Quantification Of Mortality Research Articles

Quantification of Mortality Associated with Particulate Matter Using Air Q model in Ambient Air in Shiraz, Iran

Quantification of Mortality Associated with Particulate Matter Using Air Q model in Ambient Air in Shiraz, Iran

Quantification of mortality and morbidity in general population of heavily-industrialized city of Abadan: Effect of long-term exposure

Introduction: In the 21st century, air pollution has become a global and environmental challenge. The increase in cases of illness and mortality due to air pollution is not hidden from anyone. Therefore, in this study, we estimated the mortality rate due to cause by air pollution agents (PM2.5) in the southernmost city of Khuzestan province (Abadan city) at 2018-2019. Materials and methods: To estimate the mortality duo to air pollution, data related to PM2.5 particles daily concentrations was received from the Abadan Environmental Protection Organization. The average 24-h concentrations of PM2.5 were calculated using Excel. Then, mortality data were obtained from the Vice Chancellor for Health, Abadan University of Medical Sciences. Finally, by AirQ+ software, each of the mortality in 2018-2019 in Abadan was estimated. Results: The obtained data indicated that the concentration of PM2.5 particles within the one-year period was higher than the value set by WHO guideline and EPA standard. Which caused the citizens of Abadan to be exposed to PM2.5 more than 8.23 times than the guidelines of the WHO and 5.34 times more than the standard of the EPA. The output of the model used in this study was as follows: natural mortality (462 cases, AP: 38.25%), mortality duo to LC (6 cases, AP: 32.18%), mortality duo to COPD (8 cases, AP: 26.64%), mortality duo to Stroke (86 cases, AP: 71.26%), mortality duo to IHD (183 cases, AP: 68.34%) and mortality duo to ALRI (2 cases, AP: 32.9%). Conclusion: Planning appropriate strategies of air pollution control to reduce exposure and attributable mortalities is important and necessary.

Do migrants lives matter? A comparison of causes of death between African migrants from SADC countries and South Africans in the post-Apartheid era (2002-2015)

Purpose Migrants historically and currently form an integral part of South Africa. Their importance and contribution to the country’s economy and development are undeniable. Yet, life for African migrants in South Africa is becoming increasingly difficult. An analysis of migrants mortality until now has not been conducted. The purpose of this paper is to compare the trends of the cause of death among South African Citizens (RSA) and African migrants from countries that form part of the South African Development Community (SADC), that make up nearly 70% of the migrants in the country. Design/methodology/approach Using Stats SA data of all registered deaths in South Africa (2002-2015), this paper compares all causes of death (COD) between RSA and SADC migrants. This paper studies the patterns in COD among these population groups for the years 2002 to 2015 in deaths due to infectious diseases and unnatural causes. Logistic regression was used to quantify the odds of dying due to infectious disease and unnatural causes for each population group. This paper included a calculation of the odds of dying due to assault, as a sub-group within unnatural deaths. Findings A total of 7,611,129 deaths were recorded for the local South African population and 88,114 for SADC migrants for the period under study (2002–2015). The burden of mortality for both infectious diseases and unnatural causes was higher for SADC migrants as compared to RSA. SADC migrants were 1.22 times more likely to die from infectious diseases than RSA (P < 0.001, 95% confidence interval (CI) (1.12, 1.23). Similarly, SADC migrants were 2.7 times more likely to die from unnatural causes than South Africans (P < 0.001, 95% CI (2.17, 2.23). The odds of dying from assault was the same as that of unnatural causes. Also, it was found that women were more likely to die from infectious diseases (OR = 1.11, P < 0.001, 95% CI (1.11, 1.11) compared to men, regardless of nationality. Research limitations/implications The bias resulting from migrants who return home to die due to illness, described in the literature as the salmon bias, is present in this paper. This paper, therefore, concludes death due to infectious diseases could be higher among migrants. Practical implications The heightened mortality among SADC migrants can be related to the impact of social determinants of health such as living and working conditions and barriers to access to health care. Moreover, the higher probability of death due to unnatural causes such as assaults constitute a proxy to estimate the impact of xenophobic violence observed in the country over the past decade. Policy interventions should focus on migrant health-care systems. Also, programmes to mitigate and curb xenophobic sentiments should be carried out to address the growing disparity of preventable unnatural causes of death. Originality/value This study offers the first quantification of mortality due to infectious diseases and unnatural causes among RSA and SADC migrants.

