Recommended:  Grade 5Time needed:  50 min. class period Overview :    Students will learn first hand of the severity of our plastic problem  and                            also how it effects their own community.   Vocabulary :                                *Diversity                              * Microplastics                              * Disposable                              * Biodegradable                              * Gyre     Objectives :                              *Students will be able to understand the problem of plastics in our society today.                              *Students  will see for themselves the diversity in trash.                              *Students will develop a way to solve the problem.       Project Materials:                                * Trash that has been cleaned                                * Calculator                                * Paper,  map of the two floating islands of plastic and trash in our Pacific Ocean.                                * Recyclables, cardboard, art supplies                                 * Scale         Resources:  ( Multimedia)                                  * www.nationalgeographic.com ( video on "The Reality of Plastics" )                                   * www.ourworldindata.org                                   * www.sloactive.com                                   * Map of the two floating islands of plastic and trash in our Pacific Ocean                                      ( www.nationalgeographic.org )            Before the Lesson/ Background Information:                                      Before the lesson trash will be collected and cleaned by the students and myself.                                       I would speak to the class before the lesson about how our products of plastics                                      have taken over our lives and how we became a wasteful nation.              Part 1:  25 minutes                             * Students will get to see and examine our trash ; how diverse it is , weigh each bag                                  and add totals.  They would calculate times 12 months, then 10 years.                              * Next they will watch a small video of  "The Realities of Plastics" from the National                                   Geographic site.               Part 2:  25 minutes                                   * Students will brainstorm ideas on how to design and engineer a device in which                                     takes plastics and converts it into something useful or to do away with it                                     completely.   They will work in groups and use recyclable materials which are                                     found in the school lab such as cardboard, recyclable bottles, tape, etc......                                     when finished they present to the class and explain how it was made,  what real                                      life materials would be used to manufacture  their device, its function and how it                                        can be put to good use.                   Next Generation Science Standards:                                         NGSS-3-5-ETS1-1                                          NGSS-3-5-ETS1-2                                           NGSS-3-5-ETS1-3                                                                                                                                                                                                                                

Under psychological stress, a 61-year-old man fainted and quickly regained consciousness, but with a slight head injury. He did not complain of symptoms when he exercised, but was not really physically active. Fifteen years ago, he had a myocardial infarction, then two years later, was diagnosed with congestive heart failure. Three years ago, he underwent a coronary angiography procedure. It showed occlusion of the left descending coronary artery and mild stenosis of the right coronary artery. Stress myocardial scintigraphy showed no ischemic areas requiring a revascularization procedure.Baseline electrocardiogram (ECG) showed first-degree atrioventricular block and incomplete left bundle branch block. Severe dilation of the left ventricle was observed on the echocardiogram (end-diastolic diameter = 87 mm, ejection fraction = 0.24).In order to rule out further damage to the coronary arteries, an exercise test was performed using a 30W/3min-step protocol. At the 60W step, the ECG showed sinus tachycardia with QRS widening from 120 to 160 msec (fig. 1A-1B). Although the test was stopped, a wide QRS tachycardia occurred. The patient briefly fainted, with complete regaining of consciousness in the supine position. The tachycardia rate was 155 bpm, with a left bundle branch block pattern and left-axis deviation (fig. 1C).Atrioventricular dissociation was likely to be present on lead V1, consistent with ventricular tachycardia. What could be the mechanism responsible for this tachycardia ?

