[en] At RF frequencies (3 to 30 MHZ), a three electrode device can provide a much more uniform heating distribution than the conventional two electrode capacitive device. This is particularly true in very deep hyperthermia, such as in the localized heating of parts of the trunk. The authors describe an apparatus which is comprised of three generators, each of them feeding one electrode. Power transmission is made through boluses filled of circulating saline water. By adjusting the phase relationship of the electrodes generators, the heating pattern can be modified at will within large limits. Due to a careful matching of the impedance the spurious RF radiation is reduced to a very low level, so that the accurate measurements of the temperature can be made by using thermistor probes, provided these probes are designed with some care. The authors present measurements made in phantoms which show the flexibility of the whole equipment

[en] A colloidal suspension of radioactive cerium stabilized in the form of hydroxide was inoculated into young Sprague-Dawley rats near the maxillary sinus. Well-differentiated epidermoid carcinomas of the paranasal sinus were obtained in 8 of 12 rats and in 8 of 9 animals that lived more than 200 days. Therefore, this isotope was highly effective in inducing tumors at the site of injection. The uniformity of the histologic type of tumors induced under these experimental conditions was remarkable

[en] Satisfactory experimental models for preclinical prediction in cancerology must answer the following criteria: reproducibility of the method used for inducing tumors; clinical, pathological and kinetic similarity with the corresponding human tumors. We have developed a model of osteosarcoma locally induced by insoluble radioactive cerium chloride (¹⁴⁴Ce Cl₃) in Sprague Dawley rats. This method yields over 80% of bone tumors at the injection site, of which approximately half are histologically similar to human tumors. These tumors double their volume fairly slowly (in approximately 20 days); lung metastases occur both early and frequently (80% of animals). A transplantable tumor was developed from an induced osteosarcoma and adapted to the Curie strain. Transplantation in the bone, next to the bone, or under the skin is followed by widespread metastatic dissemination. The kinetics and histological features of the primary tumor are maintained. Tumor ⁸⁵strontium uptake is similar to that seen in human osteosarcomas. These new models of osteosarcomas are being used for evaluating new cancer chemotherapeutic agents and interferon, etc

[en] The authors analyse the results of 50 computed angiographies made for osteosarcoma and Ewing's sarcoma. Better tolerated than conventional angiography, computed angiography is also more sensitive in preoperative evaluation of effectiveness of neoadjuvant chemotherapy. Automatic substraction, direct measuring of tumor size and vascularization density give to angiographic changes after chemotherapy the most predictive value. After conservative surgery or radiotherapy digital angiography provides most reliable local follow up

[en] Highlights: • Nutrients from fertiliser affect biofilm and macrofouling communities. • Nutrients affect invertebrate recruitment at community and taxonomic group levels. • Water-borne nutrients increased ascidian and barnacle recruitment. • Direct and indirect nutrient impacts could select for specific macrofouling groups. • Excess nutrient inputs alter community structure and may affect ecosystem function. Anthropogenic contaminants, including nutrient enrichment, frequently alter environmental conditions in marine systems and affect the development of communities on hard-substrata. Biofilms can influence the settlement of marine invertebrates and hence impact on the structure of fouling communities. Few studies have examined bacteria, invertebrates and nutrient-rich contaminants in concert, with none yet to examine the effects of nutrient-rich contaminants on both biofilms and the recruitment of sessile invertebrate communities in-situ to ascertain the mechanistic basis behind observed impacts. Biofilm treatments were allowed to develop under manipulated environmental conditions of either ambient or enriched nutrient levels. Enrichment conditions were elevated via slow-release fertiliser and invertebrate recruitment was prevented during initial biofilm development. Biofilm treatments (including a no film control) were then subject to either ambient or enriched water-borne nutrients (in a fully-factorial design) during a period of invertebrate colonisation in the field. Effects of nutrient-rich contaminants on invertebrate recruitment were observed as changes to community composition and the abundances of taxonomic groups. Communities on no biofilm control treatments differed from those with pre-developed biofilms. Naturally developed biofilms promoted recruitment by all organisms, except barnacles, which preferred nutrient-enriched biofilms. Water-borne nutrients increased the recruitment of ascidians and barnacles, but suppressed bryozoan, serpulid polychaete and sponge recruitment. The direct and indirect impacts observed on biofilm and invertebrate communities suggest that increasing nutrient levels via nutrient-rich contaminants will result in structural community shifts that may ultimately impact ecosystem functioning within estuaries.

