Degradation of ethylenethiourea (ETU) in oxic and anoxic sandy aquifers.

Ethylenethiourea is an important degradation product of ethylenebisdithiocarbamate fungicides, which are widely used in different kinds of crops. The ethylenebisdithiocarbamate group includes maneb, zineb and mancozeb. The ethylenebisdithiocarbamates are not highly toxic and degrade rapidly in the presence of moisture and oxygen, forming different compounds. One of these is the polar ethylenethiourea, which is relatively stable. Thus, this compound appears to be a potential contaminant for groundwater. Batch experiments were carried out under biotic as well as abiotic conditions to study the degradation dependence of concentration, temperature and organic matter. The decomposition of ethylenethiourea under abiotic conditions was found to be less than 5% of the degradation under biotic conditions. Further, ethylenethiourea showed to be stable over a period of 150 days at 20 degrees C in tap water as well as in batch with soil sterilized with NaN3. The degradation of ethylenethiourea depends on the concentration in the water implying first order reaction kinetics. The microbial degradation of ethylenethiourea is highly temperature dependent with aerobic Q10 between 2.9 and 4.2, and an anaerobic between 2.1 and 2.5. A minor increase in degradation rates was observed by application of nitrate and manure to the batches. The experiments show extremely complete degradation of ethylenethiourea in the presence of microbial nitrate reduction with pyrite which occurs in deeper parts of the aquifers.

Evaluation of the Anti-inflammatory Activity of Atorvastatin and its Effect on Alveolar Diameter in a Model of Elastase-induced Emphysema in Rats.

Statins are cholesterol-lowering agents and some of them, like simvastatin, have anti-inflammatory effects. In this study, we evaluated the effect of atorvastatin on nitric oxide (NO) release, leukocytes levels and alveolar diameter related to the inflammatory process associated with elastase-induced emphysema in rats. 32 rats were divided into 4 groups, n=8: control (C), atorvastatin (A), emphysema (E), and emphysema+atorvastatin (EA). On day 0 (zero), groups C and A received intratracheal instillation of saline (0.2 ml), and groups E and EA received elastase (0.2 ml). Groups A and EA received atorvastatin (20 mg/kg) and C and E received vehicle, by gavage, for 25 days. Animals were euthanized, slices of lung stained and the alveolar diameters measured. Data obtained show that the treatment with atorvastatin (EA group) did not reduce the alveolar diameter (35.3 vs. 32.3), NO (2.7 vs. 3.0 µM) or the leukocyte count (111 vs. 136) compared with the E group, indicating that different statins, like simvastatin or atorvastatin, have different behavior in inflammatory processes like in elastase-induced development of emphysema in rats.

Acoustic reflections during rhinometry: spatial resolution and sound loss.

The accuracy of the acoustic reflections method for the evaluation of human nasal airway geometry is determined by the physical limitations of the technique and also by the in vivo deviations from the assumptions of the technique. The present study 1) examines the sound loss caused by nonrigidity of the nasal mucosa and viscous loss caused by complex geometry and its influence on the estimation of the acoustic area-distance function; 2) examines the optimal relation between sampling frequency and low-pass filtering, and 3) evaluates advantages of breathing He-O2 during the measurements on accuracy. Measurements made in eight plastic models, with cavities exactly identical to the "living" nasal cavities, revealed only minor effects of nonrigidity of the nasal mucosa. This was confirmed by an electrical analog model, based on laser vibrometry admittance measurements of the nasal mucosa, which indicated that the error in the acoustic measurements caused by wall motion is insignificant. The complex geometry of the nasal cavity per se (i.e., departure from circular) showed no significant effects on the measurements. Low-pass filtering of the signal is necessary to cut off cross modes arising in the nasal cavity. Computer simulations and measurements in models showed that the sampling frequency should be approximately four times the low-pass filtering frequency (i.e., twice the Nyquist frequency) to avoid influence on the result. No advantage was found for the the use of He-O2 vs. air in the nasal cavity.

[A herbal preparation Resium in symptomatic gallstones. A preliminary study of the effect]. / Naturpraeparatet Resium ved symptomgivende galdesten. En proeliminoer undersøgelse af effekten.

Resium, an old Spanish herb, is claimed to remove gallstone symptoms and to dissolve gallstones. Ten patients admitted for cholecystectomy because of intermittent bile cholics participated in a study for six months to evaluate the effects. None had had complications to their gallstone disease, and all had normal liver biochemistry and a normal well-functioning gallbladder before entry into the study. By ultrasonography minor changes in both directions in stone number and volume were seen. Five patients experienced some relief of symptoms, while the rest had unchanged, or worse symptoms. No adverse events to Resium were seen. In conclusion no effect of Resium upon gallstone size and volume was seen. The design of the study does not allow any conclusion about symptomatic effect to be drawn.

