The vanishing and the establishment of a new ecosystem on an oceanic island - Anthropogenic impacts with no return ticket.

A multiproxy approach was applied to a sediment core retrieved from the deep crater Lake Funda, located in the middle of the North Atlantic Ocean on Flores Island, Azores archipelago (Portugal). The purpose of this study was to determine how this ecosystem responded to natural and anthropogenic forces over the last millennium. We distinguished three main phases in lake evolution using multiproxy reconstructions and documentary sources. (A) Climate and lake catchment processes, as well as internal ones, were the main drivers of ecosystem variability before 1335 CE, when human disturbances were absent in the Lake Funda catchment. (B) The second phase is marked by unprecedented changes in all studied proxies between 1335 and 1560 CE, including abrupt changes in the composition and diversity of diatom and chironomid assemblages. Synergistic effects from high climate variability and the onset of human disturbances in the catchment (e.g., introduction of livestock) during the Medieval Climate Anomaly-Little Ice Age transition, led to an increase in lake trophic state from mesotrophic to eutrophic conditions. (C) In the last phase (1560 CE to the present), the eutrophic conditions in Lake Funda were maintained through a positive feedback loop between lake productivity and in-lake phosphorous recycling. Variability within the lake ecosystem was mainly associated with climate variability and internal lake dynamics (e.g., phosphorus remobilization). Our results show that a paleoecological approach is crucial to understanding lake ecological states in the present-day in order to develop locally adapted management and restoration strategies. A long-term perspective enables us to understand the harmful consequences of ongoing climate change and human disturbances on lake ecosystems.

Complex regional pain syndrome: medical and legal ramifications of clinical variability and experience and perspective of a practicing clinician.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to demonstrate the ramifications of clinical variability of complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) and how they can affect the various aspects of this condition, favorably or unfavorably, for both patients and participating medical and legal professionals. METHODS: Twelve patients diagnosed with CRPS at different times in the past 25 years were followed up, and their signs and symptoms were reviewed for variability. None had preexisting or ongoing medical disorders and prior injury to the peripheral nerves or musculoskeletal tissues. None had been involved in litigation. Physical traumas that triggered CRPS were job-related, vehicular accidents, and personal injuries. The presence of vasomotor symptoms (eg, swelling, skin discoloration, and temperature changes) and allodynia in the affected extremity was the basis for clinical diagnosis in all the patients. The need for imaging studies was precluded in some patients owing to the presence of vasomotor symptoms, which either fluctuated or were steady. Seven of the patients had type 1 CRPS, and five patients had type 2 CRPS. RESULTS: Most patients encountered delay in diagnosis and treatment and legal obstacles owing to the lack of "typical" objective signs of CRPS. The patients' symptoms fluctuated at different times of the day. Eight patients experienced spread of vasomotor symptoms and varying degree of allodynia in the opposite extremity. One patient, who developed signs and symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis, 2 months after the injury, continued to have CRPS symptoms in the injured hand. Treatment modalities administered in all the patients were essentially ineffective. All the patients, except one, were unable to return to their original line of work, and their symptoms persisted regardless of the outcome of their legal claims. CONCLUSION: It is likely that patients who continue to complain of pain and vasomotor symptoms followed by a physical injury have CRPS. The complex interaction between the peripheral, autonomic, and central nervous system in this condition makes it challenging to diagnose, treat, and prognosticate.

Limnological changes in Dom Helvécio Lake (South-East Brazil): natural and anthropogenic causes

In order to verify changes in physical, chemical and biological features of Dom Helvécio Lake (South-East Brazil), this study compares previous and recent data obtained from limnological investigations over three decades. Plankton species composition and density together with environmental data from 1978, 1983, and during 1999 to 2006 showed changes driven by seasonal climatic forces or by anthropogenic causes. Changes in diversity are shown as a consequence of alternation of rainy and dry periods and introduction of exotic fish species. Finally, suggestions are made for improving conservation efforts in the area, through planned actions and monitoring programmes.

Com o objetivo de avaliar as mudanças nas características físicas, químicas e biológicas do lago Dom Helvécio (Sudeste do Brasil), este estudo compara dados anteriores e recentes de investigações limnológicas através de três décadas. A composição e a densidade das espécies planctônicas juntamente com os dados ambientais apresentaram mudanças decorrentes de forças climáticas e de causas antropogênicas. Mudanças na diversidade como consequência da sazonalidade e da introdução de espécies exóticas de peixes foram observadas. Com base nos resultados, são feitas sugestões para aumentar os esforços de conservação na área através de ações planejadas e programas de monitoramento.