Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Tier 1 forest biomass estimates from Earth Observation.

Aboveground biomass density (AGBD) estimates from Earth Observation (EO) can be presented with the consistency standards mandated by United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). This article delivers AGBD estimates, in the format of Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Tier 1 values for natural forests, sourced from National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA's) Global Ecosystem Dynamics Investigation (GEDI) and Ice, Cloud and land Elevation Satellite (ICESat-2), and European Space Agency's (ESA's) Climate Change Initiative (CCI). It also provides the underlying classification used by the IPCC as geospatial layers, delineating global forests by ecozones, continents and status (primary, young (≤20 years) and old secondary (>20 years)).

A shift in transitional forests of the North American boreal will persist through 2100.

High northern latitude changes with Arctic amplification across a latitudinal forest gradient suggest a shift towards an increased presence of trees and shrubs. The persistence of change may depend on the future scenarios of climate and on the current state, and site history, of forest structure. Here, we explore the persistence of a gradient-based shift in the boreal by connecting current forest patterns to recent tree cover trends and future modeled estimates of canopy height through 2100.

Evaluation of Blood Lactate among Different Player Roles: A Pilot Study on Competitive Young Male Soccer Players.

Background: Soccer match requires anaerobic and aerobic energetic metabolism. The aim of this pilot study was to investigate the changes in blood lactate concentration in young male soccer players in different playing roles at different time points after the soccer match.

Methods: Following an initial screening of 134 young soccer athletes, 8 male athletes (average age of 15.

Acute HIV Presenting With Unilateral Facial Nerve Paralysis: A Case Report.

Cranial nerve VII palsy is one of the most common cranial nerve pathologies seen in clinical practice. In the vast majority of cases, the cause is thought to be idiopathic and is also referred to as Bell's palsy. These cases are normally self-limiting and often treated with a short course of corticosteroids for symptom management.

Multicentre study found no increased risk of clinically important brain injuries when children presented more than 24 h after a minor head trauma.

Aim: Validated clinical decision rules on neuroimaging are not available for children who are evaluated more than 24 h after a minor head trauma. We compared clinically important traumatic brain injuries in children who presented with a minor head trauma within or after 24 h.

Methods: This was a retrospective analysis of patients aged 0-17 years, who were evaluated for minor head traumas by five paediatric emergency departments in Northern Italy between January 2019 and June 2020.

Schwannomatosis Presenting With a Grade IV Glioblastoma: A Case Report and Literature Review.

Schwannomatosis is a rare subset of neurofibromatosis. It is a disease process with a predisposition to schwannomas in the absence of bilateral vestibular schwannomas, which differentiates it from neurofibromatosis 2 (NF2). It is occasionally associated with certain tumors such as malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumors or rhabdoid tumors.

Storm surge and ponding explain mangrove dieback in southwest Florida following Hurricane Irma.

Mangroves buffer inland ecosystems from hurricane winds and storm surge. However, their ability to withstand harsh cyclone conditions depends on plant resilience traits and geomorphology. Using airborne lidar and satellite imagery collected before and after Hurricane Irma, we estimated that 62% of mangroves in southwest Florida suffered canopy damage, with largest impacts in tall forests (>10 m).

Guidelines for Physical Activity-A Cross-Sectional Study to Assess Their Application in the General Population. Have We Achieved Our Goal?

National and international healthcare organizations propose guidelines for physical activity worldwide, defining its characteristics. These guidelines' practical applications are difficult to estimate, since they are not fully followed. The aim of the present cross-sectional observational study was to assess awareness about guidelines for physical activity and to evaluate their practical applications in a sample of the Italian population.

The use of sun elevation angle for stereogrammetric boreal forest height in open canopies.

Stereogrammetry applied to globally available high resolution spaceborne imagery (HRSI; < 5 m spatial resolution) yields fine-scaled digital surface models (DSMs) of elevation. These DSMs may represent elevations that range from the ground to the vegetation canopy surface, are produced from stereoscopic image pairs (stereopairs) that have a variety of acquisition characteristics, and have been coupled with lidar data of forest structure and ground surface elevation to examine forest height. This work explores surface elevations from HRSI DSMs derived from two types of acquisitions in open canopy forests.

Spaceborne potential for examining taiga-tundra ecotone form and vulnerability.

In the taiga-tundra ecotone (TTE), site-dependent forest structure characteristics can influence the subtle and heterogeneous structural changes that occur across the broad circumpolar extent. Such changes may be related to ecotone form, described by the horizontal and vertical patterns of forest structure (e.g.

Outcome of lumbar epidural steroid injection is predicted by assay of a complex of fibronectin and aggrecan from epidural lavage.

Study Design: A single-center, prospective, consecutive case series of patients undergoing epidural lavage before the treatment of radiculopathy due to lumbar disc herniation.

Objective: To determine whether a novel complex of fibronectin and aggrecan predicts clinical response to epidural steroid injection (ESI) for the indication of radiculopathy from lumbar herniated nucleus pulposus (HNP).

Summary Of Background Data: ESI for lumbar radiculopathy due to HNP is widely used despite variable effectiveness for this indication.

