Antidotes in Clinical Toxicology-Critical Review.

Poisoning and overdose are very important aspects in medicine and toxicology. Chemical weapons pose a threat to civilians, and emergency medicine principles must be followed when dealing with patients who have been poisoned or overdosed. Antidotes have been used for centuries and modern research has led to the development of new antidotes that can accelerate the elimination of toxins from the body. Although some antidotes have become less relevant due to modern intensive care techniques, they can still save lives or reduce the severity of toxicity. The availability of antidotes is crucial, especially in developing countries where intensive care facilities may be limited. This article aims to provide information on specific antidotes, their recommended uses, and potential risks and new uses. In the case of poisoning, supportive therapies are most often used; however, in many cases, the administration of an appropriate antidote saves the patient's life. In this review, we reviewed the literature on selected antidotes used in the treatment of poisonings. We also characterised the antidotes (bio)chemically. We described the cases in which they are used together with the dosage recommendations. We also analysed the mechanisms of action. In addition, we described alternative methods of using a given substance as a drug, an example of which is N-acetylcysteine, which can be used in the treatment of COVID-19. This article was written as part of the implementation of the project of the Polish Ministry of Education and Science, "Toxicovigilance, poisoning prevention, and first aid in poisoning with xenobiotics of current clinical importance in Poland", grant number SKN/SP/570184/2023.

Analysis of navigational risk indicators as a function of the ship's domain width for the selected offshore wind farm in the Baltic Sea.

This study concerns the analysis of navigational risk indicators as a function of the ship's domain width estimated for nine selected representative ships sailing under various hydrometeorological conditions (average and deteriorated ones) observed within the Offshore Wind Farm to be constructed within the Polish offshore zone on the Baltic Sea. For this purpose, the authors compare three types of domain parameters according to the guidelines by the PIANC, Coldwell and Rutkowski (3D). The study enabled selection of a group of ships which can be considered safe and can optionally be allowed to navigate and/or fish in the immediate vicinity and within the offshore wind farm. The analyses required the use of hydrometeorological data, mathematical models and operating data obtained with the use of maritime navigation and manoeuvring simulators.

Water Turbidity and Suspended Particulate Matter Concentration at Dredged Material Dumping Sites in the Southern Baltic.

Dredged material dumping is an activity that causes some of the greatest changes in coastal waters. It results in the need to regularly monitor the properties of seawater related to water quality. In this study, we present the first wide-ranging attempt to correlate seawater turbidity and suspended particulate matter (SPM) concentrations within dumping sites and adjacent waters on the basis of in situ measurements. In the years 2019-2020, we examined four dumping sites, namely Darlowo, Gdynia, Gdansk, and DCT, located in Polish coastal waters of the Baltic Sea, in the course of four measurement campaigns conducted in the spring, summer, autumn, and winter. The measurements were conducted using a turbidity sensor to determine the turbidity, in formazin turbidity units (FTU), a spectrophotometer to determine the concentrations of nutrients (total phosphorus (P-tot), phosphate phosphorus (P-PO4-3), total nitrogen (N-tot), ammonium nitrogen (N-NH4+), and nitrate nitrogen (N-NO3-)), as well as glass microfiber filters to determine the concentrations of SPM. The analysis of the relationship between the turbidity and SPM within the dumping sites in comparison to reference points showed that the dumping sites are very complex waters and that the issue must be approached locally. The highest turbidity values were registered in the spring, and they correlated linearly with the SPM concentrations (R2 = 0.69). Moreover, we performed a statistical cluster analysis to illustrate the similarities between sampling points in the four dumpsites based on nutrient concentrations. We conclude that the influence of the dumping sites on the local bio-optical and chemical properties significantly exceeds their borders and spreads to the adjacent waters. Nutrient concentrations in many cases exceeded the legal policy limits.

Many faces of survey equipment failures during marine research at sea-Risk analysis.

Research of the marine environment is still a huge challenge for humanity. Each survey campaign is a complex project, where research vessels and relevant survey equipment is used. One of the problems that limit the success of working at sea are failures of survey equipment. The aim of this paper was to identify the most common survey equipment failures during marine research, find their causes and analyze identified risks. The authors employ risk assessment methodology in maritime research at sea and present its practical utility and contribution in social and organizational development. For this purpose we based the analysis on the review of relevant project documentation (Daily Progress Reports, Observation Cards) and the questionnaire addressed to specialists who carry out their survey work on board research vessels and also people involved in the implementation of offshore projects. The research reveals that 76.3% respondents participated in a project which had to be stopped due to a failure of the survey equipment that required return to the port which highlights that the problem which was analyzed is of particular importance. The questionnaire form was designed to obtain as much information as possible on the types of failures with examples and also their causes according to three groups: human factors, technical factors and forces of nature. Twelve risks were identified and analyzed. The authors also stress the relationship between the quality of research project management and its implementation in the context of the failure rate of measuring equipment.

Semi-Empirical Model of Remote-Sensing Reflectance for Chosen Areas of the Southern Baltic.

Coastal waters are the richest parts of ocean ecosystems characterised by dynamic changes in water biology, physical and chemical features. Establishing local relationships between water constituents and optical properties in these areas will help to develop successful ocean colour algorithms allowing a thorough understanding of complex coastal waters and improving water quality monitoring. In this paper, the authors present the use of optical and biogeochemical measurements in complex aquatic environments and aim to create a semi-empirical model of remote-sensing reflectance (Rrs(λi)) for four wavelengths (λi = 420 nm, 488 nm, 555 nm, and 620 nm) based on multiparameter algorithms of absorption (a(λi)) and backscattering (bb(λi)) coefficients. The bio-optical properties of water were determined based on empirical data gathered from aboard the r/v Oceania from April 2007 to March 2010 in chosen areas of the southern Baltic (Polish coast). The analyses reveal that Rrs(λi) in the studied area can be described with satisfactory accuracy using a five-parameter model. Positive results with a statistical error magnitude of Rrs(λi) of less than 50% were achieved for all four applied wavelengths. Bio-optical algorithms proposed by the authors enable evaluating biogeochemical characteristics of coastal areas in a broader context of ecosystem assessment and contribute significantly to the development of Earth and environmental sciences.