Soil loss by runoff is a severe and continuous ecological problem in Koga watershed.Deforestation,improper cultivation and uncontrolled grazing have resulted in accelerated soil erosion.Information on soil loss is ess...Soil loss by runoff is a severe and continuous ecological problem in Koga watershed.Deforestation,improper cultivation and uncontrolled grazing have resulted in accelerated soil erosion.Information on soil loss is essential to support agricultural productivity and natural resource management.Thus,this study was aimed to estimate and map the mean annual soil loss by using GIS and Remote sensing techniques.The soil loss was estimated by using Revised Universal Soil Equation(RUSLE)model.Topographic map of 1:50,000 scale,Aster Digital Elevation Model(DEM)of 20 m spatial resolution,digital soil map of 1:250,000 scale,thirteen years rainfall records of four stations,and land sat imagery(TM)with spatial resolution of 30 m was used to derive RUSLE's soil loss variables.The RUSLE parameters were analyzed and integrated using raster calculator in the geo-processing tools in ArcGIS 10.1 environment to estimate and map the annual soil loss of the study area.The result revealed that the annual soil loss of the watershed extends from none in the lower and middle part of the watershed to 265 t ha^(-1) year^(-1) in the steeper slope part of the watershed with a mean annual soil loss of 47 t ha^(-1) year^(-1).The total annual soil loss in the watershed was 255283 t,of these,181801(71%)tones cover about 6691(24%)hectare of land.Most of these soil erosion affected areas are spatially situated in the upper steepest slope part(inlet)of the watershed.These are areas where Nitosols and Alisols with higher soil erodibility character(0.25)values are dominant.Hence,Slope gradient and length followed by soil erodibility factors were found to be the main factors of soil erosion.Thus,sustainable soil and water conservation practices should be adopted in steepest upper part of the study area by respecting and recognizing watershed logic,people and watershed potentials.展开更多
Objective To review the presentation, diagnosis, staging and treatment of thymoma. Data sources Data were obtained from papers on thymoma published in English within the last 30 years. No formal systematic review was ...Objective To review the presentation, diagnosis, staging and treatment of thymoma. Data sources Data were obtained from papers on thymoma published in English within the last 30 years. No formal systematic review was conducted, but an effort was made to be comprehensive. Study selection Studies were selected if they contained data relevant to the topic addressed in the particular section. In particular, standards adopted by the International Thymic Malignancies Interest Group through a formal process of achieving worldwide consensus are featured. Because of the limited length of this article, we have frequently referenced recent reviews that contain a comprehensive amalgamation of literature rather than the actual source papers. Results Thymomas are rare malignant tumors. They account for about half （47%） of anterior mediastinal tumors. About one third of these are associated with myasthenia gravis. Computed tomography with intravenous contrast is the standard diagnostic modality. Thymomas appear as round or oval masses in early stages but irregular shapes with calcifications occurring in later stages. They can invade surrounding structures including mediastinal fat, pleura, major blood vessels and nerves. Fine needle aspiration, core needle biopsy or open biopsy is used to obtain tissue diagnosis. Masaoka-Koga classification is currently used to stage thymomas. All thymomas should be considered for resection due to their malignant potential. A complete resection is a major prognostic factor and every effort should be made to achieve this even if this means resection and reconstruction of a major thoracic structure. Median sternotomy is the standard approach for thymoma resection. A number of minimally invasive techniques are used in selective centers. While stage I and II tumors undergo primary surgery, preoperative chemotherapy appears to increase the chances of complete resection for stage III and IVa tumors. Postoperative radiation could be considered for patients with residual disease. Excellent 5 and 10-year survival rates are noted for completely resected early stage thymomas. Conclusions Thymic malignancies are rare tumors. Standards have recently been achieved to allow better communication and promote collaborative research. Surgical resection is the mainstay of treatment, but a multimodality approach is useful for many patients.展开更多
