Bioavailability of heavy metals in soils: definitions and practical implementation--a critical review.

Worldwide regulatory frameworks for the assessment and remediation of contaminated soils have moved towards a risk-based approach, taking contaminant bioavailability into consideration. However, there is much debate on the precise definition of bioavailability and on the standardization of methods for the measurement of bioavailability so that it can be reliably applied as a tool for risk assessment. Therefore, in this paper, we reviewed the existing definitions of heavy metal bioavailability in relation to plant uptake (phytoavailability), in order to better understand both the conceptual and operational aspects of bioavailability.

A case of atypical fibroxanthoma of subungual type: ultrasound and magnetic resonance imaging findings.

Subungual atypical fibroxanthoma is a rare mesenchymal skin tumor of intermediate malignancy. It classically presents as a relatively nondescript, erythematous nodule; it may ulcerate and bleed, but pain and pruritus are uncommon. In the differential diagnoses of subungual tumors, glomus tumor, soft tissue chondroma, keratoacanthoma, hemangioma, lobular capillary hemangioma, epidermal and mucoid cysts, squamous cell carcinoma, and malignant melanoma have been suggested.

Effect of essential inorganic metals on primary thermal degradation of lignocellulosic biomass.

This study employed thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and analytical Py-GC/MS in order to examine the catalytic effect of main inorganic metals (K, Mg and Ca) on the thermal degradation and the formation of pyrolytic products in lignocellulosic biomass. In addition, potential mechanisms of the primary pyrolysis in presence of the inorganic metals were derived. TG analysis showed that when potassium content increased in the biomass, char formation increased from 10.

Characterization of lignin-rich residues remaining after continuous super-critical water hydrolysis of poplar wood (Populus albaglandulosa) for conversion to fermentable sugars.

Poplar wood flour (Populous albaglandulosa) was treated with sub- and super-critical water (subcritical: 325, 350°C; super-critical: 380, 400, 425°C) for 60s at 220 ± 10 atm. Hydrochloric acid (0.05%v/v) was added to samples as acidic catalyst.

17-year-old girl with headache and complex partial seizure.

Supratentorial cortical ependymoma is a rare clinical entity where ependymoma occurring in the cortex without any connection to the ventricular system since ependymoma usually arises from the lining of the ventricular system or central canal of spinal cord. There have been 14 such cases reported in the literature.We report the first case of a supratentorial extraaxial cortical anaplastic ependymoma with minimal cortical attachment in a 17-years-old girl, presented with headache and complex partial seizure.

Resective pediatric epilepsy surgery in Lennox-Gastaut syndrome.

Objective: The objective of this study was to evaluate the role of resective pediatric epilepsy surgery for Lennox-Gastaut syndrome (LGS).

Methods: We analyzed clinical data of 27 children and adolescents who had LGS and underwent resective epilepsy surgery despite abundant (>30% of preoperative interictal and/or ictal epileptiform discharges) generalized or generalized contralateral maximal and multiregional electroencephalogram abnormalities.

Results: On high-resolution MRI, cerebral lesions were noted in 23 (85.

Comparison of temporal lobectomies of children and adults with intractable temporal lobe epilepsy.

Introduction: The aim of the study was to assess the difference in clinical characteristics and postsurgical outcomes between children and adults who have undergone temporal lobectomy (TL).

Materials And Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of 52 patients who had undergone TL between 2006 and 2008. Nineteen patients were classified as children (18 years old) according to the age when TL had been performed.

Outcome of surgical treatment in non-lesional intractable childhood epilepsy.

Purpose: The aim of this study is to investigate seizure outcomes following epilepsy surgery in non-lesional neocortical pediatric epilepsy.

Methods: We performed a retrospective study on 27 patients with intractable childhood epilepsy who received epilepsy surgery between 1999 and 2006 at Sang-gye Paik Hospital and Severance Children's Hospital. None of the patients had any detectable lesions on MRI.

Interaction of D2 with Ti-adsorbed polyaniline and implication for hydrogen storage.

Interaction of D2 with Ti-adsorbed polyaniline (PANI) and TiO2 at low Ti coverages has been investigated by temperature programmed desorption, Auger electron spectroscopy, and H2-D2 exchange in a high pressure cell. In contrast to recent DFT calculations (Lee et al. Phys.

Levels of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in transformer oils from Korea.

Using Korean waste official method, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) were analyzed from 33 transformer oils collected under National Institute of Environmental Research (NIER) in Republic of Korea (ROK) and their emission rate in Korea was estimated. Practical quantification limits analyzed by this method were in the ranges of 0.02 and 0.

Development and clinical evaluation of a highly sensitive DNA microarray for detection and genotyping of human papillomaviruses.

Human papillomavirus (HPV) has been found in cervical cancer, tonsillar cancer, and certain types of head and neck cancers. We report on a DNA microarray-based method for the simultaneous detection and typing of HPVs. The genotype spectrum discriminated by this HPV DNA microarray includes 15 high-risk HPV genotypes and 12 low-risk HPV genotypes.