Empowering Europe against infectious diseases: innovative framework to tackle climate-driven health risks

Peer-Reviewed Publication

CMCC FOUNDATION - EURO-MEDITERRANEAN CENTER ON CLIMATE CHANGE

Climate change is one of several drivers of recurrent outbreaks and geographical range expansion of infectious diseases in Europe. The paper “Decision-Support Tools to Build Climate Resilience Against Emerging Infectious Diseases in Europe and Beyond“, published on The Lancet Regional Health – Europe journal, introduces a transformative approach to tackle the emergence and transmission of climate-sensitive infectious diseases in Europe, informing cross-sectoral policy while improving the long-term climate resilience of health systems to infectious disease risks.

The paper is authored by a distinguished team of international researchers as part of their work in IDAlert, the international project with contribution of CMCC will help build a Europe more resilient to emerging health threats. CMCC@Ca’Foscari researchers Shouro Dasgupta, Katie Johnson, and Francesco Bosello contributed to socio-economic inequality, adaptation strategies, and stakeholders involvement aspects of the paper, which proposes a collaborative approach to develop policy-relevant indicators and decision-support tools. These tools are designed to comprehensively track and anticipate climate-induced disease risks across various domains, including environmental hazard, exposure patterns, and vulnerability factors. With a keen focus on the interconnectedness of animals, humans, and the environment, the framework promises a holistic perspective to address this multifaceted challenge.

The lead author and IDAlert project coordinator Joacim Rocklöv highlighted, “Our decision-support tools offer a multi-dimensional perspective that transcends traditional silos. By examining the nexus of animals, humans, and the environment, we’re unlocking a more comprehensive understanding of disease dynamics a prerequisite for more timely and effective outbreak preparedness.”

The heart of this novel framework lies in the co-production of early warning and response systems with stakeholders and end-users, as well as tailored tools to assess the costs and benefits associated with climate adaptation and mitigation strategies across diverse sectors. By fostering greater resilience within regional and local health systems, the framework aims to strengthen Europe’s capacity to respond to health crises, even in the face of changing environmental conditions.

As part of its approach, the IDAlert project will integrate multi-level engagement, innovative methodologies, and novel data streams, and tap into locally generated intelligence and empirical insights through case studies. This strategy empowers experts to quantify the effects of climate-induced disease threats in areas undergoing rapid urban transformation and contending with heterogeneous health risks. The ultimate aspiration is to bridge the gap between knowledge and action, delivering an unparalleled integrated One Health—Climate Risk framework that will empower policymakers, healthcare professionals, and communities to mitigate risks and bolster resilience.

 

About The Lancet Regional Health – Europe Journal:

The Lancet Regional Health – Europe Journal is a prestigious journal renowned for publishing groundbreaking research on health challenges worldwide. It aims to promote the advancement of the research agenda, clinical practice and health policy in Europe with the goal of improving health outcomes for all people regionally and globally.

 

About the IDAlert project:

IDAlert – Infectious Disease decision-support tools and Alert systems to build climate Resilience to emerging health Threats – officially started on 1 June 2022 is a € 9.18 million project and lasts for five years. The project is funded by the European Commission under the Horizon Europe programme with Grant Agreement number 101057554.

More information: www.idalertproject.eu

 

The full paper, “Decision-Support Tools to Build Climate Resilience Against Emerging Infectious Diseases in Europe and Beyond,” is available on the Lancet Regional Health Journal website: https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanepe/article/PIIS2666-7762(23)00120-5/fulltext

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JOURNAL

The Lancet Regional Health - Europe

DOI

10.1016/j.lanepe.2023.100701 

ARTICLE TITLE

Decision-Support Tools to Build Climate Resilience Against Emerging Infectious Diseases in Europe and Beyond

 

Researchers develop highly efficient and stable photoelectrode for water splitting using organic semiconductors

Their findings have been selected for the supplementary cover of ACS Energy Letters and published on June 9, 2023

Peer-Reviewed Publication

ULSAN NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY(UNIST)

 

IMAGE: PROFESSOR JI-HYUN JANG (SECOND FROM LEFT) FROM THE SCHOOL OF ENERGY AND CHEMICAL ENGINEERING AT UNIST view more 

CREDIT: UNIST

A team of researchers, led by Professor Ji-Hyun Jang from the School of Energy and Chemical Engineering at UNIST has achieved a significant breakthrough in photoelectrode development. Through collaborative research with Professor Junghoon Lee from Dongseo University and Dr. Hyo-Jin Ahn from the German Engineering Research and Development Center LSTME Busan , the team successfully created a high-performance and stable photoelectrode by incorporating organic semiconductors as an intermediate layer in existing inorganic semiconductor-based photoelectrodes.

