Longitudinal cross-lagged analysis of depression, loneliness, and quality of life in 12 European countries.

BACKGROUND: In the older population, depression, loneliness, and quality of life are closely related, significantly influencing health status. This paper aimed (1) to investigate autoregressive and cross-lagged associations over 2 years between depression, loneliness, and quality of life, and (2) to examine sex-related differences in the 2-year associations between depression, loneliness, and quality of life in a large sample of European citizens aged ≥ 50 years. METHODS: This is a longitudinal analysis. We included 7.456 individuals (70.89 ± 7.64 years; (4.268 females) who responded to waves 7 (2017) and 8 (2019) of the SHARE project. The variables analyzed in both waves were depression, loneliness, and quality of life. RESULTS: Comparatively, females indicated higher depression and loneliness scores than males and a lower perception of quality of life. Autoregressive associations pointed that past depression, loneliness, and quality of life predicted their future episodes 2 years later (p < 0.001). The cross-lagged analysis of males showed positive and significant bidirectional associations between depression and loneliness 2 years later. Females also showed a positive and significant association between depression and loneliness, but loneliness was not associated with depression 2 years later. In turn, previous high levels of quality of life had a protective role in late depression and loneliness up to 2 years. CONCLUSIONS: This study highlighted the need to simultaneously assess and manage depression, loneliness, and quality of life in the older European population. It is suggested that sex-specific policies can be created, including social support, in order to reduce depression and loneliness, and promote quality of life.

The impact of the COVID-19 public health response on service demand and patient perceptions in a tertiary Australian gynaecology oncology unit.

INTRODUCTION: The public health response (PHR) to the COVID-19 pandemic significantly disrupted healthcare services worldwide. Our hospital, a major tertiary centre, is a unique two-state service across Queensland and New South Wales (NSW). OBJECTIVE: The primary objective is to describe changes in service demand and delivery in our hospital resulting from the COVID-19 PHR. The secondary objective is to investigate patient perceptions of this impact. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We performed a retrospective interrupted time series analysis and a population-based survey to examine patient perceptions of the impact of the COVID-19 PHR. The study periods were demarcated by the initiation of the COVID-19 PHR on 1 March 2020 with the 'pre' and 'during' COVID-19 periods defined as the 12 months before and after this date respectively. RESULTS: More patients were seen during the COVID-19 PHR period. The number or stage of cancer diagnoses was not different (P > 0.05). There was evidence (P = 0.03) of an increase in overall occasions of service and fewer failed attendances (P = 0.005). Fewer surgeries were performed on NSW patients (P = 0.005). The survey response rate was 19.3% (n = 185) with 48% stating that COVID-19 had negatively affected their emotional wellbeing. More participants from NSW than Queensland identified border closures as the most significant impact of the COVID-19 PHR. DISCUSSION: The COVID-19 PHR resulted in an unexpected increase in unit service demand and delivery. The necessary implementation of telephone appointments, while less preferred by patients, sustained service requirements. Cross-border tertiary healthcare services should consider the significant impact of border restrictions on patient wellbeing.

Frailty and Health-Related Quality of Life Among European Older Adults: The Moderating Effect of Human Development Index.

The Human Development Index (HDI) is a proxy for the social and economic level of countries, which is related to the health and well-being of older adults. This study aimed to examine the moderating effect of the HDI on the relationship between frailty and health-related quality of life among European older adults. Participants were 23,972 older adults (53.2% female, M = 74.2 years old, SD = 6.75 years old) from 24 European countries, joining wave 8 (2020) of the Survey of Health, Aging, and Retirement in Europe (SHARE). Multilevel modeling was used to analyze nested data. Significant differences in health-related quality of life among the several European Union countries were observed (intraclass correlation coefficient [ICC] = 0.18, LRT (1) = 5568.07, p < .001). The HDI has been shown to moderate the relationship between frailty and health-related quality of life among older adults, buffering the impact of frailty on the health-related quality of life. Since healthy aging is a priority for the European Union, policies mitigating the impact of HDI on the relationship between frailty and health-related quality of life should be implemented.

Potential aboveground biomass increase in Brazilian Atlantic Forest fragments with climate change.

