Higher Rate Of Decrease Research Articles

Leptin receptor is a key gene involved in the immunopathogenesis of thyroid-associated ophthalmopathy.

Thyroid‐associated ophthalmopathy (TAO), the most common and severe manifestation of Graves' disease (GD), is a disfiguring and potentially blinding autoimmune disease. The high relapse rate (up to 20%) and substantial side effects of glucocorticoid treatment further decrease the life quality of TAO patients. To develop novel therapies, we amid to explore the immunopathogenesis of TAO. To identify the key immune‐related genes (IRGs) in TAO, we integrated the IRG expression profiles in thyrocytes from a GD patient set (GD vs healthy control) and a TAO patient set (TAO vs GD). Gene Ontology (GO), Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG), protein‐protein interaction (PPI) and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analyses identified the leptin receptor (LEPR) gene as the key IRG in TAO immunopathogenesis. Gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) suggested enrichment of the antigen presentation pathway in TAO patients with higher LEPR. Increased LEPR expression was validated in TAO orbital tissues, and weighted gene co‐expression network analysis (WGCNA) showed that cell adhesion processes were positively correlated with LEPR. Our study revealed that LEPR is a key gene in TAO immunopathogenesis and plays different roles in thyrocytes and orbital tissues. Our findings provide new insights into diagnostic and therapeutic biomarkers for TAO.

Analysis of the Behavior of Abstractions in Two Urban Micro-Basins of the City of Cuenca (Ecuador), through an Aggregate Model

Several cities in developing countries are challenging the permanent process of urbanization. This generates a great disturbance on the hydrological response of the urbanized area during rainfall events, which can cause floods. Among the disturbances that urbanized basins may suffer, it is found that variations in rain losses (hydrological abstractions) can be estimated by the named volumetric runoff coefficient (CVOL) methodology. In the present study, this methodology is used in an attempt to estimate the hydrological abstraction of two nearby urbanized basins, with different degrees of impermeability, located in the city of Cuenca in Ecuador. The data for that analysis were collected between April and May of 2017. The results obtained indicate that the micro-basin with the largest impervious area presents the higher initial hydrological losses, the higher rate of decrease in abstractions, and the higher stormwater runoff flows per unit area. In addition, the abstractions found in the two urban micro-basins show great sensitivity to the maximum rainfall intensity and do not relate to the antecedent soil moisture. These results demonstrate the importance of having higher pervious surfaces in urbanized areas because they lead to reduce negative impacts associated with increased stormwater runoff on impervious surfaces.

Mega-dams and extreme rainfall: Disentangling the drivers of extensive impacts of a large flooding event on Amazon Forests.

Extreme weather events and the presence of mega-hydroelectric dams, when combined, present an emerging threat to natural habitats in the Amazon region. To understand the magnitude of these impacts, we used remote sensing data to assess forest loss in areas affected by the extreme 2014 flood in the entire Madeira River basin, the location of two mega-dams. In addition, forest plots (26 ha) were monitored between 2011 and 2015 (14,328 trees) in order to evaluate changes in tree mortality, aboveground biomass (AGB), species composition and community structure around the Jirau reservoir (distance between plots varies from 1 to 80 km). We showed that the mega-dams were the main driver of tree mortality in Madeira basin forests after the 2014 extreme flood. Forest loss in the areas surrounding the reservoirs was 56 km2 in Santo Antônio, 190 km2 in Jirau (7.4–9.2% of the forest cover before flooding), and 79.9% above that predicted in environmental impact assessments. We also show that climatic anomalies, albeit with much smaller impact than that created by the mega-dams, resulted in forest loss along different Madeira sub-basins not affected by dams (34–173 km2; 0.5–1.7%). The impact of flooding was greater in várzea and transitional forests, resulting in high rates of tree mortality (88–100%), AGB decrease (89–100%), and reduction of species richness (78–100%). Conversely, campinarana forests were more flood-tolerant with a slight decrease in species richness (6%) and similar AGB after flooding. Taking together satellite and field measurements, we estimate that the 2014 flood event in the Madeira basin resulted in 8.81–12.47 ∙ 106 tons of dead biomass. Environmental impact studies required for environmental licensing of mega-dams by governmental agencies should consider the increasing trend of climatic anomalies and the high vulnerability of different habitats to minimize the serious impacts of dams on Amazonian biodiversity and carbon stocks.

