Växtplankton i sjöar

Classification of the ecological status of Swedish lakes based on total biomass, proportion of cyanobacteria and according to a new trophic plankton index is presented. These parameters are all intended for a trophic gradient while species richness is used in a gradient of acidic condition

Cyanotoxin production in seven Ethiopian Rift Valley Lakes

We hypothesized that unusual deaths and illnesses in wild and domestic animals in lake areas of the Rift Valley south of Addis Ababa were caused by toxic cyanobacteria. In the first cyanotoxic analyses conducted in samples from Ethiopia, we found lakes Chamo, Abaya, Awassa, Chitu, Langano, Ziway, and Koka all had concentrations of microcystins (MC) ranging from trace to hazardous, whereas only traces less than limits of detection (LOD) of cylindrospermopsin (CYN) were found. In the December 2006 dry season we sampled the lakes for analyses of MC, CYN, species structures, and calculations of cyanobacteria biomass. We used the Utermöhl technique to analyse cyanobacterial biomass and monitored MC toxins using HPLC-DAD, LC-ESI-MS-MRM, and ELISA-test and CYN with HPLC-DAD and ELISA. The various toxicity tests coincided well. In 4 of the lakes (Chamo, Langano, Ziway, and Koka), the inter-lake range of total MC concentration was 1.3–48 μg L-1; in 3 (Abaya, Awassa, and Chitu), we found only traces of MC. Microcystis aeruginosa was the dominant species, with Microcystis panniformis, Anabaena spiroides, and Cylindrospermopsis spp. as subdominants. The MC concentration, especially in Lake Koka, exceeded levels for serious health hazards for humans, cattle, and wildlife

Har du något förbjudet som simmar eller växer i din trädgårdsdamm? : Information om hur du hjälper till att stoppa introduktion och spridning av invasiva främmande dammväxter.

Trädgårdsdammen kan vara ett fantastiskt fint inslag i en trädgård, men den kan också vara inkörsporten för invasiva främmande växter som inte växer som vi tänkt oss utan istället sprider sig och skapar problem. Tyvärr begränsas problemen inte bara till dammen för de här växterna sprids lätt till naturen där de kan ställa till med stor skada. En sjö med stor artrikedom kan snabbt växa igen och domineras av den snabbväxande inkräktaren. Går det så långt påverkar det också vår möjlighet att bada, fiska eller åka båt i sjön

Miljöövervakning i Mälaren 2003

På uppdrag av Mälarens vattenvårdsförbund har Institutionen för miljöanalys vid SLU i Uppsala utfört provtagning, analys och utvärdering av vatten i Mälarens fjärdar under år 2003.Föreliggande årsredogörelse beskriver huvuddragen av resultaten som dessutom bifogas i sinhelhet i tabellform. En fristående sammanfattning på 4 sidor har dessutom producerats och distribuerats

Miljöövervakning i Mälaren 2002

På uppdrag av Mälarens vattenvårdsförbund har Institutionen för miljöanalys vid SLU iUppsala utfört provtagning, analys och utvärdering av vatten i Mälarens fjärdar under år2002.Föreliggande årsredogörelse beskriver huvuddragen av resultaten som dessutom bifogas i sinhelhet i tabellform. En fristående sammanfattning på 8 sidor har dessutom producerats ochdistribuerats

Typanpassning av referenssjöar och vattendrag : Kritisk granskning av biologiska kvalitetsfaktorer med bedömningsgrunder

I projektet har vi testat om de nationella och i viss mån regionala (beroende på tillgänglighet påkvalitetssäkrade biologiska data) referenssjöarna och referensvattendragen utgör "referenser" för denvattentyp de tillhör (enligt nordisk och svensk typologi) med avseende på kvalitetselementenbottenfauna, växtplankton och makrofyter

Unclassified sarcomas : a study to improve classification in a cohort of Golden Retriever dogs

Morphologically, canine soft-tissue sarcomas (STSs) resemble human STSs. In humans, proper classification of STSs is considered essential to improve insight in the biology of these tumors, and to optimize diagnosis and therapy. To date, there is a paucity of data published on the significance of detailed classification of STSs in the dog. We revised a cohort (n = 110) of proliferative lesions obtained from a study in Golden Retrievers that were considered "soft tissue sarcoma, not otherwise specified or of uncertain subtype" in order to optimize the diagnoses of these lesions. The criteria according to the veterinary WHO classification, recent veterinary literature, and the WHO classification for humans were applied. Revision was initially based on morphologic characteristics of hematoxylin and eosin-stained histologic sections of the neoplasms. If considered necessary (n = 76), additional immunohistochemistry was applied to aid characterization. The diagnosis of STS was confirmed in 75 neoplasms (68%). Of this group, diagnosis of a specific subtype of the STSs was possible in 58 neoplasms. Seven neoplasms had morphologic characteristics that were suggestive for sarcoma subtypes only described in the WHO classification for humans. Seventeen neoplasms remained "unclassified STSs." Thirty-one lesions (28%) were diagnosed "neoplasm, not being STS." Four lesions (4%) were considered nonneoplastic. Because incorrect classification of a tumor could lead to inappropriate therapeutic intervention and prognostication, the results of our study clearly illustrate the importance of revision and further diagnosis of "unclassified STSs" in dogs

