Injury prevention, drowning prevention habits and resuscitation knowledge of Portuguese surfing instructors. A cross-sectional study

Surfing instructors can play an important role both in preventing sport related injuries and as first responders in water emergencies events. Even though Portugal is a predominantly oceanic country, with many people enrolling in water sports activities, we still don’t have a clear insight of the knowledge and educational practices of surfing instructors concerning both injury prevention and first response actions. This study aimed to analyze the educational practices on prevention of surf-related injuries of Portuguese surfing instructors and their knowledge and experience acting as first responders in the sea. A cross-sectional study was designed, using an online survey distributed by all surfing schools registered at Portuguese Surfing Federation to their instructors. The survey included a brief demographic characterization, questions regarding teaching practices about prevention of surfing-related injuries and knowledge/experience acting as first responders at the sea. Data was collected anonymously using Google Forms. A total of 102 instructors participated in the study. The analysis of the survey responses showed that 93.2% of surfing instructors are aware of the importance of prevention habits for teaching but skip some major preventive measures when teaching novice surfers. Nevertheless, the instructors with more than 15 years of experience provide more feedback on prevention habits during classes than instructors with less experience (p=0.019). When looking at self-perceptions of own competence to act in a drowning event, the instructors who have attended a basic life support course asserted to be more competent than those who never attended a course (p<0.05). These findings suggest that it would be very positive that all surfing schools followed the same protocol, giving due importance to prevention measures. Moreover, surfing instructors can play an important role in first response to drowning events but might have some training flaws that should be considered as part of a Water Safety National Strategy. © JPES

Perception, knowledge and education for drowning prevention in adolescent

Objective: Drowning is a major problem of public health in Spain, with a high number of deaths. The main strategy to address it is prevention, going through knowledge and education. The aim of this study was to analyze from a public health perspective a) the knowledge of young participants from 14 to 16 years old about drowning prevention, swimming skills and risks on the beach and b) to evaluate a pilot program with educational video for drowning prevention due to rip currents. Methods: For this purpose, a three-phase study was carried out: (1) application of a questionnaire to identify bath habits, risk perception in relation to rip currents and swimming level, (2) evaluation of a video for the identification of rip current risk and (3) evaluation of the assimilation of the visualized content one month after the intervention. 120 adolescents participated in this study during march, april and may, 2019. A descriptive analysis and comparisons with Chi-Square were performed in SPSS. Results: 120 adolescents participated in this study during March, April and May, 2019. 96.7% knew how to swim, but 44.1% had a basic level. More than half of the participants did not know rip currents or did not identify them in swimming areas. The video achieves the assimilation of concepts related to rip currents and drowning prevention. Conclusions: These findings suggest that adolescents have a lack of knowledge about rip currents and are not able to identify safe swimming areas. The use of health communication strategies based on the interests and profiles of young people have shown an improvement in the perception of risks at beaches on the sample studied

A mutation in the POT1 gene is responsible for cardiac angiosarcoma in TP53-negative Li-Fraumeni-like families

Cardiac angiosarcoma (CAS) is a rare malignant tumour whose genetic basis is unknown. Here we show, by whole-exome sequencing of a TP53-negative Li-Fraumeni-like (LFL) family including CAS cases, that a missense variant (p.R117C) in POT1 (protection of telomeres 1) gene is responsible for CAS. The same gene alteration is found in two other LFL families with CAS, supporting the causal effect of the identified mutation. We extend the analysis to TP53-negative LFL families with no CAS and find the same mutation in a breast AS family. The mutation is recently found once in 121,324 studied alleles in ExAC server but it is not described in any other database or found in 1,520 Spanish controls. In silico structural analysis suggests how the mutation disrupts POT1 structure. Functional and in vitro studies demonstrate that carriers of the mutation show reduced telomere-bound POT1 levels, abnormally long telomeres and increased telomere fragility

Modelling ozone stomatal flux over wheat under Mediterranean conditions

Correct estimation of leaf-level stomatal conductance (gsto) is central for current ozone (O3) risk assessment of wheat yield loss based on the absorbed O3 phytotoxic dose (POD). The gsto model parameterizations developed in Europe must be checked in the different climatic regions where they are going to be applied in order to reduce the uncertainties associated with the POD approach. This work proposes a new gsto model parameterization for estimating POD of Triticum aestivum and Triticum durum under Mediterranean conditions, based on phenological observations over 25 years and gsto field measurements during 5 growing seasons. Results show that POD in the Mediterranean area might be higher than previously estimated. However, caution must be paid when assessing the risk of yield loss for wheat in this area since field validation of O3 impacts is still limited

Medidas para reducir la exposición de los ciclistas a los principales contaminantes atmosféricos urbanos

