349 research outputs found
Le plan chablis : un outil de planification d'urgence et de gestion de crise pour la forêt wallonne.
La DGARNE, souhaitant anticiper une éventuelle tempête de grande ampleur en forêt wallonne, a mis au point un plan de gestion des crises chablis en vue de pouvoir intervenir de manière coordonnée et réduire les impacts négatifs pour la filière bois. Cet article fait suite à des formations sur la phase d'inventaire rapide du plan chablis données dans tous les cantonnements du DNF
Do Telecommunications and Air/Sea Transport Problems Limit Madagascar's Exports?
This study had its origins in the notion that Madagascar's ability to expand and diversity its exports was significantly hampered by three conditions: *high sea freight rates as a result of oligopolistic practices by a shipping conference; *Air Madagascar's monopoly on air traffic rights; and *an obsolete and often non-functional national telecommunications system. To what extent is the perception correct? For two weeks we asked this question in interviews of manufacturers, shipping agents, airline executives, ship operators, port authorities and government officials. Two weeks are clearly insufficient for a detailed study of both the transportation sector and the telecommunications system. The period may be adequate, however, for the purpose of determining the basic validity of the perceptions which prompted this study. The following, somewhat general statements reflect our conclusions. The rest of the report provides supporting detail.Center for Research on Economic Development, University of Michiganhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/100993/1/ECON434.pd
Management of hereditary angioedema: 2010 Canadian approach
C1-inhibitor (C1-INH) deficiency is a rare blood disorder resulting in angioedema attacks that are debilitating and may be life-threatening. Prophylaxis and therapy of events has changed since our first Canadian Consensus Conference on the diagnosis, therapy and management of HAE. We have formed the Canadian Hereditary Angioedema Network (CHAEN)/Réseau Canadien d'Angioédème Héréditaire (RCAH) - http://www.haecanada.com to advance care of patients with this disorder in Canada. We here present a review of management of HAE in Canada
Harmonized Growth Models and Simulations of the Evolution of Pure Stands of Norway spruce, Larches and Douglas-fir for Southern Belgium (Wallonia).
In order to compare different silvicultural scenarios we have undertaken the development of a software that can simulate stand evolution in regards to their species composition, site characteristics and silvicultural operations. As a first approach we limited the scope of our work to even-aged and pure coniferous stands of the three most important coniferous species in Wallonia (southern part of Belgium): Norway spruce (Picea abies), douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziensii) and larches (Larix sp.). This presentation introduces carried out simulations and compare their outcomes. First we gathered data sets from the permanent regional inventory, from observation networks and experimental plots throughout Wallonia. Then we adjusted, for these species, harmonized and distance-independent models of dominant-height growth, tree diameter growth, mortality, and the distribution of tree diameter frequency before the first thinning. Next we implemented those models in the Capsis platform, and we simulated, for the three species, the evolution of virtual stands using different scenarios. On one hand the evolution was performed without thinning, and on the other hand we applied silvicultural scenarios that are commonly used in Wallonia. As a result these models highlight, for example, the great juvenile growth and sensibility to stands density of larches whereas Norway spruce behaves the opposite. Further work is however needed to predict and simulate wood quality and value. Once this will be achieved we will attempt to optimize silvicultural scenarios for the three species.Accord cadre de recherche et vulgarisation forestières: ACTION 2.2.1. - CROISSANCE, PRODUCTIVITE ET SYLVICULTURE DU DOUGLAS, DE L'EPICEA COMMUN ET DES MELEZE
Spinal degeneration is associated with lumbar multifidus morphology in secondary care patients with low back or leg pain
