Agriculture, meteorology and water quality in Ireland: a regional evaluation of pressures and pathways of nutrient loss to water

peer-reviewedThe main environmental impact of Irish agriculture on surface and ground water quality is the potential transfer of nutrients to water. Soil water dynamics mediate the transport of nutrients to water, and these dynamics in turn depend on agro-meteorological conditions, which show large variations between regions, seasons and years. In this paper we quantify and map the spatio-temporal variability of agro-meteorological factors that control nutrient pressures and pathways of nutrient loss. Subsequently, we evaluate their impact on the water quality of Irish rivers. For nitrogen, pressure and pathways factors coincide in eastern and southern areas, which is reflected in higher nitrate levels of the rivers in these regions. For phosphorus, pathway factors are most pronounced in north-western parts of the country. In south-eastern parts, high pressure factors result in reduced biological water quality. These regional differences require that farm practices be customised to reflect the local risk of nutrient loss to water. Where pathways for phosphorus loss are present almost year-round—as is the case in most of the north-western part of the country—build-up of pressures should be prevented, or ameliorated where already high. In south-eastern areas, spatio-temporal coincidence of nutrient pressures and pathways should be prevented, which poses challenges to grassland management

Etude échographique du diamètre de l’enveloppe du nerf optique chez l’enfant noir africain sain

Introduction: l'objectif de cette étude était de déterminer le diamètre échographique de l'enveloppe du nerf optique (DENO) dans une population d'enfants sains noirs Africains au Bénin. Méthodes: une étude transversale descriptive a été menée sur une période de 6mois. Le DENO a été mesuré chez 304 enfants sains. Deux mesures échographiques du DENO (coupe transversale et sagittale) ont été réalisées 3mm en arrière de la papille sur chaque œil. Le DENO d'un patient est égal à la moyenne des quatre mesures. Résultats: l'âge moyen était de 35, 72 ± 35,38 mois et la sex-ratio H/F de 0,96. La mesure moyenne du DENO était de 3, 31±0,54mm avec des extrêmes de 2,02 et de 4,44mm. Le DENO croît avec l'âge avec une moyenne corrélation significative (r=0,58 et p<0,0001). Cette croissance est plus marquée pendant les 48 premiers mois de vie. Il n'y avait pas de différence entre les garçons et les filles (p=0, 45). Conclusion: les valeurs retrouvées dans cette étude ne diffèrent pas de ce qui est classiquement décrit dans les autres populations. Un DENO supérieur à 4,40 (IC 95%) doit être considéré comme anormal

Antenatal determinants of child lung development

There are several important antenatal factors including maternal stress, tobacco smoking, air pollution and nutrition that have been shown to influence lung development in utero and beyond. Exposure to these is associated with detrimental lung function and respiratory morbidity in childhood that can persist into adulthood. Environmental factors in utero may influence adult disease, referred to as fetal programming. This chapter reviews the proposed underlying mechanisms behind the effect on lung development including neurohormonal, immune, inflammatory and epigenetic pathways. There is a significant impact of sociodemographic inequalities on each of these antenatal determinants of child lung development, even in countries with a universally free healthcare system. As such, it is important that we do not refer to these simply as "lifestyle choices of expectant mothers", but rather aim to tackle these inequalities and provide equitable antenatal care and education to women in pregnancy to improve lifelong respiratory health

Impact of indoor environment on children's pulmonary health.

IntroductionA child's living environment has a significant impact on their respiratory health, with exposure to poor indoor air quality (IAQ) contributing to potentially lifelong respiratory morbidity. These effects occur throughout childhood, from the antenatal period through to adolescence. Children are particularly susceptible to the effects of environmental insults, and children living in socioeconomic deprivation globally are more likely to breathe air both indoors and outdoors, which poses an acute and long-term risk to their health. Adult respiratory health is, at least in part, determined by exposures and respiratory system development in childhood, starting in utero.Areas coveredThis narrative review will discuss, from a global perspective, what contributes to poor IAQ in the child's home and school environment and the impact that indoor air pollution exposure has on respiratory health throughout the different stages of childhood.Expert opinionAll children have the right to a living and educational environment without the threat of pollution affecting their health. Action is needed at multiple levels to address this pressing issue to improve lifelong respiratory health. Such action should incorporate a child's rights-based approach, empowering children, and their families, to have access to clean air to breathe in their living environment

European Respiratory Society clinical practice guidelines for the diagnosis of asthma in children aged 5-16 years.

Diagnosing asthma in children represents an important clinical challenge. There is no single gold standard test to confirm the diagnosis. Consequently, both over-, and under-diagnosis of asthma are frequent in children.A Task Force (TF) supported by the European Respiratory Society has developed these evidence-based clinical practice guidelines for the diagnosis of asthma in children aged 5-16 years using nine PICO (Population, Intervention, Comparator and Outcome) questions. The TF conducted systematic literature searches for all PICO questions and screened the outputs from these, including relevant full text articles. All TF members approved the final decision for inclusion of research papers. The TF assessed the quality of the evidence using the GRADE (Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluation) approach.The TF then developed a diagnostic algorithm based on the critical appraisal of the PICO questions, preferences expressed by lay members and test availability. Proposed cut-offs were determined based on the best available evidence. The TF formulated recommendations using the GRADE Evidence to Decision framework.Based on the critical appraisal of the evidence and the Evidence to Decision Framework the TF recommends spirometry, bronchodilator reversibility testing and FeNO as first line diagnostic tests in children under investigation for asthma. The TF recommends against diagnosing asthma in children based on clinical history alone or following a single abnormal objective test. Finally, this guideline also proposes a set of research priorities to improve asthma diagnosis in children in the future

