[Who benefits from examinations done after visiting tropical climate regions?].
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Evaluation Studies as Topic↗
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Results for “TROPICAL CLIMATE”
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Tropical climate at the last glacial maximum inferred from glacier mass-balance modeling.
Model-derived equilibrium line altitudes (ELAs) of former tropical glaciers support arguments, based on other paleoclimate data, for both the magnitude and spatial pattern of terrestrial cooling in the tropics at the last glacial maximum (LGM). Relative to the present, LGM ELAs were maintained by air temperatures that were 3.5 degrees to 6.6 degrees C lower and precipitation that ranged from 63% wetter in Hawaii to 25% drier on Mt. Kenya, Africa. Our results imply the need for a approximately 3 degrees C cooling of LGM sea surface temperatures in the western Pacific warm pool. Sensitivity tests suggest that LGM ELAs could have persisted until 16,000 years before the present in the Peruvian Andes and on Papua, New Guinea.
Journal Article↗
A 25,000-year tropical climate history from bolivian ice cores
Ice cores that were recovered from the summit of Sajama mountain in Bolivia provide carbon-14-dated tropical records and extend to the Late Glacial Stage (LGS). Oxygen isotopic ratios of the ice decreased 5.4 per mil between the early Holocene and the Last Glacial Maximum, which is consistent with values from other ice cores. The abrupt onset and termination of a Younger Dryas-type event suggest atmospheric processes as the probable drivers. Regional accumulation increased during the LGS, during deglaciation, and over the past 3000 years, which is concurrent with higher water levels in regional paleolakes. Unlike polar cores, Sajama glacial ice contains eight times less dust than the Holocene ice, which reflects wetter conditions and extensive snow cover.
Journal Article↗
[Bone diseases in tropical climate].
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Adolescent↗
An improved motorcycle helmet design for tropical climates.
Approximately 20% of all fatal traffic crashes in India involve riders of motorized two-wheelers. Head protection of two-wheeler riders is therefore a very important issue. This paper reports the results of a survey of patterns of motorcycle helmet use in Delhi, and the design details of a more comfortable helmet. The survey results were used as guidelines for designing a safer helmet, with a better ventilating system, to promote wider use. In the new design additional protection is provided on the sides of the helmet, since our earlier studies showed that more head injuries occur on the side of the head than on the top. A low-cost locking device has also been developed with which the helmet can be secured to the vehicle when not in use. All these design features are incorporated into a stylized product form. The new design is being marketed by a Delhi-based manufacturer and has received a very favourable response in the market.
Journal Article↗
Problems related to the treatment of drinking water in tropical climates.
A study on the bacteriological quality of drinking water in a camp of an oil-company in Thiang Rial (South Sudan) showed that the filtered drinking water in the water storage containers contained distinctly higher colony counts (up to 10(6) colonies/ml) than the untreated water flowing approximately 20 meters from the bank of the White Nile (up to 10(4) colonies/ml), from where the water was pumped to the camp. The qualitative bacteriological analysis also confirmed that the untreated water from the Nile was of a better quality than the treated water in the camp. This decrease in quality of the water was due to secondary contamination between the filtration system and the consumer.
Humans↗
The human climate of tropical cities: an overview.
A review of physioclimatic maps at global, regional, and local scales is made of the tropical environment. At the global scale the highest heat load is located seasonally in arid subtropical cities. High sultry conditions (heat and humidity) prevail during the whole year in equatorial cities. In most inner areas of the tropics, urban areas with wet/dry seasons and days are seasonally hot or sultry while nights may be cool or tolerably warm. In some mountain tropical climates (altitudes between 1600 and 1900 m above sea-level) the stress due to either heat or cold is minimal. From the point of view of human comfort the bioclimate in these cities would approach the ideal (in the shade). One has to keep in mind, however, that even in these climates for a person walking on a street at noon, comfort is reduced drastically by the high radiation levels.
