Minimally Invasive Posterolateral Approach for Surgical Resection of Dumbbell Tumors of the Lumbar Spine.

Minimally invasive spine surgery (MISS) has many advantages over traditional open surgical procedures that can be conducted for the therapy of different diseases of the spine. MISS provide many prospective advantages such as, for example, small incisions, less damage to soft tissues, early activation of patients, and a shorter postoperative hospital stay. The aim of the study was to evaluate institutional experience with Dumbbell tumors and metastatic lesions of the lumbar spine and compare it with traditional open surgical resection of this type of tumors. Fourteen patients underwent the surgery with minimally invasive posterolateral approach in experimental group, and 10 patients of the control group were operated using the traditional open surgery procedure at the Department of spinal neurosurgery and pathology of peripheral nervous system of JSC "National Center for Neurosurgery." The intraoperative neuro monitoring system (ISIS IOM System Compact, Inomed, Germany) was used in both groups. Sensory and motor evoked potentials were intraoperatively recorded. The present study was approved by the local Ethics Committee of the National Center for Neurosurgery. Patients signed informed consent before the surgical procedure. The experimental group included 14 patients, that underwent the surgery during the period from January 2020 till March 2021. And the control group included 10 patients that was operated from January 2018 to December 2019. The results of the treatment in both groups were assessed according to the generally accepted visual analog scale (VAS) and the Oswestry scales before, on the third day, and 3 months after the surgery. In experimental group, average reduction of the pain syndrome of 3.36 points (from 3 to 0 points) was observed in patients postoperatively according to the VAS 3 days, and of 4.0 points (from 2 to 0 points) 3 months after surgical procedures. Improvement by 23.86% (36-16%) was also observed using the Oswestry Disease Index (ODI) 3 days after the surgery, and then reduced to 21.00% (16-34%) in average in 3 months. All patients were revived 3 h after transfer to the specialist department. The average stay in the hospital was 6.5 (9-4) days in both groups. In control group, average reduction of the pain syndrome of 2.60 points (from 4 to 1 points) was observed postoperatively according to the VAS 3 days after the operation, and of 3.9 points (from 2 to 0 points) 3 months after the surgery. The ODI of patients was also improved by an average of 35.40% (50-20%) 3 days after the surgical procedure, and reduced to 24.20% (16-32%) in average 3 months after the surgery.

Advances in science and applications of air pollution monitoring: A case study on oil sands monitoring targeting ecosystem protection.

The potential environmental impact of air pollutants emitted from the oil sands industry in Alberta, Canada, has received considerable attention. The mining and processing of bitumen to produce synthetic crude oil, and the waste products associated with this activity, lead to significant emissions of gaseous and particle air pollutants. Deposition of pollutants occurs locally (i.e., near the sources) and also potentially at distances downwind, depending upon each pollutant's chemical and physical properties and meteorological conditions. The Joint Oil Sands Monitoring Program (JOSM) was initiated in 2012 by the Government of Canada and the Province of Alberta to enhance or improve monitoring of pollutants and their potential impacts. In support of JOSM, Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) undertook a significant research effort via three components: the Air, Water, and Wildlife components, which were implemented to better estimate baseline conditions related to levels of pollutants in the air and water, amounts of deposition, and exposures experienced by the biota. The criteria air contaminants (e.g., nitrogen oxides [NOx], sulfur dioxide [SO2], volatile organic compounds [VOCs], particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter <2.5 µm [PM2.5]) and their secondary atmospheric products were of interest, as well as toxic compounds, particularly polycyclic aromatic compounds (PACs), trace metals, and mercury (Hg). This critical review discusses the challenges of assessing ecosystem impacts and summarizes the major results of these efforts through approximately 2018. Focus is on the emissions to the air and the findings from the Air Component of the ECCC research and linkages to observations of contaminant levels in the surface waters in the region, in aquatic species, as well as in terrestrial and avian species. The existing evidence of impact on these species is briefly discussed, as is the potential for some of them to serve as sentinel species for the ongoing monitoring needed to better understand potential effects, their potential causes, and to detect future changes. Quantification of the atmospheric emissions of multiple pollutants needs to be improved, as does an understanding of the processes influencing fugitive emissions and local and regional deposition patterns. The influence of multiple stressors on biota exposure and response, from natural bitumen and forest fires to climate change, complicates the current ability to attribute effects to air emissions from the industry. However, there is growing evidence of the impact of current levels of PACs on some species, pointing to the need to improve the ability to predict PAC exposures and the key emission source involved. Although this critical review attempts to integrate some of the findings across the components, in terms of ECCC activities, increased coordination or integration of air, water, and wildlife research would enhance deeper scientific understanding. Improved understanding is needed in order to guide the development of long-term monitoring strategies that could most efficiently inform a future adaptive management approach to oil sands environmental monitoring and prevention of impacts. Implications: Quantification of atmospheric emissions for multiple pollutants needs to be improved, and reporting mechanisms and standards could be adapted to facilitate such improvements, including periodic validation, particularly where uncertainties are the largest. Understanding of baseline conditions in the air, water and biota has improved significantly; ongoing enhanced monitoring, building on this progress, will help improve ecosystem protection measures in the oil sands region. Sentinel species have been identified that could be used to identify and characterize potential impacts of wildlife exposure, both locally and regionally. Polycyclic aromatic compounds are identified as having an impact on aquatic and terrestrial wildlife at current concentration levels although the significance of these impacts and attribution to emissions from oil sands development requires further assessment. Given the improvement in high resolution air quality prediction models, these should be a valuable tool to future environmental assessments and cumulative environment impact assessments.

The effects of forest canopy shading and turbulence on boundary layer ozone.

The chemistry of the Earth's atmosphere close to the surface is known to be strongly influenced by vegetation. However, two critical aspects of the forest environment have been neglected in the description of the large-scale influence of forests on air pollution: the reduction of photolysis reaction rates and the modification of vertical transport due to the presence of foliage. Here we show that foliage shading and foliage-modified vertical diffusion have a profound influence on atmospheric chemistry, both at the Earth's surface and extending throughout the atmospheric boundary layer. The absence of these processes in three-dimensional models may account for 59-72% of the positive bias in North American surface ozone forecasts, and up to 97% of the bias in forested regions within the continent. These processes are shown to have similar or greater influence on surface ozone levels as climate change and current emissions policy scenario simulations.

Kinematic variables and blood Acid-base status in the analysis of collegiate swimmers' anaerobic capacity.

Short duration repeated maximal efforts are often used in swimming training to improve lactate tolerance, which gives swimmers the ability to maintain a high work rate for a longer period of time. The aim of the study was to examine the kinematics of swimming and its relation to the changes in blood acid-base status and potassium level. Seven collegiate swimmers, with at least 6 years of training experience, volunteered to participate in the study. The test consisted of 8 x 25 m front crawl performed with maximum effort. The rest period between repetitions was set to five seconds. Blood samples were taken from the fingertip at rest, after warm-up and in the 3rd minute after completion of the test. The swimming was recorded with a video recorder, for later analysis of time, velocity and technique (stroke index). Based on the swimming velocity results, the obtained curve can be divided into rapid decrease of velocity and relatively stable velocities. The breaking point of repetition in swimming velocity was assumed as the swimming velocity threshold and it was highly correlated with the decrease of the blood acid-base status (pH r=0.82, BE r=0.87, HCO3 (-) r=0.76; p<0.05 in all cases). There was no correlation between stroke index or fatigue index and blood acid-base status. Analysis of the swimming speed in the 8 x 25 m test seems to be helpful in evaluation of lactate tolerance (anaerobic capacity) in collegiate swimmers.