Congenital cervical teratoma,associated with agenesis of corpus callosum and a subarachnoid cyst

Cervical teratoma is a neoplasm composed of embryonic tissues with representation of all three germ layers. We report an extremely rare case of fetal cervical teratoma presenting at 24 weeks of gestation. A submaxillary mass and agenesis of corpus callosum were identified on ultrasonography, associated with agenesis of corpus callosum and a subarachnoid cyst. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A review of the public health impacts of unconventional natural gas development

The public health impact of hydraulic fracturing remains a high profile and controversial issue. While there has been a recent surge of published papers, it remains an under-researched area despite being possibly the most substantive change in energy production since the advent of the fossil fuel economy. We review the evidence of effects in five public health domains with a particular focus on the UK: exposure, health, socio-economic, climate change and seismicity. While the latter would seem not to be of significance for the UK, we conclude that serious gaps in our understanding of the other potential impacts persist together with some concerning signals in the literature and legitimate uncertainties derived from first principles. There is a fundamental requirement for high-quality epidemiological research incorporating real exposure measures, improved understanding of methane leakage throughout the process, and a rigorous analysis of the UK social and economic impacts. In the absence of such intelligence, we consider it prudent to incentivise further research and delay any proposed developments in the UK. Recognising the political realities of the planning and permitting process, we make a series of recommendations to protect public health in the event of hydraulic fracturing being approved in the UK.     

Costa Rica — Assessing Climate Mitigation Pathways to Support NDC Implementation

Environmental Modeling & Assessment - Costa Rica has set a very ambitious Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC). Despite the low-carbon footprint of its power sector, the goal set in its NDC...     

Atmospheric methyl tertiary butyl ether (MTBE) at a rural mountain site in California

Methyl tertiary butyl ether (MTBE) was measured in air samples collected at hourly intervals near Blodgett Forest Research Station on the western slope of the Sierra Nevada, California, in July 1997, October 1998, and June through September 1999. Mixing ratios ranged from below the detection limit (< approximately 0.01 ppbv) to 0.5 ppbv, but were generally less than 0.3 ppbv. At these mixing ratios partitioning of MTBE into surface waters would lead to MTBE concentrations of less than 0.2 microg L(-1). As expected, MTBE mixing ratios were highly correlated with other anthropogenically emitted hydrocarbons. Based on the observed diurnal cycle of MTBE and its ratio to 2-methyl-butane (isopentane), we estimated the average regional daytime oxidant concentration to be (9 to 13) x 10(6) OH radicals per cubic centimeter, consistent with our earlier estimates for this region. Furthermore, MTBE ratios to toluene, another ubiquitous anthropogenic hydrocarbon, were generally consistent with regional transport and dilution, as well as atmospheric oxidation. Exceptions, pertaining to MTBE mixing ratios below or close to the detection limit, were associated with the influence of marine air masses that did not experience anthropogenic hydrocarbon input from California. With all these constraints in place, evidence for an additional atmospheric loss process, such as nonreversible deposition of MTBE, could not be established, and we conclude that any deposition is slow compared with removal from the atmosphere by the OH radical.     

A biotechnological agenda for the third world

Third World countries should exploit the genetic information stored in their flora and fauna to develop independent and highly competitive biotechnological and pharmaceutical industries. The necessary condition for this policy to succeed is the reshaping of their universities and hospitals—to turn them into high-caliber research institutions dedicated to the creation of original knowledge and biomedical invention. Part of the service of the Third World foreign debt should be co-invested with the lending banks in high technology enterprises. This should be complemented with an active program of investments in First World biotech companies and university research departments which could contribute to the solving of problems connected with the First World. These strategic alliances would allow effective training of molecular biologists, improvement of South American universities, and education of biotechnologists, managers, and lawyers in the complexities of high-technology business. The establishment of real joint ventures between developed and underdeveloped countries might contribute to change the present strained relations between the North and the South, and science and technology could become real forces of social and economic development.     

Redistributing the world's wealth: Cancun ‘summit’ discord

The aim of the North-South ‘summit’ conference in 1981 was to bridge the wealth gap between the few industrial nations and the hundred-odd poor countries. Unfortunately no firm proposals materialized. The rich nations refused to increase their aid transfers to the developing countries or to correct the growing inequalities in world trade. The multiplication of wealth is the basic concern of the North in an era of recession and unemployment. The division of wealth is an urgent necessity for the South, but their demands for a global reallocation of resources remained unmet. The gap is likely to widen considerably in future.