Cholera remains a significant public health concern in Ethiopia. More than 15.9 million Ethiopians, constituting 15% of the total population, live in areas with a history of recurrent cholera outbreaks. The last 9 years of national cholera surveillance data show the country has been experiencing cholera outbreaks every year. The current cholera outbreak, starting in August 2022, has affected the entire country, with 841 reported cases and a 3.13% case fatality rate (CFR) in 2022, and >30 000 cases with nearly a 1.4% CFR in 2023. In line with \"Ending Cholera-A Global Roadmap to 2030,\" the government of Ethiopia is committed to eliminate cholera in the country and has prepared its \"National Cholera Elimination Plan (NCP): 2022-2028\" with aims to achieve zero local transmission in cholera hotspot areas by 2028 and 90% fatality reduction from the recent (2020-2022) average of 1.8% CFR. The plan is multisectoral, has a clear coordination platform, contains all interventions with in-depth situational analysis, is concordant with existing plans and strategies, and is cascaded at the regional level and implemented with existing government and public structures. Nationwide, total 118 cholera hotspot woredas (districts) were identified, and a comprehensive situation analysis of the existing cholera outbreak response capacity was assessed. This multisectoral and multiyear NCP has forecasted around US$404 million budget estimates with >90% allocated to improving the country\'s water, sanitation, and hygiene (US$222 million; 55% of total NCP budget) and case management (US$149 million; 37%). The cholera vaccination strategy included in the NCP exhibited a 5-year oral cholera vaccine (OCV) introduction plan with 2 doses (30 604 889 doses) and single dose (3 031 266 doses) in selected cholera hotspot areas. However, its implementation is challenged due to a lack of financial support, inability to get the requested vaccine for targeted hotspot woredas (due to the current shortage of doses in the OCV global stockpile), recurrent cholera outbreaks, and high humanitarian needs in the country. It is recommended to have a sustainable financial mechanism to support implementation, follow the requested vaccine doses, and reorganize the planned coordination platform to foster the implementation.

The North China Plain (NCP) is one of the three great plains in China and also serves as a vital region for grain, cotton, and oil production. Under the influence of regional hydrothermal changes, groundwater overexploitation, and seawater intrusion, the vegetation coverage is undergoing continuous alterations. However, a comprehensive assessment of impacts of precipitation, temperature, and groundwater on vegetation in marine sedimentary regions of the NCP is lacking. Heilonggang Basin (HB) is located in the low-lying plain area in the east of NCP, which is part of the NCP. In this study, the HB was chosen as a typical area of interest. We collected a series of data, including the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), precipitation, temperature, groundwater depth, and Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) from 2001 to 2020. Then the spatiotemporal variation in vegetation was analyzed, and the underlying driving mechanisms of vegetation variation were explored in this paper. The results show that NDVI experiences a rapid increase from 2001 to 2004, followed by stable fluctuations from 2004 to 2020. The vegetation in the HB has achieved an overall improvement in the past two decades, with 76% showing improvement, mainly in the central and eastern areas, and 24% exhibiting deterioration in other areas. From 2001 to 2020, NDVI correlates positively with precipitation, whereas its relationship with temperature fluctuates between positive and negative, and is not statistically significant. There is a threshold for the synergistic change of NDVI and groundwater depth. When the groundwater depth is lower than 3.8 m, NDVI increases sharply with groundwater depth. However, beyond this threshold, NDVI tends to stabilize and fluctuate. In the eastern coastal areas, NDVI exhibits a strong positive correlation with groundwater depth, influenced by the surface soil TDS controlled by groundwater depth. In the central regions, a strong negative correlation is observed, where NDVI is primarily impacted by soil moisture under the control of groundwater. In the west and south, a strong positive correlation exists, with NDVI primarily influenced by the intensity of groundwater exploitation. Thus, precipitation and groundwater are the primary driving forces behind the spatiotemporal variability of vegetation in the HB, while in contrast, the influence of temperature is uncertain. This study has elucidated the mechanism of vegetation response, providing a theoretical basis for mitigating adverse factors affecting vegetation growth and formulating rational water usage regulations in the NCP.

Pathological pain emerges from nociceptive system dysfunction, resulting in heightened pain circuit activity. Various forms of circuitry plasticity, such as central sensitization, synaptic plasticity, homeostatic plasticity, and excitation/inhibition balance, contribute to the malfunction of neural circuits during pain pathogenesis. Recently, a new form of plasticity in the spinal dorsal horn (SDH), named neural circuit polarization (NCP), was discovered in pain models induced by HIV-1 gp120 and chronic morphine administration. NCP manifests as an increase in excitatory postsynaptic currents (EPSCs) in excitatory neurons and a decrease in EPSCs in inhibitory neurons, presumably facilitating hyperactivation of pain circuits. The expression of NCP is associated with astrogliosis. Ablation of reactive astrocytes or suppression of astrogliosis blocks NCP and, concomitantly, the development of gp120- or morphine-induced pain. In this review, we aim to compare and integrate NCP with other forms of plasticity in pain circuits to improve the understanding of the pathogenic contribution of NCP and its cooperation with other forms of circuitry plasticity during the development of pathological pain.

