Access Rate to the Emergency Department for Venous Thromboembolism in Relationship with Coarse and Fine Particulate Matter Air Pollution

Particulate matter (PM) air pollution has been associated with cardiovascular and respiratory disease. Recent studies have proposed also a link with venous thromboembolism (VTE) risk. This study was aimed to evaluate the possible influence of air pollution-related changes on the daily flux of patients referring to the Emergency Department (ED) for VTE, dissecting the different effects of coarse and fine PM. From July 1st, 2007, to June 30th, 2009, data about ED accesses for VTE and about daily concentrations of PM air pollution in Verona district (Italy) were collected. Coarse PM (PM10-2.5) was calculated by subtracting the finest PM2.5 from the whole PM10. During the index period a total of 302 accesses for VTE were observed (135 males and 167 females; mean age 68.3±16.7 years). In multiple regression models adjusted for other atmospheric parameters PM10-2.5, but not PM2.5, concentrations were positively correlated with VTE (beta-coefficient = 0.237; P = 0.020). During the days with high levels of PM10-2.5 (≥75th percentile) there was an increased risk of ED accesses for VTE (OR 1.69 with 95%CI 1.13–2.53). By analysing days of exposure using distributed lag non-linear models, the increase of VTE risk was limited to PM10-2.5 peaks in the short-term period. Consistently with these results, in another cohort of subjects without active thrombosis (n = 102) an inverse correlation between PM10-2.5 and prothrombin time was found (R = −0.247; P = 0.012). Our results suggest that short-time exposure to high concentrations of PM10-2.5 may favour an increased rate of ED accesses for VTE through the induction of a prothrombotic state

Trace level determination of beryllium in natural and flavored mineral waters after pre-concentration using activated carbon

The concentrations of beryllium (Be) in natural and flavored mineral water samples were determined by flame atomic absorption spectrophotometer (FAAS) after pre-concentration based on the complexation of Be+2 with a mixture of acetylacetone (pentane-2,4-dione) plus morin (3,5,7,2',4'-pentaoxyflavone) and adsorption on activated carbon. The adsorbed complex was eluted with 1.5 ml of 2.0M HNO3 and evaporated to dryness. After adding 1.5 ml of 2MHNO3 and centrifuging, Be in acid solution was determined by FAAS. To remove a number of metals present in water, EDTA was used as a chelating agent. Beryllium in mineral water samples was preconcentrated by 500-fold, taking 750 ml as initial sample and 1.5 ml as the final volume. The relative standard deviations were sufficiently low for practical purposes and recoveries were up to 85%. Spiking experiments were performed in real samples to establish accuracy and recoveries. The limits of detection and quantification were 0.01 and 0.03 ng ml-1, respectively. Twenty samples were analyzed for their beryllium content using optimum parameters. The highest concentration of beryllium was found to be 0.94±0.15 ng ml-1 in a natural mineral water, while beryllium was not detected in five samples. © 2011 Taylor & Francis

Turkish school students and global warming: Beliefs and willingness to act

One aim of environmental education is to persuade people to act in more proenvironmental ways. However, there is not a linear relationship between environmental knowledge in general and a willingness to act pro-environmentally. This research explores, using a specially-devised questionnaire, Turkish school students' beliefs about the benefits of specific actions for reducing global warming (their Believed Usefulness of Action), their readiness to adopt them (their Degree of Willingness to Act), and the relationships between these. Students appear willing to take certain actions such as switching off un-used electrical items, but unwilling to undertake other actions such as increasing their use of public transport. Planting more trees was thought to be the most useful action, whereas few students appreciated the role that buying fewer new consumables might play. A novel index, the Potential Effectiveness of Education, was constructed to quantify the relationships between these two parameters for specific actions. For some actions, such as purchasing fewer new goods, there were stronger relationships between a belief in the effectiveness of an action in reducing global warming and the willingness to undertake it. Teaching about the benefits of such actions might be effective in terms of encouraging individuals to adopt them. © 2011 by EURASIA

Identification and quantification of some wine phenolic acids by high-performance liquid chromatography equipped with electrochemical detector

