Accounting for forest condition in Europe based on an international statistical standard.

Covering 35% of Europe's land area, forest ecosystems play a crucial role in safeguarding biodiversity and mitigating climate change. Yet, forest degradation continues to undermine key ecosystem services that forests deliver to society. Here we provide a spatially explicit assessment of the condition of forest ecosystems in Europe following a United Nations global statistical standard on ecosystem accounting, adopted in March 2021. We measure forest condition on a scale from 0 to 1, where 0 represents a degraded ecosystem and 1 represents a reference condition based on primary or protected forests. We show that the condition across 44 forest types averaged 0.566 in 2000 and increased to 0.585 in 2018. Forest productivity and connectivity are comparable to levels observed in undisturbed or least disturbed forests. One third of the forest area was subject to declining condition, signalled by a reduction in soil organic carbon, tree cover density and species richness of threatened birds. Our findings suggest that forest ecosystems will need further restoration, improvements in management and an extended period of recovery to approach natural conditions.

New imaging technologies for robotic kidney cancer surgery.

Objective: Kidney cancers account for approximately 2% of all newly diagnosed cancer in 2020. Among the primary treatment options for kidney cancer, urologist may choose between radical or partial nephrectomy, or ablative therapies. Nowadays, robotic-assisted partial nephrectomy (RAPN) for the management of renal cancers has gained popularity, up to being considered the gold standard. However, RAPN is a challenging procedure with a steep learning curve. Methods: In this narrative review, different imaging technologies used to guide and aid RAPN are discussed. Results: Three-dimensional visualization technology has been extensively discussed in RAPN, showing its value in enhancing robotic-surgery training, patient counseling, surgical planning, and intraoperative guidance. Intraoperative imaging technologies such as intracorporeal ultrasound, near-infrared fluorescent imaging, and intraoperative pathological examination can also be used to improve the outcomes following RAPN. Finally, artificial intelligence may play a role in the field of RAPN soon. Conclusion: RAPN is a complex surgery; however, many imaging technologies may play an important role in facilitating it.

PARP Inhibitors: A New Horizon for Patients with Prostate Cancer.

The introduction of PARP inhibitors (PARPi) in prostate cancer is a milestone and provides a pathway to hope in fighting this disease. It is the first time that drugs, based on the concept of synthetic lethality, have been approved for prostate cancer. In addition, it is also the first time that genetic mutation tests have been included in the therapeutic algorithm of this disease, representing a significant step forward for precision and personalized treatment of prostate cancer. The objectives of this review are: (1) understanding the mechanism of action of PARPi in monotherapy and combinations; (2) gaining insights on patient selection for PARPi; (3) exposing the pivotal studies that have allowed its approval, and; (4) offering an overview of the ongoing trials. Nevertheless, many unsolved questions remain, such as the number of patients who could potentially benefit from PARPi, whether to use PARPi in monotherapy or in combination, and when is the best time to use them in advanced or localized disease. To answer these and other questions, many clinical trials are underway. Some of them have recently demonstrated promising results that may favor the introduction of new combinations in metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer.

"Augmented reality" applications in urology: a systematic review.

INTRODUCTION: Augmented reality (AR) applied to surgical procedures refers to the superimposition of preoperative or intraoperative images into the operative field. Augmented reality has been increasingly used in myriad surgical specialties including urology. The following study reviews advance in the use of AR for improvements in urologic outcomes. EVIDENCE ACQUISITION: We identified all descriptive, validity, prospective randomized/nonrandomized trials and retrospective comparative/noncomparative studies about the use of AR in urology until March 2021. The Medline, Scopus, and Web of Science databases were used for literature search. We conducted the study selection according to the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis Statement) Guidelines. We limited included studies to only those using AR, excluding all that used virtual reality technology. EVIDENCE SYNTHESIS: A total of 60 studies were identified and included in the present analysis. Overall, 19 studies were descriptive/validity/phantom studies for specific AR methodologies, 4 studies were case reports, and 37 studies included clinical prospective/retrospective comparative studies. CONCLUSIONS: Advances in AR have led to increasing registration accuracy as well as increased ability to identify anatomic landmarks and improve outcomes during urologic procedures such as RARP and robot-assisted partial nephrectomy.

Impact of shale gas development on water resources: a case study in northern poland.

Shale gas is currently being explored in Europe as an alternative energy source to conventional oil and gas. There is, however, increasing concern about the potential environmental impacts of shale gas extraction by hydraulic fracturing (fracking). In this study, we focussed on the potential impacts on regional water resources within the Baltic Basin in Poland, both in terms of quantity and quality. The future development of the shale play was modeled for the time period 2015-2030 using the LUISA modeling framework. We formulated two scenarios which took into account the large range in technology and resource requirements, as well as two additional scenarios based on the current legislation and the potential restrictions which could be put in place. According to these scenarios, between 0.03 and 0.86% of the total water withdrawals for all sectors could be attributed to shale gas exploitation within the study area. A screening-level assessment of the potential impact of the chemicals commonly used in fracking was carried out and showed that due to their wide range of physicochemical properties, these chemicals may pose additional pressure on freshwater ecosystems. The legislation put in place also influenced the resulting environmental impacts of shale gas extraction. Especially important are the protection of vulnerable ground and surface water resources and the promotion of more water-efficient technologies.

Seguridad alimentaria y nutricional vinculada a la asignatura Médico Bucal I en Odontología / Food and nutritional safety related to the subject Oral Medicine I in Odontology

Introducción: el estado nutricional de los pacientes tiene gran importancia para la salud bucal, y depende en gran medida de recibir una buena alimentación, aspecto vital en la prevención de enfermedades. Objetivo: vincular la seguridad alimentaria y nutricional a los temas que se imparten en esta asignatura del 3er. año de la carrera de Estomatología del plan D. Material y método: se utilizaron métodos del nivel teórico y empírico, dentro de estos: la revisión de documental encuesta del programa del plan de estudio D de la carrera de Estomatología tomándose como muestra la asignatura de Médico bucal I del 3er año. y la entrevista. Resultados: de los temas que aparecen en el programa solamente uno aborda la alimentación, refiriéndose al tema de las vitaminas, pero no se vincula con la seguridad alimentaria que de tanta utilidad es para obtener de la mejor manera esos nutrientes vitales. Las sanguíneas, endocrino-metabólicas y otras en las que la alimentación es fundamental, tampoco la tienen en cuenta. En las estrategias tampoco se aborda. Conclusiones: se propone una estrategia curricular sobre nutrición y alimentación segura en esta asignatura, para vincularla en todos los contenidos en las que proceda que son la mayoría.

Introduction: the patient ’ nutritional state is very important for the oral health and greatly depends on a good diet, vital aspect in disease prevention. Objective: to relate food and nutritional safety with the topics taught in this subject in the third academic year of Odontology major of the Syllabus D. Material and method: a longitudinal and prospective study was performed of the curriculum of the Syllabus D of the Odontology major, taking as sample the subject Oral Medicine of the third academic year. Results: among the topics of the syllabus only one deals with feeding, referring the theme of vitamins, but it does not relate it with food safety, so important to better obtain those vital nutriments. Those regarding blood, the endocrine-metabolic system and others in which feeding is fundamental take so into account neither. It is neither tackled among the strategies. Conclusions: in this subject a curriculum strategy about feeding and nutrition is proposed, for being related with all the relevant contents, which are the majority.