Over-exploitation of groundwater due to intensive irrigation and anticipated climate change pose severe threats to the water and food security worldwide, particularly in the North China Plain (NCP). Limited irrigation has been recognized as an effective way to improve crop water productivity and slow the rapid decline of groundwater levels. Whether optimized limited irrigation strategies could achieve a balance between groundwater pumping and grain production in the NCP under future climate change deserves further study. In this study, an improved Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) model was used to simulate climate change impacts on shallow groundwater levels and crop production under limited irrigation strategies to suggest optimal irrigation management practices under future climate conditions in the NCP. The simulations of eleven limited irrigation strategies for winter wheat with targeted irrigations at different growth stages and with irrigated or rainfed summer maize were compared with future business-as-usual management. Climate change impacts showed that mean wheat (maize) yield under adequate irrigation was expected to increase by 13.2% (4.9%) during the middle time period (2041-2070) and by 11.2% (4.6%) during the late time period (2071-2100) under three SSPs compared to the historical period (1971-2000). Mean decline rate of shallow groundwater level slowed by approximately 1 m a-1 during the entire future period (2041-2100) under three SSPs with a greater reduction for SSP5-8.5. The average contribution rate of future climate toward the balance of shallow groundwater pumping and replenishment was 62.9%. Based on the simulated crop yields and decline rate of shallow groundwater level under the future climate, the most appropriate limited irrigation was achieved by applying irrigation during the jointing stage of wheat with rainfed maize, which could achieve the groundwater recovery and sustainable food production.

To halt further destruction of the biosphere, most people and societies around the globe need to transform their relationships with nature. The internationally agreed vision under the Convention of Biological Diversity-Living in harmony with nature-is that \"By 2050, biodiversity is valued, conserved, restored and wisely used, maintaining ecosystem services, sustaining a healthy planet and delivering benefits essential for all people\". In this context, there are a variety of debates between alternative perspectives on how to achieve this vision. Yet, scenarios and models that are able to explore these debates in the context of \"living in harmony with nature\" have not been widely developed. To address this gap, the Nature Futures Framework has been developed to catalyse the development of new scenarios and models that embrace a plurality of perspectives on desirable futures for nature and people. In this paper, members of the IPBES task force on scenarios and models provide an example of how the Nature Futures Framework can be implemented for the development of illustrative narratives representing a diversity of desirable nature futures: information that can be used to assess and develop scenarios and models whilst acknowledging the underpinning value perspectives on nature. Here, the term illustrative reflects the multiple ways in which desired nature futures can be captured by these narratives. In addition, to explore the interdependence between narratives, and therefore their potential to be translated into scenarios and models, the six narratives developed here were assessed around three areas of the transformative change debate, specifically, (1) land sparing vs. land sharing, (2) Half Earth vs. Whole Earth conservation, and (3) green growth vs. post-growth economic development. The paper concludes with an assessment of how the Nature Futures Framework could be used to assist in developing and articulating transformative pathways towards desirable nature futures.
UNASSIGNED: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s11625-023-01316-1.

Cancer is an important public health problem. Prostate cancer is one of the most common cancers among men. In Poland, the incidence of this type of cancer is constantly growing. Considering the appearance of a new coronavirus in December 2019 (SARS-CoV-2) and the fact that oncology patients, including those with prostate cancer, are particularly vulnerable to infection, it is recommended to get vaccinated against COVID-19. In our study, we determined the level and prevalence of antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 IgG in patients with prostate cancer compared to the control group and whether the patients\' ages affected the level of antibodies. PCa patients and controls were divided into two age groups: 50-59 years and 60-70 years. We also analyzed the level of antibodies in patients belonging to the relevant risk groups for prostate cancer (the European Society of Urology risk group classification of prostate cancer). For the study, we used the Microblot-Array COVID-19 IgG test to detect antibodies against the three main SARS-CoV-2 antigens: NCP, RBD, and S2. Our results showed that prostate cancer patients had significantly lower levels of anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgG antibodies compared to controls. In addition, age also affected the decrease in the number of IgG antibodies. The level of antibodies in the intermediate/high-risk group was lower compared to the low-risk group.

