Prenatal diagnosis of Fukuyama congenital muscular dystrophy

Fukuyama congenital muscular dystrophy (FCMD) is characterized by infantile hypotonia, symmetrical generalized muscle weakness, and neuronal migration disturbances that result in changes consistent with cobblestone lissencephaly with cerebral and cerebellar cortical dysplasia. FCMD is recognized as an autosomal recessive genetic defect. Genetic counselling is recommended for parents at risk of having a child with FCMD. Given the high risk and overwhelming prospect of having another child with this incurable devastating condition leads many couples to consider prenatal diagnosis. In Japanese families, haplotype analysis using microsatellite markers is available. In non-Japanese families, DNA sequence analysis is available. Both disease-causing alleles of an affected family member must be identified before prenatal testing can be performed. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A method for determination of methyl chloride concentration in air trapped in ice cores

A method for measuring the concentration of methyl chloride (CH3Cl) in air trapped in an ice core was developed. The method combines the air extraction by milling the ice core samples under vacuum and the analysis of the extracted air with a cryogenic preconcentration/gas chromatograph/mass spectrometry system. The method was applied to air from Antarctic ice core samples estimated to have been formed in the pre-industrial and/or early industrial periods. The overall precision of the method deduced from duplicate ice core analyses was estimated to be better than +/-20 pptv. The measured CH3Cl concentration of 528+/-26 pptv was similar to the present-day concentration in the remote atmosphere as well as the CH3Cl concentration over the past 300 years obtained from Antarctic firn air and ice core analyses.     

Structural characterization and visible light activated photocatalytic ability of glass–ceramics prepared from municipal solid waste

Journal of Material Cycles and Waste Management - The relationship between local structure and visible-light-activated photocatalytic ability of glass–ceramics prepared from Municipal Solid...     

Diel feeding behavior of neritic copepods during spring and fall blooms in Akkeshi Bay,eastern coast of Hokkaido,Japan

In situ diel feeding behavior of neritic copepods was investigated using the gut fluorescence method, during spring and fall bloom periods in Akkeshi Bay, on the eastern coast of Hokkaido, Japan. Acartia omorii and Paracalanus sp. were the dominant species during the fall, and Pseudocalanus spp. and A. longiremis during the spring. During both bloom periods, diel rhythms were always observed for the gut pigment contents of these dominant copepods, although there were interspecific differences in the pattern. The maximum gut pigment content was always observed during the night and the minimum during the day. For all species, except Paracalanus sp., the average gut pigment content during the night was significantly higher (p<0.05) than during daytime by factors of between 1.5 and 2.7. There were no significant differences between the gut evacuation rate constants determined during the day and the night, and initial gut pigment content had no effect on the value of gut evacuation rate constants. The instantaneous ingestion rates of individual copepods calculated from gut pigment and the mean value of gut evacuation rate constants followed the same diel rhythms as gut pigment contents. Copepod daily ingestion rates were higher than the daily requirements for respiration during both bloom periods. Estimated daily ration was 40 to 91% of body carbon during the fall bloom, and 17 to 28% during the spring bloom. The higher daily rations during fall were probably due to the difference in in situ temperature (ca. 14°C).     

Development of a accelerated solvent extraction and gel permeation chromatography analytical method for measuring persistent organohalogen compounds in adipose and organ tissue analysis

A new analytical method has been developed for the quantification of 59 different persistent organohalogen compounds, such as polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), polychlorinated naphthalenes (PCNs), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), PCB metabolites, organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) in biological organ tissues. The optimum extraction and cleanup procedures were examined using accelerated solvent extraction (ASE), automated gel permeation chromatography (GPC) on Biobeads S-X3 and automated solid phase extraction (SPE) on silica-gel. The target compounds were divided into two fractions, non-polar compounds and more polar compounds, which in the latter fraction was subsequently methylated using diazomethane. Detection can be achieved by GC/MS in negative chemical ionization (NCI) mode. The average recoveries of the compounds spiked in swine liver, heart, kidney, and cattle adipose tissues were considered satisfactory, and it was confirmed that the method could be used in routine analysis.     

