Comparison of markets for organic food in six EU states.

This report was presented at the UK Organic Research 2002 Conference. Recent research confirms that the decision to convert is now highly influenced by financial incentives arising from EU regulations but the exact mix of incentives depends on prevailing government policies and access to premium markets so that the organic sector in most countries is now referred to as either government-led or market-driven. The objective of the paper is to compare development of the sector along these two polarities but set within the context of "common elements of interest" within new agrifood methodologies: time, space, power, and meaning (Cooke, Uranga and Etxebarria 1998; Morgan and Murdoch 2000). The paper presents preliminary findings relating to six EU States: UK, Ireland, Austria, Denmark, Portugal and Italy, and through the application of "worlds of production" to market outlets and suggests discourses that define these outlets. The analysis aims to inform the further study of farmer marketing decisions and practices

Water–tourism nexus research in the Mediterranean in the past two decades: a systematic literature review

The water–tourism nexus requires better knowledge, management and governance to address environmental and societal challenges. This review takes stock of the approaches used to address this nexus in the Mediterranean from 2000 to 2020. Bibliometric and exploratory content analysis targeted tourism impacts on water supply, determinants of water consumption, and water-saving mechanisms and technologies. A fundamental insight is that the literature remains rather water centric and technical, paying little attention to behavioural change and stakeholder action. Promising avenues to reinforce sustainable water use include transdisciplinary approaches and integrated tools such as hydrosocial cycle analysis, concept mapping and agent-based modelling.The authors thank the European Commission, the Dutch Research Council, the State Investigation Agency (Spanish Ministry of Economic Affairs and Digital Transformation) and the Italian Ministry of Education, Universities and Research for funding in the frame of the collaborative international consortium (SIMTWIST) financed under the 2018 Joint Call of the WaterWorks 2017 ERA-NET Cofund. This ERA-NET is an integral part of the activities developed by the Water JPI

Estudo epidemiológico dos atendimentos de agravos por causas externas realizados pelo SAMU de Imperatriz, Maranhão, no período de 2015 a 2017

As causas externas englobam lesões ou quaisquer outros agravos à saúde acidentais ou intencionais, sendo constituídas pelos acidentes e violências, e são representadas pela Classificação Internacional de Doenças, em sua décima revisão da CID-10. Descrever o perfil epidemiológico dos atendimentos de agravos por causas externas realizados pelo SAMU do município de Imperatriz, Estado do Maranhão, Brasil, no período de 2015 a 2017. Pesquisa documental, de corte transversal e utilizou-se de uma abordagem quantitativa. A pesquisa foi desenvolvida na unidade de SAMU do município de Imperatriz, Maranhão. Foram encontradas 9.021 fichas de regulação de vítimas de causas externas atendidas pelo SAMU no Período de 2015 a 2017. Destas, a maior proporção era constituída pelo sexo masculino (5366), representando 59,5% e 35,8% do sexo feminino (3230). Isso pode ser devido ao estilo de vida entre homens e mulheres, visto que os homens apresentam diferenças comportamentais em relação às mulheres. A grande quantidade das incidências de violências e acidentes entre os jovens poderiam ser fatores causados pelo baixo nível socioeconômico. Os acidentes automobilísticos é o principal causador de causas externas no município, sendo responsável por 6633 (73,5%) dessas causas. As causas externas são um dos principais fatores de causas de morte no país, sendo consideradas como um problema de saúde pública e é necessária a adoção de cuidados e medidas específicas para abordar, de modo o mais eficaz possível, e muitas vezes de maneira interdisciplinar, toda a gravidade do o problema em toda a sua complexidade, que envolve estes eventos. Nesse sentido, este estudo apresentou de forma ampla a epidemiologia das causas externas, pois elas acometem diversos segmentos da população, e o conhecimento de seus matizes pode ser auxiliar valioso na definição de políticas públicas que visem à prevenção e a diminuição desses agravos e os óbitos causados por eles

Author Correction: DNA damage in circulating leukocytes measured with the comet assay may predict the risk of death (Scientific Reports, (2021), 11, 1, (16793), 10.1038/s41598-021-95976-7)

Link to the corrected article: [https://farfar.pharmacy.bg.ac.rs/handle/123456789/3944

DNA damage in circulating leukocytes measured with the comet assay may predict the risk of death

The comet assay or single cell gel electrophoresis, is the most common method used to measure strand breaks and a variety of other DNA lesions in human populations. To estimate the risk of overall mortality, mortality by cause, and cancer incidence associated to DNA damage, a cohort of 2,403 healthy individuals (25,978 person-years) screened in 16 laboratories using the comet assay between 1996 and 2016 was followed-up. Kaplan–Meier analysis indicated a worse overall survival in the medium and high tertile of DNA damage (p < 0.001). The effect of DNA damage on survival was modelled according to Cox proportional hazard regression model. The adjusted hazard ratio (HR) was 1.42 (1.06–1.90) for overall mortality, and 1.94 (1.04–3.59) for diseases of the circulatory system in subjects with the highest tertile of DNA damage. The findings of this study provide epidemiological evidence encouraging the implementation of the comet assay in preventive strategies for non-communicable diseases.This article has been corrected. Link to the correction: [https://farfar.pharmacy.bg.ac.rs/handle/123456789/3975

Evolving trends in the management of acute appendicitis during COVID-19 waves. The ACIE appy II study

