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Background: Age is a major risk factor for venous thromboembolism (VTE), yet patients aged ≥90 years are under‐represented in clinical trials of anticoagulant therapy. The objectives were to describe and compare patient clinical characteristics, treatments, and outcomes (VTE recurrence, bleeding, and mortality) during the first 3 months of anticoagulation between VTE patients aged ≥90 years and those aged <90 years. Methods: We analyzed data from the Registro Informatizado Enfermedad TromboEmbὀlica (RIETE), an ongoing global observational registry of patients with objectively confirmed acute VTE. Results: From January 2001 to October 2022, 96,701 patients were registered in RIETE, of whom 3262 (3.4%) were aged ≥90 years. Patients aged ≥90 years were less likely to be men, and to have experienced cancer or recent surgery, but more likely to manifest immobility, chronic heart failure, anemia, renal insufficiency, or dementia than those aged <90 years. Most (99.6%) patients aged ≥90 years were receiving anticoagulant therapy. During the first 3 months, 26 patients aged ≥90 years developed VTE recurrences, 116 experienced major bleeding, and 564 died. Among patients initially presenting with pulmonary embolism (PE), deaths due to PE exceeded those due to fatal bleeding (76 vs. 19). Among those initially presenting with isolated deep‐vein thrombosis (DVT), it was the reverse (2 vs. 11 deaths). Conclusions: In patients aged ≥90 years, the difference in the outcome of anticoagulant treatment depending on the initial presentation of VTE could suggest a need for different management approaches. Clinical trials evaluating the optimal duration of anticoagulation according to initial VTE presentation are warranted to limit excess deaths in this particular population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

KEY WORDS With the recent trend towards reducing hospital stay, it has become increasingly important to ensure that early patient discharge after total hip replacement is a safe practice. We evaluated complications and length of hospital stay associated with primary unilateral hip arthroplasty in 47 patients undergoing a new early discharge protocol consisting of at home based specialized care after hospital discharge. The mean length of stay (and standard deviation) in hospital was 4.59±0.68. The mean length of stay of home-based hospitalization was 3.7±1. The prevalence of postoperative complications was 12.8% and the readminssion rate was 6.4%. We saw a reduction of hospital stay with no difference in outcomes in comparison with previous data. On the basis of our findings we recommend the use of the early discharge protocol following elective primary total hip replacement and ongoing evaluation of the process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The five tested paper mulches were not pierced by Cyperus rotundus. • Above-soil degradation of the biodegradables mulches was variable within years. • In-soil degradation of the paper mulches was faster than for the plastics. • Similar pepper yield was obtained for all mulched treatments. More than half of the plastic used in Spain for mulching in agriculture is black polyethylene (PE) mulch. It has been widely adopted due to its low price and ease of installation. The mass use of this material entails a number of disadvantages: the cost of removing fragments from fields after use, the difficulty of managing the waste, and deficient weed control of some species such as purple nutsedge (Cyperus rotundus L.), which is capable of piercing the film. The objective of this work was thus to find alternative materials in horticultural crops in order to reduce these drawbacks. In the present document, we describe the trials carried out in Zaragoza (Spain) from 2012 to 2015 in pepper with various different biodegradable materials in order to find agronomically viable alternatives to PE. Plots were distributed randomly in four blocks and 6–9 different treatments were studied depending on the year, including an unweeded plot. In total, 11 different mulches were tested: 5 biodegradable plastic films, 5 paper mulches and PE. Weed density, mulch degradation and pepper production were evaluated. Biodegradable plastic films and PE were not good options for purple nutsedge control (mean efficacy of 48 %) and only paper mulches controlled this species effectively, as the leaves were unable to pierce the material. The above-soil part of most mulches was intact 15 days after transplant (DAT) and degradation increased in time in all materials excepting PE. In-soil degradation was generally faster for papers than for biodegradable plastics, except in 2015, when the plastic mulching materials suffered early fractures due to a windy spring with exceptionally high solar radiation. Rapid degradation of some paper mulches occurred before the crop covered the soil, which can be a serious problem in windy areas because the material can be lifted by gusts of wind. Earthing up along the edges of the materials 10–15 days after transplanting would solve this problem. Pepper production was similar for all materials in 2012–14 and the differences found in 2015 cannot be attributed to the mulches but to the irregular crop density due to high mortality of pepper seedlings during that year. The biodegradable mulches tested are thus considered to be technically viable alternatives to PE. Paper mulches are recommended for purple nutsedge infestations, while biodegradable films can be used for annual weed infestations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Patients with venous thromboembolism (VTE) secondary to transient risk factors may develop VTE recurrences after discontinuing anticoagulation. Identifying at-risk patients could help to guide the duration of therapy.Methods: We used the RIETE database to assess the prognostic value of d-dimer testing after discontinuing anticoagulation to identify patients at increased risk for recurrences. Transient risk factors were classified as major (postoperative) or minor (pregnancy, oestrogen use, immobilization or recent travel).Results: In December 2018, 1655 VTE patients with transient risk factors (major 460, minor 1195) underwent d-dimer measurements after discontinuing anticoagulation. Amongst patients with major risk factors, the recurrence rate was 5.74 (95% CI: 3.19-9.57) events per 100 patient-years in those with raised d-dimer levels and 2.68 (95% CI: 1.45-4.56) in those with normal levels. Amongst patients with minor risk factors, the rates were 7.79 (95% CI: 5.71-10.4) and 3.34 (95% CI: 2.39-4.53), respectively. Patients with major risk factors and raised d-dimer levels (n = 171) had a nonsignificantly higher rate of recurrences (hazard ratio [HR]: 2.14; 95% CI: 0.96-4.79) than those with normal levels. Patients with minor risk factors and raised d-dimer levels (n = 382) had a higher rate of recurrences (HR: 2.34; 95% CI: 1.51-3.63) than those with normal levels. On multivariate analysis, raised d-dimers (HR: 1.74; 95% CI: 1.09-2.77) were associated with an increased risk for recurrences in patients with minor risk factors, not in those with major risk factors.Conclusions: Patients with raised d-dimer levels after discontinuing anticoagulant therapy for VTE provoked by a minor transient risk factor were at an increased risk for recurrences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Boundary structure can hinder or facilitate disturbance of the boundary vegetation by farming practices, such as herbicide and fertiliser drift and occasional cultivation; this may affect their potential role as a weed reservoir. It would be relevant for researchers, farmers and legislators to know whether relationships exist between boundary structure and weed abundance and frequency in boundaries and adjacent fields. In this study, we present a classification of arable field boundaries based on five descriptors: presence of a bank, width, percentage cover of woody and evergreen perennials (WEP), presence of a stonewall and presence of trees. Five types of boundaries are identified, ranging from structurally simple ones (flat, narrow, dominated by annual species) to structurally complex ones (presence of a bank, more than 3 m wide, dominated by WEP). Data from three Spanish regions were used to validate this classification, and the five boundary classes contained different plant communities. Structurally simple, flat and narrow boundaries contained many of the weed species found also in the field centre and with high abundance. More complex, wider boundaries with a slope and a WEP >60%, had a lower probability of hosting the main weeds present in the field centres. Assessment of weed frequency and abundance gave complementary information. The proposed classification of field boundaries may be easily used by farmers and allows adjustment of field margin management to risks posed by the field boundary, in terms of hosting common weeds of arable crops. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The publisher regrets that this article has been temporarily removed. A replacement will appear as soon as possible in which the reason for the removal of the article will be specified, or the article will be reinstated. The full Elsevier Policy on Article Withdrawal can be found at http://www.elsevier.com/locate/withdrawalpolicy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Optimized fertilization strategies can reduce up to 236 kg N ha−1 compared to actual practices. • Using field-specific information decreased recommended N rates compared to a fixed reduced N rate. • The use of a portable chlorophyll meter device (SPAD) increase NUE in most field situations. The gap between scientifically sound nitrogen (N) fertilizer application rates and the actual rates used by farmers in maize is still significant. The improvement of nitrogen use efficiency in such a highly N-demanding crop is necessary to decrease the negative effects of N fertilization. The objective was to compare the performance of different N management treatments in maize grown under semiarid Mediterranean sprinkler-irrigated conditions to the standard farmer practice. We compared an agronomically sound fixed rate of N fertilizer (FR) with a variable N rate obtained based on a soil mineral balance at pre-planting (SB) or based on a portable chlorophyll meter readings (CM) made just before tasseling. Additional treatments were a N control, without fertilizer (T0), and a non-limiting N (NL) treatment wich was typical of the current farmer practice. The study was replicated at 5 sites in one-year experiments and under 3 pre-planting soil mineral nitrogen environments (SMN, Low, Medium, and High). The results demonstrate the potential to reduce N rates from zero to 236 kg N ha−1 compared to the NL in irrigated maize fields without compromising yields in most of the situations with a subsequent increase of NUE. Averaging over sites, the use of fine-tuning N fertilizer strategies that considered field-specific conditions (SB and CM) reduced N rates (38 %) compared to the reductions under the FR strategy (26 %) relative to the NL conditions, which is the treatment closest to a typical farmer's application rate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]