Aon

Abstract: In Styria (Austria) the highest located windpark within Europe was built between 1 800 and 1 900 m a.s.l. at a lek site of black grouse in 2002. After five years monitoring data show a strong decline of the local black grouse population. Collisions of the birds with the towers are recorded, disturbance because of wind park maintenance, infrastructure and tourism are difficult to evaluate. On another mountain ridge in Styria with two windparks and a skilift the same drastic population decline was registered. Within the province of Styria between 30 and 40 locations for windparks were discussed from different points of view (technology, energy, ecology). Locations for windpower plants in alpine regions overlap with lek sites of black grouse to a very high percentage.

Abstract: Aim of the study was to evaluate if there is a constant and significant reduction in traumaticity when mas- sively traumatic oral surgical procedures such as the removal of third molars are conducted with only ul- trasonic surgical devices (Piezotomes) expressed in a reduction of postsurgical pain and swelling on the patient’s side since such clinical experiences by the authors suggested this. Since oral surgeons criticize a higher time consumption for surgeries with Piezoto- mes also the objective time consumption was evalu- ated and compared to the traditional methods. Mate- rial and Methods: 56 female and male patients were selected that already underwent a removal of an im- pacted third mandibular molar on one side with rota- ry instruments by bone destructive burring with a still persisting comparable third mandibular molar on the contralateral side complaining about recur- rent pain episodes and were already documented for pain and swelling before. The ultrasonic surgical re- moval with the Piezotome was conducted with a buc- cal osteotomy of the compacta lateral to the impacted third molar, preservation of the resected compacta in saline solution, removal of the third molar by single or multiple dentotomy and full anatomical restitution of the surgical site with the preserved buccal com- pacta. The swelling was documented by kephalome- try 24/48/72 hours and 1 week post surgery, the pain index by the total consumption of ibuprofen-400 mg—tablets. Lesions of the mandible nerve were documented. Netto surgery time was taken from the first incision to the last suture of the procedure. Re-sults: 6 patients had to be excluded from evaluation due to incomplete post surgical follow up. A signify-cant (***, p > 0.999) decrease in pain and swelling of 50% was detected both for the parameters swelling and pain with Piezotome-surgery. No lesions of the mandible nerve were detected with Piezotome sur- gery whereas surgery with rotary instruments re- sulted in 16% hypesthesia at least up to one week. Although netto surgery time was approximately 50% longer when done with the Piezotome at the begin-ning the time consumption normalized with the growing experience of the surgeons back to the time schedule when surgery was performed with rotary instruments revealing no significant differences (-, p < 0.73). Conclusions: The results of this retrospective study suggest that Piezotome-surgery is superior in atraumaticity and soft-tissue safety compared to tra- ditional procedures with burs and grants the patients significantly less post surgical pain and swelling. Al- though—as it is with all new surgical tools and pro- tocols—surgery time is longer at the beginning when purely working with ultrasonic surgical devices time consumption reduces to normal values after a learn- ing curve.

Abstract: Stroke is one of the leading causes of death in industrialized countries for people older than 65 years of age. The reasons are still unclear. A reduction of endogenous mechanisms against ischemic insults has been proposed to explain this phenomenon. The "cerebral" ischemic preconditioning mechanism is characterized by a brief episode of ischemia that renders the brain more resistant against subsequent longer ischemic events. This ischemic tolerance has been shown in numerous experimental models of cerebral ischemia. This protective mechanism seems to be reduced with aging both in experimental and clinical studies. Alterations of mediators released and/or intracellular pathways may be responsible for age-related ischemic preconditioning reduction. Agents able to mimic the "cerebral" preconditioning effect may represent a new powerful tool for the treatment of acute ischemic stroke in the elderly. In this article, animal and human cerebral ischemic preconditioning, its age-related difference, and its potential therapeutical applications are discussed.

Abstract: Seven calcified upper jaw tips of Rhynchoteuthis astieriana d’oRbigny and Palaeoteuthis infira (shiMansky) from the Serre de Bleyton section (Dept. Drome, SE France) were redeposited from an outer shelf into an upper slope (upper bathyal) environment embedded in a highly fossiliferous Barremian bioclastic limestone. They represent a low diverse and poor preserved small Barremian pelagic rhyncholite fauna, also described from a few Tethyan and Alpine localities between Cuba, the Crimea, and the Caucasus. Rhynchoteuthis and Palaeoteuthis may most probably represent calcified tips of upper jaws of various taxa of Tethyan ammonites, e.g. of the Phylloceratina (Phyl loceras, Sowerbyceras), Lytoceratina (Tetragonitidae), and/or some Ammonitina (Arnioceras, Eleganticeras, Hildoceras, Aconeceras). But due to their scarcity, poor preservation, and the allochthonous occurrence, the Serre de Bleyton rhynchoteuthids do not contribute further new knowledge to taxonomy, palaeoecology, stratigraphy or basinal history.