A First Record of Organochlorine Pesticides in Barn Owls (Tyto alba) from Portugal: Assessing Trends from Variation in Feather and Liver Concentrations

We evaluated feathers as a non-destructive biomonitoring tool documenting organochlorine pesticides (OCP) in liver and checked possible trends in pesticide use in two areas based on OCP concentrations in barn owls (Tyto alba). We measured the concentrations of 16 OCP in 15 primary feathers and 15 livers from barn owl carcasses collected on roadsides in Tagus Valley and Évora regions, south Portugal. Total OCP mean concentration was 8 120 ng g^-1 in feathers and 178 ng g^-1 in livers. All compounds were detected in feathers while in livers δ-HCH, endosulfan sulphate, p,p'-DDT and p,p'-DDD were not detected. The high β-HCH and heptachlor concentrations in feathers most likely derived from external endogenous contamination. P,p'-DDE was the OCP with the highest hepatic concentration. Both matrices indicated an exposure to recently released heptachlor. The differing OCP concentrations between Tagus Valley and Évora seem to reflect differences in land-use and pesticide use histories of the two locations, and/or faster degradation of OCP in the Tagus area.

Spontaneous passage of a dislocated esophageal metal stent: report of two cases

Delayed transpyloric impaction is a very rare complication of esophageal metallic stent placement. Authors report different endoscopic removal techniques, but none of these has been validated yet because of their variable success, time-consuming nature, and risk of perforation and hemorrhage. We report that a "wait-and-see" approach is a safe and effective policy in patients with permeable transpyloric impacted esophageal stents.

[Retinal complications of cataract surgery]

Main retinal complications of cataract extraction are retinal detachment and cystoid macular edema. The incidence of retinal detachment after ex traction is 1 %, and may increase after Nd: YAG laser capsulotomy to 4 %. Cystoid macular edema in aphakic or pseudophakic patients is unusually transient, with a decrease of visual acuity in about 3 % of cases; a long lasting cystoid macular edema with prolonged visual deficiency is described in only 1 % of cases. The incidence of photic macular injuries is estimated at between 7 and 28 % of cases; most photoretinal injuries are asymptomatic or minimally symptomatic because of their extrafoveolar location. Finally, the visual prognosis after cataract surgery is poor in diabetic patients, because of the frequency of cystoid macular edema and progression of diabetic retinopathy.