Explore the vast range of titles available.

Background/Objectives: Citrulline, an amino acid produced by small bowel enterocytes, has been proposed as a potential marker of intestinal absorptive capacity. The aim of this study is to evaluate whether measuring citrulline levels could be useful for celiac disease (CD) patients, both at the time of diagnosis and during follow-up. Methods: A multicenter prospective study was conducted. Citrulline levels were measured and compared in 93 pediatric patients classified into three groups. Group A: 28 patients with newly diagnosed CD. In this group, an additional measurement was performed after 3–6 months on a gluten-free diet (GFD). Group B: 32 patients with a prior CD diagnosis and on a GFD for at least 6 months. Group C: 33 healthy controls. Citrulline levels were correlated with clinical and laboratory variables, including serological markers. Statistical analysis: t-tests for paired groups and independent groups, Pearson and Spearman correlation tests. Results: Newly diagnosed CD patients had lower citrulline levels compared to those on a GFD for more than 6 months (27.13 vs. 32.42 µmol/L; p > 0.05). Citrulline levels were nearly identical between healthy controls and CD patients on a GFD for more than 6 months (32.48 vs. 32.42 µmol/L; p > 0.05). Starting a GFD led to a significant increase in citrulline levels in group A (from 27.13 to 37.43 µmol/L, p < 0.001). Conclusions: Plasma citrulline could serve as a valuable marker for mucosal recovery in the follow-up of diagnosed celiac patients adhering to a GFD.

Non-technical summaryThis article examines the challenges and opportunities to integrate diverse sources of evidence in assessments produced by international platforms working at the science–policy interface. Diversity (or pluralism) of sources of literature, both in terms of their geographic origin and disciplinary focus, is essential for assessments to inform decision-making across social–ecological contexts. Using the recently completed ‘Methodological Assessment of the Diverse Values and Valuation of Nature’ of the Intergovernmental Science–Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services as a case, we find that significant effort has been dedicated to reviewing diverse literature. We discuss three strategies to expand pluralism in future assessments.Technical summaryRepresenting plural views in science–policy platforms is essential to avoid reproducing geographic and epistemic biases that permeate contemporary scientific knowledge production and synthesis. The Intergovernmental Science–Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) has strived to produce assessments that incorporate information from diverse regions and knowledge systems. We explore the geographic and epistemic pluralism of the literature included in the ‘Methodological Assessment of the Diverse Values and Valuation of Nature’ (VA), and the challenges and opportunities to achieve such knowledge pluralism. We applied a bibliometric analysis to the sources of evidence cited in the VA, and reflected on the assessment development process, in which we were directly involved. Our results highlight the success of different strategies developed by VA experts to engage with diverse sources of literature. Still, most evidence was English-language academic literature produced in Western Europe, Canada, and the United States, echoing the prominence of this literature in scientific publication in environmental disciplines. Reflecting on our experiences, we discuss strategies that could further enhance the geographic and epistemic pluralism in the information reviewed for future environmental assessments produced by IPBES and other international science–policy platforms.Social media summaryEpistemic and geographic pluralism was partially achieved in IPBES Values Assessment, and can be further enhanced in future assessments.

