Hydrogeochemical characterisation of the groundwater in the crystalline basement of Forsmark, the selected area for the geological nuclear repositories in Sweden

Numerous groundwater analyses from the crystalline bedrock in the Forsmark area have been performed between 2002 and 2019, together with thorough geological, geophysical, and hydrogeological studies, within the site investigations carried out by the Swedish Nuclear Fuel and Waste Management Company. The groundwater samples have been taken from boreholes down to ≈ 1000 m and the analysis include major- and trace-elements, stable and radiogenic isotopes, gases and microbes. The chemical and isotopic composition of these groundwaters evidences the presence of non-marine brackish to saline groundwaters with very long residence times (many hundreds of thousands of years) and a series of complex mixing events resulting from the recharge of different waters over time: glacial meltwaters, probably from different glaciations of which the latest culminated some 20,000 years ago, and marine waters from the Baltic starting some 7000 years ago. Later, meteoric water and present Baltic Sea water have recharged in different parts of the upper 100 m. These mixing events have also triggered chemical and microbial reactions that have conditioned some of the important groundwater parameters and, together with the structural complexity of the area, they have promoted a heterogeneous distribution of groundwater compositions in the bedrock. Due to these evident differences in chemistry, residence time and origin of the groundwater, several groundwater types were defined in order to facilitate the visualisation and communication. The differentiation (linked to the paleohydrological history of the area) was based on Cl concentration, Cl/Mg ratio (marine component), and δ18O value (glacial component). The work presented in this paper increases the understanding of the groundwater evolution in fractured and compartmentalised aquifers where mixing processes are the most important mechanisms. The model proposed to characterise the present groundwater system of the Forsmark area will also help to predict the future hydrogeochemical behaviour of the groundwater system after the construction of the repositories for the nuclear wastes

Interacting With a Visiting Dog Increases Fingertip Temperature in Elderly Residents of Nursing Homes

The aim of this study was to investigate whether interacting with a visiting dog influences fingertip temperature and cortisol levels in residents living in nursing homes for the elderly. The study included two groups, the dog group (n= 13) and the control group (n= 11-15) and lasted for 8 weeks for the dog group and 6 weeks for the control group. All participants were residents living at nursing homes for the elderly. The researchers visited small groups of the participants twice weekly during the entire study in both the dog and the control group. The visiting dog and the dog handler accompanied the researchers during weeks 3-6. Fingertip temperature was measured and saliva samples for cortisol determination were collected at 0, 20 and 60 min for the dog group and at 0 and 20 min for the control group. For analysis the study was divided into periods; Period 1 (week 1-2), Period 2 (week 3-4), Period 3 (week 5-6) and Period 4 (week 7-8, only the dog group). Mean values based on all data obtained at 0 and 20 min during period 1-3 were compared between groups. A second, separate analysis for the dog group also included data from 60 min and for period 4. For the dog group fingertip temperature increased significantly between period 1 and 2, 1 and 3 and 1 and 4 (p< 0.05). In addition, fingertip temperature rose significantly between 0 and 20 min and between 0 and 60 min within all periods. For the control group a significant decrease in fingertip temperature was observed between period 1 and 3 (p< 0.05). Fingertip temperature did not differ between the two groups during period 1, but was significantly higher for the dog group than for the control group during periods 2 and 3 (p< 0.05 andp< 0.001, respectively). Cortisol results are only presented descriptively due to that many samples had too low volume of saliva to be analyzed. In the present study interaction between elderly residents and a visiting dog resulted in increased fingertip temperature, probably reflecting a decrease in the activity of the sympathetic nervous system and therefore a decrease in stress levels

Case report: Bilateral damage to the immature optic radiation and secondary massive loss of retinal ganglion cells causing tunnel vision

We describe the case of a 30-year-old woman, who needed a formal report on her visual impairment to seek support from society. She was born preterm, and during her neonatal period, she suffered from bilateral intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH) grade 3, a condition that can cause cerebral visual impairment (CVI) due to damage to the retro-geniculate visual pathways. Individuals with such brain damage of this severity are often restricted by cerebral palsy (CP) and intellectual disability, and thus have a limited ability to cooperate in the assessment of visual function. However, our patient was capable of providing reliable test results, and she manifested only a small island of central vision in each eye, with additional reduced visual acuities. She cooperated well in examinations involving MRI of the brain, optical coherence tomography (OCT) of retinal ganglion cells, and multi-focal visual evoked potentials, with each test providing information about potential limitations in the structural prerequisites for visual function. What distinguishes our case is the severity of the damage to the optic radiations and the massive secondary loss of most of her retinal ganglion cells (GCs). However, there is some measurable visual function, which may be due to developmental neuroplasticity during early development, when surviving GCs prioritize the central visual field. Despite her visual difficulties, she is a keen portrait painter. Our patient may be representative of, and a spokesperson for, other individuals with extensive brain damage of the same etiology, who are unable to perform perimetric tests and therefore run the risk of not being recognized as severely visually impaired, and consequently, not being given the best conditions for habilitation. OCT may serve as a helpful diagnostic tool.Aim: This study aims to describe visual behavior and practical applications of visual function in relation to structural prerequisites for visual function