The field of electrophysiology continues to move further towards low fluoroscopy procedures. The deleterious effects of radiation exposure and of the radiation protection clothing themselves are the primary drivers of this approach. Radiation exposure is known to increase the risk of cancer and cataracts for all operators, and namely those who are subjected to accumulating doses of radiation over time. (1). Proper radiation protective clothing can significantly decrease these risks however this strategy has serious weaknesses. For instance, the protective clothing does not cover the whole body, leaving the face and the skull exposed. Roguin et al (2) showed that the risk of radiation exposure to the unprotected areas of the body is real and has serious consequences. In a cohort of 31 interventional cardiologists who developed brain cancer, the investigators showed that 22 (85%) of them had left sided tumors, and 17 (55%) of them had glioblastoma multiforme. This remarkable finding suggests that the dose left side of the brain, the side that gets more radiation exposure, is much more likely to develop a cancer that carries a poor prognosis and a median expected survival of 12 months. Furthermore, the radiation protective clothing itself can cause orthopedics injuries common among interventional cardiologists such those of the spine and the knees. Given the deleterious effects of radiation, low fluoroscopy approaches are welcomed by the electrophysiology community if they can show a safety profile similar to that with the use of fluoroscopy.The transseptal puncture (TSP) is arguably the most critical step during which fluoroscopy is used. In this study Singh et al describe an approach for TSP under electoanatomic guidance. The authors then retrospectively compare the total procedure duration, fluoroscopy time, radiation exposures, and complications related to the TSP using this method with those of conventional fluoroscopy. This was a single center study that included 145 consecutive patients, with no previous history of cardiac surgery, who underwent de novo and redo AF ablations between June 2018 and April 2019. These patients were then compared to cases performed by the same operators before June 2018. The procedure was done under conscious sedation. A dense electroanatomic map of the right atrium was acquired using CARTO 3 Fast Anatomical Mapping and Confidence Software, with emphasis on the atrial septum, His Bundle, coronary sinus ostium, and superior vena cava. The authors observed that the fossa ovalis was an area of low voltage potential (0.37±0.19 mV vs 1.73±0.74 mV) and low impedance (125±11 Ω vs 138±15 Ω), and electrically distinct from the rest of the atrial septum. The authors were able to localize the fossa ovalis using a combination of anatomical landmarks and the use of a voltage threshold of 0.75mV. The transseptal needle was then advanced through this desired location. The authors reported no significant complications related to the TSP.The authors argue that the safety profile is like the TSP under fluoroscopy, however this is a single center study. In fact the most senior operator performed three- quarters of all the procedures. Given the high risk of such an approach, the main question for the wide adoption of such a technique will again be safety in the hands of less experienced operators. A major factor that can increase the safety profile as well as the preciseness of the TSP is the routine use of ICE. ICE can confirm the precise positioning of the needle even in cases with unusual atrial septal anatomies (floppy, bulging, hypertrophic septum or in the presence of devices such as CardioSEAL or other atrial septal defect occlusion devices). Furthermore, ICE can confirm the location of the needle in the LA with microbubble injections after the TSP; it can confirm the location of the wire thus making it safer to advance the sheath knowing that it will not end up in the LAA or causing a perforation. As such ICE is arguably more important in the low fluoroscopy approach than in a one with fluoroscopy.Low fluoroscopy approach to TSP is a welcomed change in the field of electrophysiology given the significant adverse outcomes of radiation and radiation protective clothing to providers. The main concern in such a change is the safety and precise localization of the TSP. New technologies are allowing the development of new approaches such as the one described by Troisi et al to achieve the goal of safe low fluoroscopy procedures.References:Klein LW, Miller DL, Balter S, et al. Occupational health hazards in the interventional laboratory: time for a safer environment. Radiology 2009; 250:538-544.Roguin A, Goldstein J, Bar O, Goldstein JA. Brain and neck tumors among physicians performing interventional procedures. Am J Cardiol 2013;111(9):1368-72.

This paper considers the initial value problem for a normal hyperbolic curvature flow derived by the cell-based mathematical models of tissue growth to account for the mechanistic influence of curvature on cell evolution. The equations satisfied by support functions under this flow is a hyperbolic Monge-Amp$\grave{e}$re equation. The equation for both perimeter and area of closed curves under the flow are also obtained. Based on this, we show that for a closed curve, if the initial velocity $v_{0}<0$, the solution of this flow converges to a point in finite time; if $v_{0}>0$, the solution of this flow exists for all $t\in[0,\infty)$.

In this manuscript we show a new approach into analyzing the local stability of equilibrium points of non-linear Caputo fractional planar systems. It is shown that the equilibrium points of such systems can exhibit an unstable focus or stable focus under suitable conditions. Further, it is shown that for $\alpha$ close to $1,$ global stability can be concluded, under suitable conditions, and without the use of a Lyapunov function. Lastly, our results are applied to a predator prey model with group defense, in which we show that it had equilibrium points that undergo an unstable focus and a stable focus.

The existence and uniqueness of the solution is proved for a nonlinear boundary value problem for ODE subject to an infinite condition \cite{1}, which describes the study of two-phase Stefan problems on the semi-infinite line [0,\infty). This result considerably extends the analysis of a recent work \cite{4}. A highly accurate analytic approximate solution of this problem is also provided via the Adomian decomposition method.

This paper is concerned with sign-changing radial solutions of the semilinear parabolic equation $$\left\{ \begin{gathered} u_t-u_{rr}-\frac{N-1}{r}u_r=a(r)u+|u|^{p - 1}u, \ \ \ \ r\in(0,1), t>0, \hfill \\ u_r(0,t)=0, \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ u(1,t)=0, \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ t>0 \hfill \\ \end{gathered} \right.\leqno{\rm({P})} $$ with initial data $u(r,0)=u_0(r)$, $r\in[0,1]$, where $u_0(r)$, $a(r)\in C[0,1]$, $u_0(r)$ is not identically equal to $0$ in $[0,1]$, $p>1$, $N>1$. Under suitable assumptions on $\lambda_k$, we prove that solutions blowup in finite time if $z(u_0)\leq k$, while there exist stationary solutions with $k$ or more zeros, where $\lambda_k$ is the k-th eigenvalue of linearized equation, and $z(\cdot)$ is the number of times of sign changes.