Phenolic acids (gallic acid, p-hydroxybenzoic acid, syringic acid, 2,3-dihydroxybenzoic acid, ferulic acid, p-coumaric acid and vanillic acid) in red (Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Syrah, Carignan, Grenache, Bogazkere) and white wine (Ugni Blanch, Chardonnay, Narince) were analyzed electrochemically (+0.65 V vs. Ag/AgCl) by HPLC (Aglient 1100 series) on C 18 silica column (Hichrom 5 C18, 7.75 × 300 mm, 5 µm particle size). The eluent used was methanol / 0.01 N phosphoric acid (30/70 v/v). The use of electrochemical detector (ECD) for wine phenols under isocratic conditions has not been reported yet. The evaluation of phenolic acids content in white and red wines brought about the importance of variety characteristics of grapes used in wine production. Changes in phenolic acids contents during two years production of Cabernet Frank, Cabernet Sauvignon and Carignan wines were determined to be caused by aging mechanisms

Seasonal variation of epilithic diatom Tödürge Lake (Sivas)

Kasım-2000 ve Kasım-2001 tarihleri arasında Tödürge göllünde seçilen sekiz istasyonda epilitik diyatome florasının kompozisyonu ve yoğunluğunun mevsimsel değişimi incelenmiş ve karşılaştırılmıştır. Ayrıca göl suyunun bazı fiziksel ve kimyasal parametreleri ölçülmüştür. Kalsiyum ve Sülfat bölgede temel kimyasal maddeler olmuştur. Tödürge göllünde florayı öncelikle Cymbella, Amphora, Cocconeis, Gomphonema, Achnanthes ve Fragilaria genusuna ait türler oluşturmakla beraber Navicula, Nitzschia, Epithemia, Gyrosigma, Pinnularia ve Stauroneis genuslarına ait türler daha az sayılarda bulunmuştur. Çalışma sürecinde Cymbella affinis Kütz., Cocconeis placentula var. euglypta Ehr., Achnanthidium minutissimum Kütz. Czar., Amphora commutata Grunow, Gomphonema olivaceum (Hornemann) Bréb., Mastogloia braunii Grunow Tödürge gölünde tüm istasyonlarda dominant türler olmuştur. Epithemia argus Kütz., Caloneis clevei (Lagerst.) Cleve, Stauroneis anceps Ehr., Surirella minuta Bréb. dışındaki diğer diyatome türlerine sıkça ve fazla sayılarda rastlanmıştır. Genellikle istasyonların tümünde toplam organizma bahar sonu ve yaz başında artmış yaz ve kış sonlarında ise azalmıştır. Çeşitlilik ve zenginlik indeksi T6 istasyonunda en yüksek, T7 ve T2 istasyonunda ise en düşük olarak belirlenmiştir.Seasonal variation of epilithic diatom Tödürge Lake (Sivas). The seasonal variation of the composition and concentration of epilithic flora of diatom from chosen sampling eight station on Tödürge Lake have been investigated and compared between November-2000 and November-2001. In addition, some physical and chemical parameters were measured at lake water. Calcium and Sulfate have been based chemical component in area. Although The species of genus Cymbella, Amphora, Cocconeis, Gomphonema, Achnanthes and Fragilaria constitute the main composition of the epilithic flora of Tödürge Lake, howewer the species belonging to genus Navicula, Nitzschia, Epithemia, Gyrosigma, Pinnularia and Stauroneis are found to be less numerous. During the study, Cymbella affinis Kütz., Cocconeis placentula var. euglypta Ehr., Achnanthidium minutissimum Kütz. Czar., Amphora commutata Grunow, Gomphonema olivaceum (Hornemann) Bréb., Mastogloia braunii Grunow have been the dominant species in whole station of Tödürge Lake. The species of whole diatom except Epithemia argus Kütz., Caloneis clevei (Lagerst.) Cleve, Stauroneis anceps Ehr., Surirella minuta Bréb., were found very frequently and numerous in the whole station. Generally, total organism in all of station increased in the late spring and early summer and decreased in the late winter and late summer. The richness and diversity indices were determined the highest in T6 station, the lowest in T1 and T7 station