Determination of 226Ra Contamination Depth Around Phosphogypsum Pit Using In-Situ Gamma Spectrometer.

The feasibility of applying multiple photopeak method (MPM) and peak to valley ratio (PVRM) method to determine Radium-226 contamination depth (226Ra hc) has been investigated. Gamma spectra in eight positions around phosphogypsum disposal pit has been measured using portable NaI(Tl) gamma spectrometer. MPM was investigated by calculating the ratio [Formula: see text] of 609 keV gamma line net counts to the corresponding value of 352 keV. PVRM was investigated by calculating the ratio [Formula: see text] of net counts of 609 keV gamma line to the corresponding valley counts. 226Ra hc in the positions has been determined using traditional soil coring. It was found that, [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] have good linear correlations with 226Ra hcTherefore, 226Ra hc can be determined by MPM and PVRM. These methods save a lot of time, costs and efforts in comparison with the traditional one.

Assessment of soil contamination by (210)Po and (210)Pb around heavy oil and natural gas fired power plants.

Soil contamination by (210)Pb and (210)Po around heavy oil and natural gas power plants has been investigated; fly and bottom ash containing enhanced levels of (210)Pb and (210)Po were found to be the main source of surface soil contamination. The results showed that (210)Pb and (210)Po in fly-ash (economizer, superheater) is highly enriched with (210)Pb and (210)Po, while bottom-ash (boiler) is depleted. The highest (210)Pb and (210)Po activity concentrations were found to be in economizer ash, whereas the lowest activity concentration was in the recirculator ash. On the other hand, (210)Pb and (210)Po activity concentrations in soil samples were found to be higher inside the plant site area than those samples collected from surrounding areas. The highest levels were found in the vicinity of Mhardeh and Tishreen power plants; both plants are operated by heavy oil and natural fuels, while the lowest values were found to be in those samples collected from Nasrieh power plant, which is only operated by one type of fuel, viz. natural gas. In addition, the levels of surface soil contamination have decreased as the distance from the power plant site center increased.

Cultural identity, clothing and common mental disorder: a prospective school-based study of white British and Bangladeshi adolescents.

OBJECTIVE: Cultural integration is the healthiest outcome for young people living in multicultural societies. This paper investigates the influence of different cultural identities on the risk of common mental disorders among Bangladeshi and white British pupils. DESIGN: The cultural identity of 11-14-year-old school pupils was assessed by their preferences for friends and clothes of their own or other cultural groups; using this information pupils were classified into traditional, integrated, assimilated or marginalised groups. We undertook prospective analyses of cultural identity and its impacts on the later mental health of young people. SETTING: East London. PARTICIPANTS: In 2001, white British (573) and Bangladeshi (682) school pupils from a representative sample of schools completed a self-report questionnaire that assessed their cultural, social and health characteristics. In 2003, 383 white British and 517 Bangladeshi pupils were resurveyed and completed measures of mental health. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: Strengths and difficulties questionnaire. RESULTS: Bangladeshi pupils preferring clothes from their own cultural group (traditional clothing) were less likely to have later mental health problems when compared with Bangladeshi pupils showing an equal preference for clothing from their own and other cultures (integrated clothing; odds ratio (OR) 0.3, 95% CI 0.1 to 0.9). In gender-specific analyses, this finding was sustained only among Bangladeshi girls (OR 0.1, 95% CI 0.1 to 0.7). Integrated clothing choices were least risky only for white British adolescents. Friendship choices showed no prospective associations with later mental health problems. CONCLUSIONS: Cultural identity, expressed by clothing preferences, influences mental health; the effects differ by gender and ethnic group.

Comparison of six-month outcome of coronary artery stenting in patients <65, 65-75, and >75 years of age.

