Interspecific distribution and co-associations of chemical elements in the liver tissue of marine mammals from the Polish Economical Exclusive Zone, Baltic Sea.

Concentrations of Al, B, Ba, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Ga, Hg, Li, Mn, Mo, Ni, Pb, Se, Si, Sr, Tl, V, Zn, Ca, K, Mg, Na and P in the livers of marine mammals obtained from by-catches or stranded on beaches on the Polish Baltic coast were determined by ICP-MS or ICP-AES and CV AAS. Interspecific diversity with respect to the contents of these elements was found in cetaceans and pinnipeds. The diverse Cd contents in the livers of these mammals can be attributed to the variable concentrations of this element in their food. Mercury was correlated with age and can reach high concentration associated with higher level of Se in older specimens. No significant relationships were found between concentration of the chemical elements studied and nutritional status/condition of the Baltic harbour porpoises as well as between their concentration in specimens from the Gulf of Gdansk and open Baltic. It seems that the nutritional and health status of the specimens studied is generally enough good since the specimens studied were not stranded on beach because of starvation but almost incidentally caught in salmon gill nets. Strong correlations were found between the macroelements analysed, i.e. for the Ba-Ca-Sr, Ca-K, Ca-Mg, Mg-P, Zn-Mg and Zn-P assemblies. Significantly higher content of Al was found in males of harbour porpoises.

Intercomparison studies on distribution and coassociations of heavy metals in liver, kidney, and muscle of harbor porpoise, Phocoena phocoena, from southern Baltic Sea and coastal waters of Denmark and Greenland.

The concentrations of selected metals such as Cd, Pb, Cu, Zn, Cr, Ni, Mn, and Fe were determined in liver, kidney, and muscle of harbor porpoise (Phocoena phocoena) from three geographical regions, i.e., the Baltic Sea and Danish and Greenland coastal waters. The concentrations of Cd in liver and kidney increased with age of the specimens analyzed. Significant interspatial variations in both hepatic and renal levels of Cd were also observed. Average hepatic levels of Cd in Baltic, Danish, and Greenland specimens were (age range) 0.05-0.09, 0.12-0.25, and 20.6-51.6 microg g(-1) dry weight, respectively. Such values for renal Cd were as follows: 0.55-0.71, 0.14-1.84, and 0.55-94.3 microg g(-1) dry weight. In contrast to Cd, concentrations of Cu in the liver and kidney of specimens from Baltic, Danish, and Greenland areas did not indicate such great interspatial variability. The average hepatic values amounted to (age range) 14.1-15.5, 22.1-63.6, and 16.3-25.9 microg g(-1) dry weight, and kidney contained on the average 7.83-8.80, 11.7-16.2, and 11.1-15.7 microg Cu g(-1) dry weight, respectively. The higher levels of hepatic and renal Cd in Greenland specimens than in Baltic ones could be explained by different food composition in the area studied. Baltic porpoises mainly feed on fish (cod, plaice) containing extremely low levels of muscle Cd, but an important diet component of Greenlandic individuals is squid, characterized by elevated levels of Cd.

Bioaccumulation of selected trace elements in lung nematodes, Pseudalius inflexus, of harbor porpoise (Phocoena phocoena) in a Polish zone of the Baltic Sea.

Concentrations of Cd, Pb, Cu, Zn, Cr, Co, Ni, Mn and Fe were determined by AAS in lung nematodes and their host organ of harbor porpoise in the Polish zone of the Baltic Sea. Correlation coefficients computed for all element pairs indicate significant co-associations between concentrations of Zn and Mn as well as Mn and Fe in P. inflexus and the host organ, and for the pair Cu-Cr in the parasite. Based on both concentration and discrimination factors it is well documented that the metals studied, especially Fe, Mn and Zn are bioaccumulated in P. inflexus with respect to the host lung, showing significant inter-specimen variations.

Congener-specific data on polychlorinated biphenyls in tissues of common porpoise from Puck Bay, Baltic Sea.

Individual congeners of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), including the highly toxic non-ortho coplanar 3,3',4,4'-tetrachlorobiphenyl (IUPAC No. 77), 3,3',4,4',5-pentachlorobiphenyl (IUPAC No. 126), and 3,3',4,4',5,5'-hexachlorobiphenyl (IUPAC No. 169), and their mono- and di-ortho analogs, have been identified and quantified in the blubber, liver, and muscles of three female common porpoise Phocoena phocoena collected from the Puck Bay (inner Gulf of Gdansk, Poland) in 1989-1990, to elucidate actual concentrations and toxic potential. The total 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin toxic equivalent for 13 coplanar PCBs in blubber was 1,500 +/- 470 pg/g wet wt. 2,3',4,4',5-Pentachlorobiphenyl (IUPAC No. 118) was the most contributing individual and occupied between 57 and 67% in total toxic equivalent of coplanar PCBs in blubber, while 2,2',4,4',5,5'-hexachlorobiphenyl (IUPAC No. 153), 2,3,3',4,4'-pentachlorobiphenyl (IUPAC No. 105) and 2,2',3,4,4',5'-hexachlorobiphenyl (IUPAC No. 138) comprised between 9.5-14, 7.6-11.5, and 7.2-11.0%, respectively (totally 82-95%), and 2,3,3',4,4',5-hexachlorobiphenyl (IUPAC No. 156) was absent. A potentially most toxic non-ortho PCB members such as 3,3',4,4',5-pentachlorobiphenyl, 3,3',4,4',5,5'-hexachlorobiphenyl and 3,3',4,4'-tetrachlorobiphenyl were only minor contributors, altogether occupying between 1.0 and 14.5% in total TEQ of coplanar PCBs. Concentrations of total PCBs in lipids of the blubber ranged from 26 to 47 micrograms/g and were comparable or lower than reported earlier for common porpoises from the Baltic Sea, North Sea, and North Atlantic by other authors.

Surgical management of abdominal aortic aneurysms in Poland. A multi-centre study.

Abdominal aortic aneurysm resections were performed on 941 patients between 1987 and 1991 in nine selected university vascular units in Poland. The aim of the study was (1) to determine how grave the problem of abdominal aortic aneurysms is in the main vascular centres in our country, (2) to evaluate the methods of management, (3) to trace the most common postoperative complications, and (4) to estimate results. Hospital mortality rate for 730 elective and urgent resections was 8.2%. The emergency resection mortality rate for ruptured aneurysm was 60.2%. The most common postoperative general complications were: cardiac (178-18.9%), pulmonary (76-8.1%), renal failure (58-6.2%) and cerebrovascular accidents (23-2.4%). The postoperative local complications (113) occurred in 87 (9.2%) patients. The most common were: colon ischemia (22-3.5%), haemorrhage (30-3.2%), acute graft occlusion (22-2.3) and peripheral embolism (19-2%). Sixty-five patients required early reoperation undergoing a total of 74 additional operative procedures. The local complications occurring in analysed material significantly influenced the results. Mortality in reoperated patients was almost twice as high as among those not reoperated (p < 0.01). Analysis of the material revealed no differences in the obtained results of aneurysm surgery in the succeeding years of our study, when expecting improvement in the last years. The cause of this could be treatment of more high risk patients. The absolute number of patients with abdominal aortic aneurysms referred to the unit influenced results.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)