Associations between multifidus muscle morphology and degenerative pathologies have been implied in patients with non-specific low back pain, but it is unknown how these are influenced by pathology severity, number, or distribution. MRI measures of pure multifidus muscle cross-sectional area (CSA) were acquired from 522 patients presenting with low back and/or leg symptoms in an outpatient clinic. We explored cross-sectional associations between the presence, distribution, and/or severity of lumbar degenerative pathologies (individually and in aggregate) and muscle outcomes in multivariable analyses (beta coefficients [95% CI]). We identified associations between lower pure multifidus muscle CSA and disc degeneration (at two or more levels): − 4.51 [− 6.72; − 2.3], Modic 2 changes: − 4.06 [− 6.09; − 2.04], endplate defects: − 2.74 [− 4.58; − 0.91], facet arthrosis: − 4.02 [− 6.26; − 1.78], disc herniations: − 3.66 [− 5.8; − 1.52], and when > 5 pathologies were present: − 6.77 [− 9.76; − 3.77], with the last supporting a potential dose–response relationship between number of spinal pathologies and multifidus morphology. Our findings could hypothetically indicate that these spinal and muscle findings: (1) are part of the same degenerative process, (2) result from prior injury or other common antecedent events, or (3) have a directional relationship. Future longitudinal studies are needed to further examine the complex nature of these relationships
Description of a new procedure to estimate the carbon stocks of all forest pools and impact assessment of methodological choices on the estimates
Forest ecosystems play a major role in atmospheric
carbon sequestration and emission. Comparable
organic carbon stock estimates at temporal and spatial scales
for all forest pools are needed for scientific investigations
and political purposes. Therefore, we developed a new carbon
stock (CS) estimation procedure that combines forest
inventory and soil and litter geodatabases at a regional scale
(southern Belgium). This procedure can be implemented in
other regions and countries on condition that available
external carbon soil and litter data can be linked to forest
inventory plots. The presented procedure includes a specific
CS estimation method for each of the following forest pools
and subpools (in brackets): living biomass (aboveground and
belowground), deadwood (dead trees and snags, coarse
woody debris and stumps), litter, and soil. The total CS of the
forest was estimated at 86 Tg (185 Mg ha-1). Soil up to
0.2 m depth, living biomass, litter, and deadwood CSs
account, respectively, for 48, 47, 4, and 1 % of the total CS.
The analysis of the CS variation within the pools across
ecoregions and forest types revealed in particular that: (1) the
living biomass CS of broadleaved forests exceeds that of
coniferous forests, (2) the soil and litter CSs of coniferous
forest exceed those of broadleaved forests, and (3) beech
stands come at the top in carbon stocking capacity. Because
our estimates differ sometimes significantly from the previous
studies, we compared different methods and their
impacts on the estimates. We demonstrated that estimates
may vary highly, from -16 to ?12 %, depending on the
selected methods. Methodological choices are thus essential
especially for estimating CO2 fluxes by the stock change
approach. The sources of error and the accuracy of the estimates
were discussed extensively
Red blood cell transfusion and increased length of storage are not associated with deep vein thrombosis in medical and surgical critically ill patients: a prospective observational cohort study
Abstract
Introduction
With prolonged storage times, cell membranes of red blood cells (RBCs) undergo morphologic and biochemical changes, termed 'RBC storage lesions'. Storage lesions may promote inflammation and thrombophilia when transfused. In trauma patients, RBC transfusion was an independent risk factor for deep vein thrombosis (DVT), specifically when RBC units were stored > 21 days or when 5 or more units were transfused. The objective of this study was to determine if RBC transfusions or RBC storage age predicts incident DVT in medical or surgical intensive care unit (ICU) patients.
Methods
Using a database which prospectively enrolled 261 patients over the course of 1 year with an ICU stay of at least 3 days, we analyzed DVT and RBC transfusions using Cox proportional hazards regression. Transfusions were analyzed with 4 thresholds, and storage age using 3 thresholds. DVTs were identified by twice-weekly proximal leg ultrasounds. Multivariable analyses were adjusted for 4 significant DVT predictors in this population (venous thrombosis history, chronic dialysis, platelet transfusion and inotropes).