Fragmented tropical forest landscapes preserve much of the remaining biodiversity and carbon stocks. Climate change is expected to intensify droughts and increase fire hazard and fire intensities, thereby causing habitat deterioration, and losses of biodiversity and carbon stock losses. Understanding the trajectories that these landscapes may follow under increased climate pressure is imperative for establishing strategies for conservation of biodiversity and ecosystem services. Here, we used a quantitative predictive modelling approach to project the spatial distribution of the aboveground biomass density (AGB) by the end of the 21st century across the Brazilian Atlantic Forest (AF) domain. To develop the models, we used the maximum entropy method with projected climate data to 2100, based on the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Representative Concentration Pathway (RCP) 4.5 from the fifth Assessment Report. Our AGB models had a satisfactory performance (area under the curve > 0.75 and p value < .05). The models projected a significant increase of 8.5% in the total carbon stock. Overall, the projections indicated that 76.9% of the AF domain would have suitable climatic conditions for increasing biomass by 2100 considering the RCP 4.5 scenario, in the absence of deforestation. Of the existing forest fragments, 34.7% are projected to increase their AGB, while 2.6% are projected to have their AGB reduced by 2100. The regions likely to lose most AGB-up to 40% compared to the baseline-are found between latitudes 13° and 20° south. Overall, although climate change effects on AGB vary latitudinally for the 2071-2100 period under the RCP 4.5 scenario, our model indicates that AGB stocks can potentially increase across a large fraction of the AF. The patterns found here are recommended to be taken into consideration during the planning of restoration efforts, as part of climate change mitigation strategies in the AF and elsewhere in Brazil.

Influence of Data Augmentation Strategies on the Segmentation of Oral Histological Images Using Fully Convolutional Neural Networks.

Segmentation of tumor regions in H &E-stained slides is an important task for a pathologist while diagnosing different types of cancer, including oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). Histological image segmentation is often constrained by the availability of labeled training data since labeling histological images is a highly skilled, complex, and time-consuming task. Thus, data augmentation strategies become essential to train convolutional neural networks models to overcome the overfitting problem when only a few training samples are available. This paper proposes a new data augmentation strategy, named Random Composition Augmentation (RCAug), to train fully convolutional networks (FCN) to segment OSCC tumor regions in H &E-stained histological images. Given the input image and their corresponding label, a pipeline with a random composition of geometric, distortion, color transfer, and generative image transformations is executed on the fly. Experimental evaluations were performed using an FCN-based method to segment OSCC regions through a set of different data augmentation transformations. By using RCAug, we improved the FCN-based segmentation method from 0.51 to 0.81 of intersection-over-union (IOU) in a whole slide image dataset and from 0.65 to 0.69 of IOU in a tissue microarray images dataset.

Classification of Multiple H&E Images via an Ensemble Computational Scheme.

In this work, a computational scheme is proposed to identify the main combinations of handcrafted descriptors and deep-learned features capable of classifying histological images stained with hematoxylin and eosin. The handcrafted descriptors were those representatives of multiscale and multidimensional fractal techniques (fractal dimension, lacunarity and percolation) applied to quantify the histological images with the corresponding representations via explainable artificial intelligence (xAI) approaches. The deep-learned features were obtained from different convolutional neural networks (DenseNet-121, EfficientNet-b2, Inception-V3, ResNet-50 and VGG-19). The descriptors were investigated through different associations. The most relevant combinations, defined through a ranking algorithm, were analyzed via a heterogeneous ensemble of classifiers with the support vector machine, naive Bayes, random forest and K-nearest neighbors algorithms. The proposed scheme was applied to histological samples representative of breast cancer, colorectal cancer, oral dysplasia and liver tissue. The best results were accuracy rates of 94.83% to 100%, with the identification of pattern ensembles for classifying multiple histological images. The computational scheme indicated solutions exploring a reduced number of features (a maximum of 25 descriptors) and with better performance values than those observed in the literature. The presented information in this study is useful to complement and improve the development of computer-aided diagnosis focused on histological images.

Impacts of Social Isolation on the Physical and Mental Health of Older Adults During Quarantine: A Systematic Review.

