Building a strategy for soil protection at local and regional scale--the case of agricultural wastes landspreading.

Agricultural wastes (AW) are produced in huge quantities worldwide and may cause detrimental effects on environmental quality, affecting soil, water, and air quality. Given the growing soil degradation worldwide, the need for more food of good quality and therefore the intensified agriculture, it is important to develop recycling plans even for those types of treated AW (e.g., composts) that are not considered hazardous. Two strategic approaches for safe and sustainable landspreading of organic wastes are proposed, depending on wastes properties and hazard potential, i.e., an approach appropriate for traditionally used wastes (manures and composts) and another approach for wastes that are potentially hazardous or hazardous and should only be reused under specific restrictions. Both approaches foresee concrete steps, require close cooperation between farmers and local/regional authorities, and are appropriate to ensure environmental sustainability at AW recycling or disposal areas. Desktop and web application tools are also presented that are anticipated to assist authorities in implementing their monitoring strategies.

Carcinoembryonic antigen in thyroid disease.

Plasma carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) levels were measured by the Z-Gel technique in 138 patients with benign thyroidopathies, 25 patients with thyroid cancer, and 141 normal persons. Levels were raised (above 5 ng/ml) in 2% of the normal subjects, in none of the patients with benign thyroidopathies, and in 20% of the patients with thyroid cancer. They were considerably raised in all cases of medullary carcinoma of the thyroid but they were also high in other histological types of thyroid cancer. Measurement of plasma CEA may be of value in the preoperative diagnosis and follow-up of patients with thyroid cancer.

The TRH stimulation test in endemic goitre in Greece.

The serum T4=T4(D), T3 in vitro uptake=RT3U and TSH were measured before and 30 min after the injection of 200 mug of TRH in 30 subjects from an iodine deficient area of Central Greece. These persons were divided in two groups of 16 goitrous and 14 nongoitrous patients and the results from each group compared to each other and also with the same parameters obtained from 14 controls subjects, all nongoitrous and from a nonendemic area. It has been found that in this area with a mild iodine deficiency serum T4 is the only hormone decreased whereas RT3U and TSH both before and 30 min after TRH injection are normal. There existed however a negative correlation between serum T4 and TSH in the goitrous group. Why the nongoitrous iodine deficient persons achieve the same compensation without thyroid gland enlargement remains unsolved but it may be stated from the present results that goitre development should be regarded as a maladaptation rather than a compensatory process.