Impact of the state of emergency enacted due to the COVID-19 pandemic on the physical activity of the elderly in Japan.

[Purpose] In Japan, the government issued a state of emergency due to the spread of COVID-19 in April 2020. In this study, we measured physical activity before and after the state of emergency, and assessed the factors that affected physical activity. [Participants and Methods] We included thirteen elderly people living in Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan, in the study. The participants wore 3-axis accelerometer on their hips to measure physical activity for a week, before (in October 2019) and after the state of emergency. According to the median rate of decrease in physical activity (23.6%), we divided the participants into two groups: one group had participants with a high rate of decrease (low physical activity) and the other had participants with a low rate of decrease (high physical activity). [Results] The following factors decreased after the state of emergency: total physical activity, amount of moderate-intensity physical activity and activities of daily living, amount of light-intensity physical activity and walking, daily activity time, and daily steps. Statistical analysis showed that engaging in housework was associated with high physical activity. [Conclusion] Elderly people who engaged in household chores had a smaller decrease in physical activity. In order to reduce the decrease in physical activity and the risk of cardiovascular events, the elderly should perform as many daily activities and hobbies as they can while paying attention to the infection control measures.

Metabolites of the phenylpropanoid pathway and physiological quality of soybean seeds in storage

Abstract: The aim of this study was to evaluate changes in the physiological quality of soybean seeds throughout a storage period in two environments, and to evaluate how these changes are related to metabolites of the phenylpropanoid pathway. A completely randomized experimental design was used in a 4 × 8 factorial arrangement (storage periods × cultivars) with four replications. We used seeds from cultivars with contrasts in lignin content, color, and presence of anthocyanin in the seed coat, and isoflavone content in the seed. The seeds were kept for six months under cold and dry storage and in a non-controlled environment. Germination, first germination count, seedling emergence, and tetrazolium testing were performed on the seeds every two months. The physiological quality of the seeds declines during the storage period, with higher rates of decrease in the non-controlled environment. The metabolites of the phenylpropanoid pathway that were studied, especially lignin, affect seed storage potential. Cultivars with higher lignin content show greater storage potential, especially in a non-controlled environment.

Evaluation of Parallel Pipe Subsurface Drainage System in a Waterlogged Paddy Field

Inadequate natural drainage facilities and flat lands causes, some of the Cauvery river basin command are suffering waterlogging and alkalinity problems during the canal water supply and period of excess rainfall. Subsurface drainage system is the method to lower the depth to groundwater level below the root zone and creates a favorable environment for crop growth. A study aimed to evaluate the performance of the parallel pipe subsurface system installed in farmers’ field at Sembari village, Lalgudi Taluk, Trichy District, Tamil Nadu in a waterlogged paddy field from October 2020 to February 2021. The field experiment was conducted with the combination of three lateral drain spacing (7.5, 10.0 and 12.5 m) and two drain depths (60 and 80 cm). 63 mm PVC perforated pipes wrapped with coir envelope were laid as lateral drains at a grade 0.3%. Inspection chambers connected with collector drains laid at a grade of 0.6% were used to measure the drain water discharge, observation wells installed midway between lateral pipes drains were used for measuring the depth to groundwater level. Hydraulic properties of soil, depth to water level, discharge collected in drain pipe were used as evaluation parameters. This study revealed that soil hydraulic conductivity had been increased to 30%, pH, EC and ESP has been reduced to 12, 54 and 20%, respectively. The system has performed well to alleviate the waterlogged condition in 7.5 m lateral drain spacing and 80 cm drain depth treatment by observing the higher rate of decrease in depth to water of 0.3 to 0.4 m and a drainage coefficient of 0.069 to 0.29 cm/day.

