La transformación de los espacios de vida y la configuración del paisaje turístico en Puerto Morelos, Quintana Roo, México
La presente investigacion aborda el estudio de las transformaciones producidas en el paisaje del poblado de Puerto Morelos, Quintana Roo, por la incorporacion de la actividad turistica en la vida cotidiana de sus pobladores. A medida que los objetos, usos y el lenguaje del turismo se incorporan a las costumbres, tradiciones, relaciones sociales y estilos de vida de la poblacion; los espacios de vida -laboral, vecinal, domestico y de ocio- adquieren caracteristicas fisicas poco tradicionales y formas excluyentes de aprovechamiento que contribuyen a configurar y fortalecer paisajes funcionales al capital turistico. La propiedad privada y el mercado de tierras, las politicas para la conservacion de los recursos naturales, la deslocalizacion empresarial, la imagen turistica y las oleadas migratorias son factores que han permitido la reorganizacion de los espacios de vida y, por consiguiente, la configuracion de diversos paisajes turisticos a lo largo de la costa.
Comment to: Six-year follow-up of endovenous laser ablation for great saphenous vein incompetence, by Spreafico G, Piccioli A, Bernardi E, Giraldi E, Pavei P, Borgoni R, Ferrini M, Baccaglini U. J Vasc Surg 2013;1:20-5.
Locomotor Problems in Broilers Reared on New and Re-Used Litter
Two field trials were conducted to assess locomotor problems in broilers. Males and females broilers were used from two commercial strains reared on two different litter materials, new and re-used. In the first experiment (E1) rice husks and wood shavings were used as new litter, and in the second experiment (E2) the same litter was re-used. A batch of one-day-old chicks (2968) was reared randomly distributed in experimental pens, in a 2x2x2 factorial scheme (two genetic strains, two sexes and two litter materials). The same fodder and water were available to all birds ad libitum. Broilers locomotion problems were evaluated using the characteristics of gait score, incidence of valgus and varus, foot-pad lesions, degeneration, femoral, tibial dyschondroplasia, spondylolisthesis and breast calluses. The number of birds with high gait score was less than 30% in the two experiments. Males presented higher gait score (GS) (28.46% GS 1 and 2 compared to females, 20.98%); greater incidence of angular deformities (26.62% with valgus compared to 14.71% of the female); and femoral degenerative joint lesions (70.83% in average, compared to 55.16% of the female), and the correlation between these traits varied from 0.18 to 0.87 (P<0.05). There was an increase of foot-pad lesions in re-used litter leading to poor welfare. The use of rice husks in deep litter for broiler production might be a viable alternative of wood shavings
Aging, patient-bed management and overcrowding in the medical departments
BACKGROUND Hospital overcrowding (HO) profoundly affects the whole hospital system, reducing productivity and efficiency. The aging population and the increased prevalence of chronic-degenerative diseases, susceptible to acute exacerbations, make the elderly as frequent users of the emergency room (ER). There is a general agreement that the current disease-oriented and episodic model of care does not adequately cope with the complex needs of older patients. Hospital admission and discharge do not sufficiently link with primary care and other community resources, such as long-term care facilities and outpatient clinics. AIM OF THE STUDY To evaluate, using a simple dedicated software, the activity data of nine hospitals of Local Health Authority of Bologna (Italy) (ER accesses, hospital admissions, average length of stay – LOS) and the impact of a patient and bed management net in which managers, doctors and nurses share their operational skills to improve patient flow in medical and geriatric wards. RESULTS Data show that 24% ER accesses concern people > 75 years old; 51% admissions concern people > 75 years old; half of these admissions are from ER frequent users (FU = ≥ 3 ER accesses/ year). Only 15% admissions of younger people are from ER frequent users. Each of > 75 years old frequent users produces an average of 2 admissions/year. At the end of the first year of this experience, ER accesses and admissions rose more than 8%. In our model of bed-management (patient and bed management net-software matching hospital capacity with admission, escalation measures) LOS was shortened by an average 0.5-1 day to a range from 0,5 to 1 day. DISCUSSION HO is due to mismanagement of chronic diseases (CD). Further actions are needed in primary health care to avoid unscheduled hospital due to CD. Applications for admission to hospital should be administered in the real context of the needs, developing both measures to face the contingent situation (setting temporary additional beds in one of the highest step of escalation measures) and post-discharge case management for selected “high risk-FU” patient profiles. CONCLUSIONS Our experience shows that an organizational model with a simple software is effective only to manage patient flow for relative small variations. Biggest peak of admissions requires strong link with primary care and other community resources, by systemic administration of health, particularly in frail people, with not scheduled hospital readmissions, for which hospital-centred care is not ever the best choice. Further research in initial ER assessment of FU is needed, by an identification of the high risk patient’s profile and its appropriate setting allocation
The pharmacology and activity of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs): a review of their use as an adjuvant treatment in patients with HBV and HCV chronic hepatitis