Quantification of mortality and morbidity attributed to the ambient air criteria pollutants in Shiraz city, Iran

According to the epidemiological surveys, ambient air pollution has directly related to mortality and different diseases such as cardiovascular and respiratory defects. Among the atmospheric contaminants, criteria air ones (NO2, O3, PM2.5/10, SO2) demonstrated that have particular importance in the community disease. The overall goal of this paper was to study the impact of criteria air contaminants on the health of the inhabitants of Shiraz city, Iran. To accomplish this, the AirQ2.2.3 software was applied. The results of the study revealed that the annual average NO2, SO2, PM2.5, PM10, and O3 concentrations are 39.98, 27.6, 14.35, 46.16, and 120.03 μg/m3 in 2016 and 30.27, 23.97, 16.45, 51.65, and 52.58 μg/m3 in 2017. The total International Classification of Diseases (ICD), cardiovascular, and respiratory mortalities caused by air contaminants in Shiraz was predicted as 911, 628, and 182 cases in 2016, and 346, 370, and 82 cases in 2017, respectively. Sulfur dioxide (SO2) had the greatest rate of total mortality with the attributable equivalent of 4.3% in 2016, but this value has been decreased to 0.42% in 2017. The findings of this research revealed that air contamination has caused problems in Shiraz city according to the predicted results. The findings of this work provide useful data for regional and national health policymakers, who should take decisions to develop strategies for control air contaminants and estimate the cost-effectiveness of interventions.

A multi-sensor, multi-scale approach to mapping tree mortality in woodland ecosystems

Woodland ecosystems, dominant on nearly 4% of all terrestrial land globally, are faced with a variety of threats, including increasingly prolonged and severe droughts, invasive insect outbreaks, and the rapid spread of pathogens. While many remote sensing methods have been developed for the detection and quantification of mortality in forested environments, woodland ecosystems present unique challenges to accurately mapping tree die-off due to relatively lower canopy covers, smaller and irregularly-shaped tree crowns, and greater influence of understory vegetation and soil cover on reflectance. To address these challenges, we developed a multi-sensor, multi-scale approach combining the analytical strengths of centimeter-resolution unmanned aerial system imagery for interpreting individual tree-level mortality, airborne lidar for crown mapping and quantifying percent canopy mortality, and Landsat imagery for upscaling mortality estimates to a regional scale. This approach utilizes a new algorithm for delineating the shapes of small, irregular woodland tree crowns using lidar. To demonstrate the application of this method, we map the extent and severity of a recent tree mortality event in piñon-juniper (PJ) woodlands of southeastern Utah. Our results suggest that 39% of PJ in this region has experienced some level of mortality, with patches exceeding 50% mortality. An analysis of potential mortality drivers revealed that canopy cover, terrain, and recent winter precipitation conditions are most directly linked with mortality, although the explanatory power of the mortality driver model was low. Our approach demonstrates a methodology that could be used for tree mortality mapping and scaling in a variety woodland ecosystems, and can provide a strong basis for further ecophysiological, ecological, and carbon cycle studies involving woodland tree mortality.

IMPACTO DO ENCHIMENTO DO RESERVATÓRIO DE UMA UHE SOBRE A DINÂMICA DE UM FRAGMENTO DE FLORESTA OMBRÓFILA MISTA EM SANTA CATARINA

O presente estudo teve como objetivo investigar o impacto do enchimento do reservatório de uma usina hidrelétrica sobre as taxas de dinâmica do componente arbóreo em uma floresta adjacente. Para isso, foram alocadas 48 parcelas em três setores do fragmento: adjacente às margens do reservatório, meio da encosta e topo da encosta. Um ano após o enchimento do reservatório, todos os indivíduos arbóreos com circunferência a altura do peito (CAP) ≥ 15,7 cm foram avaliados (identificados e mensurados), e dois anos após o enchimento foi realizado o estudo de dinâmica, com as árvores sobreviventes remedidas, as mortas quantificadas e as recrutas incorporadas. Foi realizado o levantamento das variáveis ambientais edáficas, topográficas, de abertura do dossel e de impacto ambiental. Foram calculadas as taxas de dinâmica. Para ordenação das variáveis ambientais foi aplicada uma Análise de Componentes Principais (PCA) e a influência de gradientes ambientais sobre as taxas demográficas da comunidade foi verificada por meio de regressão logística. A dinâmica apresentou estabilidade no número de indivíduos, porém, com maior ganho (3,64%.ano-1) que perda (1,62%.ano-1) em área basal. Entre os setores houve distinções, sendo o setor 1 caracterizado pela maior taxa de perda em área basal (2,51%.ano-1). Houve pouca relação das taxas demográficas com as variáveis ambientais analisadas, indicando que a maior influência encontrada sobre o crescimento das árvores está associada a variáveis não mensuradas. O presente estudo indica que, dois anos após o enchimento do reservatório, foi possível perceber os primeiros efeitos da influência do lago da hidrelétrica na comunidade arbórea.

