Persistent mercury hot spot in Central Europe and Skalka Dam reservoir as a long-term mercury trap.

This study aimed to evaluate the relevance of the floodplain pollution sinks of the legacy mercury (Hg) hot spot in Kössein-Röslau river system (east Bavaria, Germany) for further mobilisation and fluvial transport of mercury in suspended particulate matter (SPM), as an important transport medium of Hg in aquatic systems. The channel belt fluvial erosion as the secondary pollution pathway was also considered. The hot spot has originated from the production of Hg compounds such as C2H5HgCN and C6H5HgCl in Chemical Factory Marktredwitz, and even more than 30 years after the factory abandonment, the Kössein and the Röslau rivers still export polluted fine grained SPM (median 25-35 µm) with mean annual concentrations of 17.4 mg/kg. SPM sampling was performed by floating samplers, supported by floodplain drill cores and by recent channel sediments manually collected along the polluted rivers further. Based on long-term monitoring data set from state enterprise Povodí Ohre, fish in the Skalka Reservoir have had Hg concentrations in their muscles up to 6 mg/kg for at least the last 14 years, exceeding the European maximal limit of 0.5 mg/Hg/kg. In addition, the Hg inventory in the Kössein-Röslau river stretches was therefore calculated; it produced an estimate of ca. 21 t Hg in a 22-km-long channel belt, prone to fluvial remobilisation during floods. Although a major portion of the fluvially transported Hg has yet been trapped by the Skalka Reservoir, the Hg content in the SPM exported farther downstream still varies between 2 and 10 mg/kg Hg. Due to the considerable Hg inventory in the Kössein-Röslau rivers, an improvement will not occur downstream unless specific measures target the secondary pollution mechanism(s).

[The injury of bladder without penetrate during the TVT surgery for stress incontinence]. / Nepenetrující poranení mocového mechýre pri antiinkontinencní operaci (TVT).

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this article is alert to possibile of non-penetrating injury of bladder and risk of extraperitoneal bleeding during the TVT surgery when the tape is inserted by retropubic path. This type of injury can't be find by cystoscopy and there can be a serious blood loss in to the interstitial space. According this fact, there is a great importance of this injury and there is an urgent need to prompt reaction on this situation. In this way, we do prevent serious risk of health damage. DESIGN: Case report. SETTING: Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, 3rd Faculty of Medicine, Charles University, Faculty Hospital Královské Vinohrady, Prague. METHODS: The different authors presents various percentage of complications in the case of TVT surgery. The differences follow from size of patient´s group, type of surgical procedure, type of the tape and the way of tape insertion. Nevertheless, differences between these results are statistically nonsignificant. CONCLUSIONS: The operation´s complications and early after operation´s complications can arise in the course of any surgery and iatrogenic complications also belong to this group. Minimally invasive surgery is certainly make not an exception. The most often signs of these complications are abdominal pain, presence of blood in urine, anemia, malfunction of bladder and possible breakdown of intestinal activity. If the conservative methods failed, we have to perform operating inspection. The cooperation with surgeon or urologist is certainly needed.

[Long-term outcome of catheter ablation therapy of supraventricular tachyarrhythmias]. / Dlouhodobé výsledky katetrizacní ablacní lécby u supraventrikulárních tachyarytmií.

AIM: The aim of the article is presentation of our results and experiences with radiofrequency catheter ablation (CA) in the therapy of supraventricular tachyarrhythmias. PATIENTS AND METHODS: From 1996 to 2009, 1 485 patients underwent CA (total procedure number - 1 627). The group consist of 772 patients with paroxysmal atrioventricular nodal reentry tachycardia (AVNRT): 484 women, mean age 50.3 +/- 16.4 years; 312 patients with atrioventricular reentry tachycardia (AVRT): 145 women, mean age 40.1 +/- 14.9 years; 391 patients with typical atrial flutter (AF): 96 women, mean age 61.6 +/- 11 years; and 64 patients with atrial tachycardia (AT): 35 women, mean age 53.6 +/- 14.2 years, focal AT 33, macroreentrant AT 31. CA was performed for more than one type of arrhythmia in 54 patients. RESULTS: Acute ablation success was achieved in 98.7% of patients with AVNRT, 94.6% of patients with AVRT, 97.7% of patients with AF, and 81.3% of patients with AT. Serious procedure complications occurred in 22 patients (1.4%). The recurrence rate was 1.8-12.5%. 88 patients underwent successful reablation procedure. Long-term ablation success was achieved in 89-99% of patients depending on the different type of arrhythmia. During the long-term follow-up (mean 73 +/- 38 months) died 23 patients, the most common cause of death was malignancy (9 patients). CONCLUSION: Our long-term experience and good results documented high success rate and safety of radiofrequency catheter ablation in the therapy of patients with supraventricular tachyarrhythmias.

Genetic transformation of cowpea (Vigna unguiculata L.) and stable transmission of the transgenes to progeny.

Cowpeas are nutritious grains that provide the main source of protein, highly digestible energy and vitamins to some of the world's poorest people. The demand for cowpeas is high but yields remain critically low, largely because of insect pests. Cowpea germplasm contains little or no resistance to major insect pests and a gene technology approach to adding insect protection traits is now a high priority. We have adapted features of several legume and other transformation systems and reproducibly obtained transgenic cowpeas that obey Mendelian rules in transmitting the transgene to their progeny. Critical parameters in this transformation system include the choice of cotyledonary nodes from developing or mature seeds as explants and a tissue culture medium devoid of auxins in the early stages, but including the cytokinin BAP at low levels during shoot initiation and elongation. Addition of thiol-compounds during infection and co-culture with Agrobacterium and the choice of the bar gene for selection with phosphinothricin were also important. Transgenic cowpeas that transmit the transgenes to their progeny can be recovered at a rate of one fertile plant per thousand explants. These results pave the way for the introduction of new traits into cowpea and the first genes to be trialled will include those with potential to protect against insect pests.