[en] Fifty nine 6 week-old Sprague Dawley male rats were inoculated near the left angle of the mandibular bone with radioactive colloidal cerium. Fifty three rats presented orofacial tumours: forty-two single tumours and 11 double tumours. The survival time of animals with tumours ranged between 262 to 501 days after inoculation of cerium. Six rats died without tumours. Squamous cell carcinomas (SCC) and bone and soft tissue (BSTS) sarcomas were the predominant histological types (respectively 42 SCC and 14 (BSTS). Other types of tumours were also observed: 3 salivary adenocarcinomas, 3 tumours with double differrentiation, one ganglioneuroblastoma and one odontosarcoma. Double tumours were found in rats which had a significantly greater mean survival time, suggesting that the probability of double tumours increases with time. No correlation was found between the mean initial radioactivity and histological type of tumours, mean survival time, locoregional extension or presence of metastases. In general, the low incidence of metastases (17.3%) contrasted with a large locoregional extension. Only one out of five osteosarcomas of the mandible presented lung metastases, a low rate when compared to osteogenic osteosarcomas of the leg induced in rats by radioactive cerium (60-80% of metastases). The mean labelling index determined by autoradiographic study one hour after injection of 5.5 μ/g of tritiated thymidine was 23.7% +- 6.4% and 27.8% +- 6.8% respectively, for SCC and BSTS). These radio-induced tumours may constitute an interesting experimental model for human orofacial tumours

[en] Particulate matter (PM), which are chemically and biochemically complicated particles, accommodate a plethora of microorganisms. In the present study, we report the influence of heavy metal pollution on the abundance and community structure of archaea and bacteria associated with PM samples collected from polluted and non-polluted regions of Cochin Estuary (CE), Southwest coast of India. We observed an accumulation of heavy metals in PM collected from CE, and their concentrations were in the order Fe > Zn > Mn > Cr > Pb > Cu > Cd > Co > Ni. Zinc was a major pollutant in the water (4.36–130.50 μgL⁻¹) and in the particulate matter (765.5–8451.28 μgg⁻¹). Heavy metals, Cd, Co, and Pb were recorded in the particulate matter, although they were below detectable limits in the water column. Statistical analysis showed a positive influence of particulate organic carbon, nitrogen, PM-Pb, PM-Zn and PM-Fe on the abundance of PM-archaea and PM-bacteria. The abundance of archaea and bacteria were ten times less in PM compared with planktonic ones. The abundance of PM-archaea ranged between 4.27 and 9.50 × 10⁷and 2.73 to 3.85 × 10⁷ cellsL⁻¹ respectively for the wet and dry season, while that of PM-bacteria was between 1.14 and 6.72 × 10⁸ cellsL⁻¹ for both seasons. Community structure of PM-bacteria varied between polluted and non-polluted stations, while their abundance does not show a drastic difference. This could be attributed to the selective enrichment of bacteria by heavy metals in PM. Such enrichment may only promote the growth of metal resistant archaea and bacteria, which may not participate in the processing of PM. In such cases, the PM may remain without remineralization in the system arresting the food web dynamics and biogeochemical cycles. - Highlights: • Heavy metal pollution proliferated substantially in Cochin estuary. • Heavy metal pollutants are accumulated in the particulate matter. • Pollution affected the diversity of bacteria associated with PM.

[en] Coastal systems are increasingly impacted by human activities. While the direct effects of individual contaminants have been investigated, the potential for multiple contaminants to impact adjacent hard substrate habitats is poorly understood. Sediment-bound contaminants pose a risk to water column organisms through resuspension and the fluxing of dissolved nutrients and metals. This study experimentally manipulated contaminated coastal sediments in mesocosms with additions of a common fertiliser to investigate the impact on both bacterial biofilms and macrofouling communities on nearby hard substrates. Field mesocosms were deployed sub-tidally for two weeks in a fully crossed design with two levels of metal contamination (ambient or high) and three levels of organic enrichment (ambient, low and high). Developing biofilm and macrofaunal communities were collected on acetate settlement sheets above the mesocosm sediments and censused with a combination of high-throughput sequencing (biofilm) and microscopy (macrofauna). Organic enrichment of sediments induced compositional shifts in biofilm communities, reducing their diversity, evenness and richness. Furthermore, co-occurrence networks built from microbial assemblages exposed to contaminated sediments displayed reduced connectivity compared to controls, suggesting a more stochastic assembly dynamic, where microbial interactions are reduced. Macrofouling community composition shifted in response to increased enrichment with separate and interactive effects of metals also observed for individual taxa. Specifically, antagonistic stressor interactions were observed for colonial ascidians and arborescent bryozoans; metal contamination decreased abundances of these taxa, except under high enrichment conditions. Together these micro- and macrofaunal responses indicate selection for depauperate, but contaminant-tolerant, communities and a potential breakdown in biotic connectivity through multiple stressor impacts across habitat boundaries. - Highlights: • Benthic contaminants affect micro and macrofouling communities on nearby hard substrata. • Enriched sediments reduced diversity and network connectivity of biofilms. • Enriched sediment increased barnacle and ascidian recruitment on nearby hard substrata. • Adverse effects of metals were mitigated by high enrichment for some taxa. • Contaminated sediments could select for tolerant bacteria and macrofoulers.