316 research outputs found
Методи управління екологічними ризиками в системі забезпечення економічного розвитку регіону
Метою статті є дослідження методів управління екологічними ризиками в системі забезпечення економічного розвитку регіону
The 4 per 1000 initiative.
Soil organic matter is at the nexus of global challenges: food security, climate change adaptation and mitigation, soil security. The 4 per 1000 initiative, launched at the Climate COP21 within the Lima-Paris Action Agenda proposes to increase soil organic carbon (SOC) stocks to simultaneously address all these challenges. It directly addresses three sustainable development goals: SDG2 ?no hunger?, SDG13 ?Climate action?, and SDG15 ?Life on land? and indirectly concerns several others. The initiative targets agricultural soils in priority, which are often the most degraded soils and because of the high expected benefits in terms of soil fertility and hence of productivity. A range of agricultural practices are available that allow to increase SOC stocks while ensuring a resilient, productive and environmentally friendly agriculture, so that a large-scale deployment can be aimed at. Here, we review and discuss the main limits and criticisms addressed to the 4 per 1000 initiative
Coupling Optical and Electrical Measurements in Artificial Membranes: Lateral Diffusion of Lipids and Channel Forming Peptides in Planar Bilayers
Planar lipid bilayers (PLB) were prepared by the Montal-Mueller technique in a FRAP system designed to simultaneously measure conductivity across, and lateral diffusion of, the bilayer. In the first stage of the project the FRAP system was used to characterise the lateral dynamics of bilayer lipids with regards to phospholipid composition (headgroup, chain unsaturation etc.), presence of cholesterol and the effect of divalent cations on negatively-charged bilayers. In the second stage of the project, lateral diffusion of two fluorescently-labelled voltage-dependent pore-forming peptides (alamethicin and S4s from Shaker K(+) channel) was determined at rest and in the conducting state. This study demonstrates the feasibility of such experiments with PLBs, amenable to physical constraints, and thus offers new opportunities for systematic studies of structure-function relationships in membrane-associating molecules
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Intraoperative protective mechanical ventilation and risk of postoperative respiratory complications: hospital based registry study
Objective: To evaluate the effects of intraoperative protective ventilation on major postoperative respiratory complications and to define safe intraoperative mechanical ventilator settings that do not translate into an increased risk of postoperative respiratory complications. Design: Hospital based registry study. Setting: Academic tertiary care hospital and two affiliated community hospitals in Massachusetts, United States. Participants: 69 265 consecutively enrolled patients over the age of 18 who underwent a non-cardiac surgical procedure between January 2007 and August 2014 and required general anesthesia with endotracheal intubation. Interventions Protective ventilation, defined as a median positive end expiratory pressure (PEEP) of 5 cmH2O or more, a median tidal volume of less than 10 mL/kg of predicted body weight, and a median plateau pressure of less than 30 cmH2O. Main outcome measure Composite outcome of major respiratory complications, including pulmonary edema, respiratory failure, pneumonia, and re-intubation. Results: Of the 69 265 enrolled patients 34 800 (50.2%) received protective ventilation and 34 465 (49.8%) received non-protective ventilation intraoperatively. Protective ventilation was associated with a decreased risk of postoperative respiratory complications in multivariable regression (adjusted odds ratio 0.90, 95% confidence interval 0.82 to 0.98, P=0.013). The results were similar in the propensity score matched cohort (odds ratio 0.89, 95% confidence interval 0.83 to 0.97, P=0.004). A PEEP of 5 cmH2O and median plateau pressures of 16 cmH2O or less were associated with the lowest risk of postoperative respiratory complications. Conclusions: Intraoperative protective ventilation was associated with a decreased risk of postoperative respiratory complications. A PEEP of 5 cmH2O and a plateau pressure of 16 cmH2O or less were identified as protective mechanical ventilator settings. These findings suggest that protective thresholds differ for intraoperative ventilation in patients with normal lungs compared with those used for patients with acute lung injury
Management system for optimizing public transport networks: GPS record
As cities continue to grow in size and population, the design of public transport networks becomes complicated, given the wide diversity in the origins and destinations of users [1], as well as the saturation of vehicle infrastructure in large cities despite their attempts to adapt it according to population distribution. This indicates that, in order to reduce users’ travel time, it is necessary to implement alternative road solutions to the use of cars, increasing investment in public transportation [2, 3] by conducting a comprehensive analysis of the state of transportation. This situation has made appear the solutions and development oriented to transportation based on Internet of Things (IoT) which allows, in a first stage, monitoring of public transport systems, in order to optimize the deployment of transport units and thus reduce the time of transfer of users through the cities [4]. These solution proposals are focused on information collected from user resources (data collected through smart phones) to create a common database [5]. The present study proposes the development of an intelligent monitoring and management system for public transportation networks using a hybrid communication architecture based on wireless node networks using IPv6 and cellular networks (LTE, LTE-M)
P.025 Efficacy and safety results of the avalglucosidase alfa phase 3 COMET trial in participants with late-onset Pompe disease (LOPD)
Background: Phase 3 COMET trial (NCT02782741)
compares avalglucosidase alfa (n=51) with alglucosidase alfa (n=49) in
treatment-naïve LOPD. Methods: Primary objective:
determine avalglucosidase alfa effect on respiratory muscle function.
