Predictors of post-operative mortality following treatment for non-ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm

The aim of this prospective study of patients undergoing repair of non-ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm between 1999 and 2003 was to evaluate and compare risk factors for mortality after surgery, to determine a complex of informative factors for lethal outcome, and to define patient risk groups. Logistic regression analysis revealed a complex of informative factors, including female gender, previous myocardial infarction, age greater than 75 years, and clinical course of abdominal aortic aneurysm as important indicators for lethal outcome. A risk score model identified low-, moderate- and high-risk groups with mortality rates of 2.9%, 8.0% and 44.4%, respectively

Seasonal and interannual effects of hypoxia on fish habitat quality in central Lake Erie

1. Hypoxia occurs seasonally in many stratified coastal marine and freshwater ecosystems when bottom dissolved oxygen (DO) concentrations are depleted below 2–3 mg O 2  L −1 .2. We evaluated the effects of hypoxia on fish habitat quality in the central basin of Lake Erie from 1987 to 2005, using bioenergetic growth rate potential (GRP) as a proxy for habitat quality. We compared the effect of hypoxia on habitat quality of (i) rainbow smelt, Osmerus mordax mordax Mitchill (young-of-year, YOY, and adult), a cold-water planktivore, (ii) emerald shiner, Notropis atherinoides Rafinesque (adult), a warm-water planktivore, (iii) yellow perch, Perca flavescens Mitchill (YOY and adult), a cool-water benthopelagic omnivore and (iv) round goby Neogobius melanostomus Pallas (adult) a eurythermal benthivore. Annual thermal and DO profiles were generated from 1D thermal and DO hydrodynamics models developed for Lake Erie’s central basin.3. Hypoxia occurred annually, typically from mid-July to mid-October, which spatially and temporally overlaps with otherwise high benthic habitat quality. Hypoxia reduced the habitat quality across fish species and life stages, but the magnitude of the reduction varied both among and within species because of the differences in tolerance to low DO levels and warm-water temperatures.4. Across years, trends in habitat quality mirrored trends in phosphorus concentration and water column oxygen demand in central Lake Erie. The per cent reduction in habitat quality owing to hypoxia was greatest for adult rainbow smelt and round goby (mean: −35%), followed by adult emerald shiner (mean: −12%), YOY rainbow smelt (mean: −10%) and YOY and adult yellow perch (mean: −8.5%).5. Our results highlight the importance of differential spatiotemporally interactive effects of DO and temperature on relative fish habitat quality and quantity. These effects have the potential to influence the performance of individual fish species as well as population dynamics, trophic interactions and fish community structure.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/79212/1/j.1365-2427.2010.02504.x.pd

Suitability of Laurentian Great Lakes for invasive species based on global species distribution models and local habitat

Efficient management and prevention of species invasions requires accurate prediction of where species of concern can arrive and persist. Species distribution models provide one way to identify potentially suitable habitat by developing the relationship between climate variables and species occurrence data. However, these models when applied to freshwater invasions are complicated by two factors. The first is that the range expansions that typically occur as part of the invasion process violate standard species distribution model assumptions of data stationarity. Second, predicting potential range of freshwater aquatic species is complicated by the reliance on terrestrial climate measurements to develop occurrence relationships for species that occur in aquatic environments. To overcome these obstacles, we combined a recently developed algorithm for species distribution modeling—range bagging—with newly available aquatic habitat‐specific information from the North American Great Lakes region to predict suitable habitat for three potential invasive species: golden mussel, killer shrimp, and northern snakehead. Range bagging may more accurately predict relative suitability than other methods because it focuses on the limits of the species environmental tolerances rather than central tendency or “typical” cases. Overlaying the species distribution model output with aquatic habitat‐specific data then allowed for more specific predictions of areas with high suitability. Our results indicate there is suitable habitat for northern snakehead in the Great Lakes, particularly shallow coastal habitats in the lower four Great Lakes where literature suggests they will favor areas of wetland and submerged aquatic vegetation. These coastal areas also offer the highest suitability for golden mussel, but our models suggest they are marginal habitats. Globally, the Great Lakes provide the closest match to the currently invaded range of killer shrimp, but they appear to pose an intermediate risk to the region. Range bagging provided reliable predictions when assessed either by a standard test set or by tests for spatial transferability, with golden mussel being the most difficult to accurately predict. Our approach illustrates the strength of combining multiple sources of data, while reiterating the need for increased measurement of freshwater habitat at high spatial resolutions to improve the ability to predict potential invasive species.Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/137744/1/ecs21883-sup-0001-AppendixS1.pdfhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/137744/2/ecs21883.pdfhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/137744/3/ecs21883_am.pd