Acclimatization↗
Osteomyelitis complicating pyomyositis in HIV disease.
Pyomyositis has previously been described in association with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and as a discrete entity in HIV seronegative patients from tropical climates (tropical pyomyositis). Pyomyositis and osteomyelitis are usually considered a late complication of advanced HIV disease. We describe a patient with well-controlled HIV and both types of musculoskeletal infection. The case highlights an unusual presentation, the utility of MRI in soft tissue infection and an excellent outcome from prolonged antimicrobial therapy following surgical debridement.
Anti-Bacterial Agents↗
Climate change: tropical flip-flop connections.
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Atlantic Ocean↗
High-resolution time series of vessel density in Kenyan mangrove trees reveal a link with climate.
Tropical trees are often excluded from dendrochronological investigations because of a lack of distinct growth ring boundaries, causing a gap in paleoclimate reconstructions from tropical regions. The potential use of time series of vessel features (density, diameter, surface area and hydraulic conductivity) combined with spectral analysis as a proxy for environmental conditions in the mangrove Rhizophora mucronata was investigated. Intra-annual differences in the vessel features revealed a trade-off between hydraulic efficiency (large vessels) during the rainy season and hydraulic safety (small, more numerous vessels) during the dry season. In addition to the earlywood-latewood variations, a semiannual signal was discovered in the vessel density and diameters after Fourier transformation. The similarity in the Fourier spectra of the vessel features and the climate data, in particular mean relative humidity and precipitation, provides strong evidence for a climatic driving force for the intra-annual variability of the vessel features. The high-resolution approach used in this study, in combination with spectral analysis, may have great potential for the study of climate variability in tropical regions.
Chronobiology Phenomena↗
A study of nephron function in normal tropical residents using the creatinine and lithium clearances.
The kidney bears the brunt of the demands of a tropical climate for water and electrolyte homeostasis. We hypothesised that a tropical climate may cause adaptive changes in the entire organism leading to altered renal function in our subjects. Hence renal function data for residents of a temperate climate may not be applicable to tropical residents. We therefore sought to elucidate renal function in subjects residing in a tropical climate. We used lithium clearance, CLi, a non-invasive tool for assessing proximal tubular function in humans, and endogenous creatinine clearance, CCr, to estimate proximal tubular function and glomerular function, respectively, in our subjects. We did this in order to establish whether or not nephron function in our subjects differs from that for residents of a temperate climate. Nineteen male and 12 female Ghanaian subjects aged between 15 and 48 years were studied. The estimated GCr was 117.3 +/- 6.6 ml/min for male subjects and 97 +/- 6.4 ml/min for female subjects. CLi was 20.3 +/- 1.6 ml/min for male and 19.1 +/- 0.4 ml/min for female subjects, respectively. The estimated absolute reabsorption rate of fluid of proximal tubules was 97.0 +/- 6.0 ml/min for males and 78.1 +/- 6.0 ml/min for females. The percentage proximal fluid reabsorption for male and female subjects was 81.2 +/- 1.4 and 79.5 +/- 1.6, respectively. The differences between male and female values (mean +/- SEM) were not statistically significant. The data suggest that the proximal tubule in residents of a tropical climate may reabsorb more fluid compared to that in residents of a temperate climate. Our values for proximal tubular reabsorption are higher than those reported for residents of a temperature climate. Our estimate of glomerular filtration, however, is similar to published data for Caucasians. The difference in proximal tubular function may reflect possible renal adaptation to a hot, humid climate. We conclude that renal function of tropical residents differs from that of residents of a temperate climate. This difference may be due to renal adaptation to the hot, tropical climate.
Adolescent↗
Effects of season and breed on the feeding behavior of multiparous lactating sows in a tropical humid climate.
