The growth and yield of mixed-species stands has become an important topic of research since there are certain advantages of this type of forest as regards functions and services. However, the ...concepts and methods used to characterize mixed stands need to be understood, as well as harmonized and standardized. In this review we have compiled a set of measures, indices, and methods at stand level to characterize the structure, dynamics, and productivity of mixed stands, and we discuss the pros and cons of their application in growth and yield studies. Parameters for the characterization of mixed stand structure such as stand density, species composition, horizontal (intermingling) and vertical tree distribution pattern, tree size distribution, and age composition are described, detailing the potential as well as the constraints of these parameters for understanding resource capture, use, and efficiency in mixed stands. Furthermore, a set of stand-level parameters was evaluated to characterize the dynamics of mixed stands, e.g. height growth and space partitioning, self- and alien-thinning, and growth partitioning among trees. The deviations and changes in the behaviour of the analysed parameters in comparison with pure stand conditions due to inter-specific interactions are of particular interest. As regards stand productivity, we reviewed site productivity indices, the growth–density relationship in mixed stands as well as methods to compare productivity in mixed versus monospecific stands. Finally, we discuss the main problems associated with the methodology such as up-scaling from tree to stand level as well as the relevance of standardized measures and methods for improving forest growth and yield research in mixed stands. The main challenges are also outlined, especially the need for qualitatively sound data.
Introduction The variables of aerobic performance and aerobic capacity are of significant importance in maintaining intensity during a fight and also contribute to faster recovery between rounds in ...sports fighting in karate. Anaerobic performance is crucial for the execution of the techniques during high-intensity offensive or defensive actions that determine the outcome of a fight. The objective of this study was to assess the relationship between selected performance indicators of aerobic and anaerobic capacity to sports performance in karate. Methods The study included six male karate athletes (age 28 ± 3 years, body mass 85.10 kg; height 185.5 cm), medalists from European and World championship, events in senior categories. The selection criteria included training experience and sports level. The Karate specific aerobic test (KSAT) was use in conjunction with heart rate monitoring and changes in blood lactate levels to diagnose special aerobic endurance parameters. To determine the level of anaerobic performance the Wingate test were choosed. Technical and tactical indicators (efficiency, effectiveness and activeness of the attack) were used to assess the sports skill level during competition. Results Based on the Spearman correlation coefficient results demonstrated statistically significant differences (r s = −0.81) with large effect size index between efficiency of the attack and average heart rate achieved in the test KSAT. Additionally statistically significant differences (r s = 0.81) with large effect size were demonstrated between the fatigue index and efficiency of the attack Furthermore, the selected indicators of special aerobic endurance parameters and anaerobic performance demonstrated a high degree of predictive validity in relation to the efficiency (r p = 0.960) and activity (r p = 0.927) of attacks. Conclusion The high level of predictive validity confirmed the importance of a high level of anaerobic conditions for performance in karate. The low values of the average heart rate in relation to the efficiency of the attack confirm the high performance level of karate athletes in relation to special aerobic performance parameters. It was found that the effectiveness of the attack had no relation to the monitored parameters.
As several Western Balkans countries aspire to become members of the European Union (EU) in the (near) future, it is interesting to explore to what extent EU territorial trends are adopted in both ...the official national regulations and spatial planning practice. To do so, we: 1) screen EU territorial policies to elucidate the trends and principles of territorial development, 2) analyse the contents of spatial plans in Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina, and 3) compare the practical application of the principles such as decentralisation, diffusion of power, subsidiarity, multi-actorship, synergy, transparency, citizen participation, coordinated action (among various disciplinary bodies), and holistic strategies. The findings show the ineffectiveness of declaratively adopted EU territorial trends against place-based territorial policy approaches.
This brief picture-oriented case report focuses on typical skin lesions in a patient who developed Ecthyma gangrenosum and pseudomonal sepsis after extensive immunosuppressive therapy for Pemphigus ...vulgaris.
The patient was immunosuppressed with high doses of glucocorticoids and azathioprine; the follow-up after the treatment was not carried out well due to the pandemic conditions and because the patient herself got a Covid infection, which resulted in the development of pseudomonal sepsis and Ecthyma gangrenosum. The outcome was fatal despite extensive broad-spectrum antibiotic therapy, plasmapheresis, and intravenous immunoglobulins.
