Do Polyps Matter?

Introduction: Endometrial polyps (EP) are common within the gynaecological practice. The aims of this study are to evaluate the risk of premalignant and malignant changes in EP and to determine the predictors of histological outcomes of these lesions.Methods: This is a retrospective study conducted over a 12-year period between January 2000 and 2012. Data were retrieved from patients’ and theatre records. The histopathology reports of all cases were retrieved. All cases with confirmed EP at hysteroscopy were identified.Results: There were a total of 397 cases. Age range was between 24 and 89 years, median age at presentation was 54 years. Histology outcomes were classified into benign, premalignant (hyperplasia with atypia) and malignant. Age greater 60 years was strongly associated with abnormal histology i.e. premalignant and malignant changes in polyps (OR 2.174 [CI 1.645-2.874], p<0.001) Menopausal status showed a strong link with abnormal histology (OR 1.599 [CI 1.388- 1.842], p<0.001). These patients were about one and a half times more likely to have abnormal histology in the event of a polyp. The results are similar with premalignant histology (OR 1.610 [CI 1.394- 1.860], p<0.001).Results for patients presenting with postmenopausal bleeding were also positive. They were more likely to have abnormal histology compared to patients with other symptoms (OR1.776 [CI 1.516-2.079], p<0.001). Postmenopausal bleeding is also strongly associated with premalignancy (OR 1.782 [CI 1.515- 2.096], p<0.001). The use of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) or tamoxifen was not associated with abnormal histology (p= 0.114 and p=0.668 respectively) or premalignancy (p= 0.138 and p= 0.764 respectively).Polyps greater than 15mm were not associated with abnormal histology (OR 1.313 [CI 0.932-1.850], p= 0.143) or premalignancy (OR 1.292 [CI 0.896-1.864], p= 0.196).Conclusion: There is a strong link between patients’ age and menopausal status with abnormal or premalignant histology. Postmenopausal bleeding is also an important predictor of abnormal or premalignant changes at histology

The Potential Impact of Nuclear Conflict on Ocean Acidification

We demonstrate that the global cooling resulting from a range of nuclear conflict scenarios would temporarily increase the pH in the surface ocean by up to 0.06 units over a 5-year period, briefly alleviating the decline in pH associated with ocean acidification. Conversely, the global cooling dissolves atmospheric carbon into the upper ocean, driving a 0.1 to 0.3 unit decrease in the aragonite saturation state (Ωarag) that persists for ∼10 years. The peak anomaly in pH occurs 2 years post conflict, while the Ωarag anomaly peaks 4- to 5-years post conflict. The decrease in Ωarag would exacerbate a primary threat of ocean acidification: the inability of marine calcifying organisms to maintain their shells/skeletons in a corrosive environment. Our results are based on sensitivity simulations conducted with a state-of-the-art Earth system model integrated under various black carbon (soot) external forcings. Our findings suggest that regional nuclear conflict may have ramifications for global ocean acidification

The Microbiology of Permeable Pavements

SUMMARY Pervious pavement systems (meaning permeable pavements within this context and used interchangeably) are known to retain and degrade hydrocarbons within the structure of the pavement. The key to this decontamination has been shown to be the naturally occurring microbial communities living on the pavement building materials. Research by Formpave and Coventry University has shown that once oil is trapped on a suitable strongly oil-retaining geotextile membrane layer, the oil rapidly becomes a food source for the microbial communities. Oil is metabolised by aerobic bacteria and fungi that convert the oil into sugars such as glucose for growth and reproduction. Over time, a network of microbial growth spreads over the surface of Inbitex forming a biofilm, further improving the filtration and purification properties of the system. The presence of a large food source growing on the oil attracts larger predatory organisms such as protozoa and metazoa to the biofilm. These organisms play an important role in maintaining the free-draining characteristics of the geotextile and also the vigorous growth of the oil degrading organisms. An understanding of the processes underpinning the environmental benefits of permeable pavements is essential in order to optimise the operation of the system

Marine wild-capture fisheries after nuclear war

Unidad de excelencia María de Maeztu CEX2019-000940-MIdentificadors digitals: Digital object identifier for the 'European Research Council' (http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100000781) Digital object identifier for 'Horizon 2020' (http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100007601) - BIGSEA projectNuclear war, beyond its devastating direct impacts, is expected to cause global climatic perturbations through injections of soot into the upper atmosphere. Reduced temperature and sunlight could drive unprecedented reductions in agricultural production, endangering global food security. However, the effects of nuclear war on marine wild-capture fisheries, which significantly contribute to the global animal protein and micronutrient supply, remain unexplored. We simulate the climatic effects of six war scenarios on fish biomass and catch globally, using a state-of-the-art Earth system model and global process-based fisheries model. We also simulate how either rapidly increased fish demand (driven by food shortages) or decreased ability to fish (due to infrastructure disruptions), would affect global catches, and test the benefits of strong prewar fisheries management. We find a decade-long negative climatic impact that intensifies with soot emissions, with global biomass and catch falling by up to 18 ± 3% and 29 ± 7% after a US-Russia war under business-as-usual fishing-similar in magnitude to the end-of-century declines under unmitigated global warming. When war occurs in an overfished state, increasing demand increases short-term (1 to 2 y) catch by at most ∼30% followed by precipitous declines of up to ∼70%, thus offsetting only a minor fraction of agricultural losses. However, effective prewar management that rebuilds fish biomass could ensure a short-term catch buffer large enough to replace ∼43 ± 35% of today's global animal protein production. This buffering function in the event of a global food emergency adds to the many previously known economic and ecological benefits of effective and precautionary fisheries management

