Outer Bristol Channel marine habitat study : 2003 investigations and results

This report describes the investigations undertaken by the British Geological Survey (BGS) and the National Museums and Galleries of Wales (NMGW) during 2003 for the Outer Bristol Channel Marine Habitat Study, and the results and interpretations completed by March 2004 for the elements of the study funded by the Sustainable Land Won and Marine Dredged Aggregate Minerals Programme of the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister. The complete study is a three year programme which is planned to end in March 2006. The other principal funder of the study is the Aggregate Levy Sustainability Fund for Wales, which is administered by the Welsh Assembly Government. The Crown Estate and the British Marine Aggregate Producers Association have also supported the study with some funding and contributions of data. Pressure on marine resources in the Bristol Channel continues to develop with a number of issues including aggregates, fisheries and wind farm developments. There are also legislative obligations with regard to marine conservation, in a European context with the Habitats Directive and in national initiatives such as the designation of Carmarthen Bay, the Pembrokesire Coast and Lundy as candidate Special Areas of Conservation (cSACs). To inform the policy and decision making process in terms of developments in the marine environment requires knowledge of its current physical state. This includes the morphology, geology, biology and sediments of the seabed. Baseline information on these is essential for strategic management and the conservation of biological diversity. Responsible stewardship requires an understanding of the way the marine environment functions and how the sea may respond to human activity. It also means involving stakeholders as an integral part of policy making. The Bristol Channel Marine Aggregates: Resources and Constraints Research Project (Posford Duvivier & ABP Research, 2000), indicated significant gaps in the biological and geological data available for the Outer Bristol Channel area. The only comprehensive study of the benthic invertebrates (Warwick & Clark 1977) was carried out in 1972-1973 and British Geological Survey maps of the area were based on surveys undertaken from 1971 to 1976

Relation between beta-lactamase producing bacteria and patient characteristics in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

BACKGROUND--In addition to bronchodilator and anti-inflammatory therapy, exacerbations in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are often treated with antibiotics. Haemophilus influenzae and Moraxella (Branhamella) catarrhalis, two important respiratory pathogens, may produce beta-lactamase which makes them resistant to ampicillin. Surveillance studies conducted in various countries have shown an increasing incidence of these beta-lactamase producing bacteria. Although this may simply be a consequence of the increasing use of antibiotics, it is possible that other factors are important. A study was undertaken to investigate whether clinical factors are related to the presence of beta-lactamase forming bacteria in the sputum of patients with COPD. METHODS--One hundred patients with COPD aged over 40 years were sequentially selected from an outpatient clinic on the basis of sputum culture results. Fifty had beta-lactamase positive (beta L+) and 50 had beta-lactamase negative (beta L-) bacteria in their sputum. Patients were included only if sputum culture results yielded one pathogen. The files of these patients were investigated for possible causative factors present during the two preceding years. RESULTS--Both groups were almost identical in terms of lung function, maintenance medication, and smoking history. The total number of antibiotic courses in the beta L+ group was higher, as were individual courses of cephalosporins, tetracyclines, and macrolides. The number of patients admitted to hospital was higher in the beta L+ group, but admissions were of equal duration in both groups. Patients admitted to hospital had poorer lung function. Risk factors for beta-lactamase producing bacteria were identified by logistic regression analysis which revealed an odds ratio for one course of antibiotics of 1.15 (95% CI 1.04 to 1.28). CONCLUSIONS--An increased number of antibiotic courses is related to a higher incidence of beta-lactamase producing bacteria and more patients had hospital admissions in the beta L+ group. beta-lactamase stable antibiotics were used more frequently in the beta L+ group, probably because prescribing was adapted to the presence of beta-lactamase producing bacteria. No other differences were found between the beta L+ and beta L- groups