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COPD and Cardiovascular Diseases:Biomarker-Guided Stratification and Therapeutic Perspectives
No full textChronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a progressive and preventable respiratory disorder associated with a significantly increased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD), including ischemic heart disease, heart failure, pulmonary hypertension, and arrhythmias. The association is bidirectional, with CVD adversely affecting COPD prognosis and vice versa. Beyond shared risk factors such as smoking, aging, and socioeconomic status, COPD itself, through mechanisms including systemic inflammation, oxidative stress, hypoxia, and hyperinflation, contributes independently to cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Recent research has focused on identifying circulating biomarkers that can aid in early detection, risk stratification, and treatment optimization for patients at risk of both conditions. This review summarizes current evidence on the pathophysiological mechanisms linking COPD and CVD, highlights emerging biomarkers with potential prognostic utility for major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) and all-cause mortality, and it discusses clinical and research implications for biomarker-guided, personalized treatment strategies.Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a progressive and preventable respiratory disorder associated with a significantly increased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD), including ischemic heart disease, heart failure, pulmonary hypertension, and arrhythmias. The association is bidirectional, with CVD adversely affecting COPD prognosis and vice versa. Beyond shared risk factors such as smoking, aging, and socioeconomic status, COPD itself, through mechanisms including systemic inflammation, oxidative stress, hypoxia, and hyperinflation, contributes independently to cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Recent research has focused on identifying circulating biomarkers that can aid in early detection, risk stratification, and treatment optimization for patients at risk of both conditions. This review summarizes current evidence on the pathophysiological mechanisms linking COPD and CVD, highlights emerging biomarkers with potential prognostic utility for major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) and all-cause mortality, and it discusses clinical and research implications for biomarker-guided, personalized treatment strategies.</p
Cognitive Neuroscience in Alpine Skiing:Introducing Computational Sports Medicine for Performance Optimization
No full textWhile sport psychology has long emphasized mental and cognitive aspects of performance, sports medicine has traditionally focused on musculoskeletal and physiological aspects, largely overlooking the brain's central role in athletic performance. This narrative review aims to bridge this gap by introducing Computational Sports Medicine, a novel framework that integrates cognitive neuroscience with established physiological and biomechanical measures. Using alpine skiing as a primary example, this review examines the critical role of working memory updating in dynamic environments, discusses how neural processes enable adaptation, and proposes Computational Sports Medicine as a unifying predictive framework. This approach moves beyond descriptive analysis to provide objective, quantifiable metrics, testable models, and the ability to simulate "what-if" scenarios for proactive intervention. Practical implications for training include developing sport-specific cognitive tasks, individualizing variability in motor and cognitive learning, and leveraging technologies like virtual reality and wearable sensors. The review primarily targets elite and sub-elite athletes, for whom cognitive and environmental demands are most pronounced. This brain-inclusive framework offers a personalized approach to performance optimization, injury prevention, and safe return-to-play decisions, positioning the brain as the central organ to the future of sports medicine
A full year of continuous net soil and ditch CO<sub>2,</sub> CH<sub>4</sub>, N<sub>2</sub>O fluxes, soil hydrology and meteorology for a drained fen in Denmark
