International audienceThe 7 billion global population is projected to grow by 70 million per annum, increasing by 30 % to 9.2 billion by 2050. This increased population density is projected to increase demand for food production by 70 % notably due to changes in dietary habits in developing countries towards high quality food, e.g. greater consumption of meat and milk products and to the increasing use of grains for livestock feed. The availability of additional agricultural land is limited. Any expansion will happen mostly at the expense of forests and the natural habitats containing wildlife, wild relatives of crops and natural enemies of crop pests. Furthermore, more agricultural land will be used to produce bio-based commodities such as biofuel or fibre instead of food. Thus, we need to grow food on even less land, with less water, using less energy, fertiliser and pesticide than we use today. Given these limitations, sustainable production at elevated levels is urgently needed. The reduction of current yield losses caused by pests is a major challenge to agricultural production. This review presents (1) worldwide crop losses due to pests, (2) estimates of pesticide-related productivity, and costs and benefits of pesticide use, (3) approaches to reduce yield losses by chemical, as well as biological and recombinant methods of pest control and (4) the challenges of the crop-protection industry. The general public has a critical function in determining the future role of pesticides in agriculture. However, as long as there is a demand for pesticide-based solutions to pest control problems and food security concerns, the externality problems associated with the human and environmental health effects of pesticides need also to be addressed

The aim of this research was to develop a modified version of the Munene model summarizing the factors influencing willingness to pay for functional foods, adjusted to the Hungarian population. The questionnaire survey was conducted in 2014 in Hungary on a sample of 500 individuals, representative for gender, age, settlement type and region. Building blocks of the Munene model were examined and tested with a Latent Variable Path Analysis with the Partial Least Squares (LVPLS) model. According to the results, the strongest relationship in the modified model was identified between attitudes towards, and beliefs about, the attributes of functional foods, i.e. the more consumers believe in the health protecting effect of functional foods, the more positive their attitudes towards those foods, and the more they are willing to pay a premium for them. The highest explanatory power in the model was attributed to the attitudes towards functional foods, followed by beliefs about the attributes of functional foods, and then by consumer demographics. The modification of the original Munene model based on a Hungarian sample contributes to an examination of its usability and provides an example of how it can fit to another culture. Moreover, a comprehensive model including factors influencing WTP has not yet been developed among Hungarian consumers.

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Hepatic ischemia-reperfusion injury (IRI) is a multifactorial phenomenon which has been associated with adverse clinical outcomes. IRI related tissue damage is characterized by various chronological events depending on the experimental model or clinical setting. Despite the fact that IRI research has been in the spotlight of scientific interest for over three decades with a significant and continuous increase in publication activity over the years and the large number of pharmacological and surgical therapeutic attempts introduced, not many of these strategies have made their way into everyday clinical practice. Furthermore, the pathomechanism of hepatic IRI has not been fully elucidated yet. In the complex process of the IRI, flow properties of blood are not neglectable. Hemorheological factors play an important role in determining tissue perfusion and orchestrating mechanical shear stress-dependent endothelial functions. Antioxidant and anti-inflammatory agents, ischemic conditioning protocols, dynamic organ preservation techniques may improve rheological properties of the post-reperfusion hepatic blood flow and target endothelial cells, exerting a potent protection against hepatic IRI. In this review paper we give a comprehensive overview of microcirculatory, rheological and molecular–pathophysiological aspects of hepatic circulation in the context of IRI and hepatoprotective approaches.

Abstract:The aim of the research was to define the size of the Hungarian LOHAS (Lifestyle of Health and Sustainability) consumer group by analyzing its lifestyle based on sustainable values. To achieve this goal, a representative questionnaire-based survey was carried out involving 1000 individuals in Hungary. During the value-orientated research, 25 lifestyle statements were drawn up. According to the results, five value-based segments could be distinguished. The largest cluster, the young trend followers group, reflects the characteristics of the LOHAS consumers' lifestyle to the greatest extent. However, this segment cannot entirely be regarded as a consumer group devoted to LOHAS values, which is why a further segmentation of this group was necessary. As a result of this further segmentation, the third sub-cluster, which emphasizes the ethical (competence) statements the most, can be identified with the LOHAS consumer group, which makes up 8.7% of the Hungarian population. Further research is necessary to find out whether the situation regarding value orientation in Hungary is similar to that in other Eastern European countries whose social and cultural backgrounds are very similar. Revealing the values of the Lifestyle of Health and Sustainability segment contributes to the extension of the literature.