Effect of humic acids on physicochemical property and Cd(II) sorption of multiwalled carbon nanotubes

Zinc pyrithione is used as an antifouling agent. However, the environmental impacts of zinc pyrithione have recently been of concern. Zinc induces diverse actions during oxidative stress; therefore, we examined the effect of zinc pyrithione on rat thymocytes suffering from oxidative stress using appropriate fluorescent probes. The cytotoxicity of zinc pyrithione was not observed when the cells were incubated with 3 μM zinc pyrithione for 3 h. However, zinc pyrithione at nanomolar concentrations (10 nM or more) significantly increased the lethality of cells suffering from oxidative stress induced by 3 mM H₂O₂. The application of zinc pyrithione alone at nanomolar concentrations increased intracellular Zn²⁺ level and the cellular content of superoxide anions, and decreased the cellular content of nonprotein thiols. The simultaneous application of nanomolar zinc pyrithione and micromolar H₂O₂ synergistically increased the intracellular Zn²⁺ level. Therefore, zinc pyrithione at nanomolar concentrations may exert severe cytotoxic action on cells simultaneously exposed to chemicals that induce oxidative stress. If so, zinc pyrithione leaked from antifouling materials into surrounding environments would be a risk factor for aquatic ecosystems. Alternatively, zinc pyrithione under conditions of oxidative stress may become more potent antifouling ingredient.     

The impact of ambient ozone on mountain spruce forests in the Czech Republic as indicated by malondialdehyde

Malondialdehyde (MDA), a product of lipid peroxidation and biomarker of oxidative stress, is measured over the long term in spruce Picea abies needles under real conditions in three Czech mountain border areas. The trends presented collate the MDA content in spruce needles with ambient ozone, temperature and precipitation as casual, and defoliation as a subsequent factor for the period 1994-2006. We have found the overall decreasing trends in MDA and defoliation. The highest MDA and defoliation are recorded in the Jizerske, the lowest in the Krusne hory Mts. Out of the examined variables the MDA is predicted best by mean temperature in vegetation season, median of O₃ concentrations and AOT40; these three variables account for 34% of MDA1 and 36% of MDA2 variability. Our hypothesis that higher ambient O₃ exposure results in higher MDA contents in P. abies needles under real conditions has not been approved.     

浸水冷应激对雏鸡某些酶活性及消化道粘膜充血的影响

以海兰雄性雏鸡为试验对象，研究急性浸水冷应激对健康雏鸡某些酶活性消化道粘膜充血的影响。结果表明：雏鸡在浸水冷应激后血清肌酸激酶（CrK）呈一致性升高趋势；而丙氨酸氨基转肽酶（ALT）的活性则在冷应激后15min明显升高（P＞0.05），而后降低，至120min时又恢复致冷应激前水平，雏鸡血清乳酸脱氢酶（LDH）在冷应激后15－60min呈渐进性升高,而后降低；血清γ－谷氨酰转肽酶（γ－GT）的变化趋势为，在冷应激后15min稍升高，而后则逐渐下降；血清尿素氮（BUN)的变化无是,在冷应激后60min降低，浸水应激后不同时间对海兰雏鸡消化道粘膜充血的结果表明：雏鸡在浸水应激后即刻观察造成消化道充血现象并不严重；而浸水应激后不同时间却对雏鸡消化道产生相对较强的影响，特别是冷应激后1－2h胃肠道充血比较严重。     

Algicidal activity of Salvia miltiorrhiza Bung on Microcystis aeruginosa—Towards identification of algicidal substance and determination of inhibition mechanism

The present study was to isolate and identify a potent algicidal compound from extract of Salvia miltiorrhiza and study the potential inhibition mechanism on Microcystis aeruginosa. Column chromatography and bioassay-guided fractionation methods were carried out to yield neo-przewaquinone A, which was identified by spectral analysis. The EC50 of neo-przewaquinone A on M. aeruginosa were 4.68 mg L⁻¹. In addition, neo-przewaquinone A showed relatively higher security on Chlorella pyrenoidosa and Scenedesmus obliquus, with the EC50 values of 14.78 and 10.37 mg L⁻¹, respectively. For the potential inhibition mechanisms, neo-przewaquinone A caused M. aeruginosa cells morphologic damage or lysis, increased malondialdehyde content and decreased the soluble protein content, total antioxidant and superoxide dismutase activity, and significantly inhibited three photosynthesis-related genes (psaB, psbD, and rbcL). The results demonstrated the algicidal effect of neo-przewaquinone A on M. aeruginosa and provided the possible inhibition mechanisms.     