The effects of breed and season on performance and feeding behavior were studied during 76 lactations in multiparous Large White (LW; n = 17) and Creole (CR; n = 23) sows reared in a humid tropical climate. The experiment was conducted in Guadeloupe (French West Indies, latitude 16 degrees N, longitude 61 degrees W) between May 2002 and July 2004. Average daily ambient temperature was greater during the hot season than during the warm season (26.0 vs. 23.8 degrees C), but relative humidity was similar in both seasons (85% on average). The daily fluctuations of ambient temperature and relative humidity were similar for both seasons. At farrowing, BW was lower (187 vs. 265 kg) and backfat thickness was greater (40 vs. 22 mm) in CR than in LW sows (P < 0.01). Sows were offered feed ad libitum between the fifth and the 26th day of lactation. There was a breed x season interaction (P < 0.05) for ADFI. During the hot season the reduction of ADFI was more pronounced in LW than in CR sows (-1,100 vs. -300 g/d). Irrespective of breed and season, the daily number of meals was 9.0. The meal size and the rate of feed intake were greater in LW than in CR sows, respectively (555 g and 153 g/min vs. 390 g and 83 g/min; P < 0.01). The diurnal proportion of ADFI was greater in CR than in LW sows (0.60 vs. 0.41; P < 0.01). The reduction in ADFI in LW sows during the hot season was mainly related to a reduction in feed intake during the day rather than during the night (-1.3 vs. -0.2 kg; P < 0.01). Duration of standing was not affected by breed or season, and it averaged 120 min/day. This study confirms the negative effect of the hot season on feeding behavior of lactating sows. It also suggests a better acclimation to daily high temperatures and a greater heat tolerance in CR compared with LW sows, at least for eating behavior.
Animals↗
Spatial patterns and recent trends in the climate of tropical rainforest regions.
We present an analysis of the mean climate and climatic trends of tropical rainforest regions over the period 1960-1998, with the aid of explicit maps of forest cover and climatological databases. Until the mid-1970s most regions showed little trend in temperature, and the western Amazon experienced a net cooling probably associated with an interdecadal oscillation. Since the mid-1970s, all tropical rainforest regions have experienced a strong warming at a mean rate of 0.26 +/- 0.05 degrees C per decade, in synchrony with a global rise in temperature that has been attributed to the anthropogenic greenhouse effect. Over the study period, precipitation appears to have declined in tropical rainforest regions at a rate of 1.0 +/- 0.8% per decade (p < 5%), declining sharply in northern tropical Africa (at 3-4% per decade), declining marginally in tropical Asia and showing no significant trend in Amazonia. There is no evidence so far of a decline in precipitation in eastern Amazonia, a region thought vulnerable to climate-change-induced drying. The strong drying trend in Africa suggests that this should be a priority study region for understanding the impact of drought on tropical rainforests. We develop and use a dry-season index to study variations in the length and intensity of the dry season. Only African and Indian tropical rainforests appear to have seen a significant increase in dry-season intensity. In terms of interannual variability, the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) is the primary driver of temperature variations across the tropics and of precipitation fluctuations for large areas of the Americas and southeast Asia. The relation between ENSO and tropical African precipitation appears less direct.
Geography↗
Chronic rhinosinusitis: a comparative study of disease occurrence in North of Scotland and Southern Caribbean otolaryngology outpatient clinics over a two month period.
A comparative study of the occurrence of chronic rhinosinusitis in clinics in the North of Scotland and Southern Caribbean was performed, to test the hypothesis that patients with chronic rhinosinusitis present more commonly in temperate climates than tropical climates. The data was collected prospectively over two month periods from outpatient clinics at both sites. A higher surgical trainee or consultant otolaryngologist made the diagnosis of chronic rhinosinusitis. Eight-hundred-and-seventy-two otolaryngology outpatients were studied 311 were from Trinidad and 561 from Aberdeen. The proportion of patients presenting with chronic rhinosinusitis in both samples is similar, 54 (9.6%) patients in Aberdeen and 29 (9.3%) in Trinidad. The proportion of chronic rhinosinusitis patients with a history of allergy is greater in Trinidad 79.3% (23) than in the Aberdeen sample 50% (27). Patients with chronic rhinosinusitis were seen as commonly in otolaryngology clinics in a tropical setting as in a temperate setting.