The production of green hydrogen using solar energy involves splitting water into its constituent elements through charges generated in semiconductors that absorb sunlight. Previous studies primarily focused on utilizing inorganic semiconductors for constructing photoelectrodes. However, organic semiconductors offer several advantages such as lower costs, various process methods, and easier large-scale production. Additionally, their high solar energy conversion efficiency translates to enhanced hydrogen production efficiency. Nevertheless, the susceptibility of organic semiconductors to water damage has limited their application in photoelectrodes.

To overcome this challenge, the research team applied a coating of organic semiconductors onto the surface of conventional iron oxide-based photoelectrodes to ensure stability when exposed to water. Furthermore, they implemented a catalyst (nickel/iron double-layer hydroxide) as an additional protective layer over the coated organic semiconductor to prevent direct contact with water. This innovative approach allowed the charges generated from solar energy absorption to facilitate efficient hydrogen production reactions.

Professor Jang expressed the team’s excitement about the research outcomes, by saying, “By overcoming the limitations of traditional inorganic semiconductor-oriented photoelectrodes, we have demonstrated the potential for more extensive utilization of organic semiconductors in hydrogen production through photoelectrodes.”

This breakthrough not only opens up new possibilities for enhancing efficiency and stability but also contributes to advancing sustainable energy solutions for a carbon-neutral future.

The study findings have been published ahead of their official publication in the online version of ACS Energy Letters on March 12, 2023. This work was selected for the supplementary cover of the journal and was subsequently published on June 9, 2023. The main authors were Dr. Hyo-Jin Ahn (LSTME Busan) and Ki-Yong Yoon (UNIST). Funding support was provided by the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) and the Ministry of Science and ICT (MSIT).

Scheme for the fabrication of NiFe(OH)x/PSi/Ti–Fe2O3

CREDIT

UNIST

Journal Reference
Hyo-Jin Ahn, Ki-Yong Yoon, Mingi Sung, et al., “Utilizing a Siloxane-Modified Organic Semiconductor for Photoelectrochemical Water Splitting,” ACS Energy Lett., (2023).

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JOURNAL

ACS Energy Letters

ARTICLE TITLE

Utilizing a Siloxane-Modified Organic Semiconductor for Photoelectrochemical Water Splitting

 

Obesity-related cardiovascular disease deaths tripled between 1999 and 2020

Black adults had the highest rates of obesity-related cardiovascular disease deaths 1999 to 2020, with the highest percentage found in Black women, according to a new study in Journal of the American Heart Association

Peer-Reviewed Publication

AMERICAN HEART ASSOCIATION

Research Highlights:

• Obesity-related cardiovascular disease deaths tripled between 1999 and 2020 in the U.S.
• Such deaths were higher among Black individuals (highest among Black women) compared with any other racial group, followed by American Indian/Alaska Native people.
• Black adults who lived in urban communities experienced more obesity-related cardiovascular disease deaths than those living in rural areas, whereas the reverse was true for all other racial groups.

This news release has been updated to include a quote from the senior author.

Embargoed until 4 a.m. CT/5 a.m. ET Wednesday, Sept. 6, 2023

DALLAS, Sept. 6, 2023 — There has been a recent three-fold increase in obesity-related deaths from heart disease in the U.S. between 1999 and 2020, according to new research published today in the Journal of the American Heart Association, an open access, peer-reviewed journal of the American Heart Association.

“The number of people with obesity is rising in every country across the world. Our study is the first to demonstrate that this increasing burden of obesity is translating into rising heart disease deaths,” said lead study author and cardiologist Zahra Raisi-Estabragh, M.D., a clinical lecturer at the William Harvey Research Institute in London. “This rising trend of obesity is affecting some populations more than others, particularly Black women.”

Obesity remains a global public health crisis and is a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease. It currently affects about 42% of the U.S. population, an increase by almost 10% from the preceding decade, according to the American Heart Association’s 2023 statistics.

