Abstract Introduction The association regarding the exposure to pets, especially cats and dogs, and the prevalence of allergic diseases is inconsistent. Objective We analyzed the role played by early ...exposure to dogs or cats in the prevalence of allergic diseases amongst school-aged children. Method Through a cross-sectional study, we examined 756 children, aged 6–7; these candidates were selected through cluster sampling. We inquired about the exposure that these children had had to dogs and cats, and whether these pets spent most of their time indoors or outdoors during the first year of the child's life. In order to identify the prevalence of allergic diseases and their symptoms, each child's parent completed the International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood questionnaire. Results Exposure to outdoor dogs was associated to nocturnal coughing, odds ratio (OR) 0.64, with a confidence interval of 95% (95% CI) 0.43–0.95 and with atopic dermatitis (OR: 0.39; 95% CI: 0.20–0.76). Interestingly, exposure to outdoor cats was associated to nocturnal coughing (OR: 0.51; 95% CI: 0.32–0.83) and current rhinitis symptoms (OR: 0.59; 95% CI 0.36–0.97). After carrying out the multivariate analyses, only exposure to dogs, both indoor and outdoor, was significantly associated to a decrease in the prevalence of atopic dermatitis OR 0.40 (95% CI: 0.20–0.79) and OR 0.38 (95% CI: 0.18–0.83), respectively. Conclusion Our findings suggest that exposure to dogs, whether they be indoor or outdoor pets, is associated to a decreased prevalence in atopic dermatitis.
•We present evidence from Mexico on using payments for ecosystems services (PES) to achieve ecosystems-based adaptation (EBA).•PES helped achieve EBA objectives in specific, small-scale ...conditions.•At a (slightly) larger scale, using PES as a vehicle for EBA entailed trade-offs.•EBA thinking could fruitfully engage more with political ecology and the politics of adaptation.
This paper scrutinises claims made about the promise and efficacy of ecosystems-based adaptation (EBA), through an exploration of EBA-relevant interventions in two fieldsites in Mexico. Our data starts to fill important gaps in current global debates about EBA. We find evidence of the important contribution of interventions relevant to EBA objectives at a small scale and under very specific conditions. However, the viability of similar interventions is substantially reduced, and arguably rendered null, as an incentive for conservation in a more populous fieldsites. Furthermore, evidence suggests that other adaptation options risked being overlooked if the context were viewed solely through the lens of EBA. We conclude that EBA needs to: a) engage with and address the trade-offs which characterised earlier attempts to integrate conservation and development, and; b) acknowledge the implications for its objectives of a globally predominant, neoliberal political economy.
The combination of first‐row transition compounds or nanoparticles with silica‐based supports offers a great possibility for catalyst design. In particular, iron, cobalt and nickel‐based materials ...rise in attention due to their availability, low cost and interesting reactivity, enabling transformations that are not possible with noble metals. Different support strategies exist where mesoporous silica‐based supports are of particular interest due to their morphology and stability. Their high surface area, tunable pore size and volume and both, thermal and chemical stability, are of great interest in terms of catalyst adsorption and reactants diffusion. The state of the art on the catalyzed transformations to attain fine chemicals is nowadays explored from a sustainable point of view. However, up to now, it is difficult to predict or understand the key features in silica supported first‐row transition metals‐based catalyst, despite the fact that there are widely applied. The rational tailoring of nanosized materials immobilized on silica‐based supports and their application in catalysis requires to be reviewed.
Non‐Precious Metal Catalysts: Silica‐supported 1st row transition metal catalysts are suitable materials for the formation of fine chemicals including the valorization of biomass derivatives. The synergy between support and metal (nano)catalyst allows to obtain materials with adequate morphology, stability and interesting reactivity, at low costs. Herein, the rational design and tuning of those materials and their applications in biomass transformations are reviewed.
