Development of a new masters program for occupational physicians in Flanders

Background: discussions with occupational physicians and a postal survey identified the shortcomings of previous programs, mainly found in the fields of occupational hygiene, ergonomics, environmental health and management.Objectives of the new program: basic knowledge (see content), the development of problem solving skills, scientific and social attitudes.Content: first year: occupational health practice, occupational hygiene, epidemiology, work physiology, toxicokinetics and dynamics and in service training (4 weeks). Second year: occupational pathology, environmental health, ergonomics, social legislation, safety, management and in service training (4 weeks). The total study load is estimated at about 1600 hours per year.Methods: interactivity is stimulated by the introduction of interdisciplinary seminars, project work in groups and Socratic dialogue. The objectives, contents and teaching and student-evaluation methods of the separate items were defined before selecting teachers.Finality of the program: a masters title sufficient to practice occupational medicine in Belgium. A subsequent postacademic training of 2 years, while at work, will be required for the title of specialist in occupational medicine, valid at European Union (EU) level. It will include preparing and publically defending a thesis.Statement: The collaboration of ex-students working in the field is essential in the development and quality assessment of adequate teaching programs.     

Dr Gwyneth Dorothy Howells (1925–2009), former Editor in Chief of Chemistry and Ecology

This paper presents the results of the examination of concentrations of chlorinated hydrocarbons in surface sediments from the middle of the Adriatic. the sampling area was chosen as part of the protection programme of the Adriatic Sea and is located at two transverse transects, each consisting of four stations. the sediments were collected during the summer cruise of 1990. Quantification of individual components was performed by Capillary Gas Chromatography (CGC) using reference standards. Areal distribution of the concentrations of HCB, lindane, DDT and its metabolites, dieldrin, endrin and PCBs are presented. the values obtained varied within a wide range of concentration from 20 pg/g dry weight for lindane to 700 pg/g dry weight for Σ DDT and the sum of PCBs as Aroclor 1254 from 0.3 to 6.6 ng/g.

The main source of these compounds is thought to be from suspended matter entering the Adriatic sea via the River Po and transported by currents to its middle part.     

Roles of survival and dispersal in reintroduction success of Griffon vulture (Gyps fulvus).

The success of reintroduction programs greatly depends on the amount of mortality and dispersal of the released individuals. Although local environmental pressures are likely to play an important role in these processes, they have rarely been investigated because of the lack of spatial replicates of reintroduction. In the present study, we analyzed a 25-year data set encompassing 272 individuals released in five reintroduction programs of Griffon Vultures (Gyps fulvus) in France to examine the respective roles of survival and dispersal in program successes and failures. We use recent developments in multi-strata capture-recapture models to take into account tag loss in survival estimates and to consider and estimate dispersal among release areas. We also examined the effects of sex, age, time, area, and release status on survival, and we tested whether dispersal patterns among release areas were consistent with habitat selection theories. Results indicated that the survival of released adults was reduced during the first year after release, with no difference between sexes. Taking into account local observations only, we found that early survival rates varied across sites. However when we distinguished dispersal from mortality, early survival rates became equal across release sites. It thus appears that among reintroduction programs difference in failure and success was due to differential dispersal among release sites. We revealed asymmetrical patterns of dispersal due to conspecific attraction: dispersers selected the closest and the largest population. We showed that mortality can be homogeneous from one program to another while, on the contrary, dispersal is highly dependent on the matrix of established populations. Dispersal behavior is thus of major interest for metapopulation restoration and should be taken into account in planning reintroduction designs.     

Effects of photodegradation of dissolved organic matter on the binding of benzo(a)pyrene

