A systematic review on safety and surgical and anesthetic risks of elective abdominal laparoscopic surgery in infants to guide laparoscopic ovarian tissue harvest for fertility preservation for infants facing gonadotoxic treatment.

Background: Infertility is an important late effect of childhood cancer treatment. Ovarian tissue cryopreservation (OTC) is established as a safe procedure to preserve gonadal tissue in (pre)pubertal girls with cancer at high risk for infertility. However, it is unclear whether elective laparoscopic OTC can also be performed safely in infants <1 year with cancer.

Interindividual variation in ovarian reserve after gonadotoxic treatment in female childhood cancer survivors - a genome-wide association study: results from PanCareLIFE.

Objective: To discover new variants associated with low ovarian reserve after gonadotoxic treatment among adult female childhood cancer survivors using a genome-wide association study approach.

Design: Genome-wide association study.

Setting: Not applicable.

Minimal Infiltrative Disease Identification in Cryopreserved Ovarian Tissue of Girls with Cancer for Future Use: A Systematic Review.

Background: Ovarian tissue cryopreservation and transplantation are the only available fertility techniques for prepubertal girls with cancer. Though autotransplantation carries a risk of reintroducing malignant cells, it can be avoided by identifying minimal infiltrative disease (MID) within ovarian tissue.

Methods: A broad search for peer-reviewed articles in the PubMed database was conducted in accordance with PRISMA guidelines up to March 2023.

Evaluation of oncofertility care in childhood cancer patients: the EU-Horizon 2020 twinning project TREL initiative.

Background: The 5-year survival rate of childhood cancer exceeds 80%, however, many survivors develop late effects including infertility. The aim of this study was to evaluate the current status of oncofertility care at Vilnius University Hospital Santaros Klinikos (VULSK) within the framework of the EU-Horizon 2020 TREL project.

Methods: All parents or patients aged 12-17.

Experiences of Female Childhood Cancer Patients and Survivors Regarding Information and Counselling on Gonadotoxicity Risk and Fertility Preservation at Diagnosis: A Systematic Review.

Background: Childhood cancer patients and their families are increasingly offered oncofertility care including information regarding their risk of gonadal damage by paediatric oncologists, fertility counselling by fertility specialists and fertility preservation options. However, experiences regarding oncofertility care are underreported. We aimed to summarize the available evidence of experiences of female childhood cancer patients and survivors regarding oncofertility care.

Development of a questionnaire to evaluate female fertility care in pediatric oncology, a TREL initiative.

Background: Currently the five-year survival of childhood cancer is up to 80% due to improved treatment modalities. However, the majority of childhood cancer survivors develop late effects including infertility. Survivors describe infertility as an important and life-altering late effect.

Oncofertility Perspectives for Girls with Cancer.

Infertility is a serious early, as well as late, effect of childhood cancer treatment. If addressed in a timely manner at diagnosis, fertility preservation measures can be taken, preferably before the start of cancer treatment. However, pediatric oncologists might remain reluctant to offer counseling on fertility-preservation methods, although infrastructure to freeze ovarian tissue has become available and is currently considered standard care for pre- and postpubertal girls at high risk of gonadal damage.

White paper: Oncofertility in pediatric patients with Wilms tumor.

The survival of childhood Wilms tumor is currently around 90%, with many survivors reaching reproductive age. Chemotherapy and radiotherapy are established risk factors for gonadal damage and are used in both COG and SIOP Wilms tumor treatment protocols. The risk of infertility in Wilms tumor patients is low but increases with intensification of treatment including the use of alkylating agents, whole abdominal radiation or radiotherapy to the pelvis.

Key factors influencing metal concentrations in sediments along Western European Rivers: A long-term monitoring study (1945-2020).

Since 1945, a large amount of heterogeneous data has been acquired to survey river sediment quality, especially concerning regulatory metals such as Cd, Cr, Cu, Hg, Ni, Pb, and Zn. Large-scale syntheses are critical to assess the effectiveness of public regulations and the resiliency of the river systems. Accordingly, this data synthesis proposes a first attempt to decipher spatio-temporal trends of metal contamination along seven major continental rivers in Western Europe (France, Belgium, Germany, and the Netherlands).

Oncofertility care for newly diagnosed girls with cancer in a national pediatric oncology setting, the first full year experience from the Princess Máxima Center, the PEARL study.

Background: Childhood cancer patients often remain uninformed regarding their potential risk of gonadal damage. In our hospital we introduced a five step standard oncofertility care plan for all newly diagnosed female patients aiming to identify, inform and triage 100% of patients and counsel 100% of patients at high risk (HR) of gonadal damage. This observational retrospective study (PEARL study) evaluated the use of this standard oncofertility care plan in the first full year in a national cohort.

Executive functioning in 6 year old children exposed to chemotherapy in utero.

Background: Cancer treatment during pregnancy imposes a dilemma. Maternal advantage should be weighed against the potential impact of chemotherapy on child development. Recent studies in cancer survivors have shown that exposure to chemotherapeutic agents can have late adverse effects on cognitive functioning and executive functioning (EF).

Clinical Characteristics of Invasive Fungal Infections in Pediatric Oncology Patients With Solid Tumors.

