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Fish eyes and brain are highly susceptible to environmental Hg exposure but this issue is still scarcely investigated, mainly regarding methylmercury (MeHg) accumulation. Yet, Hg levels in fish lens have not been previously examined under field conditions. Total Hg (tHg), MeHg and inorganic Hg (iHg) levels were assessed in the brain, eye wall and lens of the golden grey mullet (Liza aurata) from an Hg contaminated area, both in winter and summer, together with water and sediment levels. Sampling was performed at Aveiro lagoon (Portugal) where a confined area (LAR) is severely contaminated by Hg. Fish brain, eye wall and lens accumulated higher levels of tHg, MeHg and iHg at LAR than the reference site, reflecting faithfully environmental spatial differences. The brain and eye wall responded also to the winter-summer changes found in water and sediment, accumulating higher levels of MeHg (and tHg) in winter. Contrarily, lens was unable to reflect seasonal changes, probably due to its composition and structural stability over time. The three neurosensory structures accumulated preferentially MeHg than iHg (MeHg was higher than 77% of tHg). Lens exhibited a higher retention capacity of MeHg (mean around 1 μg g(-1) at LAR), accumulating higher levels than the other two tissues. Interestingly, MeHg and iHg levels were significantly correlated for the brain and eye wall but poorly associated within the two analysed eye components. The high levels of MeHg found in the brain, eye wall and lens could compromise their functions and this needs further research.

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There are several aspects of inorganic mercury (iHg) toxicokinetics in fish that remain undeveloped despite its environmental ubiquity, bioaccumulation capacity and toxicity. Thus, this study presents new information on the uptake, distribution and accumulation of iHg following water contamination by adopting a novel set of body compartments (gills, eye wall, lens, blood, liver, brain and bile) of the white sea bream (Diplodus sargus) over 14 days of exposure. Realistic levels of iHg in water (2 μg L(-1)) were adopted in order to engender reliable conclusions in the assessment of fish health. A depuration phase of 28 days was also considered with the purpose of clarifying iHg elimination. It was found that iHg was accumulated faster in the gills (within 1 day), which also had the highest accumulated levels among all the target tissues/organs. Moreover, iHg increased gradually with exposure time in all the tissues/organs, except for the lens that showed relatively unaltered levels throughout the experiment. After 14 days of exposure, lower values of Hg were recorded in the brain/eye wall compared to the liver, which is probably related with the presence of blood-organ protection barriers, which limit iHg influx. iHg reached the brain earlier than the eye wall (3 and 7 days, respectively) and, hence, higher accumulated levels were recorded in the former. A depuration period of 28 days did not allow the total elimination of iHg in any of the tissues/organs. Despite this, iHg was substantially eliminated in the gills, blood and liver, whereas the brain and eye wall were not able to eliminate iHg within this timeframe. The brain and eye wall are more "refractory" structures with regard to iHg elimination, and this could represent a risk for wild fish populations.

OBJECTIVE: to estimate survival, mortality and cause of death among users or not of hydroxyurea with sickle cell disease. METHOD: cohort study with retrospective data collection, from 1980 to 2010 of patients receiving inpatient treatment in two Brazilian public hospitals. The survival probability was determined using the Kaplan-Meier estimator, survival calculations (SPSS version 10.0), comparison between survival curves, using the log rank method. The level of significance was p=0.05. RESULTS: of 63 patients, 87% had sickle cell anemia, with 39 using hydroxyurea, with a mean time of use of the drug of 20.0±10.0 years and a mean dose of 17.37±5.4 to 20.94±7.2 mg/kg/day, raising the fetal hemoglobin. In the comparison between those using hydroxyurea and those not, the survival curve was greater among the users (p=0.014). A total of 10 deaths occurred, with a mean age of 28.1 years old, and with Acute Respiratory Failure as the main cause. CONCLUSION: the survival curve is greater among the users of hydroxyurea. The results indicate the importance of the nurse incorporating therapeutic advances of hydroxyurea in her care actions.

Objective To assess the burden and quality of life of caregivers of patients with sickle cell anemia taking hydroxyurea versus those of patients not taking hydroxyurea. Methods A cross-sectional study was performed of caregivers of outpatients with sickle cell anemia in two public hospitals in Campo Grande, MS, from January through June 2010. The World Health Organization Quality of Life-BREF Scale and the Caregiver Burden Scale were used. Results Of the 37 caregivers in this study, 81.1% were women, 73.0% were mothers, 59.5% were married, 54.1%were mulattos, 48.6% were housewives, 54.1% had family incomes of up to one minimum wage and 75.7% had onlycompleted elementary education. The mean duration of care provided (time after diagnosis) was 16.08 ± 9.88 yearsand 89.2% reported that they provided 24-hour care. Regarding health, 27.0% of study participants reported having physical and 13.5% emotional problems. There were no significant relationships between these variables either with the different domains or the total score of the WHOQOL-BREF comparing caregivers of patients taking hydroxyurea versusthose of patients not taking hydroxyurea. There was a moderate negative linear correlation between the WHOQOL-BREF and the Caregiver Burden Scale scores (linear correlation test of Pearson: p-value = 0.003, r = -0.477). The burden of caregivers of patients who did not take hydroxyurea was significantly higher than those of patients who took the medication in terms of general tension, disappointment, environment and total score (student t-test: p-value < 0.05). ConclusionIn the perception of the caregiver, looking after sickle cell anemia patients represents a moderate negative burden.

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CitationPropensity edule. In the light of current findings, the information of C. edule as a bioindicator 47 should be complemented by that provided by another infaunal species under field 48 studies, since tolerance mechanisms to metals can hinder a correct diagnosis of 49 sediment contamination and the system's health. Overall, the present study contributed 50 to improve the lack of fundamental knowledge of two widespread and common 51 estuarine species, providing insights of the metal accumulation profiles under a 52 scenario of chronic contamination. Finally, this work provided useful information that 53 can be applied in the interpretation of future environmental monitoring studies. 54 3