Climate Change Impacts on Groundwater and Dependent Ecosystems - in press

[EN] Aquifers and groundwater-dependent ecosystems (GDEs) are facing increasing pressure from water consumption, irrigation and climate change. These pressures modify groundwater levels and their temporal patterns and threaten vital ecosystem services such as arable land irrigation and ecosystem water requirements, especially during droughts. This review examines climate change effects on groundwater and dependent ecosystems. The mechanisms affecting natural variability in the global climate and the consequences of climate and land use changes due to anthropogenic influences are summarised based on studies from different hydrogeological strata and climate zones. The impacts on ecosystems are discussed based on current findings on factors influencing the biodiversity and functioning of aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems. The influence of changes to groundwater on GDE biodiversity and future threats posed by climate change is reviewed, using information mainly from surface water studies and knowledge of aquifer and groundwater ecosystems. Several gaps in research are identified. Due to lack of understanding of several key processes, the uncertainty associated with management techniques such as numerical modelling is high. The possibilities and roles of new methodologies such as indicators and modelling methods are discussed in the context of integrated groundwater resources management. Examples are provided of management impacts on groundwater, with recommendations on sustainable management of groundwaterThe preparation of this review was partly funded by EC 7th framework Project GENESIS (Contract Number 226536).Klove, B.; Ala-Aho, P.; Bertrand, G.; Gurdak, JJ.; Kupfersberger, H.; Kværner, J.; Muotka, T.... (2014). Climate Change Impacts on Groundwater and Dependent Ecosystems - in press. Journal of Hydrology. 518(Part B):250-266. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhydrol.2013.06.037S250266518Part

The comparison of dendrometric parameters and radial increments of scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) and norway spruse (Picea abies L. Karst.) in pure and mixed forest stands

