scholarly journals Paraquat in Surface Water of Some Streams in Mai Chau Province, the Northern Vietnam: Concentrations, Profiles, and Human Risk Assessments

2018 ◽  
Vol 2018 ◽  
pp. 1-8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nguyen Thi Hue ◽  
Thi Phuong Mai Nguyen ◽  
Hoang Nam ◽  
Nguyen Hoang Tung
Keyword(s):  
Hazard Index ◽  
Life Quality ◽  
Average Concentration ◽  
Risk Assessments ◽  
Minimum Risk ◽  
Northern Vietnam ◽  
Human Risk ◽  
Herbicide Concentration ◽  
Dry And Rainy Seasons

The concentrations and profiles of paraquat, a kind of herbicide, were studied in water samples taken from a stream flowing through five villages of Mai Chau province, the Northern Vietnam, during dry and rainy seasons. In this study, paraquat was found at almost the sampling sites and showed an average concentration for paraquat to be 30.69 μg/L and with a maximum of 134.08 μg/L. The herbicide concentration tended to be the highest on the dry season because of the least rainfall and also the highest evaporation rate of water in the stream. For risk assessment of human health, a hazard index (HI) value was calculated for estimating the risk towards the residents. HQ in the dry and rainy season is from 0.0001 to 0.2448 and from 0.0001 to 0.0279, respectively. The results showed a minimum risk; however, there are concerns toward the danger of long-term exposure to the residents from the stream that could affect their life quality.

scholarly journals Long-term effects of fine particulate matter exposure on the progression of arterial stiffness

2021 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Dianqin Sun ◽  
Yue Liu ◽  
Jie Zhang ◽  
Jia Liu ◽  
Zhiyuan Wu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Arterial Stiffness ◽  
Health Management ◽  
Ankle Brachial Index ◽  
Population Data ◽  
Average Concentration ◽  
Air Pollutant ◽  
Stiffness Index ◽  
Long Term Effects ◽  
Annual Average

Abstract Background Prior studies have investigated the association of PM2.5 exposure with arterial stiffness measured by ankle-brachial index (ABI) and brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV), of which conclusions are inconsistent. Moreover, limited evidence is available on the contributory role of PM2.5 exposure on the arterial stiffness index. Methods We used the population data from the Beijing Health Management Cohort and conducted a longitudinal analysis. The annual average concentration of PM2.5 for 35 air pollutant monitoring sites in Beijing from 2014 to 2018 was used to estimate individual exposure by different interpolation methods. Multivariate logistic regression and linear regression were conducted to assess the association of annual average PM2.5 concentration with the incidence of higher baPWV, the progression of ABI, and baPWV, respectively. Results The association between PM2.5 exposure and incidence of higher baPWV was not significant (OR = 1.11, 95% CI: 0.82–1.50, P = 0.497). There was − 0.16% (95% CI: − 0.43-0.11%) decrease in ABI annually and 1.04% (95% CI: 0.72–1.37%) increase in baPWV annually with each increment of 10 μg/m3 average PM2.5 concentration. Conclusions Long-term exposure to PM2.5 was associated with the progression of arterial stiffness in Beijing. This study suggests that improvement of air quality may help to prevent arterial stiffness.

scholarly journals What’s to Come of All This Tracking “Who We Are”? The Intelligence Example

2021 ◽  
pp. 096372142110538
Author(s):  
Wendy Johnson
Keyword(s):  
Life Satisfaction ◽  
Empirical Evidence ◽  
Social Impact ◽  
New World ◽  
Life Quality ◽  
Brave New World ◽  
To Come

Increasingly, we are required, encouraged, and/or motivated to track our behavior, presumably to improve our life “quality.” But health and life-satisfaction trends are not cooperating: Empirical evidence for success is sorely lacking. Intelligence has been tracked for more than 100 years; perhaps this example offers some hints about tracking’s overall social impact. I suggest that Huxley’s Brave New World offers a relevant long-term extrapolation and that popular recent tracking activities will accelerate “progress” in that dystopian direction.