Marine wild-capture fisheries after nuclear war

Nuclear war, beyond its devastating direct impacts, is expected to cause global climatic perturbations through injections of soot into the upper atmosphere. Reduced temperature and sunlight could drive unprecedented reductions in agricultural production, endangering global food security. However, the effects of nuclear war on marine wild-capture fisheries, which significantly contribute to the global animal protein and micronutrient supply, remain unexplored. We simulate the climatic effects of six war scenarios on fish biomass and catch globally, using a state-of-the-art Earth system model and global process-based fisheries model. We also simulate how either rapidly increased fish demand (driven by food shortages) or decreased ability to fish (due to infrastructure disruptions), would affect global catches, and test the benefits of strong prewar fisheries management. We find a decade-long negative climatic impact that intensifies with soot emissions, with global biomass and catch falling by up to 18 ± 3% and 29 ± 7% after a US–Russia war under business-as-usual fishing—similar in magnitude to the end-of-century declines under unmitigated global warming. When war occurs in an overfished state, increasing demand increases short-term (1 to 2 y) catch by at most ∼30% followed by precipitous declines of up to ∼70%, thus offsetting only a minor fraction of agricultural losses. However, effective prewar management that rebuilds fish biomass could ensure a short-term catch buffer large enough to replace ∼43 ± 35% of today’s global animal protein production. This buffering function in the event of a global food emergency adds to the many previously known economic and ecological benefits of effective and precautionary fisheries management

A New Ocean State After Nuclear War

Nuclear war would produce dire global consequences for humans and our environment. We simulated climate impacts of US-Russia and India-Pakistan nuclear wars in an Earth System Model, here, we report on the ocean impacts. Like volcanic eruptions and large forest fires, firestorms from nuclear war would transport light-blocking aerosols to the stratosphere, resulting in global cooling. The ocean responds over two timescales: a rapid cooling event and a long recovery, indicating a hysteresis response of the ocean to global cooling. Surface cooling drives sea ice expansion, enhanced meridional overturning, and intensified ocean vertical mixing that is expanded, deeper, and longer lasting. Phytoplankton production and community structure are highly modified by perturbations to light, temperature, and nutrients, resulting in initial decimation of production, especially at high latitudes. A new physical and biogeochemical ocean state results, characterized by shallower pycnoclines, thermoclines, and nutriclines, ventilated deep water masses, and thicker Arctic sea ice. Persistent changes in nutrient limitation drive a shift in phytoplankton community structure, resulting in increased diatom populations, which in turn increase iron scavenging and iron limitation, especially at high latitudes. In the largest US-Russia scenario (150 Tg), ocean recovery is likely on the order of decades at the surface and hundreds of years at depth, while changes to Arctic sea-ice will likely last thousands of years, effectively a “Nuclear Little Ice Age.” Marine ecosystems would be highly disrupted by both the initial perturbation and in the new ocean state, resulting in long-term, global impacts to ecosystem services such as fisheries.publishedVersio

Age-dependent leaf function and consequences for carbon uptake of leaves, branches, and the canopy during the dry season in an Amazon evergreen forest.

Abstract COS 124-3

Low-magnitude whole body vibration with resistive exercise as a countermeasure against cardiovascular deconditioning after 60 days of head-down bed rest

Whole body vibration with resistive exercise is a promising countermeasure against some weightlessness-induced dysfunctions. Our objective was to study whether the combination of low-magnitude whole body vibration with a resistive exercise can prevent the cardiovascular deconditioning induced by a nonstrict 60-day head-down bed rest (Earth Star International Bed Rest Experiment Project). Fourteen healthy men participated in this study. We recorded electrocardiograms and blood pressure waves by means of a noninvasive beat-by-beat measurement system (Cardiospace, integrated by Centre National d\u27Etudes Spatiales and Astronaut Center of China) during an orthostatic test (20 min of 75-degree head-up tilt test) before and immediately after bed rest. We estimated heart rate, blood pressure, cardiac output, stroke volume, total peripheral resistance, baroreflex sensitivity, and heart rate variability. Low-magnitude whole body vibration with resistive exercise prevented an increase of the sympathetic index (reflecting the sympathovagal balance of cardiac autonomic control) and limited the decrease of the spontaneous baroreflex sensitivity induced by 60 days of head-down bed rest. However, this countermeasure had very little effect on cardiac hemodynamics and did not improve the orthostatic tolerance. This combined countermeasure did not efficiently prevent orthostatic intolerance but prevents changes in the autonomic nervous system associated with cardiovascular deconditioning. The underlying mechanisms remain hypothetical but might involve cutaneous and muscular mechanoreceptors