title: The role of climate change in extreme rainfall associated with Cyclone Gabrielle over Aotearoa New Zealand’s East Coast

authors: Harrington, Luke J.

abstract: Aotearoa is a country with good channels for communicating forecasts of extreme rainfall. Significant warning was able to be given for Cyclone Gabrielle of expected heavy rainfall and the potential for rapidly rising rivers, which may have reduced impacts. Still, the significant damage, economic cost, and loss of life can be linked to factors such as a reliance on flood protection systems and infrastructure that are not built to withstand such extreme flood events, settlements in highly flood-prone regions, and social vulnerability factors that can reduce coping capacity such as higher rates of disability and unemployment amongst Māori communities. Land use changes that reduced soil stability, combined with deforestation and forestry slashing likely also contributed to the impacts. Future efforts to reduce vulnerability should focus on addressing shortcomings such as updating infrastructure to be built to the “new normal”, and strengthening early-warning systems for impacts, social connectedness, knowledge, skills and awareness of natural hazards which can improve risk perception and increase self-protective action based on a forecast or warning. Adaptation efforts must be inclusive of a variety of stakeholder viewpoints, especially Indigenous cultural values that may differ from Pākehā views of flood risk management.

text: The role of climate change in extreme rainfall associated with Cyclone Gabrielle over Aotearoa New Zealand’s East Coast Aotearoa is a country with good channels for communicating forecasts of extreme rainfall. Significant warning was able to be given for Cyclone Gabrielle of expected heavy rainfall and the potential for rapidly rising rivers, which may have reduced impacts. Still, the significant damage, economic cost, and loss of life can be linked to factors such as a reliance on flood protection systems and infrastructure that are not built to withstand such extreme flood events, settlements in highly flood-prone regions, and social vulnerability factors that can reduce coping capacity such as higher rates of disability and unemployment amongst Māori communities. Land use changes that reduced soil stability, combined with deforestation and forestry slashing likely also contributed to the impacts. Future efforts to reduce vulnerability should focus on addressing shortcomings such as updating infrastructure to be built to the “new normal”, and strengthening early-warning systems for impacts, social connectedness, knowledge, skills and awareness of natural hazards which can improve risk perception and increase self-protective action based on a forecast or warning. Adaptation efforts must be inclusive of a variety of stakeholder viewpoints, especially Indigenous cultural values that may differ from Pākehā views of flood risk management.

year: 2023-03-14

title: SCG3 transcript in peripheral blood Is a prognostic biomarker for REST-deficient small cell lung cancer

authors: Moss, Adrian C.

subjects: SCLC

abstract: Purpose: Specific markers of circulating tumor cells may be informative in managing lung cancer. Because the RE-1 silencing transcription factor (REST/NRSF) is a transcriptional repressor that is inactivated in neuroendocrine lung cancer, we identified REST-regulated transcripts (CHGA, CHGB, SCG3, VGF, and PCSK1) for evaluation as biomarkers in peripheral blood.

Experimental Design: Transcripts were screened across lung cancer and normal cell lines. Candidates were assessed by reverse transcription-PCR and hybridization of RNA extracted from the peripheral blood of 111 lung cancer patients obtained at clinical presentation and from 27 cancer-free individuals.

Results: Expression profiling revealed multiple chromogranin transcripts were readily induced on REST depletion, most notably SCG3 was induced >500-fold. The SCG3 transcript was also overexpressed by 12,000-fold in neuroendocrine compared with nonneuroendocrine lung cancer cells. In peripheral blood of lung cancer patients and cancer-free individuals, we found that SCG3 was more tumor-specific and more sensitive than other chromogranin transcripts as a biomarker of circulating tumor cells. Overall, 36% of small cell lung cancer (SCLC) and 16% of non-SCLC patients scored positively for normalized SCG3 transcript. This correlated with worse survival among SCLC patients with limited disease (n = 33; P = 0.022) but not extensive disease (n = 29; P = 0.459). Interestingly, the subcohort of 6 SCLC patients with resistance to platinum/etoposide chemotherapy all scored positively for peripheral blood SCG3 transcript (P = 0.022).

