Bracketing the age of freshwater carbonate formation by OSL dating near Lake Kolon, Hungary

Freshwater carbonates are unique depositions in the centre of the Carpathian Basin, with debated origin and age. Their formation on the sand covered area of the Danube-Tisza Interfluve is mainly related to lakes appearing in low lying interdune areas from time-totime. Carbonate deposition is governed by various processes, but in general it can be traced back to climatic and concomitant surface and subsurface hydrological variations. Therefore marl, limestone and dolomite layers can be a marker of environmental change. To identify the type of environmental change they may indicate absolute or numerical ages are needed. In previous studies this issue has been addressed by the means of radiocarbon dating. In the present study we attempted to bracket the age of freshwater carbonate formation with the help of optically stimulated luminescence dating and compared our results to radiocarbon data from the literature. In general, the luminescence properties of the investigated samples proved to be suitable for determining the age of the bedding and covering sediments. OSL dates confirmed previous interpretations that freshwater carbonate formation in the area could have a peak around 10,5 ka. However, the termination of the deposition could not be unambiguously determined at the present stage of the analysis. The compound geomorphology and sedimentology of the study area call for further investigations

Mapping Freshwater Carbonate Deposits by Using Ground-Penetrating Radar at Lake Kolon, Hungary

Freshwater carbonate deposit, as a special phenomenon in the Danube-Tisza Interfluve, located in the centre of Hungary, is a significant geological heritage in the Carpathian Basin. At present there is not any applicable method to investigate the presence of carbonate layers in an undisturbed way, as neither vegetation nor morphological characteristics indicate unambiguously these formations. Ground-penetrating radar technology is widely used in various earth science related researches, and the number of applications is steadily increasing. The aim of the study was to determine the spatial extension of freshwater limestone using geophysical methods near Lake Kolon, Hungary. The lake, which is now a protected wetland area with opened water surfaces, was formed in the paleo-channel of the River Danube. Measurements were performed with the help of ground-penetrating radar, the results were calibrated by high spatial resolution drillings. Investigations have been made since 2012, and freshwater limestone was detected at several locations determining the more exact extension of the formation. Ground-penetrating radar proved to be an appropriate method to detect the compact and fragmented freshwater limestone layers in such an environment. However, based on the results the method can be best applied under dry soil or sediment conditions while the uncertainty of the results increases significantly as a matter of higher soil moisture. Further control measurements are necessary verified by several drillings in order to give an exact method to determine freshwater limestone

Bracketing the age of freshwater carbonate formation by OSL dating near Lake Kolon, Hungary

Freshwater carbonates are unique depositions in the centre of the Carpathian Basin, with debated origin and age. Their formation on the sand covered area of the Danube-Tisza Interfluve is mainly related to lakes appearing in low lying interdune areas from time-totime. Carbonate deposition is governed by various processes, but in general it can be traced back to climatic and concomitant surface and subsurface hydrological variations. Therefore marl, limestone and dolomite layers can be a marker of environmental change. To identify the type of environmental change they may indicate absolute or numerical ages are needed. In previous studies this issue has been addressed by the means of radiocarbon dating. In the present study we attempted to bracket the age of freshwater carbonate formation with the help of optically stimulated luminescence dating and compared our results to radiocarbon data from the literature. In general, the luminescence properties of the investigated samples proved to be suitable for determining the age of the bedding and covering sediments. OSL dates confirmed previous interpretations that freshwater carbonate formation in the area could have a peak around 10,5 ka. However, the termination of the deposition could not be unambiguously determined at the present stage of the analysis. The compound geomorphology and sedimentology of the study area call for further investigations

Predictive Performance of Serum S100B Versus LDH in Melanoma Patients: a Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Currently, no consensus on the use of blood tests for monitoring disease recurrence in patients with resected melanoma exists. The only meta-analysis conducted in 2008 found that elevated serum S100B levels were associated with significantly worse survival in melanoma patients. Serum LDH is an established prognostic factor in patients with advanced melanoma.To compare the discriminative and prognostic ability of serum S100B with that of serum LDH in patients with melanoma.This systematic review and meta-analysis were reported in accordance with the PRISMA Statement. The study protocol was registered in the International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews (PROSPERO; CRD42019137138).A quantitative analysis of data from 6 eligible studies included 1,033 patients with cutaneous melanoma. The discriminative ability of serum S100B at identifying disease relapse [pooled Area Under the ROC (AUROC) 78.64 (95% CI 70.28; 87.01)] was significantly greater than the discriminative ability of serum LDH [AUROC 64.41 (95% CI 56.05; 7278)] (p=0.013). Ten eligible studies with 1,987 patients were included in the risk of death analysis. The prognostic performance of serum S100B [pooled estimate of adjusted hazard ratio (HR) 1.78 (95% CI 1.38; 2.29)] was independent but not superior to that of serum LDH [HR 1.60 (95% CI 1.36; 2.29)].A relatively small number of articles were eligible and there was considerable heterogeneity across the included studies.Serum biomarkers may provide relevant information on melanoma patient status and should be further researched. Serum S100B is a valid marker for diagnosis of melanoma recurrence.The study protocol was registered in the International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews (PROSPERO; CRD42019137138)

LIFEStyle, prevention and risk of Acute PaNcreatitis (LIFESPAN): protocol of a multicentre and multinational observational case-control study

