Understanding space use and movement behavior can benefit conservation and management of species by identifying areas of high importance. However, this can be challenging for highly mobile species, ...especially those which use a wide range of habitats across ontogeny. The Bahamas is hypothesized to be an important area for tiger sharks, but the utility of the area for this species within the broader western North Atlantic is not fully understood. Therefore, we assessed (1) whether the area near Bimini serves as an important pupping location for tiger sharks, (2) their level of residency and site fidelity to the area, and (3) regional dispersal across ontogeny. Frequent captures of young-of-year tiger sharks, as well as ultrasonography showing near-term and recently postpartum females supports the hypothesis that pupping occurs in the area. However, small juveniles had low overall recapture rates and sparse acoustic detections near Bimini, indicating they do not reside in the area for long or may suffer high natural mortality. Large juvenile and sexually mature tiger sharks had higher overall local residency, which increased during cooler water winter months. The probability of dispersal from Bimini increased for larger individuals. Repeated, long-term site fidelity was displayed by some mature females, with several returning to Bimini across multiple years. Satellite tracking showed that tiger sharks extensively used areas outside of The Bahamas, including traveling more than 12,000 km. Together, these results show that Bimini is an important area for tiger sharks, serving as a pupping ground, rather than a nursery ground, a finding which could be incorporated into future conservation and management efforts.
The association between obesity and fracture sites in postmenopausal women has been little studied. We examined the most common types of fractures in obese and overweight postmenopausal women ...compared to subjects with a normal BMI in the FRISBEE study, a cohort of postmenopausal women followed since 9.1 (7.2–10.6) years. Chi-squared tests and logistic regressions were used to compare the percentages of fracture sites in overweight/obese subjects to subjects with a normal BMI. Their mean (± SD) age was 76.7 ± 6.9 years and their mean BMI was 26.4 ± 4.4. Seven hundred seventy-seven subjects suffered at least one validated fragility fracture with a total of 964 fractures in the whole cohort. Subjects with a BMI higher than 25 had significantly more ankle fractures and less pelvic fractures than subjects with a normal BMI (OR 1.63, 95% CI 1.02–2.56,
P
= 0.04 and OR 0.55, 95% CI 0.34–0.89,
P
= 0.01, respectively). There were no significant differences between overweight and obese subjects. Among those older than 75, there were significantly fewer pelvic fractures in overweight/obese subjects (OR 0.49, 95% CI 0.27–0.87,
P
= 0.01), but before 75, ankle fractures were significantly more frequent in overweight/obese subjects than in subjects with a normal BMI (OR 1.89, 95% CI 1.01–3.57,
P
= 0.04). In conclusion, the proportion of ankle and pelvic fractures in obese and overweight subjects differs from that in subjects with a normal BMI, but these differences are age dependent. Fracture prevention strategies should take into account the differential effects of excess weight according to age and the site of fracture.
•A systematic methodology has been followed to construct the Belgian Bone Club 2020 guidelines.•The guideline has been produced taking all management of osteoporosis into account, from screening to ...monitoring.•The BBC 2020 guidelines provide updated algorithms for evidence and consensus-based clinical management of osteoporosis in postmenopausal women.
To provide updated evidence-based guidelines for the management of osteoporosis in postmenopausal women in Belgium.
The Belgian Bone Club (BBC) gathered a guideline developer group. Nine “Population, Intervention, Comparator, Outcome” (PICO) questions covering screening, diagnosis, non-pharmacological and pharmacological treatments, and monitoring were formulated. A systematic search of MEDLINE, the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, and Scopus was performed to find network meta-analyses, meta-analyses, systematic reviews, guidelines, and recommendations from scientific societies published in the last 10 years. Manual searches were also performed. Summaries of evidence were provided, and recommendations were further validated by the BBC board members and other national scientific societies’ experts.
