[Clinical manifestations of the onset and diagnostic problems in children with moyamoya disease].

Moyamoya disease in children is a rarely diagnosed entity. Frequent headache is the first symptom of the disease. Headache associated with moya-moya disease (HAMD) is a separated entity reported in the literature. Variants of onset, a spectrum of primary diagnoses and diagnosis verification rate of moyamoya disease in 7 children are presented. A clinical case of moya-moya disease in a 9-year boy, who was primarily diagnosed with migraine with aura, is reported. The results presented by the authors as well as literature data indicate the necessity of using magnetic-resonance angiography in children with headache attacks and focal neurologic symptoms to identify this progressive vascular pathology and timely recommend a surgical treatment.

[Abundance and activity of microorganisms at the water-sediment interface and their effect on the carbon isotopic composition of suspended organic matter and sediments of the Kara Sea].

At ten stations of the meridian profile in the eastern Kara Sea from the Yenisei estuary through the shallow shelf and further through the St. Anna trough, total microbial numbers (TMN) determined by direct counting, total activity of the microbial community determined by dark CO2 assimilation (DCA), and the carbon isotopic composition of organic matter in suspension and upper sediment horizons (δ13C, per thousand) were investigated. Three horizons were studied in detail: (1) the near-bottom water layer (20-30 cm above the sediment); (2) the uppermost, strongly hydrated sediment horizon, further termed warp (5-10 mm); and (3) the upper sediment horizon (1-5 cm). Due to decrease in the amount of isotopically light carbon of terrigenous origin with increasing distance from the Yenisei estuary, the TMN and DCA values decreased, and the δ13C changed gradually from -29.7 to -23.9 per thousand. At most stations, a noticeable decrease in TMN and DCA values with depth was observed in the water column, while the carbon isotopic composition of suspended organic matter did not change significantly. Considerable changes of all parameters were detected in the interface zone: TMN and DCA increased in the sediments compared to their values in near-bottom water, while the 13C content increased significantly, with δ13C of organic matter in the sediments being at some stations 3.5- 4.0 per thousand higher than in the near-bottom water. Due to insufficient illumination in the near-bottom zone, newly formed isotopically heavy organic matter (δ13C(-) -20 per thousand) could not be formed by photosynthesis, active growth of chemoautotrophic microorganisms in this zone is suggested, which may use reduced sulfur, nitrogen, and carbon compounds diffusing from anaerobic sediments. High DCA values for the interface zone samples confirm this hypothesis. Moreover, neutrophilic sulfur-oxidizing bacteria were retrieved from the samples of this zone.

[Regulation of geochemical activity of microorganisms in a petroleum reservoir by injection of H2O2 or water-air mixture].

In the course of pilot trials of biotechnologies for the enhancement of oil recovery in the Gangxi bed of the Dagang oil field (China), microbiological processes were investigated. The biotechnologies were based on injection into the petroleum reservoir of different oxygen sources (H2O2 solution or a water-air mixture) with nitrogen and phosphorus salts. The injection of water-air mixture with nitrogen and phosphorus salts resulted in an increase in the number of aerobic and anaerobic organotrophic bacteria, rates of sulfate reduction and methanogenesis in formation water and also the content of CO2 (from 4.8-12 to 15-23.2%) and methane (from 86-88 to 91.8%) in the gas. The preferential consumption of isotopically light bicarbonate by methanogens resulted in a higher content of the light 12C in methane; the delta13C/CH4 value changed from -45.1...-48.3 to -50.7...-59.3 per thousand). At the same time, mineral carbonates of the formation water became isotopically heavier; the delta13C/Sigmacarbonates value increased from 3.4...4.0 to 5.4...9.6 per thousand. Growth of hydrocarbon-oxidizing bacteria was accompanied by production of biosurfactants and decreased interfacial tension of formation water. Injection of H2O2 solution resulted in the activation of aerobic processes and in suppression of both sulfate reduction and methanogenesis. Methane content in the gas decreased from 86-88 to 75.4-79.8%, probably due to its consumption by methanotrophs. Due to consumption of isotopically light methane, the residual methane carbon became heavier, with the delta13C/CH4 values from -39.0 to -44.3 per thousand. At the same time, mineral carbonates of the formation water became isotopically considerably lighter; the delta13C/Sigmacarbonates value decreased from 5.4... 9.6 to -1.4...2.7 per thousand). The additional amount of oil recovered during the trial of both variants of biotechnological treatment was 3819 t.

[Application of 13C mineral carbon for assessment of the primary production of organic matter in aquatic environments].

The possibility of measuring the rates of light and dark CO2 assimilation using 13C carbonate was demonstrated on Lake Kichier (Marii El). The application of methods utilizing the stable 13C and the radioactive 14C isotopes resulted in comparable values of the rates of light and dark CO2 fixation. Due to its absolute environmental safety, the method with 13C mineral carbon can be recommended as an alternative to radioisotope methods for qualitative measurements of CO2 fixation rates in aquatic ecosystems.

[Biological fractionation of stable carbon isotopes at the aerobic/anaerobic water interface of meromictic water bodies].

Mass-spectrometric investigation of carbon isotope composition (delta13C) was carried out for suspended organic matter and dissolved mineral compounds for the water column of some meromictic water bodies differing in salinity and trophic state. As a rule, a more pronounced carbon isotope fractionation (resulting from the metabolism of phytoplankton and anoxygenic phototrophic bacteria) was revealed in the zones of enhanced oxygenic and anoxygenic photosynthesis. Carbon isotope fractionation at the border between oxidized and reduced waters depends both on the activity of microbial communities and on the dominant species of phototrophic microorganisms. Analysis of the distribution profiles of the isotopic composition of suspended organic matter and dissolved mineral carbon revealed active mineralization of the organic matter newly formed via anoxygenic photosynthesis in the monimolimnion by microbial communities, resulting in the release of isotopically light carbon dioxide. Mineral carbon in the anaerobic zones of highly productive meromictic water bodies is therefore enriched with the light 12C isotope.