Multicontamination Toxicity Evaluation in the Model Plant Lactuca sativa L.

Many contaminated soils contain several toxic elements (TEs) in elevated contents, and plant-TE interactions can differ from single TE contamination. Therefore, this study investigated the impact of combined contamination (As, Cd, Pb, Zn) on the physiological and metabolic processes of lettuce. After 45 days of exposure, TE excess in soil resulted in the inhibition of root and leaf biomass by 40 and 48%, respectively. Oxidative stress by TE accumulation was indicated by markers-malondialdehyde and 5-methylcytosine-and visible symptoms of toxicity (leaf chlorosis, root browning) and morpho-anatomical changes, which were related to the change in water regime (water potential decrease). An analysis of free amino acids (AAs) indicated that TEs disturbed N and C metabolism, especially in leaves, increasing the total content of free AAs and their families. Stress-induced senescence by TEs suggested changes in gas exchange parameters (increase in transpiration rate, stomatal conductance, and intercellular CO2 concentration), photosynthetic pigments (decrease in chlorophylls and carotenoids), a decrease in water use efficiency, and the maximum quantum yield of photosystem II. These results confirmed that the toxicity of combined contamination significantly affected the processes of lettuce by damaging the antioxidant system and expressing higher leaf sensitivity to TE multicontamination.

Response of Carrot (Daucus carota L.) to Multi-Contaminated Soil from Historic Mining and Smelting Activities.

A pot experiment was undertaken to investigate the effect of Cd, Pb and Zn multi-contamination on the physiological and metabolic response of carrot (Daucus carota L.) after 98 days of growth under greenhouse conditions. Multi-contamination had a higher negative influence on leaves (the highest Cd and Zn accumulation) compared to the roots, which showed no visible change in terms of anatomy and morphology. The results showed the following: (i) significantly higher accumulation of Cd, Zn, and Pb in the multi-contaminated variant (Multi) compared to the control; (ii) significant metabolic responses-an increase in the malondialdehyde content of the Multi variant compared to the control in the roots (by 20%), as well as in the leaves (by 53%); carotenoid content in roots decreased by 31% in the Multi variant compared with the control; and changes in free amino acids, especially those related to plant stress responses. The determination of hydroxyproline and sarcosine may reflect the higher sensitivity of carrot leaves to multi-contamination in comparison to roots. A similar trend was observed for the content of free methionine (significant increase of 31% only in leaves); (iii) physiological responses (significant decreases in biomass, changes in gas-exchange parameters and chlorophyll a); and (iv) significant changes in enzymatic activities (chitinase, alanine aminopeptidase, acid phosphatase) in the root zone.

Accumulation of Toxic Arsenic by Cherry Radish Tuber (Raphanus sativus var. sativus Pers.) and Its Physiological, Metabolic and Anatomical Stress Responses.

In a pot experiment, cherry radish (Raphanus sativus var. sativus Pers. 'Viola') was cultivated under two levels of As soil contamination-20 and 100 mg/kg. The increasing As content in tubers with increasing soil contamination led to changes in free amino acids (AAs) and phytohormone metabolism and antioxidative metabolites. Changes were mainly observed under conditions of high As contamination (As100). The content of indole-3-acetic acid in tubers varied under different levels of As stress, but As100 contamination led to an increase in its bacterial precursor indole-3-acetamide. A decrease in cis-zeatin-9-riboside-5'-monophosphate content and an increase in jasmonic acid content were found in this treatment. The free AA content in tubers was also reduced. The main free AAs were determined to be transport AAs (glutamate-Glu, aspartate, glutamine-Gln, asparagine) with the main portion being Gln. The Glu/Gln ratio-a significant indicator of primary N assimilation in plants-decreased under the As100 treatment condition. A decrease in antioxidative metabolite content-namely that of ascorbic acid and anthocyanins-was observed in this experiment. A decline in anthocyanin content is related to a decrease in aromatic AA content which is crucial for secondary metabolite production. The changes in tubers caused by As contamination were reflected in anatomical changes in the radish tubers and roots.

Raman spectroscopic study of the uranyl sulphate mineral zippeite: low wavenumber and U-O stretching regions.

The uranyl sulphate mineral zippeite was studied by Raman spectroscopy. The phase purity of the sample was initially checked by X-ray powder diffraction and its chemical composition was defined by electron microprobe (wavelength dispersive spectroscopy, WDS) analysis. The Raman spectroscopy research focused on the low wavenumber and uranyl stretching vibration regions. Vibration bands down to 50 cm(-1) were tentatively assigned. The U-O bond lengths were calculated based on empirical relations. Inferred values are consistent with those obtained from the crystal structure analysis of synthetic zippeite. Number of bands was interpreted on the basis of factor group analysis.

The assessment of intracranial bleeding with virtual unenhanced imaging by means of dual-energy CT angiography.

The purpose of this study was to assess virtual unenhanced brain computed tomography (CT) images obtained by dual-energy CT angiography (CTA) for the detection of intracranial bleeding. In total, 25 patients were included in the study (average age 53.2 years, range 25-75 years, 14 male, 11 female), all with intracranial bleeding on unenhanced brain CT and who underwent additional CTA performed on a dual-source CT in a dual-energy acquisition mode. The two X-ray tubes were operated at 140 and 80 kV, respectively. Data were analyzed using dual-energy evaluation software. Virtual unenhanced images were calculated by removing the relative iodine content from each voxel. The virtual unenhanced images were evaluated by a radiologist blinded to the findings of the conventional images related to the presence of intracranial bleeding. The image quality and contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) between bleeding and brain tissue were assessed. The virtual image quality was found to be sufficient in 96%. The agreement in detection of intracranial bleeding on virtual and conventional unenhanced images reached 96% in per-lesion analysis and 100% in per-patient analysis. The averaged CNR reached 2.63 in virtual unenhanced images and 3.27 in conventional. Virtual unenhanced images are sufficient for the detection of intracranial bleeding.

Ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysms - university center experience.

OBJECTIVES: Mortality of ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm (RAAA) is still very high. Various factors contribute to the patients' mortality. Some of them could be affected. Therefore, we evaluate the main factors of mortality of patients with RAAA who were operated on at our University Vascular Center. METHODS: Univariate and multivariate analysis of various factors associated with RAAA was performed in the group of 182 patients operated on for RAAA between 1 January 1992 and 1 September 2005. RESULTS: The 30-day mortality rate was 33.5%. The main factors of mortality were: misdiagnosis, cardiopulmocerebral resuscitation (CPCR) on admission, configuration of RAAA (P<0.001), number of blood transfusions, hypotension on admission (P<0.0001) and duration of operation, type of reconstruction and hypertension in anamnesis (P<0.01). Important factors (P<0.05) of postoperative mortality were also low hemoglobin level on admission, abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) diameter and ischemic heart disease in anamnesis. The probability of patient's death is the highest (P<0.003), if factors like CPCR, number of blood transfusions and aneurysm diameter are combined (multivariate analysis, stepwise method). CONCLUSIONS: The early detection and elective treatment of AAA, the regular dispensarization of patients with small AAA especially hypertonics, the correct diagnosis of RAAA without time delay are the best tools for patients' survival. The survival of patients with RAAA increases with a highly trained and experienced vascular team in a high volume vascular center.