10 research outputs found

    Sources and Sinks of Methane.Future Concentrations and Impact on Global Warming.

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    There has been an average increase in the surface temperature of the earth by 0.6 ± 0.2ºC over the 20th century (IPCC, 2001). This increase in the surface temperature of the earth is attributed to the increase in the greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, responsible for trapping outgoing heat radiation. Industrialization and the increase in anthropogenic activities are the causes of increase of these gases.Methane (CH4) is the most important greenhouse gas after Carbon Dioxide (CO2).The increase in atmospheric CO2 can be attributed due to increase in the use of fossil fuels over the last 150 years. Methane, whose atmospheric concentrations are now nearly 2.5 times of what they were in pre-industrial times, has a variety of anthropogenic and natural sources.This work is an effort to document the anthropogenic sources of methane since 1960, namely, methane emissions form the use of fossil fuel, rice agriculture, domestic ruminants, biomass burning and waste disposal and handling. A model was created using the sources and sinks of methane and was used to predict the future concentrations of methane up to 2025 considering the atmosphere as a semi-batch reactor. Finally, this predicted concentration of methane was used to determine the surface temperature increase caused due to increase in the atmospheric methane concentrations

    Impact of opioid-free analgesia on pain severity and patient satisfaction after discharge from surgery: multispecialty, prospective cohort study in 25 countries

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    Background: Balancing opioid stewardship and the need for adequate analgesia following discharge after surgery is challenging. This study aimed to compare the outcomes for patients discharged with opioid versus opioid-free analgesia after common surgical procedures.Methods: This international, multicentre, prospective cohort study collected data from patients undergoing common acute and elective general surgical, urological, gynaecological, and orthopaedic procedures. The primary outcomes were patient-reported time in severe pain measured on a numerical analogue scale from 0 to 100% and patient-reported satisfaction with pain relief during the first week following discharge. Data were collected by in-hospital chart review and patient telephone interview 1 week after discharge.Results: The study recruited 4273 patients from 144 centres in 25 countries; 1311 patients (30.7%) were prescribed opioid analgesia at discharge. Patients reported being in severe pain for 10 (i.q.r. 1-30)% of the first week after discharge and rated satisfaction with analgesia as 90 (i.q.r. 80-100) of 100. After adjustment for confounders, opioid analgesia on discharge was independently associated with increased pain severity (risk ratio 1.52, 95% c.i. 1.31 to 1.76; P < 0.001) and re-presentation to healthcare providers owing to side-effects of medication (OR 2.38, 95% c.i. 1.36 to 4.17; P = 0.004), but not with satisfaction with analgesia (beta coefficient 0.92, 95% c.i. -1.52 to 3.36; P = 0.468) compared with opioid-free analgesia. Although opioid prescribing varied greatly between high-income and low- and middle-income countries, patient-reported outcomes did not.Conclusion: Opioid analgesia prescription on surgical discharge is associated with a higher risk of re-presentation owing to side-effects of medication and increased patient-reported pain, but not with changes in patient-reported satisfaction. Opioid-free discharge analgesia should be adopted routinely

    Arbitrage in Stationary Markets

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    We analyse questions of arbitrage in financial markets in which asset prices change in time as stationary stochastic processes. The main focus of the paper is on a model where the price vectors are independent and identically distributed. In the framework of this model, we find conditions that are necessary and su¢ cient for the absence of arbitrage opportunities. We discuss the relations between the results obtained and the phenomenon of "volatility-induced growth"in stationary markets.Stationary markets, Arbitrage, Volatility-induced growth.

    Vaping and lung cancer - a review of current data and recommendations.

