In this study, we determined the effectiveness of removal of nutrients (nitrates and orthophosphates) from greenhouse wastewaters (GW) using non-cross-linked chitosan (CHs) and chitosan cross-linked with epichlorohydrin (CHs-ECH) in the form of hydrogel beads. GW used in the study had the following parameters: N-NO3 621.1 mg/L, P-PO4 60.8 mg/L, SO42− 605.0 mg/L, Cl− 0.9 mg/L, Ca2+ 545.0 mg/L, Mg2+ 178.0 mg/L, K+ 482.0 mg/L, hardness 113° dH, and pH 6.2. The scope of the study included determination of the effect of pH on wastewater composition and effectiveness of nutrient sorption, analyses of nutrient sorption kinetics, and analyses of the effect of sorbent dose on percentage removal of nutrients from GW. CHs-ECH was able to sorb 79.4% of P-PO4 and 76.7% of N-NO3 from GW, whereas CHs to remove 92.8% of P-PO4 and 53.2% of N-NO3.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (10.1007/s11356-018-2078-z) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Benign metastasising leiomyoma (BML) is characterised by extrauterine smooth muscle tumours in women after surgical treatment for uterine leiomyoma. Usually manifested as solitary or multiple focal lesions in various organs, it imposes a scrutinous diagnostic work-up to exclude a malignant disease and requires confirmation in microscopic examination of the extrauterine focus. The authors present a case of a 56-year-old woman with BML manifesting as bilateral multiple pulmonary nodules, with a tentative diagnosis of a disseminated malignant disease of mesenchymal origin. The patient underwent multiple diagnostic tests, which excluded malignancy. The definite diagnosis was established after the microscopic reevaluation of an excised pulmonary nodule. The patient is monitored with chest magnetic resonance. BML should be considered in the differential diagnosis of multiple pulmonary nodules in asymptomatic women. Patients with BML require long-term monitoring, therefore the selected imaging method should not carry the risk of cumulative side effects.

Introduction: Asthma-associated remodelling involves subepithelial fibrosis and increased vascularization of the bronchial wall. The latter may be associated with excessive production of several angiogenesis regulators which may be found in exhaled breath condensates (EBCs) collected from children with asthma. Aim: To assess the influence of EBC samples of asthmatic children and healthy controls on in vitro cultures of normal human lung microvascular endothelial cells (HLMVEC) and murine endothelial cell line (C-166). Moreover, the proteomic profile of cytokines in EBC samples was analysed. Material and methods: Breath condensates collected from children with mild asthma (n = 10) and from healthy controls (n = 10) were used for experiments. Colorimetric tetrazolium salt reduction assay was used to evaluate the effect of EBCs on HLMVEC and C-166 cell lines. Furthermore, influence of EBCs on C-166 cell line was assessed using Annexin V-binding assay. The cytokine screening of EBC samples was performed using a proteome microarray system. Results: The EBCs from patients with asthma revealed a weak inhibitory influence on human and murine endothelial cells. Surprisingly, EBCs from healthy children led to cell death, mainly by the induction of apoptosis. There were no statistically significant differences in the cytokine profile between EBC samples from children with asthma and healthy controls. Conclusions: Our preliminary report shows for the first time that the incubation of EBCs from healthy controls induced apoptosis in endothelial cells. The detailed mechanism responsible for this action remains unknown and requires further research.

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Łagodne przerzutowe mięśniaki (BML) to schorzenie charakteryzujące się występowaniem guzów wywodzących się z komórek mięśni gładkich macicy w różnych narządach u kobiet, które przebyły leczenie chirurgiczne mięśniaków macicy. Występowanie zmian ogniskowych nasuwa podejrzenie rozsianej choroby nowotworowej, w związku z czym u chorych niejednokrotnie przeprowadza się szeroki panel badań w poszukiwaniu nowotworu złośliwego, a rozpoznanie ostateczne jest oparte na badaniu mikroskopowym ogniska BML. Autorzy prezentują przypadek 56-letniej chorej na BML z zajęciem płuc, u której na podstawie obrazu histopatologicznego guzka płuca usuniętego w czasie torakotomii diagnostycznej rozpoznano rozsiany nowotwór złośliwy z komórek pochodzenia mezenchymalnego. Wyniki licznych badań dodatkowych nie potwierdziły procesu nowotworowego. Ostateczne rozpoznanie BML było oparte na ponownej analizie histopatologicznej materiału pobranego w czasie biopsji chirurgicznej. Chora pozostała w obserwacji; do monitorowania zmian w płucach wykorzystano rezonans magnetyczny. Łagodne przerzutowe mięśniaki powinny być uwzględnione w diagnostyce różnicowej guzków płuc u kobiet. Chore na BML wymagają długoterminowej obserwacji, w związku z czym w wyborze metody obrazowania należy również wziąć pod uwagę efekt kumulacji dawki promieniowania jonizującego.