Dissolved organic matter (DOM) in natural waters can bind various organic pollutants, and the affinity of this binding is strongly influenced by the chemical characteristics of the DOM and water pH. This study examined the effects of photochemically induced alteration of the DOM's chemical properties and water pH on the binding of benzo(a)pyrene (BaP). Time- and pH-series of solar-simulated irradiations were performed on a natural water sample and aqueous DOM solutions prepared from aquatic and soil humic substances. The binding affinity of BaP, expressed as a partition coefficient of a compound to DOM, decreased substantially after the DOM samples were irradiated over environmentally relevant radiation doses and pH ranges. The lowering of the pH due to the photoproduction of acidic products often partly offsets the reduction of the binding affinity caused by direct photoalteration of the DOM's chemical structure. The decrease of the binding affinity, after correction for the photoinduced pH change, was positively correlated with the decrease in the molecular weight and the aromaticity of the DOM in the course of irradiation. Increasing O(2) abundance accelerated the decrease of the binding affinity as a result of enhanced DOM photodegradation. Visible light played a more important role in reducing the molecular weight and aromaticity of the DOM than in reducing the content of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) via photoremineralization while the reverse was true for UV radiation, indicating that photochemical reduction of the binding affinity may occur in natural waters at depths greater than UV radiation can reach. A decrease of the affinity of DOM for binding BaP will increase the free dissolved fraction of BaP and thus its availability and toxicity to aquatic organisms. The results from this study may have similar implications for organic pollutants other than BaP.     

Impacts of ocean acidification on marine shelled molluscs

Over the next century, elevated quantities of atmospheric CO₂ are expected to penetrate into the oceans, causing a reduction in pH (?0.3/?0.4 pH unit in the surface ocean) and in the concentration of carbonate ions (so-called ocean acidification). Of growing concern are the impacts that this will have on marine and estuarine organisms and ecosystems. Marine shelled molluscs, which colonized a large latitudinal gradient and can be found from intertidal to deep-sea habitats, are economically and ecologically important species providing essential ecosystem services including habitat structure for benthic organisms, water purification and a food source for other organisms. The effects of ocean acidification on the growth and shell production by juvenile and adult shelled molluscs are variable among species and even within the same species, precluding the drawing of a general picture. This is, however, not the case for pteropods, with all species tested so far, being negatively impacted by ocean acidification. The blood of shelled molluscs may exhibit lower pH with consequences for several physiological processes (e.g. respiration, excretion, etc.) and, in some cases, increased mortality in the long term. While fertilization may remain unaffected by elevated pCO₂, embryonic and larval development will be highly sensitive with important reductions in size and decreased survival of larvae, increases in the number of abnormal larvae and an increase in the developmental time. There are big gaps in the current understanding of the biological consequences of an acidifying ocean on shelled molluscs. For instance, the natural variability of pH and the interactions of changes in the carbonate chemistry with changes in other environmental stressors such as increased temperature and changing salinity, the effects of species interactions, as well as the capacity of the organisms to acclimate and/or adapt to changing environmental conditions are poorly described.     

Prenatal diagnosis in Coffin-Lowry syndrome demonstrates germinal mosaicism confirmed by mutation analysis

Coffin-Lowry syndrome is a rare X-linked, semi-dominant mental retardation syndrome resulting from mutations of the ribosomal S6 kinase 2 (RSK2) gene. In the present report, a male patient affected with Coffin-Lowry syndrome is shown to have a nonsense mutation of the RSK2 gene. His unaffected mother does not have this mutation in her lymphocytes. In her third pregnancy prenatal diagnosis by mutation analysis has detected gonadal mosaicism. As this is the second report of germinal mosaicism in Coffin-Lowry syndrome, the finding has important implication for genetic counselling. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Anthropogenic influences on a mediterranean Nature Reserve: modelling and forecasting

The lagoon of Biguglia (northeastern Corsica) is one of a number Nature Reserve. Anthropogenic activities are increasing over its watershed however. The present study aims to examine the state of health of the lagoon with the example of two pollutants (Cd and Cu). Water samples were collected in spring and summer 1997. The trace metal fluxes between the various compartments were measured. Transfer processes from the watershed to the lagoon were also examined. The temporal evolution of Cd and Cu content is assessed on the one hand by comparing the present data with former reference work (1992). On the other hand, a 5-box model is implemented in order to reduce the complex functioning of the lagoon to a system of differential equations. With the help of a numerical resolution method, the increase of metallic concentration levels is estimated since 1992. On the basis of 1997 data, two hypotheses are compared. The hypothesis that takes into account a growing increase of anthropogenic activities on the watershed gives, by extrapolation, results that are closer to field measurements. However, even with this hypothesis, the cadmium content in the lagoon is underestimated. This may signify that for this metal the evolution of the lagoon pollution is more important than a linear increase.