Atrial septostomy (AS) is a palliative treatment for right ventricular failure from severe pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). We sought to investigate the effect of AS, alone or combined with ...PAH-specific pharmacotherapy, on the survival of patients with PAH. We performed a retrospective analysis of the functional and haemodynamic changes in patients with PAH following AS, and long-term survival characteristics for the whole group and separately for the subgroup who received post-procedural pharmacotherapy. 50 procedures performed in 34 patients (mean ± SD age 35 ± 10 yrs) resulted in haemodynamic and symptomatic improvement in most of the patients. Only one (2%) procedure-related death occurred. Due to spontaneous closure of the defect, AS was repeated in 10 patients. In 21 patients, AS was the only form of treatment, while 11 received additional pharmacotherapy after AS. During follow-up (58.5 ± 38 months), 21 patients died; median survival of the group was 60 months (95% CI 43-77 months). Median survival for patients on pharmacotherapy additional to AS was 83 months (95% CI 57-109 months), which was better than that for patients with AS alone (53 months, 95% CI 39-67 months) (log-rank 6.52; p = 0.010). In selected patients with PAH, AS is a safe and effective intervention that exerts a beneficial impact on long-term survival. Survival appears to be improved when AS is combined with PAH-specific pharmacotherapy.
Porifera are considered key components of benthic communities, being typical inhabitants of both shallow and deep waters, from the mesolittoral to the bathyal zone. Although sponges are one of the ...most common organisms in Western Mediterranean ecosystems, in many areas the knowledge on this taxon is still very limited. In the current study, we aim to analyse and compare the sponge communities characterising the hard bottoms of two islands, Montecristo and Giglio, belonging to the Tuscan Archipelago National Park (TANP, Italy), in relation to a bathymetric gradient. A total of 340 samples were collected, 13 orders and 48 species (46 Demospongiae and 2 Calcarea) identified, with Chondrosia reniformis representing the most recorded species, being found at all sites at almost all depths. Depth was the only significant factor in the observed pattern, while the sponge community is shared between the two Islands. In addition, our data were analysed together with data available in the literature on sponges of the Tuscan Archipelago, to assess the sampling effort. Among all the Islands of the Archipelago, Giglio and Montecristo showed the higher mean species diversity. Nonetheless, the sampling effort resulted not sufficient for each Island and future studies targeting Porifera are needed. Our work is the first summarising the sponge diversity of the entire Tuscan Archipelago, and one of the few focussing entirely on the sponge fauna. These results provide new important information on the area of the TANP, aimed to become a future Marine Protected Area, adding new records, and highlighting the high diversity of a poorly known area.
Bosentan therapy for pulmonary arterial hypertension Rubin, Lewis J; Badesch, David B; Barst, Robyn J ...
New England journal of medicine/The New England journal of medicine,
03/2002, Letnik:
346, Številka:
12
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Odprti dostop
Endothelin-1 is a potent vasoconstrictor and smooth-muscle mitogen. In a preliminary study, the orally administered dual endothelin-receptor antagonist bosentan improved exercise capacity and ...cardiopulmonary hemodynamics in patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension. The present trial investigated the effect of bosentan on exercise capacity in a larger number of patients and compared two doses.
In this double-blind, placebo-controlled study, we randomly assigned 213 patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension (primary or associated with connective-tissue disease) to receive placebo or to receive 62.5 mg of bosentan twice daily for 4 weeks followed by either of two doses of bosentan (125 or 250 mg twice daily) for a minimum of 12 weeks. The primary end point was the degree of change in exercise capacity. Secondary end points included the change in the Borg dyspnea index, the change in the World Health Organization (WHO) functional class, and the time to clinical worsening.
At week 16, patients treated with bosentan had an improved six-minute walking distance; the mean difference between the placebo group and the combined bosentan groups was 44 m (95 percent confidence interval, 21 to 67; P<0.001). Bosentan also improved the Borg dyspnea index and WHO functional class and increased the time to clinical worsening.
The endothelin-receptor antagonist bosentan is beneficial in patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension and is well tolerated at a dose of 125 mg twice daily. Endothelin-receptor antagonism with oral bosentan is an effective approach to therapy for pulmonary arterial hypertension.
In pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), acute vasodilator response testing (AVT) is considered important to identify adult patients with favorable prognosis using calcium-channel blocker (CCB) ...therapy. However, in pediatric PAH, criteria used to identify acute responders and CCB use are insufficiently studied.
This study sought to describe current clinical practice of AVT and subsequent treatment decisions in pediatric PAH.
From January 2008 to May 2013, 529 consecutive children with confirmed pulmonary hypertension were enrolled in an international registry. We analyzed those children with evaluable AVT.
