Public perceptions of mangrove forests matter for their conservation

Abstract not available

Indoor Radon Concentration and Risk Assessment in 27 Districts of a Public Healthcare Company in Naples, South Italy

Abstract: Radon is a major source of ionizing radiation exposure for the general population. It is known that exposure to radon is a risk factor for the onset of lung cancer. In this study, the results of a radon survey conducted in all districts of a Public Healthcare in Italy, are reported. Measurements of indoor radon were performed using nuclear track detectors, CR-39. The entire survey was conducted according to a well-established quality assurance program. The annual effective dose and excess lifetime cancer risk were also calculated. Results show that the radon concentrations varied from 7 1 Bq/m3 and 5148 772 Bq/m3, with a geometric mean of 67 Bq/m3 and geometric standard deviation of 2.5. The annual effective dose to workers was found to be 1.6 mSv/y and comparable with the worldwide average. In Italy, following the transposition of the European Directive 59/2013, great attention was paid to the radon risk in workplaces. The interest of the workers of the monitored sites was very high and this, certainly contributed to the high return rate of the detectors after exposure and therefore, to the presence of few missing data. Although it was not possible to study the factors affecting radon concentrations, certainly the main advantage of this study is that it was the first in which an entire public health company was monitored in regards to all the premises on the underground and ground floor

Conservation and Restoration of Estuaries and Coasts: Horseshoe Crabs as Flagship Species

This chapter summarizes and expands on a research roundtable co-sponsored by the IUCN Horseshoe Crab Specialist Group, Nature Society (Singapore), and the Mangrove Action Project during the 2016 IUCN World Congress in Honolulu, Hawaii. Our central premise is that horseshoe crabs can serve as a flagship species for the conservation and restoration of several ecologically significant nearshore habitats, including estuarine beaches, mangroves, salt marshes, and tidal flats, all of which are being lost or degraded from coastal development and climate change. Horseshoe crabs are suitable as a flagship species because of their importance as a “living fossil,” their role in the nearshore food web, and their significant economic importance. Workshop participants from North America and Asia highlighted case histories and discussed the ways that horseshoe crab science and public education can join together to promote coastal marine conservation

The value of small mangrove patches

No abstract available

Partial versus radical nephrectomy in very elderly patients: a propensity score analysis of surgical, functional and oncologic outcomes (RESURGE project)

International audiencePURPOSE:To compare the outcomes of PN to those of RN in very elderly patients treated for clinically localized renal tumor.PATIENTS AND METHODS:A purpose-built multi-institutional international database (RESURGE project) was used for this retrospective analysis. Patients over 75 years old and surgically treated for a suspicious of localized renal with either PN or RN were included in this database. Surgical, renal function and oncological outcomes were analyzed. Propensity scores for the predicted probability to receive PN in each patient were estimated by logistic regression models. Cox proportional hazard models were estimated to determine the relative change in hazard associated with PN vs RN on overall mortality (OM), cancer-specific mortality (CSM) and other-cause mortality (OCM).RESULTS:A total of 613 patients who underwent RN were successfully matched with 613 controls who underwent PN. Higher overall complication rate was recorded in the PN group (33% vs 25%; p = 0.01). Median follow-up for the entire cohort was 35 months (interquartile range [IQR] 13-63 months). There was a significant difference between RN and PN in median decline of eGFR (39% vs 17%; p < 0.01). PN was not correlated with OM (HR = 0.71; p = 0.56), OCM (HR = 0.74; p = 0.5), and showed a protective trend for CSM (HR = 0.19; p = 0.05). PN was found to be a protective factor for surgical CKD (HR = 0.28; p < 0.01) and worsening of eGFR in patients with baseline CKD. Retrospective design represents a limitation of this analysis.CONCLUSIONS:Adoption of PN in very elderly patients with localized renal tumor does not compromise oncological outcomes, and it allows better functional preservation at mid-term (3-year) follow-up, relative to RN. Whether this functional benefit translates into a survival benefit remains to be determined