Research and Evaluation of Relief Effect on Total Carbon Changes in Soil

<p>Soil is one of the major subsystems of the natural landscape of land and serves to the man as the main source of food resources for exclusive importance. One of the burning problems of mankind in the future will be the preservation of land soils, their fertility and health status under conditions of the increased pressure of human and the degradation of natural landscape conditions. As an additional negative factor taking place in nature is that the Earth will have to overcome the effects of global warming that will inevitably occur in Lithuanian agriculture. This paper examines the general evolution of carbon considering relief. Currently, the erosion of soil surface in Lithuania makes 30–50 %. Soil affected by erosion losses its fertility thus promoting further degradation of land.</p><p>Article in Lithuanian</p

Effect of the bilateral hip bone density measurement on clinical practice in elderly subjects

Objectives: The aim of this study was to determine whether the addition of the measurement of bilateral hip bone mineral density (BMD) has an impact on indications for osteoporosis (OP) treatment in community-dwelling elderly individuals, based on criteria from the National Osteoporosis Foundation (NOF). Methods: In total, 605 consecutive community-dwelling elderly individuals who were 65 years and older were evaluated. Dual energy X-ray absorptiometry was used to determine the lowest T-score in the lumbar spine + unilateral hip, the bilateral hips, and the lumbar spine + bilateral hips. Risk factors associated with the lowest T-score in these three conditions were applied to indicate treatment in accordance with NOF criteria. McNemar`s test was used to assess the difference of adding bilateral hip BMD measurements. Results: There was a significant difference in the frequency of pharmacological indication using NOF criteria together with the lowest T-score for the three tests (72.8% for lumbar spine + bilateral hips and 71.2% for lumbar spine + unilateral hip; p=0.002). A higher frequency of treatment indication was also observed for lumbar spine + unilateral hip (71.2%) compared to bilateral hips (61.1%) (p<0.001). The discrepancies in treatment appeared to be more evident in women when analyzed by gender distribution. Conclusion: Our finding supports the theory that evaluation of the bilateral hips with the lumbar spine seems to be more sensitive measure for identifying patients with an osteoporosis treatment indication. Furthermore, despite the well-known artifact in the lumbar spine, this site should not be excluded when determining the indication for OP treatment in elderly people. (C) 2009 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.FAPESP Fundacao de Amparo a Pesquisa do Estado de Sao Paulo[03/09313-0]Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Cientifico e Tecnologico (CNPQ)[305691/2006-6]Federico Foundation Grants (JFC)CAPES Coordenacao de Aperfeiicoamento de Pessoal de Nivel Superior (JBL

Vitamin D insufficiency: A risk factor to vertebral fractures in community-dwelling elderly women

Objective:To determine the risk factors for the presence of moderate/severe vertebral fracture, specifically 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25-OHD). Study design: Cross-sectional study conducted for 2 years in the city of Sao Paulo, Brazil including community-dwelling elderly women. Methods: Bone mineral density (BMD), serum 25-OHD, intact parathyroid hormone (iPTH), calcium and estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) were examined in 226 women without vertebral fractures (NO FRACTURE group) and 189 women with at least one moderate/severe vertebral fracture (FRACTURE group). Vertebral fracture assessment (VFA) was evaluated using both the Genant semiquantitative (SQ) approach and morphometry. Results: Patients in the NO FRACTURE group had lower age, increased height, higher calcium intake, and higher BMD compared to those patients in the FRACTURE group (p < 0.05). Of interest, serum levels of 25-OHD in the NO FRACTURE group were higher than those observed in the FRACTURE group (51.73 nmol/L vs. 42.31 nmol/L, p < 0.001). Reinforcing this finding, vitamin D insufficiency (25-OHD < 75 nmol/L) was observed less in the NO FRACTURE group (82.3% vs. 93.65%, p = 0.001). After adjustment for significant variables within the patient population (age, height, race, calcium intake, 25-OHD, eGFR and sites BMD), the logistic-regression analyses revealed that age (OR = 1.09, 95% Cl 1.04-1.14, p < 0.001) femoral neck BMD (OR = 0.7, 95% CI 0.6-0.82, p < 0.001) and 25-OHD <75 nmol/L (OR = 2.38, 95% CI 1.17-4.8, p = 0.016) remains a significant factor for vertebral fracture. Conclusion: Vitamin D insufficiency is a contributing factor for moderate/severe vertebral fractures. This result emphasizes the importance of including this modifiable risk factor in the evaluation of elderly women. (C) 2009 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.Fundacao de Amparo e Pesquisa do Estado de Sao Paulo (FAPESP)[03/09313-0]Fundacao de Amparo e Pesquisa do Estado de Sao Paulo (FAPESP)[04/12694-8]Conselho Nacional de Ciencia e Tecnologia (CNPQ)[305691/2006-6]Federico FoundationCordenacao de Aperfeicoamento de Pessoal de Nivel Superior (CAPES