No full textWe present a detailed dataset (10.60612/DATADK/BZQ8JE, Skov Nielsen et al., 2025) of automated greenhouse gas (GHG) net soil and ditch fluxes of carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), and nitrous oxide (N2O) from a drained fen in Denmark covering a full year. The dataset resolves small scale spatial and hourly-daily-seasonal dynamics of GHG soil fluxes. The GHG flux dataset is accompanied by simultaneous time series of soil temperature and moisture, as well as groundwater table depth and covers spatiotemporal gradients in soil hydrological and climatic variability. The GHG fluxes of CO2, CH4 and N2O were measured simultaneously by a high-precision cavity ring down laser spectrometer connected with a novel automated GHG system platform called SkyLine2D (Earthbound Scientific Ltd., UK) that allowed up to 27 individual chamber measurement points along a 24 m transect. In total 47.483 chamber measurements were completed and after quality control 44.631 CO2 fluxes, 44.099 N2O and 42.515 CH4 fluxes remained. The average (±SE) net soil CO2 efflux observed at the site (2.6 ± 0.02 μmol CO2 m-2 s-1 or 35 ± 0.3 tCO2 ha-1 yr-1) aligns with findings from similar drained fens in northern Europe covering substantial spatial variability. The organic soil at the site was a larger net source of N2O (8.9 ± 0.1 nmol N2O m-2 s-1 or 123 ± 1.4 kg N2O ha-1 yr-1) to the atmosphere compared to other temperate drained organic grassland soils in northern Europe with similar spatial variability as soil CO2 effluxes. However, the temporal variability of N2O fluxes were closely linked to fluctuations of the groundwater table depth with emission bursts of soil N2O emissions during low water table depth. N2O fluxes decreased to near-zero fluxes when the water table depth increased. Net soil CH4 fluxes were near-zero and the site overall acted as a smaller net source (0.18 ± 0.06 nmol CH4 m-2 s-1 or 0.91 ± 0.3 kg CH4 ha-1 yr-1) compared to other drained organic grassland soils, although net uptake of atmospheric CH4 was observed as well especially in drier conditions. Compared to the peat soil, the ditch was a smaller net source of CO2 (0.94 ± 0.05 μmol CO2 m-2 s-1 or 1.3 ± 0.7 tCO2 ha-1 yr-1) and N2O (0.35 ± 0.03 nmol N2O m-2 s-1 or 4.9 ± 0.4 kg N2O ha-1 yr-1). The ditch emission of CH4 (161 ± 13 nmol CH4 m-2 s-1 or 812 ± 66 kg CH4 ha-1 yr-1) average of diffusive and ebullition fluxes) to the atmosphere was more than two orders of magnitude larger than the net soil CH4 emissions. The very large number of fluxes of CO2, N2O and CH4 for peat soils and a ditch linked to both groundwater table data, soil moisture/temperature as well as groundwater and soil physicochemical parameters are unique to northern temperate peatlands and holds a potential for exploring and testing basic hypothesis on the simultaneous regulation of these gas fluxes by both soil hydrology and temperature, including soil and groundwater chemistry. The high temporal detail also allows for time series analyses as well as investigations into diurnal and seasonal patterns of fluxes in response to physical drivers. Similarly, the high frequency of measured variables and the large number of spatial replicates are furthermore well suited for testing biogeochemical models as it is possible to have both calibration and validation dataset covering the same period. Furthermore, the surprisingly large spatial variability of flux data is ideal to include in model sensitivity tests which can aid in constraining model outputs and develop model routines.</p
Monitoring outdoor concentrations of airborne asbestos in urban and residential areas in the four major cities of Denmark:Copenhagen, Odense, Aarhus and Aalborg
No full textBackground and aimIn Denmark, 1.3 million buildings are currently registered as having asbestos-containing roofing. Studies have demonstrated that natural weathering of asbestos-containing materials can lead to the presence of airborne asbestos in the environment. The objective of this study was to measure the outdoor concentrations of airborne asbestos fibers in urban and residential areas of Denmark.MethodsWe collected 192 outdoor air samples during June to September 2024 and March to May 2025 across four major cities: Copenhagen, Odense, Aarhus, and Aalborg. In each city, we conducted measurements at four sites in urban and residential areas, respectively. Additionally, we collected samples at four sites within each of two natural areas and four sites within each of two residential neighborhoods consisting exclusively of houses with asbestos-containing roofs. All samples were analyzed using phase-contrast optical microscopy (PCM) and scanning electron microscopy combined with energy-dispersive X-ray analysis (SEM-EDX).ResultsAsbestos-like fibers were detected in 108 (58 %) samples analyzed by PCM; however, the concentrations exceeded the limit of detection (LOD) of 300 f/m3 in only nine samples. The majority of these samples were collected in urban areas with concentration ranging 300–500 f/m3. Asbestos fibers were detected in 10 (5 %) samples analyzed by SEM-EDX; however, none exceeded the LOD of 100–160 f/m3.ConclusionAsbestos fibers were detectable in a few samples from the urban and residential areas of Denmark. Concentrations were lower than the LOD, indicating a low asbestos exposure, also in areas with a high prevalence of buildings