AIMS To determine the efficacy of probing in the initial treatment of epiphora and the symptom free period in adults with blocked nasolacrimal ducts. METHODS The results of probing in 85 eyes with epiphora due to nasolacrimal duct obstruction were studied retrospectively after a mean follow up of 7.4 months (SD 11.6) by a questionnaire and interview survey of patients. RESULTS 35% of the ey...

We expand on the discourse related to nature surrounding Canadian medical training and the CanMEDS flower. We advance the notion that a major contributor to burnout is the increasing complexity and segregation of not only the medical profession, but society as a whole, leading to choice overload and an overemphasis on complex, data driven, rational decision making. We then propose that the key ...

Background Most eye disorders are not fatal but may deteriorate the quality of life of a patient. The eye disorder that is most frequently reported in the cancer chemotherapy is associated with the combination of tegafur/gimeracil/potassium oxonate (S-1). However, preventive methods or treatment methods for the eye disorder have not yet been established. This study aimed to determine changes in...

Increasing sand temperatures resulting from climate change may negatively impact sea turtle nests by altering sex ratios and decreasing reproductive output. We analyzed the effect of nest shading and watering on sand temperatures as climate mitigation strategies in a beach hatchery at Playa Grande, Costa Rica. We set up plots and placed thermocouples at depths of 45 cm and 75 cm. Half of the pl...

Altered precipitation regimes significantly affect ecosystem structure and function in arid and semi-arid regions. In order to investigate effects of precipitation changes on natural grassland community in the semi-arid Loess Plateau, the current research examined eco-physiological characteristics of two co-dominant species (i.e., Bothriochloa ischaemum and Lespedeza davurica) and community com...

A growing number of municipalities and nonprofits work with private citizens to co-produce the public benefits associated with urban forests by providing sizeable young trees to neighborhoods that agree to plant and water the trees for the critical first few years after planting. Little research has addressed the effectiveness of such programs or the extent to which variation in neighborhood ma...

Street trees provide numerous environmental, community, and health benefits, but municipal urban forestry programs often lack the public resources to adequately maintain trees, particularly in the time immediately following planting. Watering trees in the first three years after planting is critical for tree survival. A quasi-experimental design was used to test whether an outreach intervention...

Increased livestock densities near artificial watering sites create disturbance gradients called piospheres. We studied responses of alien and native annual plants and native perennial plants within 9 piospheres in the Mojave Desert of North America. Absolute and proportional cover of alien annual plants increased with proximity to watering sites, whereas cover and species richness of native an...

Climate change is expected to alter precipitation patterns. Droughts may become longer and more frequent, and the timing and intensity of precipitation may change. We tested how shifting precipitation patterns, both seasonally and by frequency of events, affects soil nitrogen availability, plant biomass and diversity in a shrub-steppe temperate grassland along a natural productivity gradient in...

Pavement-watering as a technique of cooling dense urban areas and reducing the urban heat island effect has been studied since the 1990’s. The method is currently considered as a potential tool for and climate change adaptation against increasing heat wave intensity and frequency. However, although water consumption necessary to implement this technique is an important aspect for decision maker...