Soil Chemical Analysis

This new edition of Ann Bowling's well-known and highly respected text has been thoroughly revised and updated to reflect key methodological developments in health research. It is a comprehensive, easy to read, guide to the range of methods used to study and evaluate health and health services. It describes the concepts and methods used by the main disciplines involved in health research, including: demography, epidemiology, health economics, psychology and sociology.The research methods described cover the assessment of health needs, morbidity and mortality trends and rates, costing health services, sampling for survey research, cross-sectional and longitudinal survey design, experimental methods and techniques of group assignment, questionnaire design, interviewing techniques, coding and analysis of quantitative data, methods and analysis of qualitative observational studies, and types of unstructured interviewing. With new material on topics such as cluster randomization, utility analyses, patients' preferences, and perception of risk, the text is aimed at students and researchers of health and health services. It has also been designed for health professionals and policy makers who have responsibility for applying research findings in practice, and who need to know how to judge the value of that research.

Research Methods in Health. Investigating health and health services

Summary
The diets of over two-thirds of the world's population lack one or more essential mineral elements. This can be remedied through dietary diversification, mineral supplementation, food fortification, or increasing the concentrations and/or bioavailability of mineral elements in produce (biofortification). This article reviews aspects of soil science, plant physiology and genetics underpinning crop biofortification strategies, as well as agronomic and genetic approaches currently taken to biofortify food crops with the mineral elements most commonly lacking in human diets: iron (Fe), zinc (Zn), copper (Cu), calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg), iodine (I) and selenium (Se). Two complementary approaches have been successfully adopted to increase the concentrations of bioavailable mineral elements in food crops. First, agronomic approaches optimizing the application of mineral fertilizers and/or improving the solubilization and mobilization of mineral elements in the soil have been implemented. Secondly, crops have been developed with: increased abilities to acquire mineral elements and accumulate them in edible tissues; increased concentrations of ‘promoter’ substances, such as ascorbate, β-carotene and cysteine-rich polypeptides which stimulate the absorption of essential mineral elements by the gut; and reduced concentrations of ‘antinutrients’, such as oxalate, polyphenolics or phytate, which interfere with their absorption. These approaches are addressing mineral malnutrition in humans globally.

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Biofortification of crops with seven mineral elements often lacking in human diets--iron, zinc, copper, calcium, magnesium, selenium and iodine.

http://www.eedu.org.cn/Article/UploadFiles/200906/2009061916001277.pdf

Health risk from heavy metals via consumption of food crops in the vicinity of Dabaoshan mine, South China.

Wound healing is one of the most complex processes in the human body. It involves the spatial and temporal synchronization of a variety of cell types with distinct roles in the phases of hemostasis...

Wound Healing: A Cellular Perspective.

In nature, trace element toxicities occur in all living organisms. The consequences of these toxicities have been described in crops, livestock and humans. In some instances, the toxicities are a direct consequence of the organism's position in the food chain and their environment, while in others, they are based upon genetic abnormalities resulting in physiological impairment.Nutrient toxicities in crops are more frequent for manganese (Mn) and boron (B) than for other nutrients. Manganese toxicity is found on acid soils in many parts of the world. Boron toxicities occur in irrigated regions where the well or irrigation waters are exceptionally high in B. Most other nutrient toxicities occur when large amounts of nutrients in question have been added in waste, e.g., sewage sludge. Crops grown near mines and smelters are prone to nutrient toxicities. Generally, the symptoms of toxicity in crops occur as burning, chlorosis and yellowing of leaves. Toxicities can result in decreased yield and/or im...

Trace element toxicity relationships to crop production and livestock and human health: implications for management

PURPOSETo provide the specialist in skin and wound care with a review of skin replacement alternatives and their most common uses.TARGET AUDIENCEThis continuing education activity is intended for physicians and nurses with an interest in wound care and related disorders.OBJECTIVESAfter reading this

Skin substitutes and alternatives: a review.

This data review reports the results of 15 patients who were treated with Vacuum-Assisted Closure (VAC) negative pressure therapy system in addition to the timed, intermittent delivery of an instilled topical solution for management of their complex, infected wounds Prospective data for 15 patients treated with negative pressure wound therapy (NPWT)-instillation was recorded and analysed Primary endpoints were compared to a retrospective control group of 15 patients treated with our institution's standard moist wound-care therapy Culture-specific systemic antibiotics were prescribed as per specific patient need in both groups All data were checked for normality of distribution and equality of variance and appropriate parametric and non parametric analyses were conducted Compared with the standard moist wound-care therapy control group, patients in the NPWT-instillation group required fewer days of treatment (365 +/- 131 versus 99 +/- 43 days, P < 0001), cleared of clinical infection earlier (259 +/- 66 versus 60 +/- 15 days, P < 0001), had wounds close earlier (296 +/- 65 versus 132 +/- 68 days, P < 0001) and had fewer in-hospital stay days (392 +/- 121 versus 147 +/- 92 days, P < 0001) In this pilot study, NPWT instillation showed a significant decrease in the mean time to bioburden reduction, wound closure and hospital discharge compared with traditional wet-to-moist wound care Outcomes from this study analysis suggest that the use of NPWT instillation may reduce cost and decrease inpatient care requirements for these complex, infected wounds

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/j.1742-481X.2007.00423.x

Negative pressure wound therapy with instillation: a pilot study describing a new method for treating infected wounds

Sources and Deficiency Diseases of Mineral Nutrients in Human Health and Nutrition： A Review

Selenium (Se) content in soils varies greatly depending upon the parent rock, weathering and texture. In general, total soil Se of 0.1 to 0.6 mg kg‐1 is considered deficient. Selenium deficiency regions in New Zealand, Denmark and the Atlantic Region of Canada contain 0.1 to 0.6 mg Se kg‐1 in the soil. Soil acidity is an important factor resulting in decreased Se availability to crops. Selenium concentration in plants can range from 0.005 mg kg‐1 in deficient crops to about 5500 mg kg‐1 in Se accumulators on seleniferous soils. Among crops, brassicas and legumes, particularly soybeans, contain higher Se than other crops. Selenium is an essential mineral for livestock as well as for humans, but its essentiality for the growth of Se accumulators or non‐accumulators has so far not been demonstrated. Feed crops containing more than 0.1 mg Se kg‐1 will protect livestock from Se deficiency disorders. Inadequate Se in animal rations can cause White Muscle Disease in calves, sheep and goat; Exudative Dia...

Subhas Gupta

Papers

Trace element toxicity relationships to crop production and livestock and human health: implications for management

Skin substitutes and alternatives: a review.

Negative pressure wound therapy with instillation: a pilot study describing a new method for treating infected wounds

Sources and Deficiency Diseases of Mineral Nutrients in Human Health and Nutrition： A Review

Selenium in soils and crops, its deficiencies in livestock and humans: Implications for management