GROUNDWATER QUALITY AND ITS SUITABILITY FOR DRINKING AND AGRICULTURAL USE IN A RURAL AREA FROM CLUJ COUNTY (FLORESTI VILLAGE)

In the present study, a hydrochemical investigation was conducted in a rural area from Cluj County, Romania, inorder to determine the chemical composition of groundwater and to evaluate if the investigated water sources canbe used for drinking or agriculture purposes. Several groundwater samples were collected from fifteen wells inorder to analyze the major dissolved ions (Na+, K+, Mg2+, Ca2+, F-, Cl-, Br-, NO2-, NO3-, PO43- and SO42-). Theanalyzed waters proved to have a low level of sodium (0.27 - 41.87 mg/l), magnesium (0.11 – 25.17 mg/l), calcium(0.59 – 117.30 mg/l), chloride (3.33 – 97.68 mg/l) and sulphate (4.42 – 132.80 mg/l), and a high level of potassium(0.22 – 22.59 mg/l), nitrites (detected only in one sample - 1.36 mg/l), nitrate (6.58 – 92.96 mg/l), fluoride (0.24 –1.40 mg/l) and phosphate (12.44 –18.26 mg/l). The possibility of using these waters for agricultural purposes hasbeen assessed by calculating the sodium adsorption ratio (SAR). The results of the present study indicate that theuse for agricultural purposes of some of the analyzed groundwater represent no threat for vegetation, as the SARlevel was lower than 3.0

Maximal aerobic capacity in ageing subjects: actual measurements versus predicted values

We evaluated the impact of selection of reference values on the categorisation of measured maximal oxygen consumption (V′O2peak) as “normal” or “abnormal” in an ageing population. We compared measured V′O2peak with predicted values and the lower limit of normal (LLN) calculated with five equations. 99 (58 males and 41 females) disease-free subjects aged ≥70 years completed an incremental maximal exercise test on a cycle ergometer. Mean V′O2peak was 1.88 L·min−1 in men and 1.26 L·min−1 in women. V′O2peak ranged from 89% to 108% of predicted in men, and from 88% to 164% of predicted in women, depending on the reference equation used. The proportion of subjects below the LLN ranged from 5% to 14% in men and 0–22% in women, depending on the reference equation. The LLN was lacking in one study, and was unsuitable for women in another. Most LLNs ranged between 53% and 73% of predicted. Therefore, choosing an 80% cut-off leads to overestimation of the proportion of “abnormal” subjects. To conclude, the proportion of subjects aged ≥70 years with a “low” V′O2peak differs markedly according to the chosen reference equations. In clinical practice, it is still relevant to test a sample of healthy volunteers and select the reference equations that better characterise this sample

Impact of 3D conformal radiotherapy on lung function of patients with lung cancer: a prospective study

BACKGROUND: The development of three-dimensional conformal radiotherapy (3D-RT) has enabled the restriction of the dose to normal lung, limiting radiation-induced lung injury. OBJECTIVES: This study was designed to describe the time course of lung function until 7.5 months after 3D-RT in patients with lung cancer, and assess the relationship between lung function changes and dose-volume histogram (DVH) analysis or computed tomography scan changes. Radiation doses were optimized according to recent guidelines. METHODS: Sixty-five lung cancer patients treated with 3D-RT agreed to participate in this prospective, hospital-based study. Lung volumes, forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1) and diffusing capacity of the lung for carbon monoxide (DLCO) were measured before radiotherapy (RT), 10 weeks, 4 and 7.5 months after the beginning of 3D-RT. RESULTS: Eleven lung cancer patients (17%) developed grade 2-3 respiratory symptoms after RT. At 7.5 months, vital capacity (VC) was 96 ± 2%, total lung capacity (TLC) 95 ± 2%, FEV1 93 ± 2% and DLCO 90 ± 2% of the initial value. Only 15% of patients showed pulmonary function reduction > 20%. Patients with FEV1 or DLCO < 60% before RT did not show significant changes after RT. There were weak correlations between reduction of VC, TLC, FEV1 or DLCO and radiation dosimetric parameters and between reduction of VC or FEV1 and radiation-induced pneumonitis images. CONCLUSIONS: In lung cancer, the reduction of lung function within 7.5 months after 3D-RT was small and correlated, albeit weakly, with DVH parameters. Patients with initially impaired lung function showed tiny changes in spirometry and DLCO values