OBJECTIVES: To systematically review articles that reported the impacts of social isolation on the physical and mental health of healthy older adults during the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) quarantine. METHODS: Electronic search was performed in PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science, Scopus, and BIREME databases. It included cohort and cross-sectional studies published between January 2020 and January 2022 which evaluated the impacts of social isolation on the physical and mental health of older adults during quarantine. The study was registered in PROSPERO (CRD42021269720). RESULTS: Out of 8,505 studies identified, 17 met the inclusion criteria, with moderate to excellent quality. The majority of the older population perceived changes in their physical and mental health. Impacts differed in cohorts according to sex, age group, income, social participation, exercising before and during confinement, and living alone or with other people. CONCLUSIONS: The long period of social isolation dictated by the COVID-19 pandemic caused changes in most older adults`, reducing levels of physical activity and/or generating depression, anxiety, fear, and mood problems. Follow-up studies are necessary to observe the evolution of these impacts. CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS: Public policies must be developed to promote the emotional and physical health of the older adult population in the post-pandemic period.

Dance, aging, and neuroplasticity: an integrative review.

This study aimed to summarize investigations that examined the benefits of dance on the neuroplasticity of older healthy adults, report structural and functional changes in the brain, and identify the strategies used in training protocols. The integrative review was perfomed in PubMed, Web of Science and Scopus databases, including randomized clinical trials, quasi-experimental, cross-sectional and cohort studies published in English, between 2010-2020. Twelve articles ware selected. Dance practice was associated with an improvement in functional connectivity, cognitive performance, and incresead brain volumes. Our results main supports studies on the plasticity induced by dance training in healthy older people.

Survival outcomes after delayed cytoreduction surgery following neoadjuvant chemotherapy in advanced epithelial ovarian cancer.

OBJECTIVE: Interval cytoreduction following neoadjuvant chemotherapy is a well-recognized treatment alternative to primary debulking surgery in the treatment of advanced epithelial ovarian cancer where patient and/or disease factors prevent complete macroscopic disease resection to be achieved. More recently, the strain of the global COVID-19 pandemic on hospital resources has forced many units to alter the timing of interval surgery and extend the number of neoadjuvant chemotherapy cycles. In order to support this paradigm shift and provide more accurate counseling during these unprecedented times, we investigated the survival outcomes in advanced epithelial ovarian cancer patients with the intent of maximal cytoreduction following neoadjuvant chemotherapy with respect to timing of surgery and degree of cytoreduction. METHODS: A retrospective review of all patients aged 18 years and above with FIGO (2014) stage III/IV epithelial ovarian cancer treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy and the intention of interval cytoreduction surgery between January 2008 and December 2017 was conducted. Overall and progression-free survival outcomes were analyzed and compared with patients who only received chemotherapy. Outcome measures were correlated with the number of neoadjuvant chemotherapy cycles and amount of residual disease following surgery. RESULTS: Six hundred and seventy-one patients (median age 67 (range 20-91) years) were included in the study with 572 patients treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy and surgery and 99 patients with chemotherapy only. There was no difference in the proportion of patients in whom complete cytoreduction was achieved based on number of cycles of neoadjuvant chemotherapy (2-4 cycles: 67.7%, n=337/498); ≥5 cycles: 62.2%, n=46/74). Patients undergoing cytoreduction surgery after neoadjuvant chemotherapy had a median 5-year progression-free and overall survival of 24 and 38 months, respectively. No significant difference in overall survival between surgical groups was observed (interval cytoreduction: 41 months vs delayed cytoreduction: 43 months, p=0.52). Those who achieved complete cytoreduction to R0 (no macroscopic disease) had a significant median overall survival advantage compared with those with any macroscopic residual disease (R0: 49-51 months vs R<1: 22-39 months, p<0.001 vs R≥1: 23-26 months, p<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Survival outcomes do not appear to be worse for patients treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy if cytoreduction surgery is delayed beyond three cycles. In advanced epithelial ovarian cancer patients the imperative to achieve complete surgical cytoreduction remains gold standard, irrespective of surgical timing, for best survival benefit.

Dual-task training with progression from variable- to fixed-priority instructions versus dual-task training with variable-priority on gait speed in community-dwelling older adults: A protocol for a randomized controlled trial : Variable- and fixed-priority dual-task for older adults.

