Impact of Policy Scenarios in Irrigated Agriculture of River Guadalquivir Basin (Southern Spain)

This paper integrates indicators of environmental, social and economic impact of a range of policy scenarios through the use of Multicriteria and Multiperiod Programming. The case study is irrigated agriculture in the basin of the River Guadalquivir, and the policy scenarios combined Common Agricultural Policy and Water Framework Directive implementation in the period 2001-2010. The model is applied to a representative number of farming systems that attempt to offer a satisfactory description of the productive diversity of the basin. Results indicate that there are significant differences in the impact in the three dimensions (environmental, social and economic), according to the possible evolution of policy, market and technical futures. We believe that the integration of indicators into multicriteria models is a powerful system for building policy support tools for sounder decision making in the implementation of a future normative which will affect agricultural production in Europe, and that these tools can be used to deal with new questions that face agriculture (genetically modified organisms, new CAP, etc.)agricultural scenarios, indicators of sustainability, multicriteria models, multiperiod programming, Agricultural and Food Policy,

Intraoperative goal directed hemodynamic therapy in noncardiac surgery: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Background: The goal directed hemodynamic therapy is an approach focused on the use of cardiac output and related parameters as end-points for fluids and drugs to optimize tissue perfusion and oxygen delivery. Primary aim: To determine the effects of intraoperative goal directed hemodynamic therapy on postoperative complications rates. Methods: A meta-analysis was carried out of the effects of goal directed hemodynamic therapy in adult noncardiac surgery on postoperative complications and mortality using Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses methodology. A systematic search was performed in Medline PubMed, Embase, and the Cochrane Library (last update, October 2014). Inclusion criteria were randomized clinical trials in which intraoperative goal directed hemodynamic therapy was compared to conventional fluid management in noncardiac surgery. Exclusion criteria were trauma and pediatric surgery studies and that using pulmonary artery catheter. End-points were postoperative complications (primary) and mortality (secondary). Those studies that fulfilled the entry criteria were examined in full and subjected to quantifiable analysis, predefined subgroup analysis (stratified by type of monitor, therapy, and hemodynamic goal), and predefined sensitivity analysis. Results: 51 RCTs were initially identified, 24 fulfilling the inclusion criteria. 5 randomized clinical trials were added by manual search, resulting in 29 randomized clinical trials in the final analysis, including 2654 patients. A significant reduction in complications for goal directed hemodynamic therapy was observed (RR: 0.70, 95% CI: 0.62-0.79, p < 0.001). No significant decrease in mortality was achieved (RR: 0.76, 95% CI: 0.45-1.28, p = 0.30). Quality sensitive analyses confirmed the main overall results. Conclusions: Intraoperative goal directed hemodynamic therapy with minimally invasive monitoring decreases postoperative complications in noncardiac surgery, although it was not able to show a significant decrease in mortality rate

Circulating microRNAs in sera correlate with soluble biomarkers of immune activation but do not predict mortality in ART treated individuals with HIV-1 infection: A case control study

Introduction: The use of anti-retroviral therapy (ART) has dramatically reduced HIV-1 associated morbidity and mortality. However, HIV-1 infected individuals have increased rates of morbidity and mortality compared to the non-HIV-1 infected population and this appears to be related to end-organ diseases collectively referred to as Serious Non-AIDS Events (SNAEs). Circulating miRNAs are reported as promising biomarkers for a number of human disease conditions including those that constitute SNAEs. Our study sought to investigate the potential of selected miRNAs in predicting mortality in HIV-1 infected ART treated individuals. Materials and Methods: A set of miRNAs was chosen based on published associations with human disease conditions that constitute SNAEs. This case: control study compared 126 cases (individuals who died whilst on therapy), and 247 matched controls (individuals who remained alive). Cases and controls were ART treated participants of two pivotal HIV-1 trials. The relative abundance of each miRNA in serum was measured, by RTqPCR. Associations with mortality (all-cause, cardiovascular and malignancy) were assessed by logistic regression analysis. Correlations between miRNAs and CD4+ T cell count, hs-CRP, IL-6 and D-dimer were also assessed. Results: None of the selected miRNAs was associated with all-cause, cardiovascular or malignancy mortality. The levels of three miRNAs (miRs -21, -122 and -200a) correlated with IL-6 while miR-21 also correlated with D-dimer. Additionally, the abundance of miRs -31, -150 and -223, correlated with baseline CD4+ T cell count while the same three miRNAs plus miR- 145 correlated with nadir CD4+ T cell count. Discussion: No associations with mortality were found with any circulating miRNA studied. These results cast doubt onto the effectiveness of circulating miRNA as early predictors of mortality or the major underlying diseases that contribute to mortality in participants treated for HIV-1 infection

Development and Validation of a Risk Score for Chronic Kidney Disease in HIV Infection Using Prospective Cohort Data from the D:A:D Study

