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Highlights • Agroforestry practices occupy less than 10% of the potential European area. • Agroforestry promotion should be simplified in the CAP. • Agroforestry can be linked to arable land, permanent grasslands and permanent crops as well as forestlands. Abstract Agroforestry is an integrated land use management that combines a woody component with a lower story agricultural production recognized as one of the most important tools to mitigate and adapt to climate change. The objective of this paper is to provide a categorization and extent of agroforestry practices linked to agricultural and forest lands at regional level and evaluate how are they promoted by the previous (2007–2013) and current CAP (2014–2020) with a special focus on climate change mitigation potential. Agroforestry occupies almost 20 million hectares in Europe, being silvopasture and homegardens the most extensively spread practices and forest farming not quantified. Agroforestry practices are promoted at European level but in a really complex form as more than 25 measures are implemented to enhance the existing 5 agroforestry practices (silvopasture, silvoarable, riparian buffer strips, forest farming and homegardens). Simplification of the number of measures to promote agroforestry practices is needed to better follow up the implementation and to evaluate and provide future policies more adapted at European levels. Huge potential climate change mitigation options should be focused on the use of silvopasture on forest lands to reduce forest fires and to increase the presence of the woody component on arable lands (silvoarable) but also on the promotion of forest farming and homegardens as forms to increase the use of short supply chains and to increase the connection of urban, periurban and rural areas within a bioeconomy and circular economy framework. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Agroforestry is considered a sustainable form of land management that optimizes the use of natural resources (nutrients, radiation, water). Agroforestry is defined as the deliberate integration of woody vegetation with agricultural activities in the lower story. It provides a higher biomass production per unit of land, while providing more ecosystem services than woody-less agricultural lands, such as the reduction of soil erosion and nitrogen leaching, and increase carbon sequestration and landscape biodiversity. The objective of this paper is to evaluate the past and current European Union Common Agricultural policies aiming at promoting the afforestation or reforestation of lands, as the introduction of trees can be seen as a first step to carry out agroforestry practices in former agricultural or forest lands. Agroforestry was a traditional land use system in Europe before modern times. However, before the sixties land intensification and consolidation destroyed millions of trees all over Europe. On the contrary, some good examples of agroforestry promotion are found in Eastern European countries in order to reduce the effect of extreme events such as winds, flooding at the beginning and mid of the last century. In Western European countries, the introduction of trees in the land has been promoted by agroforestry, afforestation and reforestation at the end of the last century. Afforestation of agricultural lands have been the most successful CAP measure (over 1 million hectares) while agroforestry measures were not extensively adopted which may be explained by the funds associated to afforestation measure which compensated the losses of income 15 or 20 years in afforested lands. Agroforestry was poorly adopted in the CAP 2007–2013, having a better success in the CAP 2014–2020 due to the recognition of woody vegetation and the compensation of 5 years given for maintenance once agroforestry is established. However, policy rules ensuring Pillar I payment when agroforestry measure is adopted such as a management plans ensuring that maximum tree density (100 trees per hectare) is not reached, should be pursued. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

When breast cancer is diagnosed during pregnancy, treatment should be as close; as possible to what is used in non-pregnant patients. This requires accurate local and systemic staging: ultrasound (US) is used for local staging and allows adequate evaluation of the liver and pelvis, but chest and bones cannot be explored and imaging techniques involving exposure to ionizing radiation would be needed. However, since imaging techniques involving ionizing radiation and the use of radionuclides should be limited, whole body magnetic resonance imaging (WB-MRI) without administration of contrast agent represents a very interesting alternative, but limited data is available. In this paper we describe the obstetrical and oncological outcome of 14 patients in whom breast cancer was diagnosed during the second or third trimester of pregnancy and that were staged using WB-MRI. Median age of the patient at diagnosis was 35 years (range 20–36), median gestational age at MRI was 30 weeks (range 13–32) and median age at delivery was 38 weeks (range 32–38). At birth, one new-born presented respiratory distress syndrome and one jaundice. We conclude that diffusion-weighted MRI is feasible accurate and safe for the mother and for the foetus. It may represent the staging technique of choice in pregnant women diagnosed with breast cancer after the first trimester of pregnancy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: An increasing number of women are diagnosed with cancer during pregnancy and lactation. Women are usually advised to interrupt breastfeeding during systemic anticancer treatment for fear of serious adverse effects to the nursed infant. However, the issue is poorly addressed in the literature and very few studies have evaluated the safety of breastfeeding during or after cytotoxic drugs or target agents administration. In this review we will analyze the available evidence that addresses the issue of anticancer drugs, targeted agents, antiemetics and growth-factors excretion in human milk. This could serve as a unique resource that may aid physicians in the management of breastfeeding cancer patients interested in maintaining lactation during treatment. