Differing responses of the estuarine bivalve Limecola balthica to lowered water pH caused by potential CO2 leaks from a sub-seabed storage site in the Baltic Sea: An experimental study.

Sub-Seabed CCS is regarded as a key technology for the reduction of CO2 emissions, but little is known about the mechanisms through which leakages from storage sites impact benthic species. In this study, the biological responses of the infaunal bivalve Limecola balthica to CO2-induced seawater acidification (pH7.7, 7.0, and 6.3) were quantified in 56-day mesocosm experiments. Increased water acidity caused changes in behavioral and physiological traits, but even the most acidic conditions did not prove to be fatal. In response to hypercapnia, the bivalves approached the sediment surface and increased respiration rates. Lower seawater pH reduced shell weight and growth, while it simultaneously increased soft tissue weight; this places L. balthica in a somewhat unique position among marine invertebrates.

Some markers of neuronal damage in cerebrospinal fluid of multiple sclerosis patients in relapse.

In this paper the performance of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) protein biomarkers important for monitoring damage of brain astrocytes and neurons for MS is reviewed. We estimated neurofilament, tau and phospho-tau proteins, ß-APP, Aß, S-100B and neuron-specific enolase in CSF of MS patients during relapse. We noted elevation of neurofilament, tau and phospho-tau proteins, S-100B, neuron-specific enolase and c-terminal epitopes of ß-APP; concomitantly decrease of Aß was observed. These CSF biomarkers for MS relapse should reflect the central pathogenic processes in the brain, i.e., axonal and neuronal degeneration.

Level of health education among neurological patients.

The task of health education is to develop health-promoting attitudes. The training of neurological patients and their families on how to care for own health and cope with the disease is a primary task of a nurse. The aim of the study, carried out among neurological patients, was to evaluate the effectiveness of health education. The study covered 60 patients. The following components of health education were examined: life style, the technique of the measurement selected variables of arterial blood pressure, calculation of the BMI index, determination of the lipids level, demand for calories, control of life functions of the body, procedures in selected pathological symptoms in order to reduce their consequences and prevent complications. Health education activities resulted in a considerable improvement in the patients' state of knowledge and skills. In general, the percentage of patients who represented the proper level of health education was 26.5% during the first stage of the study, and 64.2% during the second stage, i.e. a two-fold increase was observed.