Ökologische Bewertung von Bächen auf La Gomera und Teneriffa (Spanien) – ein methodischer Ansatz zur Einschätzung von Renaturierungsmaßnahmen bei der Umsetzung der EU-Wasserrahmenrichtlinie

In recent decades, the number of streams on the Canary Islands has decreased dramatically due to the non-sustainable consumption of water for agriculture and tourism. Natural reaches of streams with an endemic macroinvertebrate fauna do, however, still exist in protected areas of Tenerife and La Gomera. Those reaches serve as a reference to develop an assessment method for streams on islands. This method takes into account common parameters such as water quality and hydromorphology, while emphasizing biodiversity and endemism. The latter concepts as they relate to stream conservation are important in both nature conservation and protection of species as many endemic aquatic organisms are endangered.In den letzten Jahrzehnten ist die Zahl der Fließgewässer auf den Kanarischen Inseln drastisch zurückgegangen. Ursache dafür ist eine sehr hohe Wasserentnahme für Landwirtschaft und Tourismus, die das nachhaltig nutzbare Dargebot bei weitem überschreitet. Dennoch existieren in besonders geschützten Bereichen der Inseln Teneriffa und La Gomera noch naturnahe Abschnitte von Fließgewässern mit Elementen endemischer Makroinvertebraten-Fauna. Diese Abschnitte dienen als Referenzgewässer für die Entwicklung eines spezifischen Bewertungssystems für Fließgewässer auf Inseln. Dieses System berücksichtigt die üblichen Qualitätsparameter wie Wassergüte und Hydromorphologie, hebt aber die Biodiversität und den inseltypischen Endemismus besonders hervor. Die daraus resultierenden Gewässerentwicklungskonzepte stellen ein entscheidendes Instrument des Natur- und Artenschutzes dar, da viele der endemischen Gewässerorganismen vom Aussterben bedroht sind

Economic burden of cardiovascular diseases in the European Union: a population-based cost study

Background and aims Cardiovascular disease (CVD) impacts significantly health and social care systems as well as society through premature mortality and disability, with patients requiring care from relatives. Previous pan-European estimates of the economic burden of CVD are now outdated. This study aims to provide novel, up-to-date evidence on the economic burden across the 27 European Union (EU) countries in 2021. Methods Aggregate country-specific resource use data on morbidity, mortality, and health, social and informal care were obtained from international sources, such as the Statistical Office of the European Communities, enhanced by data from the European Society of Cardiology Atlas programme and patient-level data from the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe. Country-specific unit costs were used, with cost estimates reported on a per capita basis, after adjustment for price differentials. Results CVD is estimated to cost the EU €282 billion annually, with health and long-term care accounting for €155 billion (55%), equalling 11% of EU-health expenditure. Productivity losses accounted for 17% (€48 billion), whereas informal care costs were €79 billion (28%). CVD represented a cost of €630 per person, ranging from €381 in Cyprus to €903 in Germany. Coronary heart disease accounted for 27% (€77 billion) and cerebrovascular diseases for 27% (€76 billion) of CVD costs. Conclusions This study provides contemporary estimates of the wide-ranging impact of CVD on all aspects of the economy. The data help inform evidence based polices to reduce the impact of CVD, promoting care access and better health outcomes and economic sustainability

Estimación de la humedad de tapones de corcho mediante medida de la resistencia electrica

En este trabajo se exponen los resultados obtenidos en el Departamento de Productos Forestales del CIFOR-INIA sobre la relación entre la resistencia eléctrica y el contenido de humedad de los tapones de corcho. Estos resultados muestran que los medidores de humedad utilizados habitualmente en la industria pueden alcanzar una precisión elevada, siempre y cuando se tenga en cuenta la influencia de los distintos factores que afectan a la relación resistencia eléctrica-humedad: tipo de tapón, dirección de la medida, temperatura del material. Además, se han obtenido los modelos matemáticos que permiten la calibración de cualquier aparato de este tipo de manera rápida y sencill

Diseño de un sistema de gestión en seguridad y salud en el trabajo bajo la Ley N° 29783, para prevenir riesgos laborales en la planta de tratamiento de aguas residuales sector Ojo de Lanla de la ciudad de Cajabamba

El estudio realizado en la Planta de Tratamiento de Aguas Residuales en el Sector Ojo de Lanla perteneciente a la Ciudad de Cajabamba, tuvo como objetivo general realizar un Diseño de un Sistema de Gestión en Seguridad y Salud en el Trabajo bajo la Ley N° 29783, para prevenir riesgos laborales en la Planta de Tratamiento de Aguas Residuales, como objetivos específicos se consideraron la evaluación del estado situacional de la Planta así como el diseño del Sistema de Gestión en Seguridad y Salud en el Trabajo; además, de la evaluación de las mejoras obtenidas con la metodología beneficio – costo para la verificación de viabilidad del presente trabajo. Al iniciar el estudio de la línea base en la Planta de Tratamiento, el resultado fue deplorable, puesto que en el cumplimiento general de Seguridad y Salud en el Trabajo obtuvimos un 11% de cumplimiento lo cual es no aceptable, iniciando así el diseño del Sistema de Gestión en Seguridad y Salud en el Trabajo basándonos en la mejora continua y utilizando el ciclo Deming como metodología de mejora continua. El diseño al ponerlo a prueba, se obtuvo una mejora en correspondiente al 60% de cumplimiento teniendo en cuenta el primer año y de acuerdo al programa anual de seguridad este se revisará para aplicar las mejoras correspondientes para el próximo año. El resultado del análisis beneficio – costo, obtuvo como resultado 2.37, dando una viabilidad de mayor beneficio para la Planta de Tratamiento de Aguas Residuales.The general objective of the study carried out at the Wastewater Treatment Plant in the Ojo de Lanla Sector belonging to the City of Cajabamba was to design a Management System for Safety and Health at Work under Law No. 29783 In order to prevent occupational risks in the Wastewater Treatment Plant, the evaluation of the plant's situational status as well as the design of the Occupational Health and Safety Management System were considered as specific objectives; in addition, the evaluation of the improvements obtained with the benefit - cost methodology for the feasibility verification of this work. When starting the study of the baseline in the Treatment Plant, the result was deplorable, since in general compliance with Occupational Safety and Health we obtained 11% compliance, which is not acceptable, thus starting the design of the System of Management in Safety and Health at Work based on continuous improvement and using the Deming cycle as a continuous improvement methodology. The design, when put to the test, obtained an improvement corresponding to 60% of compliance, taking into account the first year, and according to the annual safety program, it would be revised to apply the corresponding improvements for the next year. The result of the benefit-cost analysis obtained 2.37 as a result, giving a viability of greater benefit for the Wastewater Treatment Plant