Tachyarrhythmia Following Norwood Operation

The purpose of this study was to characterize tachyarrhythmias in children following the Norwood procedure. This is a single-center retrospective study including all children who underwent stage I Norwood procedure (n = 98; January 2003-September 2011). The primary outcome measure is the development of tachyarrhythmia during hospitalization after the Norwood procedure. Secondary aims include quantification of mortality in patients with tachyarrhythmias and evaluation of potential risk factors for the development of tachyarrhythmia. Tachyarrhythmia occurred in 33 (34%) of 98 patients. The median time to onset of tachyarrhythmia was ten days (0-47 days). Tachyarrhythmia conferred no increase in overall mortality (P = .45), including operative mortality (P = .37) or interstage mortality (P = 1.00). There was no significant difference in the incidence of arrhythmia based on demographic, anatomic, or surgical variables, including shunt type (P = .23) except that patients with tachyarrhythmias were slightly larger (median weight 3.2 kg) at the time of stage I than those without tachyarrhythmia (median weight 2.93 kg; P = .02]. The odds of arrhythmia in males were 8.7 times higher than that in females (95% confidence interval 2.9-31.3; P < .0001). Postoperative tachyarrhythmia is common, occurring in 34% of patients after the Norwood operation. Onset of tachyarrhythmia occurred later after the Norwood operation than reported previously, and male gender is a risk factor. Further studies to elucidate the etiology and the timing of tachyarrhythmias after the Norwood procedure are necessary.

Incidental catch of marine turtles by Italian trawlers and longliners in the central Mediterranean

Abstract The fishing effort and turtle catch of vessels harbouring at Lampedusa island and fishing in the wider central Mediterranean area was monitored using a voluntary logbook programme. Two large trawlers were monitored between 2003 and 2005 and six small vessels using trawl nets, pelagic longline or bottom longline were monitored in the summer 2005. The observed turtle catch rates of pelagic longline and bottom trawl were among the highest recorded in the basin, and high catch rates by bottom longline were observed too. This suggests that the area contains major oceanic and neritic habitats for the loggerhead turtle Caretta caretta in the Mediterranean Sea. When fishing effort is considered, these results suggest a very high number of captures by Italian trawlers and longliners in the area, as well as by fleets from other countries. This is reason of concern for the conservation of the loggerhead turtle within the Mediterranean Sea. Different fishing gear have different technical/operational characteristics affecting turtle catch and mortality and the present knowledge about associated parameters of these gear varies too. All this considered, specific actions are recommended: (i) an awareness campaign to fishermen to reduce post‐release mortality, (ii) technical modifications to pelagic longline gear to reduce turtle catch, (iii) further investigation into turtle bycatch in all fishing gear, with priority given to bottom longline fishing and quantification of mortality caused by trawlers, (iv) assessment of the turtle populations affected by fishing activity in the area, and (v) international cooperation in undertaking threat assessments, and implementing regulations, management measures and monitoring. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley &amp; Sons, Ltd.

Biological variability in clinical isolates of Trichomonas vaginalis

Eighteen clinical isolates of Trichomonas vaginalis were obtained from women who attended health centers of the Government of Madrid. A total of 1,848 vaginal specimens recovered during the gynaecological examination were seeded in culture tubes containing liquid Diamond medium. Pathogenicity to mice was determined after intraperitoneal inoculation of mice by quantification of mortality and gross damage to abdominal organs. As could be expected, a broad variability was obtained, being some of the isolates more virulent than the reference strain. Regarding to metronidazole susceptibility, none resistant isolate was found but different degrees of susceptibility were determined.