Magistro darbe nagrinėjama medyno rūšinės sudėties įtaka paprastosios pušies (Pinus sylvestris L.) ir paprastosios eglės (Picea abies L. Karst.) medžių dendrometriniams parametrams ir radialiesiams prieaugiams. Tyrimo objektas: - Paprastosios pušies ir paprastosios eglės medžiai, augantys grynuose ir mišriuose medynuose Jonavos, Kazlų Rūdos ir Prienų rajonuose. Darbo metodai: - Atsižvelgiant į medyno rūšinę sudėtį, lyginti medžių dendrometrinius parametrus ir radialiųjų prieaugių dėsningumus. Lyginami dendrometriniai parametrai: medžių skersmuo, aukštis, aukščio/skersmens santykis, lajos aukščio nuo medžio aukščio proporcija, lajos projekcijos plotas. Eksperimentinės medžiagos rinkimas, gręžinių paruošimas metinių rievių analizei, medžių metinių rievių matavimas. Surinkti duomenys buvo susisteminti, vėliau analizuojami naudojant Microsoft Excel ir Statistica programinę įrangą. Analizės metu naudotas ANOVA statistinės analizės modelis. Tyrimo rezultatai atskleidė, kad grynuose eglynuose vidutinis medžių skersmuo, aukštis ir lajos projekcijos plotas buvo didesni nei mišriuose medynuose. Mišriuose medynuose didesnis buvo eglių aukščio / skersmens santykis, lajos ir medžio aukščio proporcija. Tarp pušų dendrometrinių charakteristikų skirtumai buvo mažesni nei tarp eglių. Statistiškai patikimas skirtumas tarp pušų pastebėtas tik šis: pušynuose lajos aukščio nuo medžio aukščio proporcija yra didesnė nei mišriuose medynuose. Analizuojant radialiųjų prieaugių dėsningumus pastebėta, kad didžiausi eglių prieaugiai atitinkamais augimo metais nustatyti grynuose eglynuose. Pušų augimo į skersmenį dinamika grynuose ir mišriuose medynuose nesiskyrė. Mišriuose medynuose pušys į skersmenį priauga daugiau negu eglės. Didžiausi eglių radialieji prieaugiai nustatyti joms esant 9 – 10 metų amžiaus grynuose medynuose, o pušų – joms esant 6 – 7 metų amžiaus, mišriuose medynuose. Visuose trijuose tyrimo regionuose mišrūs medynai pasižymėjo didžiausiu tūriu, o gryni pušynai mažiausiu.In this master thesis we evaluated the effect of stand composition on dendrometric parameters and radial increments of Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) and Norway spruce (Picea abies L. Karst.). Research object: - Scots pine and Norway spruce trees, growing in pure and mixed forest stands of Jonava, Kazlų Rūda and Prienai regions. Research methods: - The comparison of dendrometric parameters and radial increments, regarding the stand composition. We compared the following parameters: tree diameter, height, height/diameter ratio, crown proportion, crown projection size. The research methods included field measurements of above mentioned parameters, treering sampling, tree-ring measurements. The collected data were analyzed using Microsoft Excel and Statistica software. For the analysis we applied ANOVA method. The results of our research showed, that in pure spruce stands the average tree diameter, height and crown size were bigger, than in mixed stands. The height/diameter ratio and crown proportion of spruce trees were bigger in mixed stands. For the pine trees the differences were smaller, than for the spruce trees. Statistically significant difference could be observed only in one case: bigger crown proportion in pure pine stands. The biggest radial increments of spruce trees could be observed in pure spruce stands. The increment dynamics of pine trees was the same both in pure and mixed stands. In mixed stands the radial increments of pine trees were bigger, than those of spruce trees. The biggest radial increments of spruce trees were noticed in the age of 9-10 years in pure stands, and of pine trees – in the age of 6-7 years in mixed stands. In all three research regions mixed stands had the biggest volume, and pure pine stands – smallest volume.Miškų ir ekologijos fakultetasMiško biologijos ir miškininkystės instituta

The comparison of dendrometric parameters of scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) and norway spruce (Picea abies L. karst) trees, growing in mixed and pure stands

Šiomis dienomis vis labiau populiarėja mišrių miškų auginimas. Mišrieji medynai turėtų būti pranašesni už grynuosius atsparumo, tvarumo ir produktyvumo atžvilgiu (Jactel ir kt., 2017; Pretzsch et al., 2017). Todėl svarbu ištirti mūsų pagrindinių medžių rūšių augimo ypatybes ir produktyvumą mišriuose medynuose. Mūsų tyrimo tikslas buvo palyginti pagrindinius paprastosios pušies (Pinus sylvestris L.) ir paprastosios eglės (Picea abies L. Karst.) medžių, augančių grynuose ir mišriuose medynuose, dendromentrinius parametrus. Tyrimas atliktas 2018-2019 metais grynuose ir mišriuose Paprastosios pušies ir Paprastosios eglės medynuose, esančiuose VĮ Valstybinių miškų urėdijos Dubravos, Kazlų Rūdos ir Prienų regioniniuose padaliniuose. Tyrimo rezultatai parodė, kad grynuose eglynuose vidutinis medžių skersmuo, aukštis ir lajos plotas buvo didesni nei mišriuose medynuose. Mišriuose medynuose didesnis buvo eglių aukščio / skersmens santykis bei lajos aukščio proporcija. Tarp pušų skirtumai buvo mažesni nei tarp eglių. Vieninteliai statistiškai patikimi skirtumai pastebėti grynuose pušies medynuose, kuriuose didesnė yra lajos aukščio proporcija nei mišriuose, o mišriuose didesnis yra skersmenų skirtumas. Apibendrinant rezultatus galime teigti, kad paprastoji eglė yra jautresnė mišrinimui nei paprastoji pušisNowadays we can clearly notice, that the priority, given to the mixed forests is rapidly rising. Mixed stands are supposed to be superior to pure stands in terms of resistance, resilience and productivity (Jactel et al., 2017; Pretzsch et al., 2017). Thus, it is important to investigate the growth and productivity of the main tree species in the conditions of mixed stands. The aim of our research was to compare the main dendromentric parameters of Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) and Norway spruce (Picea abies L. Karst.) in pure and mixed stands. The research was performed in 2018-2019 in pure and mixed Scots pine and Norway spruce stands of Dubrava, Kazlų Rūda and Prienai regional branches of Lithuanian State Forest Enterprise. The results of our study showed, that in pure spruce stands average tree diameters, heights and crown areas were bigger, than in mixed stands. Height/diameter ratio and crown proportion of spruce trees were bigger in mixed stands. For the pine trees the differences were smaller, than for the spruce trees. The only statistically significant differences could be noted for the crown proportion, which was bigger in pure pine stands and tree diametres difference which was bigger in mixed pine stands. Summarizing the results, we can state, that Norway spruce is more sensitive to mixing, than Scots pineMiškų ir ekologijos fakultetasVytauto Didžiojo universiteta