Conclusions: SCG3 mRNA, a component of the REST-dependent neurosecretory transcriptional profile, provides a sensitive prognostic biomarker for noninvasive monitoring of neuroendocrine lung cancer.

text: SCG3 transcript in peripheral blood Is a prognostic biomarker for REST-deficient small cell lung cancer Purpose: Specific markers of circulating tumor cells may be informative in managing lung cancer. Because the RE-1 silencing transcription factor (REST/NRSF) is a transcriptional repressor that is inactivated in neuroendocrine lung cancer, we identified REST-regulated transcripts (CHGA, CHGB, SCG3, VGF, and PCSK1) for evaluation as biomarkers in peripheral blood.

Experimental Design: Transcripts were screened across lung cancer and normal cell lines. Candidates were assessed by reverse transcription-PCR and hybridization of RNA extracted from the peripheral blood of 111 lung cancer patients obtained at clinical presentation and from 27 cancer-free individuals.

Results: Expression profiling revealed multiple chromogranin transcripts were readily induced on REST depletion, most notably SCG3 was induced >500-fold. The SCG3 transcript was also overexpressed by 12,000-fold in neuroendocrine compared with nonneuroendocrine lung cancer cells. In peripheral blood of lung cancer patients and cancer-free individuals, we found that SCG3 was more tumor-specific and more sensitive than other chromogranin transcripts as a biomarker of circulating tumor cells. Overall, 36% of small cell lung cancer (SCLC) and 16% of non-SCLC patients scored positively for normalized SCG3 transcript. This correlated with worse survival among SCLC patients with limited disease (n = 33; P = 0.022) but not extensive disease (n = 29; P = 0.459). Interestingly, the subcohort of 6 SCLC patients with resistance to platinum/etoposide chemotherapy all scored positively for peripheral blood SCG3 transcript (P = 0.022).

Conclusions: SCG3 mRNA, a component of the REST-dependent neurosecretory transcriptional profile, provides a sensitive prognostic biomarker for noninvasive monitoring of neuroendocrine lung cancer.

year: 2009

title: Kia kāpuia te reo o Tāmaki ki te Tonga: Tāmaki Makaurau ki te Tonga

authors: Lee-Morgan, Jenny Bol Jun

abstract: Mai i te Papakuratanga o Mataoho tae noa ki tona Ipu. Mai i Pukaki Tapu o Poutiikeka ki Te Puketapapatanga a Hape. Mai i te tahuna o Torea i nga wai o Mokoia, mawhiti atu ki Te Arapueru e karekare mai na ko Te Manukanuka a Hoturoa, kei reira a Taramainuku raua ko Kaiwhare. Ka kawea ki nga.hau o Mangere, e topa ai taku manuhokahoka ki Te Manurewatanga a Tamapahore. Whakaterawhiti taku haere ki Otara-a-nuku, ki Otara-a-rangi koia te tikapatanga o toku tiipuna o Marutuahu. Hoki whenei mai au ki Te Pane o Mataoho, tiro kau ake au ki aku pa whakairo ko Matatukutureia, ko Matukurua nga nohoanga tapu o Huakaiwaka, o Nga Tini-o-toitehuatahi, o Maruiwi kua ngaro katoa ki te reinga.

text: Kia kāpuia te reo o Tāmaki ki te Tonga: Tāmaki Makaurau ki te Tonga Mai i te Papakuratanga o Mataoho tae noa ki tona Ipu. Mai i Pukaki Tapu o Poutiikeka ki Te Puketapapatanga a Hape. Mai i te tahuna o Torea i nga wai o Mokoia, mawhiti atu ki Te Arapueru e karekare mai na ko Te Manukanuka a Hoturoa, kei reira a Taramainuku raua ko Kaiwhare. Ka kawea ki nga.hau o Mangere, e topa ai taku manuhokahoka ki Te Manurewatanga a Tamapahore. Whakaterawhiti taku haere ki Otara-a-nuku, ki Otara-a-rangi koia te tikapatanga o toku tiipuna o Marutuahu. Hoki whenei mai au ki Te Pane o Mataoho, tiro kau ake au ki aku pa whakairo ko Matatukutureia, ko Matukurua nga nohoanga tapu o Huakaiwaka, o Nga Tini-o-toitehuatahi, o Maruiwi kua ngaro katoa ki te reinga.

year: 2017