The role of interactions between individual animals in the response to heat stress in the freshwater crustacean <Emphasis Type="Italic">Daphnia magna</Emphasis>

The thermal resistance of Daphnia magna Straus is a trait depending on the interaction between individuals. The group effect is expressed in D. magna as both a decrease in thermal resistance and a marked individual differentiation with respect to thermal resistance. Two types of interactions between individual D. magna have been found: (1) the release of an unidentified factor decreasing thermal resistance (without noticeably changing the phenotypic variability of this trait) into the medium and (2) a decrease in the thermal resistance of individuals poorly adapted to heat stress, with the thermal resistance of well-adapted individuals (determined by the dependence of thermal resistance on interactions between individuals) remaining the same or even slightly increasing.Translated from Ekologiya, No. 2, 2005, pp. 126–131.Original Russian Text Copyright © 2005 by Kalinnikova, Krasnoperova, T. Gainutdinov, Sadykova, M. Gainutdinov.     

How Plants Cope with Foreign Compounds. Translocation of xenobiotic glutathione conjugates in roots of barley (Hordeum vulgare) (9 pp)

Background, Aim and Scope Numerous herbicides and xenobiotic organic pollutants are detoxified in plants to glutathione conjugates. Following this enzyme catalyzed reaction, xenobiotic GS-conjugates are thought to be compartmentalized in the vacuole of plant cells. In the present study, evidence is presented for long range transport of these conjugates in plants, rather than storage in the vacuole. To our knowledge this is the first report about the unidirectional long range transport of xenobiotic conjugates in plants and the exudation of a glutathione conjugate from the root tips. This could mean that plants possess an excretion system for unwanted compounds which give them similar advantages as animals. Materials and Methods: Barley plants (Hordeum vulgare L. cv. Cherie) were grown in Petri dishes soaked with tap water in the greenhouse. - Fluorescence Microscopy. Monobromo- and Monochlorobimane, two model xenobiotics that are conjugated rapidly in plant cells with glutathione, hereby forming fluorescent metabolites, were used as markers for our experiments. Their transport in the root could be followed sensitively with very good temporal and spatial resolution. Roots of barley seedlings were cut under water and the end at which xenobiotics were applied was fixed in an aperture with a thin latex foil and transferred into a drop of water on a cover slide. The cover slide was fixed in a measuring chamber on the stage of an inverse fluorescence microscope (Zeiss Axiovert 100). - Spectrometric enzyme assay. Glutathione S-transferase (GST) activity was determined in the protein extracts following established methods. Aliquots of the enzyme extract were incubated with 1-chloro-2,4-dinitrobenzene (CDNB), or monochlorobimane. Controls lacking enzyme or GSH were measured. - Pitman chamber experiments. Ten days old barley plants or detached roots were inserted into special incubation chambers, either complete with tips or decapitated, as well as 10 days old barley plants without root tips. Compartment A was filled with a transport medium and GSH conjugate or L-cysteine conjugate. Compartments B and C contained sugar free media. Samples were taken from the root tip containing compartment C and the amount of conjugate transported was determined spectro-photometrically. Results: The transport in roots is unidirectional towards the root tips and leads to exsudation of the conjugates at rates between 20 and 200 nmol min-1. The microscopic studies have been complemented by transport studies in small root chambers and spectroscopic quantification of dinitrobenzene-conjugates. The latter experiments confirm the microscopic studies. Furthermore it was shown that glutathione conjugates are transported at higher rates than cysteine conjugates, despite of their higher molecular weights. This observation points to the existence of glutathione specific carriers and a specific role of glutathione in the root. Discussion: It can be assumed that long distance transport of glutathione conjugates within the plant proceeds like GSH or amino acid transport in both, phloem and xylem. The high velocity of this translocation of the GS-X is indicative of an active transport. For free glutathione, a rapid transport-system is essential because an accumulation of GSH in the root tip inhibits further uptake of sulfur. Taking into account that all described MRP transporters and also the GSH plasmalemma ATPases have side activities for glutathione derivatives and conjugates, co-transport of these xenobiotic metabolites seems credible. - On the other hand, when GS-B was applied to the root tips from the outside, no significant uptake was observed. Thus it can be concluded that only those conjugates can be transported in the xylem which are formed inside the root apex. Having left the root once, there seems to be no return into the root vessels, probably because of a lack of inward directed transporters. Conclusions: Plants seem to possess the capability to store glutathione conjugates in the vacuole, but under certain conditions, these metabolites might also undergo long range transport, predominantly into the plant root. The transport seems dependent on specific carriers and is unidirectional, this means that xenobiotic conjugates from the rhizosphere are not taken up again. The exudation of xenobiotic metabolites offers an opportunity to avoid the accumulation of such compounds in the plant. Recommendations and Perspectives: The role of glutathione and glutathione related metabolites in the rhizosphere has not been studied in any detail, and only scattered data are available on interactions between the plant root and rhizosphere bacteria that encounter such conjugates. The final fate of these compounds in the root zone has also not been addressed so far. It will be interesting to study effects of the exuded metabolites on the biology of rhizosphere bacteria and fungi.     