Ristola M. on työryhmien DAD Study Grp ; Royal Free Hosp Clin Cohort ; INSIGHT Study Grp ; SMART Study Grp ; ESPRIT Study Grp jäsen.Background Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a major health issue for HIV-positive individuals, associated with increased morbidity and mortality. Development and implementation of a risk score model for CKD would allow comparison of the risks and benefits of adding potentially nephrotoxic antiretrovirals to a treatment regimen and would identify those at greatest risk of CKD. The aims of this study were to develop a simple, externally validated, and widely applicable long-term risk score model for CKD in HIV-positive individuals that can guide decision making in clinical practice. Methods and Findings A total of 17,954 HIV-positive individuals from the Data Collection on Adverse Events of Anti-HIV Drugs (D:A:D) study with >= 3 estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) values after 1 January 2004 were included. Baseline was defined as the first eGFR > 60 ml/min/1.73 m2 after 1 January 2004; individuals with exposure to tenofovir, atazanavir, atazanavir/ritonavir, lopinavir/ritonavir, other boosted protease inhibitors before baseline were excluded. CKD was defined as confirmed (>3 mo apart) eGFR In the D:A:D study, 641 individuals developed CKD during 103,185 person-years of follow-up (PYFU; incidence 6.2/1,000 PYFU, 95% CI 5.7-6.7; median follow-up 6.1 y, range 0.3-9.1 y). Older age, intravenous drug use, hepatitis C coinfection, lower baseline eGFR, female gender, lower CD4 count nadir, hypertension, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease (CVD) predicted CKD. The adjusted incidence rate ratios of these nine categorical variables were scaled and summed to create the risk score. The median risk score at baseline was -2 (interquartile range -4 to 2). There was a 1: 393 chance of developing CKD in the next 5 y in the low risk group (risk score = 5, 505 events), respectively. Number needed to harm (NNTH) at 5 y when starting unboosted atazanavir or lopinavir/ritonavir among those with a low risk score was 1,702 (95% CI 1,166-3,367); NNTH was 202 (95% CI 159-278) and 21 (95% CI 19-23), respectively, for those with a medium and high risk score. NNTH was 739 (95% CI 506-1462), 88 (95% CI 69-121), and 9 (95% CI 8-10) for those with a low, medium, and high risk score, respectively, starting tenofovir, atazanavir/ritonavir, or another boosted protease inhibitor. The Royal Free Hospital Clinic Cohort included 2,548 individuals, of whom 94 individuals developed CKD (3.7%) during 18,376 PYFU (median follow-up 7.4 y, range 0.3-12.7 y). Of 2,013 individuals included from the SMART/ESPRIT control arms, 32 individuals developed CKD (1.6%) during 8,452 PYFU (median follow-up 4.1 y, range 0.6-8.1 y). External validation showed that the risk score predicted well in these cohorts. Limitations of this study included limited data on race and no information on proteinuria. Conclusions Both traditional and HIV-related risk factors were predictive of CKD. These factors were used to develop a risk score for CKD in HIV infection, externally validated, that has direct clinical relevance for patients and clinicians to weigh the benefits of certain antiretrovirals against the risk of CKD and to identify those at greatest risk of CKD.Peer reviewe

Impact of Policy Scenarios in Irrigated Agriculture of River Guadalquivir Basin (Southern Spain)

This paper integrates indicators of environmental, social and economic impact of a range of policy scenarios through the use of Multicriteria and Multiperiod Programming. The case study is irrigated agriculture in the basin of the River Guadalquivir, and the policy scenarios combined Common Agricultural Policy and Water Framework Directive implementation in the period 2001-2010. The model is applied to a representative number of farming systems that attempt to offer a satisfactory description of the productive diversity of the basin. Results indicate that there are significant differences in the impact in the three dimensions (environmental, social and economic), according to the possible evolution of policy, market and technical futures. We believe that the integration of indicators into multicriteria models is a powerful system for building policy support tools for sounder decision making in the implementation of a future normative which will affect agricultural production in Europe, and that these tools can be used to deal with new questions that face agriculture (genetically modified organisms, new CAP, etc.

Herramienta para el analisis de escenarios de politica en el regadio del valle del guadalquivir

Hemos desarrollado un modelo de programacion multiperiodo con una funcion objetivo multicriterio en un area representative de la agricultura modernizada del Valle del Guadalquivir, dicidiendola en tipologias, del explitaciones y haciendo una posterior agregacion de los reultados. El modelo se ha aplicado a diferented escenarios de futuro en un horizonte temporal de 10 anos. El objectivo es estimar la evolucion en el tiempo de un conjunto de diez indicadores de sostenibilidad en la zona, cuando se engrentan a un escario alternativo al actual, en el que se combinan una reforma de la Politica Agraria COmun tendente a la mejora ambiental y la aplicacion de la Directive Marco de Aguas. Los resultados muestran que, en el escenario alternativo propuesto, el desarrollo socioeconomico seria mas lento que si se continuara con la actual normatica, pero la mejora ambiental es apreciable...A multiperiod model based upon a Multicriteria objective function is developed in a representative area of the Guadalquivir Valley, dividing the irrigated area into homogeneous types of farming as identified by cluster analysis to obtain later, aggregated results. The model is applied to different future scenarios with a time horizon of 10 years and different farming environments. A set of ten sustainability indicators is evaluated. The results show that the evolution of crops over time, in alternative Scenario proposed, is closely related to the political environment regarding the Common Agricultural Policy and the application of the Water Framework Directive. The results show a lower socioeconomic development in the proposed scenario, but it would be accompanied by an environmental improvement