BACKGROUND: Functional independence and safe mobility, especially in older people, mostly rely on the ability to perform dual tasks, particularly during activities with variable- and fixed-priority attention. The aim of this study is to compare the dual-task training with progression from variable- to fixed-priority instructions versus dual-task training with variable-priority on gait speed in community-dwelling older adults. METHODS: This is an assessor- and participant-blinded, two-arm, randomized controlled trial with 60 community-dwelling male and female older adults between the ages of 60 and 80 years old. Participants will be randomly allocated into either the intervention group or the control group using a computer-generated permuted block randomization schedule. The intervention group will undertake a progressive dual-task training in which the participants will be progressively submitted to dual-task walking and postural balance exercises with variable- to fixed-priority instructions. The control group will be submitted to dual-task training with variable-priority attention exercises. Both groups will receive 48 sessions lasting for 60 min each over 24 weeks. The primary outcome will be the gait speed under single- and dual-task conditions. Secondary outcomes will include spatiotemporal gait parameters, functional balance, executive function, falls, quality of life, and depression symptoms. All the analyses will be based on the intention-to-treat principle. DISCUSSION: This is the first assessor- and participant-blinded, two-arm, randomized controlled trial with 6 months of intervention and an additional 6-month post-training follow up aiming to evaluate the effectiveness of training with progression from variable- to fixed-priority instructions on gait biomechanics, postural balance, falls episodes, executive functioning, and quality of life in community-dwelling older adults. If our hypotheses are confirmed, this training protocol can be implemented widely to improve gait speed and other functional activities and quality of life in community-dwelling older adults. This study protocol can be used to improve these functional aspects of community-dwelling older adults. This study may also contribute to future guidelines for the improvement of these clinical and biomechanical aspects in older people. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier - NCT03886805, Registered 22 March 2019.

Amazon soil charcoal: Pyrogenic carbon stock depends of ignition source distance and forest type in Roraima, Brazil.

Pyrogenic carbon (PyC) derived from charcoal particles (paleo + modern) deposited in the soil column has been little studied in the Amazon, and our understanding of the factors that control the spatial and vertical distribution of these materials in the region's forest soils is still unclear. The objective of this study was to test the effect of forest type and distance from the ignition source on the PyC stocks contained in macroscopic particles of soil charcoal (≥2 mm; 1 m depth) dispersed in ecotone forests of the northern Brazilian Amazon. Thirty permanent plots were set up near a site that had been occupied by pre-Columbian and by modern populations until the late 1970s. The sampled plots represent seasonal and ombrophilous forests that occur under different hydro-edaphic restrictions. Our results indicate that the largest PyC stock was spatially dependent on distance to the ignition source (<3 km), occurring mainly in flood-free ombrophilous forests (3.46 ± 5.22 Mg PyC/ha). The vertical distribution of PyC in the deeper layers of the soil (> 50 cm) in seasonal forests was limited by hydro-edaphic impediments that restricted the occurrence of charcoal. These results suggest that PyC stocks derived from macroscopic charcoal particles in the soil of this Brazilian Amazon ecotone region are controlled by the distance from the ignition source of the fire, and that forest types with higher hydro-edaphic restrictions can inhibit formation and accumulation of charcoal. Making use of these distinctions reduces uncertainty and improves our ability to understand the variability of PyC stocks in forests with a history of fire in the Amazon.

Current status of ovarian cancer surgical management. Argument for centralisation of care in Australia.

In Australia, ovarian cancer remains the most common cause of death among all the gynaecological malignancies, largely due to the fact that patients present at an advanced stage. Cytoreductive surgery has for a number of decades been the cornerstone of initial treatment for patients with advanced disease, where a smaller volume of residual disease (optimal cytoreduction) results in an improved outcome. Evidence indicates that optimal cytoreduction is best achieved by a certified gynaecological oncologist, and that subsequent management by a dedicated multidisciplinary team (MDT) results in patients more likely to receive 'evidenced based guideline care' and be offered participation in clinical trials. Patients managed by an MDT have been shown to have improved survival, their care to be cost effective and that they experience a high level of satisfaction and improved quality of life. Centralisation of care for patients with ovarian cancer should be considered gold standard care.

Post-fire regeneration in seasonally dry tropical forest fragments in southeastern Brazil.

Seasonally dry tropical forest is one of the highly threatened biome. However, studies on the effect of fire on these tree communities are still scarce. In this context, a floristic and structural survey in three forest areas in the southeast of Brazil that were affected by fire between 14 and 25 years ago was performed with the objective of evaluating post-fire regeneration. In each site, five systematically placed plots (25 m x 25 m each) were established. The more recently burnt site had significantly lower values of richness and diversity than the other two sites. However, the sites did not differ in density and basal area. Annona dolabripetala, Astronium concinnum, Joannesia princeps and Polyandrococos caudescens were within the 10 most important species for the three sites. Comparing these data with adjacent mature forests, the results indicated differences both in structural and floristic aspects, suggesting that the time after fire was not sufficient for recuperation of these areas. The recovery process indicate at least 190 years for areas return to basal area values close to those observed in mature forests nearby.