Researchers analyzed race, gender and urban versus rural settings to determine differences in heart disease deaths in which obesity was listed as a contributing factor. Among the findings:

• Overall, obesity-related cardiovascular disease deaths tripled from 2.2 per 100,000 population to 6.6 per 100,000 population between 1999 and 2020.
• Obesity-related cardiovascular disease deaths were higher among Black individuals compared with any other racial group, at 6.7 per 100,000 population; followed by American Indian adults or Alaska Native adults at 3.8 per 100,000.
• Black women had the highest rates of obesity-related heart disease deaths than all others in the study. In other racial groups, men experienced more obesity-related heart disease deaths than women.
• Black adults living in urban areas had higher rates of obesity-related heart disease deaths compared with Black adults living in rural areas, (6.8 versus 5.9 per 100,000) whereas rural living was associated with higher rates of obesity-related heart deaths for people in all other racial groups.

“The trend of higher obesity-related cardiovascular death rates for Black women than men was striking and different from all other racial groups considered in our study,” said senior author Mamas A. Mamas, M.D., D.Phil. professor of Cardiovascular Medicine from Keele University in Keele, United Kingdom.

In addition, Raisi-Estabaugh noted that Black individuals living in urban communities may be impacted more by socio-economic deprivation and health inequalities than Black people living in rural areas, and that they did not benefit from increased access to health care that appears to benefit people of other racial groups who live in urban areas.

Study details and background:

• Researchers analyzed data collected from 1999 to 2020 on 281,135 deaths in which obesity was recorded as a contributing factor in The Multiple Cause of Death database includes mortality and population counts from all U.S. counties.
• Among the deaths, 43.6% were in women; 78.1% of the group were white adults; 19.8% were Black adults; 1.1% were Asian or Pacific Islander adults and 1% were American Indian adults or Alaskan Native adults.

The researchers note that coding and data entry errors may be a limitation of the findings since the source was electronic health records that could not be verified by researchers for accuracy.  However, the results still underscore the need to address obesity more effectively in individuals and communities.

Co-authors, their disclosures and study funding sources are listed in the manuscript.

Studies published in the American Heart Association’s scientific journals are peer-reviewed. The statements and conclusions in each manuscript are solely those of the study authors and do not necessarily reflect the Association’s policy or position. The Association makes no representation or guarantee as to their accuracy or reliability. The Association receives funding primarily from individuals; foundations and corporations (including pharmaceutical, device manufacturers and other companies) also make donations and fund specific Association programs and events. The Association has strict policies to prevent these relationships from influencing the science content. Revenues from pharmaceutical and biotech companies, device manufacturers and health insurance providers and the Association’s overall financial information are available here.

Additional Resources:

• Multimedia is available on the right column of release link https://newsroom.heart.org/news/obesity-related-cardiovascular-disease-deaths-tripled-between-1999-and-2020?preview=10da85fe0263afd4c29b9ce9f4c8257e
• After Sept. 6, 2023, view the manuscript online.
• AHA health information: Heart Disease and Stroke in Black Women
• AHA news release: $20 million awarded for scientific research to address health challenges in rural areas (June 2023)
• AHA news release: More belly weight increases danger of heart disease even if BMI does not indicate obesity (April, 2021)
• Follow AHA/ASA news on X (formerly known as Twitter) @HeartNews
• Follow news from the Journal of the American Heart Association @JAHA_AHA

About the American Heart Association

The American Heart Association is a relentless force for a world of longer, healthier lives. We are dedicated to ensuring equitable health in all communities. Through collaboration with numerous organizations, and powered by millions of volunteers, we fund innovative research, advocate for the public’s health and share lifesaving resources. The Dallas-based organization has been a leading source of health information for nearly a century. Connect with us on heart.org, Facebook, X (formerly known as Twitter) or by calling 1-800-AHA-USA1.

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JOURNAL

Journal of the American Heart Association

DOI

10.1161/JAHA.122.028409 

ARTICLE TITLE

Racial Disparities in Obesity-Related Cardiovascular Mortality in the United States: Temporal Trends From 1999 to 2020

 

Switching from harmful to helpful fungi

Genetic cluster in root fungus found to be the “on/off” switch for disease-causing behavior

Peer-Reviewed Publication

UNIVERSITY OF TOKYO

 

IMAGE: THESE IMAGES SHOW THE STARTLING EFFECT OF HARMFUL CT3 SIGNIFICANTLY LIMITING ROOT GROWTH, COMPARED WITH BENEFICIAL CT GREATLY INCREASING ROOT GROWTH OF THALE CRESS. view more 