The origin of angiosperms has been a focus of botanical research. Although macrofossils and microfossils have suggested that angiosperms may have earlier occurrence, there are some scholars reluctant to accept these fossil records and their implications. To resolve this conflict studying more fossils using new technology is helpful. Obvious differences exist between pollen of seed plants and spore of ferns. Applying the MFCFM technology, here we report a half pollen grain with a mosaic combination of fluorescent spectral features of angiosperms and ferns from the Jurassic of China. Although the mother plant is still mysterious, the features of this fossil pollen grain apparently demands a new thinking on pollen and its evolution.

The present work is related to solve the fractional generalized Korteweg-de Vries (gKdV) equation in fractional time derivative form of order alpha. Some exact solutions of the fractional-order gKdV equation is attained by employing the new powerful expansion approach by using the beta-fractional derivative which is used to get many solitary wave solutions by changing the various parameters. The obtained solutions include three classes of soliton wave solutions in terms of hyperbolic function, trigonometric function, and rational function solutions. The obtained solutions and the exact solutions are shown graphically, highlighting the effects of non-linearity. Many other such types of nonlinear equations arising in fluid dynamics and nonlinear phenomena.

Echinococcosis, one of the most serious zoonotic diseases, has a severe impact on the human health and economic development. This paper mainly investigates the effect of stochastically environmental variability on transmission dynamics of echinococcosis. Firstly, sufficient conditions of the extinction in the mean for the disease are obtained. In addition, by constructing a suitable stochastic Lyapunov function, the existence of the unique ergodic stationary distribution is established. Lastly, numerical simulations have been performed to not only verify our analytical results but also display that noise intensities would affect the dynamical behaviors of this model, (i) these noise intensities for three subgroups all have significantly negative impact on the extinction time for $I_H(t)$, in particular, when the noise intensity for the livestock $\sigma_L$ increases, the extinction time for $I_H(t)$ decreases; (ii) these noise intensities for three subgroups have the influence on the skewness and kurtosis of the stationary distribution for $I_H(t)$, where the effect of the noise intensity for humans $\sigma_H$ on the alteration of the distribution shape for $I_H(t)$ is obvious, from skyscraping to pyknic and gradually migrating towards left as $\sigma_H$ increasing.

