A hydrological perspective on drought risk-assessment in the Yellow River Basin under future anthropogenic activities.

Since the late 1970s, the Yellow River Basin (YRB) has experienced accelerated land-use/land cover changes (LULCC) and consumptive water use (CWU) that have imposed low-flow regimes. Upon the continuation of these anthropogenic activities in the future, significant hydrological alteration is expected. This study takes a hydrological perspective on drought to project changes in the YRB drought risk under future LULCC and CWU business-as-usual (BAU) scenarios. A combination of seasonal trend forecasting, drought indices, land-use and hydrological modeling techniques was used. Future LULCC is assessed based on two BAU scenarios to explore the patterns of LULCC with (LULCC-BAU1) and without (LULCC-BAU2) the continuation of the Chinese Grain for Green Program. The results indicated that LULCC-BAU2 will increase the risk of mild and moderate droughts, while CWU and LULCC-BAU1 will impose higher risk of severe and extreme events. LULCC-BAU1 is projected to exacerbate the duration and intensity of the agricultural/hydrological droughts. The frequency of hydrological drought under LULCC-BAU1 and CWU scenarios is projected to increase by 43% and 53% during 2021-2050. The future agricultural droughts will likely be more intense and prolonged than meteorological droughts. Hydrological droughts, however, will be characterized by prolonged but less intense drought comparing to the metrological droughts. The meteorological to agricultural drought propagation will likely be driven by LULCC under BAU1, while the meteorological to hydrological drought propagation is controlled by CWU changes.

Gaseous pollutants from brick kiln industry decreased the growth, photosynthesis, and yield of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.).

Gaseous pollutant emissions from brick kiln industries deteriorate the current state of ambient air quality in Pakistan and worldwide. These gaseous pollutants affect the health of plants and may decrease plant growth and yield. A field experiment that was conducted to monitor the concentration of gaseous pollutants emitted mainly from brick kilns in the ambient air and associated impacts on the growth and physiological attributes of the two wheat (Triticum spp.) cultivars. Plants were grown at three sites, including control (Ayub Agriculture Research Institute, AARI), low pollution (LP) site (Small Estate Industry), and high pollution (HP) site (Sidar Bypass), of Faisalabad, Pakistan. Monitoring of ambient air pollution at experimental sites was carried out using the state-of-art ambient air analyzers. Plants were harvested after 120 days of germination and were analyzed for different growth attributes. Results showed that the hourly average concentration of gaseous air pollutants CO, NO2, SO2, and PM10 at HP site were significantly higher than the LP and control sites. Similarly, gaseous pollutants decreased plant height, straw and grain yield, photosynthesis and increased physical injury, and metal concentrations in the grains. However, wheat response toward gaseous pollutants did not differ between cultivars (Galaxy and 8173) studied. Overall, the results indicated that brick kiln emissions could reduce the performance of wheat grown in the soils around kilns and confirm the adverse impacts of pollutants on the growth, yield, and quality of the wheat.

Population Exposure Changes to Mean and Extreme Climate Events Over Pakistan and Associated Mechanisms.

The increasing prevalence of warmer trends and climate extremes exacerbate the population's exposure to urban settlements. This work investigated population exposure changes to mean and extreme climate events in different Agro-Ecological Zones (AEZs) of Pakistan and associated mechanisms (1979-2020). Spatiotemporal trends in mean and extreme temperatures revealed significant warming mainly over northern, northeastern, and southern AEZs. In contrast, mean-to-extreme precipitation changes showed non-uniform patterns with a significant increase in the northeast AEZs. Population exposure to mean (extreme) temperature and precipitation events increased two-fold during 2000-2020. The AEZs in urban settlements (i.e., Indus Delta, Northern Irrigated Plain, and Barani/Rainfall) show a maximum exposure to extreme temperatures of about 70-100 × 106 (person-days) in the reference period (1979-1999), which increases to 140-200 × 106 person-days in the recent period (2000-2020). In addition, the highest exposure to extreme precipitation days also increases to 40-200 × 106 person-days during 2000-2020 than 1979-1999 (20-100 × 106) person-days. Relative changes in exposure are large (60%-90%) for the AEZs across northeast Pakistan, justifying the spatial population patterns over these zones. Overall, the observed changes in exposure are primarily attributed to the climate effect (50%) over most AEZs except Northern Irrigated Plain for R10 and R20 events, where the interaction effect takes the lead. The population exposure rapidly increased over major AEZs of Pakistan, which could be more vulnerable to extreme events due to rapid urbanization and population growth in the near future.

The Association of Research Quantitative Measures With Faculty Ranks of Australian and New Zealand Dental Schools.

