The food chain of the Valdezogues River system is at considerable risk due to the presence of mercury in the environment and to intense bioaccumulation and biomagnification processes in some fish species, particularly in piscivorous. Moreover, the presence of mercury in fish is a reliable indicator of the presence of its most toxic form, methylmercury. Of interest is that selenium, when present together with mercury in food, represents a significant decrease in the risks related to the ingestion of methylmercury.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe soil-plant transfer of trace elements is a complex system in which many factors are involved such as the availability and bioavailability of elements in the soil, climate, pedological parameters, and the essential or toxic character of the elements. The present study proposes the evaluation of the use of multielement contents in vascular plants for prospecting ore deposits of trace elements of strategic interest for Europe. To accomplish this general goal, a study of the soil-plant transfer of major and trace elements using Quercus ilex as a study plant has been developed in the context of two geological domains with very different characteristics in geological terms and in the presence of ore deposits: the Almadén syncline for Hg and the Guadalmez syncline for Sb.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe central coast of Asturias (Spain), which has suffered significant anthropogenic impacts during the last 150 years, has been studied using 71 sediment samples to establish a preliminary scenario of the geochemical and environmental state of sediments, relating them to their potential sources. In general, As (max 28.5 μg g), Cd (max 1.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPurpose: The aim of this study was to analyse the characteristics of patients with IE in three groups of age and to assess the ability of age and the Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI) to predict mortality.
Methods: Prospective cohort study of all patients with IE included in the GAMES Spanish database between 2008 and 2015.Patients were stratified into three age groups:<65 years,65 to 80 years,and ≥ 80 years.
Objectives: The decision about whether to use a biological or a mechanical prosthesis for aortic valve replacement remains controversial in patients between 50 and 65 years of age and has yet to be addressed in a Mediterranean population. This research aimed to analyse long-term survival and major morbidity rates (30-day mortality, stroke, any prosthetic reoperation and major bleeding) within this population.
Methods: Our multicentre observational retrospective study included all subjects aged 50-65 years who had a primary isolated aortic valve replacement due to severe aortic stenosis at 7 public hospitals from Andalusia (Spain) between 2000 and 2015.