The Atacama Desert (21-26°S) is currently one of the driest places on Earth and metal(loid)s are of special concern for this region, which hosts the largest-known porphyry copper deposits produced in Chile. Evidence of past environmental conditions is commonly preserved in natural archives, such as lacustrine sediments. Sediment records obtained from Inca Coya Lake (22°20'S-68°35'W, 2534 m.a.s.l.), a small lake located in the Atacama Desert, reflected the evolution of regional mining activity during the 20th century and sedimentation associated with decadal climate variability. We studied the aquatic community structure changes recorded in sediment records from Inca Coya Lake. By analysis of magnetic properties (susceptibility, hysteresis curves and Curie temperatures), grain size and geochemical composition of the sediments, we identified environmental periods and changes in the community of benthic and planktonic organisms (diatoms and diapausing egg bank). We identified three detrital episodes that we interpret as dry/wet phases during the last 90 years associated with the increase of flash flood events promoting hypoxia oscillations; anthropogenic (mining activity) signals were also identified. Invertebrate community structure (primary consumers) reflected the metal exposure, measured as changes in assemblage composition through species turnover. Diatom community composition was best associated with variables related to wetter/drier alternation and consequent changes in oxygen availability. Bioindicators analyzed (diatoms, diapausing egg bank and invertebrate community) demonstrated to be excellent indicators of the bioavailability of compounds in the aquatic ecosystem of Inca Coya Lake, allowing the environmental impact assessment of the water resources due to flash floods and mining activity in the driest desert of the world.
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http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7034912 | PMC |
http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0229453 | PLOS |
JMIR Cancer
January 2025
Division of Radiology and Biomedical Engineering, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan.
Background: The application of natural language processing in medicine has increased significantly, including tasks such as information extraction and classification. Natural language processing plays a crucial role in structuring free-form radiology reports, facilitating the interpretation of textual content, and enhancing data utility through clustering techniques. Clustering allows for the identification of similar lesions and disease patterns across a broad dataset, making it useful for aggregating information and discovering new insights in medical imaging.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Infect Dev Ctries
December 2024
Faculty of Medicine, Eastern Mediterranean University, Famagusta, N. Cyprus via Mersin 10, Turkey.
Introduction: The global healthcare system faced unparalleled challenges during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, potentially reshaping antibiotic usage trends. This study aimed to evaluate the knowledge, perceptions, and observations of community pharmacists concerning antibiotic utilization during and after the pandemic; and offer crucial insights into its impact on antibiotic usage patterns and infection dynamics.
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J Infect Dev Ctries
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Faculdade de Medicina de Campos, Campos dos Goytacazes, Brazil.
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J Infect Dev Ctries
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The Cancer Hospital Affiliated to Shandong First Medical University (Shandong Cancer Prevention Research Institute, Shandong Cancer Hospital), Jinan 250117, China.
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BMC Health Serv Res
January 2025
Department of Health Policy and Management, School of Public Health and Safety, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
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