CREDIT: 2023, K. HIRUMA

Mold and diseases caused by fungi can greatly impact the shelf life of fruit and vegetables. However, some fungi benefit their hosts by aiding plant survival. Colletotrichum tofieldiae (Ct) is a root mold which typically supports continued plant development even when the plant is starved of phosphorus, an important nutrient for photosynthesis and growth. Researchers studied a unique pathogenic strain of the fungi, called Ct3, which conversely inhibits plant growth. By comparing the beneficial and harmful strains Ct strains, they found that activation of a single fungal secondary metabolism gene cluster determined the negative impact of the fungus on the host plant. When the cluster was disrupted, either genetically or by a change in environment, the fungi’s behavior changed from inhibiting growth to promoting it. Understanding mechanisms like this could help us reduce food waste by harnessing the beneficial role fungi can have on food.

 

When your fresh strawberries go fuzzy with mold, or grapes turn gray and shrivel at the bottom of the fruit bowl, it’s always a bit disappointing and unpleasant. The culprit is typically a disease-causing fungus called Botrytis, which devastates food crops globally and is easily spread by wind and soil. However, there are many fungi which have a less destructive relationship with their host plants, even forming partnerships which can help the plant to thrive. Promoting the beneficial traits of fungi and suppressing undesirable outcomes (like moldy fruit) would greatly aid global food security and help reduce a huge amount of food waste.

“Plant-associated fungi show varied infection lifestyles ranging from mutualistic (beneficial) to pathogenic (harmful) depending on the host enviroment. However, the mechanisms by which these microbes transit along these different lifestyles remain poorly understood,” said Associate Professor Kei Hiruma from the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences at the University of Tokyo. “We analyzed genetic information from varied strains of a root fungus called Colletotrichum tofieldiae using comparative transcriptomic analysis, which enabled us to study differences in gene expression between each strain. Surprisingly, we found that a single fungal secondary metabolism gene cluster, called ABA-BOT, solely determines whether the fungus exhibits pathogenic or mutualistic traits toward the host plant.”

Colletotrichum tofieldae is a fungus which typically benefits plants when they suffer a phosphorus deficiency, helping them thrive despite the lack of this vital nutrient. It has even been shown to increase the growth and yield of economically important crops such as maize and tomatoes. In this study, the multi-institutional team used thale cress as the host plant and sourced six strains of Ct from different geographical locations to infect it with. Five strains significantly promoted plant growth, as expected, but a sixth — called Ct3 — was found to suppress nutrient uptake, inhibiting plant growth and leading to symptoms of disease. So, what caused this drastic change?

“We identified two key points: First, on the fungal side, that Ct3 activates the ABA-BOT biosynthesis gene cluster; and second, on the plant side, that Ct3 induces the host plant’s ABA signaling pathways, through which the fungus inhibits plant growth,” explained Hiruma. The researchers found that both pathogenic and mutualistic strains of Colletotrichum tofieldae contain the ABA-BOT gene cluster, but mutualistic strains did not express it, i.e., the genes were not activated. The discovery came as a surprise, as conventionally pathogens and mutualists were thought to have distinct characteristics, but these findings suggest that they are more intricately related.

When the gene cluster was disrupted, either at a genetic level or by changing the plant’s environment, the Ct3 was rendered nonpathogenic and even became beneficial to the host, promoting root growth. Although further study is needed, it appears that the ABA-BOT gene cluster may contribute to pathogenesis in diverse fungi beyond the Ct species. For example, it may be involved in the pathogenesis of the Botrytis which afflicts our household fruit and vegetables. “If we gain a comprehensive understanding of the regulatory mechanisms governing the fungal secondary metabolism gene cluster, we can devise a method to selectively suppress potential pathogenesis in otherwise beneficial fungi, optimizing their utilization in agriculture and harnessing the full potential of the microbial diversity naturally present in soil ecosystems,” said Hiruma.

 “I have come to realize that even pathogens can exhibit nonharmful characteristics during a significant portion of their life cycles. In fact, I am beginning to contemplate the possibility that what we traditionally refer to as pathogens may actually function as beneficial microbes under other conditions.”