Origin and Accumulation of an Anthropogenic CO2 and 13C Suess Effect in the Arctic Ocean

AbstractWe determined the impact of anthropogenic CO2 (Cant) accumulation on the δ13C of dissolved inorganic carbon in the Arctic Ocean (i.e., the 13C Suess effect) based on δ13C measurements during a GEOTRACES cruise in 2015. The δ13C decrease was estimated from the amount of Cant change derived by the transit time distribution approach and the ratio of the anthropogenic δ13C/dissolved inorganic carbon change (RC). A significant Cant increase (up to 45 μmol kg−1) and δ13C decrease (up to −0.9‰) extends to ~2,000 m in the Canada and Makarov Basin. We find distinctly different RC values for the intermediate water (300–2,000 m) and upper halocline water (<200 m) of −0.020 and −0.012‰ (μmol kg−1)−1, respectively, which identifies two sources of Cant accumulation from North Atlantic and North Pacific. Furthermore, estimated RC for intermediate waters is the same as the RC observed in the Greenland Sea and the rate of anthropogenic dissolved inorganic carbon increase estimated for intermediate waters at 0.9 μmol kg−1 yr−1 is identical to the estimated rate in the Iceland Sea. These observations indicate that the high rate of Cant accumulation and δ13C decrease in the Arctic Ocean is primarily a result of the input of Cant, via ventilation of intermediate waters, from the Nordic Sea rather than local anthropogenic CO2 uptake within the Arctic Basin. We determine the preindustrial δ13C (δ13CPI) distributions and find distinct δ13CPI signatures of the intermediate and upper halocline waters that reflect the difference in δ13CPI–PO4 relationship of Atlantic and Pacific source water.

Synoptic features associated with the winter variability of the subtropical jet stream over Africa and the Middle East

Spatial, vertical and temporal variations in the subtropical jet stream over Africa and the Middle East were studied from 1958 to 2016 using NCEP/NCAR reanalysis meteorological data. The results of this study showed that the jet stream was located at a pressure level of 200 hPa more than 87% of the time, and it was located in the meridional zone between 20°N and 35°N in more than 83% of these cases. Additionally, the annual winter distribution of the jet stream illustrated two distinct trends: the first trend ended in 1987 and had a high rate of decrease, and the second trend began in 1988 and had a small rate of increase. Furthermore, synoptically, the study showed that the southern shift of the jet stream intensified the low-pressure systems over Africa and the Mediterranean, in addition to producing favorable conditions for the northward extension of the Red Sea Trough. However, the northward shift was related to the intensified Azores high-pressure system over Africa and the southern Mediterranean. Moreover, the temporal variations of the jet stream indicated that the intensification of the high-pressure system (i.e., the Azores and Siberian highs) tended to decrease the number of jet stream cases at 200 hPa or vertically shifted them downward to 250 hPa.

Comparative assessment of the dynamics of the incidence of pulmonary and etraulmonary tuberculosis in St. Petersburg for half a century of observation

This article describes the results of comparative analysis of the dynamics of incidence of pulmonary tuberculo-sis (TBP), extrapulmonary extrarespiratory tuberculo-sis (TBER) and respiratory extrapulmonary tuberculosis (TBREP) in St. Petersburg (Leningrad) from 1970 to 2019. Throughout the 50 years of observation, epidemiological situation for TBP, especially for TBER, hasmuch improved, with incidence of the latter going down 30 times. Five stages (decades) were identified, within which the factors demonstrate practically the same impact, the growth rate of indicators was calculated for each stage (the value of indicators at the beginning of each stage taken as 100%).The first stage was a simultaneous reduction in the inci-dence rate in all categories of TB localization against the background of socio-economic factors positive effect and organization of effective and comprehensive an-ti-TB measures. In the second stage (1980ies, a period of growing socio-economic problems), the positive dynam-ics of TB incidence stopped and switched to stabilization at a low level. Indicators became more volatile, while TB dynamics by localization more and more desynchro-nized. Тhe third stage (1990iеs, a period of social and economic crisis) was char-acterised by a sharp increase of TB incidence, especially TBREP, with a switch to stabi-lization at a high level. The fourth stage (2000 through 2009, the beginning of TB control system restoration) demonstrated the indicators’ dynamics desynchroniza-tion: the incidence of TBP and TBREP has stabilized, and TBER continued to decline. The fifth stage (2009 through 2019, complete restoration of TB control system) showed a steady trend of incidence rate reduction and return of uniformity in incidence rate of various localizations.There is no increase in the proportion of extrapulmonary TB expected for the incidence decline. TBER incidence had been declining in most stages, with the exception of the 90ies, which could be explained by substandard work in identifying patients, and the rarity of TBER etiological verification. It is necessary to raise the clinical awareness of narrow specialists and general practitioners in the di-agnostic problems associated with TBER.The coincidence of the rate of TB incidence decrease in main localizations in the 1970ies and 2010s proves that a comprehensive state strategy to combat tuberculosis can provide a high rate of TB incidence decrease in various social layers with positive social and economic conditions of life of the population.

