What agricultural practices are most likely to deliver ‘sustainable intensification’ in the UK?

Sustainable intensification is a process by which agricultural productivity is enhanced whilst also creating environmental and social benefits. We aimed to identify practices likely to deliver sustainable intensification, currently available for UK farms but not yet widely adopted. We compiled a list of 18 farm management practices with the greatest potential to deliver sustainable intensification in the UK, following a well-developed stepwise methodology for identifying priority solutions, using a group decision-making technique with key agricultural experts. The list of priority management practices can provide the focal point of efforts to achieve sustainable intensification of agriculture, as the UK develops post-Brexit agricultural policy, and pursues the second Sustainable Development Goal, which aims to end hunger and promote sustainable agriculture. The practices largely reflect a technological, production-focused view of sustainable intensification, including for example, precision farming and animal health diagnostics, with less emphasis on the social and environmental aspects of sustainability. However, they do reflect an integrated approach to farming, covering many different aspects, from business organization and planning, to soil and crop management, to landscape and nature conservation. For a subset of ten of the priority practices, we gathered data on the level of existing uptake in English and Welsh farms through a stratified survey in seven focal regions. We find substantial existing uptake of most of the priority practices, indicating that UK farming is an innovative sector. The data identify two specific practices for which uptake is relatively low, but which some UK farmers find appealing and would consider adopting. These practices are: prediction of pest and disease outbreaks, especially for livestock farms; staff training on environmental issues, especially on arable farms

Surgical treatment for ischial pressure sores with gracilis myocutaneous flap

Surgical reconstruction of ischial pressure sores is technically complex and presents a significant problem. Although there is consensus about the use of muscle or myocutaneous flaps in the closure of these sores, there is still dispute about which muscle or myocutaneous flap to use. This evaluation describes the use of the gracilis myocutaneous flap for the treatment of wide and chronic ischial pressure sores. Details of 14 cases are presented and compared with those described in the literature

Tissue engineered models: a valuable tool in pressure ulcer research

Until the last two decades, research on the aetiology of pressure ulcers was primarily based on animal models, using rabbits, pigs, rats and dogs. Although these studies have been very valuable, there are ethical as well as conceptual reasons to look for alternative models. Sophisticated non-invasive techniques like Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) and Ultrasound as well as advanced theoretical modelling have offered opportunities for studies with human volunteers. This chapter describes the activities in the laboratories of the authors in the last 15 years which have focused on the aetiology of pressure ulcers. This includes in vitro studies on single cells and on artificial skeletal muscle tissues. These investigations have provided considerable insight into aspects of deformation damage and the role of ischemia in pressure ulcer development. The results appeared consistent with animal studies and human studie