During the SARS-CoV outbreak in 2003, Japan's National Institute for Infectious Diseases (NIID) showed, on their website, that SARS-CoV, an enveloped virus, could be deactivated by a 200-fold dilution of a neutral detergent 1. Based on these findings, our clinic began using a 200-fold diluted solution of kitchen detergent in early March to wipe down materials and soak instruments as well as the hands of patients and staff for the purpose of SARS-CoV-2 disinfection. Our tweet on April 10, 2020 regarding this gained 6 million views in Japan 2. There have been no experimental studies confirming the deactivation effect of detergents on SARS-CoV or SARS-CoV-2. On April 15, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) of Japan announced that they would test the disinfecting effects of detergents on SARS-CoV-2. On April 21, our clinic was interviewed by METI. The final results were publicly announced on June 26, 2020 3. To date, no English reviews of this Japan’s public presentation 4 exist. Validation studies using SARS-CoV-2 (JPN/TY/WK-521) and VeroE6/TMPRSS2 cells were conducted at five institutes in Japan, including NIID and Kitasato University (KU) 4. At NIID, the surfactant was mixed with the virus for periods between 20 seconds and 5 minutes. After removing the surfactant with resin, they evaluated the antiviral value using the TCID50 method. An infectious titer reduction rate of over 99.99% was obtained confirming the disinfection efficiency. At KU, VeroE6/TMPRSS2 cells were incubated for an hour with the surfactant and virus. After observing its cytopathic effect (CPE) for three days, the RNA titer was measured using qRT-PCR in the culture supernatant. Only when no CPE was observed in all wells and no increase in RNA titer was observed, was it judged as having a disinfection effect. NIID finally judged and published the following 9 surfactants, that were determined as possessing a disinfection effect at either the NIID or KU or both, as effective disinfectants for SARS-CoV-2 under the following conditions:ž   Sodium linear alkylbenzene sulfonate; 20 seconds with 0.1% at NIID, 5 minutes with 0.1% at KU.ž   Alkyl glycoside; 20 seconds with 0.0.5% at NIID, 1 minute with 0.1% at KU.ž   Alkylamine oxide; 20 seconds with 0.05% at NIID, 1 minute with 0.05% at KU.ž   Benzalkonium chloride; 2 minutes with 0.05% at NIID, 1 minute with 0.05% at KU. ž   Benzethonium chloride; 1 minute with 0.05% at NIID, 5 minutes with 0.05% at KU. ž   Dialkyldimethyl ammonium chloride; 40 seconds with 0.01% at NIID, 5 minutes with 0.01% at KU. ž   Polyoxyethylene alkyl ether; 5 min with 0.2% at NIID, (not effective in 5 min with 0.1% at KU).ž   Pure-soap component: 1 minute with 0.24% potassium salts of fatty acids at NIID, (not effective at 5 minutes with 0.12% at NIID and at 5 min with 0.1% at KU).  ž   Pure-soap component: 1 minute with 0.22% sodium of fatty acids at NIID, (not effective at 5 minutes with 0.11% at NIID and at 10 minutes with 0.1% at KU).  However, the use of detergent for hand sanitizers was discouraged by NIID 3. From early March 2020 to the present (July 15 2020), we applied a 200-fold dilution of kitchen detergent (Charmy V Quick; LION corp., Japan), which contains 30% surfactant (alkylamine oxide, sodium alpha-olefin sulfonate, polyoxyethylene fatty acid alkanolamide, and polyoxyethylene alkyl ether), to the hands of at least 500 patients, and five members of medical staff as a SARS-CoV-2 disinfectant. The hands of patients and medical staff were not rinsed for approximately 15 minutes and 1 hour after application, respectively. The only adverse effects observed were mild hand sores in all the staff. Ethanol as hand sanitizer also causes hand sores. Dishwashing with bare hands using undiluted neutral kitchen detergent has been widely practiced around the world. In some European countries, it is common not to rinse the detergent completely when washing dishes and bathing. Given these practices, toxicity is unlikely to be an issue if a thin layer of detergent is left on the hands for a couple of hours; however, further verification is necessary.Ethanol dries and loses its disinfection property rapidly, whereas detergents do not easily dry out on skin and cloth, enabling longer contact with the virus. Furthermore, detergents remain on the skin after it dries, and may melt and become effective when wet droplets adhere. This can be expected on the skin as well as in other materials including face masks and clothing. Detergents are inexpensive and are unlikely to be in short supply. Studies confirming the prolonged effectiveness of dried detergents on surfaces and the toxicity of the above methods are necessary. References 1.         National Institute for Infectious Diseases, SARS ni kansuru shoudoku (3teiban) [Disinfection on SARS (3rd Ed.)]. http://idsc.nih.go.jp/disease/sars/sars03w/index.html. Published December 18, 2003. 2.         @blanc0981. (2020, April 10). Toindeha Ikkagetsukan, 200bainiusumetanodaidokorosenzaide Sutaffu, kanatani tewonurashite, arainagasazuniitemorattemasuga, Hitorimotearenadono Shinkokunauttaehanai. Kaimenkasseizainosugoitenha kansoshitemonokori, sonoatonaniwosawattemo sonohifuni koteingusareta kaimenkasseizaide koronawokorosukanoseigatakai. [We have our staff and patients wet their hands with 200 times diluted kitchen detergent for a month without rinsing it off. Not a single person has complained of serious complaints such as rough hands. The great thing about surfactants is that they stay on after they dry, and whatever you touch afterwards is likely to kill the corona with the surfactant coated on that skin.] [Twitter post]. Retrieved from https://twitter.com/blanc0981/status/1248415995527483394?s=20 3.         Surfactants and Hypochlorous Acid Solution for Removal of Coronavirus from Surfaces (Final Announcement). https://www.meti.go.jp/english/press/2020/0626_004.html Published June 26, 2020. Accessed July 15, 2020. 4.         Shingatacoronauirusunitaisuru daigaeshoudokuhouhounoyuukouseihyouka (Saishuuhoukoku) [Evaluation of the Effectiveness of Alternative Disinfection Methods for New Coronavirus (Final Report)]. https://www.nite.go.jp/data/000111315.pdf Published June 29, 2020. Accessed July 15, 2020.   

Porcine circovirus 3 (PCV3) is a newly emerged circovirus discovered in 2016, and since then is threatening the swine industry worldwide. In this study, we evaluated the presence of different PCV3 strains in swine herds from Brazil. PCV3 was detected by qPCR in different samples from different life stages. Sequencing was performed with seventeen positive samples. This study reported the coinfection of different PCV3 strains in one animal. This study provides insights into the genetic diversity of PCV3 strains circulating in the Brazilian swine herds.

