Environmental evidence of fossil fuel pollution in Laguna Chica de San Pedro lake sediments (Central Chile).

This paper describes lake sediment spheroidal carbonaceous particle (SCP) profiles from Laguna Chica San Pedro, located in the Biobío Region, Chile (36 degrees 51' S, 73 degrees 05' W). The earliest presence of SCPs was found at 16 cm depth, corresponding to the 1915-1937 period, at the very onset of industrial activities in the study area. No SCPs were found at lower depths. SCP concentrations in Laguna Chica San Pedro lake sediments were directly related to local industrial activities. Moreover, no SCPs were found in Galletué lake (38 degrees 41' S, 71 degrees 17.5' W), a pristine high mountain water body used here as a reference site, suggesting that contribution from long distance atmospheric transport could be neglected, unlike published data from remote Northern Hemisphere lakes. These results are the first SCP sediment profiles from Chile, showing a direct relationship with fossil fuel consumption in the region. Cores were dated using the 210Pb technique.

Effects of chronic toluene inhalation on avoidance conditioned behavior in rats.

Thirty-two Wistar albino rats were distributed at random in a factorial design 2 x 2, with two age groups (20 and 90 days old), and two treatments (chronically exposed to toluene vapors 30,000-40,000 ppm in air/15 minutes per day for 30 days, and controls with only air). Twenty-four hours after the last exposure, the rats were tested for conditioned behavior in a "T" maze of avoidance electric shock. Latency of initial response to escape (LIRE) and latency of escape (LE) were measured in seconds. Adult rats both exposed to chronic toluene inhalation and non-exposed showed higher values of LIRE and LE with respect young rats. Animals exposed to chronic toluene inhalation also presented higher values of latency in both LIRE and LE when compared to non-exposed to toluene (controls) of the same age. The differences were evaluated by Friedman's test. The findings are suggestive of brain dysfunction associated with chronic toluene inhalation, and may represent a delay to respond to a displeasure stimulus probably due to defect of internal mechanisms of facilitation-inhibition of neural impulses, mediated by neurotransmitters.

[Study, treatment and follow-up of 379 patients with urinary tract lithiasis]. / Estudio, tratamiento y seguimiento de 379 pacientes con litiasis del aparato urinario.

Between May 1988 and December 1989, 369 patients were seen at our lithiasis unit. During that time the Unit had neither "percutaneous nephroscope" nor "ureterorenoscope". Twenty-three percent of the patients were not susceptible to therapy either due to spontaneous extrusion of their lithiasis or because it was not considered indicated. Of the remaining 77% (296 cases) 94.5% were referred for extracorporeal lithotrity with shock waves, of which 89.8 were monotherapy and 4.7% a combination with other strategies (medico-lithic, surgical, endoscopic extrusion). At the time of collecting the results, 216 patients had undergone some treatment. In those receiving shock waves, an EDAP piezoelectric lithotripter was used in 19.9% and a HM3-Dornier in 80% of the cases. Taking into consideration the overall resulted from last examination of each patient, 67% were free from lithiasic residues, 25% had residues under 4 mm, and 7.7% residues over 4 mm. 19.4% of the patients developed some kind of complication and 9 patients had to be admitted to hospital.

[Brucellar orchitis with abscess]. / Orquitis brucelosa abscesificada.

A clinical case of orchitis with brucellosis etiology is presented. Testicular symptomatology appeared from the beginning of the brucellosis's general clinical picture. It envolved painfully and increased the testicular size, with no mictional symptoms, expanding progressively in spite of specific brucellosis therapy given from the beginning, towards formation of an intratesticular abscess which required orchiectomy, a way of progression we have not found in the related literature. The main differential diagnosis must be done with tuberculosis orchitis. Since our country had the largest incidence of brucellosis in Europe, and it is possible that in many cases a orchiepididymarial condition can become apparent in the initial phases, this is an etiology that should be taken into account among specific orchiepididymitis.