MicroRNA Related Polymorphisms and Breast Cancer Risk

Peer reviewe

Reducing the environmental impact of surgery on a global scale: systematic review and co-prioritization with healthcare workers in 132 countries

Background Healthcare cannot achieve net-zero carbon without addressing operating theatres. The aim of this study was to prioritize feasible interventions to reduce the environmental impact of operating theatres. Methods This study adopted a four-phase Delphi consensus co-prioritization methodology. In phase 1, a systematic review of published interventions and global consultation of perioperative healthcare professionals were used to longlist interventions. In phase 2, iterative thematic analysis consolidated comparable interventions into a shortlist. In phase 3, the shortlist was co-prioritized based on patient and clinician views on acceptability, feasibility, and safety. In phase 4, ranked lists of interventions were presented by their relevance to high-income countries and low–middle-income countries. Results In phase 1, 43 interventions were identified, which had low uptake in practice according to 3042 professionals globally. In phase 2, a shortlist of 15 intervention domains was generated. In phase 3, interventions were deemed acceptable for more than 90 per cent of patients except for reducing general anaesthesia (84 per cent) and re-sterilization of ‘single-use’ consumables (86 per cent). In phase 4, the top three shortlisted interventions for high-income countries were: introducing recycling; reducing use of anaesthetic gases; and appropriate clinical waste processing. In phase 4, the top three shortlisted interventions for low–middle-income countries were: introducing reusable surgical devices; reducing use of consumables; and reducing the use of general anaesthesia. Conclusion This is a step toward environmentally sustainable operating environments with actionable interventions applicable to both high– and low–middle–income countries

Soil phosphorus tests and grain yield responsiveness of maize (Zea mays) on Ferrosols

The grain yield response of maize (Zea mays) to various rates of applied phosphorus (P) was measured at each of 17 sites in the South Burnett region of south-eastern Queensland. The soils at all sites were Ferrosols. Relative grain yield of the nil applied P treatment [100 × (yield at nil applied P/maximum yield)] was related to Colwell (0·5 M NaHCO3) extractable P (PB), CaCl2-extractable P, and equilibrium P concentration and P buffer capacity calculated from P sorption curves. Of these P measurements, PB was most highly correlated with relative grain yield (R2 = 0·94 for a linear response and plateau fit, R2 = 0·92 for a Mitscherlich fit), and the PB values at 90% maximum grain yield were 20 mg/kg for the linear response and plateau model and 32 mg/kg for the Mitscherlich equation

The effect of soil water status on critical phosphorus concentrations in Stylosanthes hamata cv. Verano

The effect of soil water status on the critical phosphorus concentration (CPC) determined in apices and whole tops of Stylosanthes hamata cv. Verano was investigated in a glasshouse trial. The species was grown with six rates of P and three ranges of soil water potential and was harvested at 10 and 14 weeks after germination. The CPC of both whole tops and apices decliced between the two harvests. At the first harvest the CPC of both whole tops and apices increased as the soil water potential decreased but at the second harvest there was no effect of soil water potential on CPC. It is suggested that at the earlier harvest water stress was delaying physiological development, resulting in a CPC characteristic of chronologically younger tissue, but that by the second harvest the decline in CPC with age had ceased for all water treatments

Properties of australian fly ashes relevant to their agronomic utilization

Of the 13 fly ashes from Australian power stations, all were dominated by both amorphous and crystalline aluminosilicates and quartz, and these were associated with minor amounts of Fe oxides, lesser amounts of Ca, Mg, Na, K, Ti and P oxides, and variable levels of incompletely combusted C. The ashes consisted of particles predominantly in the silt plus fine sand fraction (67-98%), and electron microscopy revealed that ash matrices consisted of glassy spherical particles and less regularly shaped spongy particles. The available water capacity was high and varied from 27 to 105% with 11 of the 13 samples having values > 40%. Twelve of the 13 ashes were alkaline to strongly alkaline (pH range 8.0-12.8). Soluble salt levels were related to the coal source, and electrical conductivity of the saturation extracts (ECse) varied from 0.63 to 7.0 mS cm -1 for 11 of the samples; two ashes produced from brown coal had ECse values of 46.0 and 55.0 mS cm-1. The nutritional status of the ashes was assessed on samples leached with water to reduce the soluble salts to equilibrium levels. The ashes contained negligible amounts of N, but their P status was variable. The amounts of NH4OAc-extractable Ca and Mg were generally high in most samples and were considered more than adequate for most plant species; however, NH4OAc-extractable K values were generally low. Adequate levels of sulfate-S existed in 12 of the 13 samples, and levels of DTPAextractable Cu, Zn, Mn and Fe were high when compared with published critical values. Most of the unleached samples contained potentially toxic levels of B. The results are discussed with reference to the establishment of vegetation on ash dumps and to the use of fly ash in ameliorating the properties of soils

Modelling nutrient uptake: A possible indicator of phosphorus deficiency

An understanding of the processes controlling soil nutrient supply and plant uptake has led to process-based models that can predict nutrient uptake and the concentration gradient that develops at the root surface. By using this information, it may be possible to develop an indicator of soil phosphorus status based on the predicted uptake and/or concentration of phosphorus (P) at the root surface. To identify the potential for such a test, the relationships between model output and observed plant growth were examined using data from a published experiment. The experiment was initially designed to investigate the relationship between common indices of soil-available P and the growth of maize (Zea mays) in 26 surface soils from Queensland. There was a high correlation between observed and predicted P uptake, and between relative dry matter yield and predicted P uptake. The predicted concentration of P at the root surface was also highly correlated with P uptake and dry weight increase. It is hypothesised that the short growth period (25 days) was responsible for the high correlation between P uptake and measured soil solution P. The hypothesis that a predicted concentration of P at the root surface or predicted P uptake may be valuable indicators of P deficiency in the longer term still remains to be tested

Root distribution of lychee trees growing in acid soils of subtropical Queensland

A core sampling technique was used to investigate the vertical root distribution of 8-10-year-old lychee trees (Litchi chinensis cv. Tai So) growing on 5 acid soils in subtropical Queensland (lat. 27¦s.). At each site, soil and roots were sampled at 10 cm depth intervals to 100 cm, the root density determined and a range of soil chemical and physical properties measured. Eighty percent of the feeder roots were located within the top 0-20 cm (1 site), 0 4 0 cm (2 sites) or 0-60 cm (2 sites). The depth of rooting was greatest in the fine textured soils, while the greatest total root density was recorded in the coarse textured soils. The data suggest that the placement of tensiometers for water scheduling needs to take into account the effective rooting depth of lychee because it may vary with soil type. At all sites, pH values were acidic (pH30% Al saturation of the cation exchange capacity. Although root density (all sites) was correlated with a number of soil chemical properties, stepwise multiple linear regression showed that 62% of the variation in root density could be explained by a curvilinear function of depth. The intercorrelations between soil properties and the correlation of depth with some properties demonstrate the difficulties in separating the effects of depth per se from those of soil properties in reducing root growth