Statewide mapping and assessment of vernal pools: a New Jersey case study.

In 2001, the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) adopted rules specifically protecting vernal pool habitat for the first time. Vernal pools are small isolated temporary bodies of water that provide critical breeding habitat for a number of amphibian species. To implement these rules and ultimately afford vernal pools protection, the NJDEP first needed to assemble a statewide database of vernal pool locations.

Application of nucleus pulposus to L5 dorsal root ganglion in rats enhances nociceptive dorsal horn neuronal windup.

Herniation of the nucleus pulposus (NP) from lumbar intervertebral discs commonly results in radiculopathic pain possibly through a neuroinflammatory response. NP sensitizes dorsal horn neuronal responses, but it is unknown whether this reflects a central or peripheral sensitization. To study central sensitization, we tested if NP enhances windup--the progressive increase in the response of a nociceptive spinal neuron to repeated electrical C-fiber stimulation--a phenomenon that may partly account for temporal summation of pain.

Combined magnetic fields accelerate and increase spine fusion: a double-blind, randomized, placebo controlled study.

Study Design: The clinical study conducted was a prospective, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial.

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of combined magnetic fields on the healing of primary noninstrumented posterolateral lumbar spine fusion.

Summary Of Background Data: Combined magnetic fields, a new type of biophysical stimulus, have been shown to act by stimulating endogenous production of growth factors that regulate the healing process.

Treatment of kyphotic deformity in ankylosing spondylitis.

This article reviews the available literature on the surgical options for the correction of kyphosis in ankylosing spondylitis and presents the radiologic appearance of the post-operative spine. In the postsurgical evaluation of the spine, the focus is on appreciation of the patterns of correction, early and late determination of angular correction, recognition of various complications (infection, nonunion, improper location, or breakage of hardware), and alertness to the possibility of complications at all levels of the spine.

Unstable thoracolumbar and lumbar burst fractures treated with the AO fixateur interne.

Twenty-five consecutive patients with unstable thoracolumbar and lumbar burst fractures were surgically treated with the AO Fixateur Interne (Synthes USA, 1690 Russell Rd., Paoli, PA). Indications for surgery included a progressive neurologic deficit, spinal canal compromise greater than 50%, vertebral body collapse greater than 50%, or sagittal angulation greater than 20 degrees.

Management of thoracolumbar fractures with accompanying neurological injury.

The optimal surgical approach for spinal canal reconstruction of thoracolumbar fractures is controversial, and the relationship between spinal canal reconstruction and neurological recovery remains unclear. To address these issues, 22 consecutive cases of thoracolumbar fracture with accompanying neurological deficit were reviewed. Neurological status was graded at the time of admission, postoperatively, and at a mean of 15 months postinjury.

Is there a role for diskography in the era of magnetic resonance imaging? Prospective correlation and quantitative analysis of computed tomography-diskography, magnetic resonance imaging, and surgical findings.

We herein report the results of a prospective study to define the role of diskography in the diagnosis of low back pain in an emerging era of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The study involved 32 patients (78 disks) with a clinical diagnosis of lumbar disk herniation; all were studied by computed tomography-diskography (CT-D), and 25 (51 disks) were also examined using MRI. The disks were graded on these studies according to a staging scheme modified from Modic.

Anatomic and biomechanical assessment of transarticular screw fixation for atlantoaxial instability.

The purpose of this study is to elucidate anatomically the atlantoaxial transarticular screw fixation described by Magerl in 1979 and compare it biomechanically with Gallie wiring. Five human C1-C2 specimens were tested in flexion/extension and rotation intact, then after wiring and screw fixation. Mean screw length was 39 mm, 25 mm in the C2 lamina and 14 mm in the lateral mass.

Indirect spinal canal decompression in patients with thoracolumbar burst fractures treated by posterior distraction rods.

The ability of posterior distraction instrumentation to produce indirect reduction of retropulsed bone fragments was studied in 44 patients with thoracolumbar burst fractures. Using the Denis Classification, two predominate fracture types were identified: 13 patients had type A and 29 had type B fractures. Two others had Denis type D fractures.

Posterior cervical arthrodesis with AO reconstruction plates and bone graft.

The efficacy of posterior arthrodesis of the cervical spine with AO reconstruction plates and autogenous bone graft was evaluated in a prospective study. The technique of surgical exposure and the application of the reconstruction plates fixed with screws to the lateral masses is described in detail. Of 30 patients with unstable cervical spines, all had solid fusions based on flexion and extension radiographs at follow-up averaging 17.

Odontoid fractures treated by anterior odontoid screw fixation.

While odontoid fractures are common injuries, disagreement exists regarding treatment. Some authors claim a high rate of pseudoarthrosis and have therefore recommended early posterior fixation and fusion. This, however, results in decreased cervical rotation.

Biomechanics of cervical spine internal fixation.

Recent advances in the area of cervical spine internal fixation have resulted in important additions to the armamentarium of the spine surgery. However, a sophisticated knowledge of the biomechanics of these devices is important. This article discusses the biomechanics of odontoid screws, anterior cervical plates, posterior cervical plates, and posterior C1-C2 screw arthrodesis.