Intense “blooming” of cyanobacteria (blue-green algae) caused by eutrophication and climate change poses a serious threat to freshwater ecosystems and drinking water safety. Preventing the proliferation of cyanobacteria and reducing water nutrient load is a priority for the restoration of eutrophic water bodies. Aquatic plants play an important role in the function and structure of aquatic ecosystems, affecting the physiochemistry of the water and bottom sediments, primary production, and biotic interactions that support a balanced ecosystem. This review examines the inhibitory effect of aquatic vascular plants on harmful blooms of cyanobacteria. Aquatic plants are able to successfully inhibit the growth of cyanobacteria through various mechanisms, including by reducing nutrient and light availability, creating favorable conditions for the development of herbivorous zooplankton, and releasing allelopathic active substances (allelochemicals) with algicidal effect. Allelopathy is species-specific and therefore acts as one of the key mechanisms by which the development of cyanobacterial populations in aquatic ecosystems is regulated. However, allelopathic activity of aquatic vascular plants depends on various factors (species characteristics of aquatic plants, area, and density of overgrowth of water bodies, physiochemical properties of allelopathically active substances, hydrological and hydrochemical regimes, temperature, light intensity, etc.), which may regulate the impact of allelochemicals on algal communities. The paper also discusses some problematic aspects of using fast-growing species of aquatic vascular plants to control cyanobacterial blooms.
Context Besides medullary thyroid carcinoma and other endocrinopathies, people with Multiple Endocrine Neoplasia Type 2 (MEN2) are at risk of gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms. Objective To investigate the impact of GI symptoms on the daily lives of patients with MEN2. Design An online survey was conducted among patients with MEN2 via the Association for Multiple Endocrine Neoplasia Disorders (AMEND). Methods The survey incorporated two validated questionnaires for the assessment of GI symptoms (SAGIS, PAC‐QoL). Participants There were 91 respondents, MEN2A (n = 57), MEN2B (n = 34). Results People in the MEN2A group reported a high level of GI symptoms, the most prevalent being abdominal pain 85% (n = 49), diarrhoea 85% (n = 49) and constipation 75% (n = 43) with one patient having a SAGIS score > 10/12 in the constipation domain. People in the MEN2B group reported constipation in 79% (n = 27) with one quarter of these scoring > 10/12 in the constipation domain. Other GI symptoms included diarrhoea 62% (n = 21), excessive gas and flatulence (79%), epigastric pain (59%) abdominal cramps (76%) and dysphagia (41%). The effect of constipation on quality of life was severe in all MEN2 patients as measured by PAC‐QOL and all patients reported dissatisfaction of with their current treatment for constipation. There was a trend towards higher severity of GI symptoms in MEN2B. Conclusions We report unmet needs of patients with MEN2 syndromes. The GI symptoms, especially constipation, had a severe impact on quality of life in people with MEN2. This suggests that there is room for improvement in the quality of care offered for these patients.
The 40-60-year-old patients with knee OA more commonly develop symptoms of chronic venous insufficiency than their healthy peers. Although obesity is a risk factor for both diseases, there is an independent association between knee OA and lower extremity VVD.
Knee osteoarthritis (OA) and varicose disease of the lower extremities (VD) are two diseases common in middle– aged and older women. Questions about whether their combination is accidental or natural and whether VD affects the course and severity of OA, remain unresolved.The aim of the study was to look for the possible association between knee OA and lower limb vein pathology on the basis of clinical and modern instrumental investigation sand to study the effect of the VD on the clinical manifestations and severity of knee OA.Materials and methods. A case-control study was conducted in 85 women 40–60 years old with knee OA diagnosed in accordance with the criteria of ACR (1986) and 50 women of the same age without signs of knee OA. Women of both groups were evaluated for complaints and objective examination with an emphasis on diseases of the joints and veins of the lower extremities, radiography of the knee joints, ultrasound duplex scanning of the veins of the lower extremities. The severity of OA was assessed by the Lequenne indices. The clinical assessment of venous pathology was carried out according to the CEAP classification.Results. Patients with knee OA more often than their peers without joint pathology have VD (43% vs 22%; p=0.015), signs of chronic venous insufficiency (28% vs 12%; p=0.03), as well as valve failure of several lower limb veins simultaneously (53% vs 20%; p=0.0004). After correction by body mass index, the association of knee OA with detected vascular pathology remained clinically and statistically significant. The presence of VD with moderate manifestations of chronic venous insufficiency, as well as ultrasound signs of venous pathology, was not associated with the clinical signs and course of knee OA.Conclusions. Knee OA in middle-aged and older women, regardless of body mass index, is associated with VD and ultrasound signs of simultaneous valves failure of several veins. Manifestations of chronic venous insufficiency did not affect the clinical picture and severity of knee OA.
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