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Paper Title:

Kei Hiruma, Seishiro Aoki, Junya Takino, Takeshi Higa, Yuniar Devi Utami, Akito Shiina, Masanori Okamoto, Masami Nakamura,  Nanami Kawamura, Yoshihiro Ohmori, Ryohei Sugita, Keitaro Tanoi, Toyozo Sato, Hideaki Oikawa, Atsushi Minami, Wataru Iwasaki, Yusuke Saijo. "A fungal sesquiterpene biosynthesis gene cluster critical for mutualist-pathogen transition in Colletotrichum tofieldiae." Nature Communications. doi: 10.1038/s41467-023-40867-w

Funding

This research was supported in part by the JSPS KAKENHI Grant (16H06279, 18K14466, 18H04822, 19H05688, 20H02986, 21H05150, 22H02204 (A.M.)), the JST grant (JPMJPR16Q7, JPMJCR19S2, JPMJSC1702, JPMJFR200A) and The Uehara Memorial Foundation (A.M.).

Useful Links

Graduate School of Arts and Sciences: https://www.c.u-tokyo.ac.jp/eng_site/

Hiruma Kei Laboratory: https://park.itc.u-tokyo.ac.jp/hiruma/index.html

Research Contact:

Associate Professor Kei Hiruma

Department of Life Sciences

Graduate School of Arts and Sciences

The University of Tokyo

3-8-1 Komaba, Meguro-ku, Tokyo 153-8902, Japan                                     

Email: hiruma@g.ecc.u-tokyo.ac.jp

Tel.: +81-3-5454-6631

Press contact:
Mrs. Nicola Burghall
Public Relations Group, The University of Tokyo,
7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8654, Japan
press-releases.adm@gs.mail.u-tokyo.ac.jp

About the University of Tokyo
The University of Tokyo is Japan's leading university and one of the world's top research universities. The vast research output of some 6,000 researchers is published in the world's top journals across the arts and sciences. Our vibrant student body of around 15,000 undergraduate and 15,000 graduate students includes over 4,000 international students. Find out more at www.u-tokyo.ac.jp/en/ or follow us on Twitter at @UTokyo_News_en.

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JOURNAL

Nature Communications

DOI

10.1038/s41467-023-40867-w 

METHOD OF RESEARCH

Experimental study

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

Not applicable

ARTICLE TITLE

A fungal sesquiterpene biosynthesis gene cluster critical for mutualist-pathogen transition in Colletotrichum tofieldiae

ARTICLE PUBLICATION DATE

6-Sep-2023

 

How does the social behavior of wheat plants influence grain production?

Peer-Reviewed Publication

LEIBNIZ INSTITUTE OF PLANT GENETICS AND CROP PLANT RESEARCH

 

IMAGE: RESEARCHERS FROM IPK LEIBNIZ INSTITUTE HAVE INVESTIGATED HOW THE BEHAVIOR OF AN INDIVIDUAL WHEAT PLANT UNDER LIMITING LIGHT CONDITIONS INFLUENCES THE PERFORMANCE OF THE WHOLE COMMUNITY. view more 

CREDIT: IPK LEIBNIZ INSTITUTE/ T. SCHNURBUSCH

One of the most significant drivers of crop evolution stems from the changes in the selection associated with the shift of plants from a highly heterogeneous and biodiverse natural environment into a homogeneous monoculture environment. Competition for resources has been considered a prevalent force in structuring plant populations under natural selection, often favoring the most competitive individual plants in a particular environment. The architecture and behavior of successful genotypes as individual plants differ from that of genotypes thriving in a community. Individual plant fitness is increased by ‘selfish’ traits, which may, like in humans, negatively impact the performance of the community

“Agriculture relies on community performance”, emphasizes Prof. Dr. Thorsten Schnurbusch, head of the research group “Plant Architecture” at IPK Leibniz Institute. “But the environment in which crops are grown, i.e. their ecology in the agricultural context, their agroecology, is hardly explored and less understood. It is surprising how less we know about the interactions among plants grown in a dense, real-world community.”

Today, crop plants are grown in high-density stands where they experience limited light availability due to mutual shading. “Therefore, by simulating canopy shade, we may get closer to the conditions plants are experiencing in high-density stands in the field, which may be helpful for studying and selecting plants for higher grain yield”, says Dr. Guy Golan, first author of the current study. “Cooperative behaviors and highly fertile inflorescences in a light-limited/shaded environment are most important for a thriving grain crop community.”