To the Editor, For the EU funded project PERMEABLE (PERsonalized MEdicine Approach for Asthma and Allergy Biologicals SeLEction), which addresses the availability of and access to advanced therapy of asthma in children across Europe, we performed a survey including 37 major pediatric asthma and allergy centers between September 2019 and July 2020. In total, the centers contributing to the survey treated approximately 1.000 young patients with severe asthma in 25 major European countries and Turkey with biologicals. In the light of the Corona Pandemic, we extended our survey asking the responsible clinicians if they experienced a SARS-CoV-2 infection in any of the children they are caring for. The questions pertaining to Corona infections were asked between March and July 2020.Given the prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 infections in the general population and in children, one would expect that at least 1% of the patients would be affected (1). In fact, none of the centers was aware of any symptomatic COVID-19 case in their patient populations or any positive SARS-CoV-2 tests.This leads to the conclusion, that either SARS-CoV-2 infections have a mild or even asymptomatic course also in children with severe asthma or that children with severe asthma (and their parents) were extremely successful in avoiding SARS-CoV-2 infections. Thus, we investigated by structured interview, how centers in those 26 countries had instructed their patients to avoid COVID-19. Interestingly, only 4 European countries (UK, Ireland, Portugal and Malta) had a strict, so called shielding policy in place which followed a principle of maximal segregation of severe asthmatics from the rest of the population: not leaving the house at all, not attending school even when they reopened, wearing face masks also at home, and social distancing even with family members. All other countries followed the principle of continuing or even enforcing asthma treatment in patients and advising to follow the same Corona rules as the general population.Both strategies led to the same result: An absence of COVID-19 cases in children with severe asthma. We conclude from this observation, that shielding is not necessary in children with severe asthma as they and their families are perfectly able to avoid Corona infections. The harm done to children by enforcing seclusion, separation and stigmatization needs to be acknowledged. Deprivation of school, social contact and friends weights heavy on children and the absence of any COVID-19 cases in major European centers for severe asthma in children does not justify a policy of compulsory shielding of children with severe asthma, neither in the first nor in any further Corona wave.Michael Kabesch, M.D.University Children’s Hospital Regensburg (KUNO) at the Hospital St. Hedwig of the Order of St. John, University of Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany.Member of the Research and Development Campus Regensburg (WECARE) at the Hospital St. Hedwig of the Order of St. John, Regensburg, Germany.ReferencesStringhini S, Wisniak A, Piumatti G, et al. Seroprevalence of anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgG antibodies in Geneva, Switzerland (SEROCoV-POP): a population-based study [published online ahead of print, 2020 Jun 11]. Lancet . 2020;S0140-6736(20)31304-0.

Amongst newly developed approaches to analyse molecular data, phylodynamic models are receiving much attention because of their potential to reveal changes to viral populations over short periods. This knowledge can be very important for understanding disease impacts. However, their accuracy needs to be fully understood, especially in relation to wildlife disease epidemiology, where sampling and prior knowledge may be limited. The release of the rabbit haemorrhagic disease virus (RHDV) as biological control in naïve rabbit populations in Australia in 1996 provides a unique dataset with which to validate phylodynamic models. By comparing the results obtained for RHDV1 with our current understanding of the RHDV epidemiology in Australia, we evaluated the performances of these recently developed models. In line with our expectations, coalescent analyses detected a sharp increase in the virus trajectory in the first few months after the virus release, followed by a more gradual increase. The phylodynamic analyses with a birth-death tree prior generated effective reproductive number estimates (the average number of secondary infections per each infectious case, Re) larger than one for most of the epochs considered. However, the possible range of the initial Re included estimates lower than one despite the known rapid spread of RHDV1 in Australia. Furthermore, the analyses that took into account the geographical structuring failed to converge. We argue that the difficulties that we encountered most likely stem from the fact that the samples available from 1996 to 2014 were too sparse with respect to geographic and within outbreak coverage to adequately infer some of the model parameters. In general, while these Bayesian analyses proved to be greatly informative in some regards, we caution that their interpretation may not be straight forward and recommend further research in evaluating the robustness of these models to assumption violations and sensitivity to sampling regimes.

This paper is concerned with multi-term fractional differential equations. With the help of the theory of fractional resolvent families, we establish the existence of mild solutions to a multi-term fractional differential equation.

Rationale, aims and objectives In the US, the reluctance of the federal government to impose a national stay-at-home policy in wake of COVID19 pandemic has left the decision of how to achieve social distancing to individual state governors. We hypothesized that in the absence of formal guidelines, the decision to close a state reflects the classic Weber-Fechner law of psychophysics- the amount by which a stimulus (such as number of cases or deaths) must increase in order to be noticed as a fraction of the intensity of that stimulus. Methods On April 12, 2020 we downloaded data from the New York Times database from all 50 states and the District of Columbia; by that time all but 7 states had issued the stay-at-home orders. We fitted the Weber-Fechner logarithmic function by regressing the log2 of cases and deaths respectively against the daily counts. We also conducted Cox regression analysis to determine if the probability of issuing the stay-at-home order increases proportionally as the number of cases or deaths increases. Results We found that the decision to issue the state-at-home order reflects the Weber-Fechner law. Both the number of infections (p=<0.0001; R2=0.79) and deaths (p<0.0001; R2=0.63) were significantly associated with the decision to issue the stay-at-home orders. The results indicate that for each doubling of infections or deaths, an additional 4 to 6 states will issue stay-at-home orders. Cox regression showed that when the number of deaths reached 256 and the number of infected people were over 16,000 the probability of issuing “stay-at-home” order was close to 100%. We found no difference in decision-making according to the political affiliation; the results remain unchanged on July 16,2020. Conclusions when there are not clearly articulated rules to follow, decision-makers resort to simple heuristics, in this case one consistent with the Weber-Fechner law.

