Contribution for the derivation of a soil screening value (SSV) for uranium, using a natural reference soil

In order to regulate the management of contaminated land, many countries have been deriving soil screening values (SSV). However, the ecotoxicological data available for uranium is still insufficient and incapable to generate SSVs for European soils. In this sense, and so as to make up for this shortcoming, a battery of ecotoxicological assays focusing on soil functions and organisms, and a wide range of endpoints was carried out, using a natural soil artificially spiked with uranium. In terrestrial ecotoxicology, it is widely recognized that soils have different properties that can influence the bioavailability and the toxicity of chemicals. In this context, SSVs derived for artificial soils or for other types of natural soils, may lead to unfeasible environmental risk assessment. Hence, the use of natural regional representative soils is of great importance in the derivation of SSVs. A Portuguese natural reference soil PTRS1, from a granitic region, was thereby applied as test substrate. This study allowed the determination of NOEC, LOEC, EC20 and EC50 values for uranium. Dehydrogenase and urease enzymes displayed the lowest values (34.9 and ,134.5 mg U Kg, respectively). Eisenia andrei and Enchytraeus crypticus revealed to be more sensitive to uranium than Folsomia candida. EC50 values of 631.00, 518.65 and 851.64 mg U Kg were recorded for the three species, respectively. Concerning plants, only Lactuca sativa was affected by U at concentrations up to 1000 mg U kg1. The outcomes of the study may in part be constrained by physical and chemical characteristics of soils, hence contributing to the discrepancy between the toxicity data generated in this study and that available in the literature. Following the assessment factor method, a predicted no effect concentration (PNEC) value of 15.5 mg kg21dw was obtained for U. This PNEC value is proposed as a SSV for soils similar to the PTRS1

Organization of medical abilitation for extremely premature infants with perinatal central-nervous-system lesions

Health status of infants with extremely low and very low birth weight is a challenge for today's healthcare. Ivanovo Research Institute of Maternity and Childhood named after V.N. Gorodkov has established the system of medical care to extremely premature infants with perinatal lesions of the central nervous system. Abilitation for extremely premature infants with perinatal lesions of the central nervous system should involve territorial and inter-territorial level organizations, interaction algorithms, a complex of forecasting methods, early diagnosis of health disorders, a series of initiatives for the ultimate recovery of defective functions, prevention of disability and development of new therapies, particularly, application of neuropeptide Semax in children with hypoxic-ischemic disorder

Regional organizational model of medical care for children born with very low and extremely low body weight

The article presents the organizational experience of medical care for children born with very low and extremely low body weight in the Ivanovo region. Medical care is carried out on the basis of the perinatal center, starting from the antenatal period until the age of 3 years. It includes the following steps: the first stage is the intensive care unit, the second stage is the pathology department for newborns and premature infants, and the third stage is catamnestic observation. The article describes organizational technologies of the regional model of medical care for children born with very low and extremely low body weight. There are data on the state of health and disability of the deeply premature infants.Conflict of interest: The authors of this article confirmed the lack of conflict of interest and financial support, which should be reported