The shift toward neo-adjuvant chemotherapy and interval debulking surgery for management of advanced ovarian and related cancers in a population-based setting: Impact on clinical outcomes.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to determine the proportion of patients with advanced ovarian and related cancers (EOC+RC), treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy and interval debulking surgery (NACT - IDS), and to determine if there was any relationship with optimal cytoreduction rates and overall survival (OS) in a state-wide gynaecologic oncology service over time. METHODS: A retrospective review was undertaken using a population-based database of patients with stages 3 and 4 EOC+RC treated from 1982 till 2013 at the Queensland Centre for Gynaecological Cancer (QCGC). The proportion of patients treated with NACT - IDS compared with primary debulking surgery (PDS) was determined and compared with debulking rates and with the moving five-year OS probability. RESULTS: From 1982-2013, 2601 patients with advanced EOC+RC were managed at QCGC. No patients received NACT - IDS till 1995 when the first two patients received this treatment, rising to 55% of patients in 2013. Surgical cytoreduction rates to no macroscopic residual (R0) were achieved 32% of the time by 2006, rising to 48% in 2009, and 62% in 2013. Despite the increase in utilisation of NACT - IDS, our unit has noted a continued rise in the OS probability at five years to 45%. CONCLUSIONS: The increasing utilisation of NACT - IDS in the setting of a large centralised clinical service has been associated with increasing rates of optimal cytoreduction and survival rates have continued to rise in excess of those achieved in the trials reported to date.

Effect of Total Laparoscopic Hysterectomy vs Total Abdominal Hysterectomy on Disease-Free Survival Among Women With Stage I Endometrial Cancer: A Randomized Clinical Trial.

Importance: Standard treatment for endometrial cancer involves removal of the uterus, tubes, ovaries, and lymph nodes. Few randomized trials have compared disease-free survival outcomes for surgical approaches. Objective: To investigate whether total laparoscopic hysterectomy (TLH) is equivalent to total abdominal hysterectomy (TAH) in women with treatment-naive endometrial cancer. Design, Setting, and Participants: The Laparoscopic Approach to Cancer of the Endometrium (LACE) trial was a multinational, randomized equivalence trial conducted between October 7, 2005, and June 30, 2010, in which 27 surgeons from 20 tertiary gynecological cancer centers in Australia, New Zealand, and Hong Kong randomized 760 women with stage I endometrioid endometrial cancer to either TLH or TAH. Follow-up ended on March 3, 2016. Interventions: Patients were randomly assigned to undergo TAH (n = 353) or TLH (n = 407). Main Outcomes and Measures: The primary outcome was disease-free survival, which was measured as the interval between surgery and the date of first recurrence, including disease progression or the development of a new primary cancer or death assessed at 4.5 years after randomization. The prespecified equivalence margin was 7% or less. Secondary outcomes included recurrence of endometrial cancer and overall survival. Results: Patients were followed up for a median of 4.5 years. Of 760 patients who were randomized (mean age, 63 years), 679 (89%) completed the trial. At 4.5 years of follow-up, disease-free survival was 81.3% in the TAH group and 81.6% in the TLH group. The disease-free survival rate difference was 0.3% (favoring TLH; 95% CI, -5.5% to 6.1%; P = .007), meeting criteria for equivalence. There was no statistically significant between-group difference in recurrence of endometrial cancer (28/353 in TAH group [7.9%] vs 33/407 in TLH group [8.1%]; risk difference, 0.2% [95% CI, -3.7% to 4.0%]; P = .93) or in overall survival (24/353 in TAH group [6.8%] vs 30/407 in TLH group [7.4%]; risk difference, 0.6% [95% CI, -3.0% to 4.2%]; P = .76). Conclusions and Relevance: Among women with stage I endometrial cancer, the use of total abdominal hysterectomy compared with total laparoscopic hysterectomy resulted in equivalent disease-free survival at 4.5 years and no difference in overall survival. These findings support the use of laparoscopic hysterectomy for women with stage I endometrial cancer. Trial Registration: clinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT00096408; Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry: CTRN12606000261516.