The entry of SARS-CoV-2 into host cells proceeds by a two-step proteolysis process, which involves the lysosomal peptidase cathepsin L. Inhibition of cathepsin L is therefore considered an effective method to prevent the virus internalization. Analysis from the perspective of structure-functionality elucidates that cathepsin L inhibitory proteins/peptides found in food share specific features: multiple disulfide crosslinks (buried in protein core), lack or low contents of α-helix structures (small helices), and high surface hydrophobicity. Lactoferrin can inhibit cathepsin L, but not cathepsins B and H. This selective inhibition might be useful in fine targeting of cathepsin L. Molecular docking indicated that only the carboxyl-terminal lobe of lactoferrin interacts with cathepsin L and that the active site cleft of cathepsin L is heavily superposed by lactoferrin. Food protein-derived peptides might also show cathepsin L inhibitory activity.

Background and Purpose: Currently there are no licensed vaccines and limited antivirals for the treatment of COVID-19. Heparin (delivered systemically) is currently being used to treat anticoagulant anomalies in COVID-19 patients. In addition, in the UK, nebulised unfractionated heparin (UFH) is currently being trialled in COVID-19 patients as a potential treatment. A systematic comparison of the potential antiviral effect of various heparin preparations on live wild-type SARS-CoV-2, in vitro, is thus urgently needed. Experimental Approach: A range of heparin preparations both UFH (n=4) and low molecular weight heparins (LMWH) (n=3) of porcine or bovine origin were screened for antiviral activity against live SARS-CoV-2 (Victoria/01/2020) using a plaque reduction neutralisation assay and Vero E6 cells. ND50 values for each heparin were calculated using a mid-point probit analysis. Key Results: UFH had potent antiviral effects, with ND50 values of 12.5 and 23 μg/ml for two porcine mucosal UFH tested. Bovine mucosal UFH had similar antiviral effects although it was ~50% less active (ND50, 50-75 μg/ml). In contrast, LMWHs such as Clexane and Fragmin were markedly less active by ~100-fold (ND50 values of 2.6-6.8 mg/ml). Conclusions and Implications: This comparison of a panel of clinically relevant heparins, including the UFH preparation under trial in the UK, demonstrated that distinct products exhibit different degrees of antiviral activity against live SARS-CoV-2. Porcine mucosal UFH has the strongest antiviral activity followed by bovine mucosal UFH, whereas LMWHs had the lowest amount of antiviral activity (by 100-fold). Overall the data strongly support further clinical investigation of UFH as a potential treatment for patients with COVID-19.

Dumping of hazardous waste causes land degradation, air, and water pollution, deteriorates landscape and aesthetics, which can be controlled by reclaiming with grass-legume seeding. The study aimed to examine the effect of grass-legume revegetation between 1- and 5-years in a restored waste dump (hazardous waste of an integrated steel plant) reclaimed with coir-matting, topsoil blanketing followed by grass (Pennisetum pedicellatum) and legume (Stylosanthes hamata) seeding. We hypothesized that the synergistic effect of the grass-legume mixture would lead to an increase in productivity and soil fertility. To assess the effects, changes in root and shoot biomass, mulch accumulation, nitrogen (N) mineralization, and its effect on soil fertility were measured. Our results showed between 1- to 5-years legume and grass biomass increased by 44% and 37%, respectively. An increase in mulch density and thickness along with revegetation age potentially increased the soil moisture by 7.5% and lowered soil temperature by 9°C at 10 cm depth. Cumulative N-mineralization by legume was three-fold higher than the grass. Soil organic carbon (SOC), available N, total N, N-stock, and soil respiration was doubled after 5-years of revegetation. Dehydrogenase and urease activity increased by 44% and 56% respectively, indicating greater C and N accumulation at the dump surface. The study concluded that grass (P. pedicellatum) and legume (S. hamata) mixture can be used for reclamation of the waste dump that accelerates recovery of the fertility of disturbed topsoil by contributing mulch with increasing age of revegetation.

Background and purpose: COVID-19 induces a proinflammatory environment that is stronger in cases requiring intensive care. Overexpression of the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) by COVID-19 may activate nuclear poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase 1 (PARP 1) thereby inducing cell death by NAD+ and ATP depletion. The purpose of this review is to propose PARP 1 inhibition as a COVID-19 therapy, starting with nicotinamide. Experimental approach: Evidence for the above effects of COVID-19, other coronaviruses and lung conditions will be reviewed. Key results: A proinflammatory environment characterises all the above conditions irrespective of severity. The AhR is overexpressed by various coronaviruses, the pneumovirus respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients. PARP 1 is overexpressed in COPD and possibly also asthmatic patients. Conclusions: It is almost certain that PARP 1 is overexpressed by COVID-19. A sequence of events involving PARP 1 and culminating in patient mortality is proposed. PARP 1 inhibition should be the focus of COVID-19 therapy. Potent PARP 1 inhibitors are undergoing trials in cancer, but the highly desirable biochemical and activity profiles of the NAD(P)+ precursor and PARP 1 inhibitor nicotinamide justify its use, initially in conjunction with standard clinical care or combined with other agents, and subsequently as an adjunct to stronger PARP 1 inhibitors (once their efficacy is proven) or other therapies. Implications: Preventing death from COVID-19 infection with a widely available vitamin-like substance with a unique biochemical and activity profile can present a great clinical advance worldwide.