INTRODUCTION: The scholarly productivity of a faculty member can be measured through several indicators including annual appraisals, feedback, and the number of publications per year. The present study aims to assess the association of quantitative research measures and academic ranks in Australian and New Zealand dental schools. METHODS: It was an analytical observational cross-sectional study. Full-time faculty members working in Australia and New Zealand's dental schools were discovered on official websites. Various bibliometric parameters including h-index, total number of citations, total number of publications, and maximum number of sources of a single publication were analyzed. Spearman rank correlation was used to determine the correlation between bibliometric variables and academic ranks (lecturer, assistant professor, professor). The Mann-Whitney U test was used to compare bibliometric parameters among departments (Basic and Clinical) and gender (male and female). RESULTS: Through the present search strategy, 207 full-time faculty members were identified, of which 12 were from New Zealand, and 195 were from Australia. Among them, 130 (62.8%) were male and 70 (33.8%) were female faculty members. There was a positive correlation of all bibliometric parameters with academic ranks (p = 0.001). There was no statistical difference between the two countries for academic parameters (p > 0.05). Male faculty members showed significantly higher academic productivity than female members in Australian dental schools (p = 0.001). CONCLUSION: These bibliometric parameters and other educational parameters can be considered for determining faculty promotions. These bibliometric parameters appear to be suitable metrics for assessing research productivity, impact, and visibility.

An Audit of Preoperative Informed Consent in Surgical Patients at a Tertiary Care Hospital in Lahore, Pakistan.

Informed consent plays a crucial role in modern clinical practice, representing a fundamental aspect of patient rights and medical ethics. The purpose of informed consent is to ensure that patients fully comprehend the procedures to which they are providing consent and the recognition that the surgeon is not guilty of battery. Moreover, clinicians safeguard themselves against potential repercussions by documenting the risks adequately conveyed to patients before performing surgery. Therefore, the significance of informed consent cannot be overstated. This survey encompassed patients from various surgical departments who underwent surgery in April 2023 at a tertiary care hospital. For the survey participants above the age of 18 were selected undergoing either emergency or elective surgical procedures. The survey employed a structured questionnaire for interviews, assessing whether patients had given informed consent before surgery. The questionnaire also inquired whether patients received information about the diagnosis, proposed surgical procedure, associated risks, and any available alternative treatment options. Furthermore, patients were asked about the proposed anesthesia type and whether the associated risks were communicated to them before the surgery. A random selection of 50 patients was done for this study, and the process of block randomization was used with the help of a computer app to reduce bias and allow the representation of the various surgical subspecialties present in the tertiary care hospital. No evidence of consent being taken was present in two patients(4%) or the document on which the consent was signed was not present in the file. Only 48% of the patients acknowledged that they fully understood the provided information. While 60% of the patients were informed about the type of anesthesia proposed, a mere 8% were provided information regarding anesthesia risks. None of the patients in the emergency setting signed the consent form themselves, regardless of their capability to do so. Conversely, only 24% of the patients in the elective setting signed the consent form themselves. The study revealed that the quality of informed consent signing in this tertiary care hospital is below average. Healthcare professionals, including doctors and staff, need education regarding the importance of informed consent and the patient's right to comprehend any procedure or intervention to which they are subjected. A shift in the paradigm of decision-making about a patient's health needs to emphasize that the patient is the most critical entity in these decisions. The main aim of the study is twofold, primarily we want to analyze the existing method of taking informed consent by comparison with the guidelines and check whether the current practice of informed consent achieves its goal of involving the patients in their treatment. Secondarily, we want to discuss the effect that patient-doctor communication might have on the delivery of the above-mentioned information.

Beta-Blocker-Induced Erythrodermic Psoriasis: A Case Report.

Beta-blockers are well-known for their wide range of therapeutic applications, particularly in patients with cardiac diseases. Physicians worldwide are aware of their potential side effects, including hypoglycemia, dizziness, slow heart rate, fatigue, and heart block. We report a case of erythrodermic psoriasis caused by beta-blockers in a 61-year-old woman with no prior history of the skin condition. The diagnosis was made based on the characteristic histopathological picture and a Naranjo score of 6. She was administered 15 mg of methotrexate weekly and received supportive care. She recovered completely within two months and exhibited no recurrence of symptoms.

Traumatic Carotid Cavernous Fistula Resulting in Symptoms in the Ipsilateral Eye: A Case Report.

Post-traumatic unilateral carotid cavernous fistula (CCF) with ipsilateral symptoms is a rare occurrence, so its diagnosis frequently gets overlooked for other more common conditions. Timely imaging with digital subtraction angiography (DSA) and appropriate vascular intervention is essential in preventing potentially serious sequelae in such cases. We describe a case of post-traumatic CCF in a 42-year-old man who experienced intermittent headaches and right eye redness, proptosis, and watery discharge for three months following the incident. He was diagnosed with a right CCF based on DSA. Timely endovascular embolization with the coiling method resulted in obvious relief of the ocular symptoms and an improved prognosis. This article offers a description of our patient, a brief discussion of the existing literature, the challenges of diagnosing such cases, and a variety of therapy options.

Monkeypox-Associated Pericarditis: A Maiden Case.

