Geochemical Soil Atlas of Switzerland - Distribution of Toxic Elements.

Chemical elements such as copper and molybdenum are essential for animal and human health but may become toxic at elevated concentrations depending on the exposure and intake rate. Other elements such as mercury pose a threat to human health at already low concentrations. The soil acts as the main source of these elements for plant uptake and is thus driving accumulation along the food chain.

Pesticides in Agricultural Soils: Major Findings from Various Monitoring Campaigns in Switzerland.

Synthetic pesticides are widely applied in modern agriculture, where they are used against diseases, pests, and weeds to secure crop yield and quality. However, their intensive application has led to widespread contamination of the environment, including soils. Due to their inherent toxicity, they might pose a risk to soil health by causing harm to non-target organisms and disrupting ecosystem services in both agricultural and other exposed soils.

A multi-residue method for trace analysis of pesticides in soils with special emphasis on rigorous quality control.

A multi-residue trace analytical method is presented to accurately quantify 146 currently used pesticides in (agricultural) soils with varying soil properties. Pesticides were extracted using an optimized quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged, and safe (QuEChERS) approach and chemical analysis was carried out by liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry (triple quadrupole). Quantification was based on matrix-matched internal standards calibration, using 95 isotopically labeled analyte analogues.

Predicting Penumbra Salvage and Infarct Growth in Acute Ischemic Stroke: A Multifactor Survival Game.

Background: Effective treatment of acute ischemic stroke requires reperfusion of salvageable tissue. We investigated the predictors of penumbra salvage (PS) and infarct growth (IG) in a large cohort of stroke patients.

Methods: In the ASTRAL registry from 2003 to 2016, we selected middle cerebral artery strokes <24 h with a high-quality CT angiography and CT perfusion.

Pesticide residues in agricultural soils in light of their on-farm application history.

The application of synthetic pesticides to agricultural fields for the protection of crops leads to the formation of residues in soils. While the short-term behavior of pesticide residues in soils after an application is generally known from laboratory and field studies required for authorization (prospective risk assessments), there is still a lack of in-situ observations that address their long-term fate. Long-term soil monitoring programs, with comprehensive site-specific records of pesticide application data, constitute an invaluable, complementary, retrospective exposure assessment tool to address this gap.