Prevalence and risk factors of radiographic vertebral fracture in Brazilian community-dwelling elderly

The prevalence and risk factors of radiographic vertebral fracture were determined among Brazilian community-dwelling elderly. Vertebral fractures were a common condition in this elderly population, and lower hip bone mineral density was a significant risk factor for vertebral fractures in both genders. The aim of the study was to estimate the prevalence of radiographic vertebral fracture and investigate factors associated with this condition in Brazilian community-dwelling elderly. This cross-sectional study included 943 elderly subjects (561 women and 382 men) living in So Paulo, Brazil. Thoracic and lumbar spine radiographs were obtained, and vertebral fractures were evaluated using Genant`s semiquantitative method. Bone mineral density (BMD) was measured by dual X-ray absorptiometry, and bone biochemical markers were also evaluated. Female and male subjects were analyzed independently, and each gender was divided into two groups based on whether vertebral fractures were present. The prevalence of vertebral fracture was 27.5% (95% CI 23.8-31.1) in women and 31.8% in men (95% CI 27.1-36.5) (P = 0.116). Cox regression analyses using variables that were significant in the univariate analysis showed that age (prevalence ratio = 1.03, 95% CI 1.01-1.06; p = 0.019) and total femur BMD (PR = 0.27, 95% CI 0.08-0.98; p = 0.048) were independent factors in predicting vertebral fracture for the female group. In the male group, Cox regression analyses demonstrated that femoral neck BMD (PR = 0.26, 95% CI 0.07-0.98; p = 0.046) was an independent parameter in predicting vertebral fractures. Our results suggest that radiographic vertebral fractures are common in Brazilian community-dwelling elderly and that a low hip BMD was an important risk factor for this condition in both genders. Age was also significantly correlated with the presence of vertebral fractures in women.Fundacao de Amparo e Pesquisa do Estado de Sao Paulo (FAPESP)[03/09313-0]Fundacao de Amparo e Pesquisa do Estado de Sao Paulo (FAPESP)[04/12694-8]Conselho Nacional de Ciencia e Tecnologia (CNPQ)[305691/2006-6]Coordenacao de Aperfeicoamento de Pessoal de Nivel Superior (CAPES

3d stem cell niche engineering via two-photon laser polymerization

A strategy to modulate the behavior of stem cells in culture is to mimic structural aspects of the native cellâ\u80\u93extracellular matrix (ECM) interaction. An important example of such artificial microenvironments for stem cell culture is the so-called â\u80\u9csynthetic niche.â\u80\u9d Synthetic niches can be defined as polymeric culture systems mimicking at least one aspect of the interactions between stem cells and the extracellular surroundings, including biochemical factors (e.g., the delivery of soluble factors) and/or biophysical factors (e.g., the microarchitecture of the ECM). Most of the currently available approaches for scaffold fabrication, based on self-assembly methods, do not allow for a submicrometer control of the geometrical structure of the substrate, which might play a crucial role in stem cell fate determination. A novel technology that overcomes these limitations is laser two-photon polymerization (2PP). Femtosecond laser 2PP is a mask-less direct laser writing technique that allows manufacturing three dimensional arbitrary microarchitectures using photosensitive materials. Here, we report on the development of an innovative culture substrate, called the â\u80\u9cnichoid,â\u80\u9d microfabricated in a hybrid organicâ\u80\u93inorganic photoresist called SZ2080, to study mesenchymal stem cell mechanobiology

A decade of advances in femtosecond laser fabrication of polymers: mechanisms and applications

We overview principles and developments of three-dimensional (3D) direct laser writing in polymers. Challenges to reach efficient structuring with sub- 100 nm spatial resolution are presented. Research into the structuring by ultrashort laser pulses has seen an immense growth over the last decade due to its flexibility, easy handling and variety of applications. Here, a discussion regarding the mechanisms of the linear and nonlinear light absorption at tight focusing conditions and typical writing parameters are provided. The traditional and novel polymers together with their photosensitization and sample developing strategies are reviewed. Sub- 1 ps pulses are capable to create cross-linkable species by direct absorption and bond breaking at ∼TW/cm2 irradiance. Confined thermal and linear absorption via avalanche ionization is an efficient use of light energy for localized polymerization. This is a unique feature of ultrashort laser. Applications in microoptics, photonics, microfluidics and cell scaffolds are presented. Directions of up-scaling the fabrication throughput for industrial demands are introduced. 3D laser writing is becoming a part of wider field of additive manufacturing techniques which is innovating for creation of microdevices