Direct dosage of reactivated carbon from waterworks into the activated sludge tank for removal of organic micropollutants.

The thermal reactivation of granular activated carbon is a substantial ecological and economic benefit in the process of drinking water treatment. A significant amount of abraded carbon, which is similar to powdered activated carbon (PAC), is produced that can be brought to application at wastewater treatment plant level for the removal of micropollutants in a powdered activated carbon-activated sludge (PAC-AS) system. This excess carbon derived as a by-product from the reactivation process in a waterworks was applied directly into the activated sludge tank and has been elevated in this study by monitoring the removal efficiencies for benzotriazole, carbamazepine, diclofenac, metoprolol and sulfamethoxazole in the effluent of a semi-technical wastewater treatment plant of 39 m3. A simulation-derived sampling strategy was applied to optimize the recovery rates of the micropollutants. Flow-proportional, 72-hour composite sampling was considered best. The elimination rates obtained for a 10 g PAC·m-3 dosage were 73% for benzotriazole, 59% for carbamazepine, 60% for diclofenac, 67% for metoprolol and 48% for sulfamethoxazole. The obtained results underline the importance of appropriate sampling strategies, which can be derived from hydraulic modeling.

Lunch habits of German children and adolescents: composition and dietary quality.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Data from the ongoing, open-cohort Dortmund Nutritional and Anthropometric Longitudinally Designed (DONALD) study were used to describe warm family lunch meals and the association of the lunch composition with total diet quality. METHODS: 2,095 three-day weighed dietary records, collected between 2004 and 2009, from a 4- to 18-year-old DONALD study subgroup were used. RESULTS: Warm lunch (eating occasions between 11.30 a.m. and 2.29 p.m. including at least one course that is typically consumed warm) was eaten on 68.8% of all record days. Meat lunch (>50%) was predominant, followed by vegetarian (25%), fish (13%) and sweet lunch meals (3%). The prevalence of desserts at lunch was high and beverages were drunk at 80% of lunch meals. A meat lunch was associated with a higher protein (+1.4% energy intake, %E) and fat intake (+1.7%E) than a sweet lunch; also densities of vitamin A, folate and iron were higher. A dessert at lunch decreased protein intake slightly (-0.2%E), but increased carbohydrate (+0.7%E) and added sugar intake (+1.4%E) as well as density of calcium (+18 mg/MJ). CONCLUSION: Our study proves the impact of lunch on daily dietary quality and yields valuable insights on the development of food and meal-based dietary guidelines.

[Approaches for the prevention of overweight through modified beverage consumption in the elementary school setting. The "trinkfit" study]. / Ansätze der Übergewichtsprävention durch verbessertes Trinkverhalten im Setting Grundschule. Die "trinkfit"-Studie.

There is still little evidence for effective interventions that prevent childhood overweight. A number of behavioral interventions have been implemented, but in order to achieve sustainable preventive effects, they should be combined with environmental interventions which target the obesogenic environment. A modifiable obesogenic factor is beverage consumption and targeting this behavior seems promising to prevent overweight in children. The behavioral and environmental approaches were combined in the "trinkfit" study, and effectiveness and feasibility were tested in a controlled intervention study. In order to prevent overweight, the intervention focused on increased water consumption of children in elementary schools. The intervention consisted of lessons on water given by the teachers (behavioral intervention) and the provision of water fountains and water bottles (environmental intervention). After one school year, the intervention had been effective in decreasing the risk of overweight in the children of the intervention group. However, this preventive effect was not observed among children with an immigrant background. Process evaluation results indicate that the combined intervention focusing on increased water consumption was sustainable and feasible in the school setting.

Spins in the vortices of a high-temperature superconductor.

Neutron scattering is used to characterize the magnetism of the vortices for the optimally doped high-temperature superconductor La(2-x)Sr(x)CuO4 (x = 0.163) in an applied magnetic field. As temperature is reduced, low-frequency spin fluctuations first disappear with the loss of vortex mobility, but then reappear. We find that the vortex state can be regarded as an inhomogeneous mixture of a superconducting spin fluid and a material containing a nearly ordered antiferromagnet. These experiments show that as for many other properties of cuprate superconductors, the important underlying microscopic forces are magnetic.

Long-term process evaluation of a school-based programme for overweight prevention.

BACKGROUND: The epidemic increase in childhood overweight demands effective and also feasible prevention programmes. A school-based environmental and educational intervention focusing on the promotion of water consumption was found to be effective for overweight prevention in children. Process evaluation and long-term surveillance are necessary to evaluate the feasibility and sustainability of the intervention programme in a school setting. METHODS: Process evaluation was conducted during the intervention period (one school year) and a 19-month follow-up after the intervention trial on the prevention of overweight in 17 elementary schools. Data were collected through measuring the water flow of water fountains installed in schools, and questionnaires and interviews were administered to teachers and headmasters of intervention schools. Main outcomes were implementation of the intervention components, behavioural modification of the children concerning water consumption, and teacher and headmaster attitudes towards the intervention. RESULTS: Eleven out of 17 intervention schools maintained the water fountains until 19-month follow-up. The mean water flow of the fountains decreased initially, but remained stable after the during the follow-up period. The implementation rate of the educational units by teachers varied between the units from 13% to 84%. Teachers graded the overall concept of the intervention as good, continuously during the intervention and follow-up period. The majority of teachers organized the water supply of the fountains on the class level during the intervention period but not during the follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: The long-term process evaluation showed that the combined educational and environmental intervention has potential for sustained modifications in the beverage consumption habits of children. It also identified barriers and promoting factors of a sustainable and feasible implementation of the preventive programme in a school setting.

Cyclooxygenase-2 gene expression in human breast cancer.