Kada taurieji elniai riaumoja labiausiai

Vytauto Didžiojo universitetasŽemės ūkio akademij

Lėtinio venų nepakankamumo ir jo klinikių simptomų gydymas venotoniku Cyclo 3 Fort

Sigitas Urbonavičius, Mindaugas Trumpickas, Arūnas GrinkevičiusKauno medicinos universiteto Kardiochirurgijos klinikosAngiochirurgijos skyrius, Eivenių g. 2, LT-50009 KaunasEl. paštas: [email protected], [email protected] Tikslas Įvertinti Cyclo 3 Fort poveikį, gydant lėtinį venų nepakankamumą ir jo klinikinius simptomus. Ligoniai ir metodai Cyclo 3 Fort yra palyginti neseniai Lietuvoje pasirodęs preparatas, kuris susideda iš Ruscus aculeatus ekstrakto, flavonoido hesperidino bei askorbo rūgšties. Užsienyje jis gerai įvertintas gydant galūnių edemą, kai ji atsiranda dėl venostazės ar limfostazės. Pateikiama retrospektyvinė 35 ligonių tyrimo duomenų analizė. Dvidešimt ligonių keturias savaites buvo gydomi Cyclo 3 Fort (po 2 kapsules per dieną), o kiti 15 jokių venotonikų nevartojo. Kojos edema buvo vertinama matuojant blauzdos ir kulkšnies perimetrą bei tūrio kitimus. Skausmas ir galūnės diskomfortas buvo vertintas pagal sudarytą klausimyną. Rezultatai Šio tyrimo rezultatai parodė, kad po 4 savaičių ligoniams, kurie vartojo Cyclo 3 Fort, visi tirtieji veiksniai (kojos edema, skausmas, dienos ir nakties mėšlungis, diskomfortas, kojų sunkumas, parestezijos) buvo ženkliai mažesni negu jokių venotonikų nevartojusiems ir tik veninę kraujotaką gerinančius fizinius pratimus dariusiems ligoniams. Išvados Venotonikas Cyclo 3 Fort ženkliai mažina kojos edemą bei lėtinio venų nepakankamumo klinikinius simptomus. Reikšminiai žodžiai: lėtinis venų nepakankamumas, kojos edema, venotonikai The treatment of chronic venous insufficiency and it’s clinical symptoms with phflebotonic Cyclo 3 Fort Sigitas Urbonavičius, Mindaugas Trumpickas, Arūnas Grinkevičius Objective To evaluate the effectiveness of the phlebotonic Cyclo 3 Fort for the outpatient treatment of chronic venous insufficiency and its clinical symptoms. Patients and methods Cyclo 3 Fort is a quite new in Lithuania composite medicine containing Ruscus aculeatus, hesperidin and ascorbic acid. In some western countries it had a good approvement in the treatment of leg edema. There are retrospective data on 35 patients with chronic venous insufficiency (CVI). Twenty patients were treated with Cyclo 3 Fort for 4 weeks, and the other 15 patients for various reasons underwent physical examinations for venous circulation improvement in the same period. Leg edema was assessed by measuring the calf and ankle perimeters. Pain and leg discomfort was estimated by asking special questions. Results After four weeks all the study parameters (edema of legs, day and night cramps, discomfort, heaviness and parasthesias) were significantly better in the Cyclo 3 Fort group vs. the control group. Conclusion The use of phlebotonic Cyclo 3 Fort statistically significantly reduced the volume of the legs and symptoms of CVI. Keywords: chronic venous insufficiency, phlebotonics, oedema of the le

