粤西地区气候与妇科三大常见感染相关性探

目的探讨粤西沿海地区季节气候与妇科门诊常见感染(细菌性、念珠菌性、滴虫)疾病的相关性.方法以妇科白带涂片多项检查快速染色技术(CTB)对妇科门诊就诊的7 042例患者做阴道分泌物常规检查,分春、夏、秋、冬季4组统计分析.结果春夏秋冬四季妇科门诊患者阴道分泌物的念珠菌检出率比较,差异有高度显著性(P＜0.01);细菌检出率无季节性差异(P＞0.05);滴虫检出率比较,亦无差异(P＞0.05).结论粤西地区妇科门诊病例念珠菌检出率受气候差异影响,夏秋季节明显高于冬春季节;而细菌和滴虫检出率则不受气候差异影响.     

Japanese Cedar (Cryptomeria japonica) Pollinosis in Jeju,Korea: Is It Increasing?

Jeju is an island in South Korea located in a temperate climate zone. The Japanese cedar tree (JC) has become the dominant tree species while used widely to provide a windbreak for the tangerine orchard industry. An increase in pollen counts precedes atopic sensitization to pollen and pollinosis, but JC pollinosis in Jeju has never been studied. We investigated JC pollen counts, sensitization to JC pollen, and JC pollinosis. Participants were recruited among schoolchildren residing in Jeju City, the northern region (NR) and Seogwipo City, the southern region (SR) of the island. The JC pollen counts were monitored. Sensitization rates to common aeroallergens were evaluated by skin prick tests. Symptoms of pollinosis were surveyed. Among 1,225 schoolchildren (49.6% boys, median age 13 years), 566 (46.2%) were atopic. The rate of sensitization to Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus (35.8%) was highest, followed by D. farinae (26.2%), and JC pollen (17.6%). In the SR, 156 children (23.8%) were sensitized to JC pollen; this rate was significantly higher than that in the NR (59 children, 10.4%, P<0.001). A significant increment in the sensitization rate for JC pollen with increasing school level was observed only in the SR. JC pollen season in the SR started earlier and lasted longer than that in the NR. JC pollen season in Jeju was defined as extending from late January to mid-April. The prevalence of JC pollinosis was estimated to be 8.5%. The prevalence differed significantly between the NR and SR (5.3% vs 11.3%, P<0.001), mainly due to the difference in sensitization rates. JC pollen is the major outdoor allergen for early spring pollinosis in Jeju. JC pollen season is from late January to mid-April. Warmer weather during the flowering season scatters more JC pollen in the atmosphere, resulting in a higher sensitization rate in atopic individuals and, consequently, making JC pollinosis more prevalent.     

Improving aerosol distributions below clouds by assimilating satellite-retrieved cloud droplet number

Limitations in current capabilities to constrain aerosols adversely impact atmospheric simulations. Typically, aerosol burdens within models are constrained employing satellite aerosol optical properties, which are not available under cloudy conditions. Here we set the first steps to overcome the long-standing limitation that aerosols cannot be constrained using satellite remote sensing under cloudy conditions. We introduce a unique data assimilation method that uses cloud droplet number (N(d)) retrievals to improve predicted below-cloud aerosol mass and number concentrations. The assimilation, which uses an adjoint aerosol activation parameterization, improves agreement with independent N(d) observations and with in situ aerosol measurements below shallow cumulus clouds. The impacts of a single assimilation on aerosol and cloud forecasts extend beyond 24 h. Unlike previous methods, this technique can directly improve predictions of near-surface fine mode aerosols responsible for human health impacts and low-cloud radiative forcing. Better constrained aerosol distributions will help improve health effects studies, atmospheric emissions estimates, and air-quality, weather, and climate predictions.     

The Cold Weather Plan evaluation: an example of pragmatic evidence-based policy making?

Objectives

An evaluation of the Cold Weather Plan (CWP) for England 2011–2012 was undertaken in April 2012 to generate the basis for further revisions. It is widely considered good practice to formulate and revise policy on the basis of the best available evidence. This paper examines whether the evaluation is an example of pragmatic evidence-based policy-making.

Study design

A process evaluation with a formative multimethods approach.

Methods

An electronic survey and national workshop were conducted alongside the production of a number of summary reports from the Health Protection Agency surveillance systems and Met Office meteorological data. The Department of Health and the Met Office were consulted on how the evaluation recommendations shaped the revised CWP and Met Office Cold Weather Alerting System respectively.

Results

The Cold Weather Plan survey had 442 responses, a majority from Local Authorities, and from all regions of England. Thematic analysis generated qualitative data, which along with feedback from the workshop were synthesized into six main recommendations. Reviewing the new CWP and the Met Office Cold Weather Alerting System revealed significant modifications on the basis of the evaluation.

Conclusions

The evaluation sets the context for cold weather and health during the 2011–2012 winter. This study shows that the CWP 2012–2013 was revised on the basis of the national evaluation recommendations and is an example of pragmatic evidence-based policy-making.     

Probabilistic classification learning with corrective feedback is associated with in vivo striatal dopamine release in the ventral striatum,while learning without feedback is not

The basal ganglia (BG) mediate certain types of procedural learning, such as probabilistic classification learning on the ‘weather prediction task’ (WPT). Patients with Parkinson's disease (PD), who have BG dysfunction, are impaired at WPT‐learning, but it remains unclear what component of the WPT is important for learning to occur. We tested the hypothesis that learning through processing of corrective feedback is the essential component and is associated with release of striatal dopamine. We employed two WPT paradigms, either involving learning via processing of corrective feedback (FB) or in a paired associate manner (PA). To test the prediction that learning on the FB but not PA paradigm would be associated with dopamine release in the striatum, we used serial ¹¹C‐raclopride (RAC) positron emission tomography (PET), to investigate striatal dopamine release during FB and PA WPT‐learning in healthy individuals. Two groups, FB, (n = 7) and PA (n = 8), underwent RAC PET twice, once while performing the WPT and once during a control task. Based on a region‐of‐interest approach, striatal RAC‐binding potentials reduced by 13–17% in the right ventral striatum when performing the FB compared to control task, indicating release of synaptic dopamine. In contrast, right ventral striatal RAC binding non‐significantly increased by 9% during the PA task. While differences between the FB and PA versions of the WPT in effort and decision‐making is also relevant, we conclude striatal dopamine is released during FB‐based WPT‐learning, implicating the striatum and its dopamine connections in mediating learning with FB. Hum Brain Mapp 35:5106–5115, 2014. © 2014 The Authors. Human Brain Mapping Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Studies on the Ageing of Cement Stabilized Rammed Earth Material in Different Exposure Conditions

This paper aims to test the deterioration of cement stabilized rammed earth and consider its characteristics during its lifespan in various exposure conditions. Both visual and mechanical properties were tested to determine the impact of long-term exposure to natural weather conditions. Cemented stabilized rammed earth is a variation of the traditional rammed earth building material which has been used since ancient history and is strengthened by the addition of stabilizers in the form of Portland cement. This article analyzes the long-term properties of wall panels made of this material, which were subjected to varying exposure conditions for five years. After this period, compression tests of specimens cut from panels stored in various environmental conditions were carried out. Based on the results and visual properties of the specimens, long-term changes in unconfined compressive strength were observed and primary durability attributes were described. Despite minimal visible wear to the external layers of the wall panels, the natural weather conditions proved to deteriorate material strength characteristics, especially on specimens with high cement content. No correlation between visual characteristics and compressive strength measures were found. The present study is vital in adequately describing cement stabilized rammed earth behavior in natural weather conditions typical of a humid continental climate.