Temporal expression and cellular origin of CC chemokine receptors CCR1, CCR2 and CCR5 in the central nervous system: insight into mechanisms of MOG-induced EAE

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The CC chemokine receptors CCR1, CCR2 and CCR5 are critical for the recruitment of mononuclear phagocytes to the central nervous system (CNS) in multiple sclerosis (MS) and other neuroinflammatory diseases. Mononuclear phagocytes are effector cells capable of phagocytosing myelin and damaging axons. In this study, we characterize the regional, temporal and cellular expression of CCR1, CCR2 and CCR5 mRNA in the spinal cord of rats with myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein-induced experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (MOG-EAE). While resembling human MS, this animal model allows unique access to CNS-tissue from various time-points of relapsing neuroinflammation and from various lesional stages: early active, late active, and inactive completely demyelinated lesions.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>The expression of CCR1, CCR2 and CCR5 mRNA was studied with <it>in situ </it>hybridization using radio labelled cRNA probes in combination with immunohistochemical staining for phenotypic cell markers. Spinal cord sections from healthy rats and rats with MOG-EAE (acute phase, remission phase, relapse phase) were analysed. In defined lesion stages, the number of cells expressing CCR1, CCR2 and CCR5 mRNA was determined. Data were statistically analysed by the nonparametric Mann-Whitney U test.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>In MOG-EAE rats, extensive up-regulation of CCR1 and CCR5 mRNA, and moderate up-regulation of CCR2 mRNA, was found in the spinal cord during episodes of active inflammation and demyelination. Double staining with phenotypic cell markers identified the chemokine receptor mRNA-expressing cells as macrophages/microglia. Expression of all three receptors was substantially reduced during clinical remission, coinciding with diminished inflammation and demyelination in the spinal cord. Healthy control rats did not show any detectable expression of CCR1, CCR2 or CCR5 mRNA in the spinal cord.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Our results demonstrate that the acute and chronic-relapsing phases of MOG-EAE are associated with distinct expression of CCR1, CCR2, and CCR5 mRNA by cells of the macrophage/microglia lineage within the CNS lesions. These data support the notion that CCR1, CCR2 and CCR5 mediate recruitment of both infiltrating macrophages and resident microglia to sites of CNS inflammation. Detailed knowledge of expression patterns is crucial for the understanding of therapeutic modulation and the validation of CCR1, CCR2 and CCR5 as feasible targets for therapeutic intervention in MS.</p

CX(3)CL1 (fractalkine) and CX(3)CR1 expression in myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein-induced experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis: kinetics and cellular origin

BACKGROUND: Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic inflammatory disease of the central nervous system (CNS). It is associated with local activation of microglia and astroglia, infiltration of activated macrophages and T cells, active degradation of myelin and damage to axons and neurons. The proposed role for CX(3)CL1 (fractalkine) in the control of microglia activation and leukocyte infiltration places this chemokine and its receptor CX(3)CR1 in a potentially strategic position to control key aspects in the pathological events that are associated with development of brain lesions in MS. In this study, we examine this hypothesis by analyzing the distribution, kinetics, regulation and cellular origin of CX(3)CL1 and CX(3)CR1 mRNA expression in the CNS of rats with an experimentally induced MS-like disease, myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein (MOG)-induced autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE). METHODS: The expression of CX(3)CL1 and its receptor CX(3)CR1 was studied with in situ hybridization histochemical detection of their mRNA with radio labeled cRNA probes in combination with immunohistochemical staining of phenotypic cell markers. Both healthy rat brains and brains from rats with MOG EAE were analyzed. In defined lesional stages of MOG EAE, the number of CX(3)CR1 mRNA-expressing cells and the intensity of the in situ hybridization signal were determined by image analysis. Data were statistically evaluated by ANOVA, followed by Tukey\primes multiple comparison test. RESULTS: Expression of CX(3)CL1 mRNA was present within neuronal-like cells located throughout the neuraxis of the healthy rat. Expression of CX(3)CL1 remained unaltered in the CNS of rats with MOG-induced EAE, with the exception of an induced expression in astrocytes within inflammatory lesions. Notably, the brain vasculature of healthy and encephalitic animals did not exhibit signs of CX(3)CL1 mRNA expression. The receptor, CX(3)CR1, was expressed by microglial cells in all regions of the healthy brain. Induction of MOG-induced EAE was associated with a distinct accumulation of CX(3)CR1 mRNA expressing cells within the inflammatory brain lesions, the great majority of which stained positive for markers of the microglia-macrophage lineage. Analysis in time-staged brain lesions revealed elevated levels of CX(3)CR1 mRNA in microglia in the periplaque zone, as well as a dramatically enhanced accumulation of CX(3)CR1 expressing cells within the early-active, late-active and inactive, demyelinated lesions. CONCLUSION: Our data demonstrate constitutive and regulated expression of the chemokine CX(3)CL1 and its receptor CX(3)CR1 by neurons/astrocytes and microglia, respectively, within the normal and inflamed rat brain. Our findings propose a mechanism by which neurons and reactive astrocytes may control migration and function of the surrounding microglia. In addition, the accumulation of CX(3)CR1 expressing cells other than microglia within the inflammatory brain lesions indicate a possible role for CX(3)CL1 in controlling invasion of peripheral leucocytes to the brain

