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Pressing Challenge (pressing + challenge)

Distribution by Scientific Domains

Medical Sciences	50%
Life Sciences	50%

Selected Abstracts

Conservation of the Biodiversity of Brazil's Inland Waters

CONSERVATION BIOLOGY, Issue 3 2005
ANGELO A. AGOSTINHO
Threatened freshwater species include 44 species of invertebrates (mostly Porifera) and 134 fishes (mostly Cyprinodontiformes, Rivulidae), primarily distributed in south and southeastern Brazil. Reasons for the declines in biodiversity in Brazilian inland waters include pollution and eutrophication, siltation, impoundments and flood control, fisheries, and species introductions. These problems are more conspicuous in the more-developed regions. The majority of protected areas in Brazil have been created for terrestrial fauna and flora, but they also protect significant water bodies and wetlands. As a result, although very poorly documented, these areas are of great importance for aquatic species. A major and pressing challenge is the assessment of the freshwater biodiversity in protected areas and surveys to better understand the diversity and geography of freshwater species in Brazil. The concept of umbrella species (e.g., certain migratory fishes) would be beneficial for the protection of aquatic biodiversity and habitats. The conservation and improved management of river corridors and associated floodplains and the maintenance of their hydrological integrity is fundamental to preserving Brazil's freshwater biodiversity and the health of its aquatic resources. Resumen:,En términos de biodiversidad, las aguas interiores de Brasil son de enorme importancia global para Algae (25% de las especies del mundo), Porifera (Demospongiae, 33%), Rotifera (25%), Cladocera (Branchiopoda, 20%) y peces (21%). Las especies dulceacuícolas amenazadas incluyen a 44 especies de invertebrados (la mayoría Porifera) y 134 de peces (en su mayor parte Cyprinodontiformes, Rivulidae), distribuidos principalmente en el sur y sureste de Brasil. Las razones de la declinación en la biodiversidad de aguas interiores de Brasil incluyen contaminación y eutrofización, sedimentación, represas y control de inundaciones, pesquerías e introducción de especies. Estos problemas son más conspicuos en las regiones más desarrolladas. La mayoría de las áreas protegidas en Brasil han sido creadas para fauna y flora terrestres, pero también protegen a considerable número de cuerpos de agua y humedales y, aunque muy deficientemente documentado, como tales son de gran importancia para las especies acuáticas. La evaluación de la biodiversidad dulceacuícola en áreas protegidas y muestreos para un mejor entendimiento de la diversidad y geografía de especies dulceacuícolas de Brasil son un reto mayor y apremiante. El concepto de especies sombrilla (e.g., ciertos peces migratorios) sería benéfico para la protección de biodiversidad y hábitats acuáticos. La conservación y perfeccionamiento de la gestión de corredores fluviales y las llanuras de inundación asociadas y el mantenimiento de su integridad hidrológica son fundamentales para preservar la biodiversidad dulceacuícola de Brasil y la salud de sus recursos acuáticos. [source]

Yeast Programmed Cell Death: An Intricate Puzzle

IUBMB LIFE, Issue 3 2005
P. Ludovico
Abstract Yeasts as eukaryotic microorganisms with simple, well known and tractable genetics, have long been powerful model systems for studying complex biological phenomena such as the cell cycle or vesicle fusion. Until recently, yeast has been assumed as a cellular 'clean room' to study the interactions and the mechanisms of action of mammalian apoptotic regulators. However, the finding of an endogenous programmed cell death (PCD) process in yeast with an apoptotic phenotype has turned yeast into an 'unclean' but even more powerful model for apoptosis research. Yeast cells appear to possess an endogenous apoptotic machinery including its own regulators and pathway(s). Such machinery may not exactly recapitulate that of mammalian systems but it represents a simple and valuable model which will assist in the future understanding of the complex connections between apoptotic and non-apoptotic mammalian PCD pathways. Following this line of thought and in order to validate and make the most of this promising cell death model, researchers must undoubtedly address the following issues: what are the crucial yeast PCD regulators? How do they play together? What are the cell death pathways shared by yeast and mammalian PCD? Solving these questions is currently the most pressing challenge for yeast cell death researchers.IUBMB Life, 57: 129-135, 2005 [source]

Making sense of polarities in health organizations for policy and leadership

JOURNAL OF EVALUATION IN CLINICAL PRACTICE, Issue 5 2010
Carmel M. Martin MBBS MSc PhD MRCGP FRACGP FAFPHM
Abstract Making sense of complex adaptive clinical practice and health systems is a pressing challenge as health services continue to struggle to adapt to changing internal and external constraints. In this Forum, we begin with Dervin's Sense-Making theories and research in communications. This provides a conceptual and theoretical context for this editions research on comparative complexity of family medicine consultations in the USA, models for adaptive leadership in clinical care and social networking to make sense of health promotion challenges for young people. Finally, a Sense-Making schema is proposed. [source]

Assessment of prognosis with the total illness burden index for prostate cancer,

CANCER, Issue 9 2007
Aiding clinicians in treatment choice
Abstract BACKGROUND. Among the most pressing challenges that face physicians who care for men with prostate cancer is evaluating the patient's potential for benefiting from treatment. Because prostate cancer often follows an indolent course, the presence and severity of comorbidities may influence the decision to treat the patient aggressively. The authors adapted the Total Illness Burden Index (TIBI) for use in decision-making among men with prostate cancer at the time of the visit. METHODS. An observational study was performed of 2894 participants in the Cancer of the Prostate Strategic Urologic Research Endeavor, a national disease registry of men with prostate cancer, to examine how well the adapted TIBI for prostate cancer (TIBI-CaP) predicted mortality over the subsequent 3.5 years and health-related quality of life over the subsequent 6 months. RESULTS. The men who had the highest global TIBI-CaP scores were 13 times more likely to die of causes other than prostate cancer over a 3.5-year period than the men who had the lowest scores (hazard ratio, 13.1, 95% confidence interval, 6.3,27.4) after controlling for age, education, income, and race/ethnicity. Patients who had the highest TIBI-CaP scores had 44% mortality compared with 4.9% mortality for patients who had the lowest scores. Demographic variables explained 16% of the variance in future physical function; TIBI-CaP scores explained an additional 19% of the variance. CONCLUSIONS. The TIBI-CaP, a patient-reported measure of comorbidity, identified patients at high risk for nonprostate cancer mortality. It predicted both mortality and future quality of life. The TIBI-CaP may aid physicians and patients in making appropriate treatment decisions. Cancer 2007. © 2007 American Cancer Society. [source]