Metabolic flexibility of enigmatic SAR 324 revealed through metagenomics and metatranscriptomics

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/102166/1/emi12165.pdfhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/102166/2/emi12165-sup-0001-figure.pdfhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/102166/3/emi12165-sup-0002-table.pd

Diversity and distribution of subseafloor Thermococcales populations in diffuse hydrothermal vents at an active deep-sea volcano in the northeast Pacific Ocean

Author Posting. © American Geophysical Union, 2006. This article is posted here by permission of American Geophysical Union for personal use, not for redistribution. The definitive version was published in Journal of Geophysical Research 111 (2006): G04016, doi:10.1029/2005JG000097.The presence, diversity, and distribution of a key group of subseafloor archaea, the Thermococcales, was examined in multiple diffuse flow hydrothermal vents at Axial Seamount, an active deep-sea volcano located in the northeast Pacific Ocean. A polymerase chain reaction (PCR) approach was used to determine if this group of subseafloor indicator organisms showed any phylogenetic distribution that may indicate distinct subseafloor communities at vents with different physical and chemical characteristics. Targeted primers for the Thermococcales 16S rRNA (small subunit ribosomal RNA) gene and intergenic transcribed spacer (ITS) region were designed and applied to organisms filtered in-situ directly from a variety of diffuse flow vents. Thermococcales were amplified from 9 of 11 samples examined, and it was determined that the ITS region is a better phylogenetic marker than the 16S rRNA in defining consistent groups of closely related sequences. Results show a relationship between environmental clone distribution and source vent chemistry. The most highly diluted vents with elevated iron and alkalinity contained a distinct group of Thermococcales as defined by the ITS region, suggesting separate subseafloor Thermococcales populations at diffuse vents within the Axial caldera.This work was supported by Washington Sea Grant (NA76RG0119), National Science Foundation (OCE 9816491), NSF IGERT (DGE- 9870713), NASA Astrobiology Institute through the Carnegie Geophysical Institute, the NOAA/PMEL Vents Program, NOAA West Coast and Polar Undersea Research Center, and by the Joint Institute for the Study of the Atmosphere and Ocean under NOAA Cooperative Agreement No. NA117RJ1232

Features of 20 133 UK patients in hospital with covid-19 using the ISARIC WHO Clinical Characterisation Protocol:prospective observational cohort study

Objective: To characterise the clinical features of patients admitted to hospital with coronavirus disease 2019 (covid-19) in the United Kingdom during the growth phase of the first wave of this outbreak who were enrolled in the International Severe Acute Respiratory and emerging Infections Consortium (ISARIC) World Health Organization (WHO) Clinical Characterisation Protocol UK (CCP-UK) study, and to explore risk factors associated with mortality in hospital. Design: Prospective observational cohort study with rapid data gathering and near real time analysis. Setting: 208 acute care hospitals in England, Wales, and Scotland between 6 February and 19 April 2020. A case report form developed by ISARIC and WHO was used to collect clinical data. A minimal follow-up time of two weeks (to 3 May 2020) allowed most patients to complete their hospital admission. Participants: 20 133 hospital inpatients with covid-19. Main outcome measures: Admission to critical care (high dependency unit or intensive care unit) and mortality in hospital. Results: The median age of patients admitted to hospital with covid-19, or with a diagnosis of covid-19 made in hospital, was 73 years (interquartile range 58-82, range 0-104). More men were admitted than women (men 60%, n=12 068; women 40%, n=8065). The median duration of symptoms before admission was 4 days (interquartile range 1-8). The commonest comorbidities were chronic cardiac disease (31%, 5469/17 702), uncomplicated diabetes (21%, 3650/17 599), non-asthmatic chronic pulmonary disease (18%, 3128/17 634), and chronic kidney disease (16%, 2830/17 506); 23% (4161/18 525) had no reported major comorbidity. Overall, 41% (8199/20 133) of patients were discharged alive, 26% (5165/20 133) died, and 34% (6769/20 133) continued to receive care at the reporting date. 17% (3001/18 183) required admission to high dependency or intensive care units; of these, 28% (826/3001) were discharged alive, 32% (958/3001) died, and 41% (1217/3001) continued to receive care at the reporting date. Of those receiving mechanical ventilation, 17% (276/1658) were discharged alive, 37% (618/1658) died, and 46% (764/1658) remained in hospital. Increasing age, male sex, and comorbidities including chronic cardiac disease, non-asthmatic chronic pulmonary disease, chronic kidney disease, liver disease and obesity were associated with higher mortality in hospital. Conclusions: ISARIC WHO CCP-UK is a large prospective cohort study of patients in hospital with covid-19. The study continues to enrol at the time of this report. In study participants, mortality was high, independent risk factors were increasing age, male sex, and chronic comorbidity, including obesity. This study has shown the importance of pandemic preparedness and the need to maintain readiness to launch research studies in response to outbreaks. Study registration: ISRCTN66726260