Radionuclide content of NORM by-products originating from the coal-fired power plant in Oroszlány (Hungary).

At the Thermal Power Plant in Oroszlány (Hungary), a huge amount of by-products have been produced since 1961. In this survey, coal and other by-products were examined (fly ash, bottom ash, fluidised bed bottom ash, gypsum and slurry-type ash). The natural isotopes were determined using an HPGe detector. It was found that the radionuclide content of coal was significantly lower ((226)Ra = 45.3±6.3, (232)Th = 26.3±5.7 and (40)K = 210±21 Bq kg(-1)) than that in the case of ashes other than the fluidised type. The average values of the bottom ash-deposited in the largest quantities-were three times higher than those for coal ((226)Ra = 144±18, (232)Th = 84.3±14 and (40)K = 260±25 Bq kg(-1)). In the case of fractionised bottom ash, the radionuclide content of <0.1 mm was 45 % higher than that of >1.6 mm and the massic radon exhalation of <0.1 mm was approximately four times higher than that above this range.

In vivo direct interaction of the antibiotic primycin on a Candida albicans clinical isolate and its ergosterol-less mutant.

Interaction of primycin antibiotic with plasma membrane, and its indirect biological effects were investigated in this study. The antifungal activity of primycin against 13 human pathogenic Candida ATCC and CBS reference species and 74 other Candida albicans clinical isolates was investigated with a microdilution technique. No primycin-resistant strain was detected. Direct interaction of primycin with the plasma membrane was demonstrated for the first time by using an ergosterol-producing strain 33erg+ and its ergosterol-less mutant erg-2. In growth inhibition tests, the 33erg+ strain proved to be more sensitive to primycin than its erg-2 mutant, indicating the importance of the plasma membrane composition in primycin-induced processes. The 64 µg ml-1 (56.8 nM) primycin treatment induced an enhanced membrane fluidity and altered plasma membrane dynamics, as measured by steady-state fluorescence anisotropy applying a trimethylammonium-diphenylhexatriene (TMA-DPH) fluorescence polarization probe. The following consequences were detected. The plasma membrane of the cells lost its barrier function, and the efflux of 260-nm-absorbing materials from treated cells of both strains was 1.5-1.8 times more than that for the control. Depending on the primycin concentration, the cells exhibited unipolar budding, pseudohyphae formation, and a rough cell surface visualized by scanning electron microscopy.

The development of an ePortfolio for life-long reflective learning and auditable professional certification.

Recent legislative changes, that affect all healthcare practitioners in New Zealand, have resulted in mandatory audits of practitioners who are now required to provide evidence of competence and continued professional development in the form of a professional portfolio. These changes were the motivation for our development of an electronic portfolio (ePortfolio) suitable for both undergraduate and life-long learning. Bachelor of Oral Health (BOH) students, studying to qualify as Dental Hygienists and Dental Therapists, and BOH teaching staff (who held registrations in Dental Hygiene, Dental Therapy and Dentistry) trialled the use of a personal ePortfolio for advancing their academic and professional development. The ePortfolio enables BOH students to collect evidence of their achievements and personal reflections throughout their 3 years of undergraduate study, culminating in registration and the award of an Annual Practising Certificate (APC). The ePortfolio was designed to allow users to store information and then select appropriate material to be displayed or published, thus assisting health practitioners to present high-quality evidence of their participation and achievements, and to meet the professional requirements for their APC.

[Pulsed Neodimium-Yag laser in the management of ureteral calculi]. / Pulzáló Neodimium-Yag lézer az uréterkövek kezelésében.

The authors report their experience with the laser smashing of 105 ureteral calculi between Sept. 1 1989 and Sept. 30 1992. Applying the pulsating Nd-Yag laser through an ureteroscope as a monotherapy, they have obtained good results in 83% of the cases. Using complementary methods in addition, the successful elimination of calculi was 95%. The possible complications are discussed and the advantages and disadvantages of the different energy sources used for smashing the calculi are compared. On the basis of their results, the authors consider that endoscopic treatment of ureteral calculi may be indicated even in the era of extracorporeal stonesmashing. They stress that endoscopic operations are only preferable compared to ESWL-treatment if all indispensable devices are available: energy sources and thin, flexible devices for energy conduction. Among them--literature confirms it--laser-energy is the most expedient and least invasive. Laser was first applied for smashing ureteral calculi in Hungary.

[Nd. Yag treatment of bladder tumors]. / A hólyagdaganatok Nd. Yag lézer kezelése.

Between 1989 and 1992 116 patients suffering from tumours of the bladder were treated with Nd. Yag laser. In 74 cases only laser treatment was applied, in 42 cases the laser treatment was combined with transurethral resection (TUR). The patients were in the phases TA, T1, T2 and in the majority of them the histological examination did not reveal grade 3. No considerable complications, e. g. perforation of the bladder or important haemorrhages were observed during laser treatment. After laser and TUR + laser treatment, respectively, relapses occurred in 16-19% of the cases, considerably less than after treatment carried out with TUR exclusively.

Nd-Yag laser treatment of bladder tumours.

Between 1989 and 1992, 116 patients suffering from bladder tumours had been treated with Nd-Yag laser. In 74 cases only laser treatment was applied, in 42 cases laser treatment was combined with transurethral resection (TUR). The patients were in phases Ta, T1 or T2 and in the majority of them histological examination did not reveal Grade 3. No considerable complications, e.g. perforation of the bladder or severe haemorrhages, were observed during laser treatment. After laser and TUR+laser treatment, respectively, relapses occurred in 16-19% of the cases, considerably less frequently than after treatment with only TUR.

CO2 laser in surgery of the renal parenchyma. A preliminary report.

The experiences of renal parenchymal surgery performed by CO2 laser knife are reported. A short surgery is given of the preliminaries of the use of CO2 laser in urological practice and of the biological effects of the laser beam. The coagulating effect of the laser beam in the cases of nephrotomy, polar resection, heminephrectomy, adrenal resection and of cavernotomy was studied and the incision time of the parenchyma measured. The amount of blood lost comparing with that during traditional operative techniques, was found to be essentially smaller. It is stressed that, in some cases, the compression of the renal peduncle could be avoided. Favourable experiences were obtained with interventions on an inflamed renal substance. This paper has been intended to be a preliminary report, with the detailed histological and isotope functional examinations to be presented later.

Significance of synthetic sutures in urological operations of the cavity system.

The authors report on their experiences on synthetic nonabsorbable and absorbable suture materials in a 12-year material of urological operations of the pelvic cavity. The synthetic suture materials are compared concerning the basic requirements, the surface properties, knotting safety, tensile strength, manageability, fluid absorption, tissue compatibility, allergizing effect, absorbability and sterilizability. The experiences of animal experiments are reviewed, primarily on the basis of reaction index studies in noninfected and infected urine. It is stated that in urological operations of the pelvic cavity, a safe haemostasis and prevention of prolonged complications (e.g. pyuria, scarring, stone-formation) can be ensured mainly by the use of synthetic suture materials.