Infections with Pseudomonas aeruginosa have become a real concern in hospital-acquired infections, especially in critically ill and immunocompromised patients, because of multi-drug resistance in the first place.
The aim of this study was to examine the factors affecting oral health status among intellectually disabled individuals in Serbia. The sample population was categorized according to age, sex, living ...arrangements, general health and the level of intellectual disability (ID). The diagnosis of dental caries was performed using the DMFT/dmft criteria. The oral hygiene and gingival health were assessed with the plaque index (Silness&Löe) and gingival index (Löe&Silness), respectively. Descriptive analysis, step-wise and logistic regression were performed to analyze related influential factors for caries presence, number of extracted teeth, teeth restored, the oral hygiene level and the extent of gingival inflammation. Odds ratios for caries were significantly higher among adult persons with ID, in persons with co-occurring developmental disorders (DDS) and increased with the level of ID. Group with DDS was associated with a 1.6 times greater odds of untreated decay, while the institutionalization was associated with 2.4 times greater odds of untreated decay. Institutionalization and co-occurring disabilities have been found to be significantly associated with a higher probability of developing gingivitis. Targeting oral health services to individuals with ID are encouraged and may help to reduce overall negative effect on oral and general health associated with delayed treatments, chronic dental pain, emergency dental care, tooth loss and advanced periodontal disease.
– Background: The aim of this study was to examine factors associated with avulsion injury and to specify the association between these factors and the treatment, as well as the outcomes of avulsed ...permanent incisors in children. Materials and methods: The sample consisted of 51 children with 62 avulsed permanent incisors, whose injuries had been managed in the period 1998–2006. The study was prospective, recording the history of the accident, concomitant injuries, age, gender, apical maturity of the root, replantation rate, storage media, extra‐alveolar duration, endodontic treatment, compliance and recall appointments response. Factors were analysed in relation to postoperative outcomes, classified as functional healing (FH), infection‐related (inflammatory) resorption (IRR) and replacement resorption (RR). Results: The average age of patients was 10.7 years (range 7–19). In 16/51 patients, tooth avulsion was caused by a road traffic accident. Avulsion was accompanied by concomitant injuries in all cases. Thirty of 62 avulsed teeth were not replanted and 32 incisors were replanted after dry storage. Time until replantation ranged between 15 min and 9 h (median 60 min). The observation period ranged from 1 to 6 years (median 2 years). FH was observed in 5/32, IRR in 20/32 and RR in 7/32 incisors. Ten teeth were extracted during 5‐years of observation. Immature incisors exhibited significantly more complications compared with mature teeth (P = 0.04). Storage media and extra‐alveolar duration did not significantly affect the survival of replanted teeth (P = 0.253, P = 0.350). Teeth in which endodontic treatment was in temporary phase exhibited significantly more complications in comparison with teeth with completed endodontic treatment (P = 0.0l6). Conclusion: The combination of delayed replantation and unphysiological storage is followed by low survival. Incisors with open apices exhibited lower survival compared with incisors with closed apices. Replanted incisors that required prolonged treatment with calcium hydroxide exhibited more complications compared with incisors with completed root canal treatment.
There is a high risk of GVHD and non-relapse mortality (NRM) after allogeneic stem cell transplantations (alloSCT) from unrelated donors. Prophylaxis with rabbit anti-thymocyte globulin (rATG) is ...standard in Europe but post-transplantation Cyclophosphamide (PTCy) is an emerging alternative. We analyzed outcomes of rATG (n = 7725) vs. PTCy (n = 1039) prophylaxis in adult patients with hematologic malignancies undergoing peripheral blood alloSCT from 10/10 antigen-matched unrelated donors (MUD) between January 2018 and June 2021 in the EBMT database. The provided P-values and hazard ratios (HR) are derived from multivariate analysis. Two years after alloSCT, NRM in the PTCy group was 12.1% vs. 16.4% in the rATG group; p = 0.016; HR 0.72. Relapse was less frequent after PTCy vs. rATG (22.8% vs. 26.6%; p = 0.046; HR 0.87). Overall survival after PTCy was higher (73.1% vs. 65.9%; p = 0.001, HR 0.82). Progression free survival was better after PTCy vs. rATG (64.9% vs. 57.2%; p < 0.001, HR 0.83). The incidence of chronic GVHD was lower after PTCy (28.4% vs. rATG 31.4%; p = 0.012; HR 0.77), whereas the incidence and severity of acute GVHD were not significantly different. GVHD-free relapse-free survival was significantly higher in the PTCy arm compared to the rATG arm (2 y incidence: 51% vs. 45%; HR: 0.86 95% CI 0.75-0.99, p = 0.035). In the absence of evidence from randomized controlled trials, our findings support a preference for the use of PTCy in adult recipients of peripheral blood alloSCTs from MUD.