scholarly journals Electrification of Madrid Fleet Public Transport Company (EMT-Madrid): Strategic Analysis and Implementation

2019 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
pp. 107
Author(s):  
J. García Hernanz ◽  
G. Morales-Alonso ◽  
G. Fernández Sánchez ◽  
E. Pilkington González ◽  
T. Sánchez Chaparro
Keyword(s):  
Public Transport ◽  
Life Quality ◽  
Strategic Plan ◽  
Urban Pollution ◽  
City Council ◽  
The Public ◽  
City Councils ◽  
Strategic Assessment

Madrid Public Transport Company (EMT-Madrid) is a property of the Madrid City Council, and it provides the public buses service in the whole city. Madrid, as most of the big cities in the world, is facing problems related to high levels of urban pollution, which directly affects the health and life quality of their inhabitants. EMT, having a fleet of around 2000 buses, has an impact in the mentioned problem and in the global warming. With the Strategic Plan 2017-2020, many new buses will be acquired, resulting in a fleet of natural gas, hybrid and electric vehicles by the end of 2020. The present study has the goal of being the cornerstone of a future strategic plan of the company. To this end, both external and internal analyses of the company have been conducted, which support that the electrification of the whole fleet is the best option in the long term. Furthermore, a Benchmarking of the state of the public transport in other 25 cities and the technology used in them has been conducted. Last, a model that allows replicability of this strategic assessment is proposed, in order to help other Transport Companies and City Councils to decide which transport fleet is the best to implement in their cities depending on their necessities and resources.

Schwannomas

2019 ◽  
pp. 255-270
Author(s):  
Tiit Mathiesen ◽  
Petter Förander ◽  
David Pettersson
Keyword(s):  
Facial Nerve ◽  
Cranial Nerve ◽  
Cerebellopontine Angle ◽  
Treatment Options ◽  
Life Quality ◽  
Intracranial Tumours ◽  
Tumour Control ◽  
Nerve Paresis

Sporadic vestibular schwannoma (VS) is the commonest tumour of the cerebellopontine angle and comprise 6–8% of all intracranial tumours. The incidence varies between 12 and 20 cases per million inhabitants and years in different reports; a large minority of these tumours grow during follow-up. Treatment options include wait and scan, microsurgery, radiosurgery, and radiotherapy. Micro- and radiosurgery are well validated to offer long-term tumour control, but patients may suffer from hearing deficit and facial nerve paresis. Unexpectedly, long-term life quality is more affected by vertigo and headaches. Other cranial nerve schwannomas cause symptoms depending on the affected nerves and respond to the same therapies when treatment is indicated.

scholarly journals Impact of long-term supplementation of zinc and selenium on their content in blood and hair in goats

2011 ◽  
Vol 56 (No. 2) ◽  
pp. 63-74 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. Pavlata ◽  
M. Chomat ◽  
A. Pechova ◽  
L. Misurova ◽  
R. Dvorak
Keyword(s):  
Blood Plasma ◽  
Whole Blood ◽  
Average Concentration ◽  
The Other ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Selenium Yeast ◽  
Hair Samples ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Se Status