Results
Of 261 patients, 126 (48.3%) had at least 1 RBC transfusion; 46.8% of those transfused had ≥ 5 units in ICU. Patients receiving RBCs were older (68.8 vs 64.1 years), more likely to be female (47.0 vs 30.7), sicker (APACHEII 26.8 vs 24.4), and more likely to be surgical (21.4 vs 8.9) (P 7 days, ≤ 14 or > 14 days, ≤ 21 or > 21 days). Among patients transfused, no multivariable analyses showed that RBC transfusion or storage age predicted DVT. Trends were counter to the hypothesis (e.g., RBC storage for ≤ 7 days suggested a higher DVT risk compared to > 7 days (HR 5.3; 95% CI 1.3-22.1).
Conclusions
We were unable to detect any association between RBC transfusions or prolonged red cell storage and increased risk of DVT in medical or surgical ICU patients. Alternate explanations include a lack of sufficient events or patients' interaction, between patient groups, a mixing of red cell storage times creating differential effects on DVT risk, and unmeasured confounders
Lack of Association Between Dietary Inflammatory Index and Low Impact Fractures in the Brazilian Population: the Brazilian Osteoporosis Study (BRAZOS)
Introduction: Adequate nutrition, including intake of dietary calcium and vitamin D, is important to maintain bone health. Evidence suggests that a deficiency in micronutrients may contribute to bone loss during aging and exert generalized effects on chronic inflammation. Recently, the Dietary Inflammatory Index (DII) was developed to assess the inflammatory potential of individual diets. Our aim was to evaluate the DII in a representative sample and verify its association with low-impact fractures.
Methods: Individuals from The Brazilian Osteoporosis Study (BRAZOS) database had their DII calculated. BRAZOS is an important cross-sectional epidemiological study carried out with a representative sample of men and women ≥40 years old. The research was conducted through in-home interviews administered by a trained team. Nutrition Database System for Research (NDSR) software was used to analyze data on the intake of nutrients, which were employed to calculate the DII using Statistical Analysis Software (SAS®) and Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS®) to assess its association with low-impact fractures.
Results: A total of 2269 subjects had their DII score calculated using information from 24-h recall data. Males had lower DII than females (DII = 1.12 ± 1.04 vs DII = 1.24 ± 0.99, p = 0.012). Women taking statins had lower DII (DII = 0.65 ± 1.14 vs DII + 1.26 ± 0.98, p = 0.002), indicating a greater potential for diet-related anti-inflammatory effects.
Conclusion: Our findings suggest that women might have a pro-inflammatory diet pattern compared to men. However, we did not find any association between DII scores and low-impact fractures
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Detection and Quantification of Microparticles from Different Cellular Lineages Using Flow Cytometry. Evaluation of the Impact of Secreted Phospholipase A2 on Microparticle Assessment
Microparticles, also called microvesicles, are submicron extracellular vesicles produced by plasma membrane budding and shedding recognized as key actors in numerous physio(patho)logical processes. Since they can be released by virtually any cell lineages and are retrieved in biological fluids, microparticles appear as potent biomarkers. However, the small dimensions of microparticles and soluble factors present in body fluids can considerably impede their quantification. Here, flow cytometry with improved methodology for microparticle resolution was used to detect microparticles of human and mouse species generated from platelets, red blood cells, endothelial cells, apoptotic thymocytes and cells from the male reproductive tract. A family of soluble proteins, the secreted phospholipases A2 (sPLA2), comprises enzymes concomitantly expressed with microparticles in biological fluids and that catalyze the hydrolysis of membrane phospholipids. As sPLA2 can hydrolyze phosphatidylserine, a phospholipid frequently used to assess microparticles, and might even clear microparticles, we further considered the impact of relevant sPLA2 enzymes, sPLA2 group IIA, V and X, on microparticle quantification. We observed that if enriched in fluids, certain sPLA2 enzymes impair the quantification of microparticles depending on the species studied, the source of microparticles and the means of detection employed (surface phosphatidylserine or protein antigen detection). This study provides analytical considerations for appropriate interpretation of microparticle cytofluorometric measurements in biological samples containing sPLA2 enzymes
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