Primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC) is a well-known but uncommon chronic liver disease that is presumed to be of autoimmune etiology. Recently, investigations in British Columbia (BC), a province of Canada situated along ...Primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC) is a well-known but uncommon chronic liver disease that is presumed to be of autoimmune etiology. Recently, investigations in British Columbia (BC), a province of Canada situated along the Pacific North-West of North America, have suggested that PBC is not a rare disease amongst BC's Aboriginal (i.e. First Nations) communities. Geographically, BC is adjacent to South East Alaska, an American state that has also reported an increased prevalence of PBC amongst its Aboriginal communities. In this article, the medical evidence supporting a hypothesis of increased risk of PBC amongst BC's First Nations communities is reviewed. Evidence suggesting that autoimmune hepatitis is also more likely amongst BC's First Nations communities is also presented.展开更多
Colombia enjoys considerable ethnic diversity, although its indigenous population, part of the world＇s shared cultural heritage has been reduced by various factors, including displacement, poverty, and poor access to...Colombia enjoys considerable ethnic diversity, although its indigenous population, part of the world＇s shared cultural heritage has been reduced by various factors, including displacement, poverty, and poor access to timely and quality healthcare. The present study is focused on diagnosing health problems, particularly anemia, through a description of hematological findings amongst men and woman aged 18 to 50 years, living at various altitudes, and belonging to several different indigenous communities： the Huitoto and Embera of Caqueta, Florencia; the Born, Muinane, Okaina, Huitoto communities of La Chorrera, Amazonas; and the Yanaconas of Bogota, D.C. Tests performed included automated hemogram tests, ferritin, c-reactive protein, and parasitological assessment to correlate the presence of anemia and parasitism. The authors used a quantitative and transversal, structured, non-experimental, correlational, stratified sample design with 105 samples （51 men, 54 women）. The results showed that 7.8% （4/51） of the men had anemia, compared with 29.6% （16/54） of the women--more than triple the incidence of the male population. Moreover, we found a higher incidence of anemia in rural areas, where the majority of the country＇s indigenous populations live. In the parasitological study, 87.7% （50/57） of the participants tested positive for intestinal parasites. These findings are expected to help authorities implement more effective responses to health issues in these communities.展开更多
Numerous studies have focused on vegetation traits and soil properties in grassland, few of which concerned about effects of human utilization patterns on grassland yet. Thus, this study hypothesized that human distur...Numerous studies have focused on vegetation traits and soil properties in grassland, few of which concerned about effects of human utilization patterns on grassland yet. Thus, this study hypothesized that human disturbance(e.g., grazing, mowing and fencing) triggered significant variation of biomass partitioning and carbon reallocation. Besides, there existed some differences of species diversity and soil fertility. To address these hypotheses of grassland with diverse utilization patterns in Hulun Buir City, Inner Mongolia, China, we sampled in situ about aboveground biomass(AGB) and belowground biomass(BGB) to evaluate their biomass allocation. Species diversity and soil properties were also investigated. Subsequently, we discussed the relationship of species diversity with environmental conditions, using data collected from 23 sites during the ecological project period of Returning Grazing Lands to Grasslands(RGLG) program. The results were as follows: 1) both AGB and BGB were lower on grazing regime than those on fencing and mowing, but the ratio of root-to-shoot(R/S) was higher on grazing regime than the other two utilization patterns; 2) neither of evenness and Simpson Index was different significantly among all grassland utilization patterns in desert, typical, and meadow grassland at 0.05. In meadow grassland, species richness of fencing pattern was significantly higher than that of grazing pattern(p < 0.05); 3) both of soil organic carbon content and soil available phosphorous content were increased significantly on fencing pattern than grazing pattern(p < 0.05) in desert grassland, and mowing patterns increased the soil nutrients(soil organic carbon, soil total phosphorous, soil available phosphorous, and soil total nitrogen) significantly compared with grazing patterns(p < 0.05) in typical grassland. However, there were no significant differences among utilization patterns in meadow grassland. In conclusion, both of AGB and BGB were increased significantly by fencing. Moreover, species diversity and soil nutrients can be promoted via mowing and fencing. This study suggested that implementation of Ecological Project played a positive role in sustainable grassland utilization of Hulun Buir City and a strong positive influence on the entire temperate grassland.展开更多
The Babylon Governorate is situated in the middle of Iraq. It covers an area of 5,315 km2 and has 2,092,998 inhabitants distributed throughout its five major cities （Qadhaa）. Presently, there is no landfill site in ...The Babylon Governorate is situated in the middle of Iraq. It covers an area of 5,315 km2 and has 2,092,998 inhabitants distributed throughout its five major cities （Qadhaa）. Presently, there is no landfill site in the governorate that meets the environmental criteria for the disposal of municipal and industrial waste. Consequently, GIS （geographic information system） and methods of multi-criteria decision making were used here to select the best sites in each city in the Babylon Governorate that would fulfil the environmental requirements. Two sites were chosen in each city. As the groundwater is very shallow in this area, the design should ensure against groundwater pollution by leachate from these sites. To avoid this problem, soil investigation was conducted at these sites so that the most suitable landfill design could be accomplished. The results of soil investigation in these sites include the soil profile, groundwater depth, chemical properties, allowable bearing capacity, Atterberg limits test results and material characteristics of the soil strata. From the research, it is believed that the best design is one that puts the landfill above ground.展开更多
文摘Primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC) is a well-known but uncommon chronic liver disease that is presumed to be of autoimmune etiology. Recently, investigations in British Columbia (BC), a province of Canada situated along the Pacific North-West of North America, have suggested that PBC is not a rare disease amongst BC's Aboriginal (i.e. First Nations) communities. Geographically, BC is adjacent to South East Alaska, an American state that has also reported an increased prevalence of PBC amongst its Aboriginal communities. In this article, the medical evidence supporting a hypothesis of increased risk of PBC amongst BC's First Nations communities is reviewed. Evidence suggesting that autoimmune hepatitis is also more likely amongst BC's First Nations communities is also presented.
