Hydrodynamical, geochemical and isotopic preliminary results of Andean groundwater in an active volcanic zone, Mulalo (Ecuador)

International audienceMulaló aquifer is located 80 km south of Quito, between the Royal and Western Cordilleras.The Upper Pleistocene Latacunga formation contains the aquifer (maximum depth 250 m). Itis composed of fluviolacustrine deposits, pumice and volcanic ashes that give high waterpotential to this formation. The aquifer is partly phreatic but the presence of quaternaryHolocene deposits (ash and lahar) in the central area, possibly makes the aquifer semiconfined. The study area covers about 200 km2 and concerns the north part of aquifer.Annual precipitation is around 900 mm. There are about 50 water points betweenboreholes, wells and springs. The flow direction is from north to south. This groundwater isused for domestic water supply, irrigation of orchards and greenhouses where roses arecultivated, which is the main economic activity in this region. To improve the knowledge ofthis aquifer and guarantee a good management of groundwater use, a hydrodynamic andgeochemical monitoring was made during the past few years that was completed by twocampaigns of water stable isotopes sampling. Results indicate that the underground phreaticlevel lies between 2-3 m and 26 m, and fluctuates weakly year round, less than 0.5 m.Electrical conductivity was found between 100 and 4500 IS cm, with the more mineralizedsamples associated with geothermalism or deeper aquifer levels. The chemical type is mainlyHCO3- - Mg2+ (2 3 of samples) or HCO3- - Na+, which is linked with ashes and volcanicmaterial mineralogy from the Cotopaxi volcano that overhangs the study area, or othervolcanoes around. Isotopic composition shows values from -10.5 to -12.8‰ (18O) and -84 to-91‰ (2H). The most depleted values reflect the isotope content of annual precipitation atthis altitude according to the isotopic record of Quito. Plotted points are aligned with a verylow slope of 3, which may reveal current or past geothermic processes or a mixing processbetween aquifers

Glacier 15, Antisana, Ecuador: its glaciology and relations to water resources

International audienceBesides the Lewis glacier in Kenya, Glacier 15 of Antisana, Ecuador (5760–4830 m, 0.28 km2) is the only one which provides regular information regarding glacier mass balance near to the Equator (Annual Report of the World Services for the Monitoring of Glaciers, WGMS 2005) to the scientific community. The surface of the glacier had been re-constructed using aerial-photogrammetry from 1956 to 1997. Since 1994, direct measurements have been taken over the terminal zone at the glacier tongue using topography. That process has shown the changes at the glacier limits and has determined the superficial speed at the terminal zone of the tongue (ablation zone). At the ablation zone (<5100 m) a wide net of stakes have been installed in order to measure the evolution of the glacier mass each month since 1995. In addition, holes to measure accumulation have been dug in the ablation zone at the end of the hydrological year (December–January) in order to calculate the net specific annual balance. Glacier 15 has lost an average of 600 mm of water a year since 1995 (11 years). The inter-annual variation is wide: very negative balances were observed in 1995 and 2002, two positive balances in 1999 and 2000, and negative balances for the remaining years. The dynamics of the glacier show a mass balance with very noticeable fluctuations. These variations are well synchronized with the glacier evolution. The variability of the ENSO (El Niño Southern Oscillation) has been an important factor in controlling the mass evolution of the Ecuadorian glaciers and the climate conditions. Those factors caused advances and retreats on the glaciers according to La Niña (cold event) or El Niño (warm event), respectively. This study has shown the relationship between glaciology and availability of hydrological sources

The burden of mild asthma: Clinical burden and healthcare resource utilisation in the NOVELTY study

Background: Patients with mild asthma represent a substantial proportion of the population with asthma, yet there are limited data on their true burden of disease. We aimed to describe the clinical and healthcare resource utilisation (HCRU) burden of physician-assessed mild asthma.Methods: Patients with mild asthma were included from the NOVEL observational longiTudinal studY (NOVELTY; NCT02760329), a global, 3-year, real-world prospective study of patients with asthma and/or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease from community practice (specialised and primary care). Diagnosis and severity were based on physician discretion. Clinical burden included physician-reported exacerbations and patient-reported measures. HCRU included inpatient and outpatient visits.Results: Overall, 2004 patients with mild asthma were included; 22.8% experienced ≥1 exacerbation in the previous 12 months, of whom 72.3% experienced ≥1 severe exacerbation. Of 625 exacerbations reported, 48.0% lasted >1 week, 27.7% were preceded by symptomatic worsening lasting >3 days, and 50.1% required oral corticosteroid treatment. Health status was moderately impacted (St George's Respiratory Questionnaire score: 23.5 [standard deviation ± 17.9]). At baseline, 29.7% of patients had asthma symptoms that were not well controlled or very poorly controlled (Asthma Control Test score <20), increasing to 55.6% for those with ≥2 exacerbations in the previous year. In terms of HCRU, at least one unscheduled ambulatory visit for exacerbations was required by 9.5% of patients, including 9.2% requiring ≥1 emergency department visit and 1.1% requiring ≥1 hospital admission.Conclusions: In this global sample representing community practice, a significant proportion of patients with physician-assessed mild asthma had considerable clinical burden and HCRU

Treatable traits in the NOVELTY study

CorrigendumVolume 27, Issue 12, Respirology, pages: 1095-1095. First Published online: November 6, 2022 10.1111/resp.14406International audienceAsthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are two prevalent and complex diseases that require personalized management. Although a strategy based on treatable traits (TTs) has been proposed, the prevalence and relationship of TTs to the diagnostic label and disease severity established by the attending physician in a real-world setting are unknown. We assessed how the presence/absence of specific TTs relate to the diagnosis and severity of 'asthma', 'COPD' or 'asthma + COPD'

The burden of mild asthma: Clinical burden and healthcare resource utilisation in the NOVELTY study

Background: Patients with mild asthma represent a substantial proportion of the population with asthma, yet there are limited data on their true burden of disease. We aimed to describe the clinical and healthcare resource utilisation (HCRU) burden of physician-assessed mild asthma. Methods: Patients with mild asthma were included from the NOVEL observational longiTudinal studY (NOVELTY; NCT02760329), a global, 3-year, real-world prospective study of patients with asthma and/or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease from community practice (specialised and primary care). Diagnosis and severity were based on physician discretion. Clinical burden included physician-reported exacerbations and patient-reported measures. HCRU included inpatient and outpatient visits. Results: Overall, 2004 patients with mild asthma were included; 22.8% experienced ≥1 exacerbation in the previous 12 months, of whom 72.3% experienced ≥1 severe exacerbation. Of 625 exacerbations reported, 48.0% lasted &gt;1 week, 27.7% were preceded by symptomatic worsening lasting &gt;3 days, and 50.1% required oral corticosteroid treatment. Health status was moderately impacted (St George's Respiratory Questionnaire score: 23.5 [standard deviation ± 17.9]). At baseline, 29.7% of patients had asthma symptoms that were not well controlled or very poorly controlled (Asthma Control Test score &lt;20), increasing to 55.6% for those with ≥2 exacerbations in the previous year. In terms of HCRU, at least one unscheduled ambulatory visit for exacerbations was required by 9.5% of patients, including 9.2% requiring ≥1 emergency department visit and 1.1% requiring ≥1 hospital admission. Conclusions: In this global sample representing community practice, a significant proportion of patients with physician-assessed mild asthma had considerable clinical burden and HCRU