确定压力容器安全系数原则

压力容器安全系数与材料参数紧密相关,确定材料许用应力值时,需要同时考虑材料抗拉强度和屈服强度更为合理;奥氏体不锈钢材料具有非常好的应变强化能力和韧性,为充分发挥奥氏体不锈钢材料优良性能,选取奥氏体不锈钢材料许用应力值时,需要特殊考虑。压力容器安全系数的选取建立在经验基础上,在保障压力容器安全性前提条件下,为节省材料和降低成本,随着理论研究深入和科学实验的进步,压力容器安全系数有所降低,这是科学设计和实用成功经验结合的结果。     

The living environment and children's fears following the Indonesian tsunami

The tsunami that struck South-east Asia on 26 December 2004 left more than 500,000 people in Aceh, Indonesia, homeless and displaced to temporary barracks and other communities. This study examines the associations between prolonged habitation in barracks and the nature of fears reported by school-age children and adolescents. In mid-2007, 30 months after the tsunami, the authors interviewed 155 child and parent dyads. Logistic regression analysis was used to compare the fears reported by children and adolescents living in barracks with those reported by their peers who were living in villages. After adjusting for demographic factors and tsunami exposure, the data reveals that children and adolescents living in barracks were three times more likely than those living in villages to report tsunami-related fears. The study demonstrates that continued residence in barracks 30 months after the tsunami is associated with higher rates of reporting tsunami-related fears, suggesting that barracks habitation has had a significant impact on the psychological experience of children and adolescents since the tsunami.     

厌氧氨氧化电子受体的研究

在无机条件下,以该课题组已经培养出来的厌氧氨氧化污泥作为接种污泥,分别以硫酸盐、硝酸盐和亚硝酸盐为电子受体来研究氨的氧化反应。从去除速率的角度来看,以NO2--N、NO3--N和SO42--S为电子受体的反应器,分别在运行的第24.5天、40天和31天时达到0.030 0 kg/(m.3d)NH4+-N去除速率,则氧化氨的能力由大到小依次是:亚硝酸盐>硫酸盐>硝酸盐;从标准吉布斯自由能变化来看,3种反应都是可以发生的;以亚硝酸盐为电子受体的反应过程是一个消耗酸度的生物过程,而以硫酸盐为电子受体的反应过程是一个消耗碱度的生物过程。     

邻苯二甲酸二丁酯诱导小鼠神经行为学改变及相关生理生化指标分析

探究邻苯二甲酸二丁酯诱导小鼠神经行为学改变及与细胞外调节蛋白激酶(ERK1/2)通路相关蛋白的关联.雄性KM小鼠36只,随机分成4组:生理盐水组、50 mg·kg~(-1)·d~(-1) DBP组、50 mg·kg~(-1)·d~(-1)维生素E(VE)组、DBP+VE组,连续灌胃处理28 d,观察Morris水迷宫结果,检测小鼠脑海马组织的氧化应激(活性氧(ROS)荧光强度、还原型谷胱甘肽(GSH)与丙二醛(MDA)含量)、脑源性神经营养因子(BDNF)、磷酸化cAMP反应元件结合蛋白(p-CREB)、caspase-3水平,Western blot分析ERK1/2及其磷酸化(p-ERK1/2)水平;HE、Nissl染色及Hoechst 33258荧光染色分析脑组织CA1区病理学变化.结果表明,与对照组比较,50 mg·kg~(-1)·d~(-1) DBP组小鼠的学习记忆下降,氧化应激、p-ERK1/2、caspase-3水平上升,BDNF、p-CREB表达下降,差异均有统计学意义(p0.05,p0.01);海马组织CA1病理学损伤及凋亡程度增加.给予抗氧化剂VE处理后,DBP+VE组小鼠的学习记忆上升,氧化应激、p-ERK1/2、caspase-3水平降低,BDNF、p-CREB表达上升,差异均有统计学意义(p0.05);海马组织CA1病理学损伤及凋亡程度降低.由此推测,DBP暴露导致小鼠海马组织CA1病理学损伤、神经元凋亡程度增加、学习记忆下降、其神经行为学改变可以通过添加VE得到缓解,相关生理生化指标测试表明ERK系统应激氧化性损伤机制参与介导了毒理学过程.