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    OBJECTIVES: Lung cancer is the most common cause of cancer mortality worldwide and, while tobacco smoke remains the primary cause, there is increasing concern that vaping and E-cigarette use may also increase lung cancer risk. This review concentrates on the current data, scholarship and active foci of research regarding potential cancer risk and oncogenic mechanisms of vaping and lung cancer. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We performed a literature review of current and historical publications on lung cancer oncogenesis, vaping device/e-liquid contents and daughter products, molecular oncogenic mechanisms and the fundamental, potentially oncogenic, effects of electronic cigarette smoke/e-liquid products. RESULTS: E-cigarette devices and vaping fluids demonstrably contain a series of both definite and probable oncogens including nicotine derivatives (e.g. nitrosnornicotine, nitrosamine ketone), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, heavy metals (including organometal compounds) and aldehydes/other complex organic compounds. These arise both as constituents of the e-liquid (with many aldehydes and other complex organics used as flavourings) and as a result of pyrolysis/complex organic reactions in the electronic cigarette device (including unequivocal carcinogens such as formaldehyde - formed from pyrolysis of glycerol). Various studies demonstrate in vitro transforming and cytotoxic activity of these derivatives. E-cigarette device use has been significantly increasing - particularly amongst the younger cohort and non-smokers; thus, this is an area of significant concern for the future. CONCLUSION: Although research remains somewhat equivocal, there is clear reason for concern regarding the potential oncogenicity of E-Cigarettes/E-Liquids with a strong basic and molecular science basis. Given lag times (extrapolating from tobacco smoke data) of perhaps 20 years, this may have significant future public health implications. Thus, the authors feel further study in this field is strongly warranted and consideration should be made for tighter control and regulation of these products

    RNAs as Candidate Diagnostic and Prognostic Markers of Prostate Cancer—From Cell Line Models to Liquid Biopsies

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    The treatment landscape of prostate cancer has evolved rapidly over the past five years. The explosion in treatment advances has been witnessed in parallel with significant progress in the field of molecular biomarkers. The advent of next-generation sequencing has enabled the molecular profiling of the genomic and transcriptomic architecture of prostate and other cancers. Coupled with this, is a renewed interest in the role of non-coding RNA (ncRNA) in prostate cancer biology. ncRNA consists of several different classes including small non-coding RNA (sncRNA), long non-coding RNA (lncRNA), and circular RNA (circRNA). These families are under active investigation, given their essential roles in cancer initiation, development and progression. This review focuses on the evidence for the role of RNAs in prostate cancer, and their use as diagnostic and prognostic markers, and targets for treatment in this disease

    Outcomes from elective colorectal cancer surgery during the SARS‐CoV‐2 pandemic

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    Aim This study aimed to describe the change in surgical practice and the impact of SARS-CoV-2 on mortality after surgical resection of colorectal cancer during the initial phases of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. Method This was an international cohort study of patients undergoing elective resection of colon or rectal cancer without preoperative suspicion of SARS-CoV-2. Centres entered data from their first recorded case of COVID-19 until 19 April 2020. The primary outcome was 30-day mortality. Secondary outcomes included anastomotic leak, postoperative SARS-CoV-2 and a comparison with prepandemic European Society of Coloproctology cohort data. Results From 2073 patients in 40 countries, 1.3% (27/2073) had a defunctioning stoma and 3.0% (63/2073) had an end stoma instead of an anastomosis only. Thirty-day mortality was 1.8% (38/2073), the incidence of postoperative SARS-CoV-2 was 3.8% (78/2073) and the anastomotic leak rate was 4.9% (86/1738). Mortality was lowest in patients without a leak or SARS-CoV-2 (14/1601, 0.9%) and highest in patients with both a leak and SARS-CoV-2 (5/13, 38.5%). Mortality was independently associated with anastomotic leak (adjusted odds ratio 6.01, 95% confidence interval 2.58–14.06), postoperative SARS-CoV-2 (16.90, 7.86–36.38), male sex (2.46, 1.01–5.93), age >70 years (2.87, 1.32–6.20) and advanced cancer stage (3.43, 1.16–10.21). Compared with prepandemic data, there were fewer anastomotic leaks (4.9% versus 7.7%) and an overall shorter length of stay (6 versus 7 days) but higher mortality (1.7% versus 1.1%). Conclusion Surgeons need to further mitigate against both SARS-CoV-2 and anastomotic leak when offering surgery during current and future COVID-19 waves based on patient, operative and organizational risks

    Elective Cancer Surgery in COVID-19–Free Surgical Pathways During the SARS-CoV-2 Pandemic: An International, Multicenter, Comparative Cohort Study

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    Delaying surgery for patients with a previous SARS-CoV-2 infection

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