One of the most prevalent causes of pericarditis has been identified as virus infection. However, very little is known regarding cardiac involvement as a consequence of monkeypox infection. We describe a rare case of pericarditis with mild pericardial effusion in an immunocompetent adult with a one-week history of monkeypox. To the best of our knowledge, not many case reports are available in the existing literature. This might be the among the first few cases of monkeypox associated pericarditis during the current pandemic. The use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medications, and colchicine to manage pericarditis has been the cornerstone of the therapy. Within two weeks, the patient reported improvement in his symptoms and the resolution of the pericardial effusion.

Host Defence Peptides in Diabetes Mellitus Type 2 Patients with Periodontal Disease. A Systematic Review.

The aim of the study was to critically assess and review the latest evidence relating the associations between host defence peptides (HDPs), periodontal diseases (PD) and diabetes mellitus type 2 (DM2). To explore studies on HDPs, periodontal disease, and DM2, researchers utilised specific key phrases to search the electronic databases PubMed (National Library of Medicine), Embase (Ovid), Medline (EBSCO), and Dentistry and Oral Sciences (EBSCO). Quality assessment was conducted by means of the Newcastle Ottawa scale and the Systematic Review Centre for Laboratory Animal Experimentation (SYRCLE) tool. Following a thorough screening process, a total of 12 papers (4 case-control, 6 cross-sectional, 1 animal, and 1 in vitro) fulfilled the selection criteria and were included. The majority of research found that HDPs were upregulated in DM2 patients with PD. Three investigations, however, found that HDPs were downregulated in DM2 patients with PD. HDPs play a part in the pathophysiology of PD and DM2. Nonetheless, more human, animal and laboratory investigations are needed to fully understand validation of the link, as the evidence is limited. Understanding HDPs as common moderators is critical, aimed at unlocking their potential as therapeutic and diagnostic agents.

Natural and anthropogenic influences on the recent droughts in Yellow River Basin, China.

Drought in human-dominated environments cannot be seen as a unidirectional hazard as its characteristics are derived and modified by both natural climate variability and human influences. In this study, we applied an observation-modeling framework to quantify the natural and human controls on drought characteristics based on simulated and observed hydrometeorological data from six sub-catchments of the Yellow River Basin in China. A calibrated Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) was applied to simulate the naturalized situation, whereas Standardized Precipitation Index, Streamflow Drought Index, and Soil Moisture Deficit Index were used to characterize drought at meteorological, agricultural and hydrological aspects. Furthermore, various statistical tools, i.e., bivariate correlation analysis, heat maps, and linear models based on multiple regression, were applied to find the statistical relationships between drought characteristics and the multiple influencing factors. The results revealed that the duration of precipitation's dry spells was important for agricultural drought duration, whereas hydrological drought severity and duration highly depended on soil moisture. Meteorological to agricultural drought propagation mechanism was primarily affected by land use/land cover change (LULCC), whereas meteorological to hydrological propagation was influenced mostly by direct human activities (DHA). The human modifiers were found to have both positive and negative effects on drought severity and duration. For instance, agricultural practices and afforestation intensified soil moisture drought, while grassland restoration had a positive impact on agricultural drought severity. Deforestation enhanced hydrological drought, while afforestation and grassland restoration had the opposite effect. Hydrological drought severity and duration were largely amplified by DHA but enhanced by irrigation return flow. Spatially, sub-catchments with high urbanization and irrigated cropland were found to have shorter and less severe droughts than those dominated by grassland.

Water scarcity in the Yellow River Basin under future climate change and human activities.

Under global climate change and pressure from human activities, water scarcity is becoming a major concern in the quest for regional sustainable development in the Yellow River Basin (YRB). This study integrates scenarios of climate change and human activities under the Representative Concentration Pathway (RCP4.5 and RCP8.5) with a watershed-scale hydrological model, and uses the Water Use-to-Availability Ratio (WUAR) to study future water scarcity over six sub-catchments in the YRB. It further investigates the relationship between the future water scarcity and hydroclimatic and anthropogenic drivers. The results suggest that the average WUAR under both RCP4.5 and RCP8.5 will likely exceed the water scarcity threshold (WUAR >20%) and will reach up to 39.9 and 44.7%, respectively. The average WUAR for the upstream and downstream sub-catchments will likely range from 23.8 to 51.6% under RCP4.5 and from 25.5% to 73.8% under RCP8.5, indicating moderate to severe and moderate to extreme water scarcity, respectively. Future WUAR correlates negatively (r-value = -0.85) with the streamflow drought index (SDI) in the upstream sub-catchments, i.e., hydrological drought will likely intensify water scarcity. Conversely, WUAR and SDI would be positively correlated (r-value = +0.70) in the downstream sub-catchments, i.e., water scarcity will become severer despite decreasing severity of hydrological drought. Under climate change, water scarcity in these sub-catchments will exhibit high dependency (Kendall τ correlation coefficient = 0.84) on water-use patterns than on water availability. The regression analysis indicates that the WUAR will increase significantly (p < 0.05) with projected woodland, cropland, and buildup areas under RCP4.5. This relationship will become even more significant (p < 0.01) under RCP8.5. This study provides insights into the potential drivers of future water scarcity in the YRB, which is likely to confront water supply crises. The study should help policymaking towards attaining sustainable water management in the basin.