Keyboard Contamination in Intensive Care Unit: Is Cleaning Enough? Prospective Research of In Situ Effectiveness of a Tea Tree Oil (KTEO) Film.

After the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, disinfection practices and microbial load reduction have become even more important and rigorous. To determine the contamination of keyboard surface and the relative risk to transfer healthcare-associated pathogens to susceptible patients, as it frequently happens in Intensive Care Unit (ICU), a standard keyboard (SK), a cleanable keyless keyboard (KK) with smooth surface and a standard keyboard coated with a 3M Tegaderm® film added with active essential oil (tea tree oil) (KTEO) were tested. S. aureus, including MRSA strains, were detected in ICU, with values ranging from 15% to 57%. Gram negative strains belonging to the Enterobacteriaceae family were also found with values ranging from 14% to 71%. Similar Gram positive and Gram negative strains were found on all surfaces, but with low percentage, and only environmental bacteria were detected using the settling plates method. The Microbial Challenge Test performed on KTEO showed high rates of decrease for all the pathogens with statistical significance both at 24 and 48h (p=0.003* and p=0.040*, respectively). Our results suggest that the use of KTEO may be a feasible strategy for reducing the transmission of pathogens in health care setting and may be complementary to surface cleaning protocols.

Timing of the termination of mechanical jaundice after antegrade and retrograde decompressive surgeries in mechanical jaundice of various genesis

Aim: to determine in a comparative aspect the effectiveness of various minimally invasive decompressive operations in mechanical jaundice of different genesis.
 Materials and methods. In 135 patients with mechanical jaundice, the rate of bile duct resolution after cholecystostomy and percutaneous cholangiostomy was studied on the background of pancreatic head tumor. In 643 patients with obstructive bile duct disease in cholelithiasis, timing of the termination of jaundice after minimally invasive retrograde (endoscopic papillosphincterotomy (EPT) and EPT with transpapillary drainage) and percutaneous antegrade (cholecystostomy and cholangiostomy) of decompressive operations was studied.
 Result. Upon cholelithiasis and hyperbilirubinemia less than 100 μmol/l, jaundice is terminated after both variants of retrograde decompression within 3–5 days, antegrade interventions increase these terms by half. Comparison of retrograde and antegrade decompressive surgeries in mechanical jaundice of medium and severe degree on the background of cholelithiasis indicates that the rate of termination of bile stasis is the highest after EPT with transpapillary drainage. Isolated EPT and percutaneous cholangiostoma with medium-grade gallstones increase the duration of jaundice termination by an average of one week. Upon hyperbilirubinemia more than 200 μmol/l, cholangiostomy is not worse than transpapillary drainage. The longest termination period of obstructive jaundice (28–30 days) is observed after superimposition of microcholecystostoma. In patients with jaundice of a mild degree of tumor genesis, no differences in the results were revealed after both variants of percutaneous decompression. Upon hyperbilirubinemia above 100 μmol/l, when cholangio- and cholecystostomy were compared, a higher rate of decrease in serum bilirubin was observed after percutaneous interventions with a cholecystostomy.
 Conclusion. At all severity levels of mechanical jaundice on the background of cholelithiasis, the best way of decompression is endoscopic papillotomy with transpapillary drainage. In obturation bile stasis upon the pancreatic head tumor, the best decompressive effect is observed after percutaneous cholecystoostomy.