Different DNA and RNA viruses exploit common strategies to support their persistence and replication in infected individuals. In particular, the hepatitis B virus (HBV) and the hepatitis C virus (HCV) cause major health problems worldwide. These pathogens exert an immunosuppressive role by inducing the persistent activation of cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) and an increased synthesis of prostaglandin E2 (PGE2). The suppression of this proinflammatory network by non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) has been proposed as a therapeutic approach to decrease viral replication. Materials and methods: In this review, the role of inflammation in the support of viral replication and NSAIDs and ketoprofen pharmacology are briefly discussed. In addition, studies that have investigated the use of NSAIDs for the treatment of HBV and HCV chronic hepatitis, which were identified by a systematic literature search of PubMed and MEDLINE, are reported. Results: To date, pegylated-interferon (PEG-IFN) and/or nucleot(s)ide analogues and PEG-IFN and ribavirin remain the standard therapy for HBV and HCV chronic hepatitis, respectively. Discussion: The use of NSAIDs in patients with chronic viral hepatitis has only a ‘‘historical’’ interest. Nevertheless, the possible usefulness of ketoprofen with PEG-IFN and ribavirin for HCVinfected patients, non-responders to standard therapy or with genotype 1, should be evaluated in future clinical studies
Mechanical grading in PGI Tropea red onion post harvest operations
The growing interest expressed by consumers toward food products quality as well as toward their linkage to the territory, has led producers to fit to the continuous rising demand for “typical products”, and to look for new and more efficient production and marketing strategies. An emblematic case is represented by Tropea red onion that, as a typical product, plays an important role in economical and rural development of the territory to which it is linked. The organoleptic features offered by “Tropea Red Onion”, PGI certified (Calabria), have to be associated as well to the quality of services that accompanies its processing. Technology application in post-harvest operations, has certainly contributed to make faster and less tiring all processing tasks. The main problem related to the mechanization of Tropea red onion post-harvest operations lies in the removal of the various layers of the external tunic, making it impossible for optical or electronic grader to achieve this task in a satisfactory way since the sensors are not able yet to separate the “bulb” from its involucre. In this context, the current study aims to assess the productivity of three different machines used for round Tropea red onion grading, and determine their work efficiency. The carried out analysis highlighted the ability of the studied machines to ensure a high work capacity, while maintaining a high level of precision during calibration process. Such precision allows to decrease laborer employment and increase processing chain speed, rising as well the annual use of the machines, allowing consequently processing cost savings. For a more profitable employment of such graders, it is, however, necessary from one hand, to properly form the technicians responsible of processing plants management, and from the other hand, to be able to take advantage of a technical assistance network, able to serve users in a short time
Mechanical grading in PGI Tropea red onion post harvest operations
New records of marine tardigrades from Brazil
In studies developed in the mid- and infralittoral of Cupe Beach (Pernambuco), in the shallow infralittoral of Saint Peter and Saint Paul Archipelago, and in the continental shelf of northeastern Brazil, we recorded for the first time in Brazilian waters specimens of Archechiniscus marci, Batillipes lesteri, Florarctus hulingsi, Halechiniscus tuleari, Angursa lingua, Raiarctus aureolatus, Actinarctus doryphorus doryphorus, Tanarctus dendriticus, Tanarctus velatus, Neoarctus sp. and Neostygarctus sp., as well as six other species that had been previously recorded in the region. Hence, the number of marine tardigrade taxa recorded in Brazil was increased to twenty-seven
Pathological Findings in a Case of Failed Uterine Artery Embolization for Placenta Previa
The reported success rate of uterine artery embolization (UAE) for obstetrical hemorrhage is more than 90%. We experienced a case of failed UAE for postpartum hemorrhage, although an embolic particle was found pathologically in the uterine vessels without coagulation. A 42-year-old woman (gravida 7, para 2) with placenta previa had genital bleeding at 35 weeks of gestation, and cesarean section was performed. We immediately added UAE aiming to reduce massive bleeding after the cesarean section, successful embolization of the bilateral uterine arteries and internal iliac arteries were confirmed by angiography regardless the vital sign was recovered with an appropriate amount of transfusion; the massive bleeding recurred after 1 hour of UAE. Hysterectomy was performed and pathological findings of the uterus showed that there was no coagulation in the vessels, which was supposed to be observed by the effect of gelatin sponge. In addition, despite the fact that no coagulation was found, only one gelatin sponge was found in 16 slices of the uterine wall specimens. We speculate that thrombotic materials were caught in vasoconstricted vessels triggered by hypovolemic shock due to acute blood loss, and then the gelatin sponge could be washed out after recovering to normalized circulation status leading to recurrent massive hemorrhage.