Of the 3840 references in the search, 333 full texts were assessed for eligibility, and 129 met the inclusion criteria. Osteoporosis screening using clinical risk factors should be considered. Patients with a recent (<2 years) major osteoporotic fracture were considered at very high and imminent risk of future fracture. The combination of bone mineral density measured by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry and 10-year fracture risk was used to categorize patients as low or high risk. Patient education, the combination of weight-bearing and resistance training, and optimal calcium intake and vitamin D status were recommended. Antiresorptive and anabolic osteoporosis treatment should be considered for patients at high and very high fracture risk, respectively. Follow-up should focus on compliance, and patient-tailored monitoring should be considered.
BBC guidelines and 25 guideline recommendations bridge the gap between research and clinical practice for the screening, diagnosis, and management of osteoporosis.
This consensus article reviews the various aspects of the non-pharmacological management of osteoporosis, including the effects of nutriments, physical exercise, lifestyle, fall prevention, and hip ...protectors. Vertebroplasty is also briefly reviewed. Non-pharmacological management of osteoporosis is a broad concept. It must be viewed as an essential part of the prevention of fractures from childhood through adulthood and the old age. The topic also includes surgical procedures for the treatment of peripheral and vertebral fractures and the post-fracture rehabilitation. The present document is the result of a consensus, based on a systematic review and a critical appraisal of the literature. Diets deficient in calcium, proteins or vitamin D impair skeletal integrity. The effect of other nutriments is less clear, although an excessive consumption of sodium, caffeine, or fibres exerts negative effects on calcium balance. The deleterious effects of tobacco, excessive alcohol consumption and a low BMI are well accepted. Physical activity is of primary importance to reach optimal peak bone mass but, if numerous studies have shown the beneficial effects of various types of exercise on bone mass, fracture data as an endpoint are scanty. Fall prevention strategies are especially efficient in the community setting, but less evidence is available about their effectiveness in preventing fall-related injuries and fractures. The efficacy of hip protectors remains controversial. This is also true for vertebroplasty and kyphoplasty. Several randomized controlled studies had reported a short-term advantage of vertebroplasty over medical treatment for pain relief, but these findings have been questioned by recent sham-controlled randomized clinical studies.
Summary
Multiple factors increase the risk of an imminent fracture, including a recent fracture, older age, osteoporosis, comorbidities, and the fracture site. These findings could be a first step in ...the development of a model to predict an imminent fracture and select patients most at need of immediate treatment.
Introduction
The risk of a recurrent fragility fracture is maximal during the first 2 years following an incident fracture. In this prospective cohort study, we looked at the incidence of recurrent fractures within 2 years after a first incident fracture and we assessed independent clinical risk factors (CRFs) increasing this imminent fracture risk.
Methods
A total of 3560 postmenopausal women recruited from 2007 to 2013 were surveyed yearly for the occurrence of fragility fractures. We identified patients who sustained a fracture during the first 2 years following a first incident fragility fracture. We quantified the risk of a new fracture and assessed independent CRFs, associated with an imminent fracture at various sites.
Results
A recent fracture was a significant CRF for an imminent fracture (OR (95% CI): 3.7 (2.4–5.7)
p
< 0.0001). The incidence of an imminent fracture was higher in subjects above 80 years (
p
< 0.001). Other CRFs highly predictive in a multivariate analysis were osteoporosis diagnosis (
p
< 0.01), a central fracture as the index fracture (
p
< 0.01), and the presence of comorbidities (
p
< 0.05), with likelihood ratios of 1.9, 1.9, and 2.2, respectively. An imminent fracture was better predicted by a central fracture (
p
< 0.01) than by a major osteoporotic fracture. The hazard ratio was the highest for a central fracture.
Conclusion
In patients with a recent fracture, older age, osteoporosis, comorbidities, and fracture site were associated with an imminent fracture risk. These findings could be a first step in the development of a model to predict an imminent fracture and select patients most at need of immediate and most appropriate treatment.
