Assessing exfiltration from an urban sewer by slug dosing a chemical tracer (NaCl)

Water resources in urban areas comprise both natural and man-made water bodies, including surface waters and groundwater. Groundwater aquifers can be recharged from several sources, some of which may transport high concentrations of organic and inorganic pollutants. Such sources include exfiltration from leaky sewer pipes that could pose a serious threat to groundwater quality because of large extent of urban drainage systems. When the shallow unconfined and confined aquifers are connected, the transport of organic and inorganic compounds and pathogenic organisms may cause serious pollution. Consequently, the deep confined groundwater aquifers could become polluted and their water would require advanced treatment if used as a source of drinking water. Several methods exist to evaluate the structural state of sewers. Some of these consist in direct surveying inside the sewer pipes (i.e., by closed circuit television, CCTV) and others in quantifying the exfiltration rates by the detection of wastewater markers in the groundwater [1]. The QUEST method [2] (QUantification of Exfiltration from Sewer with artificial Tracers) serves to assess directly the exfiltration from flowing sewers in dry weather. It is based on establishing a tracer mass balance for the investigated pipes. The solutions of a tracer (NaCl) are dosed in two manholes of the investigated reach, and at a downstream location, the conductivity of sewage is measured by in-line probes. The sources of errors affecting the exfiltration rate originate from the experimental results and data analysis. In particular, they are due to: flow rate, natural wastewater conductivity, shape of the tracer signals at the measuring point, transport of tracer and general disturbances in the sewer (caused for example by turbulence or solids). To minimise the errors in experiments and data analysis, preliminary measurements of flow rate, in-sewer background conductivity and tracer transport should be carried out. In the paper that follows, the results of application of the QUEST method to an urban sewer network in a suburban area of Rome and the importance of site-specific preliminary tests are presented

Inflammatory reaction to brown pigment in a tattoo

Tattooing is becoming a common procedure worldwide. This technique was in the past restricted to outlaws, prisoners, sailors or gang members, and it was linked with specific meanings such as religious beliefs, tribal affiliation, loyalty to a leader and that of courage and therapeutic functions

An interesting case of oedema and ulceration in red areas of tattoo

An interesting case of oedema and ulceration in red areas of tatto

Hypermethylation of the progesterone receptor A in constitutive antiprogestin-resistant mouse mammary carcinomas

Most breast carcinomas that are estrogen receptor (ER) and progesterone receptor (PR) positive respond initially to an endocrine therapy, but over time, they develop resistance (acquired hormone resistance). Others, however, fail to respond from the beginning (constitutive resistance). Overcoming hormone resistance is one of the major desirable aims in breast cancer treatment. Using the medroxyprogesterone acetate (MPA)-induced breast cancer mouse model, we have previously demonstrated that antiprogestin-responsive tumors show a higher expression level of PR isoform A (PRA) than PR isoform B (PRB), while tumors with constitutive or acquired resistance show a higher expression level of PRB. The aim of this study was to investigate whether PRA silencing in resistant tumors was due to PRA methylation. The CpG islands located in the PRA promoter and the first exon were studied by methylation-specific PCR (MSP) in six different tumors: two antiprogestin-responsive, two constitutive-resistant, and two with acquired resistance. Only in constitutive-resistant tumors, PRA expression was silenced by DNA methylation. Next, we evaluated the effect of a demethylating agent, 5-aza-2´-deoxycytidine, on PRA expression and antiprogestin responsiveness. In constitutive-resistant tumors, 5-aza-2´-deoxycytidine treatment in vitro and in vivo restored PRA expression and antiprogestin RU-486 responsiveness. Furthermore, high levels of DNA methyltransferase (Dnmts) 1 and 3b were detected in these tumors. In conclusion, our results suggest that methyltransferase inhibitors in combination with antiprogestins may be effective in the treatment of constitutive-resistant carcinomas with a high DNA methyltransferase level.Fil: Wargon, Victoria. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Instituto de Biología y Medicina Experimental (i); Argentina; ArgentinaFil: Fernandez, Sandra V.. Fox Chase Cancer Center. Breast Cancer Research Laboratory; Estados UnidosFil: Goin, Mercedes. Laboratorios Beta S.A.; ArgentinaFil: Giulianelli, Sebastian Jesus. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Instituto de Biología y Medicina Experimental (i); Argentina; ArgentinaFil: Russo, José. Fox Chase Cancer Center. Breast Cancer Research Laboratory; Estados UnidosFil: Lanari, Claudia Lee Malvina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Instituto de Biología y Medicina Experimental (i); Argentina; Argentin

An extrafacial amelanotic lentigo maligna of the leg. a case report

An extrafacial amelanotic lentigo maligna of the leg