We studied 1,238 patients receiving 1,880 coronary stents. In-hospital outcomes were divided by age into <65 years (n = 747, group 1), 65 to 75 years (n = 326, group 2), and >75 years (n = 165, group 3). Procedural success was 97.2%, 95.1%, and 98.8% in groups 1, 2, and 3, respectively (p = NS). There was 1 death (group 1). Myocardial infarction occurred in 1.2%, 2.8%, and 1.8%, bypass surgery occurred in 0.9%, 1.8%, and 1.2%, and repeat balloon angioplasty in 0.3%, 0.6%, and 0% of patients in groups 1, 2, and 3, respectively (p = NS for all comparisons). Vascular complications occurred in 2.8%, 4.9%, and 6.1% in groups 1, 2, and 3, respectively (p <0.05). Six-month follow-up of patients was divided by age: <65 years (n = 564, group 1); 65 to 75 years (n = 221, group 2); and >75 years (n = 122, group 3). Event-free survival was 94.5%, 90.5%, and 89.3% for groups 1, 2, and 3, respectively (p = NS). Death occurred in 0.4%, 0.5%, and 1.6%; myocardial infarction occurred in 1.2%, 2.3%, and 1.6%, and target vessel revascularization in 4.3%, 8.6%, and 7.4% for groups 1, 2, and 3, respectively (p = NS for all comparisons). Thus, coronary stenting produced favorable in-hospital and 6-month outcomes in all 3 age groups. Age itself should not preclude patients from undergoing coronary stenting.

Group A beta-haemolytic streptococcal infection and Henoch-Schonlein purpura with cardiac, renal and neurological complications.

A 6-year-old girl had a group A beta-haemolytic streptococcal (GABS) throat infection and Henoch-Schonlein purpura (HSP). The clinical course was complicated by nephrotic syndrome due to crescentic glomerulonephritis, transient neurological symptoms due to focal ischaemia of the brain, and congestive cardiac failure due to myocarditis. The clinical presentation highlights the diversity of systemic involvement in HSP, the transient nature of apparently serious central nervous system involvement, and a possible role of GABS in its aetiology.

A comparison of left ventricular volumes and regurgitant fraction by Doppler echocardiography and angiography in children.

Regurgitant fraction calculations by echocardiography were compared to angiocardiography in 11 patients with mitral regurgitation. Although there was a very good correlation when compared with angiocardiography (r = 0.99, SEE: 6.26, P < 0.001), two-dimensional echocardiography underestimated left ventricular end-diastolic volumes (P < 0.05). The mean regurgitant fraction was 36.2 +/- 13.5% by echocardiography and 43.6 +/- 15.7% (P < 0.05) by angiography. Most of the variability in measuring the regurgitant fraction is attributed to the left ventricular volume measurements. In conclusion, regurgitant fraction calculations of mitral regurgitation by echocardiography compares favorably to angiography. Since the severity of mitral regurgitation is an important determinant of prognosis, quantification of the regurgitant fraction may be useful in the long term follow-up of those patients.

Factors associated with the development of persistently depressed cardiac output during the first year after cardiac transplantation.

The purpose of this study was to determine factors associated with the development of a persistently depressed cardiac output during the first year after cardiac transplantation. With this aim in mind, the records of 133 consecutive patients undergoing orthotopic cardiac transplantation and surviving for > or = 1 year after transplantation were reviewed. For each patient, the mean cardiac index for each of the 3-month periods, 0-3, 4-6, 7-9, and 10-12 months after transplantation was calculated. Of the 133 patients, 19 (14%) had a mean cardiac index < 2.4 l/min/m2 during > or = 3 of these 3-month periods. The pre- and post-transplantation clinical, immunologic, and hemodynamic data of these 19 patients (study group) were compared with the remaining 114 patients (control group). Compared with the control group, the patients in the study group were older (56 +/- 5 vs. 46 +/- 15 years; p = 0.0001), more frequently had ischemic heart disease as the original diagnosis (58 vs. 37%; p < 0.05), had a lower preoperative cardiac index (1.91 +/- 0.53 vs. 2.71 +/- 1.0 l/min/m2; p = 0.0001), more frequently did not receive perioperative anti-T cell therapy (47 vs. 25%; p = 0.046), and had a greater median number of infections during the first year after transplantation (5 vs. 3; p = 0.027). However, only one factor--a low preoperative cardiac index--emerged as an independent predictor of the development of a persistently depressed cardiac index during the first year after transplantation.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Acute hemodynamic effects of adjustable atrial septal defect closure in the lateral tunnel Fontan procedure.

