Oceans and Human Health: a rising tide of challenges and opportunities for Europe

The European Marine Board recently published a position paper on linking oceans and human health as a strategic research priority for Europe. With this position paper as a reference, the March 2014 Cornwall Oceans and Human Health Workshop brought together key scientists, policy makers, funders, business, and non governmental organisations from Europe and the US to review the recent interdisciplinary and cutting edge research in oceans and human health specifically the growing evidence of the impacts of oceans and seas on human health and wellbeing (and the effects of humans on the oceans). These impacts are a complex mixture of negative influences (e.g. from climate change and extreme weather to harmful algal blooms and chemical pollution) and beneficial factors (e.g. from natural products including seafood to marine renewable energy and wellbeing from interactions with coastal environments). Integrated approaches across disciplines, institutions, and nations in science and policy are needed to protect both the oceans and human health and wellbeing now and in the future.European Marine Board, Oostende, BelgiumEuropean Regional Development Fund Programme 2007 to 2013European Social Fund Convergence Programme for Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly (European Centre for Environment and Human Health, the University of Exeter Medical School, Truro, Cornwall, UK)Plymouth Marine Laboratory (PML), Plymouth UKScottish Association for Marine Sciences (SAMS), Oban, ScotlandInstitut Francais de Recherche Pour L'exploitation de la Mer (IFREMER), Nantes, FranceEuropean Community's Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007 – 2013

Improving energy efficiency in private rented housing : what makes landlords act?

The private rented sector in England contains some of the least energy efficient properties in the country and houses more vulnerable households than any other sector. Occupants endure dangerously cold homes and fuel poverty but have no direct influence over the energy performance of their homes. The choices that occupants make regarding energy are constrained by the material characteristics of a property: something only the landlord can alter. Enduringly poor conditions in the sector indicate that an initiative that convinces landlords of the benefits of improving energy efficiency remains elusive. Based on a review of existing research and 30 interviews with landlords, this paper identifies factors which deter landlords from acting to improve energy efficiency. Factors include lack of knowledge regarding the consequences of energy inefficiency and possible solutions, the absence of direct financial incentives (the principal–agent problem), local housing market and cultural factors. It also identifies a number of motivating factors that may encourage landlords to invest in energy efficiency. It is argued that policies to tackle energy inefficiency in the sector should take account of these factors in order to improve effectiveness. Keywords Private rented sector, Domestic energy efficiency, Principal–agent, The Green Deal, Private landlords, Split incentiv

Human influence on climate in the 2014 southern England winter floods and their impacts

A succession of storms reaching Southern England in the winter of 2013/2014 caused severe floods and £451 million insured losses. In a large ensemble of climate model simulations, we find that, as well as increasing the amount of moisture the atmosphere can hold, anthropogenic warming caused a small but significant increase in the number of January days with westerly flow, both of which increased extreme precipitation. Hydrological modelling indicates this increased extreme 30-day-average Thames river flows, and slightly increased daily peak flows, consistent with the understanding of the catchment’s sensitivity to longer-duration precipitation and changes in the role of snowmelt. Consequently, flood risk mapping shows a small increase in properties in the Thames catchment potentially at risk of riverine flooding, with a substantial range of uncertainty, demonstrating the importance of explicit modelling of impacts and relatively subtle changes in weather-related risks when quantifying present-day effects of human influence on climate

Quantitative assessment of paravalvular regurgitation following transcatheter aortic valve replacement

Paravalvular aortic regurgitation (PAR) following transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) is well acknowledged. Despite improvements, echocardiographic measurement of PAR largely remains qualitative. Cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) directly quantifies AR with accuracy and reproducibility. We compared CMR and transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) analysis of pre-operative and post-operative aortic regurgitation in patients undergoing both TAVI and surgical aortic valve replacement (AVR).Gareth Crouch, Phillip J Tully, Jayme Bennetts, Ajay Sinhal, Craig Bradbrook, Amy L Penhall, Carmine G De Pasquale, Robert A Baker, and Joseph B Selvanayaga

Case Report Use of an Endobronchial Blocker and Selective Lung Ventilation to Aid Surgical Removal of a Lung Lobe Abscess in a Dog

This paper documents use of an endobronchial blocker (EBB) to achieve selective lung ventilation (SLV) for the purpose of lung lobectomy with thoracoscopy. A 3-year-old female neutered Labrador Retriever, body mass of 18.5 kg, was presented for exploratory thoracoscopy. Acepromazine and methadone were administered as premedication, and anaesthesia was induced with propofol and maintained with isoflurane in 100% oxygen and continuous infusions of fentanyl and lidocaine. Mechanical ventilation of the dog's lungs was performed prior to placement of an Arndt EBB caudal to the right cranial bronchus to allow SLV. Successful SLV was achieved with this technique, allowing continued inflation of the right cranial lobe. A reduction in the arterial partial pressure of oxygen to fractional inspired oxygen ratio (PaO 2 : FiO 2 ) of 444 to 306 occurred after placement of the EBB, with no change in monitored cardiopulmonary variables. F-shunt increased from 17.4% to 23.7% with a reduction in oxygen content (CaO 2 ) of 20.0 to 18.7 mg dL −1 , remaining within the physiologic range. Due to lung adhesions to the diaphragm, conversion to thoracotomy was required for completion of the procedure. This technique is challenging to perform in the dog. Arterial blood gas analysis should be performed to allow adequate monitoring of ventilation