Cardiac function in children with congenital diaphragmatic hernia: cardiac strain at birth and at 2-5 weeks of age.

Introduction: Neonates with congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH) often present with pulmonary hypertension and various forms of cardiac dysfunction, affecting right or left ventricle or both. Although pulmonary hypertension typically improves over time, some children experience long term pulmonary hypertension. There is limited understanding of cardiac function recovery.

Incorporating ecosystem component interactions and indirect effects in cumulative impact assessment models.

The cumulative impact of anthropogenic pressures on coastal seas is important to consider for a strategic and sustainable management of marine ecosystems. We aim to demonstrate how, and to what extent, incorporating interactions among ecosystem components (species and habitats) and indirect effects of pressures through other ecosystem components can develop existing cumulative impact assessment (CIA) models. A Swedish case study area was selected to test a simplified version of the extended regional Symphony CIA model.

Longitudinal strain analysis for assessment of early cardiotoxicity during anthracycline treatment in childhood sarcoma: A single center experience.

Background: The growing population of long-term childhood cancer survivors encounter a substantial burden of cardiovascular complications. The highest risk of cardiovascular complications is associated with exposure to anthracyclines and chest radiation. Longitudinal cardiovascular surveillance is recommended for childhood cancer patients; however, the optimal methods and timing are yet to be elucidated.

Impacts of exhaust gas cleaning systems (EGCS) discharge waters on planktonic biological indicators.

Exhaust Gas Cleaning Systems (EGCS), operating in open-loop mode, continuously release acidic effluents (scrubber waters) to marine waters. Furthermore, scrubber waters contain high concentrations of metals, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), and alkylated PAHs, potentially affecting the plankton in the receiving waters. Toxicity tests evidenced significant impairments in planktonic indicators after acute, early-life stage, and long-term exposures to scrubber water produced by a vessel operating with high sulphur fuel.

Comparison of pre-treatment methods and heavy density liquids to optimize microplastic extraction from natural marine sediments.

The ubiquitous occurrence of anthropogenic particles, including microplastics in the marine environment, has, over the last years, gained worldwide attention. As a result, many methods have been developed to estimate the amount and type of microplastics in the marine environment. However, there are still no standardized protocols for how different marine matrices should be sampled or how to extract and identify these particles, making meaningful data comparison hard.

Microplastics (MPs) in urban roadside snowbanks: Quantities, size fractions and dynamics of release.

The microplastics (MP) pollution has been receiving high attention in recent years, because of the massive amounts of plastics it contributes to the environment. Tyre wear and road wear particles (TWP and RWPs) were identified as major sources of MPs, but the observed data on these particles in urban snow deposits and snowmelt is scarce. To contribute to remediation of this situation, a study designed to quantify TWPs and RWPs in urban roadside snowbanks, and assess the MP occurrence in three size fractions, was conducted in the Luleå and Umeå municipalities in Northern Sweden.

Modelling spatial dispersion of contaminants from shipping lanes in the Baltic Sea.

Major sources of pollution from shipping to marine environments are antifouling paint residues and discharges of bilge, black, grey and ballast water and scrubber discharge water. The dispersion of copper, zinc, naphthalene, pyrene, and dibromochloromethane have been studied using the Ship Traffic Emission Assessment Model, the General Estuarine Transport Model, and the Eulerian tracer transport model in the Baltic Sea in 2012. Annual loads of the contaminants ranged from 10 tons for pyrene to 100 s of tons for copper.

Removal of rubber, bitumen and other microplastic particles from stormwater by a gross pollutant trap - bioretention treatment train.

Microplastic particles in stormwater pose significant threats to the environment. This study investigated how effective a stormwater treatment train was at removing rubber, bitumen and other microplastics (incl. fibers, fragments, and paint particles) in the 100-300 µm and >300 µm size fractions from highway runoff.

Severe Toxic Effects on Pelagic Copepods from Maritime Exhaust Gas Scrubber Effluents.

To reduce sulfur emission from global shipping, exhaust gas cleaning systems are increasingly being installed on board commercial ships. These so-called scrubbers extract SO by spraying water into the exhaust gas. An effluent is created which is either released directly to the sea (open-loop system) or treated to remove harmful substances before release (closed-loop system).

Traffic-related microplastic particles, metals, and organic pollutants in an urban area under reconstruction.

In urban environments, particularly areas under reconstruction, metals, organic pollutants (OP), and microplastics (MP), are released in large amounts due to heavy traffic. Road runoff, a major transport route for urban pollutants, contributes significantly to a deteriorated water quality in receiving waters. This study was conducted in Gothenburg, Sweden, and is unique because it simultaneously investigates the occurrence of OP, metals, and MP on roads and in stormwater from an urban area under reconstruction.

A temporal record of microplastic pollution in Mediterranean seagrass soils.

Plastic pollution is emerging as a potential threat to the marine environment. In the current study, we selected seagrass meadows, known to efficiently trap organic and inorganic particles, to investigate the concentrations and dynamics of microplastics in their soil. We assessed microplastic contamination and accumulation in Pb dated soil cores collected in Posidonia oceanica meadows at three locations along the Spanish Mediterranean coast, with two sites located in the Almería region (Agua Amarga and Roquetas) and one at Cabrera Island (Santa Maria).

Occurrence of tire and bitumen wear microplastics on urban streets and in sweepsand and washwater.

