The status and trends in radioactive contamination of groundwater at a LLW-ILW storage facility site near Sosnovy Bor (Leningrad region, Russia).

The article presents results of field studies at a site of radioactive waste storage and disposal facilities (the so-called LD RosRAO site, Sosnovy Bor, Leningrad region, Russia). The objective of the study is to overview the history and occurrence of groundwater contamination to answer the question whether the radioactive plume is historical (formed due to accidents, which happened at the beginning of the operations with the radioactive waste) or the release of radioactive solutions to groundwater is still occurring. The main method used to study the evolution of radioactive contamination is to analyze long-term observations of tritium, total alpha, and total beta activities in groundwater samples.

Bilateral cavitary multidrug- or extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis: role of surgery.

Objectives: Cavitary disease and bilateral lesions are among the risk factors for poor outcome of pulmonary tuberculosis (TB). Our aim was to explore the value and limits of surgery in patients with advanced TB.

Methods: A retrospective study of 57 consecutive patients who underwent thoracic surgery for culture-positive bilateral cavitary pulmonary TB was performed.

[Clinical features of tuberculous pleurisy in viral hepatitis and HIV infection at penitentiaries].

In 1999 to 2005, the penitentiaries of Saint Petersburg and the Leningrad Region saw a drastic (almost 30-fold) increase in the number of patients with tuberculous pleurisy concurrent with viral hepatitis and HIV infection. The convicts with concomitant stages IVa, IVb, and IVc HIV infection currently fall ill with tuberculous pleurisy more frequently. In patients with viral hepatitis concurrent with HIV infection, tuberculous pleurisy develops and runs more gravely in proportion to the number of mixed infections than in those without infectious comorbidity.