Search

One of the main markers of arterial stiffness is pulse wave velocity (PWV). This parameter is well studied as a marker for end-organ damage in the adult population, being considered a strong predictor of major cardiovascular events. This study assessed PWV in children with chronic kidney disease (CKD) as a marker of cardiovascular risk. We conducted a prospective observational single-center cohort study of 42 consecutively pediatric patients (9–18 years old) with terminal CKD and dialysis, at the Hemodialysis Department of the “M. S. Curie” Hospital, Bucharest. We measured PWV by echocardiography in the ascending aorta (AscAo) and the descending aorta (DescAo), and we correlated them with left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH). Fifteen patients (35.7%) presented vascular dysfunction defined as PWV above the 95th percentile of normal values in the AscAo and/or DescAo. Cardiac disease (LVH/LV remodeling) was discovered in 32 patients (76.2%). All patients with vascular damage also had cardiac disease. Cardiac damage was already present in all patients with vascular disease, and the DescAo is more frequently affected than the AscAo (86.6% vs. 46.9%). Elevated PWV could represent an important parameter for identifying children with CKD and high cardiovascular risk.

This study provides a conceptual exploration of an innovative telemedicine-enhanced team-based care (TETC) model, tailored to prenatal care, integrating a multidisciplinary team approach with advanced telemedicine technologies. The algorithm developed for TETC aims to optimize communication and coordination among healthcare professionals, including obstetricians, midwives, nutritionists, and mental health experts. This cohesive team structure ensures a comprehensive care plan encompassing all facets of maternal and fetal health. Leveraging telemedicine tools like video conferencing and digital health records, the model supports remote consultations and coordinated care, proving particularly advantageous during pandemics or in regions with limited healthcare access. Central to the TETC model is patient-centered care, focusing on personalized care plans attuned to the individual needs, health status, and socioeconomic backgrounds of pregnant women. This approach not only enhances accessibility and convenience by diminishing the necessity for physical consultations but also ensures continuity of care throughout pregnancy. This continuity is crucial for consistent health parameter tracking and early risk identification. The paper discusses the model's design, operational workflow, and ethical and legal considerations, providing implementation guidelines and potential applications. The TETC model, rooted in current technological capabilities and healthcare frameworks, underscores the need for close collaboration with healthcare professionals to adhere to medical standards and address real-world requirements effectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of the present teacher development initiative is twofold: to help EFL teachers develop critical reflection skills through various means such as video recording, journal writing, peer observation and a support group and to create what Hargreaves (cited in Johnston 2009) calls a “culture of collaboration”. It is believed that teachers, students and the educational institution as a whole would benefit from such an initiative.

The data presented in this DiB article provide an overview of Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) carried out for 3 European environmental policies (the Water Framework Directive, the Natura 2000 network of protected areas, and Agri-Environment Schemes implemented under the Common Agricultural Policy), as implemented in 9 cases (Catalonia (Spain), Estonia, Finland, Flanders (Belgium), Hungary, Romania, Slovakia, Scotland (UK), Sweden). These data are derived from reports and documents about monitoring programs that were publicly-available online in 2017. The literature on M&E to support adaptive management structured the issues that have been extracted and summarized. The data is related to the research article entitled “Policy-driven monitoring and evaluation: does it support adaptive management of socio-ecological systems?” [Stem et al., 2005]. The information provides a first overview of monitoring and evaluation that has been implemented in response to key European environmental policies. It provides a structured overview that permits a comparison of cases and policies and can assist other scholars and practitioners working on monitoring and evaluation.

The outbreak of COVID-19 can be associated with cardiac and pulmonary involvement and is emerging as one of the most significant and life-threatening complications in patients with kidney failure receiving hemodialysis. Here, we report a critically ill case of a 13-year-old female patient with acute pericarditis and bilateral pleurisy, screened positive for SARS-CoV-2 RT-PCR, presented with high fever, frequent dry cough, and dyspnea with tachypnea. COVID-19-induced myopericarditis has been noted to be a complication in patients with concomitant kidney failure with replacement therapy (KFRT). This article brings information in the light of our case experience, suggesting that the direct effect of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection on cardiac tissue was a significant contributor to myopericarditis in our patient. Further studies in this direction are required, as such associations have thus far been reported.