Quantification of the influence of thermal comfort and life patterns on outdoor space activities

Urban spaces offer considerable social, health, environmental, and economic benefits to cities and citizens. As a result, attracting more people to urban outdoor spaces is a goal of sustainable urban planning. This study conducted field surveys in a park in Tianjin, in northern China, to study the impacts of thermal comfort and life patterns on the intensity of activity in urban spaces. Analysis of the data found that subjects who engaged in intense activity were less sensitive to cold than to heat. The attendance of people with children exhibited a very high rate of decrease as the thermal environment became unfavorable. When the thermal environment changed from cold to hot, people in the park adapted by moving from open to shaded spaces. This study revealed that different activities followed distinctive patterns. Intense activity occurred mainly in the afternoon, attending to children occurred primarily in the morning, and low-intensity activity happened all day, but its occurrence decreased at noon. By incorporating the impact of thermal comfort and life patterns, this study developed a mixed-influence model to analyze the hourly usage rate in the park. The findings of this study are useful for designers seeking to create sustainable and attractive open spaces.

Filtration Capacities of Lubomirskia baicalensis Biocenosis in Conditions of a Model Experiment

The paper is dedicated to the fundamental research problem of biochemical ecology, i.e. to the identification of interaction mechanisms of anthropogenic pollution and organisms. The data on Baikal lake hydrobionts filtration capacities are essential in order to determine their ecological value when using them in aquaculture. The paper presents the data on studies of Baikal lake endemic species Lubomirskia baicalensis in model experiments with polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons which inhibit biodegradation, are carcinogenic, slow-soluble and tend to accumulate on the bottom of lake Baikal. The article discusses the results of the model experiments on the influence of priority toxicants (naphthalene, anthracene, pyrene) on the endemic species Lubomirskia baicalensis, carried out in 2015–2016. A comparative analysis with the data of the 2006 experiment is given. The change of the content of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in healthy and sick sponges is shown. The authors draw a conclusion that the highest rate of decrease in content is observed during the first hours of 6–12 hour exposure and within 24–36 hours of exposure, approximately 5–10 % of the stock concentration of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons remains in the water.

Minimizing the time gap between service lifetime and complete resorption of degradable melt-spun multifilament fibers

We have succeeded to modulated the degradation rate of poly(l-lactide) (PLLA) melt-spun multifilament fibers to extend the service lifetime and increase the resorption rate by using random copolymers of l-lactide and trimethylene carbonate (TMC). The presence of TMC units enabled an overall longer service lifetime but faster degradation kinetics than PLLA. By increasing the amount of TMC up to 18 mol%, multifilament fibers characterized by a homogenous degradation profile could be achieved. Such composition allowed, once the mechanical integrity was lost, a much longer retention of mechanical integrity and a faster rate of mass loss than samples containing less TMC.The degradation profile of multifilament fibers consisting of (co)polymers containing 0, 5, 10 and 18 mol% of TMC has been identified during 45 weeks in vitro hydrolysis following the molecular weight decrease, mass loss and changes in microstructure, crystallinity and mechanical properties. The fibers degraded by a two-step, autocatalyzed bulk hydrolysis mechanism. A high rate of molecular weight decrease and negligible mass loss, with a consequent drop of the mechanical properties, was observed in the early stage of degradation for fibers having TMC content up to 10 mol%. The later stage of degradation was, for these samples, characterized by a slight increase in the mass loss and a negligible molecular weight decrease. Fibers prepared with the 18 mol% TMC copolymer showed instead a more homogenous molecular weight decrease ensuring mechanical integrity for longer time and faster mass loss during the later stage of degradation.