Objectives/Background: Vitamin D-binding protein (VDBP) and free vitamin D are new markers that are being studied as a possible markers of vitamin D status. The main aim of our study was to analyze the VDBP genotype and quantify the levels of free vitamin D in a sample of cystic fibrosis (CF) patients. Methods: We conducted a multicenter, cross-sectional, and prospective study including patients with CF and exocrine pancreatic insufficiency who were clinically stable. We investigated vitamin D levels (total and free) and the different VDBP haplotypes. Free vitamin D levels were measured using an electro-chemiluminescence assay. Results: A sample of 48 patients was obtained (52% male; median age 13.8 years). The most common allele of VDBP was Gc1s (72%) > Gc2 (52%) > Gc1f (27%). The median calcidiol was 21.2 ng/mL (IR 15.3–26.9), and 81% had levels in the insufficiency range: 23 patients (48%) below 20 ng/mL, and 16 (33%) between 20 and 30 ng/mL. The median free vitamin D level was 4.2 pg/mL (IR 3.9–5.6). A positive correlation was observed between calcidiol and free vitamin D levels (r = 0.871; p < 0.0001). After adjustment for season, vitamin D supplementation, sex, and CF-related diabetes, patients with Gc1f polymorphism had a lower risk of vitamin D deficiency, OR 0.22 (95% CI 0.05–0.99), and p = 0.027. A negative linear trend was observed between the polymorphisms grouped into three categories (Gc1/Gc1, Gc1/Gc2, and Gc2/Gc2, in that order) and vitamin D and free vitamin D levels (p = 0.025 and p = 0.033, respectively). Conclusion: In CF, as in the general population, the most common VDBP haplotype in the Caucasian race is Gc1s. VDBP polymorphisms influence serum vitamin D and free vitamin D levels in CF patients. There is a good correlation between free vitamin D and calcidiol levels, suggesting that measuring the latter in CF does not seem to provide any additional benefit.

Introduction: In recent years, guidelines for vitamin D supplementation have been updated and prophylactic recommended doses have been increased in patients with cystic fibrosis (CF). Objective: To evaluate safety and efficacy of these new recommendations. Results: Two cohorts of pancreatic insufficient CF patients were compared before (cohort 1: 179 patients) and after (cohort 2: 71 patients) American CF Foundation and European CF Society recommendations were published. Cohort 2 patients received higher Vitamin D doses: 1509 (1306–1711 95% CI) vs 1084 (983–1184 95% CI) IU/Day (p < 0.001), had higher 25 OH vitamin D levels: 30.6 (27.9–33.26 95% CI) vs. 27.4 (25.9–28.8 95% CI) ng/mL (p = 0.028), and had a lower prevalence of insufficient vitamin D levels (<30 ng/mL): 48% vs 65% (p = 0.011). Adjusted by confounding factors, patients in cohort 1 had a higher risk of vitamin D insufficiency: OR 2.23 (1.09–4.57 95% CI) (p = 0.028). Conclusion: After the implementation of new guidelines, CF patients received higher doses of vitamin D and a risk of vitamin D insufficiency decreased. Despite this, almost a third of CF patients still do not reach sufficient serum calcidiol levels.

Values play an important role in farmers’ land management decisions, becoming increasingly relevant when designing environmental policy. One key element that influences farming decisions is the land tenure under which farmers and their land are embedded, which represents different sets of rights for farmers. Therefore, the aim of this study was to elicit farmers’ values regarding the social and ecological attributes of the landscape, and determine how these values vary according to differences in land rights. We performed this exercise in the two most important land tenure systems in rural Mexico. We carried out a choice experiment to understand preferences for different landscape attributes such as vegetation cover, surface water, terrain slope, and type of property. Then, we probed how these preferences change according to the land rights that farmers hold. We found that surface water was consistently the most important landscape attribute. However, there were clear differences that were related to land rights for some values, such as for example, vegetation cover. Institutional mechanisms such as boundary rules and conflicting values are part of the explanation of these differences. These results provide a bridge to understanding farmers’ management decisions, and in the future, improving sustainable development.

Background: Triple therapy with cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) modulators in patients with cystic fibrosis (CF) has led to a shift in the nutritional management of the disease. Correct assessment of nutritional status is crucial due to its significant impact in pulmonary function and overall patient survival. This study aims to provide mid-term data on anthropometric and body composition changes in pediatric patients treated with elexacaftor–tezacaftor–ivacaftor (ETI). Methods: A prospective, longitudinal, multicenter study was conducted involving pediatric CF patients receiving ETI therapy. Anthropometric measurements and bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) data were collected at baseline and after 24 months of treatment. Results: A group of 66 pediatric patients, median age of 11.11 years (IQR: 8.2–12.5), was studied. The BMI z-score increased from −0.63 at baseline to −0.38 (p < 0.001) after 2 years of ETI treatment. Somatometric parameters were compared with a retrospective cohort showing no significant results. Significant changes comparing body composition were also observed over the 24 months period: fat mass (FM) increased from 6.2 kg to 7.4 kg (p < 0.001) free fat mass (FFM), increased from 28.2 kg to 34.2 kg (p < 0.001) and body cellular mass (BCM), increased from 7.8 kg to 8.7 kg (p = 0.02). Conclusions: Pediatric patients undergoing ETI treatment showed mid-term improvements in anthropometric parameters, alongside notable changes in body composition. Long-term studies are needed to confirm these findings and to better understand the implications for pediatric CF care.