A Call for Urgent Monitoring of Food and Water Security Based on Relevant Indicators for the Arctic

This perspective paper argues for an urgent need to monitor a set of 12 concrete, measurable indicators of food and water security in the Arctic over time. Such a quantitative indicator approach may be viewed as representing a reductionist rather than a holistic perspective, but is nevertheless necessary for actually knowing what reality aspects to monitor in order to accurately understand, quantify, and be able to project critical changes to food and water security of both indigenous and non-indigenous people in the Arctic. More relevant indicators may be developed in the future, taking us further toward reconciliation between reductionist and holistic approaches to change assessment and understanding. However, the potential of such further development to improved holistic change assessment is not an argument not to urgently start to monitor and quantify the changes in food and water security indicators that are immediately available and adequate for the Arctic context

IL-22 affects smooth muscle cell phenotype and plaque formation in apolipoprotein E knockout mice.

IL-22 is a recently discovered cytokine that belongs to the family of IL-10 related cytokines. It is produced by activated T-cells and innate lymphoid cells and has been suggested to be involved in tissue repair. As both inflammation and repair play important roles in atherosclerosis we investigated if IL-22 deficiency influences the disease process in Apoe(-/-) mice

Whole-grain products and whole grain types are associated with lower all-cause and cause-specific mortality in the Scandinavian HELGA cohort

No study has yet investigated the intake of different types of whole grain (WG) in relation to all-cause and cause-specific mortality in a healthy population. The aim of the present study was to investigate the intake of WG products and WG types in relation to all-cause and cause-specific mortality in a large Scandinavian HELGA cohort that, in 1992–8, included 120 010 cohort members aged 30–64 years from the Norwegian Women and Cancer Study, the Northern Sweden Health and Disease Study, and the Danish Diet Cancer and Health Study. Participants filled in a FFQ from which data on the intake of WG products were extracted. The estimation of daily intake of WG cereal types was based on country-specific products and recipes. Mortality rate ratios (MRR) and 95 % CI were estimated using the Cox proportional hazards model. A total of 3658 women and 4181 men died during the follow-up (end of follow-up was 15 April 2008 in the Danish sub-cohort, 15 December 2009 in the Norwegian sub-cohort and 15 February 2009 in the Swedish sub-cohort). In the analyses of continuous WG variables, we found lower all-cause mortality with higher intake of total WG products (women: MRR 0·89 (95 % CI 0·86, 0·91); men: MRR 0·89 (95 % CI 0·86, 0·91) for a doubling of intake). In particular, intake of breakfast cereals and non-white bread was associated with lower mortality. We also found lower all-cause mortality with total intake of different WG types (women: MRR 0·88 (95 % CI 0·86, 0·92); men: MRR 0·88 (95 % CI 0·86, 0·91) for a doubling of intake). In particular, WG oat, rye and wheat were associated with lower mortality. The associations were found in both women and men and for different causes of deaths. In the analyses of quartiles of WG intake in relation to all-cause mortality, we found lower mortality in the highest quartile compared with the lowest for breakfast cereals, non-white bread, total WG products, oat, rye (only men), wheat and total WG types. The MRR for highestv.lowest quartile of intake of total WG products was 0·68 (95 % CI 0·62, 0·75,Ptrend over quartiles&lt; 0·0001) for women and 0·75 (95 % CI 0·68, 0·81,Ptrend over quartiles&lt; 0·0001) for men. The MRR for highestv.lowest quartile of intake of total WG types was 0·74 (95 % CI 0·67, 0·81,Ptrend over quartiles&lt; 0·0001) for women and 0·75 (95 % CI 0·68, 0·82,Ptrend over quartiles&lt; 0·0001) for men. Despite lower statistical power, the analyses of cause-specific mortality according to quartiles of WG intake supported these results. In conclusion, higher intake of WG products and WG types was associated with lower mortality among participants in the HELGA cohort. The study indicates that intake of WG is an important aspect of diet in preventing early death in Scandinavia.</jats:p