Increasing acceptance of payments for ecosystem services (PES) programs as environmental policy alternatives suggests a clear need for research on PES implementation, both to validate theoretical ...frameworks and improve approaches for existing and future programs. We provide a history of the 10-year old Conservador das Águas program in Extrema, a city in Minas Gerais located within the Atlantic Forest of Brazil. To date, the program has coordinated restoration activities that have increased native forest cover in 60% in targeted sub-watershed through contracts with 53 landowners, and has established long-term collaborations among government agencies, civil society, and landowners. Evaluation of the institutional elements of the program using an institutional framework reveals lessons that are relevant for future projects. We find that national legislation and local government organizations have played key roles in enabling and maintaining program activities. Further, strategic decisions by program staff, including targeting important regions and actors within the municipality, the use of Forest Code mandates as an incentive for participation, and use of municipal legislation to secure funding, were critical to the program's success. We use an institutional framework to provide a review of the program, including its legal context, actors, and financial instruments, for those engaged in establishing and sustaining similar programs.
•An institutional analysis of the Conservador das Águas program was conducted.•The program has contributed to a 60% increase in native forest on private land.•Synergies with national legislation were key to supporting a municipal project.•Municipal capacity was key to build trust and encourage landowner participation.•Strategic work with partners and spatial targeting increased project impacts.
Forensic age estimation of a living individual is frequently performed in clinical forensic medicine. Medicolegal physicians are usually called upon by the authorities to estimate the age of a living ...person requesting asylum or to determine whether a suspected offender is subject to juvenile or adult criminal law. Dental age is one of the parameters studied to estimate biological age. Several methods are used, and among these, analysis of the eruption of the third molar (M3) on an orthopantomogram (OPG) is one of the common methods. The objective of the study was to analyse the contribution of M3 eruption to age estimation, in particular with regard to the threshold of 18 years of age, in a sample of individuals examined in a French university hospital. The stage of wisdom tooth eruption of all individuals aged between 15 and 24 years, who had an OPG performed between 1 January 2013 and 31 December 2015, was interpreted using a three-stage scoring system. In total, 557 OPGs (340 males and 217 females) were included. None of the stage scores allowed a distinction between minors and majors, for either sex. Overall, 85% of females and 98% of males with four M3s in stage 3 (complete emergence in the occlusal plane) were majors.
Background Nutritional factors are essential for the functioning of the immune system and could therefore play a role in COVID-19 but evidence is needed. Our objective was to study the associations ...between diet and the risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection in a large population-based sample. Methods Our analyses were conducted in the French prospective NutriNet-Santé cohort study (2009-2020). Seroprevalence of anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies was assessed by ELISA on dried blood spots. Dietary intakes were derived from repeated 24 h dietary records (at least 6) in the two years preceding the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in France (February 2020). Multi-adjusted logistic regression models were computed. Results A total of 7766 adults (70.3% women, mean age: 60.3 years) were included, among which 311 were positive for anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies. Dietary intakes of vitamin C (OR for 1 SD=0.86 (0.75-0.98), P=0.02), vitamin B9 (OR=0.84 (0.72-0.98), P=0.02), vitamin K (OR=0.86 (0.74-0.99), P=0.04), fibers (OR=0.84 (0.72-0.98), P=0.02), and fruit and vegetables (OR=0.85 (0.74-0.97), P=0.02) were associated to a decreased probability of SARS-CoV-2 infection while dietary intakes of calcium (OR=1.16 (1.01-1.35), P=0.04) and dairy products (OR=1.19 (1.06-1.33), P=0.002) associated to increased odds. No association was detected with other food groups or nutrients or with the overall diet quality. Conclusions Higher dietary intakes of fruit and vegetables and, consistently, of vitamin C, folate, vitamin K and fibers were associated with a lower susceptibility to SARS-CoV-2 infection. Beyond its established role in the prevention of non-communicable diseases, diet could therefore also contribute to prevent some infectious diseases such as COVID-19. Keywords: SARS-CoV-2, Diet, Vitamins, Seroprevalence, Cohort study
Lockdown imposed in the early phase of the SARS-CoV-2 outbreak represented a specific setting where activity was restricted but still possible. The aim was to investigate the cross-sectional ...associations between physical activity (PA) and SARS-CoV-2 infection in a French population-based cohort. Participants completed a PA questionnaire. PA was classified into: (i) total PA; (ii) aerobic PA by intensity; (iii) strengthening PA; (iv) PA by domain and type; and (vii) by location. Sedentary time was also recorded. Seroprevalence of anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies was assessed. Multivariable logistic regression models controlling for sociodemographic, lifestyle, anthropometric data, health status, and adherence to recommended protective anti-SARS-CoV-2 behaviours were computed. From 22,165 participants included, 21,074 (95.1%) and 1091 (4.9%) had a negative and positive ELISA-S test result, respectively. Total PA, vigorous PA, leisure-time PA, household PA, outdoor PA and indoor PA were all associated with lower probability of SARS-CoV-2 infection. Observations made in such a setting shed light on PA possibilities in a context of restricted mobility, where the health benefits of PA should not be overlooked. Along with already well-established benefits of PA for non-communicable disease prevention, these findings provide additional evidence for policies promoting all types of PA as a lever for population health.
Renal transplant vein thrombosis is an unusual event occuring in 0.3‐3% of renal transplantations. Prognosis is uniformly poor with graft loss in nearly every case. We report here the first three ...cases of renal graft vein thrombosis successfully treated by percutaneous endoluminal thromboaspiration. After an initially uneventful course all recipients developed anuria and required hemodialysis. In two cases, an ultrasound examination suggested a diagnosis of venous thrombosis. Emergency arteriography and phlebography were performed, confirming the complete thrombosis of the graft veins. Throm boaspiration was carried out with full heparinization and led to renal function improvement in all cases. Grafts are still functioning 6 months after the procedure, with serum creatinine levels of 176 μmol/l, 120 μmol/l and 184 μmol/l, respectively. Thus, this procedure avoids surgical and anaesthetic risks and allows, if performed at an early stage, restoration of graft function. Great care must be taken to avoid vcin wall damage, vascular suture line rupture, or pulmonary embolism.
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