RESUMO
This paper presents the first data on the biodiversity of lithophytic algae from Bulgarian megaliths obtained after the application of the direct sampling method, subsequent cultivation, and processing by light microscopy. A rich algal flora was found: 90 species and 1 variety of 65 genera from Cyanoprokaryota/Cyanobacteria (29 species, 13 genera), Chlorophyta (40 species and 1 variety, 38 genera), Streptophyta (5 species, 1 genus), and Ochrophyta (16 species, 13 genera). Among them were the globally rare Pseudodictyochloris multinucleata (Chlorophyta), found for the first time in such lowland and warm habitats, and Scotiella tuberculata (Chlorophyta), for which this is the first finding in the country. Three of the recorded species are conservationally important. The low floristic similarity between the sites (0-33%) shows the diversity of the algal flora, with no common species found for all the megaliths studied. The most widespread were the strongly adaptive and competitive Stichococcus bacillaris, Apatococcus lobatus, and Chloroidium ellipsoidium (Chlorophyta). The correlations estimated between the species number and substrate temperature (18.1-49.6 °C) suggest the prospect of future research related to the impact of global warming. In addition, the study points to the safety aspects as it revealed species from nine potentially toxin-producing cyanoprokaryotic genera that could be harmful to visitors' health.
RESUMO
BACKGROUND: The influence of periprocedural ischaemia on coronary artery bifurcation stenting (percutaneous coronary intervention [PCI]) remains uncertain. AIM: To determine the differences in rates of end procedural ischaemia after bifurcation lesion PCI detected with intracoronary electrocardiography (icECG). METHODS: Unipolar icECGs were recorded before, during, and after stent placement and at the end of procedure in side branch (SB) and main branch (MB). Coronary wire was placed in all distal vessels with diameter > 1.5 mm to "map" the distal zones of ischaemia. The patient population consisted of patients with stable/unstable angina with troponin I evaluated before and after PCI. RESULTS: We studied 147 patients (68% males) with mean age of 64 ± 9 years. One hundred and forty-two patients had icECG recordings at the end of PCI from all locations of the treated region; 36% of patients had MB ST segment elevation (STE) and 31% had icECG STE in the SB region (p = 0.378). The icECG had sensitivity of 82% and specificity of 81% to detect troponin I elevation, with positive predictive value of 81% and negative predictive value of 83%. The independent predictors of troponin increase (> 5 × N) were: sex (for female gender, OR = 0.130, CI 0.017-0.995, p = 0.049), previous myocardial infarction (OR = 33.23, CI 2.802-394.1, p = 0.005), and icECG STE in MB or SB or occlusion of secondary SB (OR = 7.877, CI 2.474-25.07, p < 0.001) and for any troponin elevation were double product - SBPxHR (OR = 0.999, CI 0.999-1.00, p = 0.022) and icECG STE in MB or SB or occlusion of secondary SB (OR = 9.762, CI 3.273-29.12, p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Intracoronary electrocardiography is a highly sensitive and specific method for determination of ischaemic regions and prediction of elevated troponin I.