Secondary/other objectives include: avalglucosidase alfa effect on
functional endurance, inspiratory/expiratory muscle strength, lower/upper
extremity muscle strength, motor function, health-related quality of life,
safety. Results: At Week 49, change (LSmean±SE) from
baseline in upright forced vital capacity %predicted was greater with
avalglucosidase alfa (2.89%±0.88%) versus alglucosidase alfa
(0.46%±0.93%)(absolute difference+2.43%). The primary objective, achieving
statistical non-inferiority (p=0.0074), was met. Superiority testing was
borderline significant (p=0.0626). Week 49 change from baseline in 6-minute
walk test was 30.01-meters greater for avalglucosidase alfa (32.21±9.93m)
versus alglucosidase alfa (2.19±10.40m). Positive results for
avalglucosidase alfa were seen for all secondary/other efficacy endpoints.
Treatment-emergent adverse events (AEs) occurred in 86.3% of avalglucosidase
alfa-treated and 91.8% of alglucosidase alfa-treated participants. Five
participants withdrew, 4 for AEs, all on alglucosidase alfa. Serious AEs
occurred in 8 avalglucosidase alfa-treated and 12 alglucosidase alfa-treated
participants. IgG antidrug antibody responses were similar in both. High
titers and neutralizing antibodies were more common for alglucosidase alfa.
Conclusions: Results demonstrate improvements in
clinically meaningful outcome measures and a more favorable safety profile
with avalglucosidase alfa versus alglucosidase alfa.
Funding: Sanofi Genzym
Sildenafil attenuates pulmonary inflammation and fibrin deposition, mortality and right ventricular hypertrophy in neonatal hyperoxic lung injury
<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Phosphodiesterase-5 inhibition with sildenafil has been used to treat severe pulmonary hypertension and bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD), a chronic lung disease in very preterm infants who were mechanically ventilated for respiratory distress syndrome.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Sildenafil treatment was investigated in 2 models of experimental BPD: a lethal neonatal model, in which rat pups were continuously exposed to hyperoxia and treated daily with sildenafil (50–150 mg/kg body weight/day; injected subcutaneously) and a neonatal lung injury-recovery model in which rat pups were exposed to hyperoxia for 9 days, followed by 9 days of recovery in room air and started sildenafil treatment on day 6 of hyperoxia exposure. Parameters investigated include survival, histopathology, fibrin deposition, alveolar vascular leakage, right ventricular hypertrophy, and differential mRNA expression in lung and heart tissue.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Prophylactic treatment with an optimal dose of sildenafil (2 × 50 mg/kg/day) significantly increased lung cGMP levels, prolonged median survival, reduced fibrin deposition, total protein content in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid, inflammation and septum thickness. Treatment with sildenafil partially corrected the differential mRNA expression of amphiregulin, plasminogen activator inhibitor-1, fibroblast growth factor receptor-4 and vascular endothelial growth factor receptor-2 in the lung and of brain and c-type natriuretic peptides and the natriuretic peptide receptors NPR-A, -B, and -C in the right ventricle. In the lethal and injury-recovery model we demonstrated improved alveolarization and angiogenesis by attenuating mean linear intercept and arteriolar wall thickness and increasing pulmonary blood vessel density, and right ventricular hypertrophy (RVH).</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Sildenafil treatment, started simultaneously with exposure to hyperoxia after birth, prolongs survival, increases pulmonary cGMP levels, reduces the pulmonary inflammatory response, fibrin deposition and RVH, and stimulates alveolarization. Initiation of sildenafil treatment after hyperoxic lung injury and continued during room air recovery improves alveolarization and restores pulmonary angiogenesis and RVH in experimental BPD.</p
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