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R C Müller

Publications and source records attributed to R C Müller.

5 recordsLinked to original sources

Evaluation of total mercury concentrations in fish consumed in the municipality of Itaituba, Tapajós River Basin, Pará, Brazil.

The environmental exposure to mercury by riverine and Indian communities can occur through the ingestion of fish and products contaminated by mercury compounds. The present study aims to evaluate the total mercury concentration in the different fish species most consumed in the municipality of Itaituba, Tapajós river basin, where there are intense gold-mining activities. These fish samples were analyzed by atomic absorption spectrophotometry by cold vapor technique, Automatic Mercury Analyzer HG-3500. The largest mercury concentrations were found in the carnivorous species ranging from 112.4 to 2250 microg/g, while the detritivorous, herbivorous and omnivorous species presented total mercury levels ranging from 3.2 to 309.8 microg/g, which is below the limit established by the World Health Organization. This paper also reports and identifies which species are more polluted and present a statistical relationship among concentration and weight of the carnivorous species studied in detail, Brachyplatystoma flavicans (dourada) (r2 = 0.691) and Pseudoplatystoma sp. (surubim) (r2 = 0.654).

Animals↗

Determination of total mercury in workers' urine in gold shops of Itaituba, Pará State, Brazil.

Gold extraction and its commercialization in the Amazon region is mainly by rudimentary procedures. Therefore, during the process of extraction and recovery of this precious metal, large amounts of mercury vapors are thrown into the environment. This paper is an attempt to establish a correlation between the concentration of total mercury in the urine of workers at the gold shop in the Municipality of Itaituba, Pará, and the information related to the lifestyles of each individual studied. Through statistical analysis, it was possible to divide the workers into three groups: people with normal mercury concentrations, [Hg] < or = 10 ppb, (29%); with concentrations at the biological limit of tolerance, [Hg] up to 50 ppb, (49%); and contaminated people, [Hg] > or = 50 ppb (22%). It may be concluded that fish consumption, time of alcohol consumption, number of amalgam fillings, as well as working hours, are important variables when evaluating mercurial contamination of people who are occupationally exposed to mercury vapors.

Adult↗

[Popliteal aneurysm].

At our institution operative repair was undertaken for 67 popliteal aneurysms in 45 patients between 1986 and 1991. In 24 cases emergency surgery was necessary: acute critical ischemia due to thrombosis or embolism in 22 cases, and rupture of the aneurysm in 2 cases. Two patients died within the first 30 postoperative days. Four major amputations could not be avoided. On the other hand, elective surgical intervention was possible in 43 cases without operative morbidity and mortality. Given the high incidence of serious complications such as thrombosis or embolism in popliteal aneurysms, and the reduced success rate of surgery in acute critical ischemia, surgical correction upon diagnosis is especially recommended in aneurysms with intraluminal thrombus.

Aged↗

[Kinetocardiotocography--KCTG--during pregnancy in an ambulatory care patient sample and in hospitalized patients with special reference to tocolysis].

With kinetocardiotocography (KCTG), fetal movements can be registered parallel to the fetal heart rate. Hewlett Packard equipment of the series 1350 A allows the movements to be registered an quantified on the CTG paper. In this study, hospitalized pregnant women > 26 gestational weeks (GW) on i.v. tocolysis, and out-patients > 34 GW at the out patient department were examined with KCTG and the results compared. A wide distribution of fetal activity was seen in both groups. With advancing pregnancy, the number of fetal movements as well as the duration of activity per time unit decreased, whereas the length of time of individual movements slightly increased, in both groups. No statistically significant difference was seen between different gestational ages nor between the two groups. KCTG is being increasingly used to monitor the fetal condition, especially for risk pregnancies. It can provide additional information in the form of a biophysical variable.

Adult↗