Background:Despite the high prevalence of strongyloidiasis in the Laotian population,Laotian hospitals still lack diagnostic capacity to appropriately diagnose Strongyloides stercoralis infections.This cross-sectional...Background:Despite the high prevalence of strongyloidiasis in the Laotian population,Laotian hospitals still lack diagnostic capacity to appropriately diagnose Strongyloides stercoralis infections.This cross-sectional hospital-based study was conducted to assess the prevalence of Strongyloides stercoralis infection among hospitalized patients treated at Mahosot Hospital,the primary reference hospital of Lao People’s Democratic Republic(Lao PDR),and to validate feasible methods for diagnosing S.stercoralis infection at hospital’s laboratory.Methods:Between September and December 2018,stool samples of 104 inpatients were investigated for S.stercoralis infection by wet smear,Baermann technique,Koga Agar plate culture(KAPC),and real-time detection polymerase chain reaction(RTD-PCR)at the Infectious Diseases Ward of the Mahosot Hospital in Vientiane.The sensitivity,the specificity,the negative predictive value(NPV)of each diagnostic test,as well as their combination(s)was calculated using a composite reference standard(CRS).The correlation of the different test methods was assessed by chi-square or Fisher’s exact test.Cohen’s kappa coefficient was used to assess the diagnostic agreement of the different test methods.Results:The overall prevalence of S.stercoralis infections among the study population was 33.4%.The cumulative infection prevalence statistically significantly increased from the lowest age group of 40 years and below(22.4%),to the medium(40.0%)and to the oldest age group of 61 year and above(72.7%)(P=0.003).The cumulative infection prevalence of CRS was considerably higher in male(40.4%)compared to female patients(28.1%),but not statistically different(P=0.184).The diagnostic sensitivity of Baermann technique,KAPC,RTD-PCR,and the combination of Baermann technique and KAPC were 60.0,60.0,74.3,and 77.1%,respectively.Only 13 patients(37.1%)of the total 35 S.stercoralis patients diagnosed with any technique had a simultaneously positive diagnostic test with Baermann,KAPC and RTD-PCR.Conclusions:We identified Baermann technique and KAPC to be currently the most feasible and implementable standard methods for diagnosing S.stercoralis at a hospital setting such as Mahosot Hospital and provincial and district hospitals in Lao PDR and other low-and middle income countries in Southeast Asia.Trial registration:This study was approved by the National Ethics Committee for Health Research in Lao PDR(reference no.083/NECHR)and by the Ethics Committee Northwest and Central Switzerland(reference no.2018–00594).展开更多
文摘Soil loss by runoff is a severe and continuous ecological problem in Koga watershed.Deforestation,improper cultivation and uncontrolled grazing have resulted in accelerated soil erosion.Information on soil loss is essential to support agricultural productivity and natural resource management.Thus,this study was aimed to estimate and map the mean annual soil loss by using GIS and Remote sensing techniques.The soil loss was estimated by using Revised Universal Soil Equation(RUSLE)model.Topographic map of 1:50,000 scale,Aster Digital Elevation Model(DEM)of 20 m spatial resolution,digital soil map of 1:250,000 scale,thirteen years rainfall records of four stations,and land sat imagery(TM)with spatial resolution of 30 m was used to derive RUSLE's soil loss variables.The RUSLE parameters were analyzed and integrated using raster calculator in the geo-processing tools in ArcGIS 10.1 environment to estimate and map the annual soil loss of the study area.The result revealed that the annual soil loss of the watershed extends from none in the lower and middle part of the watershed to 265 t ha^(-1) year^(-1) in the steeper slope part of the watershed with a mean annual soil loss of 47 t ha^(-1) year^(-1).The total annual soil loss in the watershed was 255283 t,of these,181801(71%)tones cover about 6691(24%)hectare of land.Most of these soil erosion affected areas are spatially situated in the upper steepest slope part(inlet)of the watershed.These are areas where Nitosols and Alisols with higher soil erodibility character(0.25)values are dominant.Hence,Slope gradient and length followed by soil erodibility factors were found to be the main factors of soil erosion.Thus,sustainable soil and water conservation practices should be adopted in steepest upper part of the study area by respecting and recognizing watershed logic,people and watershed potentials.
