Geohazard assessment of the coastal zone : the case of the southern Baltic Sea

Research by the Polish Geological Survey has been carried out along the southern Baltic coastal zone over a distance of 38 km. The Baltic Sea is classified as non-tidal, and its southern coasts are built entirely of weakly lithified sedimentary rocks. These deposits form three main types of coast, namely cliffs, barriers and alluvial coasts (wetlands), with the research focusing on the first two. Methods including remote sensing, mapping (geological, hydrogeological), offshore survey (bathymetric and geophysical measurements), laboratory analyses and modelling revealed a number of natural hazards. These are, respectively: (1) permanently occurring hazards, causing material damage such as: landslides, coastal erosion and seabed erosion; (2) incidental hazards such as dune breakage and storm surge overflow and (3) hypothetical threats that may occur in the future, such as hydrogeohazards defined here as flooding resulting from groundwater level rise or more rarely, earthquake threats

Fe-Mn nodules from the Polish sector of the Baltic Sea : state of knowledge and need for research

Studies on Baltic nodules have been undertaken since the1920s. In the 1970sand 1980s, the Polish Geological Institute - National Research Institute conducted researches on the bottom sediments of the Baltic Sea, which allowed identifying the regions of occurrence of Fe-Mn nodules in the southern part of the Baltic Sea (Mojski, 1989-1994). Nodules from the Polish Baltic Sea Zone are the least studied element of the marine environment. So far, there is a lack of information on environmental-geological conditions of formation and occurrence of nodules, their metal resources and deposit potential. The Fe-Mn nodules may be a valuable source of information on the contamination of the Baltic Sea water and bottom sediments. In cooperation between the Institute of Oceanography of the University ofGdañsk and the Polish Geological Institute-NRI, two research cruises were carried out in August and September 2020 on a 5 X 5 km testing ground in the Gotland-Gdańsk Threshold region. The seabed surface was profiled using multibeam echo sounders and a side-scan sonar. A hundred samples of Fe-Mn nodules, 25 samples of surface sediments associated with the nodules, and25 samples of clay rocks underlain by marine sediments were collected. The extensive documentary material will enable, for the first time, to estimate the nodule resources and determine the regularity of their occurrence

Chronology of the last ice sheet decay on the southern Baltic area based on dating of glaciofluvial and ice-dammed lake deposits

The paper presents the results of the first OSL dating of glaciofluvial and ice-marginal lake sediments which occur between end moraines of the Słupsk Bank and the Polish coast. The sand and gravel of glaciofluvial deltas on the Słupsk Bank were deposited most likely during a period from 14.3 ±1.2 to 16.6 ±1.4 ka ago. The deposition of silty-sandy sediments of the ice-marginal lake is dated at 14.51 ±0.81 and 14.6 ±1.4 ka years. Likewise, dates ranging from 13.74 ±0.84 to 16.70 ±1.1 ka obtained from low sandy ridges, related to the southern range of the ice-marginal lake in the Gardno-Łeba Lowland, indicate the most likely timing of their deposition. It can be concluded that a short stop of the ice sheet on the Słupsk Bank took place approximately 15.2 ka ago, which could be correlated with the position of the ice sheet front in central Skåne and in northern Lithuania at that time. Older and younger results were also obtained, except the dates mentioned above. The older ages show little sunlight exposure of sediments during their deposition. The younger dates indicate a marine origin of the sediments and show that some parts of glaciofluvial sediments were redeposited and exposed to sunlight at a later stage, most probably when dead-ice blocks were melting

Evolution Of The Results Of 1500 Liver Transplantations Performed In The Department Of General, Transplant And Liver Surgery Medical University Of Warsaw