Of 382 children with evaluable AVT, 212 had idiopathic/familial PAH (IPAH/FPAH) and 105 had PAH associated with congenital heart disease (PAH-CHD). In 70% of the patients, AVT was performed using inhaled nitric oxide; other agents were used in the remaining patients. In IPAH/FPAH patients, 78 (37%) patients were acute responders according to their physician, 62 (30%) according to REVEAL (Registry-to-Evaluate-Early-And-Long-term PAH disease management)-pediatric criteria, and 32 (15%) according to Sitbon criteria. For PAH-CHD patients, the numbers of AVT responders were 38 (36%), 14 (13%), and 7 (7%) respectively. Correlation between AVT responder status as judged by the treating physician and by published response criteria was poor. Moreover, of the IPAH/FPAH patients judged by the treating physician as acute responders, only 23% were treated with CCB without additional PAH-targeted therapy. The Sitbon criteria selected patients with better prognosis who had excellent outcome when treated with CCB.
The current practice of identifying responders to AVT and subsequent treatment with CCB therapy demonstrated large discrepancies with current international guidelines. Also, in pediatric IPAH, the Sitbon criteria are the criteria of choice to identify patients with excellent survival when treated with CCB therapy.
There have been few studies on the sustainable use of non-timber forest products in arid and semi-arid zones. The palm Brahea dulcis has been one of the most important resources in semi-arid ...Mesoamerica, since pre-Hispanic times. Currently, some populations grow within protected natural areas, representing both a challenge and an opportunity for local development. This ethnoecological study of B. dulcis in central Mexico aimed to evaluate their uses, harvesting context, and potential for exploitation, in order to give practical advice on their best use and management.
Ethnographic and ecological information was obtained in Barranca de Metztitlán Biosphere Reserve and Valle del Mezquital, Mexico. We studied the population structure and density; additionally, we evaluated the rate of leaf production, leaf renewal rate, percent survival of new leaves, the development of reproductive structures and performed a one-year defoliation experiment (involving a control and four treatments including a mix of semiannual and annual frequency of harvest and removal of two new leaves and/or two mature leaves).
Twenty uses of the palm were recorded in the study area. Religious/symbolic and handicraft uses are highlighted. The population density of this species was the highest reported for the genus (1244 ± 231.7 ind/ha). The leaf production rate was the highest reported for arborescent palms of the Americas (11.83 ± 0.036 leaves/individual/year). The sexual reproductive cycle was 2.3 years long. A one-year defoliation experiment did not show statistically significant differences. Recommendations include: 1) implement management focused on increasing the abundance and quality of this useful resource in Metztitlán; 2) employ a strategy of focusing on ethnicity and gender in promoting their exploitation; 3) learn from theoretical frameworks of other non timber forest product studies.
We propose that Brahea dulcis is the palm with the highest potential for sustainable use in the arid and semi-arid zones of Mexico. The challenge to improving management includes simplifying the legal protection framework, promoting uses and developing a market strategy. Collaborations to share experiences with peasant farmers from Guerrero is recommended. We further recommend the development of a governmental strategy to enhance and reassess this important resource.
Seed dynamics are an important part of the life history of plants and may have strong implications on abundance and spatial distribution of populations. In this study, we explored how seed dynamics ...(removal, predation, germination) interact with micro-environmental conditions to affect the spatial structure of populations of Brahea aculeata (Arecaceae) in a tropical dry forest. B. aculeata is distributed throughout arroyo basins and attains its highest densities near to arroyos/rivers. We hypothesized that: (i) seed removal, predation and germination vary across topographic positions resulting in greater palm abundances adjacent to arroyos and (ii) seed removers/predators respond to both a seed density-dependent effect and a microclimate effect. To test this, in six arroyos basins, seeds were sown across three topographic positions (stream, mid and top of basins) with two seed abundances (1 and 10), protected and nonprotected from potential predators. Predation, removal and germination were then followed. After 107 days, 100 % of the exposed seeds were removed/predated and none germinated. For seed removal, we found differences among topographic positions and seed densities with higher removal (up to 80 %) and lower predation rates for grouped seeds. Germination was only observed for protected seeds with higher germination rates in single (17 % ± 9) than in grouped seeds (4 % ± 1). The highest germination and establishment rates were adjacent to the streams; areas which had the lowest light intensity (mean ± SE = 883 ± 160 lm/ft2) and temperatures (mean ± SE = 20.1 ± 0.6 °C), and highest humidity (mean ± SE = 50.8 ± 1.8 %), especially during the rainy season. Differential seedling establishment rates across the landscape due to spatial patterns of seed predation/removal as well as micro-environmental variables appear to have implications for shaping the spatial structure of B. aculeata population at Sierra de Álamos, Mexico.
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