Research to develop a predicting system of mammalian subacute toxicity (3) construction of a predictive toxicokinetics model

A new predictive toxicokinetics model was developed to estimate subacute toxicity (target organs, severity, etc.) of non-congeneric industrial chemicals, where the chemical structures and physico-chemical properties are only available. Thus, a physiological pharmacokinetics model, which consists of blood, liver, kidney (these were experimentally found as major toxicological targets), muscle and fat compartments , was established to simulate the chemical concentrations in organs/tissues with pharmacokinetic parameters by means of Runge-Kutta-Gill algorithm. The pliarmacokinetic parameters, i.e. absorption rate, absorption ratio, hepatic extraction ratio of metabolism and renal clearance were calculated by using separately established Quantitative Structure-Pharmacokinetics Relationship equations. The developed predictive model was then applied to simulations of 43 non-congeneric industrial chemicals. The chemical concentrations in organs/tissues after single oral administration were simulated, and their maximum concentrations (Cmax's) and area tinder the concentration-time curves (AUC's) were calculated.Fast Inverse Laplace Transform was newly applied for the purpose of simulation of 28-day repeated dose toxicity.Simulated concentrations of 28 days repeated dose were, however, found to be the same as those of simple repetitions of a single administration per day because of the short half-lives of non-congeneric industrial chemicals.A comparison of subacute toxicity data with Cmax's and AUC's in a single dose scenario suggested that the organs/tissues with relatively high concentrations of tested chemical substances were the most sensitive targets within a chemical.Chemical concentrations in liver, for instance, were correlated with the severity of hepatotoxicity among the chemicals. It was also suggested that to improve and widen the present approach, data of metabolite and reactivity of non-congeneric industrial chemicals to organs/tissues, receptors, etc. should be incorporated into the model.     

Characterization of genes for enzymes involved in the phenanthrene degradation in Nocardioides sp. KP7

The nucleotide sequence of the gene cluster, phdEFABGHCD, encoding enzymes responsible for the transformation of phenanthrene to 1-hydroxy-2-naphthoate in Nocardioides sp. strain KP7 was determined. This gene cluster, which may constitute a single operon, resided at 6.1-kb downstream of the phdIJK gene cluster encoding the enzymes for the transformation of 1-hydroxy-2-naphthoate to o-phthalate. In general, the phd products exhibited moderate degrees of homology with isofunctional enzymes found in pathways for the degradation of other aromatic compounds. Remarkably, the phdC gene product had features of the [3Fe-4S] type ferredoxin, which has not been found so far as a component of the ring-hydroxylating dioxygenase. Escherichia coli carrying the genes for phenanthrene dioxygenase, phdABCD, was capable to oxidize phenanthrene.     

Dependence of mechanochemically induced decomposition of mono-chlorobiphenyl on the occurrence of radicals

Mechanochemically induced dechlorination of mono-chlorobiphenyl (BP-Cl) on the surfaces of metal oxides was compared with that on metal hydroxides, using the three metals of Mg, Al, and La as examples. The metal oxides, such as gamma-alumina (gamma-Al2O3), magnesium oxide (MgO) and lanthanum oxide (La2O3) showed an efficient ability to dechlorinate the BP-Cl; however, BP-Cl remained in the ground samples when the hydroxides were used. From the product analysis using gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) and electron spin resonance (ESR) measurements, it was confirmed that the charge transfer from the O2- site on the surface of the oxide additives due to the intense grinding has plays a significant role in the decomposition of the chlorinated compound. Based on the observed dependence of the dechlorination on the radical occurrence, some practical methods were proposed to improve the destruction efficiency of the chlorinated organic compounds.     

Debromination of hexabromobenzene by its co-grinding with CaO

A hexabromobenzene (HBB, C6Br6) powder was subjected to co-grinding with excess CaO powder in air using a planetary ball mill to investigate mechanochemical debromination of the HBB sample. The reaction proceeds smoothly with an increase in both grinding time and molar ratio of CaO addition. The co-grinding enables us to debrominate HBB, forming CaBr2, C and CaCO3 besides excess CaO in the product. CaBr2 in the product tends to absorb moisture from the atmosphere to form CaBr2 x nH2O. The reaction yield is quantitatively evaluated by measuring the amount of water-soluble bromide through water washing and the amount of unreacted HBB through toluene washing. It is found that almost 100% of debromination is achieved by 6 h grinding with the molar ratio kept constant at 2:1. Radicals are detected in the ground products, possibly due to rupture in the covalent bonds of C-C and C-Br in HBB.     

Thermodynamic investigation of the effect of oxygen and hydrogen chloride potential upon generation and decomposition behavior of dioxins

The thermodynamic equilibrium of the C‐H‐O‐Cl system has been calculated to elucidate the generation and decomposition behavior of dioxins, and is discussed from the viewpoint of the oxygen and hydrogen chloride potential. The dioxins behavior is greatly dependent on the oxygen potential, i.e. higher temperature and oxygen potential lead to the complete decomposition of dioxins, while low hydrogen chloride potential under insufficient oxygen condition leads to an increase of multi‐chlorine displacement of dioxins.