Hydrological environment affects the nutrient retention and runoff function of naturally re-wetted agricultural peatland in lowland river floodplain.

Re-wetting of agricultural areas reclaimed by draining peatlands reportedly entails risks of nutrient loads downstream because of leaching of dissolved nutrients from pools in the soil. On floodplain fens, nutrient retention and runoff function have been recognized as dependent upon the hydrological environments of re-wetted agricultural peatland (RAP). Although many studies have been conducted for artificially re-wetted agricultural peatlands (artificial RAPs), knowledge on naturally re-wetted agricultural peatlands (natural RAPs) has been lacking. This study assessed the natural re-wetting of agricultural areas in floodplain fens in terms of risks of nutrient loading in the basin of Kushiro Mire, northern Japan. Flooding of the adjacent river caused by heavy rainfall remarkably increased the water flow, and the inflow and outflow fluxes of nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) of a test plot in the natural RAP. Flood waters supplied mainly inorganic nutrients to the test plot, including NO3-N and PO4-P. Larger amounts of dissolved organic N and P, NH4-N, and PO4-P that had accumulated in surface water and surface groundwater in the plot flowed out. Consequently, the test plot represented net runoff of 3 and 0.4 mg m-2 day-1 as total N and total P, respectively, for the average of the whole observation period. The test plot was a source of N loading downstream, which was contrary to results obtained for artificial RAPs in many studies. However, the test plot showed a smaller amount of net phosphorus runoff. Our findings suggest that water level fluctuation and river flood water inflow affect the nutrient retention and runoff functions of RAPs. Repeated inundated and dried conditions, with no continuous inflow of river water, explain the nutrient runoff in the test plot.

Long-term complications of laparoscopic ventral and incisional hernia repair.

To date, there have been no long-term follow-up studies of the results of laparoscopic ventral and incisional hernia repair. We evaluated the long-term complications of these repairs over a mean follow-up period of 64 months. Between March 1993 and April 2000, we retrospectively evaluated 9 patients who underwent ventral or incisional hernia repair with prosthetic material and one patient who received laparoscopic primary closure of a hernia defect. The prosthetic material polypropylene was used in one patient and an expanded-polytetrafluoroethylene patch was used in the other 8. In one patient, the hernia was closed directly. In 7 patients, the prosthesis was fixed by stapling or tacking with no transfacial suture fixation and a 2-cm prosthesis overlap. In 2 later patients, we modified our technique by fixing the prosthesis by stapling or tacking with transfacial suture fixation and using prosthesis overlap of more than 3 cm. There were 2 episodes of hernia recurrence (20%), one of which required reoperation. Both occurred in patients in whom we used the unmodified repair technique. One of the patients in whom we used the unmodified technique developed a seroma which resolved spontaneously without antibiotic therapy. One patient in whom we used the modified technique developed infection (10%) requiring removal of the prosthetic material. The 2 episodes of hernia recurrence occurred 40 months after laparoscopic treatment, and the case of infection occurred 11 months after treatment. There were no episodes of recurrence in patients who received the unmodified surgery and had hernia defects less than 42 cm2. To perform safe and effective laparoscopic repair of ventral or incisional hernias, it is necessary to use a prosthetic overlap of more than 3 cm from the edge of the hernia gate and to use transfacial suture fixation with nonabsorbable sutures. In addition, patients who undergo laparoscopic ventral or incisional hernia repair should be observed for more than 5 years.

[Two cases of recurrent breast cancer successfully treated with paclitaxel weekly therapy].

The patients were a 57-year-old and a 38-year-old woman who had supraclavicular lymph node and multiple lung metastases from breast cancer. They were given 3 and 4 courses of paclitaxel (TXL) weekly therapy (80 mg/m2, day 1, 8, 15, repeated every 4 weeks). One patient had received docetaxel (TXT) and CEF therapy previously. There were no severe adverse effects except leukopenia, neutropenia and alopecia. The weekly TXL therapy brought complete remission against the supraclavicular lymph node and multiple lung metastases. The durations of the response to this weekly therapy were 15 and 5 months, respectively, and their effects have continued to the present. We believe that the weekly TXL therapy is a well-tolerated, feasible and safe administration schedule on an outpatient basis, and improves the patient's quality of life. Furthermore, we suggest the possibility of TXL being effective against both TXT and anthracycline-resistant breast cancer.