EDITORIAL The average global temperatures on our planet are increasing due to rising anthropogenic greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, in particular carbon dioxide (CO2).1,2 There is an urgent need to call for action on global warming, which is resulting in extreme weather and related catastrophes.1 ,2 The Earth’s rising temperature is evidenced by warming of the oceans, melting glaciers, rising sea levels, and the diminished snow cover in the Northern Hemisphere. Climate-related factors can affect interactive atmospheric components (chemical and biological) and their interrelationship with human health.Climate change, a physics and meteorological event that affects health in the whole biosphere started to receive attention around the mid-twentieth century. Air pollution is the driving force of the Earth’s warming powered by the greenhouse effect (Figure 1). Environmental changes are occurring in frequency, intensity, type of precipitation, and extreme weather events, such as heatwaves, droughts, floods, blizzards, thunderstorms, sandstorms, and hurricanes. These are real and daunting challenges for the human and biosphere health, impacting the food and water supplies.1 ,2 Urbanization, with its high level of vehicle emissions and westernized lifestyle, is linked to the rising levels of particulate matter in the air, food supplies, soil, freshwater, and oceans. These environmental changes are correlated with the increased frequency of respiratory allergic diseases and bronchial asthma observed over recent decades in most industrialized countries and is continuously rising in developing countries.1-5This issue of Allergy focuses on the interrelationship between climate change, air pollution and human health.3-7Climate change is an important medical aspect in allergology as we are observing an increasing incidence of allergic diseases indirectly related to rising temperatures and are becoming a high socio-economic burden.1-3,8 Allergies and asthma appear to be at the front line of the sequelae of climate change along with infectious and cardiovascular diseases.1,5Cecchi et al. focus on the development and exacerbation of allergic diseases can be explained in terms of the exposome, a concept that includes all the environmental exposures from conception onwards. Multiple factors can trigger a pollen-induced respiratory allergy, such as airborne endotoxin levels and microbial composition of pollen, and these comprise a “pollen exposome”.4,9Susan Prescott has written an editorial in this issue bringing the attention to climate change and bidiversity aspects. At the time of Neil Armstrong’s lunar landing 50 years ago, Prof. Rene Dubos, a renowned microbiologist, delivered the seminal lecture “The Spaceship Earth”. He was ahead of his time and warned of an “altered immunity” driven by environmental problems and loss of biodiversity. Most of his predictions proved correct and we are now understanding at a molecular level the pathophysiological mechanisms involved in allergic diseases.8Climate change indirectly affects allergies by altering the pollen concentrations, allergenic potential, composition, migration of species and growth of new ones. Air pollution and climate change have resulted in the faster growth of allergenic plants, increasing the aeroallergen load for patients with inhalant allergy. Phenological studies indicate longer pollen seasons and emerge earlier in the year.1,4,5,8 Pollen and mold allergies are generally used to evaluate the interrelationship between air pollution and allergic respiratory diseases, such as rhinitis and asthma. Studies show that plants exhibit enhanced photosynthesis and reproductive effects and produce more pollen as a response to high atmospheric levels of CO2. 1,4,8 Pollen allergens have been demonstrated to trigger the release of pro-inflammatory and immunomodulatory mediators that accelerate the onset of allergy and the IgE-mediated sensitization. Lightning storms or wet conditions rupture the pollen grains releasing the allergenic proteins that cause asthma exacerbations in patients with pollinosis (thunderstorm-asthma).1,3,4,7,10 As a result of climate change, patients with seasonal allergic rhinoconjunctivitis and asthma have more intense symptoms and need stronger medication.1,4,8 In addition to respiratory illnesses, Fairweather et al. demonstrate the effect of environmental changes on cardiovascular, brain and mind, gastrointestinal, skin, immunologic and metabolic effects.1,3,4,7 The migration of stinging and biting insects to cooler climates has caused an increase in insect allergies in those areas.Prunicki et al. focus on the contribution of wildfires and deforestation and their contribution to global warming and immunological effects. It should be noted that in the last fifty years, half of the pluvial forests on Earth have been lost. Deforestation and forestation degradation is estimated to occur at a rate of 13 million hectares per year, mostly for agricultural purposes. Wildfires are becoming increasingly frequent, posing a serious risk to human health. The fine particulate matter (PM2.5) in wildfire smoke exacerbates asthma attacks, among other health problems. A study of 67 subjects demonstrated that those exposed to wildfire smoke had significantly higher levels of C-reactive protein and IL-1β compared with controls.6 The elevated levels of these two biomarkers are indicative of airway inflammation.Global warming and climate change need actions throughout the whole world with joined forces of all capabilities. These efforts are sometimes hampered by the unresponsiveness of governmental institutions and the general population, the lack of infrastructure and poverty. An action plan is needed to disseminate information on health-related problems associated with climate change. Patients with pollen allergies or asthma should be educated on the higher health risk during a thunderstorm or pollen season and the need for appropriate medication if staying outdoors. In collaboration with environmental organizations, physicians should take the lead to promote actions to mitigate air pollution and advocate the need to reduce global warming to protect our health.