with asbestos-containing roofs.Background and aim: In Denmark, 1.3 million buildings are currently registered as having asbestos-containing roofing. Studies have demonstrated that natural weathering of asbestos-containing materials can lead to the presence of airborne asbestos in the environment. The objective of this study was to measure the outdoor concentrations of airborne asbestos fibers in urban and residential areas of Denmark. Methods: We collected 192 outdoor air samples during June to September 2024 and March to May 2025 across four major cities: Copenhagen, Odense, Aarhus, and Aalborg. In each city, we conducted measurements at four sites in urban and residential areas, respectively. Additionally, we collected samples at four sites within each of two natural areas and four sites within each of two residential neighborhoods consisting exclusively of houses with asbestos-containing roofs. All samples were analyzed using phase-contrast optical microscopy (PCM) and scanning electron microscopy combined with energy-dispersive X-ray analysis (SEM-EDX). Results: Asbestos-like fibers were detected in 108 (58 %) samples analyzed by PCM; however, the concentrations exceeded the limit of detection (LOD) of 300 f/m3 in only nine samples. The majority of these samples were collected in urban areas with concentration ranging 300–500 f/m3. Asbestos fibers were detected in 10 (5 %) samples analyzed by SEM-EDX; however, none exceeded the LOD of 100–160 f/m3. Conclusion: Asbestos fibers were detectable in a few samples from the urban and residential areas of Denmark. Concentrations were lower than the LOD, indicating a low asbestos exposure, also in areas with a high prevalence of buildings with asbestos-containing roofs.</p
Soil phosphorus dynamics during cropland reforestation
No full textPhosphorus (P) commonly limits plant growth on strongly weathered soils in the humid subtropics. The reforestation of croplands alters soil P cycling, but the impact of reforestation on the chemical nature of soil P, mediated through climate and the alteration of soil physicochemical and microbial properties at regional scale, remain poorly understood. To address this, we quantified soil P fractions at 30 reforestation sites in Yunnan and conducted a meta-analysis including 797 records worldwide to analyze the responses of soil P fractions to reforestation. In Yunnan Province, reforestation of croplands decreased soil inorganic P (Pi), primarily in forms extracted in sodium bicarbonate (NaHCO3) and hot concentrated hydrochloric acid (cHCl-Pi), especially during conversion of maize to dawn redwood (Metasequoia glyptostroboides) forest or shrubland. However, organic P (Po) fractions were unchanged. After reforestation, total Pi, NaHCO3-Pi, cHCl-Pi, and total Po concentrations decreased from the central and southern to the northeast and northwest of Yunnan Province. Soil NaHCO3-Pi was positive correlations with soil moisture content, total nitrogen, organic carbon, and bacterial (16S rRNA) abundance. Exchangeable iron, manganese, and fungal abundance (ITS) were positively associated with cHCl-Pi, cHCl-Pi was negatively correlated with acid phosphatase activity. Total Po decreased with increasing time since reforestation. In contrast to Yunnan sites, our meta-analysis shows that reforestation reduces all soil Pi fractions (cHCl-Pi, 1 M HCl-Pi, NaOH-Pi, and NaHCO3-Pi), but does not alter other soil properties. Overall, these findings highlight that reforestation-driven decrease of soil Pi pools can inform targeted P fertilizer management in afforested agroecosystems, promoting sustainable use of soil P.<br/
The first report of Ignatzschineria indica, Ignatzschineria ureiclastica and Wohlfahrtiimonas chitiniclastica Bacteremia in two patients with fly larvae-infested wounds in Scandinavia
No full textWe present the first Scandinavian cases of bacteremia caused by Ignatzschineria indica, I. ureiclastica , and Wohlfahrtiimonas chitiniclastica . Two patients with fly larvae-infested wounds were admitted to a Danish hospital in the summer of 2024. The first patient, a 62-year-old male with alcohol overuse and septic shock, had W. chitiniclastica and I. ureiclastica bacteremia, managed with piperacillin/tazobactam and ciprofloxacin. The second, a 67-year-old diabetic male with peripheral vascular disease, had I. indica bacteremia requiring below-knee amputation and targeted antibiotics. Both isolates were identified via MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry and whole-genome sequencing, with antibiotic “susceptibility testing” guiding therapy. Despite severe presentations, both patients survived. These cases highlight the emergence of these pathogens in Northern Europe and reinforce the importance of advanced diagnostics and personalized treatment strategies in myiasis-associated sepsis.</p