Association of pre-season musculoskeletal screening and functional testing with sports injuries in elite female basketball players

Basketball is one of the most popular sports in Lithuania, and participation in women's basketball is on the rise. Pre-participation examinations, including musculoskeletal screening and functional performance testing, is an essential part of a multidisciplinary approach to prevent future injuries. Because the lower extremities are the most commonly-injured body area in basketball players. Assessing fundamental movement qualities is of utmost importance. The aim of our study was to determine if functional tests can predict sports injuries in elite female basketball players. A total of 351 records for professional female basketball players were screened during 2013-2016 season. We analysed functional characteristics before the season and used functional performance tests for injury risk assessment: the Functional Movement Screen (FMS), the lower quarter Y Balance test (YBT-LQ) and the Landing Error Scoring System (LESS). Data from 169 players' records were analysed: 77 of them made it to the end of season without injury, making up the non-injured group, while 92 of them suffered lower limb sport injuries during the sport season (injury group). Student's t-test and the Mann-Whitney U-test were used to determine differences between groups. The most commonly encountered sports injuries in our population were those of knee 40.2% and ankle 38%. The injury group had a lower total FMS score (p = 0.0001) and higher total LESS score (p = 0.028) than non-injury group. The dynamic balance of lower limbs was similar in both groups. Imperfect functional movement patterns and poor jump-landing biomechanics during pre-season screening were associated with lower extremity injuries in elite female basketball players. Impairments of dynamic stability in the lower extremities were not associated with injury rates in our population. A combination of functional tests can be used for injury risk evaluation in female basketball players

Impact of intensive and traditional rehabilitation on quadriceps strength after anterior cruciate ligament reconstructive surgery

After knee anterior cruciate ligament reconstructive surgery, the recovery of the former level of physical activity takes from 3 to 12 months. Such a wide range of recovery period of physical activity suggests that rehabilitation in most cases is not optimal. According to the majority of authors, after the surgery, a patient can resume intensive physical activity, when the difference in muscle strength between the operated lower extremity and another extremity is not greater than 10–15%. The aim of this study was to compare the impact of intensive and normal rehabilitations on the recovery of knee extensor muscle strength after the surgery. Material and methods. A total of 40 patients were enrolled in this study. The subjects were divided into two groups. Both groups were engaged in physical activity. The mean age of patients (16 men and 4 women) in the first group at the time of surgery was 26.4±8.1 years, mean height – 179.8±8.5 cm, and mean weight – 76.0±14.0 kg. An intensive rehabilitation was applied for the first group of the patients studied. The second group consisted of 13 men and 7 women who were engaged in moderate physical activity. Their mean age at the time of surgery was 27.0±9.3 years, mean height – 173.2±6.2 cm, and mean weight – 71.0±9.0 kg. A traditional rehabilitation was applied to this group. Muscle strength was measured in the patients of both groups studied approximately 5.2 months following surgery using the Biodex isokinetic dynamometer. Results. The patients undergoing an intensive rehabilitation achieved higher levels of knee extensor muscle strength than those patients undergoing a traditional rehabilitation program. Applying an aggressive rehabilitation program, knee extensor muscles recover more quickly than using a traditional rehabilitation program. The comparison of intensive and traditional rehabilitation programs applied to the operated and unoperated lower extremities has shown that the indexes [...]