Recovery of Forest and Phylogenetic Structure in Abandoned Cocoa Agroforestry in the Atlantic Forest of Brazil.

Cocoa agroforests like the cabrucas of Brazil's Atlantic forest are among the agro-ecosystems with greatest potential for biodiversity conservation. Despite a global trend for their intensification, cocoa agroforests are also being abandoned for socioeconomic reasons especially on marginal sites, because they are incorporated in public or private protected areas, or are part of mandatory set-asides under Brazilian environmental legislation. However, little is known about phylogenetic structure, the processes of forest regeneration after abandonment and the conservation value of former cabruca sites. Here we compare the vegetation structure and composition of a former cabruca 30-40 years after abandonment with a managed cabruca and mature forest in the Atlantic forest region of Espirito Santo, Brazil. The forest in the abandoned cabruca had recovered a substantial part of its original structure. Abandoned cabruca have a higher density (mean ± CI95 %: 525.0 ± 40.3 stems per ha), basal area (34.0 ± 6.5 m2 per ha) and species richness (148 ± 11.5 species) than managed cabruca (96.0 ± 17.7; 24.15 ± 3.9 and 114.5 ± 16.0, respectively) but no significant differences to mature forest in density (581.0 ± 42.2), basal area (29.9.0 ± 3.3) and species richness (162.6 ± 15.5 species). Thinning (understory removal) changes phylogenetic structure from evenness in mature forest to clustering in managed cabruca, but after 30-40 years abandoned cabruca had a random phylogenetic structure, probably due to a balance between biotic and abiotic filters at this age. We conclude that abandoned cocoa agroforests present highly favorable conditions for the regeneration of Atlantic forest and could contribute to the formation of an interconnected network of forest habitat in this biodiversity hotspot.

Quality of life after early enteral feeding versus standard care for proven or suspected advanced epithelial ovarian cancer: Results from a randomised trial.

BACKGROUND: Malnutrition is common in patients with advanced epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC), and is associated with impaired quality of life (QoL), longer hospital stay and higher risk of treatment-related adverse events. This phase III multi-centre randomised clinical trial tested early enteral feeding versus standard care on postoperative QoL. METHODS: From 2009 to 2013, 109 patients requiring surgery for suspected advanced EOC, moderately to severely malnourished were enrolled at five sites across Queensland and randomised to intervention (n=53) or control (n=56) groups. Intervention involved intraoperative nasojejunal tube placement and enteral feeding until adequate oral intake could be maintained. Despite being randomised to intervention, 20 patients did not receive feeds (13 did not receive the feeding tube; 7 had it removed early). Control involved postoperative diet as tolerated. QoL was measured at baseline, 6weeks postoperatively and 30days after the third cycle of chemotherapy. The primary outcome measure was the difference in QoL between the intervention and the control group. Secondary endpoints included treatment-related adverse event occurrence, length of stay, postoperative services use, and nutritional status. RESULTS: Baseline characteristics were comparable between treatment groups. No significant difference in QoL was found between the groups at any time point. There was a trend towards better nutritional status in patients who received the intervention but the differences did not reach statistical significance except for the intention-to-treat analysis at 7days postoperatively (11.8 intervention vs. 13.8 control, p 0.04). CONCLUSION: Early enteral feeding did not significantly improve patients' QoL compared to standard of care but may improve nutritional status.

Markedly divergent estimates of Amazon forest carbon density from ground plots and satellites.

AIM: The accurate mapping of forest carbon stocks is essential for understanding the global carbon cycle, for assessing emissions from deforestation, and for rational land-use planning. Remote sensing (RS) is currently the key tool for this purpose, but RS does not estimate vegetation biomass directly, and thus may miss significant spatial variations in forest structure. We test the stated accuracy of pantropical carbon maps using a large independent field dataset. LOCATION: Tropical forests of the Amazon basin. The permanent archive of the field plot data can be accessed at: http://dx.doi.org/10.5521/FORESTPLOTS.NET/2014_1. METHODS: Two recent pantropical RS maps of vegetation carbon are compared to a unique ground-plot dataset, involving tree measurements in 413 large inventory plots located in nine countries. The RS maps were compared directly to field plots, and kriging of the field data was used to allow area-based comparisons. RESULTS: The two RS carbon maps fail to capture the main gradient in Amazon forest carbon detected using 413 ground plots, from the densely wooded tall forests of the north-east, to the light-wooded, shorter forests of the south-west. The differences between plots and RS maps far exceed the uncertainties given in these studies, with whole regions over- or under-estimated by > 25%, whereas regional uncertainties for the maps were reported to be < 5%. MAIN CONCLUSIONS: Pantropical biomass maps are widely used by governments and by projects aiming to reduce deforestation using carbon offsets, but may have significant regional biases. Carbon-mapping techniques must be revised to account for the known ecological variation in tree wood density and allometry to create maps suitable for carbon accounting. The use of single relationships between tree canopy height and above-ground biomass inevitably yields large, spatially correlated errors. This presents a significant challenge to both the forest conservation and remote sensing communities, because neither wood density nor species assemblages can be reliably mapped from space.

