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Ethnopharmacological relevance Phaseaoli pericarpium (bean pods) is a pharmacopeial plant material traditionally used as a diuretic and antidiabetic agents. Diuretic activity of pod extracts was reported first in 1608. Since then Phaseoli pericarpium tea figures in many textbooks as medicinal plant material used by patients. Aim of the study Despite the traditional use of extracts from Phaseolium vulgaris pericarp, limited information is available on bioactivity, chemical composition, and bioavailability of such preparations. The following study aimed to investigate the phytochemical composition, the in vitro permeability of selected extract's constituents over the Caco-2 permeation system, and potential antivirulence activity against uropathogenic Escherichia coli of a hydroalcoholic Phaseoli pericarpium extract (PPX) in vitro to support its traditional use as a remedy used in urinary tract infections. Material and methods The chemical composition of the extract PPX [ethanol:water 7:3 (v/v)] investigated by using UHPLC-DAD-MSn and subsequent dereplication. The permeability of compounds present in PPX was evaluated using the Caco-2 monolayer permeation system. The influence of PPX on uropathogenic E. coli (UPEC) strain NU14 proliferation and against the bacterial adhesion to T24 epithelial cells was determined by turbidimetric assay and flow cytometry, respectively. The influence of the extract on the mitochondrial activity of T24 host cells was monitored by MTT assay. Results LC-MSn investigation and dereplication, indicated PPX extract to be dominated by a variety of flavonoids, with rutin as a major compound, and soyasaponin derivatives. Rutin, selected soyasaponins and fatty acids were shown to permeate the Caco-2 monolayer system, indicating potential bioavailability following oral intake. The extract did not influence the viability of T24 cells after 1.5h incubation at 2 mg/mL and UPEC. PPX significantly reduced the bacterial adhesion of UPEC to human bladder cells in a concentration-dependent manner (0.5–2 mg/mL). Detailed investigations by different incubation protocols indicated that PPX seems to interact with T24 cells, which subsequently leads to reduced recognition and adhesion of UPEC to the host cell membrane. Conclusions PPX is characterised by the presence of flavonoids (e.g. rutin) and saponins, from which selected compounds might be bioavailable after oral application, as indicated by the Caco-2 permeation experiments. Rutin and some saponins can be considered as potentially bioavailable after the oral intake. The concentration-dependent inhibition of bacterial adhesion of UPEC to T24 cells justifies the traditional use of Phaseoli pericarpium in the prevention and treatment of urinary tract infections.

Advances in the phenology of organisms are often attributed to climate change, but alternatively, may reflect a publication bias towards advances and may be caused by environmental factors unrelated to climate change. Both factors are investigated using the breeding dates of 25 long-term studied populations of Ficedula flycatchers across Europe. Trends in spring temperature varied markedly between study sites, and across populations the advancement of laying date was stronger in areas where the spring temperatures increased more, giving support to the theory that climate change causally affects breeding date advancement.

AbstractIran has experienced a drastic increase in water scarcity in the last decades. The main driver has been the substantial unsustainable water consumption of the agricultural sector. This study quantifies the spatiotemporal dynamics of Iran’s hydrometeorological water availability, land cover, and vegetation growth and evaluates their interrelations with a special focus on agricultural vegetation developments. It analyzes globally available reanalysis climate data and satellite time series data and products, allowing a country-wide investigation of recent 20+ years at detailed spatial and temporal scales. The results reveal a wide-spread agricultural expansion (27,000 km$$^2$$ 2 ) and a significant cultivation intensification (48,000 km$$^2$$ 2 ). At the same time, we observe a substantial decline in total water storage that is not represented by a decrease of meteorological water input, confirming an unsustainable use of groundwater mainly for agricultural irrigation. As consequence of water scarcity, we identify agricultural areas with a loss or reduction of vegetation growth (10,000 km$$^2$$ 2 ), especially in irrigated agricultural areas under (hyper-)arid conditions. In Iran’s natural biomes, the results show declining trends in vegetation growth and land cover degradation from sparse vegetation to barren land in 40,000 km$$^2$$ 2 , mainly along the western plains and foothills of the Zagros Mountains, and at the same time wide-spread greening trends, particularly in regions of higher altitudes. Overall, the findings provide detailed insights in vegetation-related causes and consequences of Iran’s anthropogenic drought and can support sustainable management plans for Iran or other semi-arid regions worldwide, often facing similar conditions.

It has been estimated that more than 80% of alcoholics are also nicotine dependent and that, vice versa, the rate of alcoholism is substantially increased by a factor of 4-10 in the nicotine-dependent population. However, the cause for this very high degree of comorbidity is still largely unknown. At the molecular and cellular level, both drugs have very different mechanisms of action. Nicotine specifically activates ligand-gated ion channels in the brain, which are normally gated by acetylcholine, while alcohol interacts with various neurotransmitter receptors. Despite this diversity, both drugs seem to engage the endogenous opioid system as a modulator of some of its pharmacological effect. An acute exposure to nicotine or alcohol leads to a release of opioid peptides in specific brain regions, thus resulting in an activation of their corresponding receptors. If the brain is exposed repeatedly or chronically to these drugs, adaptive changes in the level and expression of opioid peptides and receptors occur. These adaptive changes are thought to contribute to the homeostatic or allostatic adaptations of the brain, which have been associated with drug dependence. This review summarizes pharmacological and genetic studies in animal models and in humans that have addressed the role of specific opioid peptides and receptors in various stages of the addiction process.