文摘Objective To review the presentation, diagnosis, staging and treatment of thymoma. Data sources Data were obtained from papers on thymoma published in English within the last 30 years. No formal systematic review was conducted, but an effort was made to be comprehensive. Study selection Studies were selected if they contained data relevant to the topic addressed in the particular section. In particular, standards adopted by the International Thymic Malignancies Interest Group through a formal process of achieving worldwide consensus are featured. Because of the limited length of this article, we have frequently referenced recent reviews that contain a comprehensive amalgamation of literature rather than the actual source papers. Results Thymomas are rare malignant tumors. They account for about half （47%） of anterior mediastinal tumors. About one third of these are associated with myasthenia gravis. Computed tomography with intravenous contrast is the standard diagnostic modality. Thymomas appear as round or oval masses in early stages but irregular shapes with calcifications occurring in later stages. They can invade surrounding structures including mediastinal fat, pleura, major blood vessels and nerves. Fine needle aspiration, core needle biopsy or open biopsy is used to obtain tissue diagnosis. Masaoka-Koga classification is currently used to stage thymomas. All thymomas should be considered for resection due to their malignant potential. A complete resection is a major prognostic factor and every effort should be made to achieve this even if this means resection and reconstruction of a major thoracic structure. Median sternotomy is the standard approach for thymoma resection. A number of minimally invasive techniques are used in selective centers. While stage I and II tumors undergo primary surgery, preoperative chemotherapy appears to increase the chances of complete resection for stage III and IVa tumors. Postoperative radiation could be considered for patients with residual disease. Excellent 5 and 10-year survival rates are noted for completely resected early stage thymomas. Conclusions Thymic malignancies are rare tumors. Standards have recently been achieved to allow better communication and promote collaborative research. Surgical resection is the mainstay of treatment, but a multimodality approach is useful for many patients.
文摘Background:Despite the high prevalence of strongyloidiasis in the Laotian population,Laotian hospitals still lack diagnostic capacity to appropriately diagnose Strongyloides stercoralis infections.This cross-sectional hospital-based study was conducted to assess the prevalence of Strongyloides stercoralis infection among hospitalized patients treated at Mahosot Hospital,the primary reference hospital of Lao People’s Democratic Republic(Lao PDR),and to validate feasible methods for diagnosing S.stercoralis infection at hospital’s laboratory.Methods:Between September and December 2018,stool samples of 104 inpatients were investigated for S.stercoralis infection by wet smear,Baermann technique,Koga Agar plate culture(KAPC),and real-time detection polymerase chain reaction(RTD-PCR)at the Infectious Diseases Ward of the Mahosot Hospital in Vientiane.The sensitivity,the specificity,the negative predictive value(NPV)of each diagnostic test,as well as their combination(s)was calculated using a composite reference standard(CRS).The correlation of the different test methods was assessed by chi-square or Fisher’s exact test.Cohen’s kappa coefficient was used to assess the diagnostic agreement of the different test methods.Results:The overall prevalence of S.stercoralis infections among the study population was 33.4%.The cumulative infection prevalence statistically significantly increased from the lowest age group of 40 years and below(22.4%),to the medium(40.0%)and to the oldest age group of 61 year and above(72.7%)(P=0.003).The cumulative infection prevalence of CRS was considerably higher in male(40.4%)compared to female patients(28.1%),but not statistically different(P=0.184).The diagnostic sensitivity of Baermann technique,KAPC,RTD-PCR,and the combination of Baermann technique and KAPC were 60.0,60.0,74.3,and 77.1%,respectively.Only 13 patients(37.1%)of the total 35 S.stercoralis patients diagnosed with any technique had a simultaneously positive diagnostic test with Baermann,KAPC and RTD-PCR.Conclusions:We identified Baermann technique and KAPC to be currently the most feasible and implementable standard methods for diagnosing S.stercoralis at a hospital setting such as Mahosot Hospital and provincial and district hospitals in Lao PDR and other low-and middle income countries in Southeast Asia.Trial registration:This study was approved by the National Ethics Committee for Health Research in Lao PDR(reference no.083/NECHR)and by the Ethics Committee Northwest and Central Switzerland(reference no.2018–00594).