Tire and road wear particles have been identified as a potential major source of microplastics in the environment. However, more knowledge of the emissions and their further fate in the environment is needed, and the effectiveness and benefits of potential measures must be investigated to support future risk management efforts. Here the concentrations of tire and bitumen microplastic particles (TBMP) on roads and in nearby in stormwater, sweepsand and washwater were measured for the first time within the same area and time period.

Summer sea ice melt and wastewater are important local sources of microlitter to Svalbard waters.

Human activities leave traces of marine litter around the globe. The Arctic is, despite its remoteness, emerging as an area of no exception to this environmental issue. Arctic sea ice has previously been found to constitute a temporal sink of microplastics, but the potential release and subsequent fate of microplastics in the marine environment are yet unknown.

An efficient and gentle enzymatic digestion protocol for the extraction of microplastics from bivalve tissue.

Standardized methods for the digestion of biota for microplastic analysis are currently lacking. Chemical methods can be effective, but can also cause damage to some polymers. Enzymatic methods are known to be gentler, but often laborious, expensive and time consuming.

Microplastic in wild populations of the omnivorous crab Carcinus aestuarii: A review and a regional-scale test of extraction methods, including microfibres.

Microplastic (MP) has become ubiquitous in the marine environment. Its threat to marine organisms has been demonstrated under laboratory conditions, yet studies on wild populations still face methodological difficulties. We reviewed the methods used to separate MP from soft animal tissues and highlighted a lack of standardised methodologies, particularly critical for synthetic microfibres.

Risk assessment of bilge water discharges in two Baltic shipping lanes.

Environmental concentrations and effects of bilge water contaminants in two Baltic Sea areas were estimated from modelling of discharge rates and analytical data on bilge water from seven ships. Biodegradation of bilge water oil was accounted for and annual water concentrations were estimated to peak in late spring, which coincides with the beginning of a period with extensive biological activities in the sea. Concentrations on bilge water metals were calculated both as water concentrations and as the annual contribution of metals to sediments.

Toxicity of treated bilge water: The need for revised regulatory control.

Water accumulating in the bottom of ships (bilge water), contains a mixture of oil, detergents and other compounds from on board activities. To evaluate ecological effects of released bilge water the chemical composition and toxicity of treated bilge water from seven passenger ships was analysed. The oil content was below 15mgL, the threshold for legal discharge, in all but one ship.

Distribution and abundance of surface water microlitter in the Baltic Sea: A comparison of two sampling methods.

Two methods for marine microlitter sampling were compared in the Gulf of Finland, northern Baltic Sea: manta trawl (333μm) and a submersible pump (300 or 100μm). Concentrations of microlitter (microplastics, combustion particles, non-synthetic fibres) in the samples collected with both methods and filter sizes remained <10particlesm(-3). The pump with 100μm filter gave higher microlitter concentrations compared to manta trawl or pump with 300μm filter.

Tobacco use and caries risk among adolescents--a longitudinal study in Sweden.

Background: Smoking and the use of smokeless tobacco have a detrimental impact on general and oral health. The relationship to dental caries is however still unclear. As caries is a multi-factorial disease with clear life-style, socio-economic and socio-demographic gradients, the tobacco use may be a co-variable in this complex rather than a direct etiological factor.

Geo-mapping of time trends in childhood caries risk--a method for assessment of preventive care.

Background: Dental caries is unevenly distributed within populations with a higher burden in low socio-economy groups. Several attempts have been made to allocate resources to those that need them the most; there is a need for convenient approaches to population-based monitoring of caries risk over time. The aim of this study was to develop the geo-map concept, addressing time trends in caries risk, and demonstrate the novel approach by analyzing epidemiological data from preschool residents in the region of Halland, Sweden.

Geo-mapping of caries risk in children and adolescents - a novel approach for allocation of preventive care.

Background: Dental caries in children is unevenly distributed within populations with a higher burden in low socio-economy groups. Thus, tools are needed to allocate resources and establish evidence-based programs that meet the needs of those at risk. The aim of the study was to apply a novel concept for presenting epidemiological data based on caries risk in the region of Halland in southwest Sweden, using geo-maps.

Oral microflora in infants delivered vaginally and by caesarean section.

BACKGROUND.  Early in life, vaginally delivered infants exhibit a different composition of the gut flora compared with infants delivered by caesarean section (C-section); however, it is unclear whether this also applies to the oral cavity. AIM.

Reversal of primary root caries lesions after daily intake of milk supplemented with fluoride and probiotic lactobacilli in older adults.

Objective: To evaluate the effect of milk supplemented with fluoride and/or probiotic bacteria on primary root caries lesions (PRCL) in older adults.

Materials And Methods: After informed consent, 160 healthy subjects, 58-84 years of age, with at least two PRCL were recruited and randomly assigned to one of four parallel study groups drinking 200 ml milk once daily for 15 months. Group A consumed standard milk (placebo); Group B ingested milk supplemented with 5 ppm F and probiotic bacteria (Lactobacillus rhamnosus LB21, 10(7) CFU/mL); Group C drank milk with only probiotic bacteria and group D milk contained only fluoride.

The importance of uptake from food for the bioaccumulation of PCB and PBDE in the marine planktonic copepod Acartia clausi.

The accumulation of (14)C-labelled PCB 31, PCB 101, PCB 153 and PBDE 99 was investigated at the two lowest trophic levels of the pelagic food web. Accumulation was measured in the small phytoplankter Thalassiosira weissflogii (Coscinodiscophyceae: Thalassiosirales) and in the neritic zooplankter Acartia clausi (Copepoda: Calanoida) exposed to the substance either only via water or through ingestion of contaminated T. weissflogii.