The Caribbean reef shark (
Carcharhinus perezi
) is an economically important species in The Bahamas, where it is protected from fishing and is a mainstay for the shark dive tourism industry. ...Significant declines in abundance are suspected throughout much of its range, making the study of its life history and spatial ecology important for effective fisheries management and conservation planning. We used tag-recapture data collected in The Bahamas between 2008 and 2020 to investigate the species’ linear movements, population characteristics, life history, and growth. Sharks moved little between tag and recapture events (range: 0 to 8 km) despite multiple years at liberty for many sharks (range: 2 days to 7.1 years). We found no evidence of seasonal migration. We used a combined-sex von Bertalanffy growth function to estimate an asymptotic mean length at age (TL
∞
) of 205.8 cm total length and a growth coefficient (
k
) of 0.06. Theoretical maximum longevity was 43.3 to 57.8 years. Median male length at maturity (L
50
) was 148.9 cm total length (95% CI: 146.1–151.5 cm), which likely occurs around 14.8 years of age. Our results indicate slower growth of the Caribbean reef shark in The Bahamas than previously estimated in Venezuela. Our results suggest the Caribbean reef shark may be more vulnerable to overfishing and extirpation at the northern extent of its range than previously considered and that large no-take areas may be an effective conservation tool for this species.
The aim of the present investigation is to evaluate the influence of the powder size of Cr3C2-25NiCr spraying powder on the fatigue behavior of HVOF-sprayed coating on the ASTM A516 steel substrate. ...Conventional commercial Cr3C2-25NiCr spraying powder was previously treated through high-energy milling. The crystallite sizes of milled powders were measured by X-ray diffraction and transmission electronic microscopy. Three different powder formats of the same Cr3C2-25NiCr composite were subjected to HVOF spraying to produce (i) a Milled-Coating (from high-energy milled spray powder), (ii) an Original-Coating (from conventional commercial spray powder), and (iii) a 50%–50% mixture of both (Milled + Original-Coating). The same spraying conditions were adopted for all the assessed cases. The sprayed coatings were investigated through the Knoop hardness test and SEM-EDS analysis. In addition, 3-point bending fatigue tests were conducted at different stress levels up to 107 cycles. The coating morphology and roughness effects on fatigue behavior were analyzed. The Cr3C2-25NiCr milled coating presented a lower fatigue life above the fatigue limit and a higher fatigue limit than other coatings; this outcome could be attributed to its lower surface roughness and finer grain size microstructure.
Several drugs are available for the management of postmenopausal osteoporosis. This may, in daily practice, confuse the clinician. This manuscript offers an evidence-based update of previous ...treatment guidelines, with a critical assessment of the currently available efficacy data on all new chemical entities which were granted a marketing authorization. Osteoporosis is widely recognized as a major public health concern. The availability of new therapeutic agents makes clinical decision-making in osteoporosis more complex. Nation-specific guidelines are needed to take into consideration the specificities of each and every health care environment. The present manuscript is the result of a National Consensus, based on a systematic review and a critical appraisal of the currently available literature. It offers an evidence-based update of previous treatment guidelines, with the aim of providing clinicians with an unbiased assessment of osteoporosis treatment effect.
The aim of this work was to evaluate the use of mineral coal fly ash as a raw material in the production of ceramic tiles. The samples of fly ash came from Capivari de Baixo, a city situated in the ...Brazilian Federal State of Santa Catarina. The fly ash and the raw materials were characterized regarding their physical chemical properties, and, based on these results; batches containing fly ash and typical raw materials for ceramic tiles were prepared. The fly ash content in the batches varied between 20 and 80
wt%. Specimens were molded using a uniaxial hydraulic press and were fired. All batches containing ash up to 60
wt% present adequate properties to be classified as several kinds of products in the ISO 13006 standard (
ISO, 1998) regarding its different absorption groups (pressed). The results obtained indicate that fly ash, when mixed with traditional raw materials, has the necessary requirements to be used as a raw material for production of ceramic tiles.
PDF