This paper evaluates the impact of long-term supplementation of different forms of zinc (Zn) and selenium (Se) on the content of these substances in the blood and hair of goats. Two analogous supplementation experiments were performed. 37 goats divided into four groups were used in the first trial with the Zn supplementation. Group A (n = 10) was a control group (with no Zn administered). A further three groups (B, C, D) were supplemented with Zn in various forms. Group B (n = 9) with zinc oxide, Group C (n = 9) with zinc lactate and Group D (n = 9) with zinc chelate. The second trial with Se supplementation was carried out on 20 goats divided into four groups. Group E (n = 5) was a control group. The other three groups were administered Se. Group F (n = 5) was supplied with a selenium lactate-protein complex, Group G (n = 5) with sodium selenite and Group H (n = 5) with selenium yeast. Three months later blood and hair samples were taken from all animals and Zn and Se concentrations were determined in whole blood, plasma, and hair. Glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) activity was determined in the Se supplementation trial group. At the end of the trial the Zn concentrations in plasma and whole blood were without major differences between the groups. The plasma concentration of Zn did not increase from the initial value at the start of the trial. In hair the average concentration of Zn was 95.2&ndash;100.0 mg/kg<br />in all groups. No conclusive relation was confirmed between the values of Zn in hair and its concentration in blood. The Se concentration in whole blood (&micro;g/l) at the end of trial in supplemented groups (F &ndash; 188.8 &plusmn; 24.6; G &ndash; 197.2 &plusmn; 10.9; H &ndash; 190.1 &plusmn; 26.3) was significantly higher (P &lt; 0.01) than in the control group (E &ndash; 103.1 &plusmn; 23.5). Similarly, the activity of GSH-Px (&micro;kat/l) was significantly higher in all supplemented groups (F &ndash; 872.3 &plusmn; 94.8; G &ndash; 659.5 &plusmn; 176.4; H &ndash; 839.8 &plusmn; 150.8) than in the control group (E &ndash; 379.1 &plusmn; 63.5). Se content in hair (&micro;g/kg) was higher also in all trial groups (F &ndash; 242.3 &plusmn; 41.5; G &ndash; 200.5 &plusmn; 46.9; H &ndash; 270.0 &plusmn; 106.8) than in the control group (E &ndash; 174.7 &plusmn; 38.0). However, it was significantly (P &lt; 0.05) higher only in Group F. A conclusive correlation was identified between the Se concentration in whole blood and its content in hair (r = 0.54; P &lt; 0.05; n = 20). Based on the results it can be concluded that none of the supplemented forms of Zn increased its concentration in blood, plasma and hair. On the other hand, the administration of Se led to an increase in the Se concentration in blood, increased the activity of GSH-Px in whole blood and the Se content in hair. Based on the proven correlation and regression relation between the Se concentration in blood and its content in hair, hair can be considered as a suitable material for the diagnosis of long-term Se status in goats. Goats with sufficient Se status are those that have more than 160 &micro;g/kg of Se in hair dry weight.

scholarly journals 1236. Infection Control Risk Mitigation and Implementation of Best Practice Recommendations in Long-Term Care Facilities

2018 ◽  
Vol 5 (suppl_1) ◽  
pp. S375-S376
Author(s):  
Teresa Fitzgerald ◽  
Regina Nailon ◽  
Kate Tyner ◽  
Sue Beach ◽  
Margaret Drake ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Infection Control ◽  
Best Practice ◽  
Long Term Care ◽  
Audit And Feedback ◽  
Risk Assessments ◽  
Term Care ◽  
Practice Recommendations ◽  
Care Facilities

Abstract Background Nebraska (NE) Infection Control Assessment and Promotion Program (ICAP) is a quality improvement initiative supported by the NE Department of Health and Human Services. This initiative utilizes subject matter experts (SMEs) including infectious diseases physicians and certified infection preventionists (IP) to assess and improve infection prevention and control programs (IPCP) in various healthcare settings. NE ICAP conducted on-site surveys and observations of IPCP in many volunteer facilities to include long-term care facilities (LTCF) between November 2015 and July 2017. SMEs provided on-site coaching and made best practice recommendations (BPR) for priority implementation. Impact of this intervention on LTCF IPCP was examined. Methods Using a standardized questionnaire, follow-up phone calls were made with LTCF to evaluate implementation of the BPR one-year post-assessment. Descriptive analyses were performed to examine BPR implementation in LTCF that had follow-up between 4/4/17 to 4/17/18 and to identify factors that promoted or impeded BPR implementation. Results Overall, 45 LTCF were assessed. The top 5 IC categories requiring improvement were audit and feedback practices (28 of 45, 62%), PPE supplies at point of use (62%), IC risk assessments (58%), TB risk assessments (56%), and supply and linen storage practices (56%). Follow-up assessments were completed for 270 recommendations in 25 LTCF. Recommendations reviewed ranged from three to 26 per LTCF (median = 15). The majority of the 270 recommendations (n = 162, 60%) had been either completely (35%) or partially (25%) implemented by the time of the follow-up calls. The ICAP visit itself was reported as the most helpful resource for BPR implementation (77 of 162). Lack of staffing was the most commonly mentioned barrier to implementation when LTCF implemented BPR partially or implementation was not planned (37 of 85). BPR Implementation most frequently involved additional staff training (64 of 162), review of policies and procedures (38 of 162), and implementing audit (34 of 162) and/or feedback (23 of 162) programs. Conclusion Numerous IC gaps exist in LTCF. Peer-to-peer feedback and coaching by SMEs facilitated implementation of many BPR directed toward mitigating identified IC gaps. Disclosures All authors: No reported disclosures.