Changes in developmental assets across a 4-month competitive season among youth basketball players

Abstract The present study examined the changes in developmental assets among young basketball players during a 4-month competitive period, accounting for variation by age group. Additionally, we examined the age-related variation on developmental assets. Sixty-five adolescent basketball players aged between 9.5 to 17.3 years were considered. We used the Portuguese version of the Developmental Assets Profile Questionnaire. Multilevel modeling was used to estimate the magnitude of changes on developmental assets across the 4-month competitive season, as well as aligning assets scores by chronological age. Positive values and positive identity scores were substantially increased after the 4-month competitive sample. The other assets scores showed no variation across the competitive 4-month competitive season, independent of age group. There was a trend of linear decrease in developmental assets as the adolescent players got older. For positive values, there was a non-linear trend with a higher decrease rate between about 10 to 14 years, levelling off thereafter. Developmental assets did not appear to be influenced by exposure to a period of organized training and competition among adolescent basketball players. Hence, the observed decrease on developmental assets when aligning by age may reflect the influence of contextual and cultural environments of practice. This is of particularly interest for positive values, which refer to school engagement or and social justice, qualities that are not sport-specific but assume a key and importance position in sport participation for a positive role in youth development.

Screening of jute and kenaf varieties for salinity tolerance

A study was conducted in the Department of Agronomy, Bangladesh Agricultural University (BAU), Mymensingh from April to August 2012 to examine the salinity tolerance of eight jute varieties (CVE-3, C-83, CVL-1, BJC-7370, O-795, O-9897, OM-1, O-72) and two kenaf varieties (HC-95 and HC-2). Initially germination of these varieties were evaluated under six salinity levels viz. 0mM, 20mM, 40mM, 60mM, 80mM, and 100mM NaCl in the seed laboratory of the Department of Agronomy. Afterwards, all the varieties was grown in pots in the net house under four salinity levels viz. 0mM, 25mM, 50mM, and 75mM. The results from the germination study revealed that under control condition (0mM NaCl) all the jute varieties showed germination more than 80% both at 7 and at 14 days after seed sowing, whereas kenaf varieties had germination a little less than 80%. Among the jute varieties, O-72 showed the highest germination (92%), which was statistically similar with those of OM-1(91%), O-795 (90%), and C-83(87%). Salinity stress decreased germination drastically in all of the jute and kenaf varieties. A salinity level of 100mM caused the highest germination inhibition (74.70%) in jute variety CVL-1, which was very close to those of BJC-7370 and O-72. On the other hand, the lowest germination inhibition (51.11%) was recorded in jute variety O-795. The results of the pot trail showed that the plant characters of jute and kenaf varieties were affected significantly by salinity stress. All the varieties produced their respective plant height, number of leaves per plant, and plant dry weight under control condition (no salinity). Among these varieties, CVE-3 produced the highest plant height (145.2cm), and total dry weight (22.55g), whereas O-72 produced the highest number of leaves per plant (24.67). All these plant characters decreased sharply due to salinity stress irrespective of variety. However, the rate of decrease of plant characters occurred differentially in the jute and kenaf varieties. The highest rate of decrease in number of leaves (74.22%) was found from the variety CVE-3, whereas the lowest one was recorded from the variety HC-2 (51.68%). Salinity stress caused the highest decrease in total plant dry weight (73.68%) in the variety CVL-1 and plant height (73.64%) also in the variety CVL-1. On the contrary, the lowest decrease in plant dry weight (50.99%) was found in the variety O-9897 and plant height also in variety O-9897 (50.88%). Based on the results from germination test and pot trail, it can be inferred that jute variety O-9897 appeared to be the most salt tolerant followed by O-795, HC-2, HC-95, CVE-3, O-72, C-83, BJC-7370, OM-1, and CVL-1.