Invasive fungal infections (IFIs) are an important cause of morbidity and mortality in children with cancer. Studies on the clinical characteristics of IFI in children with solid tumors are limited. This Dutch retrospective cohort study reviewed the medical records of 61 children with solid tumors to analyze the clinical characteristics during their full treatment period.

The Impact of Climate Change on Metal Transport in a Lowland Catchment.

This study investigates the impact of future climate change on heavy metal (i.e., Cd and Zn) transport from soils to surface waters in a contaminated lowland catchment.

Variants in ALOX5, ALOX5AP and LTA4H are not associated with atherosclerotic plaque phenotypes: the Athero-Express Genomics Study.

Background: The eicosanoid genes ALOX5, ALOX5AP and LTA4H have been implicated in atherosclerosis. We assessed the impact of common variants in these genes on gene expression, circulating protein levels, and atherosclerotic plaque phenotypes.

Methods: We included patients from the Stockholm Atherosclerosis Gene Expression study (STAGE, N = 109), and the Athero-Express Biobank Study (AE, N = 1443).

Respiratory dysfunction in patients with chronic neck pain - influence of thoracic spine and chest mobility.

Patients with chronic neck pain exhibit various musculoskeletal deficits and respiratory dysfunction. As there is a link between thoracic and cervical spine motion, the aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between thoracic spine and chest mobility with respiratory function and neck disability. Nineteen patients with chronic neck pain (7 male, 46.

The effect of short-range spatial variability on soil sampling uncertainty.

This paper aims to quantify the soil sampling uncertainty arising from the short-range spatial variability of elemental concentrations in the topsoils of agricultural, semi-natural, and contaminated environments. For the agricultural site, the relative standard sampling uncertainty ranges between 1% and 5.5%.

A soil sampling reference site: the challenge in defining reference material for sampling.

In the frame of the international SOILSAMP project, funded and coordinated by the Italian Environmental Protection Agency, an agricultural area was established as a reference site suitable for performing soil sampling inter-comparison exercises. The reference site was characterized for trace element content in soil, in terms of the spatial and temporal variability of their mass fraction. Considering that the behaviour of long-lived radionuclides in soil can be expected to be similar to that of some stable trace elements and that the distribution of these trace elements in soil can simulate the distribution of radionuclides, the reference site characterised in term of trace elements, can be also used to compare the soil sampling strategies developed for radionuclide investigations.

Estimation of uncertainty arising from different soil sampling devices: the use of variogram parameters.

In the frame of the international SOILSAMP project, funded and coordinated by the National Environmental Protection Agency of Italy (APAT), uncertainties due to field soil sampling were assessed. Three different sampling devices were applied in an agricultural area using the same sampling protocol. Cr, Sc and Zn mass fractions in the collected soil samples were measured by k(0)-instrumental neutron activation analysis (k(0)-INAA).

Controls on catchment-scale patterns of phosphorus in soil, streambed sediment, and stream water.

Many models of phosphorus (P) transfer at the catchment scale rely on input from generic databases including, amongst others, soil and land use maps. Spatially detailed geochemical data sets have the potential to improve the accuracy of the input parameters of catchment-scale nutrient transfer models. Furthermore, they enable the assessment of the utility of available, generic spatial data sets for the modeling and prediction of soil nutrient status and nutrient transfer at the catchment scale.

Changes in nutrient emissions, fluxes and retention in a north-eastern European lowland drainage basin.

Despite dramatic reductions in the 1990s of N and P emissions in the drainage basin, Lake Peipsi/Chudskoe (Estonia/Russia) is still suffering from algal blooms, probably caused by low N:P ratios of the lake water. To quantify the sources and changes of N and P inputs to the lake as a result of economic changes, we modelled emissions, transfer and in-stream retention using a GIS model. The model was calibrated using river monitoring data from the 1985-1989 period, and used to simulate emissions and loads for five future scenarios for 2015-2019.

GIS-based quantification of future nutrient loads into Lake Peipsi/Chudskoe using qualitative regional development scenarios.

This study aims at the quantification of possible future nutrient loads into Lake Peipsi/Chudskoe under different economic development scenarios. This drainage basin is on the borders of Russia, Estonia and Latvia. The sudden disintegration of the Soviet Union in 1991 caused a collapse of agricultural economy, and consequently, a substantial decrease of diffuse and point-source nutrient emissions.

Spatial assessment of the economic feasibility of short rotation coppice on radioactively contaminated land in Belarus, Ukraine, and Russia. II. Monte Carlo analysis.

A Monte Carlo analysis of two sequential GIS-embedded submodels, which evaluate the economic feasibility of short rotation coppice (SRC) production and energy conversion in areas contaminated by Chernobyl-derived (137)Cs, was performed to allow for variability of environmental conditions that was not contained in the spatial model inputs. The results from this analysis were compared to the results from the deterministic model presented in part I of this paper. It was concluded that, although the variability in the model results due to within-gridcell variability of the model inputs was considerable, the prediction of the areas where SRC and energy conversion is potentially profitable was robust.

Review and assessment of models for predicting the migration of radionuclides from catchments.

The present paper summarises the results of the review and assessment of models developed for predicting the migration of radionuclides from catchments to water bodies. The models were classified and evaluated according to their main methodological approaches. A retrospective analysis of the principles underpinning the model development in relation to experimental finding and results was carried out.