Responses of marine zooplankton indicators after five years of a dam rupture in the Doce River, Southeastern Brazil.

Since November of 2015, when ore tailings from a dam rupture reached the Atlantic Ocean, researchers are trying to assess the degree of impact across the Doce River and adjacent coastal area. This study aims to use the zooplankton dynamics as a tool to evaluate the environmental impact in the coastal region, five years after the rupture, during periods of low and high river flow. Doce River flow varied from 49 to 5179 m/s and structured the zooplankton community between periods of low and high river flow, but salinity and chlorophyll-a had stronger correlation with depth (r = 0.

An integrated study of the plankton community after four years of Fundão dam disaster.

Mining activities can affect the environment either by the tailings releasing or dams failures. The impact of the tailings can last decades and cause chronic effects due to their toxicity. The Fundão dam collapse, a relevant environmental disaster, occurred in November 2015 in Southeastern Brazil.

Environmental quality assessment in a marine coastal area impacted by mining tailing using a geochemical multi-index and physical approach.

Mining has been described as an important source of contaminants to the coastal zone worldwide, which is greatly intensified in the case of tailing dam ruptures. This study assessed the environmental quality of the marine coastal area impacted by a mining disaster (Fundão Mine dam collapse on 05 November 2015, Southeast Brazil) by applying a geochemical multi-index and physical approach over 18 months (from October 2018 to March 2020). Nutrients, metal(oid)s and Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) were integrated by quality indexes: Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment Water Quality Index (CWQI) and the Pollution Load Index (PLI) for water quality; Sediment Quality Guideline Quotients (SQG-q metal(oid)s and SQG-q PAHs) for sediment quality.

Meeting the challenge of disease threats to the U.K.

Official Veterinarians (OVs) from across the U.K. came together recently at conference organised to provide targeted CPD for their particular roles.

Engaging schools in the science of low-energy buildings.

This article explores the relationship between the previous UK government's initiative to rebuild and renew secondary schools, and the requirement for improved education for sustainable development in the UK. The documented research utilized a number of mechanisms to engage with pupils in Leicester city schools to increase their awareness, knowledge and understanding of the science and engineering associated with the design and operation of low-energy school buildings. Workshops, discussions with energy and sustainable development experts and inspirational visits to existing low-energy buildings were employed to develop an appreciation for the importance of energy efficiency and best design practice.

MR imaging of the lungs with hyperpolarized helium-3 gas transported by air.

Hyperpolarized noble gas MRI shows promise in the functional imaging of the pulmonary air spaces. The production of hyperpolarized (HP) gas requires specialized laser optical pumping apparatus, which is not likely to be home built in the majority of clinical MRI radiology centres. There are two routes through which HP gas will be made available to hospitals for clinical use: either the apparatus will be installed locally at a considerable expense to the centre, or a central facility will produce the gas and then deliver it to remote MRI sites as and when required.

Diffusional behaviour of metals in a passive sampling system for monitoring aquatic pollution.

Passive sampling systems are an emerging technology for detecting pollutants in the aquatic environment. A passive sampling system has been developed based on diffusion through a porous surface to a receiving phase, where the analyte is removed by chelation at a solid phase. The diffusion process can be described by Fickian diffusion through the sampler.

Pulmonary perfusion after endovascular stenting of pulmonary artery stenosis.

Unlabelled: Pulmonary artery stenosis is a well-known condition after surgical correction of tetralogy of Fallot. Endovascular stenting of the stenosis is a new technique for correction without surgical intervention. Objective evaluation of the procedure, however, is often hampered by moderate or severe pulmonary valve insufficiency.

[Endovascular stent in the treatment of residual pulmonary stenosis in patients operated on for congenital heart defects; initial results].

Objective: Evaluation of the preliminary results of stent implantation as a new technique of intervention cardiology to treat (residual) stenosis of pulmonary arteries in congenital heart disease.

Design: Descriptive.

Setting: Children's Heart Centre, University Hospital Nijmegen, the Netherlands.

Growth hormone secretion in response to the new centrally acting antihypertensive agent moxonidine in normal human subjects: comparison to clonidine and GHRH.

It is well established that the central alpha 2-adrenergic agonist clonidine can enhance growth hormone (GH) secretion in humans. This effect is most likely due to stimulation of hypothalamic growth hormone releasing hormone (GHRH) release. To determine the potency of the new I1-imidazoline receptor agonist moxonidine to release pituitary hormones, 12 normal volunteers received clonidine (0.

Management of ventricular septal defect with associated aortic incompetence.

Twenty-two patients with a ventricular septal defect and aortic incompetence underwent surgical repair. Mean age was 9.6 years (range, 9 to 15 years).

Relationships between the cardiovascular effects of alpha-methyldopa and its metabolism in pontomedullary noradrenergic neurons of the rabbit.

We compared the biotransformation of equipotent intracisternal (i.c., 600 micrograms/kg) and intravenous (i.

High-performance liquid chromatographic analysis of norepinephrine and alpha-methylnorepinephrine in microdissected noradrenergic cell groups of the rabbit brain.

A high-performance liquid chromatographic method with electrochemical detection has been developed to measure norepinephrine (NE) and alpha-methylnorepinephrine (alpha-MeNE) in microdissected noradrenergic cell groups of the rabbit brain stem. The method is shown to be specific, accurate and precise and has a sensitivity of 0.5 pmol per sample.

Complete right bundle branch block after surgical closure of perimembranous ventricular septal defect. Relation to type of ventriculotomy.

The ECGs of a 100 consecutive children who had surgical repair of their ventricular septal defects (VSDs) were analyzed for postoperative right bundle branch block (RBBB). Seventy of them had an atriotomy and the other 23 also a ventriculotomy. The ventriculotomy always consisted of a transverse incision a short distance below the pulmonary annulus.

Subcostal two-dimensional echocardiographic recognition of a criss-cross heart with discordant ventriculo-arterial connection.

Two-dimensional echocardiography was performed on a patient with criss-cross atrioventricular (AV) relationship and ventriculo-arterial discordance. A systematic approach from the subcostal area revealed the complex cardiac pathology including the criss-cross AV relationship of right and left heart, indicating that this very abnormal relationship can be identified echocardiographically. The echocardiographic findings were confirmed by angiocardiography.

Anatomical correction of transposition of great arteries with persistent ductus arteriosus. One year after operation.

The postoperative data are described of a boy who had a 'switch' operation for transposition of the great arteries with persistent ductus arteriosus more than a year before. The child is living a normal active life. Electrocardiography, echocardiography, and angiocardiography show persistent abnormality of structure and function of the right ventricle but no evidence of reduced coronary blood flow, coarctation at the suture lines of the great arteries, or aortic regurgitation.

Removal of a fragment of catheter entrapped in a Bjork-Shiley aortic valvular prosthesis. Transarterial approach using a modified loop-snare technique.

Fracture of a left atrial catheter made of polyethylene and its subsequent embolization and entrapment in a Bjork-Shiley aortic valvular prosthesis is reported in a 62-year-old woman. The entrapped fragment of the catheter was retrieved by a transarterial approach using a homemade modified snare-loop device. Measures to prevent such a complication should be directed towards avoidance of force when removing such catheters.