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Diethylene glycol (DEG) is largely used during oil and gas exploitation by offshore platforms. The aim of this work was to investigate if this compound induces direct molecular/cellular effects in marine organisms, or indirectly modulate those of produced waters (PWs). Sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax) were exposed to DEG dosed alone or in combination with PWs from an Adriatic platform. A wide array of analysed biomarkers included cytochrome P450-dependent enzymatic activity, bile metabolites, glutathione S-transferases, acetylcholinesterase, peroxisomal proliferation, antioxidant defences (catalase, glutathione reductase, glutathione peroxidases, glutathione), total oxyradical scavenging capacity, malondialdehyde and DNA integrity (single strand breaks and frequency of micronuclei). Results did not reveal marked effects of DEG, while PWs influenced the biotransformation system, the oxidative status and the onset of genotoxic damages. Co-exposures caused only limited differences of biomarker responses at some experimental conditions, overall suggesting a limited biological impact of DEG at levels normally deriving from offshore activities. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Sustainability assessment is a complex field and its uptake amongst agricultural producers limited. Furthermore, the scope of current sustainability assessment tools does not extend to systems in which food production is integrated with production of non-food biomass (e.g. agroforestry). Participatory approaches to tool development offer a means to overcome the subjectivity of researcher-led tool design and thus the potential to increase relevance and engagement. In this work we develop a Delphi-style methodology as a means to produce a sustainability assessment tool suitable to assess and feedback on an integrated food/non-food system. Using a widely accepted agricultural sustainability framework and an existing farm sustainability assessment tool as a base, stakeholders were engaged with across six countries and multiple stakeholder groups to identify key indicators to be added to the tool. The methodology developed is described in detail, framed in the setting of this tool development process but providing a novel framework applicable to any situation where indicators must be developed for a complex issue of interest across multiple perspectives and stakeholder groups. Feedback and learning from the experience is provided. It was found that, contrary to some opinion, the inclusion of a face-to-face discussion round as part of the Delphi procedure provides a valuable means for information exchange and a move towards consensus amongst stakeholders. By using a 'snowball' approach to the in person discussions, it appears too that the loss of the voices of more socially retiring individuals can be avoided. Final levels of agreement vary substantially across the different areas of sustainability, with indicators in some areas (e.g. environmental integrity) proving much less controversial than others (e.g. social wellbeing). Despite this, the methodology effectively reaches a level of consensus amongst diverse stakeholders sufficient to guide the selection of sustainability indicators with a good level of confidence. • A well-designed Delphi can operate effectively across regions and expertise. • Environment indicators are less controversial than other indicators of sustainability. • Face-to-face discussion and reasoning helps aid consensus and settle viewpoints. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Knowledge about risk factors for venous thromboembolism (VTE) is still limited. A recently found haplotype within the natural anticoagulant protein annexin A5 (ANXA5) exerts an important modulating effect on gene expression. Study Design: Eighty-three nonanticoagulated patients with a documented pregnancy-related VTE and 195 controls were investigated. The presence of the ANXA5 haplotypes was determined. Results: Twenty-seven patients (32.5%) carried the M2 haplotype. Among them, 17 (63.0%) had a history of VTE in puerperium and 10 (37.0%) during pregnancy. The prevalence of the M2 haplotype was different as compared with that recorded among controls (odds ratio, 2.7; 95% confidence interval, 1.5–4.9, P < .001). A logistic regression analysis, correcting for potential confounders (age at which the thrombotic event occurred, factor V Leiden, and factor IIA20210 variants) showed a significant increase (odds ratio, 3.4; 95% confidence interval, 1.7–6.7) of the occurrence of VTE in carriers of the M2 haplotype as compared with noncarriers. Conclusion: The M2 haplotype within the ANXA5 gene may represent a new thrombophilic risk factor for pregnancy-related VTE. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]