Percutaneous and surgical insertion of peritoneal catheter in patients starting in chronic dialysis therapy: a comparative study.

Percutaneous peritoneal catheter insertion can be performed by trained nephrologists. The objective of this study was to compare the outcome of peritoneal dialysis (PD) catheters percutaneous inserted with the traditional surgical technique. One hundred twenty-one PD catheters were placed in 121 stage-5 Chronic kidney disease patients using three techniques: percutaneous insertion (Group P, n = 53), percutaneous insertion guided by radioscopy (Group R, n = 26), and surgical insertion (Group S, n = 42). The mean age of the whole cohort was 57 ± 16 years and 54% were male. Patients and catheter outcomes were followed up prospectively for 19 months. Gender, age, body mass index, previous abdominal surgeries, and the prevalence of diabetes mellitus were not significantly different among the groups as well as the incidence of bleeding and the presence of catheter dysfunction. In addition, the incidence of exit-site infections and peritonitis was not significantly different among the groups. Finally, the survival catheter rate was not significantly different by the end of the follow-up of 19 months (70% in P group, 85% in R, and 70% in S group (log rank = 0.88, p = 0.95). The outcome of percutaneous implanted catheters, which were inserted by a trained nephrologist, did not demonstrate to be inferior as compared with the traditional surgical approach.

Composition and conservation of Orchidaceae on an inselberg in the Brazilian Atlantic Forest and floristic relationships with areas of Eastern Brazil.

The Brazilian Atlantic Forest presents high levels of richness and endemism of several taxonomic groups. Within this forest, the Orchidaceae may be highlighted as the richest family of Angiosperms found there, and is highly threatened due to collection and habitat destruction. The inselbergs of the Brazilian Atlantic Forest are mostly unknown regarding their floristic composition, but the available information points to occurrence of endemic species, with adaptations to survive to this dry environment. The objectives of this study were to conduct a floristic survey of the Orchidaceae species on the Maciço do Itaoca, an inselberg located in the Northern region of the State of Rio de Janeiro, make a comparative analysis with other sites in Eastern Brazil, and discuss the geographic distribution, floristic relationships and conservation status of the orchid species present on the inselbergs. The floristic composition of the study area was compared with 24 other locations in Eastern Brazil (of which 13 are inselbergs) and the influence of the types of surrounding vegetation on the composition of the Orchidaceae flora on the inselbergs. On Maciço do Itaoca we recorded 18 species from 17 genera: Brasiliorchis picta, Brassavola tuberculata, Campylocentrum robustum; C sellowii, Catasetum luridum, Cattleya guttata, Cyclopogon congestus, Cyrtopodium glutiniferum, Leptotes bicolor, Lophiaris pumila, Miltonia moreliana, Oeceoclades maculata, Phymatochilum brasiliense, Prescottia plantaginifolia, Pseudolaelia vellozicola, Sarcoglottis fasciculata, Sophronitis cernua. and Vanilla chamissonis. The highest floristic similarity was with the Pedra da Botelha (0.43), an inselberg located in the North of Espírito Santo. This result is probably due to the similarity in altitude and distance from the coast in both areas despite the geographical distance between them. Apparently, little influence is exerted by the types of surrounding vegetation on the composition of the flora of inselbergs, due to their unique environmental characteristics which exert a strong selection pressure on plants that are adapted to survive on these inselbergs. The threats observed to the species on this inselberg are the same as for other inselbergs and include the collection of ornamental species, fire and quarrying. Specifically for the Maciço do Itaoca, a possibility for conservation may be the annexation of this area to the Desengano State Park, an important conservation area in the Northern of the State of Rio de Janeiro.