Situación pre y post-incendio, de un ecosistema del tipo forestal Roble-Hualo, Región del Maule, Chile

Forest fires are one of the major causes of ecosystem degradation in Chile. The 2016-2017 forest fire season was notable for the affected area, including a forest and scrub, of the Roble-Hualo forest type, of high conservation value. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the effect of the fire in both formations, on the structure of the canopy through the use of hemispheric photographs. In addition, the effect of the fire on chemical variables of soil, diversity and abundance of vegetation were quantified. The results indicated a clear degradation of the structure of the canopy of the forest and scrub, increase in the potential radiation on the forest floor, reduction of the foliar area and coverage of the canopies on the ground. Also, some chemical variables such as pH, organic matter (MO%), sum of bases (Sb) and available potassium (Kd) increased in the scrub soil, but not in the forest floor. Post-fire regeneration was scarce in both coverages, in addition there was a considerable loss of arboreal and shrubby diversity, thus affecting the composition of the vegetation, in the forest and in the scrub.Los incendios forestales son una de las mayores causas de degradación de ecosistemas en Chile. La temporada de incendios forestales 2016-2017 destacó por la superficie afectada, incluyendo un bosque y matorral, del tipo forestal Roble-Hualo, de alto valor de conservación. Por lo que este estudio tuvo como objetivo evaluar el efecto del incendio en ambas formaciones, sobre la estructura del dosel mediante la utilización de fotografías hemisféricas. Además, se cuantificó el efecto del incendio en variables químicas del suelo, diversidad y abundancia de la vegetación. Los resultados indicaron una clara degradación de la estructura del dosel del bosque y matorral, aumento en la radiación potencial sobre el piso forestal, reducción del área foliar y cobertura de los doseles sobre el suelo. Asimismo, algunas variables químicas como el pH, materia orgánica(MO%), suma de bases (Sb) y potasio disponible (Kd) aumentaron en el suelo del matorral, no así en el suelo del bosque. La regeneración post-incendio fue escaza en ambas coberturas, además se apreció una considerable pérdida de diversidad arbórea y arbustiva, afectando así la composición de la vegetación, en el bosque y en el matorral

Situación pre y post-incendio, de un ecosistema del tipo forestal Roble-Hualo, Región del Maule, Chile

Forest fires are one of the major causes of ecosystem degradation in Chile. The 2016-2017 forest fire season was notable for the affected area, including a forest and scrub, of the Roble-Hualo forest type, of high conservation value. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the effect of the fire in both formations, on the structure of the canopy through the use of hemispheric photographs. In addition, the effect of the fire on chemical variables of soil, diversity and abundance of vegetation were quantified. The results indicated a clear degradation of the structure of the canopy of the forest and scrub, increase in the potential radiation on the forest floor, reduction of the foliar area and coverage of the canopies on the ground. Also, some chemical variables such as pH, organic matter (MO%), sum of bases (Sb) and available potassium (Kd) increased in the scrub soil, but not in the forest floor. Post-fire regeneration was scarce in both coverages, in addition there was a considerable loss of arboreal and shrubby diversity, thus affecting the composition of the vegetation, in the forest and in the scrub.Los incendios forestales son una de las mayores causas de degradación de ecosistemas en Chile. La temporada de incendios forestales 2016-2017 destacó por la superficie afectada, incluyendo un bosque y matorral, del tipo forestal Roble-Hualo, de alto valor de conservación. Por lo que este estudio tuvo como objetivo evaluar el efecto del incendio en ambas formaciones, sobre la estructura del dosel mediante la utilización de fotografías hemisféricas. Además, se cuantificó el efecto del incendio en variables químicas del suelo, diversidad y abundancia de la vegetación. Los resultados indicaron una clara degradación de la estructura del dosel del bosque y matorral, aumento en la radiación potencial sobre el piso forestal, reducción del área foliar y cobertura de los doseles sobre el suelo. Asimismo, algunas variables químicas como el pH, materia orgánica(MO%), suma de bases (Sb) y potasio disponible (Kd) aumentaron en el suelo del matorral, no así en el suelo del bosque. La regeneración post-incendio fue escaza en ambas coberturas, además se apreció una considerable pérdida de diversidad arbórea y arbustiva, afectando así la composición de la vegetación, en el bosque y en el matorral

Biodiversidad 2018. Reporte de estado y tendencias de la biodiversidad continental de Colombia

Las cifras y temáticas contenidos en el presente Reporte, aunque no son el panorama completo del estado del conocimiento de la biodiversidad en Colombia, son un compendio seleccionado de los temas que, desde el Instituto Humboldt, consideramos son relevantes y merecen ser discutidos por el público general. En muchos de los casos, las cifras no son esperanzadoras u son un llamado urgente a la acción. En otro casos son la evidencia de que se requieren acciones a nivel nacional, y más allá de esto, son muchas las iniciativas que están germinando desde los territorios, cada vez desde una mayor variedad de actores.Bogotá, D. C., Colombi

