Towards an ecological network for the Carpathians

The Carpathian Biodiversity Information System (CBIS) and the proposal for an ecological network for the eastern part of the Carpathians are the two main outcomes of the project funded by the BBI Matra program of the Dutch government. This brochure presents information on how the CBIS was designed, and how the data stored can be retrieved and used. It also clarifies how the CBIS data were used to design the ecological network and, last but not least, it offers recommendations for the use of the proposed ecological network in supporting sustainable developmentin the Carpathians. Due to funding restrictions, the project focused on three east Carpathian countries: Romania, Serbia and Ukraine, which together host the largest area of the Carpathians (Fig. 2). Geographically, the Eastern Carpathians also include parts of the Carpathians located in Poland and Slovakia. Data collection in the Western Carpathians (Czech Republic, Poland, Slovakia and Hungary) will be completed by 2010 and is funded by a parallel project

Cyclosporine causes no hearing defect in paediatric patients with nephrotic syndrome

Objective: We aimed to evaluate the ototoxicity of cyclosporine A (CsA) in children with nephrotic syndrome (NS).Design: Data of paediatric patients with NS followed in paediatric nephrology department were evaluated retrospectively, and hearing functions were evaluated by pure tone audiometry (PTA) and transient evoked otoacoustic emissions (TEOAEs). Age, gender, type of NS, duration and cumulative doses of immunosuppressives were noted.Study sample: The patients who had received CsA (n: 16) and immunosuppressives other than CsA (n: 13) for at least 6 months formed two patient groups and healthy cases formed a control group (n: 20). Children with known previous hearing defect, inner ear trauma or surgery, recurrent otitis media and those using hearing aid were excluded.Results: Gender, age at first clinical presentation, laboratory tests and number of relapses were similar between the groups. No hearing loss was defined in PTA at frequencies of 250, 500, 1000, 2000, 4000 and 8000Hz. The results of TEOAEs were similar between the groups and compatible with normal hearing.Conclusions: CsA is not responsible for permanent sensorineural hearing loss in children with NS, and there is no sufficient evidence to consider routine hearing assessment in children with NS treated with CsA

Mutation Analysis of Slc26a4

OBJECTIVE: We have characterized the spectrum of SLC26A4 mutations and clinical features in a mainland Chinese population with sensorineural non syndromic hearing loss (SNHL) and enlarged vestibular aqueduct (EVA). STUDY DESIGN: Cross-sectional clinical genetic study. SETTING: Tertiary care outpatient otolaryngology clinic. METHODS: 32 subjects identified with bilateral EVA using high resolution computed tomography (CT) were screened for mutations in SLC26A4 by denaturing high-performance liquid chromatography (DPHLC) and direct sequencing methods. RESULTS: A total of thirteen different mutations were identified in the SLC26A4 gene, five of which are novel. A total of 88% of the patients harbored biallelic mutations, eleven patients were homozygotes, and seventeen were compound heterozygotes. Four patients were found to carry a single SLC26A4 mutation. The IVS7-2A>G mutation was the most frequent, accounting for 60% of the mutant alleles. We have not found any correlations between the type of SLC26A4 mutations and the type, degree and progression of hearing loss. There are significant proportions of patients with asymmetric (26%), progressive (32%), or fluctuating hearing loss (21%). CONCLUSION: Our data confirm the high prevalence of SLC26A4 mutations in Chinese patients with sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) and EVA. We could not establish any relationship between genotype and phenotype. However, high incidence of asymmetric, progressive, and fluctuating hearing loss found in the current study indicates that patients with those features should be routinely screened for SLC26A4 mutation in addition to diagnosis of EVA using CT or magnetic resonance imaging

Carbon release and transformation from coastal peat deposits controlled by submarine groundwater discharge: a column experiment study

Abstract Although the majority of coastal sediments consist of sandy material, in some areas marine ingression caused the submergence of terrestrial carbon-rich peat soils. This affects the coastal carbon balance, as peat represents a potential carbon source. We performed a column experiment to better understand the coupled flow and biogeochemical processes governing carbon transformations in submerged peat under coastal fresh groundwater (GW) discharge and brackish water intrusion. The columns contained naturally layered sediments with and without peat (organic carbon content in peat 39 ± 14 wt%), alternately supplied with oxygen-rich brackish water from above and oxygen-poor, low-saline GW from below. The low-saline GW discharge through the peat significantly increased the release and ascent of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) from the peat (δ13CDOC − 26.9‰ to − 27.7‰), which was accompanied by the production of dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) and emission of carbon dioxide (CO2), implying DOC mineralization. Oxygen respiration, sulfate (SO42−) reduction, and methane (CH4) formation were differently pronounced in the sediments and were accompanied with higher microbial abundances in peat compared to sand with SO42−-reducing bacteria clearly dominating methanogens. With decreasing salinity and SO42− concentrations, CH4 emission rates increased from 16.5 to 77.3 μmol m−2 d−1 during a 14-day, low-saline GW discharge phase. In contrast, oxygenated brackish water intrusion resulted in lower DOC and DIC pore water concentrations and significantly lower CH4 and CO2 emissions. Our study illustrates the strong dependence of carbon cycling in shallow coastal areas with submerged peat deposits on the flow and mixing dynamics within the subterranean estuary