Quality of Type 2 Diabetes Management in the States of The Co-Operation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf: A Systematic Review

Type 2 diabetes mellitus is a growing, worldwide public health concern. Recent growth has been particularly dramatic in the states of The Co-operation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf (GCC), and these and other developing economies are at particular risk. We aimed to systematically review the quality of control of type 2 diabetes in the GCC, and the nature and efficacy of interventions. We identified 27 published studies for review. Studies were identified by systematic database searches. Medline and Embase were searched separately (via Dialog and Ovid, respectively; 1950 to July 2010 (Medline), and 1947 to July 2010 (Embase)) on 15/07/2009. The search was updated on 08/07/2010. Terms such as diabetes mellitus, non-insulin-dependent, hyperglycemia, hypertension, hyperlipidemia and Gulf States were used. Our search also included scanning reference lists, contacting experts and hand-searching key journals. Studies were judged against pre-determined inclusion/exclusion criteria, and where suitable for inclusion, data extraction/quality assessment was achieved using a specifically-designed tool. All studies wherein glycaemic-, blood pressure- and/or lipid- control were investigated (clinical and/or process outcomes) were eligible for inclusion. No limitations on publication type, publication status, study design or language of publication were imposed. We found the extent of control to be sub-optimal and relatively poor. Assessment of the efficacy of interventions was difficult due to lack of data, but suggestive that more widespread and controlled trial of secondary prevention strategies may have beneficial outcomes. We found no record of audited implementation of primary preventative strategies and anticipate that controlled trial of such strategies would also be useful

Churia forests of Nepal 2010-2012

201

A Dendroecological Analysis of Forest Dynamics for Old-Growth Abies-Tsuga-Quercus

This study investigated the composition, age-and size-structure, and tree-ring relationships for an old-growth, warm-temperate, mixed-evergreen forest at the University of Tokyo Chiba Forest, Japan. A total of 32 tree species were recorded, which was dominated by Abies firma and Quercus acuta. Tsuga sieboldii dominated the recruitment after 1850, followed by Abies firma. After 1920, many individuals of Castanopsis, Cinnamomum, Cleyera and Quercus became established. The temporal pattern of conifer recruitment did not correspond to the record of strong wind events. Basal area increment in Abies firma and Castanopsis sieboldii trees increased throughout their lives, a trend not seen in the ring width index. Mean annual temperature was below the 100-year mean between 1920 and 1940 and 1960-1980, but increased rather abruptly after 1980. Mean annual precipitation decreased after 1960. Tree-ring releases are very common at the study forest, which are indicative of frequent small to moderate-sized disturbances. At least one release was recorded in every decade from 1890 to the present day, which is likely the primary causal factor promoting tree growth and recruitment. Our results suggest that early logging activities coupled with natural disturbances had a great influence on the developmental process and current structure of the study stand and that tree growth is varying in a manner consistent with forest dynamics. © 2017 by The Tree-Ring Society.This item is part of the Tree-Ring Research (formerly Tree-Ring Bulletin) archive. For more information about this peer-reviewed scholarly journal, please email the Editor of Tree-Ring Research at [email protected]