scholarly journals How serious a problem is subsoil compaction in the Netherlands? A survey based on probability sampling

SOIL ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 37-45 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dick J. Brus ◽  
Jan J. H. van den Akker

Abstract. Although soil compaction is widely recognized as a soil threat to soil resources, reliable estimates of the acreage of overcompacted soil and of the level of soil compaction parameters are not available. In the Netherlands data on subsoil compaction were collected at 128 locations selected by stratified random sampling. A map showing the risk of subsoil compaction in five classes was used for stratification. Measurements of bulk density, porosity, clay content and organic matter content were used to compute the relative bulk density and relative porosity, both expressed as a fraction of a threshold value. A subsoil was classified as overcompacted if either the relative bulk density exceeded 1 or the relative porosity was below 1. The sample data were used to estimate the means of the two subsoil compaction parameters and the overcompacted areal fraction. The estimated global means of relative bulk density and relative porosity were 0.946 and 1.090, respectively. The estimated areal fraction of the Netherlands with overcompacted subsoils was 43 %. The estimates per risk map unit showed two groups of map units: a “low-risk ” group (units 1 and 2, covering only 4.6 % of the total area) and a “high-risk” group (units 3, 4 and 5). The estimated areal fraction of overcompacted subsoil was 0 % in the low-risk unit and 47 % in the high-risk unit. The map contains no information about where overcompacted subsoils occur. This was caused by the poor association of the risk map units 3, 4 and 5 with the subsoil compaction parameters and subsoil overcompaction. This can be explained by the lack of time for recuperation.

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dick J. Brus ◽  
Jan J. H. van den Akker

Abstract. Although soil compaction is widely recognized as a soil threat to soil resources, reliable estimates of the acreage of overcompacted soil and of the level of soil compaction parameters are not available. In the Netherlands data on soil compaction were collected at 128 locations selected by stratified random sampling. A map showing the risk of soil compaction in five classes was used for stratification. Measurements of bulk density, porosity, clay content and organic matter content were used to compute the relative bulk density and relative porosity, both expressed as a fraction of a threshold value. A soil was classified as overcompacted if either the relative bulk density exceeds 1 or the relative porosity is below 1. The sample data were used to estimate the means of the two soil compaction parameters and the areal fraction overcompacted. The estimated global means of relative bulk density and relative porosity were 0.946 and 1.090, respectively. The estimated areal fraction of the Netherlands with overcompacted soils was 45 %. The estimates per risk map unit showed two groups of map units, a `low risk ' group (unit 1 and 2, covering only 4.6 % of the total area) and a `high risk' group (unit 3, 4 and 5). The estimated areal fraction overcompacted soil was 0 % in the `low risk' unit and 47 % in the `high risk' unit. The map contains no information about where overcompacted soils occur. This was caused by the poor association of the risk map units 3, 4 and 5 with the soil compaction parameters and soil overcompaction. This can be explained by the lack of time for recuperation.


Author(s):  
Yan Fan ◽  
Hong Shen ◽  
Brandon Stacey ◽  
David Zhao ◽  
Robert J. Applegate ◽  
...  

AbstractThe purpose of this study was to explore the utility of echocardiography and the EuroSCORE II in stratifying patients with low-gradient severe aortic stenosis (LG SAS) and preserved left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF ≥ 50%) with or without aortic valve intervention (AVI). The study included 323 patients with LG SAS (aortic valve area ≤ 1.0 cm2 and mean pressure gradient < 40 mmHg). Patients were divided into two groups: a high-risk group (EuroSCORE II ≥ 4%, n = 115) and a low-risk group (EuroSCORE II < 4%, n = 208). Echocardiographic and clinical characteristics were analyzed. All-cause mortality was used as a clinical outcome during mean follow-up of 2 ± 1.3 years. Two-year cumulative survival was significantly lower in the high-risk group than the low-risk patients (62.3% vs. 81.7%, p = 0.001). AVI tended to reduce mortality in the high-risk patients (70% vs. 59%; p = 0.065). It did not significantly reduce mortality in the low-risk patients (82.8% with AVI vs. 81.2%, p = 0.68). Multivariable analysis identified heart failure, renal dysfunction and stroke volume index (SVi) as independent predictors for mortality. The study suggested that individualization of AVI based on risk stratification could be considered in a patient with LG SAS and preserved LVEF.


2020 ◽  
Vol 41 (Supplement_2) ◽  
Author(s):  
T Satou ◽  
H Kitahara ◽  
K Ishikawa ◽  
T Nakayama ◽  
Y Fujimoto ◽  
...  

