PubMed · 16826691
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Benedetto Terracini. [Small areas, big problems].. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16826691/
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We analyzed the effects of changes in land cover on the water balance in Spain's Marina Baixa County, on the Mediterranean coast. To reveal how different land management strategies have affected the area's environment, four municipalities within the same catchment were studied: Benidorm, Callosa d'en Sarrià, Beniardà, and Guadalest. In the municipalities of Callosa and Benidorm, the proportion of the area covered by woodland declined by 4.2% and 30.2%, respectively, and woodland was replaced by agriculture and urban development. The abandonment of farmland produced a 17% increase in the proportion of the area covered by vegetation in Guadalest and Beniardá, where frequent forest fires have exacerbated a decrease in the area of pine woodland. Tourism development in Benidorm has been accompanied by an increase in the transportation infrastructure and by an expansion of areas with an impermeable surface, with the lowest level of infiltration into the aquifer system. These changes have generated a net water deficit in Callosa and Benidorm of more than 6 Mm(3)/year, creating a high demand for water imported from other municipalities (Guadalest and Beniardá) or from outside of the county to maintain the sustainability of the current water management strategies. The Marina Baixa case study is representative of many of the world's coastal areas that are undergoing rapid urban development based on an inappropriate understanding of human progress based mainly on economic development and thus provides insights into water management in other areas.
Epidemiologic data show that women who deliver prematurely often have a personal and/or family history of preterm birth (PTB) and that racial and ethnic differences influence the incidence of PTB. This may indicate genetic predisposition to PTB. However, since races and ethnic groups tend to share environmental factors (exposure to toxins, living conditions, diet, smoking), epidemiologic data may just confirm environmental influences on PTB. Alternatively, PTB may represent a consequence of gene-environment interactions. Infection and inflammation correlate with increased risk for preterm premature rupture of amniotic membranes (PPROM) and PTB. Immunomodulatory molecules and their receptors regulate these processes and many of them are products of polymorphic genes. Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of a gene may lead to a differential expression of its product. So far, SNPs for several genes have been implicated in PTB. If it is confirmed that polymorphism(s) in particular gene(s) correlates with PTB, it may become possible to develop targeted diagnostic and therapeutic approaches tailored towards unique genetic characteristics of a mother/fetus pair.
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