB 50 μg/mL and stimulated with TNF-α 10 ng/mL. Cell viability, apoptosis, oxidative stress; eNOS, Akt, Nrf2, NOX-4, and NF-κB at the protein level were measured. A co-culture model was used to determine whether EB could prevent the adhesion of monocytes (THP-1) to HUVECs. Moreover, the expression of adhesion molecules and pro-inflammatory cytokines were also measured. It was demonstrated that EB prevented TNF-α induced apoptosis and reactive oxygen species production in HUVECs. Additionally, EB upregulated Akt and eNOS activity, and Nrf2 expression in response to TNF-α, whereas it decreased NOX-4 expression and NF-κB activity. EB prevented the adhesion of monocytes to HUVECs, as well as reduced IL-6 and MCP-1 levels, which was associated with inhibition of VCAM-1 expression. Our results demonstrate that EB upregulates key cellular markers of endothelial function and ameliorates markers of ED. EB could be used as a potential nutritional aid for preventing atherosclerosis progression.

open access article Background: Robotic cystectomy is the mainstay surgical intervention for treatment-refractory nonmuscle-invasive and muscle-invasive bladder cancer. However, para-lytic ileus may complicate the postoperative recovery and may be a consequence of an inflammatory response associated with transient gut ischaemia. We have there-fore investigated clinical, operative and inflammatory biomarker associations between paralytic ileus in the context of robotic cystectomy and intracorporeal ilealconduit urinary diversion. Methods: Prospective consective patients referred for robotic cystectomy were consented and included in the study, while patients >75 years old and converted to open procedure were excluded. The pneumoperitoneum pressure (PP) for carbon dioxidein sufflation required to perform the procedure efficiently and safely was recorded(12 or 15 mmHg). We also recorded the postoperative days patients passed flatus and stools, whether they developed ileus, as well as other standard clinical and demographic data. The expression of select proinflammatory and anti-inflammatory cytokines was determined by multiplex analysis using a cytometric bead array with changes in profiles correlated with the pressures applied and with the existence of an ileus. Results: Twenty-seven patients were recruited, but only 20 were used in the study with 10 patients in each PP group. Seven patients were excluded all of whom had an extracorporeal ileal conduit formation. There were differences in the 40-min shorter operative time and 1 day shorter length of stay, as well as passing flatus 1 day and stools 1.5 days earlier in the 12 mmHg compared with the 15 mmHg group. More patients had ileus in the 15 mmHg group vs 12 mmHg group (30% vs. 10.0%). These were not statistically significant. Similarly, there were no statistical differences in the expression of proinflammatory cytokines at the two different pressures or between patient groups, but there were outliers, with the median indicating nonsymmetrical distribution. By comparison, anti-inflammatory cytokines showed some significant differences between groups, with IL-6 and IL-10 showing elevated levels post surgery. No statistical difference was observed between pressures or the existence of an ileus, but the maximum levels of IL-6 and IL-10 detected in some patients reflect a pressure difference. Conclusions: The initial findings of this novel scientific study indicated a higher risk of paralytic ileus post-robotic cystectomy and robotic intracorporeal urinary diversion when a higher pressure of 15 mmHg is used compared with 12 mmHg. Although further studies are required to establish the linkage between cytokine profile expression, pressure and ileus, our initial data reinforces the advantages of lower pressure robotic cystectomy and intracorporeal urinary diversion in patient outcomes.

Nitrous oxide (N2O), ammonia (NH3), and methane (CH4) emissions from the manure management chain of livestock production systems are important contributors to greenhouse gases (GHGs) and NH3 emitted by human activities. Several studies have evaluated manure-related emissions and associated key variables at regional, national, or continental scales. However, there have been few studies focusing on the drivers of these emissions using a global dataset. An international project was created (DATAMAN) to develop a global database on GHG and NH3 emissions from the manure management chain (housing, storage, and field) to identify key variables influencing emissions and ultimately to refine emission factors (EFs) for future national GHG inventories and NH3 emission reporting. This paper describes the “field” database that focuses on N2O and NH3 EFs from land-applied manure and excreta deposited by grazing livestock. We collated relevant information (EFs, manure characteristics, soil properties, and climatic conditions) from published peer-reviewed research, conference papers, and existing databases. The database, containing 5,632 observations compiled from 184 studies, was relatively evenly split between N2O and NH3 (56 and 44% of the EF values, respectively). The N2O data were derived from studies conducted in 21 countries on five continents, with New Zealand, the United Kingdom, Kenya, and Brazil representing 86% of the data. The NH3 data originated from studies conducted in 17 countries on four continents, with the United Kingdom, Denmark, Canada, and The Netherlands representing 79% of the data. Wet temperate climates represented 90% of the total database. The DATAMAN field database is available at http://www.dataman.co.nz.

This paper reviews the use of nonmarket valuation in environmental policy at the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). We examine trends in the literature over the last forty‐five years and compare those trends to how often nonmarket benefits are monetized and which methods are used in 49 recent EPA Regulatory Impact Analyses. We also review EPA awarded research grants and their focus. We conclude that the nonmarket valuation literature continues to grow but that many nonmarket benefits go unquantified and unmonetized in policy analysis. Policy applications of nonmarket studies are generally limited to a small and dated body of work.

This is the first study to quantify the dependence on wind velocity of airborne bacterial emission fluxes from soil. It demonstrates that manure bacteria get aerosolized from fertilized soil more easily than soil bacteria, and it applies bacterial genomic sequencing for the first time to trace environmental fecal contamination back to its source in the chicken barn., Summary This is the first study to quantify the dependence on wind velocity of airborne bacterial emission fluxes from soil. It demonstrates that manure bacteria get aerosolized from fertilized soil more easily than soil bacteria, and it applies bacterial genomic sequencing for the first time to trace environmental faecal contamination back to its source in the chicken barn. We report quantitative, airborne emission fluxes of bacteria during and following the fertilization of agricultural soil with manure from broiler chickens. During the fertilization process, the concentration of airborne bacteria culturable on blood agar medium increased more than 600 000‐fold, and 1 m3 of air carried 2.9 × 105 viable enterococci, i.e. indicators of faecal contamination which had been undetectable in background air samples. Trajectory modelling suggested that atmospheric residence times and dispersion pathways were dependent on the time of day at which fertilization was performed. Measurements in a wind tunnel indicated that airborne bacterial emission fluxes from freshly fertilized soil under local climatic conditions on average were 100‐fold higher than a previous estimate of average emissions from land. Faecal bacteria collected from soil and dust up to seven weeks after fertilization could be traced to their origins in the poultry barn by genomic sequencing. Comparative analyses of 16S rRNA gene sequences from manure, soil and dust showed that manure bacteria got aerosolized preferably, likely due to their attachment to low‐density manure particles. Our data show that fertilization with manure may cause substantial increases of bacterial emissions from agricultural land. After mechanical incorporation of manure into soil, however, the associated risk of airborne infection is low.

The aim of this exploratory study has been to investigate the fire properties and environmental aspects of different upholstery material combinations, mainly for domestic applications. An analysis ...