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Aims: Epidemiological research has shown relevant differences between sexes in clinical manifestations, severity, and progression of cardiovascular and metabolic disorders. To date, the mechanisms underlying these differences remain unknown. Given the rising incidence of such diseases, gender-specific research on established and emerging risk factors, such as dysfunction of glycaemic and/or lipid metabolism, of sex hormones and of gut microbiome, is of paramount importance. The relationships between sex hormones, gut microbiome, and host glycaemic and/or lipid metabolism are largely unknown even in the homoeostasis status. Yet this knowledge gap would be pivotal to pinpoint to key mechanisms that are likely to be disrupted in disease context. Methods and results: Here we present the Women4Health (W4H) cohort, a unique cohort comprising up to 300 healthy women followed up during a natural menstrual cycle, set up with the primary goal to investigate the combined role of sex hormones and gut microbiota variations in regulating host lipid and glucose metabolism during homoeostasis, using a multi-omics strategy. Additionally, the W4H cohort will take into consideration another ecosystem that is unique to women, the vaginal microbiome, investigating its interaction with gut microbiome and exploring-for the first time-its role in cardiometabolic disorders. Conclusion: The W4H cohort study lays a foundation for improving current knowledge of women-specific mechanisms in cardiometabolic regulation. It aspires to transform insights on host-microbiota interactions into prevention and therapeutic approaches for personalized health care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The decline of soil organic matter (SOM) and its associated fertility is one of the most important constraints to enhanced crop productivity in sub-Saharan Africa. Integrated soil fertility management recognizes the potential benefits of the combined use of organic residue and mineral fertilizer inputs for improved crop yield and SOM build up. However, these benefits may be controlled by residue quality. We examined the short- to long-term C and N dynamics following application of different quality residues with and without N fertilizer in a series of experiments comprising different timescales of measurement in a Kenyan Humic Nitisol. The combined results of these studies indicate that residue quality and fertilizer additions alter short-term C and N mineralization. Combining low quality residue and fertilizer inputs immobilized a greater amount of fertilizer-N than high quality residue. Under field conditions, this reduction in available N induced by the combination of low quality residue and fertilizer reduced environmental N losses and created a positive interactive effect on crop N uptake. While input management manipulated short-term nutrient dynamics, it did not influence long-term SOM stabilization. The input of residue, regardless of quality, contributed to long-term soil fertility improvement. In conclusion, organic residue quality can be manipulated to optimize short-term nutrient dynamics while still conferring the same benefits to long-term SOM contents.

Oat (Avena sativa L.) production has increased dramatically in the eastern Canadian prairies. The introduction of semidwarf oat cultivars to this region has resulted in the need for research regarding how a semidwarf oat performs relative to conventional tall oat cultivars. Split-split plot experiments were conducted at three site-years during 1999 and 2000 in Manitoba to examine cultivar responses of 'AC Ronald', a short-stature oat, and 'Triple Crown', a tall oat, under different crop rotations (grain legume or oilseed as a previous crop) and N fertilizer rates. Triple Crown had greater (P < 0.05) dry matter production than AC Ronald at anthesis (two of three sites) and maturity (one of three sites). At two of three sites, Triple Crown also displayed higher (P < 0.05) early season plant N uptake than AC Ronald, and Triple Crown always had higher (P < 0.05) kernel weight. However, averaged across sites, AC Ronald yielded 433 kg [ha.sup.-1] greater (P < 0.05) than Triple Crown. Higher yield for the short-statured cultivar was attributed to greater (P < 0.05) panicle and kernel densities, and better assimilate partitioning (i.e., higher harvest index). Both cultivars were susceptible to lodging; however, Ha significant cultivar x site interaction indicated that under some conditions, AC Ronald experienced less lodging than Triple Crown. No significant cultivar effect was observed for evapotranspiration (ET) or water use efficiency (WUE). Both oat cultivars responded similarly to crop rotation and N fertilizer rate. While the grain yield advantage of AC Ronald appeared stable across treatment environments tested here, some differential cultivar responses for kernels per panicle and lodging resistance across sites were observed. This research supports an expansion of semidwarf oat production in the eastern Canadian prairies., OAT PRODUCTION has increased dramatically in the eastern Canadian prairies in recent years. Production for this region in 2002 was 2.07 million tonnes of oat grown on 1.01 million hectares [...]