Impact of Covid-19 on farming systems in Europe through the lens of resilience thinking.

Context: Resilience is the ability to deal with shocks and stresses, including the unknown and previously unimaginable, such as the Covid-19 crisis. Objective: This paper assesses (i) how different farming systems were exposed to the crisis, (ii) which resilience capacities were revealed and (iii) how resilience was enabled or constrained by the farming systems' social and institutional environment. Methods: The 11 farming systems included have been analysed since 2017. This allows a comparison of pre-Covid-19 findings and the Covid-19 crisis. Pre-Covid findings are from the SURE-Farm systematic sustainability and resilience assessment. For Covid-19 a special data collection was carried out during the early stage of lockdowns. Results and conclusions: Our case studies found limited impact of Covid-19 on the production and delivery of food and other agricultural products. This was due to either little exposure or the agile activation of robustness capacities of the farming systems in combination with an enabling institutional environment. Revealed capacities were mainly based on already existing connectedness among farmers and more broadly in value chains. Across cases, the experience of the crisis triggered reflexivity about the operation of the farming systems. Recurring topics were the need for shorter chains, more fairness towards farmers, and less dependence on migrant workers. However, actors in the farming systems and the enabling environment generally focused on the immediate issues and gave little real consideration to long-term implications and challenges. Hence, adaptive or transformative capacities were much less on display than coping capacities. The comparison with pre-Covid findings mostly showed similarities. If challenges, such as shortage of labour, already loomed before, they persisted during the crisis. Furthermore, the eminent role of resilience attributes was confirmed. In cases with high connectedness and diversity we found that these system characteristics contributed significantly to dealing with the crisis. Also the focus on coping capacities was already visible before the crisis. We are not sure yet whether the focus on short-term robustness just reflects the higher visibility and urgency of shocks compared to slow processes that undermine or threaten important system functions, or whether they betray an imbalance in resilience capacities at the expense of adaptability and transformability. Significance: Our analysis indicates that if transformations are required, e.g. to respond to concerns about transnational value chains and future pandemics from zoonosis, the transformative capacity of many farming systems needs to be actively enhanced through an enabling environment.

Real life clinical study design supporting the effectiveness of extra-fine inhaled beclomethasone/formoterol at the level of small airways of asthmatics.

BACKGROUND: In an attempt to establish how treatment with inhaled extra-fine beclomethasone/formoterol (I-EF-BDP/F) formulation differs from other combinations of inhaled corticosteroid (ICS) and long acting beta-agonist (LABA), we studied lung function and markers of airway inflammation upon switching to the extra-fine formulation and after 8 weeks of treatment with it. METHODS: We carried out a real-life clinical observation of undercontrolled asthmatic patients switched over from dry powder inhalers of fluticasone/salmeterol and budesonide/formoterol to I-EF-BDP/F (Foster(®), Chiesi Farmaceutici S.p.A., Italy). The effects of 8-weeks of treatment were documented by means of visual analog scale (VAS), quality of life by Asthma Quality of Life Questionnaire (AQLQ), spirometry and markers of airway or systemic inflammation: exhaled breath temperature (EBT), blood eosinophils (Eos), and high sensitivity C-reactive protein (CRP). Before/after treatment differences between forced vital capacity percent of predicted (%FVC), a simple indicator of small airways involvement, were calculated and subjects were ranked accordingly to reflect the magnitude of the therapeutic response. Subjects above the 75th percentile (n = 15), "top responders", were then compared with those below the 25th percentile (n = 15) "poor responders". RESULTS: On average, the 59 patients completing the study (mean age ± SD 51 ± 12 years, 38 women) had significant improvement in VAS and QLQ scores at the end of the treatment period (49.1 ± 2.4 vs. 73.1 ± 2.05 and 146.1 ± 2.7 vs. 176.7.1 ± 3.4 respectively, P < 0.001), but not in the inflammatory indicators (EBT, CRP and Eos). However, when comparing the "top responders" with the "poor responders", significant improvement in these inflammatory indicators was observed: EBT significantly decreased from 34.04/mean/± 0.30/s.e.m./[°C] to 33.57 ± 0.33, P = 0.003, Eos in blood fell from 381.7 ± 91.2 [cells/µL] to 244.2 ± 43.2, P = 0.02. Before/after treatment differences in hsCRP decreased significantly in the top responders compared with the poor responders (Mann-Whitney test, P = 0.04). CONCLUSION: Asthmatic subjects who had the most improvement in FVC after transition to I-EF-BDP/F from other combined ICS/LABA preparations also demonstrated a significant decrease in some indicators of airway/systemic inflammation. These results support the notion that I-EF-BDP/F exerts an effect also at the level of the small airways through a reduction of the level of air trapping. Patients in whom inflammation of the small airways plays an important clinical role are the ones to derive most benefit from this small airways tailored treatment. However, improved compliance due to the "promise of a new drug" effect should also be considered as contributing to the treatment results.

[Dental caries with chronic renal insufficiency]. / Zuben karies pri detsa s khronichna bubrechna nedostatuchnost.

Chronic renal insufficiency (CRI) is an irreversible lesion of the renal function with advancing of renal rickets, dyselectrolythemia, azotemic osteodystrophia in the bones. On the background of all those severe changes in organism, low indices of dental caries epidemicty are cited in literature. A total of 30 children with CRI were examined: Group 1--21 children with disease onset immediately after birth and duration from 5 to 15 years and group 2--9 children with disease onset after the age of 7 and duration from 2 to 5 years. The intensity of caries and epidemicty were compared according to milk and permanent teeth with a group of healthy children (900). A four-time higher urea level was established in group 1, reduced calcium and increased phosphorus. The children with CRI were less affected by dental caries as compared with the healthy ones, being better manifested in case of an earlier onset and longer duration of the disease. The problem of the future is the explanation of the phenomenon observed and the results--used in prophylasxis.