The researchers found behaviors that nourish the fitness of the individual plant as non-beneficial and, in some cases, detrimental to the performance of the whole community. The results have recently been published in the “Plant, Cell & Environment” journal as part of the Special Issue: Tradeoffs in Plant Responses to the Environment. Moreover, the researchers say that multiple phenotypes attained under simulated shade could better explain community performance of the wheat crop, advocating the use of simulated shade in breeding high-yielding cultivars.

“Having much deeper insights into these interactions, and specifically understanding their molecular and genetic components is very important to develop more resilient and resource-efficient crop plants for the future”, says Prof. Dr. Thorsten Schnurbusch. “Embracing an agroecological genetics approach may optimize communal yield by better matching crops to their environment, as either monoculture or a mixture.”

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JOURNAL

Plant Cell & Environment

DOI

10.1111/pce.14499 

ARTICLE TITLE

Exploring the trade‐off between individual fitness and community performance of wheat crops using simulated canopy shade

ARTICLE PUBLICATION DATE

5-Sep-2023

Virginia Tech is fertile ground for a new rural environmental health training program

Grant and Award Announcement

VIRGINIA TECH

 

IMAGE: THE NEW RURAL ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH PH.D. FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM WILL TRAIN STUDENTS IN SKILLS NEEDED TO FOCUS ON ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH FUNDAMENTALS WORLDWIDE. view more 

CREDIT: PHOTO BY FELICIA SPENCER FOR VIRGINIA TECH.

A federal award will help grow more rural-focused environmental health research and graduate training.

The $500,000 institutional research training grant, also known as a T32 grant, from the National Institutes of Health’s National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences will support Virginia Tech’s Rural Environmental Health Ph.D. Fellowship Program by providing a two-year assistantship for six graduate students during the next five years.

“This training program integrates with the degree-granting programs at Virginia Tech,” said Julia Gohlke, associate professor of environmental health in the Department of Population Health Sciences. “It is intended to provide fellows with a strong skill set focused on environmental health fundamentals like epidemiology, toxicology, and exposure science and then supports them in discovering novel applications of those skills in rural areas.”

Gohlke spearheaded the process to obtain the grant to help better connect a variety of Virginia Tech programs that focus on components of environmental health in rural communities.

“The T32 mechanism is an acknowledgment by peers around the country that Virginia Tech’s interdisciplinary training is outstanding,” said Steve Poelzing, professor of biomedical engineering and mechanics and director of Virginia Tech’s interdisciplinary Translational Biology, Medicine, and Health Graduate Program. “The award will not only support talented graduate students, but it will also serve as a beacon for the next generation of graduate students who are excited to create change locally and globally by benefiting rural populations that are often overlooked and translating those discoveries to everyone.”

Gohlke and Poelzing will serve as co-directors of the program.

“At Virginia Tech, we’ve got all the expertise that you would have in a traditional department of environmental health sciences with a school of public health, but we don’t have it all in one place, and in one Ph.D. program, so the idea is that this will help to strengthen bridges between those programs,” Gohlke said.

Students will be selected from the six participating Ph.D. programs, which span six colleges and 12 departments. A total of 26 faculty members associated with those Ph.D. programs will be available to serve as mentors for the students, and the Fralin Life Sciences Institute and the Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine will provide additional research support to the student-mentor teams.

Modeled after a short-term pilot program, which was offered by the Global Change Center and funded by the Fralin Life Sciences Institute from 2020-23, the new program curriculum will be grounded in the socio-ecological model, which considers individual-level environmental influences within community and societal environmental influences. It also will demonstrate a convergence of Virginia Tech’s strengths in interdisciplinary training in exposure science and community-engaged life science and biomedical research.

Building off the Global Change Center’s pilot program, students receiving funding from the  training program will be enrolled in the Interfaces of Global Change Interdisciplinary Graduate Education Program.  

“The investments made by the Fralin Life Sciences Institute to pilot the program enabled us to demonstrate that Virginia Tech is an ideal location for training the next generation of leaders in rural environmental health,” said William Hopkins, director of the program. “We not only have the critical faculty expertise needed to mentor students enrolled in the program, but our location in Appalachia also provides ample opportunities for addressing critical health challenges in nearby communities that often have similarities to those faced by rural communities around the globe.”

“This is an exciting time to launch the rural environmental health training program,” said Poelzing, “Virginia Tech is investing heavily in interdisciplinary graduate training through one health programs linking public health with veterinary and medical programs, interdisciplinary graduate programs and translational biology, medicine and health.”