Urokinase plasminogen activator and its inhibitor, PAI-1, in association with progression-free survival in early stage endometrial cancer

Components of the urokinase plasminogen activator (u-PA) system are involved in the metastatic process, and have accordingly been associated with clinical outcome in a variety of malignant tumours. We investigated the prognostic importance of u-PA and plasminogen activator inhibitor type 1 (PAI-1) in endometrial cancer, analysed with luminometric immunoassay (LIA) and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), respectively. Two different cut-off levels were used: the median and the 80th percentile-the latter because of the low progression rate for patients with early stage (I-II) endometrial cancer. After a median follow-up time of 6.8 years, univariate analysis of patients with stage I-II disease (n=188) showed that high u-PA and high PAI-1 content was associated with a shorter progression-free survival (PFS), but at different cut-off levels, uPA at the median (P=0.003), and PAI-1 at the 80th percentile (P<0.001). Among the other factors, DNA ploidy status was most strongly correlated to PFS, followed by age (continuous), International Federation of Gynaecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) grade of differentiation, S-phase fraction and progesterone receptor (PgR) status. Bivariate analyses, including ploidy and one of the factors u-PA or PAI-1, showed that both add significant prognostic information. We conclude that u-PA and PAI-1 are promising prognostic factors in early stage endometrial cancer

Highly elevated systemic inflammation is a strong independent predictor of early mortality in advanced non-small cell lung cancer

Background Ample evidence support inflammation as a marker of outcome in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Here we explore the outcome for a subgroup of patients with advanced disease and substantially elevated systemic inflammatory activity. Methods The source cohort included consecutive patients diagnosed with NSCLC between January 2016 – May 2017 (n = 155). Patients with active infection were excluded. Blood parameters were examined individually, and cut-offs (ESR &gt; 60 mm, CRP &gt; 20 mg/L, WBC &gt; 10 × 109, PLT &gt; 400 × 109) were set to define the group of hyperinflamed patients. A score was developed by assigning one point for each parameter above cut-off (0–4 points). Results High systemic inflammation was associated with advanced stage and was seldom present in limited NSCLC. However, the one year survival of patients in stage IIIB-IV (n = 93) with an inflammation score of ≥2 was 0% compared to 33% and 50% among patients with a score of 1 and 0 respectively. The effect of a high inflammation score on overall survival remained significant in multi-variate analysis adjusted for confounding factors. The independent hazard ratio of an inflammation score ≥ 2 in multi-variate analysis (HR 3.43, CI 1.76–6.71) was comparable to a change in ECOG PS from 0 to 2 (HR 2.42, CI 1.13–5.18). Conclusion Our results show that high level systemic inflammation is a strong independent predictor of poor survival in advanced stage NSCLC. This observation may indicate a need to use hyperinflammation as an additional clinical parameter for stratification of patients in clinical studies and warrants further research on underlying mechanisms linked to tumor progression

Diversity predicts stability and resource use efficiency in natural phytoplankton communities

The relationship between species diversity and ecosystem functioning has been debated for decades, especially in relation to the “macroscopic” realm (higher plants and metazoans). Although there is emerging consensus that diversity enhances productivity and stability in communities of higher organisms; however, we still do not know whether these relationships apply also for communities of unicellular organisms, such as phytoplankton, which contribute ≈50% to the global primary production. We show here that phytoplankton resource use, and thus carbon fixation, is directly linked to the diversity of phytoplankton communities. Datasets from freshwater and brackish habitats show that diversity is the best predictor for resource use efficiency of phytoplankton communities across considerable environmental gradients. Furthermore, we show that the diversity requirement for stable ecosystem functioning scales with the nutrient level (total phosphorus), as evidenced by the opposing effects of diversity (negative) and resource level (positive) on the variability of both resource use and community composition. Our analyses of large-scale observational data are consistent with experimental and model studies demonstrating causal effects of microbial diversity on functional properties at the system level. Our findings point at potential linkages between eutrophication and pollution-mediated loss of phytoplankton diversity. Factors reducing phytoplankton diversity may have direct detrimental effects on the amount and predictability of aquatic primary production