Introduction Acute pancreatitis (AP) is a life-threatening inflammatory disease of the exocrine pancreas which needs acute hospitalisation. Despite its importance, we have significant lack of knowledge whether the lifestyle factors elevate or decrease the risk of AP or influence the disease outcome. So far, no synthetising study has been carried out examining associations between socioeconomic factors, dietary habits, physical activity, chronic stress, sleep quality and AP. Accordingly, LIFESPAN identifies risk factors of acute pancreatitis and helps to prepare preventive recommendations for lifestyle elements. Methods and analysis LIFESPAN is an observational, multicentre international case–control study. Participating subjects will create case and control groups. The study protocol was designed according to the SPIRIT guideline. Patients in the case group (n=1700) have suffered from AP (alcohol-induced, n=500; biliary, n=500; hypertriglyceridemiainduced, n=200; other, n=500); the control group subjects have no AP in their medical history. Our study will have three major control groups (n=2200): hospital-based (n=500), population-based (n=500) and aetiology-based (alcohol, n=500; biliary, n=500 and hypertriglyceridemia, n=200). All of them will be matched to the case group individually by gender, age and location of residence. Aggregately, 3900 subjects will be enrolled into the study. The study participants will complete a complex questionnaire with the help of a clinical research administrator/study nurse. Analysis methods include analysis of the continuous and categorical values. Ethics and dissemination The study has obtained the relevant ethical approval (54175-2/2018/EKU) and also internationally registered (ISRCTN25940508). After obtaining the final conclusions, we will publish the data to the medical community and will also disseminate our results via open access

Aging and Comorbidities in Acute Pancreatitis II.: A Cohort-Analysis of 1203 Prospectively Collected Cases

Introduction: Our meta-analysis indicated that aging influences the outcomes of acute pancreatitis (AP), however, a potential role for comorbidities was implicated, as well. Here, we aimed to determine how age and comorbidities modify the outcomes in AP in a cohort-analysis of Hungarian AP cases.Materials and Methods: Data of patients diagnosed with AP by the revised Atlanta criteria were extracted from the Hungarian Registry for Pancreatic Patients. Outcomes of interest were mortality, severity, length of hospitalization, local, and systemic complications of AP. Comorbidities were measured by means of Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI) covering pre-existing chronic conditions. Non-parametric univariate and multivariate statistics were used in statistical analysis. Odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated.Results: A total of 1203 patients from 18 centers were included. Median age at admission was 58 years (range: 18–95 years), median CCI was 2 (range: 0–10). Only severe comorbidities (CCI ≥ 3) predicted mortality (OR = 4.48; CI: 1.57–12.80). Although severe comorbidities predicted AP severity (OR = 2.10, CI: 1.08–4.09), middle (35–64 years) and old age (≥65 years) were strong predictors with borderline significance, as well (OR = 7.40, CI: 0.99–55.31 and OR = 6.92, CI: 0.91–52.70, respectively). Similarly, middle and old age predicted a length of hospitalization ≥9 days. Interestingly, the middle-aged patients (35–64 years) were three times more likely to develop pancreatic necrosis than young adults (OR = 3.21, CI: 1.26–8.19), whereas the old-aged (≥65 years) were almost nine times more likely to develop systemic complications than young adults (OR = 8.93, CI: 1.20–66.80), though having severe comorbidities (CCI ≥ 3) was a predisposing factor, as well.Conclusion: Our results proved that both aging and comorbidities modify the outcomes of AP. Comorbidities determine mortality whereas both comorbidities and aging predict severity of AP. Regarding complications, middle-aged patients are the most likely to develop local complications; in contrast, those having severe comorbidities are prone to develop systemic complications. Studies validating the implementation of CCI-based predictive scores are awaited

Hypertriglyceridemia-induced acute pancreatitis: A prospective, multicenter, international cohort analysis of 716 acute pancreatitis cases

Background Hypertriglyceridemia is the third most common cause of acute pancreatitis (AP). It has been shown that hypertriglyceridemia aggravates the severity and related complications of AP; however, detailed analyses of large cohorts are inadequate and contradictory. Our aim was to investigate the dose-dependent effect of hypertriglyceridemia on AP. Methods AP patients over 18 years old who underwent triglyceride measurement within the initial three days were included into our cohort analysis from a prospective international, multicenter AP registry operated by the Hungarian Pancreatic Study Group. Data on 716 AP cases were analyzed. Six groups were created based on the highest triglyceride level (Peer reviewe

A Multicenter, International Cohort Analysis of 1435 Cases to Support Clinical Trial Design in Acute Pancreatitis

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Mapping Freshwater Carbonate Deposits by Using Ground-Penetrating Radar at Lake Kolon, Hungary

Freshwater carbonate deposit, as a special phenomenon in the Danube-Tisza Interfluve, located in the centre of Hungary, is a significant geological heritage in the Carpathian Basin. At present there is not any applicable method to investigate the presence of carbonate layers in an undisturbed way, as neither vegetation nor morphological characteristics indicate unambiguously these formations. Ground-penetrating radar technology is widely used in various earth science related researches, and the number of applications is steadily increasing. The aim of the study was to determine the spatial extension of freshwater limestone using geophysical methods near Lake Kolon, Hungary. The lake, which is now a protected wetland area with opened water surfaces, was formed in the paleo-channel of the River Danube. Measurements were performed with the help of ground-penetrating radar, the results were calibrated by high spatial resolution drillings. Investigations have been made since 2012, and freshwater limestone was detected at several locations determining the more exact extension of the formation. Ground-penetrating radar proved to be an appropriate method to detect the compact and fragmented freshwater limestone layers in such an environment. However, based on the results the method can be best applied under dry soil or sediment conditions while the uncertainty of the results increases significantly as a matter of higher soil moisture. Further control measurements are necessary verified by several drillings in order to give an exact method to determine freshwater limestone