No abstract

The potential impacts of climate change on the Great Hungarian Plain based on two regional climate models, REMO and ALADIN, were analyzed using indicators for environmental hazards. As the climate parameters (temperature, precipitation, and wind) will change in the two investigated periods (2021-2050 and 2071-2100), their influences on drought, wind erosion, and inland excess water hazards are modeled by simple predictive models. Drought hazards on arable lands will increasingly affect the productivity of agriculture compared to the reference period . The models predict an increase between 12.3 % (REMO) and 20 % (ALADIN) in the first period, and between 35.6 % (REMO) and 45.2 % (ALA-DIN) in the second period. The increase of wind erosion hazards is not as obvious (?15 % for the first period in the REMO model). Inland excess water hazards are expected to be slightly reduced (-4 to 0 %) by both model predictions in the two periods without showing a clear tendency on reduction. All three indicators together give a first regional picture of potential hazards of climate change. The predictive model and data combinations of the regional climate change models and the hazard assessment models provide insights into regional and subregional impacts of climate change and will be useful in planning and land management activities.

Aims We sought to investigate the correlation between speckle-tracking echocardiography (STE)-derived myocardial work (MW) and invasively measured contractility in a rat model of athlete's heart. We also assessed MW in elite athletes and explored its association with cardiopulmonary exercise test (CPET)-derived aerobic capacity. Methods and results Sixteen rats underwent a 12-week swim training program and were compared to controls (n = 16). STE was performed to assess global longitudinal strain (GLS), which was followed by invasive pressure-volume analysis to measure contractility [slope of end-systolic pressure–volume relationship (ESPVR)]. Global MW index (GMWI) was calculated from GLS curves and left ventricular (LV) pressure recordings. In the human investigations, 20 elite swimmers and 20 healthy sedentary controls were enrolled. GMWI was calculated through the simultaneous evaluation of GLS and non-invasively approximated LV pressure curves at rest. All subjects underwent CPET to determine peak oxygen uptake (VO2/kg). Exercised rats exhibited higher values of GLS, GMWI, and ESPVR than controls (−20.9 ± 1.7 vs. −17.6 ± 1.9%, 2745 ± 280 vs. 2119 ± 272 mmHg·%, 3.72 ± 0.72 vs. 2.61 ± 0.40 mmHg/μL, all PExercise < 0.001). GMWI correlated robustly with ESPVR (r = 0.764, P < 0.001). In humans, regular exercise training was associated with decreased GLS (−17.6 ± 1.5 vs. −18.8 ± 0.9%, PExercise = 0.002) but increased values of GMWI at rest (1899 ± 136 vs. 1755 ± 234 mmHg·%, PExercise = 0.025). GMWI exhibited a positive correlation with VO2/kg (r = 0.527, P < 0.001). Conclusions GMWI precisely reflected LV contractility in a rat model of exercise-induced LV hypertrophy and captured the supernormal systolic performance in human athletes even at rest. Our findings endorse the utilization of MW analysis in the evaluation of the athlete’s heart.

Several environmental and economic consequences of drought and the accompanying water shortage were observed in the plain area of the Carpathian Basin in the last decades. This area is mostly used for agriculture, thus it is a key problem in the future to maintain food safety in the changing circumstances. Therefore, involvement and identification of areas affected by drought hazard and revealing steps of efficient adaptation are of high importance. In this study influence of drought severity on agricultural production is investigated in the Hungarian-Serbian cross-border area. The tendency in drought severity was analysed by PaDI and MAI drought indices. The effect of drought on agricultural production is evaluated on maize yield data as the most drought sensitive crop in the region. Increasing drought frequency and severity was indicated for the study area for the period of 1961-2012. The spatial assessment of annual PaDI maps revealed the higher exposure of the north and northeastern part of the study area to drought, where drought frequency was also experienced to be the highest. Increased sensitivity was detected based on maize yield loss after the early 1990s and annual yields were in strong connection with d rought severity. In spite of the technological development of agriculture, environmental factors still substantially affect crop yie lds. The observed unfavourable changes in the region mean that water management and spatial planning faces conceptual cha llenges to prevent and mitigate the damages of drought.

Aims While global longitudinal strain (GLS) is considered to be a sensitive marker of left ventricular (LV) function, it is significantly influenced by loading conditions. We hypothesized that global myocardial work index (GMWI), a novel marker of LV function, may show better correlation with load-independent markers of LV contractility in rat models of pressure-induced or volume overload-induced heart failure. Methods and results Male Wistar rats underwent either transverse aortic constriction (TAC; n = 12) or aortocaval fistula creation (ACF; n = 12), inducing LV pressure or volume overload, respectively. Sham procedures were performed to establish control groups (n = 12/12). Echocardiographic loops were obtained to determine GLS and GMWI. Pressure-volume analysis with transient occlusion of the inferior caval vein was carried out to calculate preload recruitable stroke work (PRSW), a load-independent 'gold-standard' parameter of LV contractility. Myocardial samples were collected to assess interstitial and perivascular fibrosis area and also myocardial atrial-type natriuretic peptide (ANP) and brain-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) relative mRNA expression. Compared with controls, GLS was substantially lower in the TAC group (À7.0 ± 2.8 vs. À14.5 ± 2.5%; P < 0.001) and was only mildly reduced in the ACF group (À13.2 ± 2.4 vs. À15.4 ± 2.0%, P < 0.05). In contrast with these findings,