文摘Colombia enjoys considerable ethnic diversity, although its indigenous population, part of the world＇s shared cultural heritage has been reduced by various factors, including displacement, poverty, and poor access to timely and quality healthcare. The present study is focused on diagnosing health problems, particularly anemia, through a description of hematological findings amongst men and woman aged 18 to 50 years, living at various altitudes, and belonging to several different indigenous communities： the Huitoto and Embera of Caqueta, Florencia; the Born, Muinane, Okaina, Huitoto communities of La Chorrera, Amazonas; and the Yanaconas of Bogota, D.C. Tests performed included automated hemogram tests, ferritin, c-reactive protein, and parasitological assessment to correlate the presence of anemia and parasitism. The authors used a quantitative and transversal, structured, non-experimental, correlational, stratified sample design with 105 samples （51 men, 54 women）. The results showed that 7.8% （4/51） of the men had anemia, compared with 29.6% （16/54） of the women--more than triple the incidence of the male population. Moreover, we found a higher incidence of anemia in rural areas, where the majority of the country＇s indigenous populations live. In the parasitological study, 87.7% （50/57） of the participants tested positive for intestinal parasites. These findings are expected to help authorities implement more effective responses to health issues in these communities.
基金Under the auspices of Strategic Priority Research Program of Chinese Academy of Sciences(No.XDA05060100)National Natural Science Foundation of China(No.41105117)
文摘Numerous studies have focused on vegetation traits and soil properties in grassland, few of which concerned about effects of human utilization patterns on grassland yet. Thus, this study hypothesized that human disturbance(e.g., grazing, mowing and fencing) triggered significant variation of biomass partitioning and carbon reallocation. Besides, there existed some differences of species diversity and soil fertility. To address these hypotheses of grassland with diverse utilization patterns in Hulun Buir City, Inner Mongolia, China, we sampled in situ about aboveground biomass(AGB) and belowground biomass(BGB) to evaluate their biomass allocation. Species diversity and soil properties were also investigated. Subsequently, we discussed the relationship of species diversity with environmental conditions, using data collected from 23 sites during the ecological project period of Returning Grazing Lands to Grasslands(RGLG) program. The results were as follows: 1) both AGB and BGB were lower on grazing regime than those on fencing and mowing, but the ratio of root-to-shoot(R/S) was higher on grazing regime than the other two utilization patterns; 2) neither of evenness and Simpson Index was different significantly among all grassland utilization patterns in desert, typical, and meadow grassland at 0.05. In meadow grassland, species richness of fencing pattern was significantly higher than that of grazing pattern(p < 0.05); 3) both of soil organic carbon content and soil available phosphorous content were increased significantly on fencing pattern than grazing pattern(p < 0.05) in desert grassland, and mowing patterns increased the soil nutrients(soil organic carbon, soil total phosphorous, soil available phosphorous, and soil total nitrogen) significantly compared with grazing patterns(p < 0.05) in typical grassland. However, there were no significant differences among utilization patterns in meadow grassland. In conclusion, both of AGB and BGB were increased significantly by fencing. Moreover, species diversity and soil nutrients can be promoted via mowing and fencing. This study suggested that implementation of Ecological Project played a positive role in sustainable grassland utilization of Hulun Buir City and a strong positive influence on the entire temperate grassland.
文摘The Babylon Governorate is situated in the middle of Iraq. It covers an area of 5,315 km2 and has 2,092,998 inhabitants distributed throughout its five major cities （Qadhaa）. Presently, there is no landfill site in the governorate that meets the environmental criteria for the disposal of municipal and industrial waste. Consequently, GIS （geographic information system） and methods of multi-criteria decision making were used here to select the best sites in each city in the Babylon Governorate that would fulfil the environmental requirements. Two sites were chosen in each city. As the groundwater is very shallow in this area, the design should ensure against groundwater pollution by leachate from these sites. To avoid this problem, soil investigation was conducted at these sites so that the most suitable landfill design could be accomplished. The results of soil investigation in these sites include the soil profile, groundwater depth, chemical properties, allowable bearing capacity, Atterberg limits test results and material characteristics of the soil strata. From the research, it is believed that the best design is one that puts the landfill above ground.