Genetic differences in and inheritance of changes in organic acid content in citrus cross-breeding population in Japan

The organic acid content of the flesh of Citrus spp. fruit decreases during fruit growth. Citric acid is responsible for most of the decrease in many cultivars. The pattern of decrease of citric acid depends on genotype, but the inheritance of the trait is unclear. We investigated the pattern of decrease of citric acid during fruit growth of 100 cultivars and selections used as parents in citrus breeding in Japan and classified them by hierarchical cluster analysis. We also estimated the heritability of the pattern using data from 581 seedlings in 39 families. The accessions were classified into 4 clusters according to the pattern of decrease of citric acid from the early to the late fruit growing stages: Cluster 1, content decreased from very high to medium; Cluster 2, content decreased from high or medium to low; Cluster 3, content remained high; and Cluster 4, content remained low or medium. The heritability (±SE) of the citric acid content was 0.38±0.11 at the early stage and 0.60±0.09 at the late stage, and that of the rate of decrease was 0.67±0.12. These results suggest that selecting parents with a high rate of decrease of citric acid content from Cluster 2 will allow the development of new early-maturing cultivars.

The structural role of the state in the processes of health care and the provision of the national security system

Within the framework of this article, an analysis of the structural role of the state in health care processes was made, its functional purpose was solved in solving systemic problems concerning the preservation of the labor potential of the nation as a structural condition for the provision of the national security system in a crisis, and the main problems of human development that determine quality health systems, both at the global and national levels, and identifies the relevant sections of the exacerbation of the social security of citizens that narrow the space of the national ezpeky state, thus deconstructs the healthcare system, which thereby provoke high rates of decrease of the labor potential.

Temperature and Precipitation trends in Kashmir valley, North Western Himalayas

Climate change has emerged as an important issue ever to confront mankind. This concern emerges from the fact that our day-to-day activities are leading to impacts on the Earth’s atmosphere that has the potential to significantly alter the planet’s shield and radiation balance. Developing countries particularly whose income is particularly derived from agricultural activities are at the forefront of bearing repercussions due to changing climate. The present study is an effort to analyze the changing trends of precipitation and temperature variables in Kashmir valley along different elevation zones in the north western part of India. As the Kashmir valley has a rich repository of glaciers with its annual share of precipitation, slight change in the temperature and precipitation regime has far reaching environmental and economic consequences. The results from Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) data of the period 1980–2014 reveals that the annual mean temperature of Kashmir valley has increased significantly. Accelerated warming has been observed during 1980–2014, with intense warming in the recent years (2001–2014). During the period 1980–2014, steeper increase, in annual mean maximum temperature than annual mean minimum temperature, has been observed. In addition, mean maximum temperature in plain regions has shown higher rate of increase when compared with mountainous areas. In case of mean minimum temperature, mountainous regions have shown higher rate of increase. Analysis of precipitation data for the same period shows a decreasing trend with mountainous regions having the highest rate of decrease which can be quite hazardous for the fragile mountain environment of the Kashmir valley housing a large number of glaciers.

Importance of glomerular filtration rate change as surrogate endpoint for the future incidence of end-stage renal disease in general Japanese population: community-based cohort study

BackgroundBecause of the necessity for extended period and large costs until the event occurs, surrogate endpoints are indispensable for implementation of clinical studies to improve chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients’ prognosis.MethodsSubjects with serum creatinine level for a baseline period over 1–3 years were enrolled (n = 69,238) in this community-based prospective cohort study in Okinawa, Japan, and followed up for 15 years. The endpoint was end-stage renal disease (ESRD). The percent of estimated glomerular filtration rate (%eGFR) change was calculated on the basis of the baseline period.ResultsSubjects had a mean ± SD age, 55.59 ± 14.69 years; eGFR, 80.15 ± 21.15 ml/min/1.73 m2. Among the subjects recruited, 15.81% had a low eGFR (<60 ml/min/1.73 m2) and 36.1/100,000 person years developed ESRD. Cox proportional hazards models adjusted for baseline characteristics showed that the risk of ESRD tended to be high with high rates of decrease in %eGFR changes over 2 or 3 years in the high- and low-eGFR groups. The specificities and positive predictive values for ESRD based on a cutoff value of %eGFR change of less than −30% over 2 or 3 years were high in the high- and low-eGFR groups.Conclusions%eGFR change tends to be associated with the risk of ESRD. %eGFR change of less than −30% over 2 or 3 years can be a candidate surrogate endpoint for ESRD in the general Japanese population.