In this article the authors offer their perspective on the changes in the Dutch harm reduction field. From the 1970s to the 1990s, the Netherlands emerged as a leader in harm reduction services, driven by grassroots movements like the Medisch-sociale Dienst Heroïne Gebruikers (MDHG) (Medisch-sociale Dienst Heroïne Gebruikers (MDHG) translates to Medical-Social Service Heroin Users in English) in Amsterdam and Junkiebond in Rotterdam. These organisations advocated for health-centred policies, initiated needle exchange programmes, and created safe consumption spaces. Their efforts led to significant public health improvements and policy shifts towards harm reduction, reducing HIV and hepatitis rates among people who use drugs. By the 1980s, harm reduction became institutionalised within local health and social care systems, leading to notable declines in drug-related harm and crime. However, from the 2000s, a shift towards security and crime prevention emerged, influenced by socio-political changes. Increased criminal justice measures and budget cuts for harm reduction services strained the system, making it harder to address emerging drug trends and the complex needs of people who use drugs. Despite challenges, there is renewed momentum for reform, particularly at the local level, advocating for the responsible regulation of psychoactive substances. Amsterdam Mayor Femke Halsema\'s 2024 conference on drug regulation exemplifies this shift, calling for policies that address prohibition failures and centre harm reduction. International bodies like the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights support this approach, emphasising a health and rights-based framework. As the Netherlands navigates these evolving dynamics, there is a pressing need to reinvest in harm reduction infrastructure, ensuring it meets diverse community needs and reaffirms its foundational rights-affirming principles.

Bacterial canker caused by Pseudomonas syringae pv. syringae (Pss) is responsible for substantial loss to the production of sweet cherry in Chile. To date, the molecular mechanisms of the Pss-sweet cherry interaction and the disease-related genes in the plant are poorly understood. In order to gain insight into these aspects, a transcriptomic analysis of the sweet cherry cultivar \'Lapins\' for differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in response to Pss inoculation was conducted. Three Pss strains, A1M3, A1M197, and 11116_b1, were inoculated in young twigs, and RNA was extracted from tissue samples at the inoculation site and distal sections. RNA sequencing and transcriptomic expression analysis revealed that the three strains induced different patterns of responses in local and distal tissues. In the local tissues, A1M3 triggered a much more extensive response than the other two strains, enriching DEGs especially involved in photosynthesis. In the distal tissues, the three strains triggered a comparable extent of responses, among which 11116_b1 induced a group of DEGs involved in defense responses. Furthermore, tissues from various inoculations exhibited an enrichment of DEGs related to carbohydrate metabolism, terpene metabolism, and cell wall biogenesis. This study opened doors to future research on the Pss-sweet cherry interaction, immunity responses, and disease control.

Freetown, Sierra Leone, is confronted with health risks that are compounded by rapid unplanned urbanisation and weak capacities of local government institutions. Addressing them implies a shared responsibility between government and non-state actors. In low-income areas, the role of community-based organisations (CBOs) in combating health disasters is well-recognised. Yet, empirical evidence on how they have utilised their networks and coordinated community-level strategies in responding to the COVID-19 pandemic is scant. This paper, based on a qualitative study in two informal settlements in Freetown, employs actor-network theory to understand how CBOs problematise COVID-19 as a health risk, interact with other entities, and the subsequent tensions that arise. The findings show that community vulnerabilities and past experiences of health disasters informed CBOs\' perception of COVID-19 as a communal emergency. In response, they coordinated sensitisation and mobilisation programmes by relying on a network of actors to support COVID-19 risk reduction strategies. Nonetheless, misunderstandings among them caused friction.
نبذة مختصرة تواجه فريتاون مخاطر صحية تتفاقم بفعل التحول الحضري غير القائم على التخطيط، وضعف قدرات مؤسسات الحكومة المحلية. يتطلب التصدي لمثل هذه المخاطر الصحية المجتمعية مسؤولية مشتركة بين جهات فاعلة حكومية، وجهات فاعلة غير حكومية. يكون دور المنظمات المجتمعية، في المجتمعات منخفضة الدخل، بشأن مكافحة الكوارث الصحية أمراً معترفاً به تماماً. ومع ذلك، فإن الأدلة التجريبية، بشأن الكيفية التي تنتفع بها المنظمات المجتمعية من شبكاتها، ومن تنسيق الاستراتيجيات على مستوى المجتمع في التصدي لمرض فيروس كورونا المستجد، أدلة ضئيلة. استناداً إلى دراسة نوعية على مستوطنتين غير رسميتين في فريتاون، تعتمد هذه الورقة على نظرية شبكة الجهات الفاعلة لفهم كيفية تعامل المنظمات المجتمعية مع مرض فيروس كورونا المستجد، بوصفه خطراً صحياً، والتفاعل مع الجهات الفاعلة الأخرى، والتوترات التي تنشأ داخل شبكات الجهات الفاعلة هذه. تظهر نتائج الدراسة أن نقاط الضعف المجتمعية، والتجارب السابقة مع الكوارث الصحية، مثل الإيبولا، هي التي شكلت شكلت تصوراً للمنظمات المجتمعية عن مرض فيروس كورونا المستجد على أنه حالة طوارئ مجتمعية. استجابةً لذلك، نسّقت المنظمات المجتمعية برامج توعية وتعبئة من خلال الاعتماد على شبكة جهات فاعلة داخلية وخارجية لدعم استراتيجيات الحد من مخاطر مرض فيروس كورونا المستجد. ومع ذلك، تسبب سوء الفهم بين الجهات الفاعلة في توترات في شبكة الجهات الفاعلة. تقترح الدراسة أن إنشاء قنوات جديدة لتبادل المعرفة والبناء بشأن قدرة المنظمات المجتمعية، يمكن أن يساعد على تعزيز شبكات الجهات الفاعلة في المجتمعات، ومكافحة الكوارث الصحية الحالية والمستقبلية. عبارات محورية: نظرية الجهات الفاعلة والشبكة، منظمة مجتمعية، مرض فيروس كورونا المستجد، فريتاون، كارثة صحية، استجابات محلية.
摘要 弗里敦遇到跟公共卫生相关的风险，由于快速而无秩序的城镇化和地方政府机构的薄弱能力，这个问题变得更加复杂。应对这类社区公共卫生风险意味着政府和非政府行动者之间要承担共同的责任。在低收入社区，基于社区的组织（CBOs）在抗击公共卫生灾害中的角色得到了大家的赞同。然而，基于社区的组织如何利用其网络及协调社区层面的战略，以应对新冠疫情，这方面的实践经验的证明还很少。根据对弗里敦两个非正式定居点的定性研究，本文通过行动者-网络理论，解释基于社区的组织如何将新冠疫情变成公共卫生风险的须解决的问题，跟其他行动者互动，同时，应对这些行动者网络中产生的紧张状况。研究结果表明，社区的弱势和以往应对埃博拉等公共卫生灾害的经验，由此得到的信息使基于社区的组织将新冠疫情视为社区紧急情况。作为响应，基于社区的组织依赖内部和外部行动者的网络，以支持新冠疫情风险弱化的战略，该组织通过这种方法协调增敏和调动方案。不过，行动者之间的误解造成行动者-网络中的紧张状况。该研究建议，建立新的知识交流渠道，并提升基于社区的组织的能力，有助于加强社区内的行动者网络，以及抗击当前及未来的公共卫生灾害。 关键词：行动者-网络理论、基于社区的组织、新冠病毒、弗里敦、公共卫生灾害、地方响应.