OBJECTIVES: This study evaluated the acute hemodynamic changes with atrial septal defect closure in the postoperative period in patients undergoing the Fontan procedure. BACKGROUND: The adjustable atrial septal defect is a modification of the Fontan procedure designed to improve cardiac output and reduce systemic venous hypertension during the postoperative period. Limited information is available on the effects of inter-atrial shunting on the physiology of direct cavopulmonary connection. METHODS: In 11 patients (aged 9 months to 14.5 years), the atrial septal defect was closed 8 h to 4.6 days (mean 1.7 days) postoperatively. Indications for closure included mean right atrial pressure < 15 mm Hg or arterial oxygen saturation < 80%, or both. RESULTS: Data presented are mean values +/- 1 SD. Mean right atrial pressure was 13.4 +/- 3.0 mm Hg on admission to the intensive care unit, 10.0 +/- 2.0 mm Hg (p = 0.02) immediately before closure and 11.4 +/- 2.8 mm Hg (p = 0.02) after closure. There was a significant decrease in cardiac output, as calculated from arteriovenous oxygen saturation difference (26 +/- 9%, p = 0.003), Doppler aortic flow (19 +/- 9%, p = 0.0002) and ventricular volumes by two-dimensional echocardiography (20 +/- 8%, p = 0.0001). Arterial oxygen saturation increased from 82 +/- 5% to 94 +/- 4% (p = 0.0001), and arteriovenous oxygen saturation difference increased from 25 +/- 8% to 33 +/- 9% (p = 0.0001). Systemic oxygen delivery decreased from 727 +/- 354 to 655 +/- 325 ml/min per m2 (p = 0.02). One patient required reopening of the atrial septal defect. CONCLUSIONS: These data demonstrate that a controlled right to left atrial shunt improves cardiac output and systemic oxygen delivery and facilitates the postoperative management of patients after the Fontan procedure. Atrial septal defect closure increases systemic saturation to normal values and prevents potential systemic embolization but significantly decreases oxygen delivery and might limit exercise tolerance.

Stromal cell growth and blast colony-forming cells in AML bone marrow.

Bone marrow cells (BMC) from normal donors and from patients with acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) were cultured. Growth kinetics and the efficiency of stromal layers in supporting the adhesion of normal blast-colony forming cells (BL-CFCs) were studied. BMC from treated AML patients formed confluent stromal layers faster than normal BMCs. BL-CFC binding capacity of normal and AML stromal layers did not differ: on normal stromal layers 67.3-147, on AML stromal layers 63-117 colonies per 5 x 10(5) plastic non-adherent BMC were formed. The amount and/or binding capacity of BL-CFCs was found to be normal in two AML patients in complete remission, while a significantly reduced number and/or binding capacity of BL-CFCs was found in AML non-treated patients and in patients within 4 weeks after the last cytostatic course.

Growth kinetics and blast-colony forming cell binding capacity of aplastic anaemic stromal cells.

The kinetics of bone marrow cell growth and a special function of stromal cells (the capability of binding blast colony forming cells) were studied in patients with aplastic anaemia (AA). All 10 patients studied showed faster growth of bone marrow stromal cells. The time for a confluent stromal layer formation was 24.5 days for AA bone marrow as opposed to 33.0 days for normal bone marrow. This faster growth rate could also be observed if normal bone marrow cells, depleted of plastic non-adherent fraction, were plated, suggesting that at least one of the reasons for altered stromal cell growth kinetics in AA is the changes in the ratio of plastic adherent/non-adherent cells. Functionally, i.e. in supporting the growth of normal bone marrow blast colonies, AA stromal layers did not differ from that of normal stromal layers, independently of the clinical state of the disease (AA or SAA; in one patient before or after ATG treatment; in two patients after successful allogenic bone marrow transplantation). Moreover, in some AA patients this blast colony forming cell binding function of AA stromal layers could also be detected in samples cultured without hydrocortisone (i.e. in the absence of fat cells), suggesting that AA stroma also differs qualitatively from normal stroma without inducing a defective microenvironment for stem cell homing.

Growth kinetics and blast-colony forming cell binding capacity of stromal cells in various haematological malignancies.

Growth kinetics of bone marrow stromal layers from normal, AML, ALL and CML patients was studied. Significantly reduced time for confluency was observed in AML patients in complete remission, in CML patients in chronic phase, or CML patients after allogenic bone marrow transplantation. The functional capacity of these stromal layers did not differ: they all bound similar amounts of blast colony forming cells (BL-CFC) from normal bone marrow. The stromal layers from bone marrow transplanted patients varied in their BL-CFC binding capacity: two CML patients (10.5 and 49 months after transplantation) showed normal values, while two ALL patients (1.5 and 3 months, respectively, after transplantation) as well as one patient transplanted for CML (19.5 months after transplantation) showed significantly reduced BL-CFC binding capacity.