Julia Gohlke and Steven Poelzing are the program co-directors for the new Rural Environmental Health Ph.D. Fellowship program.

CREDIT

Photo by Felicia Spencer for Virginia Tech.

Participating Ph.D. degree-granting programs are

• Translational biology, medicine, and health
• Biomedical and veterinary sciences
• Environmental and water resources engineering
• Biological systems engineering
• Fish and wildlife conservation
• Biological sciences  

The faculty steering committee for Rural Environmental Health Ph.D. Fellowship Program includes

• Gohlke
• Poelzing
• Hopkins
• Peter Vikesland, Nick Prillaman Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering and director of the environmental water resources engineering graduate program

 

New research finds a disconnect between poultry dietary energy and egg production

This discovery by a team at Virginia Tech could have substantial impact on the rising cost of feeding egg laying hens that can be passed onto egg consumers

Peer-Reviewed Publication

VIRGINIA TECH

 

IMAGE: ALYSSA LYONS, A DOCTORAL CANDIDATE IN THE SCHOOL OF ANIMALS SCIENCES, PRESENTS AT THE ANNUAL MEETING OF THE POULTRY SCIENCE ASSOCIATION IN PHILADELPHIA. LYONS IS THE LEAD AUTHOR OF A RESEARCH ARTICLE RECENTLY PUBLISHED IN THE JOURNAL OF APPLIED POULTRY RESEARCH. view more 

CREDIT: PHOTO COURTESY OF MICHAEL PERSIA.

In previous research, feed intake and egg production parameters were the most common response criteria that researchers used to measure energy responses in poultry.

Professor Michael Persia in Virginia Tech’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences decided to take a look at energy levels in poultry from a different standpoint. This research idea began in 2008-09, when corn prices increased in response to expanded ethanol production as part of the renewable fuels’ standard.  In the quest to identify and validate alternatives to corn as the primary energy source in laying hen diets, a more wholistic approach to laying hen metabolism was investigated.

What resulted was more than a decade of research conducted by Persia and a team of graduate and undergraduate students in the School of Animal Sciences. What they discovered supported their line of thinking.

At least over the short term, the amount of energy fed to hens doesn’t affect the number of eggs produced. Hens will produce eggs as long as they have enough fatty tissue and mass in their reserves to supply the energy to produce them.

“Results suggested that dietary energy has a more pronounced effect on body mass and fatty tissue before more direct performance responses are observed,” Persia said. “Therefore, hen body weight and composition can be used as a more sensitive measurement of hen energy status than egg production or feed efficiency.”

The research was published recently in the Journal of Applied Poultry Research and is supported by the John Lee Pratt Animal Nutrition Senior Research Scholar Program. Alyssa Lyons, a doctoral candidate in the School of Animals Sciences, is the lead author. She worked in Persia’s lab and on this research project beginning as an undergraduate student.

More recently, the cost of dietary oil, the second leading energy component of a diet, has increased with additional biodiesel production. As so, Persia and his team conducted an experiment to evaluate the effects of varying dietary energy on the performance and energy storage in laying hens from 36 to 52 weeks of age.

A total of 252 hens were fed one of seven experimental diets ranging in dietary energy from 2,750 to 3,050 kilocalories. Egg production, energy intake, feed intake, egg weight, egg mass, and feed efficiency were calculated. Hens were weighed every four weeks and carcass total, lean, and fat mass were determined at 52 weeks of age using a dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry, a type of evaluation.

Results indicated that dietary energy intake impacted the hens’ total carcass mass and carcass fat mass before altering the number of eggs they produced.

“Although egg production was unaffected, total mass, body weight, and fat mass were significantly decreased with decreasing dietary energy and were directly correlated with dietary energy,” Persia said. “This indicated to us that hens will continue to produce eggs at the expense of energy body reserves over short-term production.”

This discovery could have substantial environmental and economic impact, Persia said.

“Everything we can do to more accurately determine the requirements of these birds will reduce the cost of eggs — efficiency from a feeding standpoint leads to efficiency from an economic standpoint,” he said. “There is also a large environmental component to that as well. Anytime we can increase the utilization of energy or nutrients from the diet, that's less that actually comes out on the back end as manure. If we can more efficiently utilize our resources and put them into the bird or into the egg, that will help the environmental footprint.”

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JOURNAL

The Journal of Applied Poultry Research

ARTICLE TITLE

Estimating energy utilization in laying hens: what are the best response criteria?