Advancing climate change policy in Jordan: strengthening national, regional and international positions. Policy brief

The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan is one of the world’s most natural resource poor, arid and freshwater stressed countries. It is also exceptionally vulnerable to the effects of climate change and has limited mitigation and adaptation capacities. Importantly, the negative consequences of anthropogenic climate change have been exacerbated by associated infrastructural, demographic, and economic pressures. Hence, for the Hashemite Kingdom to ensure its national economic, social and political stability, it needs to develop and maintain robust mitigation and adaptation policies which accommodate a wide variety of voices. Furthermore, while Jordan (being a minor emitter) is rarely mentioned in global climate change talks, due to its importance in Middle Eastern regional politics, this situation needs to change and the country’s needs ought to be elevated at international discussions

Effects of fungicides and bactericides on orchid seed germination and shoot tip cultures in vitro

Amphotericin B, benomyl, gentamycin, nystatin, quintozene penicillin G, sodium omadine, and vancomycin singly and in several combinations have no deleterious effects on the germination of orchid seeds, but inhibit the growth in vitro of shoot tip explants. © 1981 Martinus Nijhoff/Dr W. Junk Publishers

Chronic kidney disease after liver, cardiac, lung, heart–lung, and hematopoietic stem cell transplant

Patient survival after cardiac, liver, and hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT) is improving; however, this survival is limited by substantial pretransplant and treatment-related toxicities. A major cause of morbidity and mortality after transplant is chronic kidney disease (CKD). Although the majority of CKD after transplant is attributed to the use of calcineurin inhibitors, various other conditions such as thrombotic microangiopathy, nephrotic syndrome, and focal segmental glomerulosclerosis have been described. Though the immunosuppression used for each of the transplant types, cardiac, liver and HSCT is similar, the risk factors for developing CKD and the CKD severity described in patients after transplant vary. As the indications for transplant and the long-term survival improves for these children, so will the burden of CKD. Nephrologists should be involved early in the pretransplant workup of these patients. Transplant physicians and nephrologists will need to work together to identify those patients at risk of developing CKD early to prevent its development and progression to end-stage renal disease