Liver transplantation is a well-established treatment of patients with end-stage liver disease and selected liver tumors. Remarkable progress has been made over the last years concerning nearly all of its aspects. The aim of this study was to evaluate the evolution of long-term outcomes after liver transplantations performed in the Department of General, Transplant and Liver Surgery (Medical University of Warsaw). Material and methods. Data of 1500 liver transplantations performed between 1989 and 2014 were retrospectively analyzed. Transplantations were divided into 3 groups: group 1 including first 500 operations, group 2 including subsequent 500, and group 3 comprising the most recent 500. Five year overall and graft survival were set as outcome measures. Results. Increased number of transplantations performed at the site was associated with increased age of the recipients (p<0.001) and donors (p<0.001), increased rate of male recipients (p<0.001), and increased rate of piggyback operations (p<0.001), and decreased MELD (p<0.001), as well as decreased blood (p=0.006) and plasma (p<0.001) transfusions. Overall survival was 71.6% at 5 years in group 1, 74.5% at 5 years in group 2, and 85% at 2.9 years in group 3 (p=0.008). Improvement of overall survival was particularly observed for primary transplantations (p=0.004). Increased graft survival rates did not reach the level of significance (p=0.136). Conclusions. Long-term outcomes after liver transplantations performed in the Department of General, Transplant and Liver Surgery are comparable to those achieved in the largest transplant centers worldwide and are continuously improving despite increasing recipient age and wider utilization of organs procured from older donors

1000 Liver Transplantations at the Department of General, Transplant and Liver Surgery, Medical University of Warsaw - Analysis of Indications and Results

The aim of the study was to analyze indications and results of the first one thousand liver transplantations at Chair and Clinic of General, Transplantation and Liver Surgery, Medical University of Warsaw.Material and methods. Data from 1000 transplantations (944 patients) performed at Chair and Clinic of General, Transplantation and Liver Surgery between 1994 and 2011 were analyzed retrospectively. These included 943 first transplantations and 55 retransplantations and 2 re-retransplantations. Frequency of particular indications for first transplantation and retransplantations was established. Perioperative mortality was defined as death within 30 days after the transplantation. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis was used to estimate 5-year patient and graft survival.Results. The most common indications for first transplantation included: liver failure caused by hepatitis C infection (27.8%) and hepatitis B infection (18%) and alcoholic liver disease (17.7%). Early ( 6 months) retransplantations were dominated by hepatic artery thrombosis (54.3%) and recurrence of the underlying disease (45%). Perioperative mortality rate was 8.9% for first transplantations and 34.5% for retransplantations. Five-year patient and graft survival rate was 74.3% and 71%, respectively, after first transplantations and 54.7% and 52.9%, respectively, after retransplantations.Conclusions. Development of liver transplantation program provided more than 1000 transplantations and excellent long-term results. Liver failure caused by hepatitis C and B infections remains the most common cause of liver transplantation and structure of other indications is consistent with European data

1000 Liver Transplantations at the Department of General, Transplant and Liver Surgery, Medical University of Warsaw - Analysis of Indications and Results

The aim of the study was to analyze indications and results of the first one thousand liver transplantations at Chair and Clinic of General, Transplantation and Liver Surgery, Medical University of Warsaw.Material and methods. Data from 1000 transplantations (944 patients) performed at Chair and Clinic of General, Transplantation and Liver Surgery between 1994 and 2011 were analyzed retrospectively. These included 943 first transplantations and 55 retransplantations and 2 re-retransplantations. Frequency of particular indications for first transplantation and retransplantations was established. Perioperative mortality was defined as death within 30 days after the transplantation. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis was used to estimate 5-year patient and graft survival.Results. The most common indications for first transplantation included: liver failure caused by hepatitis C infection (27.8%) and hepatitis B infection (18%) and alcoholic liver disease (17.7%). Early ( 6 months) retransplantations were dominated by hepatic artery thrombosis (54.3%) and recurrence of the underlying disease (45%). Perioperative mortality rate was 8.9% for first transplantations and 34.5% for retransplantations. Five-year patient and graft survival rate was 74.3% and 71%, respectively, after first transplantations and 54.7% and 52.9%, respectively, after retransplantations.Conclusions. Development of liver transplantation program provided more than 1000 transplantations and excellent long-term results. Liver failure caused by hepatitis C and B infections remains the most common cause of liver transplantation and structure of other indications is consistent with European data