Climate disasters affect human security and development, moreso in fragile and conflict-affected contexts where population’ capacities to cope with climate change are compromised. Responses to such crises lie at the nexus of humanitarian assistance, development, and peacebuilding. Yet, there are still too few integrated programmatic responses coordinating peacebuilding and climate actions to ensure a progressive human development. This research develops a multi-scalar model to help actors identify thematic areas to inform synergistic efforts and programs at different scales to better coordinate their actions. Findings suggest that climate action and peacebuilding sectors can coordinate actions around climate and conflict risk assessments, the management of land and water resources, ecosystem restoration, nature-based climate adaptation, climate and conflict smart agriculture, natural resources governance, and sustainable market development. These collaborative efforts have the potential to generate co-benefits, such as increased social cohesion and livelihood creation.

Ethanol exerts its behavioural effects largely by interacting with receptors for brain neurotransmitters. However, the molecular mechanisms involving these interactions and the pathogenesis of alcohol-withdrawal symptomatology are still not well understood. Until recently, no data were available about homocysteine (Hcy) levels in acute alcohol intoxication of chronic alcoholics and in patients undergoing withdrawal from alcohol. Hcy, blood-alcohol concentrations, vitamins B6, B12, and folate concentrations were assessed in 29 chronic alcoholics, who underwent withdrawal from alcohol. We observed increased Hcy levels in most patients. Hcy levels steadily decreased during the observation period. We postulate that hyperhomocysteinaemia and excitatory amino acid neurotransmitters, by their agonism at the N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor, may partly mediate alcohol-associated withdrawal symptomatology. The importance of assessing serum Hcy levels in order to detect methylation deficiency in patients with chronic alcoholism and for possible therapeutic strategies is discussed.

Ziel dieser Dissertation ist es, ein tieferes Verständnis für Klima-Commitment - d.h. eine in der Vergangenheit oder rezent verursachte Klimaänderung, die in der Zukunft eintreffen wird - und Klimaänderungungen in Mitigationsszenarien zu erlangen. Es werden Klimamodelle verwendet, um sowohl globale als auch regionale Änderungen in den verschiedenen Subsystemen zu untersuchen, wobei der Fokus auf ausgewählten Schlüsselaspekten liegt. Ein vollgekoppeltes Ozean- Atmosphäre-Allgemeine-Zirkulations-Modell wird verwendet, um Klimaänderungen unter ansteigenden Treibhausgaskonzentrationen und anschließender Stabilisierung dieser Konzentration zu simulieren. Darüber hinaus wird ein Ensemble von gekoppelten Klimamodellen sowie Erdsystemmodellen in einem Szenario analysiert, das konsistent ist mit dem Ziel, eine Änderung der globalen Mitteltemperatur von nicht mehr als 2°C verglichen mit der vorindustriellen Periode zu erreichen. Um den Anteil der Klimaänderungen zu identifizieren, der vermieden werden kann, werden Simulationen des Mitigationsszenarios mit Simulationen eines "Weiter-so-wie-bisher" Szenarios verglichen. Diese Arbeit zeigt, dass das 2°C-Ziel - gemeinhin insbesondere von politischen Entscheidungsträgern für geeignet erachtet, gefährliche anthropogene Eingriffe in das Klimasystem zu verhindern - allein nicht ausreichen wird, alle ungewollten Folgen des Klimawandels zu vermeiden. Dies betrifft die globale Skala, da der Einfluss von Mitigationsmaßnahmen auf den hydrologischen Zyklus geringer ist als auf die bodennahe Temperatur. Es betrifft aber auch die regionale Skala in besonders sensitiven Regionen. Einige ungewollte Effekte, wie das exzessive Schmelzen arktischen Meereises im Sommer und somit eine nahezu eisfreie Arktis, können vermieden werden. Andere Prozesse, wie der starke Rückgang der Fläche von Gebieten mit Taiga- und Tundravegetation, werden auch bei starken Mitigitationsmaßnahmen voranschreiten. Darüber hinaus spielt Klima-Commitment eine wichtige Rolle für den zeitlichen Verlauf von Klimaänderungen während des 21. Jahrhunderts (zum Beispiel steigt die Temperatur auch unter sinkenden Treibhausgasemissionen weiter an) und über diesen Zeitraum hinaus (zum Beispiel mit einem anhaltenden Meeresspiegelanstieg). This thesis aims at a deeper understanding of committed climate change and the climate response in mitigation scenarios. Focusing on selected key aspects of climate change climate models are employed to study global mean changes as well as regional changes of different subsystems. Therefore, a fully-coupled ocean atmosphere general circulation model is employed simulating climate change under increasing greenhouse gas (GHG) concentrations and stabilization of GHG concentrations thereafter. Additionally, an ensemble of ocean- atmosphere general circulation models and Earth system models is analyzed under a mitigation scenario that is consistent with the target of limiting global mean temperature change to 2°C relative to the pre-industrial era. To identify the portion of climate change that can be avoided, simulations of the mitigation scenario are compared to a business-as-usual scenario. This thesis shows that the 2°C target - commonly assumed for example by policy makers to be suitable to prevent dangerous anthropogenic interference with the climate system - alone will not be sufficient to avoid all adverse impacts of climate change. This applies to the global scale, with the effect of mitigation on the hydrological cycle being weaker than the effect on surface temperature. It also applies to the regional scale in very sensitive regions. While some adverse effects such as excessive melting of Arctic summer sea ice resulting in a nearly ice free Arctic can be avoided, other aspects such as a strong reduction in the extent of Taiga and Tundra may evolve even under strong mitigation efforts. Furthermore, climate commitment plays an important role for the temporal evolution during the 21st century (e.g., temperature increases despite of decreasing GHG emissions) and beyond the scenario period (e.g., sea level rise).