The moss biomonitoring technique was used for the assessment of air pollution in the Republic of Moldova, in the framework of the UNECE ICP Vegetation Programme. The content of 11 chemical elements (Al, V, Cr, Fe, Ni, Zn, As, Sb, Cd, Cu, and Pb) was determined by neutron activation analysis and atomic absorption spectrometry in samples collected in spring 2020. Distribution maps were built to identify the most polluted sites. The highest concentrations of elements in mosses were determined in the north-eastern, central, and western parts of the country. The main element associations were identified using factor analysis. Three factors were determined, of which one of mixed geogenic-anthropogenic origin and two of anthropogenic origin. A comparison of the data obtained in 2020 and 2015 showed a significant decrease in the concentrations of Cr, As, Sb, Cd, Pb, and Cu in 2020. The state of the environment was assessed using Contamination Factor and Pollution Load Index values, which characterized it as unpolluted to moderately polluted. Possible air pollution sources in the Republic of Moldova are resuspension of soil particles, agricultural practices, vehicles, industry, and thermal power plants.
More than a billion people live in fragile, conflict-affected, and vulnerable settings requiring humanitarian support, where cancer is a substantial health issue. Despite its substantial effect on populations, cancer care remains underprioritised in emergency preparedness and response frameworks and humanitarian operational planning. This Policy Review summarises the perspectives and actionable recommendations from the First Global High-Level Technical Meeting on Non-communicable Diseases in Humanitarian Settings, with a focus on cancer.
Background: There are no clinical or laboratory markers that can diagnose acute mesenteric ischemia (AMI) accurately. This study aimed to find differences in clinical and laboratory markers between arterial occlusive AMI and other acute abdominal diseases where AMI was initially suspected.
Methods: This was a post hoc study of an international prospective multicenter study where data on patients with suspected AMI were collected.
Background: The role of primary healthcare (PHC) during a pandemic varies across European countries. The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has altered the working practices of family medicine doctors and impacted the resilience of healthcare systems.
Objectives: This study aimed to examine European healthcare system responses to the pandemic, focusing on rural and urban differences.
The Indo-European languages are among the most widely spoken in the world, yet their early diversification remains contentious. It is widely accepted that the spread of this language family across Europe from the 5th millennium BP correlates with the expansion and diversification of steppe-related genetic ancestry from the onset of the Bronze Age. However, multiple steppe-derived populations co-existed in Europe during this period, and it remains unclear how these populations diverged and which provided the demographic channels for the ancestral forms of the Italic, Celtic, Greek, and Armenian languages.
The World Health Assembly set six global nutrition targets (GNTs) in 2012 to improve maternal and child health, but there has been no comprehensive report detailing progress from 2012 to 2021.
A study evaluated the prevalence and impact of these nutrition targets across 204 countries using data from the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) 2021 and projected future trends up to 2050.
By 2021, only a few countries met some GNTs; most showed increased child overweight and notable decreases in female anaemia, highlighting a connection between societal development status and nutritional challenges.
