Environmental and economic performance of forestry on drained peatlands was reviewed to consider whether continuous cover forestry (CCF) could be a feasible alternative to even-aged management (EM). CCF was regarded feasible particularly because continuously maintaining a tree stand with significant transpiration and interception capacity would decrease the need for ditch network maintenance. Managing CCF forests in such a way that the ground water levels are lower than in clear-cut EM forests but higher than in mature EM forests could decrease greenhouse gas emissions and negative water quality impacts caused both by anoxic redox reactions and oxidation and mineralization of deep peat layers. Regeneration studies indicated potential for satisfactory natural regeneration under CCF on drained peatlands. An economic advantage in CCF over EM is that fewer investments are needed to establish the forest stand and sustain its growth. Thus, even if the growth of trees in CCF forests were lower than in EM forests, CCF could at least 2 in some peatland sites turn out to be a more profitable forest management regime. An advantage of CCF from the viewpoint of socially optimal forest management is that it plausibly reduces the negative externalities of management compared to EM. We propose that future research in drained peatland forests should focus on assessing the economic and environmental feasibility of CCF.

Arterial hypertension is a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease after solid organ transplantation, emphasizing the need for blood pressure (BP) monitoring. The authors studied 24-hour ambulatory BP monitoring (ABPM) parameters (index, load, dipping) and their predictive value with regard to hypertension as well as correlations with graft function and metabolic parameters such as obesity and dyslipidemias. The ABPM profiles of 111 renal, 29 heart, and 13 liver transplant recipients were retrospectively analyzed 5 to 10 years after transplant (median 5.1 years). The BP profiles among the different transplant groups were similar. The BP index and load were abnormal especially at nighttime and the nocturnal BP dipping was often blunted (in 49% to 83% of the patients). The BP variables were found to be equally valued when assessing hypertension. BP load of 50% instead of 25% seems to be a more adequate cutoff value. The BP variables correlated poorly with the metabolic parameters and kidney function. Antihypertensive medication did not notably change the ABPM profile in renal transplant recipients. Hypertension, including nocturnal hypertension, is present in children receiving solid organ transplant, underlining the importance of use of ABPM in the follow-up of these patients. J Clin Hypertens (Greenwich). 2015;17:154-161. ª 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.Solid organ transplantation is a successful treatment modality for children with end-stage organ failure. The long-term patient and graft survival rates are currently 70% to 95% 1 and minimization of treatment-related adverse effects has become increasingly significant. Arterial hypertension is common in patients after transplant (Tx), 2-7 and cardiovascular disease (CVD) is known to be the leading cause of mortality among adult Tx patients. 8 The etiology of both hypertension and CVD is multifactorial, including calcineurin inhibitor (CNI) toxicity, use of glucocorticoids, obesity, and impaired kidney function. 9-11Blood pressure (BP) monitoring is crucial in the follow-up of Tx patients, and 24-hour ambulatory BP monitoring (ABPM) has advantages compared with office BP measurements. 12,13 The relative importance of the three major ABPM variables, namely BP index, load, and dipping, was discussed for years [14][15][16][17] until the American Heart Association (AHA) provided guidelines for ABPM in 2008, which were recently refined. 18,19 This classification uses a combination of office BP measurement, mean ambulatory BP values (systolic or diastolic), and loads (systolic or diastolic) in the staging of ABPM.In this retrospective, cross-sectional study, we analyzed the ABPM profiles of children and adolescents with renal (RTx), liver (LTx), or heart (HTx) transplants at the median of 5.1 years after the operation using AHA classification. We were especially interested in how the ABPM variables behaved in the three Tx groups that received relatively similar immunosuppressive medication (calcineurin inhibitor, antimetabolite, and low-dose methylprednisolone). We...

Detection of HLA antibodies is common in children after RTx, and this finding, as such, does not predict any deterioration of graft function.