Effects of hospital facilities on patient outcomes after cancer surgery: an international, prospective, observational study

© 2022 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an Open Access article under the CC BY 4.0 licenseBackground: Early death after cancer surgery is higher in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs) compared with in high-income countries, yet the impact of facility characteristics on early postoperative outcomes is unknown. The aim of this study was to examine the association between hospital infrastructure, resource availability, and processes on early outcomes after cancer surgery worldwide. Methods: A multimethods analysis was performed as part of the GlobalSurg 3 study—a multicentre, international, prospective cohort study of patients who had surgery for breast, colorectal, or gastric cancer. The primary outcomes were 30-day mortality and 30-day major complication rates. Potentially beneficial hospital facilities were identified by variable selection to select those associated with 30-day mortality. Adjusted outcomes were determined using generalised estimating equations to account for patient characteristics and country-income group, with population stratification by hospital. Findings: Between April 1, 2018, and April 23, 2019, facility-level data were collected for 9685 patients across 238 hospitals in 66 countries (91 hospitals in 20 high-income countries; 57 hospitals in 19 upper-middle-income countries; and 90 hospitals in 27 low-income to lower-middle-income countries). The availability of five hospital facilities was inversely associated with mortality: ultrasound, CT scanner, critical care unit, opioid analgesia, and oncologist. After adjustment for case-mix and country income group, hospitals with three or fewer of these facilities (62 hospitals, 1294 patients) had higher mortality compared with those with four or five (adjusted odds ratio [OR] 3·85 [95% CI 2·58–5·75]; p<0·0001), with excess mortality predominantly explained by a limited capacity to rescue following the development of major complications (63·0% vs 82·7%; OR 0·35 [0·23–0·53]; p<0·0001). Across LMICs, improvements in hospital facilities would prevent one to three deaths for every 100 patients undergoing surgery for cancer. Interpretation: Hospitals with higher levels of infrastructure and resources have better outcomes after cancer surgery, independent of country income. Without urgent strengthening of hospital infrastructure and resources, the reductions in cancer-associated mortality associated with improved access will not be realised. Funding: National Institute for Health and Care Research

Global variation in postoperative mortality and complications after cancer surgery: a multicentre, prospective cohort study in 82 countries

© 2021 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an Open Access article under the CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 licenseBackground: 80% of individuals with cancer will require a surgical procedure, yet little comparative data exist on early outcomes in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs). We compared postoperative outcomes in breast, colorectal, and gastric cancer surgery in hospitals worldwide, focusing on the effect of disease stage and complications on postoperative mortality. Methods: This was a multicentre, international prospective cohort study of consecutive adult patients undergoing surgery for primary breast, colorectal, or gastric cancer requiring a skin incision done under general or neuraxial anaesthesia. The primary outcome was death or major complication within 30 days of surgery. Multilevel logistic regression determined relationships within three-level nested models of patients within hospitals and countries. Hospital-level infrastructure effects were explored with three-way mediation analyses. This study was registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT03471494. Findings: Between April 1, 2018, and Jan 31, 2019, we enrolled 15 958 patients from 428 hospitals in 82 countries (high income 9106 patients, 31 countries; upper-middle income 2721 patients, 23 countries; or lower-middle income 4131 patients, 28 countries). Patients in LMICs presented with more advanced disease compared with patients in high-income countries. 30-day mortality was higher for gastric cancer in low-income or lower-middle-income countries (adjusted odds ratio 3·72, 95% CI 1·70–8·16) and for colorectal cancer in low-income or lower-middle-income countries (4·59, 2·39–8·80) and upper-middle-income countries (2·06, 1·11–3·83). No difference in 30-day mortality was seen in breast cancer. The proportion of patients who died after a major complication was greatest in low-income or lower-middle-income countries (6·15, 3·26–11·59) and upper-middle-income countries (3·89, 2·08–7·29). Postoperative death after complications was partly explained by patient factors (60%) and partly by hospital or country (40%). The absence of consistently available postoperative care facilities was associated with seven to 10 more deaths per 100 major complications in LMICs. Cancer stage alone explained little of the early variation in mortality or postoperative complications. Interpretation: Higher levels of mortality after cancer surgery in LMICs was not fully explained by later presentation of disease. The capacity to rescue patients from surgical complications is a tangible opportunity for meaningful intervention. Early death after cancer surgery might be reduced by policies focusing on strengthening perioperative care systems to detect and intervene in common complications. Funding: National Institute for Health Research Global Health Research Unit