Caribbean Region↗
Effects of breed and season on performance of lactating sows in a tropical humid climate.
A total of 179 lactations obtained on 71 multiparous sows [30 Creole (CR) and 41 Large White (LW)] between June 2001 and July 2004 were used to determine effects of breed (CR vs. LW) and season (hot vs. warm) in a tropical humid climate on performance during a 28-d lactation period. Mean daily ambient temperature was greater during the hot season than during the warm season (26.0 vs. 23.8 degrees C), and relative humidity was similar in both seasons (85% on average). For both breeds, ADFI was reduced (-700 g/d, P < 0.01), sow BW loss was greater (17 vs. 12 kg, P < 0.01), and piglet growth was reduced (197 vs. 210 g/d, P < 0.05) during the hot vs. the warm season. At farrowing, LW sows were heavier (255 vs. 186 kg, P < 0.01) and had less backfat (21 vs. 40 mm, P < 0.01) than CR sows. The growth rate of CR piglets was lower than that of LW piglets (192 vs. 215 g/d, P < 0.01). A breed x season interaction was observed (P < 0.05) for ADFI and sow BW loss. During the hot season, the reduction of ADFI was more pronounced in LW than in CR sows (-910 vs. -470 g/d). Regardless of the season, BW loss of CR sows remained constant (14.2 kg), whereas it increased during the hot season for LW sows (10 kg). The weaning-to-estrus and the weaning-to-conception intervals were not affected by breed or season and averaged 4.8 and 6.1 d, respectively. The rectal temperature was greater (0.3 degrees C) during the hot season than during the warm season and greater in LW than in CR sows (39.1 vs. 38.8 degrees C, P < 0.10). This study confirms the negative effect of hot season in a tropical humid climate on performance of lactating sows and that breed can have a significant effect on lactation performance. The results also suggest that CR sows are more heat tolerant than LW sows.
Animal Feed↗
Simulation of infestation risk of cattle by gastro-intestinal trichostrongylids in a tropical humid climate.
The population dynamics of trichostrongylid third stage larvae (L3) around bovine dung were fitted with non-linear models (marginal law) in tropical humid climate in different climatic situations. These marginal models were combined with the survival duration of pats, the weight of cows, the number of pats per cow and per day, the stocking rate and the herbage mass availability, taking into account the patchy grazing behaviour of cattle in order to estimate infestation probability of cattle by third stage larvae. The infestation risk was computed for different ages of herbage regrowth and grazing times in rotational grazing systems. The infestation risk was found to range between 0 to 1400 L3 per kg of dry matter of grass and per day depending on the marginal law. The grazing time, the age of herbage regrowth and the forage availability were the main factors of variation of the infestation risk.
Animals↗
El Niño/Southern Oscillation and tropical Pacific climate during the last millennium.
Any assessment of future climate change requires knowledge of the full range of natural variability in the El Niño/Southern Oscillation (ENSO) phenomenon. Here we splice together fossil-coral oxygen isotopic records from Palmyra Island in the tropical Pacific Ocean to provide 30-150-year windows of tropical Pacific climate variability within the last 1,100 years. The records indicate mean climate conditions in the central tropical Pacific ranging from relatively cool and dry during the tenth century to increasingly warmer and wetter climate in the twentieth century. But the corals also document a broad range of ENSO behaviour that correlates poorly with these estimates of mean climate. The most intense ENSO activity within the reconstruction occurred during the mid-seventeenth century. Taken together, the coral data imply that the majority of ENSO variability over the last millennium may have arisen from dynamics internal to the ENSO system itself.
Anthozoa↗