Recoge los principales resultados generados durante la realización del proyecto LIFE+RESPIRA, llevado a cabo en la ciudad de Pamplona (Navarra, España) por un equipo interdisciplinar constituido por más de 30 investigadores pertenecientes a la Universidad de Navarra, el Centro de Investigaciones Energéticas, Medioambientales y Tecnológicas (CIEMAT) y Gestión Ambiental de Navarra (GAN-NIK). El libro, que se ha publicado en castellano y en inglés, se ha dividido en 7 capítulos: 1. ¿Ciudades sostenibles? 2. Exposición de los ciudadanos a la contaminación atmosférica 3. Papel de la vegetación urbana en la calidad del aire 4. Modelos de alta resolución para evaluar la calidad del aire 5. Impactos de la contaminación urbana 6. Movilidad y sostenibilidad urbanas 7. Comunicación y educación ambiental. Este libro pretende ser una guía de utilidad para científicos, gestores y ciudadanos, aportando un conjunto de herramientas que permitan mejorar la calidad de vida de nuestras ciudades. Además, quiere rendir un homenaje a todos los voluntarios ciclistas que han participado en dicho proyecto y que son los verdaderos artífices del mismo, ya que gracias a su dedicación incondicional durante más de dos años, han proporcionado una cantidad ingente de datos sobre la calidad del aire de la ciudad de Pamplona

Reduction of exposure of cyclists to urban air pollution

This book collects the main outcomes that were generated during the implementation of the LIFE+RESPIRA project (LIFE13 ENV/ES/000417), carried out in the city of Pamplona, Navarra, Spain. The research was conducted by a cross-functional team made up of more than 30 researchers belonging to three entities: The University of Navarra, the Centre for Energy, Environmental and Technological Research (CIEMAT) and Environmental Management of Navarra (GAN-NIK)

ECLAIRE third periodic report

The ÉCLAIRE project (Effects of Climate Change on Air Pollution Impacts and Response Strategies for European Ecosystems) is a four year (2011-2015) project funded by the EU's Seventh Framework Programme for Research and Technological Development (FP7)

ECLAIRE: Effects of Climate Change on Air Pollution Impacts and Response Strategies for European Ecosystems. Project final report

The central goal of ECLAIRE is to assess how climate change will alter the extent to which air pollutants threaten terrestrial ecosystems. Particular attention has been given to nitrogen compounds, especially nitrogen oxides (NOx) and ammonia (NH3), as well as Biogenic Volatile Organic Compounds (BVOCs) in relation to tropospheric ozone (O3) formation, including their interactions with aerosol components. ECLAIRE has combined a broad program of field and laboratory experimentation and modelling of pollution fluxes and ecosystem impacts, advancing both mechanistic understanding and providing support to European policy makers. The central finding of ECLAIRE is that future climate change is expected to worsen the threat of air pollutants on Europe’s ecosystems. Firstly, climate warming is expected to increase the emissions of many trace gases, such as agricultural NH3, the soil component of NOx emissions and key BVOCs. Experimental data and numerical models show how these effects will tend to increase atmospheric N deposition in future. By contrast, the net effect on tropospheric O3 is less clear. This is because parallel increases in atmospheric CO2 concentrations will offset the temperature-driven increase for some BVOCs, such as isoprene. By contrast, there is currently insufficient evidence to be confident that CO2 will offset anticipated climate increases in monoterpene emissions. Secondly, climate warming is found to be likely to increase the vulnerability of ecosystems towards air pollutant exposure or atmospheric deposition. Such effects may occur as a consequence of combined perturbation, as well as through specific interactions, such as between drought, O3, N and aerosol exposure. These combined effects of climate change are expected to offset part of the benefit of current emissions control policies. Unless decisive mitigation actions are taken, it is anticipated that ongoing climate warming will increase agricultural and other biogenic emissions, posing a challenge for national emissions ceilings and air quality objectives related to nitrogen and ozone pollution. The O3 effects will be further worsened if progress is not made to curb increases in methane (CH4) emissions in the northern hemisphere. Other key findings of ECLAIRE are that: 1) N deposition and O3 have adverse synergistic effects. Exposure to ambient O3 concentrations was shown to reduce the Nitrogen Use Efficiency of plants, both decreasing agricultural production and posing an increased risk of other forms of nitrogen pollution, such as nitrate leaching (NO3-) and the greenhouse gas nitrous oxide (N2O); 2) within-canopy dynamics for volatile aerosol can increase dry deposition and shorten atmospheric lifetimes; 3) ambient aerosol levels reduce the ability of plants to conserve water under drought conditions; 4) low-resolution mapping studies tend to underestimate the extent of local critical loads exceedance; 5) new dose-response functions can be used to improve the assessment of costs, including estimation of the value of damage due to air pollution effects on ecosystems, 6) scenarios can be constructed that combine technical mitigation measures with dietary change options (reducing livestock products in food down to recommended levels for health criteria), with the balance between the two strategies being a matter for future societal discussion. ECLAIRE has supported the revision process for the National Emissions Ceilings Directive and will continue to deliver scientific underpinning into the future for the UNECE Convention on Long-range Transboundary Air Pollution

