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The present paper discusses the results of an analysis of the impact of land use on the distribution of pharmaceuticals in groundwater samples collected during a pilot study of the contents of pharmaceuticals and hormones in ground-water taken from the national groundwater monitoring network of the Polish Geological Institute - National Research Institute. Samples were collected during monitoring campaigns from 160 groundwater monitoring sites in various land use types in 2016 and 2017. Samples were analysed for a total of 34 active substances, including natural and synthetic oestrogen hormones, cardiovascular and respiratory medications, analgesics and anti-inflammatories, antidepressants, antimicrobial drugs and anti-epileptics. Our study confirmed the presence of pharmaceuticals in 53 per cent of ground-water samples taken. Data show variations in the distribution of pharmaceuticals depending on land use type, which can thus be employed in pressure analysis and identification of sources of pollution.

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Microsatellite instability (MSI) is a molecular landmark of mutations in DNA mismatch repair genes. The impaired efficiency of DNA repair mechanisms promotes carcinogenesis as well as contributes to tumour progression. Until now, only few studies on MSI in thyroid tumours have been published. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to investigate MSI as a possible characteristic feature of thyroid tumours. The analysis of 12 thyroid papillary carcinomas and 17 multinodular hyperplasias at 13 microsatellite loci showed MSI and loss of heterozygosity (LOH) in both types of lesion, with more alterations noted in the papillary thyroid carcinomas (in 65%) than in multinodular hyperplasia (in 35%). In carcinomas, LOH occurred more frequently than MSI, while in multinodular hyperplasia the LOH/MSI ratio is almost equal.

Despite an improvement of water quality across Europe there are many pollution hotspots for both nitrates and PPPs, mainly due to agricultural activities. The BMPs and MMs to reduce pollution from agriculture are well known, and there are policy instruments in place to ensure drinking water standards, but the current approach has not been efficient enough. Within the H2020 Water Protect project the premise was that there is a need for a multi-actor, participatory approach to tackle the issue from a new angle, and to assess why the uptake of known BMPs and MMs was not better among farmers. Seven “Action Labs” were selected that represent major physical, socio-economical, cultural and farming settings across Europe. A methodology of multi-actor engagement was chosen but with different approaches due to the local context. Initially the level of farmers' awareness about water quality issues was matched to the observed uptake rates of BMPs and MMs. In a second survey barriers hindering the uptake of measures were identified. The first survey revealed a low general awareness on the potential pollution to drinking water sources. Despite this, between 24% to 88% of the surveyed farmers per Action Lab were already voluntarily adopting one quarter of the selected BMPs and MMs. The second survey demonstrated the need to address organisational, legislative, sociological and technical barriers. The lack of coordination between different institutional bodies promoting measures and the financial incentives needed to invest and operate these often-costly measures need to be considered. The multi-actor, participatory approach with its improved awareness and collaboration made it possible to identify the crucial factors for improvement - to build a social acceptance among all actors and communicate the issues and solutions from the start.

A comprehensive study of a typical steppe perennial

Gdańsk Pomerania is a region characterized by unique physiographic features and diverse flora. This region, as many other areas, is subject to numerous accelerating transformations. The occurrence of numerous species on their range edges and on isolated stands, e.g. mountain and xerothermic grassland species, was an important criterion in the development of a regional red list of vascular plants of Gdańsk Pomerania (Markowski & Buliński 2004). On this list, 648 species of vascular plants, which constitute about 39% of the regional flora and 26% of all Polish flora, are considered to be endangered at various levels. In total, 47 species have been declared extinct in the aforementioned region (RE), 39 taxa are considered as critically endangered (CR) and 109 – as endangered (EN). Further 222 plant species are classified as vulnerable (moderately endangered) (VU), 124 have low risk categories (NT or LC) and there are 107 taxa of unknown threat, due to lack of sufficient information (DD). The aim of this work was to synthesize endangered components of Gdańsk Pomerania vascular plant flora for their better recognition and characterization. Among the species varying in threat degrees, the authors identified species protected by law and endangered in Poland as well as globally. In addition, the participation of species diagnostic of individual phytosociological units was verified. Also, the share of taxa representing various geographical elements was indicated.