Seagrass meadows, key ecosystems supporting fisheries, carbon sequestration and coastal protection, are globally threatened. In Europe, loss and recovery of seagrasses are reported, but the changes in extent and density at the continental scale remain unclear. Here we collate assessments of changes from 1869 to 2016 and show that 1/3 of European seagrass area was lost due to disease, deteriorated water quality, and coastal development, with losses peaking in the 1970s and 1980s.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe limiting effects of stressors like desiccation, light and salinity on seagrass growth and distribution are well-studied. However, little is known about their interactive effects, and whether such effects might differ among populations that are adapted to different local conditions. In two laboratory experiments we tested (a) if growth and development of intertidal, temperate is affected by emergence time (experiment 1 and 2), and (b) how this is affected by an additional, second stressor, namely shading (experiment 1) or high salinity (25, 30 and 35, experiment 2).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIn a seagrass restoration project, we explored the potential for enhancing the restoration process by excluding antagonistic engineering interactions (i.e., biomechanical warfare) between two ecosystem engineers: the bioturbating lugworm Arenicola marina and the sediment-stabilizing seagrass Zostera noltii Hornem.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFNed Tijdschr Geneeskd
November 2009
3 pregnant women, aged 34, 28, and 39 years respectively, presented with an inguinal swelling. In one patient the swelling was bilateral and painful. Reposition was possible and ultrasound examination revealed round ligament varicosities, the most common cause of an inguinal swelling during pregnancy.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective: To evaluate the dynamic filling index, a novel parameter to monitor changes in venous return and drainable volume, in circulatory assisted patients. Minimized extracorporeal bypass systems lack volume buffering capacity, demanding tight control of drainable volume to maintain bypass flow. Therefore, with patients on minimized bypass quantitative assessment of venous drainable volume is crucial.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFVenous cannulae undergo continuous improvements to achieve better and safer venous drainage. Several cannula tests have been reported, though cannula performance during inlet obstruction has never been a test criterion. In this study, five different cannulae for proximal venous drainage were tested in a mock circulation that enabled measurement of hydraulic conductance after inlet obstruction by vessel collapse.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe objective of this study was to investigate venous collapse (VC) related to venous drainage during the use of an extracorporeal life support circuit. A mock circulation was built containing a centrifugal pump and a collapsible vena cava model to simulate VC under controlled conditions. Animal experiments were performed for in vivo verification.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Recent developments in large bowel surgery are the introduction of laparoscopic surgery and the implementation of multimodal fast track recovery programs. Both focus on a faster recovery and shorter hospital stay. The randomized controlled multicenter LAFA-trial (LAparoscopy and/or FAst track multimodal management versus standard care) was conceived to determine whether laparoscopic surgery, fast track perioperative care or a combination of both is to be preferred over open surgery with standard care in patients having segmental colectomy for malignant disease.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThis prospective randomized clinical pilot study was conducted to evaluate a recently introduced reduced volume CPB system that is coated with the biopassive Xcoating. Twenty-two patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) with cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB), either with a fully heparin-coated CPB circuit (control, n=11) or with an Xcoating coated condensed extra-corporeal circuit (CondECC, n=11), were included. We examined activation of the complement system (C3bc and C4bc), activation of neutrophils (BPI), the acute phase response (interleukin (IL)-6, and acute phase proteins (LBP, AGP, and CRP)), myocardial tissue injury (troponin T), hemolysis (free hemoglobin (FHb)), and clinical outcome parameters.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWith the rapid international spread of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) from March through May 2003, Canada introduced various measures to screen airplane passengers at selected airports for symptoms and signs of SARS. The World Health Organization requested that all affected areas screen departing passengers for SARS symptoms. In spite of intensive screening, no SARS cases were detected.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective: Renal failure is a potential complication after thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysm (TAAA) repair and is a significant risk factor for postoperative mortality. We assessed the results of distal aortic perfusion and continuous volume-controlled and pressure-controlled blood perfusion of the kidneys during TAAA repair in patients with preoperative normal and impaired renal function.
Methods: Surgical repair of TAAA was performed in 279 consecutive patients (type I, n = 90; type II, 117; type III, 42; type IV, 30).
Study Objectives: Neurologic disorders belong among the most serious complications of cardiac surgery. We tested the hypothesis that combinations of hemodynamic events from apparently normal cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) procedures are related to the development of postoperative neurologic complications and affect the impact of common clinical risk factors.
Design: Retrospective study.
BACKGROUND: In spite of using heparin-coated extracorporeal circuits, cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) is still associated with an extensive thrombin generation, which is only partially suppressed by the use of high dosages of heparin. Recent studies have focused on the origins of this thrombotic stimulus and the possible role of retransfused suctioned blood from the thoracic cavities on the activation of the extrinsic coagulation pathway. The present study was designed to find during CPB an association between retransfusion of suctioned blood from the pericardium and pleural space, containing activated factor VIIa and systemic thrombin generation.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: The "components separation technique" is a method for abdominal wall reconstruction in patients with large midline hernias that cannot be closed primarily. The early and late results of this technique were evaluated in 43 patients.
Methods: Records of 43 patients, 11 women and 32 men, with a mean age of 49.
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