•Congenital myotonic dystrophy type 1 (CMD1) is a rare neuromuscular disease.•CDM1 is characterized by neonatal hypotonia, weakness, feeding and respiratory difficulties.•Many CMD1 patients suffer ...from hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy (HIE).•HIE, preterm delivery, resuscitation and hypothermia treatment are poor prognostic factors for survival.•Respiratory insufficiency is the main life-threatening factor in CDM1.
Congenital myotonic dystrophy type 1 (CDM1) is a rare neuromuscular disease. The aim of our study was to evaluate clinical variability of CDM1 and factors that may influence survival in CDM1. Research included 24 pediatric patients with CDM1. Most of our patients had some form of hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) (74 %), from mild to severe. Prolonged and complicated deliveries (75 %), high percentage of children resuscitated at birth (57 %) and respiratory insufficiency (46 %) with consequent hypoxia were the main reasons that could explain high percentage of HIE. Therapeutic hypothermia was applied in three children with poor outcome. Median survival of all CDM1 was 14.2 ± 1.5 years. Six patients had a fatal outcome (25 %). Their mean age of death was 3.0 ± 2.8 years. Poor prognostic factors for the survival of our CDM1 patients were: preterm delivery, resuscitation at birth, severe HIE, hypothermia treatment and permanent mechanical ventilation. Respiratory insufficiency was the main life-threatening factor. Our data clearly indicates the need to develop natural history studies in CDM1 in order to enhance the standards of care and to develop clinical trials investigating causative therapies in pediatric patients with CDM1.
Tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) have rapidly become an established factor in oncology, and have been shown to be effective in a wide variety of solid and hematologic malignancies. Use of the oral ...administration route of TKIs offers flexibility and is convenient for the patient; however, despite these advantages, the oral route of administration also causes a highly relevant new problem. Acid-inhibitory drugs, such as proton pump inhibitors (PPIs), increase the intragastric pH, which may subsequently decrease TKI solubility, bioavailability, and treatment efficacy. Clear and practical advice on how to manage PPI use during TKI therapy is currently not available in the literature. Since PPIs are extensively used during TKI therapy, prescribers are presented with a big dilemma as to whether or not to continue the combined treatment, resulting in patients possibly being deprived of optimal therapy. When all pharmacological characteristics and data of either TKIs and PPIs are considered, practical and safe advice on how to manage this drug combination can be given.
BackgroundChronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (CIDP) can be treated with corticosteroids or intravenous immunoglobulins. Various corticosteroid regimens are currently used in CIDP, but ...it is unknown whether they are equally efficacious. In this retrospective study, we compared efficacy and safety of three corticosteroid regimens in CIDP patients.MethodsWe included treatment naïve patients that fulfilled the EFNS/PNS criteria for CIDP. Patients were treated with corticosteroids according to the local protocol of three CIDP expertise centres. Corticosteroid regimens consisted of daily oral prednisolone, pulsed oral dexamethasone, or pulsed intravenous methylprednisolone. Outcomes were number of responders to treatment, remission rate of treatment responders, overall probability of 5-year remission, and the occurrence of adverse events.ResultsA total of 125 patients were included. Sixty-seven (54%) patients received daily prednisone or prednisolone, 37 (30%) pulsed dexamethasone, and 21 (17%) pulsed intravenous methylprednisolone. Overall, 60% (95% CI 51–69%) responded to corticosteroids, with no significant difference between the three treatment regimens (p = 0.56). From the 75 responders, 61% (95% CI 50–73%) remained in remission, during a median follow-up of 55 months (range 1–197 months). The probability of responders reaching 5-year remission was 55% (95% Cl 44–70%), with no difference between the three groups. Adverse events leading to a change in treatment occurred in ten patients (8%). Two patients had a serious adverse event.ConclusionCorticosteroids lead to improvement in 60% of patients and to remission in 61% of treatment responders. There were no differences between treatment modalities in terms of efficacy and safety.
PDF