Background: The association of hysterectomy with risk of cardiovascular disease(CVD) remains unclear. Objective: To evaluate the relationship between hysterectomy and the risk of CVD. Search Strategy: Five databases and reference lists of relevant studies were systematically searched up to January 2020. Selection Criteria: Observational studies evaluating the relationship between hysterectomy and risk of CVD or its subordinate diseases and non-hysterectomy controls were retained. Data Collection and Analysis: Pooled relative risks (RRs) and 95% CI were calculated by random effects model. Subgroup analyses and meta-regressions were performed to explore potential sources of heterogeneity. Small-study effects were estimated by Egger’s test and funnel plot. Main Results: Fourteen articles were included in our meta-analysis. The pooled RR (95% CI) of ischemic heart disease risk for hysterectomy versus non-hysterectomy was 1.20 (95% CI: 1.08-1.35). In association between ischemic heart disease and hysterectomy with ovarian preservation or hysterectomy with oophorectomy, significant positive associations were observed. A significant association was also found with having hysterectomy before 50y (1.19; 95% CI：1.01-1.41), but not with after 50y (1.16; 95% CI: 0.87-1.54). Hysterectomy might increase the risk of hypertension and unclassified CVD, but have no influence on other subordinate diseases of CVD. Conclusions: hysterectomy, whether preserving ovaries or not, might increase the risk of ischemic heart disease and hypertension, not of stroke. Hysterectomy might increase the risk of ischemic heart disease and stroke in women who had surgery below 50y. Keywords: hysterectomy, cardiovascular disease, hysterectomy with ovarian preservation, hysterectomy with oophorectomy, age at operation, meta-analysis.

Objective: To evaluate the relationship between adenomyosis severity and perinatal outcomes. Design: Pregnant women with adenomyosis were divided into two groups: the mild group (adenomyosis volume <500 cm3) and the severe group (adenomyosis volume ≥500 cm3). Setting: Tertiary care institution, Shanghai, China. Population: In total, 286 pregnancies complicated with adenomyosis, who attended routine prenatal check-ups between July 1, 2017, and June 30, 2019, at Shanghai First Maternity and Infant Hospital participated in the study. Methods: A total of 286 pregnant women with adenomyosis were analysed retrospectively. The three diameter lines (length, L; width, W; and thickness, T) of adenomyosis were measured by ultrasound during pregnancy. The volume of adenomyosis (V) was calculated by the formula V= L *W * T * 4 / 3 π. Pregnant women with adenomyosis were divided into a mild group (V<500 cm3) and a severe group (V≥500 cm3). Main outcome measures: The relationship between adenomyosis severity and perinatal outcomes. Results: Pregnant women in the severe group had higher preterm labour rate (18.5% versus 10.2%;odd ratio 1.991;95%CI0.969-4.090) , higher caesarean section rate (67.9% vs 49.8%; odd ratio 2.136;95%CI1.114-2.672) , and earlier gestational week at delivery (38+0 ± 2+1 versus 38+5±2+0).The new-born birth weight was significantly lower(3056.7 ± 523.8g versus 3216.9 ±546.4g) in the severe group. Severe adenomyosis didn’t increase postpartum hemorrhage significantly. Conclusion: Severe adenomyosis is related to adverse perinatal outcomes.

Seabirds, particularly Procellariiformes, are highly mobile organisms with a great capacity for long dispersal, though simultaneously showing high philopatry, two conflicting characteristics that may lead to contrasted patterns of genetic population structure. Landmasses were suggested to explain differentiation patterns observed in seabirds, but philopatry, isolation-by-distance, segregation between breeding and non-breeding zones, and oceanographic conditions (sea surface temperatures) may also contribute to differentiation patterns. No study has simultaneously contrasted the multiple factors contributing to the diversification of seabird species, especially in the grey zone of speciation. We conducted a multi-locus phylogeographic study on a widespread shearwater species complex (Puffinus lherminieri/bailloni), showing highly homogeneous morphology. We sequenced three mitochondrial and six nuclear markers on all extant populations (five nominal lineages, 13 populations). We found sharp differentiation among populations separated by the African continent with both mitochondrial and nuclear markers, while only mitochondrial markers allowed characterizing the five nominal lineages. No differentiation could be detected within these five lineages, questioning the strong level of philopatry showed by these shearwaters. Finally, we propose that Atlantic populations likely originated from the Indian Ocean. Within the Atlantic, a stepping-stone process accounts for the current distribution. Based on our divergence times estimates, we suggest that the observed pattern of differentiation mostly resulted from variation in sea surface temperatures.