In this review paper we focus on the dilemma of whether or not current fresh water supply will meet the demand/needs of agricultural crops despite the continuing impact of water scarcity. In addition, we evaluate whether an increase in future population, change in water demand and supply patterns, due to climate change, will allow sustainable food production. With increased scarcity of freshwater, new water conservation technologies and biotechnology were developed, as well as newly developed water sources such as recycled wastewater, and various water institutions, which may help ease water scarcity. With new advancements in farming practices and crop innovations global food supply is still challenged by climate change effects on both water and land resources used for food production.
Cardiolipin (CL) is a unique, tetra-acylated diphosphatidylglycerol lipid that mainly localizes in the inner mitochondria membrane (IMM) in mammalian cells and plays a central role in regulating mitochondrial architecture and functioning. A deficiency of CL biosynthesis and remodeling perturbs mitochondrial functioning and ultrastructure. Clinical and experimental studies on human patients and animal models have also provided compelling evidence that an abnormal CL content, acyl chain composition, localization, and level of oxidation may be directly linked to multiple diseases, including cardiomyopathy, neuronal dysfunction, immune cell defects, and metabolic disorders. The central role of CL in regulating the pathogenesis and progression of these diseases has attracted increasing attention in recent years. In this review, we focus on the advances in our understanding of the physiological roles of CL biosynthesis and remodeling from human patients and mouse models, and we provide an overview of the potential mechanism by which CL regulates the mitochondrial architecture and functioning.
BackgroundMost people with schizophrenia respond robustly to antipsychotic medication but are at very high risk of relapse if these medications are stopped. Long-term maintenance treatment with antipsychotic medication can dramatically reduce the risk of relapse. With long-acting injectable antipsychotic medication (LAI), adherence is documented which may account for superior efficacy in relapse prevention reported in some studies. It is known that plasma antipsychotic levels vary greatly across individuals with standard doses of LAIs. Establishing the lowest effective plasma levels for relapse prevention may also help in minimizing side effects that may contribute to problems with adherence. This study was carried out to describe the plasma paliperidone levels associated with clinical stability in patients receiving the LAI, paliperidone palmitate. We predicted that higher paliperidone plasma levels would be associated with lower subjective well-being and greater levels of sexual dysfunction.MethodsPatients with clinical diagnoses of schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorder attending specialized schizophrenia outpatient clinics at St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton were invited to participate if they were receiving maintenance treatment with paliperidone palmitate. The study involved two visits, 3 to 4 weeks apart, on days that subjects were scheduled to receive consecutive injections of paliperidone palmitate. Plasma paliperidone levels and prolactin levels were drawn prior to the injection at Visit 1 and a second paliperidone levels was drawn at Visit 2. At Visit 1, a series of rating scales were also completed including the Subjective Well-being under Neuroleptic scale – Short version (SWN), the Changes in Sexual Functioning Questionnaire (CSFQ) and the Drug Attitude Inventory (DAI).ResultsTwenty-one subjects (11F/10M) provided informed consent for this study and had plasma paliperidone levels measured. Patients had been receiving LAI paliperidone for a mean of 18 months (SD = 11.4). Mean paliperidone levels at Visit 1 (n=21) and Visit 2 (n=18) were 34.9 ng/ml (SD = 20.0 ng/ml; range = 5.1–73.9 ng/ml) and 35.1 ng/ml (SD = 17.2 ng/ml; range = 9.0–67.5 ng/ml), respectively. Plasma paliperidone levels measured at Visit 2 were highly correlated with levels from Visit 1 (n=18; r = .89, p <.001). Plasma prolactin levels were correlated with levels of plasma paliperidone (n=21, r=0.56, p < .01). Lower scores on the CSFQ – Sexual Desire factor were associated with higher levels of paliperidone (n=19, r =-.61, p<.01) and prolactin (n=19, r=-.56, p <.01). Higher paliperidone levels were associated with more negative scores on the Drug Attitude Inventory (n=19, r=-0.49, p < .05). Plasma paliperidone levels were not associated with scores on the SWN (n=21, r=-.-02).DiscussionIn patients receiving maintenance treatment with paliperidone palmitate, plasma paliperidone levels varied approximately 15-fold. Higher paliperidone levels were associated with more negative attitudes towards medication and more severe defic...
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