Pesticide leaching through sandy and loamy fields - long-term lessons learnt from the Danish Pesticide Leaching Assessment Programme.

The European Union authorization procedure for pesticides includes an assessment of the leaching risk posed by pesticides and their degradation products (DP) with the aim of avoiding any unacceptable influence on groundwater. Twelve-year's results of the Danish Pesticide Leaching Assessment Programme reveal shortcomings to the procedure by having assessed leaching into groundwater of 43 pesticides applied in accordance with current regulations on agricultural fields, and 47 of their DP. Three types of leaching scenario were not fully captured by the procedure: long-term leaching of DP of pesticides applied on potato crops cultivated in sand, leaching of strongly sorbing pesticides after autumn application on loam, and leaching of various pesticides and their DP following early summer application on loam.

Sampling of herbicides in streams during flood events.

In stream water xenobiotics usually occur as pulses in connection with floods caused by surface run-off and tile drainage following precipitation events. In streams located in small agricultural catchments we monitored herbicide concentrations during flood events by applying an intensive sampling programme of ½ h intervals for 7 h. In contrast to grab sampling under non-flood conditions, clearly elevated concentrations were recorded during the floods, and pulses varying in occurrence, duration and concentration were recorded.

Predicting phosphorus losses with the PLEASE model on a local scale in Denmark and the Netherlands.

To reduce losses from agricultural soils to surface water, mitigation options have to be implemented as a local scale. For a cost-effective implementation of these measures, an instrument to identify critical areas for P leaching is indispensable. In many countries, P-index methods are used to identify areas as risk for P losses to surface water.

Australian physiotherapy student intake is increasing and attrition remains lower than the university average: a demographic study.

Questions: Have student numbers (ie, intake and attrition) changed since the introduction of graduate entry-level physiotherapy courses in Australian universities? What is the impact of any changes in student numbers on university funding? What is the impact of any changes in student numbers on the workforce? Have student characteristics (ie, gender, country of origin, background) changed?

Design: Demographic study of 2003 graduates, 2004 student intake, and estimated 2007 student intake.

Participants: Eleven Schools of Physiotherapy in Australia.

Results: In 2003, 836 new physiotherapists graduated, and in 2004, 1108 students commenced with the percentage of graduate-entry Masters and international students increasing.

Reducing nitrogen loading of inland and marine waters--evaluation of Danish policy measures to reduce nitrogen loss from farmland.

An evaluation in December 2003 of the Danish National Action Plan for the Aquatic Environment II showed that nitrogen leaching from farmland had declined to almost half the amount of that in 1989. This can be ascribed to successful implementation of several measures, the most efficient of which were related to the use of fertilizers: lowered nitrogen standards for crops, increased nitrogen utilization in manure and catch crops. Although the objectives of the plan were almost met and measurements have shown a similar, but not percentually as high a decrease in nitrogen concentrations in both inland and coastal waters, the ecological impact in estuaries and coastal areas is not yet satisfactorily significant.

The costs and benefits of physiotherapy as first-line treatment for female stress urinary incontinence.

Objective: To evaluate the costs and benefits of physiotherapy for stress urinary incontinence (SUI) in Australia.

Methods: We evaluated the costs and benefits of physiotherapy for the treatment of SUI using outcome data from a prospective multicentre observational study conducted in 1999/2000. Women presenting with SUI to physiotherapists trained in continence management in 35 centres across Australia were recruited into the study.

'Micro' public health--the reality.

The first paper in this series itemised the research undertaken to discover the unexpressed needs of the village population. Community Participatory Appraisal methodology ensured that local people had the opportunity to express their opinions and health needs. Interviews were analysed and data offered to a focus group for ratification.

Physiotherapy for female stress urinary incontinence: a multicentre observational study.

Background: No previous data are available on the effectiveness of physiotherapy management of urinary stress incontinence with relevance to the Australian health system.

Aims: To evaluate Australian ambulatory physiotherapy management of stress urinary incontinence.

Methods: Observational multicentre clinical study of physiotherapy management of female stress urinary incontinence between February 1999 and October 2000, with 1-year follow-up.

Lay perceptions of health and health needs.

The accurate identification of need is imperative to maximise population health gains and target health inequalities. Social capital, expressed in social, psychological, economic and contextual factors, acts as a buffer in communities. The aim of this study was to determine the unexpressed health needs of a population.

Leaching of glyphosate and amino-methylphosphonic acid from Danish agricultural field sites.

Pesticide leaching is an important process with respect to contamination risk to the aquatic environment. The risk of leaching was thus evaluated for glyphosate (N-phosphonomethyl-glycine) and its degradation product AMPA (amino-methylphosphonic acid) under field conditions at one sandy and two loamy sites. Over a 2-yr period, tile-drainage water, ground water, and soil water were sampled and analyzed for pesticides.

Ethics in human subjects research: do incentives matter?

There is considerable confusion regarding the ethical appropriateness of using incentives in research with human subjects. Previous work on determining whether incentives are unethical considers them as a form of undue influence or coercive offer. We understand the ethical issue of undue influence as an issue, not of coercion, but of corruption of judgment.

Expanded paper towel test: an objective test of urine loss for stress incontinence.

Aim: To investigate the repeatability of a short stress test of coughing and jumping (the expanded Paper Towel Test (PTT)) to quantify urine loss in stress incontinent adult women.

Materials And Methods: In the laboratory, the reliability of two methods of measuring the size of the wet area, produced by a typical volume of water titrated onto paper towel was investigated and some absorbency properties of the brand of towel used were quantified. Thirty one women performed a provocative coughing and jumping test on consecutive days using a "perineal pad" of paper towel.