Abstract Background The recent reperfusion therapy for ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) has made the length of hospital stay shorter without adverse events. CADILLAC risk score is reportedly one of the risk scores predicting the long-term prognosis in STEMI patients. Purpose To invenstigate the usefulness of CADILLAC risk score for predicting short-term outcomes in STEMI patients. Methods Consecutive patients admitted to our university hospital and our medical center with STEMI (excluding shock, arrest case) who underwent primary PCI between January 2012 and April 2018 (n=387) were enrolled in this study. The patients were classified into 3 groups according to the CADILLAC risk score: low risk (n=176), intermediate risk (n=87), and high risk (n=124). Data on adverse events within 30 days after hospitalization, including in-hospital death, sustained ventricular arrhythmia, recurrent myocardial infarction, heart failure requiring intravenous treatment, stroke, or clinical hemorrhage, were collected. Results In the low risk group, adverse events within 30 days were significantly less observed, compared to the intermediate and high risk groups (n=13, 7.4% vs. n=13, 14.9% vs. n=58, 46.8%, p&lt;0.001). In particular, all adverse events occurred within 3 days in the low risk group, although adverse events, such as heart failure (n=4), recurrent myocardial infarction (n=1), stroke (n=1), and gastrointestinal bleeding (n=1), were substantially observed after day 4 of hospitalization in the intermediate and high risk groups. Conclusions In STEMI patients with low CADILLAC risk score, better short-term prognosis was observed compared to the intermediate and high risk groups, and all adverse events occurred within 3 days of hospitalization, suggesting that discharge at day 4 might be safe in this study population. CADILLAC risk score may help stratify patient risk for short-term prognosis and adjust management of STEMI patients. Initial event occurrence timing Funding Acknowledgement Type of funding source: None


Author(s):  
Johannes Korth ◽  
Benjamin Wilde ◽  
Sebastian Dolff ◽  
Jasmin Frisch ◽  
Michael Jahn ◽  
...  

SARS-CoV-2 is a worldwide challenge for the medical sector. Healthcare workers (HCW) are a cohort vulnerable to SARS-CoV-2 infection due to frequent and close contact with COVID-19 patients. However, they are also well trained and equipped with protective gear. The SARS-CoV-2 IgG antibody status was assessed at three different time points in 450 HCW of the University Hospital Essen in Germany. HCW were stratified according to contact frequencies with COVID-19 patients in (I) a high-risk group with daily contacts with known COVID-19 patients (n = 338), (II) an intermediate-risk group with daily contacts with non-COVID-19 patients (n = 78), and (III) a low-risk group without patient contacts (n = 34). The overall seroprevalence increased from 2.2% in March–May to 4.0% in June–July to 5.1% in October–December. The SARS-CoV-2 IgG detection rate was not significantly different between the high-risk group (1.8%; 3.8%; 5.5%), the intermediate-risk group (5.1%; 6.3%; 6.1%), and the low-risk group (0%, 0%, 0%). The overall SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence remained low in HCW in western Germany one year after the outbreak of COVID-19 in Germany, and hygiene standards seemed to be effective in preventing patient-to-staff virus transmission.


2013 ◽  
Vol 95 (1) ◽  
pp. 29-33 ◽  
Author(s):  
EJC Dawe ◽  
E Lindisfarne ◽  
T Singh ◽  
I McFadyen ◽  
P Stott

Introduction The Sernbo score uses four factors (age, social situation, mobility and mental state) to divide patients into a high-risk and a low-risk group. This study sought to assess the use of the Sernbo score in predicting mortality after an intracapsular hip fracture. Methods A total of 259 patients with displaced intracapsular hip fractures were included in the study. Data from prospectively generated databases provided 22 descriptive variables for each patient. These included operative management, blood tests and co-mobidities. Multivariate analysis was used to identify significant predictors of mortality. Results The mean patient age was 85 years and the mean follow-up duration was 1.5 years. The one-year survival rate was 92% (±0.03) in the low-risk group and 65% (±0.046) in the high-risk group. Four variables predicted mortality: Sernbo score >15 (p=0.0023), blood creatinine (p=0.0026), ASA (American Society of Anaesthesiologists) grade >3 (p=0.0038) and non-operative treatment (p=0.0377). Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis showed the Sernbo score as the only predictor of 30-day mortality (area under curve 0.71 [0.65–0.76]). The score had a sensitivity of 92% and a specificity of 51% for prediction of death at 30 days. Conclusions The Sernbo score identifies patients at high risk of death in the 30 days following injury. This very simple score could be used to direct extra early multidisciplinary input to high-risk patients on admission with an intracapsular hip fracture.