Background: In 2020, ACIE Appy study showed that COVID-19 pandemic heavily affected the management of patients with acute appendicitis (AA) worldwide, with an increased rate of non-operative management (NOM) strategies and a trend toward open surgery due to concern of virus transmission by laparoscopy and controversial recommendations on this issue. The aim of this study was to survey again the same group of surgeons to assess if any difference in management attitudes of AA had occurred in the later stages of the outbreak. Methods: From August 15 to September 30, 2021, an online questionnaire was sent to all 709 participants of the ACIE Appy study. The questionnaire included questions on personal protective equipment (PPE), local policies and screening for SARS-CoV-2 infection, NOM, surgical approach and disease presentations in 2021. The results were compared with the results from the previous study. Results: A total of 476 answers were collected (response rate 67.1%). Screening policies were significatively improved with most patients screened regardless of symptoms (89.5% vs. 37.4%) with PCR and antigenic test as the preferred test (74.1% vs. 26.3%). More patients tested positive before surgery and commercial systems were the preferred ones to filter smoke plumes during laparoscopy. Laparoscopic appendicectomy was the first option in the treatment of AA, with a declined use of NOM. Conclusion: Management of AA has improved in the last waves of pandemic. Increased evidence regarding SARS-COV-2 infection along with a timely healthcare systems response has been translated into tailored attitudes and a better care for patients with AA worldwide

Demographic, clinical, and service-use characteristics related to the clinician’s recommendation to transition from child to adult mental health services

Purpose: The service configuration with distinct child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS) and adult mental health services (AMHS) may be a barrier to continuity of care. Because of a lack of transition policy, CAMHS clinicians have to decide whether and when a young person should transition to AMHS. This study describes which characteristics are associated with the clinicians’ advice to continue treatment at AMHS. Methods: Demographic, family, clinical, treatment, and service-use characteristics of the MILESTONE cohort of 763 young people from 39 CAMHS in Europe were assessed using multi-informant and standardized assessment tools. Logistic mixed models were fitted to assess the relationship between these characteristics and clinicians’ transition recommendations. Results: Young people with higher clinician-rated severity of psychopathology scores, with self- and parent-reported need for ongoing treatment, with lower everyday functional skills and without self-reported psychotic experiences were more likely to be recommended to continue treatment. Among those who had been recommended to continue treatment, young people who used psychotropic medication, who had been in CAMHS for more than a year, and for whom appropriate AMHS were available were more likely to be recommended to continue treatment at AMHS. Young people whose parents indicated a need for ongoing treatment were more likely to be recommended to stay in CAMHS. Conclusion: Although the decision regarding continuity of treatment was mostly determined by a small set of clinical characteristics, the recommendation to continue treatment at AMHS was mostly affected by service-use related characteristics, such as the availability of appropriate services

Cohort profile : demographic and clinical characteristics of the MILESTONE longitudinal cohort of young people approaching the upper age limit of their child mental health care service in Europe

Purpose: The presence of distinct child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS) and adult mental health services (AMHS) impacts continuity of mental health treatment for young people. However, we do not know the extent of discontinuity of care in Europe nor the effects of discontinuity on the mental health of young people. Current research is limited, as the majority of existing studies are retrospective, based on small samples or used non-standardised information from medical records. The MILESTONE prospective cohort study aims to examine associations between service use, mental health and other outcomes over 24 months, using information from self, parent and clinician reports. Participants: Seven hundred sixty-three young people from 39 CAMHS in 8 European countries, their parents and CAMHS clinicians who completed interviews and online questionnaires and were followed up for 2 years after reaching the upper age limit of the CAMHS they receive treatment at. Findings to date: This cohort profile describes the baseline characteristics of the MILESTONE cohort. The mental health of young people reaching the upper age limit of their CAMHS varied greatly in type and severity: 32.8% of young people reported clinical levels of self-reported problems and 18.6% were rated to be ‘markedly ill’, ‘severely ill’ or ‘among the most extremely ill’ by their clinician. Fifty-seven per cent of young people reported psychotropic medication use in the previous half year. Future plans: Analysis of longitudinal data from the MILESTONE cohort will be used to assess relationships between the demographic and clinical characteristics of young people reaching the upper age limit of their CAMHS and the type of care the young person uses over the next 2 years, such as whether the young person transitions to AMHS. At 2 years follow-up, the mental health outcomes of young people following different care pathways will be compared. Trial registration number: NCT03013595

Effectiveness of smart meter-based urban water loss assessment in a real network with synchronous and incomplete readings

The availability of smart metered high-resolution water consumption data introduces, through the synchronous readings of the smart meters, new perspectives in the proactive approach to the monitoring of water losses. Measuring or transmission systems problems are unavoidable in real-world networks and, if not appropriately addressed, may compromise the ability to use smart meters to estimate water losses. The proposed Synchronous Water Balance methodology allows the near-real time assessment of water losses taking into account incomplete readings through a water consumption data validation and reconstruction model. The impact on water loss monitoring due to the lack of an increasing number of smart meters is investigated applying a random sampling and evaluating the corresponding error. The results, tested on a district of the city of Fano (Italy), suggest that the availability of near real-time synchronous water consumption measures can substantially improve the assessment of water losses in comparison to traditional approaches

Assessing the significance of tourism and climate on residential water demand: Panel-data analysis and non-linear modelling of monthly water consumptions

The concentration in time and space of tourists and of specific water-demanding touristic activities can add considerable pressure on available water supplies in coastal regions. The impact of tourism has not been adequately addressed in the water demand literature, especially at sub-annual scale: the present study includes the role of tourism on the monthly water demand in a set of Mediterranean coastal municipalities in a panel data framework. The influence of both climatic and touristic drivers on the water demand is investigated through a correlation analysis, thus deconstructing the seasonal variability of the consumption, and the development of both linear and non-linear models. The results demonstrate the improvement allowed by non-linear over linear modelling and the value of the information embedded in both climatic (in particular temperature daily maxima and minima and number of rainy days) and touristic determinants as drivers for the water demand at sub-annual scale