Physiological characteristics of dysphagia following thermal burn injury

The study aim was to document the acute physiological characteristics of swallowing impairment following thermal burn injury. A series of 19 participants admitted to a specialised burn centre with thermal burn injury were identified with suspected aspiration risk by a clinical swallow examination (CSE) conducted by a speech-language pathologist and referred to the study. Once medically stable, each then underwent more detailed assessment using both a CSE and fiberoptic evaluation of swallowing (FEES). FEES confirmed six individuals (32%) had no aspiration risk and were excluded from further analyses. Of the remaining 13, CSE confirmed that two had specific oral-phase deficits due to orofacial scarring and contractures, and all 13 had generalised oromotor weakness. FEES revealed numerous pharyngeal-phase deficits, with the major findings evident in greater than 50% being impaired secretion management, laryngotracheal edema, delayed swallow initiation, impaired sensation, inadequate movement of structures within the hypopharynx and larynx, and diffuse pharyngeal residue. Penetration and/or aspiration occurred in 83% (n = 10/12) of thin fluids trials, with a lack of response to the penetration/aspiration noted in 50% (n = 6/12 penetration aspiration events) of the cases. Most events occurred post swallow. Findings support the fact that individuals with dysphagia post thermal burn present with multiple risk factors for aspiration that appear predominantly related to generalised weakness and inefficiency and further impacted by edema and sensory impairments. Generalised oromotor weakness and orofacial contractures (when present) impact oral-stage swallow function. This study has identified a range of factors that may contribute to both oral- and pharyngeal-stage dysfunction in this clinical population and has highlighted the importance of using a combination of clinical and instrumental assessments to fully understand the influence of burn injury on oral intake and swallowing

Determination of hydrophobic organic contaminants in sediment fines and bulk sediment

We investigated 41 hydrophobic organic contaminants set of sediment samples (from 16 monitoring stations) taken in the North Sea (German EEZ). The samples were taken by the German Federal Maritime and Hydrographic Agency (BSH) in June 2016 on the RV Atair (Cruise AT239) using a box corer. Bulk sediment samples were analyzed for hydrophobic organic contaminants unsing micowave extraction, column clean-up, size-exclusion chromatography followed by GC-MS/MS analysis. Bulk sediment samples were additionally wet-sieved to seperate the sediment fine fraction (< 63 µm) which was analyzed accordingly. This study provides a comprehensive overview of hydrophobic organic contaminant concentrations in sediment fines (< 63 µm) for the German EEZ. The results indicate that the improved wet-sieving procedure is capable of physically normalizing the concentrations of the investigated contaminants and is useful for the comparison of different sediment types

Dispositional Mindfulness and Inhibitory Control after Perceiving Neutral, Food and Money Related Stimuli

Previous studies have shown that dispositional mindfulness is positively associated with cognitive performance, including the ability to stop behavioral actions (formally called inhibitory control). However, some studies suggest that the relationship may be context dependent. The current study addressed previous limitations and focused on the role of reward context regarding the relationship between mindfulness and inhibitory control. Seventy-five participants (31 men, 44 women) between 18&ndash;50 years old (M = 30, SD = 9) were included in the final sample. Participants filled out a self-report measure of mindfulness and performed a stop signal task with three conditions that varied in terms of reward context. In the neutral condition, go stimuli (stimuli to which a response was required) were letters; in the food and money condition, these were pictures of food and money, respectively. Results showed that inhibitory control was reduced in the money condition relative to the neutral condition (p = 0.012). Mindfulness was positively correlated with inhibitory control, but only in the money condition (p = 0.001). However, results might differ when inhibitory control is required while perceiving a learned reward-related stimulus. The latter represents an open question for future research

Assessing the chemical anthropocene : development of the legacy pollution fingerprint in the North Sea during the last century

The North Sea and its coastal zones are heavily impacted by anthropogenic activities, which has resulted in significant chemical pollution ever since the beginning of the industrialization in Europe during the 19th century. In order to assess the chemical Anthropocene, natural archives, such as sediment cores, can serve as a valuable data source to reconstruct historical emission trends and to verify the effectiveness of changing environmental legislation. In this study, we investigated 90 contaminants covering inorganic and organic pollutant groups analyzed in a set of sediment cores taken in the North Seas' main sedimentation area (Skagerrak). We thereby develop a chemical pollution fingerprint that records the constant input of pollutants over time and illustrates their continued great relevance for the present. Additionally, samples were radiometrically dated and PAH and PCB levels in porewater were determined using equilibrium passive sampling. Furthermore, we elucidated the origin of lead (Pb) contamination utilizing non-traditional stable isotopic analysis. Our results reveal three main findings: 1. for all organic contaminant groups covered (PAHs, OCPs, PCBs, PBDEs and PFASs) as well as the elements lead (Pb) and titanium (Ti), determined concentrations decreased towards more recent deposited sediment. These decreasing trends could be linked to the time of introductions of restrictions and bans and therefor our results confirm, amongst possible other factors, the effectiveness of environmental legislation by revealing a successive change in contamination levels over the decades. 2. concentration trends for ΣPAH and ΣPCB measured in porewater correspond well with the ones found in sediment which suggests that this method can be a useful expansion to traditional bulk sediment analysis to determine the biologically available pollutant fraction. 3. Arsenic (As) concentrations were higher in younger sediment layers, potentially caused by emissions of corroded warfare material disposed in the study area after WW II.Bundesministerium für Bildung und ForschungPeerReviewe

Determination of inorganic and organic pollutants in a dated sediment core of the Skagerrak (North Sea)

We investigated 90 contaminants covering inorganic and organic pollutants analyzed in a set of sediment cores taken in the North Sea (Skagerrak). The cores were taken by the German Federal Maritime and Hydrographic Agency (BSH) in August 2017 on the RV CelticExplorer (Cruise CE17013a) using a multi corer (MUC, Oktopus, Kiel, Germany) at 57° 49.8 N and 7° 59.9 E at 520 m water depth. Samples were radiometrically dated and analyzed for the mass fractions of eight elements, as well as Pb isotope ratios by (MC) ICP-MS. Analysis of 61 HOCs was carried out using accelerated solvent extraction followed by GC–MS/MS analysis. Determination of 21 PFAS was carried out following DIN 38414-14, 2011, using LC-MS/MS. Furthermore, concentrations of 12 PAHs and 7 PCBs in porewaters were determined using equilibrium passive sampling and GC-MS analysis. Determined mass fractions decreased towards more recent deposited sediment for most analyzed contaminants. These trends could be linked to the time of introductions of restrictions and bans. Therefore, our results confirm, amongst possible other factors, the effectiveness of environmental legislation by revealing a successive change in contamination levels over the decades