[Hypomineralization of milk teeth of prematurely born children--effect of some factors for its origination]. / Khipomineralizatsiia na vremennite zubi pri nedonoseni detsa--vliiane na niakoi faktori za vuznikvaneto y.

A comparative study was carried out between two groups of children--115 prematurely born and 4830 full-term babies in order to establish the effect of pregnancy duration of the origination of hypomineralization of the milk teeth. The effect of the following factors was also studied and compared: complications of pregnancy, feeding of the newborn and diseases during early childhood of full-term and prematurely born children. The authors established that the prematurely born children were a risk group for the origination of milk teeth hypomineralization. The complications of pregnancy, mixed or bottle feeding as well as the frequent illnesses are additional aggravating factors in the origination of milk teeth hypomineralization. The authors recommend timely follow-up care and prophylaxis of all prematurely born children.

[Evaluation of immunostimulating agents used in pulmonologic practice]. / Otsenka na niakoi imunostimulirashti sredstva, prilagani v pulmologichnata praktika.

Several immunostimulating drugs--levamisole (decaris), Gamma-A, dipyridamole (Antistenocardin), Respivax--were included in the treatment of 161 patients with frequently recurring chronic nonspecific lung diseases and data for suppression of various components of the immune system. Levamisole and Respivax show marked antirelapse efficacy in chronic lung diseases. Gamma-A has a certain immunosubstituent action, dipyridamole exerts a moderate antirelapse action.

[Respiratory function study of workers engaged in vinyl chloride and polyvinyl chloride manufacture]. / Funktsionalno izsledvane na dishaneto pri rabotnitsi, zaeti vuv vinilkhloridno i polivinilkhloridno proizvodstvo.

A hygienic evaluation is made on the work conditions in the production of vinyl chloride and polyvinyl chloride. Studies were carried out on 516 workers after the following indices: vital capacity /VC/, forced expiratory volume per sec. /FEV1/, peak expiratory capacity /PEC/, maximum expiratory capacity 75 /MEC75/, maximum expiratory capacity 50 /MEC50/ and maximum expiratory capacity 25 /MEC25/. It was established that 33.13% of the workers were with ventilation disturbances. The most frequently met was the obstructive syndrome of ventilation insufficiency. The infringements were most often in workers with length of service up to 1 year.

[Pleural effusions of neoplastic etiology]. / Plevralni izlivi s neoplastichna etiologiia.

A prospective analysis was made of 50 patients with neoplastic pleural exudation for the period 1977-1979. Twenty five of the patients (50%) are with advanced age (60-75). Bronchogenic carcinoma is the most often primary localization of the neoplastic exudates --26 patients (52%), followed by mammary carcinoma--10 cases (20%). In 76 per cent of the patients the pleural exudation is the first clinical manifestation of the neoplastic disease. In the rest of the cases, the metastatic exudation was manifested by the third year after the diagnosis of primary tumor. Dyspnea is outlined as a leading clinical symptom. The data from the biochemical and cytological studies of the pleural punctate were analyzed. The cytological finding is with the highest diagnostic value for the neoplastic pleural exudates.

[Analgetic and anti-inflammatory action of glaucine]. / Prouchvaniia vurkhu analgetichnoto i protivovuzpalitelnoto deistvie na glautsina.

The authors examined the analgetic and antiinflammatory action of glaucine. They used the following methods for evaluation the analgetic action: chemical irritation, heating plate, heat-ray irritation, mechanical irritation of the normal and inflammatory tissues, electrical irritation and analgetic test. The following methods were used for evaluation of antiinflammatory action: effect on the edema of the rat paw and granulation phases of the inflammation in rats. Codeine and acetysal were used as control drugs. The results from the experiments showed that glaucine successfully inhibited the granulation phase of inflammation and did not affect edema of the rat paw, induce by yeast beer. The analgetic action of glaucine was weak and without practical significance.

[Influence of salivary gland hormone on the number of leukocytes and level of calcium in the blood of experimental rabbits]. / Vliianie na khormona ot sliunchenite zhlezi vurkhu kolichestvoto na levkotsitite i kaltsievoto nivo v kruvta na opitni zaitsi.

The authors examined the influence of single venous doses of hormone from the saliva glands on the calcium level and leucocytes in the blood of nonnarcotized experimental rabbits. They investigated the effect in the following doses: 20, 10.5 and 1 mg/kg of body weight. The indicated two indices were examined 2, 4, 6 and 10 hours after the injection of the preparation. The venous administration of all exa mined doses of the hormone from the saliva glands caused statistically significant lowering of leucocytes on the second hour and respective increase on the sixth and tenth hour since the onset of the experiment. The hormone of the saliva glands lowered the amount of calcium ions in blood, but the difference was not always statistically significant in various doses and time intervals.

[Not Available]. / [Achievements by Soviet forensic psychiatry]

In the past 50 years, Soviet forensic psychiatry has directed its main endeavours towards solution of the problems of organization of forensic psychiatric expert examination, finding the most appropriate forms of handling law offenders--mental patients--as well as towards elucidation of the phenomenology of the morbid process under conditions of preliminary inquest, with prison, and finding with greatest precision the criteria for irresponsibility and incapacity in various diseases.