Stroke ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 43 (suppl_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jenifer Green ◽  
Connie Wolford ◽  
Jean Marc Olivot ◽  
Gregory Albers ◽  
James Castle

Background: Much controversy exists as to which TIA patients need to be admitted to the hospital for evaluation and treatment and which can be sent home. One commonly used trigae tool is the ABCD 2 score (Age, presenting Blood Pressure, Clinical symptoms and Duration, and Diabetes). Although this tool gives good information for determining populations at low risk (score of 0-3) and high risk (score of 6-7) of stroke after TIA, it leaves a large moderate risk population (score of 4-5) for whom no clear triage guidance can be given. As previous studies have found large artery atherosclerosis to be a potent risk factor for stroke after TIA, we attempted to further delineate low and high risk TIA populations with the addition of non-invasive arterial imaging to the ABCD 2 score. Methods: All patients referred to the Stanford Stroke Service for possible TIA within 72 hrs of symptom onset between July 2007 and February 2010, and all patients referred to the Highland Park Stroke Service for possible TIA within 72 hrs of symptom onset after October 2009 were screened for enrollment in this observational study. Exclusion criteria included age <18 years, use of TPA at initial presentation, and symptoms lasting >24 hours. 352 patients were invited to enroll, 3 refused. Of the 349 enrolled, follow-up was obtained in 346 patients at 30 days. Patients were placed into two groups: 1) those with ABCD 2 scores of 0-3 or scores of 4-5 AND no sign of hemodynamically significant stenosis in an artery within the distribution of the TIA (Low Risk Group); and 2) those with ABCD 2 scores of 6-7 or scores of 4-5 AND a hemodynamically significant stenosis in an artery within the distribution of the TIA (High Risk Group). Non-invasive arterial imaging included CT angiogram, MR angiogram, and carotid ultrasound - all used at the discretion of the treating physician. 30 day stroke rates with 95% confidence intervals were recorded. Results: Of the 346 patients enrolled, 295 (85.3%) fell into the "Low Risk Group" based on ABCD 2 scoring and non-invasive arterial imaging. Within that group, the stroke rate at 30 days was 1.0% (3 strokes, 95% CI 0.2-3.1%). Within the "High Risk Group", the stroke rate at 30 days was 5.9% (3 strokes, 95% CI 1.4-16.5%). Within the "Low Risk Group", all 3 of the strokes occurred in patients with ABCD 2 scores of 4-5 (3/133 patients - 2.3% stroke rate with 95% CI 0.5-6.7%). The overall stroke rate was 6/346 (1.7%, 95% CI 0.7-3.8%). Conclusions: In our observational study we found that the overall 30 day stroke rate after TIA was quite low. The percentage of all TIA patients falling into the “Low Risk Group” was quite high, and these patients had a particularly low rate of stroke at 30 days. Given the high number of "Low Risk" patients and the low rate of stroke in that group at 30 days, the vast majority of TIA patients could likely be safely evaluated in an rapid outpatient setting provided that the treating physician is confident of the diagnosis.


2021 ◽  
Vol 39 (15_suppl) ◽  
pp. e24023-e24023
Author(s):  
Shreya Gattani ◽  
Vanita Noronha ◽  
Anant Ramaswamy ◽  
Renita Castelino ◽  
Vandhita Nair ◽  
...  

e24023 Background: Clinical judgement alone is inadequate in accurately predicting chemotherapy toxicity in older adult cancer patients. Hurria and colleagues developed and validated, the CARG score (range, 0–17) as a convenient and reliable tool for predicting chemotherapy toxicity in older cancer patients in America, however, its applicability in Indian patients is unknown. Methods: An observational retrospective and prospective study between 2018 and 2020 was conducted in the Department of Medical Oncology at Tata Memorial Hospital, Mumbai, India. The study was approved by the institutional ethics committee (IEC-III; Project No. 900596) and registered in the Clinical Trials Registry of India (CTRI/2020/04/024675). Written informed consent was obtained in the prospective part of the study. Patients aged ≥ 60 years and planned for systemic therapy were evaluated in the geriatric oncology clinic and their CARG score was calculated. Patients were stratified into low (0-4), intermediate (5-9) and high risk (10-17) based on the CARG scores. The CARG score was provided to the treating physicians, along with the results of the geriatric assessment. Chemotherapy-related toxicities were captured from the electronic medical record and graded as per the NCI CTCAE, version 4.0. Results: We assessed 130 patients, with a median age 69 years (IQR, 60 to 84); 72% patients were males. The common malignancies included gastrointestinal (52%) and lung (30%). Approximately 78% patients received polychemotherapy and 53% received full dose chemotherapy. Based on the CARG score, 28 (22%) patients belonged to low risk, 80 (61%) to intermediate risk and 22 (17%) to the high risk category. The AU-ROC of the CARG score in predicting grade 3-5 toxicities was 0.61 (95% CI, 0.51-0.71). The sensitivity and specificity of the CARG score in predicting grade 3-5 toxicities were 60.8% and 78.6%. Grade 3-5 toxicities occurred in 6/28 patients (21%) in the low risk group, compared to 62/102 patients (61%) in the intermediate /high risk group, p = 0.0002. There was also a significant difference in the time to development of grade 3-5 toxicities, which occurred at a median of 2.5 cycles (IQR, 1-3.8) in the intermediate /high risk group and at a median of 6 cycles (IQR, 3.5-8) in the low risk group, p = 0.0011. Conclusions: In older Indian patients with cancer, the CARG score reliably stratifies patients into low risk and intermediate/high risk categories, predicting both the occurrence and the time to occurrence of grade 3-5 toxicities from chemotherapy. The CARG score may aid the oncologist in estimating the risk-benefit ratio of chemotherapy. An important limitation was that we provided the CARG score to the treating oncologists prior to the start of chemotherapy, which may have resulted in alterations in the chemotherapy regimen and dose and may have impacted the CARG risk prediction model. Clinical trial information: CTRI/2020/04/024675.