[Cancer registration in the Faeroe Islands]. / Cancerregistrering på Faerøerne.

The main purpose was to establish a cancer registry which could provide data for the treatment and control of cancer in the Faroe Islands. The registry should also be useful for epidemiological research in the future to pinpoint causes of cancer. The initiation of the registry is a result of a workgroup with members from the Faroes Hospital and Health System and from the Institute of Cancer Epidemiology at the Danish Cancer Society. The data items collected in the Faroes registry are identical with the data items in the Danish Cancer Registry. To provide a basis for the registry we have performed a retrospective data collection identifying all cancer cases in the Faroes for the 15 year period 1979-1993. All hospital records and death certificates in the period were scrutinized. The official initiation of the Faroes cancer registry was on 1, January 1994.

Long-term follow-up study of patients after endoscopic sphincterotomy for choledocholithiasis.

Late complications have been examined in 96 patients consecutively treated for choledocholithiasis by endoscopic sphincterotomy in the years 1976 to 1980. Forty-four of the patients (46%) had the gallbladder in situ. Patients treated for short-term complications--that is, in the 1st month after sphincterotomy--are not included in this study. The mean length of follow-up study was 4.1 years (range, 2 months to 8 years and 9 months). Late bile duct symptoms occurred in seven patients (7%): three (6.8%) in patients with the gallbladder in situ and four (7.6%) in cholecystectomized patients. Stones were found in the common bile duct in three of these patients, one with and two without the gallbladder. The median duration from sphincterotomy to late complication was 8 months (range, 2 months to 5 years). Six of the patients had cholangitis, and the seventh had jaundice with abdominal pain. Two of the patients died of their complications. In conclusion, our results indicate that the frequency of late complications to endoscopic sphincterotomy is low and apparently independent of possible prior cholecystectomy.

The effects of tertatolol on lipid profile.

Tertatolol is a noncardioselective beta-blocker without intrinsic sympathomimetic activity. In a preliminary 3-month open study, it was shown that T was devoid of any atherogenic effect since HDL-cholesterol (HDL-C) and apoprotein levels did not change for 3 months of therapy. To investigate the long-term effects of tertatolol on the lipid profile and its safety in hypertensive patients with peripheral arterial disease (PAD), a 9-month, randomized, double-blind, parallel group study was carried out in 40 patients. Tertatolol 5 mg once daily was compared with metoprolol 200 mg once daily. If BP was not controlled after 2 months, a vasodilatator agent, dihydralazine, was added at the lowest dose required to control BP (diastolic BP < 90 mm Hg). Lipoprotein fractions and apoproteins were assayed before (M0) and after 2, 6 and 9 months of therapy. At the same occasions, peripheral arterial disease (PAD) was evaluated on exercise tests carried out on a treadmill and on the regional blood flow measured in the ankle arteries by the Doppler technique. Four patients were not eligible for analysis. In the tertatolol group, 1 patient with a normal BP, and 2 patients who dropped out, 1 because of persistent nausea and 1 because of personal reasons. In the metoprolol group, 1 patient refused to take dihydralazine. In the 35 fully documented patients, BP control was achieved in both groups. The mean reductions in supine systolic/diastolic BP were 31.4/14.6 and 34.7/17.1 mm Hg in the tertatolol and metoprolol groups, respectively.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Voiding cysto-urethrography with simultaneous pressure-flow measurements. Technique and findings in healthy elderly males.

The technique of voiding cysto-urethrography with simultaneous pressure-flow measurements is described in detail. The value of straight lateral exposures is emphasized with special reference to determination of the size of the prostate. The findings and parameters in healthy elderly males are reported in comparison with clinical and urodynamic findings.

Functional bladder neck obstruction. Voiding cysto-urethrography and pressure-flow measurements.

The results of voiding cysto-urethrography with simultaneous pressure-flow measurements in 24 patients with functional bladder neck obstruction are reported and compared with the findings in 10 healthy younger males. The bladder neck diameter was statistically significantly smaller in the patients (p less than 0.01). Absence of or slight funnelling of the bladder neck during voiding occurred in 79 per cent of the patients. The pressure-flow recording documented infravesical obstruction in the patients. Voiding cystourethrography appears to be mandatory in the diagnosis of functional bladder neck obstruction.

Results of pulmonary resection in cases of unilateral bronchiectasis.

Follow-up studies of 22 patients treated surgically for unilateral bronchiectasis showed that all patients were improved postoperatively following an average observation time of 9 years, 50% being completely free of respiratory symptoms. In all patients the number of days of recurrent illness had declined significantly after surgery. As mortality and morbidity rates in this kind of surgery are not negligible, a most careful pre-operative selection of patients suffering from bronchiectasis is indicated.