Expression of the inducible isoform of the cyclooxygenase gene (PGHS-2, COX-2) which codes for the enzyme that catalyzes formation of prostaglandins, was detected in 13/13 human breast tumors of high grade but not in samples of normal breast tissue. There was a statistically significant linear association between COX-2 gene expression and high (>50%) tumor cell density (p<0.01), with COX-2 protein localized to tumor cells. These results indicate that COX-2 gene expression may be useful as a molecular biomarker for human breast tumors and may also predict sensitivity to treatment with nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs.

Chronic and recurrent appendicitis.

Acute appendicitis is a well known clinical entity, but many physicians are unwilling to accept appendicitis as a chronic or recurrent illness. Of 225 patients undergoing appendectomy, sixteen (7 per cent) had findings suggestive of chronic, recurrent, or subacute appendicitis. Four patients had chronic abdominal pain and histologic findings of chronic inflammation. Nine patients had previous episodes similar to that which resulted in appendectomy. All had acute suppurative appendicitis pathologically. Three patients had only one episode of abdominal pain, but had pathologic evidence of subacute inflammation. Because this study was retrospective, we suspect that the true incidence of recurrent appendicitis is significantly greater, as reported by others. Indications for operation must be strict, for unless there are specific signs and symptoms of appendiceal disease, appendectomy will often be of no benefit.

Chromosome aberrations in chloralkali workers previously exposed to mercury vapor.

Chromosome aberrations and micronuclei in peripheral lymphocytes were studied in 29 male chloralkali workers previously exposed to mercury vapor and in two matched reference groups comprising 29 nitrate fertilizer workers and 29 customs and police officers. The study was performed using whole-blood cultures with and without hydroxyurea and caffeine to inhibit deoxyribonucleic acid synthesis and repair, respectively. No significant differences in the frequencies of chromosome aberrations and micronuclei were observed. However, a nonsignificant increase in chromosome breaks and dicentrics was found in the subgroups with high urinary mercury peak levels or high cumulative mercury exposure. An increased prevalence of "high" scores of chromatid breaks in the inhibited cultures, exceeding the 75th percentile of all of the subjects studied, was observed for the chloralkali workers when compared with both reference groups. No evident cytogenetic effects were observed among the chloralkali workers with the methods used in the present study.

In situ DNA hybridization for cytomegalovirus in colonoscopic biopsies.

We reviewed colonoscopic biopsies of the lower gastrointestinal tract performed during a two-year period. Those representing neoplasia were excluded. Formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded biopsy specimens from 53 patients were studied by in situ DNA hybridization for cytomegalovirus (CMV) using commercially available biotinylated DNA probes detected by an avidin-biotin peroxidase technique. Nine of the patients were severely immunocompromised: four had acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, three had ulcerative colitis and were receiving high-dose steroid therapy, one was a bone marrow transplant recipient, and one had idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis and was receiving therapy with prednisone and cyclophosphamide. Four of these had evidence of CMV infection by routine histology and DNA hybridization. Three additional immunocompromised patients had evidence of CMV infection by DNA hybridization alone. Forty-four patients had inflammatory conditions or ulcerations of the lower gastrointestinal tract. Six of these had evidence of CMV by DNA hybridization alone. Histologically normal as well as enlarged and cytomegalic cells were probe positive, and the cells were sparse to numerous in number. They were found in the epithelium and/or lamina propria. This technique was demonstrated to be applicable to routinely processed colonic biopsy specimens.

Providing human tissues for research: how to establish a program.

The Cooperative Human Tissue Network is a group composed of cooperating academic institutions that supply human tissues to researchers studying a wide range of neoplastic and other diseases. The experience of the Cooperative Human Tissue Network in establishing methods of prospective tissue collection and in developing tumor banks is discussed to aid institutions in establishing tissue resources for their local investigators, who may wish to use human tissues in current or future research projects. The advantages to pathology departments and to associated medical institutions of establishing an organized tissue resource include ensuring proper institutional review board approval of research projects using human tissues, protecting diagnostic specimens, creating new opportunities for extramural research, increasing the speed of diagnostic specimen transport to surgical pathology, and providing educational and research opportunities for pathologists and pathology residents. Methods of tissue collection, processing, storage, data collection, and supply are outlined. Also, resources necessary to begin organized tissue collection, including personnel, space, equipment, and supplies, are discussed.

Primary adenocarcinoma of the middle ear.

Adenocarcinoma arising from the mucosa of the middle ear is a rare tumor. This report adds four new cases to the 13 cases that have been previously reported in the literature. These neoplasms tend to have a rather slow growth pattern and have an infrequent incidence of distant metastases. The observations that local recurrence is the major problem with adenocarcinoma of the middle ear suggest that aggressive locoregional treatment should be strongly considered.

Diet costs and energy density in the diet of German children and adolescents.

This study examined the association between energy density (ED, g/kJ) and diet costs (\[euro]/day) in a sample of 494 German children and adolescents aged 4-18 years using 1100 3-day-weighed dietary records from the Dortmund Nutritional and Anthropometric Longitudinally Designed (DONALD) Study (open cohort study) and retail food prices of 341 empirically selected recorded food items including special brands. ED was negatively associated with diet costs (ß=-0.20 kJ/g, P<0.0007) with a non-linear term (ß=0.01 kJ/g*kJ/g, P=0.0440). Diet costs increased with age (ß=0.32 yr, P<0.0001) with a negative non-linear term (ß=-0.01 yr*yr; P<0.0001). In conclusion, the inverse association between diet costs and ED was more pronounced in the older than in the younger age groups and in low-ED diets than in high-ED diets. Higher % diet costs of fruit/vegetables could be compensated by lower % diet costs of meat/sausage to lower ED without increasing diet costs.