Evaluation of morphological changes in grapes coated with a biosurfactant extract obtained from corn steep liquor

In this work, grapes were coated with a multifunctional biosurfactant extract obtained from corn steep liquor after liquid–liquid extraction with ethyl acetate. This biosurfactant extract has been demonstrated to not only possess a surfactant capacity but also antimicrobial activity. Hence, it could be an excellent preservative for fruits, as it is more biodegradable and more biocompatible than chemically synthetized preservatives. However, before applying this biosurfactant as a preservative on fruits, it is necessary to study the changes in the surface properties of fruits produced by the addition of this bioactive compound. Therefore, in this work, grapes coated with an aqueous solution containing 1 g/L of the biosurfactant extract were subjected to surface analysis using non-invasive technologies, including profilometry. 2D digital photographs of the surface and parametric roughness of grapes were obtained. They revealed that the biosurfactant extract decreased the roughness of the grape surface compared with non-coated grapes and reduced the changes in the shape of the grapes over time. Moreover, it was observed that the biosurfactant extract increased the hydrophobicity of the grape surface observing higher contact angle compared with non-coated grapes.Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad | Ref. RTI2018-093610-B-100Xunta de Galicia | Ref. ED431B 2020/17Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación | Ref. PID2019-103873RJ-I00Universidade de Vig

A multifunctional extract from corn steep liquor: antioxidant and surfactant activities

In the last few years the awareness of consumers and institutions about the impact that our industrial processes has on health and the environment has increased, demanding more natural products. In this work, a multifunctional bioactive extract with surfactant and antioxidant properties, composed mainly of C16 and C18 fatty acids, and phenolic compounds (vanillic acid, p-coumaric acid, ferulic acid, sinapic acid and quercetin) was obtained from corn steep liquor (CSL). Different liquid-liquid extraction protocols were evaluated obtaining a natural extract, which was able to reduce the surface tension of water by more than 30 units, showing antioxidant activity with an EC50 of 8.51 mg mL-1 and a yield of 6.85 g of extract per kg of CSL. Additionally, it was observed that after liquid-liquid extraction with chloroform, the aqueous phase can be subjected to a hydrothermal treatment, followed by extraction with ethyl acetate, in order to obtain another extract (24.7 g of extract per kg of CSL) with a higher antioxidant capacity (EC50 of 4.02 mg mL-1). In this case the antioxidant extract is composed of protocatechuic acid, vanillic acid, caffeic acid, epicatechin, p-coumaric acid, ferulic acid, sinapic acid and quercetin.The financial support from the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (FEDER funds under the project CTM2015-68904) is acknowledged. L. Rodríguez-López is grateful for her predoctoral fellowship supported by the University of Vigo (Spain); X. Vecino acknowledges the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT, Portugal) for the postdoctoral fellowship (reference SFRH/BPD/101476/2014); and L. Barbosa-Pereira is grateful for her postdoctoral fellowship financed by European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme for Research and Innovation under the Marie Skłodowska Curie grant agreement No. 609402-2020 researchers: Train to Move (T2M)

Adsorption of natural surface active compounds obtained from corn on human hair

In this work, an aqueous solution containing surface-active compounds, extracted from corn steep liquor (CSL), was added to human hair and its adsorption was studied by applying an incomplete factorial design. The independent variables established in the study were temperature (20-50 [degree]C), pH (5-7) and treatment time (2-30 min); whereas the dependent variable studied was the adsorption capacity of hair. It was observed that the adsorption of the biosurfactant onto hair was very fast, occurring few minutes after starting the experiments. The time was, in the range studied, the least significant independent variable while temperature had an important effect on the adsorption of this biosurfactant onto hair. It was observed that the capacity of hair to adsorb the biosurfactant was improved at low temperatures. Moreover, pH had an intermediate significant effect, mainly at middle or high temperatures, meanwhile at low temperatures, the pH, in the range studied, almost did not affect the adsorption process. At the higher concentration of biosurfactant, hair was able to adsorb the biosurfactant with a maximum capacity of 3679 [small mu ]g g-1.This study was supported by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness under the project CTM2015-68904 (FEDER funds). L. Rodríguez-López acknowledges to the University of Vigo (Spain) for her pre-doctoral fellowship, and X. Vecino is grateful for her post-doctoral grant (SFRH/BPD/101476/2014) financed by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT, Portugal)