Stream and terrestrial ecosystems are intimately connected by riparian zones that support high biodiversity but are also vulnerable to human impacts. Landscape disturbances, overgrazing, and diffuse pollution of agrochemicals threaten riparian biodiversity and the delivery of ecosystem services in agricultural landscapes. We assessed how terrestrial invertebrate communities respond to changes in riparian vegetation in Romanian agricultural catchments, with a focus on the role of forested riparian buffers. Riparian invertebrates were sampled in 10 paired sites, with each pair consisting of an unbuffered upstream reach and a downstream reach buffered with woody riparian vegetation. Our results revealed distinct invertebrate community structures in the two site types. Out of 33 invertebrate families, 13 were unique to either forested (6) or unbuffered (7) sites. Thomisidae, Clubionidae, Tetragnathidae, Curculionidae, Culicidae, and Cicadidae were associated with forested buffers, while Lycosidae, Chrysomelidae, Staphylinidae, Coccinellidae, Tettigoniidae, Formicidae, and Eutichuridae were more abundant in unbuffered sites. Despite statistically equivocal results, invertebrate diversity was generally higher in forested riparian buffers. Local riparian attributes significantly influenced patterns in invertebrate community composition. Our findings highlight the importance of local woody riparian buffers in maintaining terrestrial invertebrate diversity and their potential contribution as a multifunctional management tool in agricultural landscapes.

Developing a general, predictive understanding of ecological systems requires knowing how much structural and functional relationships can cross scales and contexts. Here, we introduce the CROSSLINK project that investigates the role of forested riparian buffers in modified European landscapes by measuring a wide range of ecosystem attributes in stream-riparian networks. CROSSLINK involves replicated field measurements in four case-study basins with varying levels of human development: Norway (Oslo Fjord), Sweden (Lake Mälaren), Belgium (Zwalm River), and Romania (Argeş River). Nested within these case-study basins include multiple, independent stream-site pairs with a forested riparian buffer and unbuffered section located upstream, as well as headwater and downstream sites to show cumulative land-use impacts. CROSSLINK applies existing and bespoke methods to describe habitat conditions, biodiversity, and ecosystem functioning in aquatic and terrestrial habitats. Here, we summarize the approaches used, detail protocols in supplementary materials, and explain how data is applied in an optimization framework to better manage tradeoffs in multifunctional landscapes. We then present results demonstrating the range of riparian conditions present in our case-study basins and how these environmental states influence stream ecological integrity with the commonly used macroinvertebrate Average Score Per Taxon (ASPT) index. We demonstrate that a qualitative index of riparian integrity can be positively associated with stream ecological status. This introduction to the CROSSLINK project shows the potential for our replicated study with its panoply of ecosystem attributes to help guide management decisions regarding the use of forested riparian buffers in human-impacted landscapes. This knowledge is highly relevant in a time of rapid environmental change where freshwater biodiversity is increasingly under pressure from a range of human impacts that include habitat loss, pollution, and climate change.

Telomeres are specialized nucleoprotein caps that protect chromosome ends assuring cell division. Single-cell telomere quantification in animals established a critical role for telomerase in stem cells, yet, in plants, telomere-length quantification has been reported only at the organ level. Here, a quantitative analysis of telomere length of single cells in Arabidopsis root apex uncovered a heterogeneous telomere-length distribution of different cell lineages showing the longest telomeres at the stem cells. The defects in meristem and stem cell renewal observed in tert mutants demonstrate that telomere lengthening by TERT sets a replicative limit in the root meristem. Conversely, the long telomeres of the columella cells and the premature stem cell differentiation plt1,2 mutants suggest that differentiation can prevent telomere erosion. Overall, our results indicate that telomere dynamics are coupled to meristem activity and continuous growth, disclosing a critical association between telomere length, stem cell function, and the extended lifespan of plants.

This paper explores the impact of implementing chatbots in the internal audit process of public education entities. The study analyzes the efficiency and effectiveness of chatbots in optimizing audit operations, highlighting benefits such as increasing efficiency, improving audit quality and facilitating communication between auditors and institution staff. The results highlight the significant contributions of chatbots in reducing administrative burdens, saving resources and creating a more transparent and adaptable audit process. The paper provides relevant insights for public entities seeking to integrate emerging technologies into their internal audit practices, highlighting the importance of chatbots in the effective evolution of this field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper brings arguments in favour of emphasizing the modeling factors of the Coefficient of Intensity of Structural Changes (CISC) in order to obtain a better interpretation of the significance of the respective method of structural change measurement. Also, it is highlighted the impact of characteristic features of structural changes on differentiation of the size of CISC computed at economic branch level and sectorial level respectively. There are identified all possible situations of structural changes from a sectorial point of view. At the end of the paper, there is presented a numerical example related to structural changes of Romania’s employed population during the period 2008-2011. The above-mentioned example offers an opportunity to review all the necessary steps for identification of CISC modeling factors, when economic branches approach is considered, and a comparison with CISC computed in a sectorial vision is made. The respective steps were made by using R Software.