Plants mediate interactions between different herbivores that attack simultaneously or sequentially aboveground (AG) and belowground (BG) organs. The local and systemic activation of hormonal signaling pathways and the concomitant accumulation of defense metabolites underlie such AG-BG interactions. The main plant-mediated mechanisms regulating these reciprocal interactions via local and systemic induced responses remain poorly understood. We investigated the impact of root infection by the root-knot nematode (RKN) Meloidogyne incognita at different stages of its infection cycle, on tomato leaf defense responses triggered by the potato aphid Macrosiphum euphorbiae. In addition, we analyzed the reverse impact of aphid leaf feeding on the root responses triggered by the RKN. We focused specifically on the signaling pathways regulated by the phytohormones jasmonic acid (JA), salicylic acid (SA), abscisic acid (ABA), and indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) as well as steroidal glycoalkaloids as induced defense compounds. We found that aphid feeding did not induce AG hormonal signaling, but it repressed steroidal glycoalkaloids related responses in leaves, specifically when feeding on plants in the vegetative stage. Root infection by the RKN impeded the aphid-triggered repression of the steroidal glycoalkaloids-related response AG. In roots, the RKN triggered the SA pathway during the entire infection cycle and the ABA pathway specifically during its reproduction stage. RKN infection also elicited the steroidal glycoalkaloids related gene expression, specifically when it was in the galling stage. Aphid feeding did not systemically alter the RKN-induced defense responses in roots. Our results point to an asymmetrical interaction between M. incognita and Ma. euphorbiae when co-occurring in tomato plants. Moreover, the RKN seems to determine the root defense response regardless of a later occurring attack by the potato aphid AG.

This research examined aphid and plant responses to distinct levels (none, low, and high) of arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungal root colonization by studying the association between potato aphids (Macrosiphum euphorbiae), potatoes (Solanum tuberosum), and AM fungi (Rhizophagus intraradices). It extends knowledge on gene expression changes, assessed by RT-qPCR, of ten defense-related genes at two time-points post-herbivory (24 h and 10 days), focusing on aphid-infested local leaves, non-infested systemic leaves, and roots. The results showed that aphid fitness was not altered by AM symbiosis. At 24 h, ETHYLENE RECEPTOR 1 gene expression was repressed in roots of aphid-infested non-mycorrhizal plants and aphid-infested plants with a high level of AM fungal root colonization, but not on aphid-infested plants with a low level of AM fungal root colonization. At 10 days, ALLENE OXIDE CYCLASE and POTATO TYPE I PROTEASE INHIBITOR were upregulated exclusively in local leaves of aphid-infested plants with a low level of AM fungal root colonization. In addition, local and systemic changes in plant gene expression appeared to be regulated exclusively by AM status and aphid herbivory. In summary, the gene expression data provide insights on mycorrhizal potato responses to aphid herbivory and serve as a starting point for future studies using this system.