Mutagenicity assessment of aerosols in emissions from wood combustion

Mestrado em Estudos AmbientaisPolycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) extracts of PM2.5 collected from combustion of seven wood species and briquettes were tested for mutagenic activities using Ames test with Salmonella typhimurium TA98 and TA100. The woods werePinuspinaster (maritime pine), Eucalyptus globulus (eucalypt), Quercussuber (cork oak), Acacia longifolia (golden wattle), Quercusfaginea (Portuguese oak), Oleaeuropea (olive), and Quercus ilex rotundifolia (Holm oak). Burning experiments were done using woodstove and fireplace, hot start and cold start. A mutagenic/weak mutagenic response was recorded for all species except golden wattle. The extracts with indirect acting mutagenicity were mainly obtained from fireplace and cold start conditions. The strong mutagenic extracts were not correlated with high emission factors of carcinogenic PAHs. Several samples were weak mutagens at low concentration of PAHs. The negative result recorded for the golden wattle extracts is positive since after confirmation, this species can be recommended for domestic use.(FCT) - PTDC/AMB/65706/2006 (BIOEMI

Dual Antiplatelet Therapy With Ticagrelor vs Clopidogrel in Patients With Acute Coronary Syndrome

Background: Dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) is an effective secondary prevention and an essential component of treatment after patients suffering from acute coronary syndrome (ACS). Recently, clinicians rapidly switched to DAPT with ticagrelor as the preferred treatment option after it was introduced in 2011. Compared to clopidogrel, ticagrelor is not a prodrug and does not require metabolic activation to inhibit the platelet P2Y12 receptor. It is the first reversible oral P2Y12 receptor antagonist; and its effect on platelet inhibition is more pronounced compared to clopidogrel. Purpose: The purpose of this comprehensive review was to evaluate the efficacy and safety data of ticagrelor when compared with clopidogrel in ACS patients. Methods: A comprehensive literature review was conducted using Tripdatabases and Pubmed search engines was searched through June 2022 using the terms: “dual antiplatelet therapy,” “antiplatelet monotherapy,” “ticagrelor vs clopidogrel,” “reduce recurrent atherothrombotic events,” “cardiovascular adverse events,” “coronary heart disease,” “acute coronary syndrome,” “myocardial infarction.” Inclusion criteria were recently published studies (at least 15 studies within the last five years from the day this review was performed) comparing the efficacy of ticagrelor with clopidogrel or placebo. The type of trials could be retrospective studies or prospective randomized controlled studies with complete data and reportable clinical outcomes. Exclusion criteria were case reports, repeated publications, animal experiments, and studies that were poorly designed with errors, incomplete data, or without clinical outcomes. Conclusions: Through the literature review from many blinded, randomized controlled trials and studies, ticagrelor has successfully shown its superior efficacy in reducing the rate of cardiovascular adverse events in ACS patients and shown no significant difference in the rate of major bleeding between ticagrelor and clopidogrel

EDUCATION ABOUT RESPONSIBILITY FOR STUDENTS TOWARDS THE SACRED SOVEREIGNTY OF ISLANDS IN VIETNAM

The sea and islands of Vietnam are a sacred part of the homeland. Through thousands of years of history, the sea and islands in the mind of the Vietnamese people are the country, the life in which many generations and ancients poured blood and sacrifice their lives to build, preserve and develop. In recent years, the East Sea issue is under very complicated disputes that directly affect the sovereignty of the sea and islands of Vietnam. Communist Party and the State of Vietnam consistently affirmed: Vietnam is a sovereign, territorial integrity country, including the sea and islands, is sacred and inviolable. The protection of sovereignty over the sea and islands is a key task, which is the responsibility of the entire Party, the entire citizens, and the entire army; among all residents, young generation and students are important forces. Therefore, we need to promote the solidarity strength of the entire nation including the political system, and the young generation is the core force in the defense of sea and island sovereignty of the country

Implicitly estimating the cost of mental illness in Australia: a standard-of-living approach

Background Estimating the costs of mental illness provides useful policy and managerial information to improve the quality of life of people living with a mental illness and their families. Objective This paper estimates the costs of mental health in Australia using the standard-of-living approach. Methods The cost of mental illness was estimated implicitly using a standard of living approach. We analyse data from 16 waves of the Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia Survey (HILDA) using 209,871 observations. Unobserved heterogeneity was mitigated using an extended random-effects estimator. Results The equivalised disposable income of people with mental illness, measured by a self-reported mental health condition, needs to be 50% higher to achieve a similar living standard as those without a mental illness. The cost estimates vary considerably with measures of mental illness and standard of living. An alternative measure of mental illness using the first quintile of the SF-36 mental health score distribution resulted in an increase of estimated costs to 80% equivalised disposable income. Conclusion People with mental illness need to increase equivalised disposable income, which includes existing financial supports, by 50%-80% to achieve a similar level of financial satisfaction as those without a mental illness. The cost estimate can be substantially higher if the overall life satisfaction is used to proxy for standard of living

Are population and international trade the main factors for environmental damage in China?

This paper investigates whether population and international trade, along with energy consumption, are the main factors for environmental damage in China during the period 1971-2011. The stationary analysis is examined by the Zivot–Andrews unit root test and the ARDL bounds testing approach is used for a long run relationship between the series in the presence of structural breaks. The causality between CO2 emissions, energy consumption, economic growth, population and international trade is examined by the VECM Granger causality technique. Our results show that the selected variables are cointegrated; it means that the long run relationship exists in the presence of structural breaks. The empirical findings indicate that in long run, energy consumption and population increase CO2 emissions, while in short run, energy consumption and international trade decrease CO2 emissions. The VECM causality analysis shows that CO2 emissions Granger cause energy consumption, while energy consumption and population Granger cause trade. The VECM analysis also indicates the feedback hypothesis between trade and CO2 emissions. Policy recommendations are made following the obtained results

Are population and international trade the main factors for environmental damage in China?

This paper investigates whether population and international trade, along with energy consumption, are the main factors for environmental damage in China during the period 1971-2011. The stationary analysis is examined by the Zivot–Andrews unit root test and the ARDL bounds testing approach is used for a long run relationship between the series in the presence of structural breaks. The causality between CO2 emissions, energy consumption, economic growth, population and international trade is examined by the VECM Granger causality technique. Our results show that the selected variables are cointegrated; it means that the long run relationship exists in the presence of structural breaks. The empirical findings indicate that in long run, energy consumption and population increase CO2 emissions, while in short run, energy consumption and international trade decrease CO2 emissions. The VECM causality analysis shows that CO2 emissions Granger cause energy consumption, while energy consumption and population Granger cause trade. The VECM analysis also indicates the feedback hypothesis between trade and CO2 emissions. Policy recommendations are made following the obtained results