European cardiovascular disease statistics

This is the third edition of European cardiovascular disease statistics. The first edition was published in 2000 when the European Union (EU) consisted of 15 Member States. After enlargement in 2004 and then again in 2007, there are now 27 Member States. Much has changed in the last seven years, but cardiovascular disease (CVD) remains the main cause of death in the EU. The European cardiovascular disease statistics was the first publication to bring together all the available sources of information about the burden of CVD in Europe, including data on death and illness, treatment, the prevalence of behavioural risk factors for CVD (smoking, diet, physical inactivity and alcohol consumption), and the prevalence of medical conditions associated with CVD (raised cholesterol, raised blood pressure, overweight and obesity, and diabetes). Ithas become an indispensable resource for anybody working on reducing the burden of CVD in Europe or in public health generally.<br /

Cardiac-surgery associated acute kidney injury requiring renal replacement therapy. A Spanish retrospective case-cohort study

Acute kidney injury is among the most serious complications after cardiac surgery and is associated with an impaired outcome. Multiple factors may concur in the development of this disease. Moreover, severe renal failure requiring renal replacement therapy (RRT) presents a high mortality rate. Consequently, we studied a Spanish cohort of patients to assess the risk factors for RRT in cardiac surgery-associated acute kidney injury (CSA-AKI). METHODS: A retrospective case-cohort study in 24 Spanish hospitals. All cases of RRT after cardiac surgery in 2007 were matched in a crude ratio of 1:4 consecutive patients based on age, sex, treated in the same year, at the same hospital and by the same group of surgeons. RESULTS: We analyzed the data from 864 patients enrolled in 2007. In multivariate analysis, severe acute kidney injury requiring postoperative RRT was significantly associated with the following variables: lower glomerular filtration rates, less basal haemoglobin, lower left ventricular ejection fraction, diabetes, prior diuretic treatment, urgent surgery, longer aortic cross clamp times, intraoperative administration of aprotinin, and increased number of packed red blood cells (PRBC) transfused. When we conducted a propensity analysis using best-matched of 137 available pairs of patients, prior diuretic treatment, longer aortic cross clamp times and number of PRBC transfused were significantly associated with CSA-AKI.Patients requiring RRT needed longer hospital stays, and suffered higher mortality rates. CONCLUSION: Cardiac-surgery associated acute kidney injury requiring RRT is associated with worse outcomes. For this reason, modifiable risk factors should be optimised and higher risk patients for acute kidney injury should be identified before undertaking cardiac surgery

The influence of the moisture content on the electrical resistance of two types of cork stoppers

The relationship between the log of the electrical resistance (ER; measured using pin electrodes) and the moisture content (MC) have not been reported in any form of cork. That is important for the cork stoppers industry because it should help in the design and verification of more precise devices for measuring cork moisture content. In this study, using linear regression techniques, different regression models of the type log(Log(R) + 1) = axh + b were derived to describe the relationship ERMC, that was measured using pin electrodes on two types of cork stoppers [natural (N) and agglomerate(AG)]. The results obtained show that in the models proposed, the moisture content of AG cork stoppers can be estimated with an error of ± 0.3%, while that of N stoppers can be estimated with an error of 0.5%. Neither the geographical origin of the N corks nor the surface treatment to which the AG corks were subjected significantly affected the proposed models. Therefore, the moisture content of cork stoppers could be measured at the industrial scale using electrical resistancetype moisture meter

Osteoarthritis:Mechanistic Insights, Senescence, and Novel Therapeutic Opportunities

Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common joint disease. In the last years, the research community has focused on understanding the molecular mechanisms that led to the pathogenesis of the disease, trying to identify different molecular and clinical phenotypes along with the discovery of new therapeutic opportunities. Different types of cell-to-cell communication mechanisms have been proposed to contribute to OA progression, including mechanisms mediated by connexin43 (Cx43) channels or by small extracellular vesicles. Furthermore, changes in the chondrocyte phenotype such as cellular senescence have been proposed as new contributors of the OA progression, changing the paradigm of the disease. The use of different drugs able to restore chondrocyte phenotype, to reduce cellular senescence and senescence-associated secretory phenotype components, and to modulate ion channel activity or Cx43 appears to be promising therapeutic strategies for the different types of OA. In this review, we aim to summarize the current knowledge in OA phenotypes related with aging and tissue damage and the new therapeutic opportunities currently available