Maria E. Granberg

Effects of eutrophication on contaminant cycling in marine benthic systems

Abstract Effects of inputs of organic matter were studied on bioavailability and cycling of hydrophobic organic contaminants (HOCs) in benthic ecosystems of the Baltic and Kattegat Seas. In laboratory experiments, effects of microalgae additions were studied on the bioaccumulation of HOCs (PCBs and PAHs) by the blue mussel Mytilus edulis, the brittle star Amphiura filiformis, and the polychaete Nereis diversicolor. Contrary to the equilibrium partitioning theory, bioaccumulation was proportional to the concentrations of algae and organic carbon. This was attributed to the high nutritional quality of the algal organic carbon and suggests that feeding rather than equilibrium partitioning governed bioaccumulation in these species. In the field, annual mass fluxes of PCBs in blue mussels and in brittle stars were estimated, as well as contaminant transfer to higher trophic levels. Our results suggest that: i) Eutrophication processes may contribute to increase HOC accumulation in benthic species. ii) Temporal variation in the quantity and quality of organic carbon needs to be considered when assessing contamination of benthic systems. iii) Macrofaunal feeding activities are important for the benthic-pelagic coupling of HOCs. iv) Bioturbation enhances the release of HOCs from sediment to overlying water.

Couples' willingness to pay for IVF/ET

Acta Ohstet Gynecol Scand 1995; 74: 199–202.

Financing of IVF/ET in the Nordic countries

BACKGROUND The need for calculations of costs of health care has increased during the last few years. When priorities within the national health services in the five Nordic countries are discussed, treatment of infertility is often one of the issues. AIM AND METHODS The aim of this study was to evaluate cost effectiveness and calculate the proportion of publicly financed in-vitro fertilization/embryo transfers in the Nordic countries. The mean direct and indirect costs of the treatments were calculated in both public and private clinics. The total cost of in-vitro fertilization was calculated and compared with the proportion financed through the national health services in the five countries. RESULTS The cost analysis showed a direct and indirect cost of 3,300 Pounds per started treatment and 12,700 Pounds per term pregnancy for the whole Nordic material. The publicly financed costs were calculated at 27,342,300 Pounds, which is 66% of the total cost for in-vitro fertilization treatments. When these costs were compared with the total cost of health care in the countries, the proportion used for in-vitro fertilization treatments was between 0.08 and 0.16%. CONCLUSION It will be difficult for the national health services in the five countries to make large savings by limiting the number of treatments financed within the system.

Role of sediment organic matter quality and feeding history in dietary absorption and accumulation of pyrene in the mud snail (Hydrobia ulvae)

Organic matter (OM) input to marine sediments varies seasonally both in quantity and quality. Because sedimentary OM (SOM) constitutes food for many benthic organisms, its properties should affect the dietary uptake of sediment-associated contaminants. We explored the effect of SOM quality/food value on short- and long-term pyrene accumulation in the mud snail (Hydrobia ulvae) and performed dual-tracer pulse-chase experiments to investigate the feeding mechanisms driving dietary pyrene uptake. The quality of the SOM was manipulated by enriching sediments either with high-quality microalgae or low-quality lignin, adding equal amounts of total organic carbon. Long- and short-term bioaccumulation increased with increasing SOM quality, as did pyrene ingestion rate (IR(pyr)), which also was affected by feeding history. By feeding selectively, snails concentrated pyrene 10-fold in ingested compared to ambient sediment, independent of SOM quality. Average pyrene absorption efficiency (AE(pyr): -65%) varied inversely with SOM quality and IR(pyr). Both AE(pyr) and gut passage time (alpha 1/IR(pyr)) agreed with theoretical models incorporating the time-dependence of absorption efficiency. Thus, SOM quality moderates dietary contaminant uptake in deposit feeders, and in H. ulvae, this occurs via OM-induced alterations of ingestion rate. Consequently, enhanced sediment-associated contaminant uptake is predicted for deposit feeders following phytoplankton blooms, principally because of OM quality-driven increases in the ingestion rate.

Cost-effectiveness of intracytoplasmic sperm injection in comparison with donor insemination

Background. Due to the need for cost containment in the national health services in many countries, there is a demand for analysis of both medical and cost benefits of new technologies. Intracytoplasmic sperm injection has in recent years been proved to be the method of choice for treating severe infertility. It also needs to be shown that intracytoplasmic sperm injection is a cost‐effective treatment.

A cost comparison of infertility treatment for clomiphene resistant polycystic ovary syndrome

BACKGROUND The study compares treatment outcome and costs of ovulation induction cycles and in vitro fertilization cycles in infertile women with clomiphene resistant polycystic ovary syndrome. METHODS Twenty-eight infertile women with clomiphene resistant polycystic ovary syndrome referred to a university clinic were prospectively randomized to ovulation induction or in vitro fertilization. Forty-one ovulation induction cycles and thirty in vitro fertilization cycles were performed. Mann-Whitney U-test was used for between group comparisons and frequencies were compared with Fishers exact test. RESULTS More pregnancies per completed cycle were noted in the in vitro fertilization group than in the ovulation induction group. Drug costs were not much higher in the in vitro fertilization group but treatment costs were higher due to the additional costs of ovum pick up and embryo transfer. The cost per pregnancy was about twice as high in the ovulation induction group as in the in vitro fertilization group. The cost per term pregnancy including delivery was 1.6 times higher in the ovulation induction group. CONCLUSION For a group of obese women with clomiphene resistant polycystic ovary syndrome, in vitro fertilization seems a cost-effective treatment.