scholarly journals Surgical management of recurrent disc herniations with microdiscectomy and long-term results on life quality: Detailed analysis of 70 cases

2016 ◽  
Vol 7 (01) ◽  
pp. 87-90 ◽  
Author(s):  
Serdal Albayrak ◽  
Sait Ozturk ◽  
Emre Durdag ◽  
Ömer Ayden
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Facet Joint ◽  
Lumbar Disc ◽  
Life Quality ◽  
Early Period ◽  
Long Term Results ◽  
Disc Herniations

ABSTRACT Background: Aim of this paper is to recall the surgical technique used in the recurrent lumbar disc herniations (LDHs) and to share our experiences. Materials and Methods: Out of series of 1115 patients who underwent operations for LDH between 2006 and 2013, 70 patients underwent re-operations, which were included in this study. During surgery, lateral decompression performed over the medial facet joint to the superior facet joint border was seen after widening the laminectomy defect, and microdiscectomy was performed. The demographic findings of the patients, their complaints in admission to hospital, the level of operation, the condition of dural injury, the first admission in the prospective analysis, and their quality of life were evaluated through the Oswestry scoring during their postoperative 1st, 3rd, 6th-month and 1st, 3rd, 5th and 7th-year follow-up. In the statical analysis, Friedman test was performed for the comparison of the Oswestry scores and Siegel Castellan test was used for the paired nonparametrical data. A P < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: Considering the Oswestry Index during the follow-ups, the values in the postoperative early period and follow-ups were seen to be significantly lower than those at the time of admission to hospital (P < 0.05). None of the patients, who re-operated by microdiscectomy, presented with iatrogenic instability in 7 years follow-up period. Conclusion: Microdiscectomy performed through a proper technique in the re-operation of recurrent disc herniations eases complaints and improves the quality of life. Long-term follow-ups are required for more accurate results.

scholarly journals Ecology of Francisella tularensis

2020 ◽  
Vol 65 (1) ◽  
pp. 351-372 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sam R. Telford ◽  
Heidi K. Goethert
Keyword(s):  
Risk Factors ◽  
Francisella Tularensis ◽  
Vector Borne Disease ◽  
Human Risk ◽  
Vector Borne ◽  
Enzootic Cycle

Tularemia is a Holarctic zoonosis caused by the gamma proteobacterium Francisella tularensis and is considered to be a vector-borne disease. In many regions, human risk is associated with the bites of flies, mosquitoes, or ticks. But the biology of the agent is such that risk may be fomite related, and large outbreaks can occur due to inhalation or ingestion of contaminated materials. Such well-documented human risk factors suggest a role for these risk factors in the enzootic cycle as well. Many arthropods support the growth or survival of the agent, but whether arthropods (ticks in particular) are obligately required for the perpetuation of F. tularensis remains to be demonstrated. As with most zoonoses, our knowledge of the ecology of F. tularensis has been driven with the objective of understanding human risk. In this review, we focus on the role of the arthropod in maintaining F. tularensis, particularly with respect to long-term enzootic persistence.

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