Pulmonary manifestations of pyoderma gangrenosum: 2 cases and a review of the literature.

Pyoderma gangrenosum (PG) is a rare ulcerative neutrophilic dermatologic disease that occasionally is accompanied by extracutaneous manifestations, amongst these is pulmonary involvement. The etiology is unknown. More than 50% of PG cases are associated with an underlying systemic disease such as inflammatory bowel disease, rheumatoid arthritis, hematological disorder or malignancy.

Long-term stability of decontamination effect in recreational areas near the town Novozybkov, Bryansk Region, Russia.

In 1995 and 1997, experimental decontamination campaigns were carried out in two recreational areas, Novie Bobovichi and Guta-Muravinka, near the town of Novozybkov, Bryansk Region, Russia. These areas were strongly affected by the Chernobyl fallout in 1986. In order to examine the long-term stability of the clean-up procedures, a programme has been carried out to continuously monitor the radiological situation in and around the decontaminated areas.

Reduction of external dose in a wet-contaminated housing area in the Bryansk Region, Russia.

An investigation of the feasibility of reducing the external dose rate in a recreational housing area located between the settlements of Guta and Muravinka, Bryansk Region, Russia, which had been contaminated by the Chernobyl accident more than a decade earlier was made. Removal of contaminated topsoil was carried out over an area of about 2000 m2, optimising the thickness of the removed layer according to an assessment of the vertical contaminant distribution. A layer of clean sand was applied to shield against radiation from residual contamination in the ground.

Iodine-129 and caesium-137 in Chernobyl contaminated soil and their chemical fractionation.

Soil samples from areas in Belarus, Russia and Sweden contaminated by the Chernobyl accident were analysed for (129)I by radiochemical neutron activation analysis, as well as for 137Cs by gamma-spectrometry. The atomic ratio of (129)I/137Cs in the upper layer of the examined soil cores ranged from 0.10 to 0.

Weathering of radiocaesium contamination on urban streets, walls and roofs.

Recent investigations in Russia have emphasised the significance of dose contributions from contamination on urban streets and roof pavings, and, typically to a lesser extent, walls in the urban environment. The crucial factor determining the magnitude of these contributions is the retention of the contamination by the different types of urban surface. Since the Chernobyl accident, a series of long-term field studies has been carried out on urban streets, walls and roofs, to examine the weathering processes of 137Cs on the various surface types.