Twenty-five years since foundational publications on valuing ecosystem services for human well-being 1 , 2 , addressing the global biodiversity crisis 3 still implies confronting barriers to incorporating nature’s diverse values into decision-making. These barriers include powerful interests supported by current norms and legal rules such as property rights, which determine whose values and which values of nature are acted on. A better understanding of how and why nature is (under)valued is more urgent than ever 4 . Notwithstanding agreements to incorporate nature’s values into actions, including the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) 5 and the UN Sustainable Development Goals 6 , predominant environmental and development policies still prioritize a subset of values, particularly those linked to markets, and ignore other ways people relate to and benefit from nature 7 . Arguably, a ‘values crisis’ underpins the intertwined crises of biodiversity loss and climate change 8 , pandemic emergence 9 and socio-environmental injustices 10 . On the basis of more than 50,000 scientific publications, policy documents and Indigenous and local knowledge sources, the Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) assessed knowledge on nature’s diverse values and valuation methods to gain insights into their role in policymaking and fuller integration into decisions 7 , 11 . Applying this evidence, combinations of values-centred approaches are proposed to improve valuation and address barriers to uptake, ultimately leveraging transformative changes towards more just (that is, fair treatment of people and nature, including inter- and intragenerational equity) and sustainable futures. Following a wide-ranging review of studies, reports and policies about nature’s multiple values, combinations of values-centred approaches are proposed to improve valuation of nature, address barriers to uptake in decision-making, and make transformative changes towards more just and sustainable futures.

Gray literature is increasingly considered to complement evidence and knowledge from peer-reviewed literature for science-policy processes and applied research. On the one hand, science-policy assessments need to both consider a diversity of worldviews, knowledge types and values from a variety of sectors and actor groups, and synthesize policy-relevant findings that are salient, legitimate and credible. On the other hand, practitioners and scholars conducting applied research, especially in environmental and health-related fields, are affected by the time lag and documented biases of academic publication processes. While gray literature holds diverse perspectives that need to be integrated in science-policy processes as well as practical evidence unfiltered by commercial publication processes, its heterogeneity has made it challenging to access through conventional means for a literature review. This paper details one endeavor within the Values Assessment of the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) to review gray literature using Google’s Programmable Search Engine. In the absence of a standardized approach, we build on a limited experiential knowledge base for reviewing gray literature and report on the potential applicability of our strategy for future reviews. Our results contrast the findings of our parallel review of academic literature, underlining the importance of mobilizing different knowledge bases in science-policy assessments, evidence-based practices, and applied research.

The need to manufacture more competitive equipment, together with the emergence of the digital technologies from the so-called Industry 4.0, have changed many paradigms of the industrial sector. Presently, the trend has shifted to massively acquire operational data, which can be processed to extract really valuable information with the help of Machine Learning or Deep Learning techniques. As a result, classical Condition Monitoring methodologies, such as model- and signal-based ones are being overcome by data-driven approaches. Therefore, the current paper provides a review of these data-driven active supervision strategies implemented in electric drives for fault detection and diagnosis (FDD). Hence, first, an overview of the main FDD methods is presented. Then, some basic guidelines to implement the Machine Learning workflow on which most data-driven strategies are based, are explained. In addition, finally, the review of scientific articles related to the topic is provided, together with a discussion which tries to identify the main research gaps and opportunities.