Should the Law Governing Maritime Areas in the Arctic Adapt to Changing Climatic Circumstances?

The legal regime of the Arctic maritime areas has for a long time remained on the backburner of international norm creating activities. This can primarily be explained by the inhospitable climate which created natural barriers for human activities and imposed limits on the usefulness of the available technology.At present, however, climate change seems to be responsible for a marked heating up, not only of the mere physical environment of the Arctic, but also of the political tensions concerning the exact legal regime to be applied in the region.This chapter provides a close examination of the present-day legal status of the Arctic. Since almost all territorial claims have been settled in the area, the present contribution will only focus on the Arctic water areas with a special emphasis on navigation. Starting from what seems to have finally become a generally accepted legal cornerstone for appreciating the legal status of these waters, namely the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, the chapter will first examine how climate change impacts on this legal regime. Subsequently, the vulnerability as well as the adaptive capacity of the 1982 Convention will be examined. Before drawing some conclusions, ways and means will be looked at for this existing legal system to better meet the new challenges that climate change poses for Arctic waters

Endothelial progenitor cells and endothelial microparticles are independent predictors of endothelial function

Objective: To examine the degree of microvascular endothelial dysfunction in relation to classical cardiovascular risk factors, arterial stiffness, and numbers of circulating endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) and endothelial microparticles (EMPs), in obese and normal-weight children. Study design: Cross-sectional study with 57 obese (15.2 +/- 1.4 years) and 30 normal-weight children (15.4 +/- 1.5 years). The principal outcome was microvascular endothelial function measured with peripheral arterial tonometry. Fasting blood samples were taken for biochemical analysis and EMPs (CD31(+)/CD42b(-) particles) and EPCs (CD34(+)/KDR+/CD45dim/(-) cells) flow cytometry. Characteristics between groups were compared by use of the appropriate independent samples test; a stepwise multiple regression analysis was used to determine independent predictors of microvascular endothelial function. Results: Microvascular endothelial function was significantly impaired in obese children and inversely correlated with body mass index Z scores (r = -0.249; P = .021) and systolic blood pressure (r = -0.307; P = .004). The number of EPCs was significantly lower in obese children and correlated with endothelial function (r = 0.250; P = .022), and the number of EMPs was significantly greater in obese children and correlated inversely with endothelial function (r = -0.255; P = .021). Multivariate analysis revealed that systolic blood pressure and numbers of circulating EPCs and EMPs are important determinants of endothelial function. Conclusion: Obese children demonstrate impaired endothelial microvascular function, increased arterial stiffness, fewer EPCs, and more EMPs. Besides systolic blood pressure, EPC and EMP counts independently predict the presence of microvascular endothelial dysfunction