GIS mapping of agricultural plastic waste in southern Europe.

The escalating use of plastics in agriculture, driven by global population growth and increasing food demand, has concurrently led to a rise in Agricultural Plastic Waste (APW) production. Effective waste management is imperative, prompting this study to address the initial step of management, that is the quantification and localization of waste generated from different production systems in diverse regions. Focused on four Southern European countries (Italy, Spain, Greece, and Portugal) at the regional level, the study uses Geographic Information System (GIS), land use maps, indices tailored to each specific agricultural application and each crop type for plastic waste mapping. Furthermore, after the data was employed, it was validated by relevant stakeholders of the mentioned countries. The study revealed Spain, particularly the Andalusia region, as the highest contributor to APW equal to 324,000 tons per year, while Portugal's Azores region had the lowest estimate equal to 428 tons per year. Significantly, this research stands out as one of the first to comprehensively consider various plastic applications and detailed crop cultivations within the production systems, representing a pioneering effort in addressing plastic waste management in Southern Europe. This can lead further on to the management of waste in this area and the transfer of the scientific proposition to other countries.

Crepis vesicaria L. subsp. taraxacifolia Leaves: Nutritional Profile, Phenolic Composition and Biological Properties.

Crepis vesicaria subsp. taraxacifolia (Cv) of Asteraceae family is used as food and in traditional medicine. However there are no studies on its nutritional value, phenolic composition and biological activities. In the present work, a nutritional analysis of Cv leaves was performed and its phenolic content and biological properties evaluated. The nutritional profile was achieved by gas chromatography (GC). A 70% ethanolic extract was prepared and characterized by HLPC-PDA-ESI/MSn. The quantification of chicoric acid was determined by HPLC-PDA. Subsequently, it was evaluated its antioxidant activity by DPPH, ABTS and FRAP methods. The anti-inflammatory activity and cellular viability was assessed in Raw 264.7 macrophages. On wet weight basis, carbohydrates were the most abundant macronutrients (9.99%), followed by minerals (2.74%) (mainly K, Ca and Na), protein (1.04%) and lipids (0.69%), with a low energetic contribution (175.19 KJ/100 g). The Cv extract is constituted essentially by phenolic acids as caffeic, ferulic and quinic acid derivatives being the major phenolic constituent chicoric acid (130.5 mg/g extract). The extract exhibited antioxidant activity in DPPH, ABTS and FRAP assays and inhibited the nitric oxide (NO) production induced by LPS (IC50 = 0.428 ± 0.007 mg/mL) without cytotoxicity at all concentrations tested. Conclusions: Given the nutritional and phenolic profile and antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, Cv could be a promising useful source of functional food ingredients.

Detection of Treponema pallidum Sp. Pallidum DNA in Cerebrospinal Fluid (CSF) by Two PCR Techniques.

BACKGROUND: Laboratory diagnosis of neurosyphilis is complicated especially when it is asymptomatic, no single laboratory test result being appropriate to diagnose central nervous system infectivity caused by Treponema pallidum. Our objective was to evaluate two polymerase chain reaction (PCR) techniques for the detection of T. pallidum DNA in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of patients with syphilis. METHODS: One hundred twenty-four CSF samples from patients with reactive blood tests for syphilis were obtained. Two PCR techniques (47-PCR, polA-PCR) were used to detect T. pallidum DNA. The laboratory criteria used for the diagnosis of neurosyphilis to which the PCR techniques were compared were those recommended by the IUSTI: 2008 European guidelines on the management of syphilis. RESULTS: Treponema pallidum DNA was detected amplified in 37 of 124 (29.8%) and 30 of 124 (24.2%) samples with the 47-PCR and polA-PCR, respectively. Sensitivities were 75.8% and 69.7% and specificities 86.8% and 92.3%, respectively, for 47-PCR and polA-PCR techniques, respectively. The three CSF samples of patients with primary syphilis did not fulfill the criteria of neurosyphilis and DNA was only detected in one by the 47-PCR. In samples from secondary syphilis and neurosyphilis, three of nine and nine of nine respectively, results were coincident for the two PCR techniques and neurosyphilis criteria. Major discrepancies between the two PCR techniques and neurosyphilis diagnostic criteria were observed in latent syphilis. CONCLUSION: Beyond some limitations of the study, which are discussed here, both PCR techniques seem to be useful for the diagnosis of neurosyphilis, although 47-PCR presents a higher sensitivity and polA-PCR a higher specificity.

A morte inesperada no serviço de urgência um olhar ao vivido pelos enfermeiros / Unanticipated death in the emergency department a look at nurses' experiences

Face ao morrer, o enfermeiro tem fortes razões para reaprender a valorizar mais a vida, a respeitar mais o próximo e a si mesmo. O seu tempo, as suas ações, diferentes experiências, a amizade, o amor, começam a ter novos significados e valor. Lidar de tão perto com a morte do outro, modifica-o. O presente estudo emergiu das reflexões, dúvidas e preocupações perante situações de morte inesperada em contexto de urgência. Foi desenvolvido com recurso à investigação do tipo qualitativo com abordagem fenomenológica seguindo os passos propostos por Colaizzi. A utilização deste tipo de metodologia teve como principais objetivos desvelar as vivências dos enfermeiros face à morte inesperada da pessoa em serviço de urgência e sua família e ainda identificar as diferentes intervenções de enfermagem em torno desta problemática. Para a colheita da informação foram realizadas sete entrevistas semiestruturadas, tendo como finalidade obter respostas para a seguinte questão: Quais as vivências dos enfermeiros face à morte inesperada em serviço de urgência? Para tal pretendemos, identificar como os enfermeiros sentem a transição da vida para a morte, quais os sentimentos daí provenientes, quais as dificuldades, estratégias, consequências pessoais, necessidades formativas e sugestões de melhoria. Como é essencial continuar a investigar o cuidar de enfermagem no seu ambiente e contexto naturais, parece-nos que os resultados deste estudo têm o potencial de contributo para o crescimento e aprofundamento da disciplina, com base na evidência científica e também na promoção do bem-estar dos seus profissionais ao cuidarem em situações similares, melhorando de futuro as suas intervenções nesta área do cuidar

Control glucosúrico en un grupo de pacientes diabéticos / Glucosuric control in a group of diabetic patients

Por la importancia que reviste en la detección y manejo del paciente diabético con labilidad metabólica, así como parámetro importante para la evaluación del control metabólico en pacientes diabéticos insulino-dependientes, las determinaciones de glucosuria de 24 horas (Benedict cuantitativo) nos han resultado de inestimable ayuda en tales sentidos, además de establecer su correlación con el tiempo de evolución de la enfermedad y con el control glicémico(AU)