Has global deforestation accelerated due to the COVID-19 pandemic?

As the COVID-19 pandemic unfolded, questions arose as to whether the pandemic would amplify or pacify tropical deforestation. Early reports warned of increased deforestation rates; however, these studies were limited to a few months in 2020 or to selected regions. To better understand how the pandemic influenced tropical deforestation globally, this study used historical deforestation data (2004–2019) from the Terra-i pantropical land cover change monitoring system to project expected deforestation trends for 2020, which were used to determine whether observed deforestation deviated from expected trajectories after the first COVID-19 cases were reported. Time series analyses were conducted at the regional level for the Americas, Africa and Asia and at the country level for Brazil, Colombia, Peru, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Indonesia. Our results suggest that the pandemic did not alter the course of deforestation trends in some countries (e.g., Brazil, Indonesia), while it did in others (e.g., Peru). We posit the importance of monitoring the long-term effects of the pandemic on deforestation trends as countries prioritize economic recovery in the aftermath of the pandemic

Clinical Outcomes of Methylprednisolone versus Dexamethasone in Prime Solution During Cardiopulmonary Bypass Pump after Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting

Background: The study was performed to compare clinical outcomes of methylprednisolone and dexamethasone in prime solution during cardiopulmonary pump after CABG. Methods: In this double-blind clinical trial, sixty-two patients who underwent CABG were divided into the control group consisted of 31 patients using dexamethasone in their prime solution and the test group consisted of 31 patients using methylprednisolone in their prime solution. Duration of mechanical ventilation, length of ICU stay, bleeding rate (chest tube volume), arrhythmia and need for inotropic intake were compared (IRCT20170620034666N2). Results: The mean age of patients was 55.7 years in the dexamethasone group and 53.09 years in the methylprednisolone group. Arrhythmia and inotropic agents were not observed in either group. The mean duration of mechanical ventilation and ICU stay in the dexamethasone group were significantly higher than the methylprednisolone group (p <0.05). But the mean bleeding rate in the dexamethasone group was significantly lower than the methylprednisolone group (p <0.05). Conclusion: The mean duration of mechanical ventilation and ICU stay in the dexamethasone group was higher than the methylprednisolone group, but the use of dexamethasone has the advantage of being associated with less bleeding