Author(s):  
Hui Huang ◽  
Si-min Ruan ◽  
Meng-fei Xian ◽  
Ming-de Li ◽  
Mei-qing Cheng ◽  
...  

Objectives: This study aimed to construct a prediction model based on contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) ultrasomics features and investigate its efficacy in predicting early recurrence (ER) of primary hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) after resection or ablation. Methods: This study retrospectively included 215 patients with primary HCC, who were divided into a developmental cohort (n = 139) and a test cohort (n = 76). Four representative images—grayscale ultrasound, arterial phase, portal venous phase and delayed phase —were extracted from each CEUS video. Ultrasomics features were extracted from tumoral and peritumoral area inside the region of interest. Logistic-regression was used to establish models, including a tumoral model, a peritumoral model and a combined model with additional clinical risk factors. The performance of the three models in predicting recurrence within 2 years was verified. Results: The combined model performed best in predicting recurrence within 2 years, with an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.845, while the tumoral model had an AUC of 0.810 and the peritumoral model one of 0.808. For prediction of recurrence-free survival, the 2 year cumulative recurrence rate was significant higher in the high-risk group (76.5%) than in the low-risk group (9.5%; p < 0.0001). Conclusion: These CEUS ultrasomics models, especially the combined model, had good efficacy in predicting early recurrence of HCC. The combined model has potential for individual survival assessment for HCC patients undergoing resection or ablation. Advances in knowledge: CEUS ultrasomics had high sensitivity, specificity and PPV in diagnosing early recurrence of HCC, and high efficacy in predicting early recurrence of HCC (AUC > 0.8). The combined model performed better than the tumoral ultrasomics model and peritumoral ultrasomics model in predicting recurrence within 2 years. Recurrence was more likely to occur in the high-risk group than in the low-risk group, with 2-year cumulative recurrence rates respectively 76.5% and 9.5% (p < 0.0001).


2021 ◽  
pp. 109352662110487
Author(s):  
Haruna Nishimaki ◽  
Yoko Nakanishi ◽  
Hiroshi Yagasaki ◽  
Shinobu Masuda

Background Peripheral neuroblastic tumors (pNTs) are the most common childhood extracranial solid tumors. There are several therapeutic strategies targeting disialoganglioside GD2. Disialoganglioside GD3 has become a potential target. However, the mechanism by which pNTs express GD3 and GD2 remains unclear. We investigated the combined expression status of GD3 and GD2 in pNTs and delineated their clinicopathological values. Methods GD3 and GD2 expression was examined in pNT tissue samples (n = 35) using immunohistochemistry and multiple immunofluorescence imaging. Results GD3 and GD2 expression was positive in 32/35 and 25/35 samples, respectively. Combinatorial analysis of GD3 and GD2 expression in neuroblastoma showed that both were heterogeneously expressed from cell to cell. There were higher numbers of GD3-positive and GD2-negative cells in the low-risk group than in the intermediate-risk ( P = 0.014) and high-risk ( P = 0.009) groups. Cases with high proportions of GD3-positive and GD2-negative cells were associated with the International Neuroblastoma Staging System stage ( P = 0.004), Children’s Oncology Group risk group ( P = 0.001), and outcome ( P = 0.019) and tended to have a higher overall survival rate. Conclusion We demonstrated that neuroblastomas from low-risk patients included more GD3-positive and GD2-negative cells than those from high-risk patients. Clarifying the heterogeneity of neuroblastoma aids in better understanding the biological characteristics and clinical behavior.


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