Evaluación de métodos de laboratorio para la predicción de la digestibilidad in vivo de la materia orgánica de ensilajes de hierba y planta entera de maíz

Se estudia en este trabajo la capacidad predictiva de la digestibilidad in vivo de la materia orgánica (DMO) de forrajes por los siguientes métodos: a) regresiones basadas en parámetros químicos de fácil determinación en laboratorio, b) digestibilidad in vitro con líquido ruminal según el método Tilley-Terry, c) técnicas de solubilidad enzimática (fibra neutro-detergente celulasa y pepsina-celulasa), d) producción de gas in vitro y d) técnica de reflectancia en el infrarrojo cercano. En la primera parte (A) del artículo se revisa información bibliográfica acerca de la estimación de la digestibilidad in vivo de forrajes por métodos de laboratorio. En la segunda parte (B) se describe el proceso de desarrollo de métodos de laboratorio para la estimación del valor energético de ensilajes de hierba y maíz, realizados en el Centro de Investigacións Agrarias de Mabegondo (CIAM) de A Coruña. Para ello se utilizaron dos colecciones de 197 y 91 muestras de ensilajes de hierba y de planta entera de maíz, respectivamente, que fueron evaluadas in vivo, con ovinos alojados en jaulas metabólicas, en el CIAM, a partir de sucesivos proyectos de investigación. Salvo las determinaciones de producción de gas, realizadas por investigadores del País Vasco en el marco del convenio de colaboración CIAMNEIKER sobre las colecciones gallegas, el resto de técnicas se realizaron y pusieron a punto, en su caso, en el CIAM. Las colecciones se componen de ensilajes procedentes, en su mayor parte, de explotaciones ganaderas y pretenden reflejar, en la mayor medida posible, la variabilidad existente en la práctica en cuanto al tipo de especies pratenses o genotipos de maíz utilizados, así como la tecnología de manejo del ensilado en las explotaciones a lo largo de sucesivas campañas.Los valores medios de DMO (%) fueron 67,8±6,7 (rango 48,5 a 81,0) y 68,6±3,2 (rango 59,1 a 76,8) para los ensilajes de hierba y maíz, respectivamente. Para los ensilajes de hierba, el error mínimo de predicción (medido en términos de la desviación estándar residual de validación cruzada, RSDCV) de los modelos de una sola variable independiente que incluían digestibilidad in vitro con líquido ruminal (DoTT) y fibra neutro-detergente celulasa (DoNDC) fue de ±3,5 y ±3,8 unidades, respectivamente, para el conjunto de muestras de la colección. Para un grupo de 64 muestras de ensilajes de hierba donde se determinó también la solubilidad enzimática por el método pepsina-celulasa (DoPC), el valor de RSDCV fue de ±3,2, ±3,7 y ±3,5, respectivamente, para DoTT, DoNDC y DoPC. Mientras que los valores medios de DoNDC y DoPC fueron 6 y 4 unidades inferiores al valor medio de DMO, éste fue muy similar al de DoTT. El mejor modelo basado en parámetros químicos, que incluía fibra neutro detergente (FND), proteína bruta (PB) y lignina ácido detergente (LAD) como predictores obtuvo un RSDCV de ±4,3 unidades. La utilización de la técnica de producción de gas in vitro, evaluada en un grupo de 72 muestras, mostró una precisión comparable a la obtenida con la técnica de digestibilidad in vitro con inoculo ruminal. El error de predicción obtenido para la técnica NIRS en validación cruzada para el conjunto de la colección se redujo a ±2,9.Para los ensilajes de maíz, el error mínimo de predicción de DMO para los modelos de una sola variable con DoTT, DoPC y DoNDC fue de ±2,3, ±2,7 y ±2,8 unidades, y de ±2,4 para el mejor modelo multivariable que incluía LAD, PB, y fibra bruta (FB) como predictores. En contraste con lo observado para los ensilajes de hierba, el valor medio de DoTT de los ensilajes de maíz fue superior al de DMO en aproximadamente 6 unidades, mientras que los de DoNDC y DoPC inferiores en 2,7 y 3,4 unidades, respectivamente, siguiendo la misma tendencia observada en los ensilajes de hierba. La desaparición de materia seca de las bolsas de nylon incubadas in situ durante 72 h mostró una precisión comparable a la obtenida con la técnica de digestibilidad in vitro con líquido ruminal para la estimación de DMO de estos ensilajes. Los errores de predicción en validación cruzada para la técnica de producción de gas in vitro medida en 64 muestras de la colección fueron comparables a los obtenidos para DoTT y, para la técnica NIRS, inferiores a los obtenidos por cualquier otro método (RSDCV ±2,0)