The MLL/KMT2 family enzymes are frequently mutated in human cancers and congenital diseases. They deposit the majority of histone 3 lysine 4 (H3K4) mono-, di-, or tri-methylation in mammals and are tightly associated with gene activation. Structural and biochemical studies in recent years provide in-depth understanding of how the MLL1 and homologous yeast SET1 complexes interact with the nucleosome core particle (NCP) and how their activities for H3K4 methylation are regulated by the conserved core components. Here, we will discuss the recent single molecule cryo-EM studies on the MLL1 and ySET1 complexes bound on the NCP. These studies highlight the dynamic regulation of the MLL/SET1 family lysine methyltransferases with unique features as compared with other histone lysine methyltransferases. These studies provide insights for loci-specific regulation of H3K4 methylation states in cells. The mechanistic studies on the MLL1 complex have already led to the development of the MLL1 inhibitors that show efficacy in acute leukemia and metastatic breast cancers. Future studies on the MLL/SET1 family enzymes will continue to bring to light potential therapeutic opportunities.

The SARS-CoV-2 virus caused a worldwide COVID-19 pandemic. So far, 6,120,834 confirmed cases of COVID-19 with 116,773 deaths have been reported in Poland. According to WHO, a total of 54,662,485 vaccine doses have been administered. New variants emerge that become dominant. The aim of this study was a comparison of antibody level after infection caused by Delta and Omicron variants. The study included 203 persons who underwent mild COVID-19 despite two doses of vaccine. The obtained results indicate that a significantly lower titer was observed in patients with the Omicron variant infection. Therefore, these patients may be at risk of reinfection with new strains of the Omicron variant. Due to the possibility of reinfection, booster vaccinations are necessary. Further epidemiological and clinical studies are necessary to develop new prevention strategies.

In a few months, the SARS-CoV-2 virus caused a worldwide COVID-19 pandemic. In Poland, 6 million cases of the disease and 113,000 deaths from COVID-19 have been reported. Healthcare workers (HCWs) constitute one of the main COVID-19 risk groups. The Microblot-Array COVID-19 IgG assay was used to detect antibodies against three major SARS-CoV-2 antigens: nucleocapsid (NCP), RBD, and Spike 2 (S2). The aim of our study was to determine the seroprevalence and titer of anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgG antibodies-NCP, RBD, and S2-as markers of the humoral response in vaccinated and unvaccinated HCWs. The study included 203 persons who were divided into four groups: \"COVID-19 Vaccinated\", \"COVID-19 Unvaccinated\", \"Non-COVID-19 Vaccinated\", and \"Non-COVID-19 Unvaccinated\". The obtained results indicate that both seroprevalence and the antibody titer are the highest in the \"COVID-19 Vaccinated\" group. There is no so-called sterile vaccination, and after 6 months from the second dose of vaccine, most vaccinated people have a fairly high level of antibodies. We suggest that multiple vaccination and continuous testing are necessary. The Microblot-Array assay can distinguish between antibodies acquired after infection and/or vaccination.

BACKGROUND: Deficit irrigation (DI) is a feasible strategy to enhance crop WUE and also has significant compensation effects on yield. Previous studies have found that DI has great potential to maintain crop production as full irrigation (FI) does. Therefore, adopting DI to improve crop production and safeguard groundwater resources is of great importance in water scarce regions, e.g., the North China Plain (NCP). Under the background of global warming, it is worth investigating whether DI continues to play such a key role under future climate scenarios.
METHODS: We studied the response of winter wheat yield and WUE to different DI levels at pre-anthesis under two Shared Socioeconomic Pathways (SSPs) scenarios (SSP245 and SSP585) using the Agricultural Production Systems Simulator (APSIM) model driven by 21 general circulation models (GCMs) from the Coupled Model Inter-Comparison Project phase 6 (CMIP6). Additionally, we explored the effects of different nitrogen (N) fertilizer application rates on DI.
RESULTS: We found that simulated wheat yield would increase by 3.5-45.0%, with WUE increasing by 8.8-46.4% across all treatments under future climate change. Moderate deficit irrigation (DI3, ≤0.4 PAWC at the sowing to flowering stage) under the N3 (150 kg N ha-1) condition was identified as the optimum irrigation schedule for the study site under future climate change. However, compensation effects of DI3 on yield and WUE became weak in the future, which was mainly due to increased growing season rainfall projected by GCMs. In addition, we found that N fertilizer application could mitigate the effect of DI3.
CONCLUSIONS: We highlight that in water scarce regions of NCP, DI remains an effective strategy to maintain higher yield and enhance water use under future climate scenarios. Results strongly suggest that moderate deficit irrigation under a 150 kg N ha-1 condition could mitigate the contradiction between production and water consumption and ensure food safety in the NCP.