Association of serum levels of polychlorinated biphenyls with IL-8 mRNA expression in blood samples from asthmatic and non-asthmatic Japanese children

Background

One of the suggested health outcomes of PCB exposure is childhood asthma.

Objectives

This study was conducted to find health relevant biomarkers providing the molecular epidemiological evidence for the positive relationship between exposure to PCBs and childhood asthma.

Methods

Blood samples from fifteen asthmatic children as well as an equal number of non-asthmatic children (average 2 year old) were collected, and were analyzed for PCBs and their select marker expression by using qRT-PCR.

Results

Among biomarkers examined IL-8 expression was significantly correlated to serum levels of PCB #163 + 164 (P = 0.022), #170 (P = 0.046), #177 (P = 0.022), #178 (P = 0.022) and #180 + 193 (P = 0.046) in a dose-dependent manner, which was found only among asthmatic children. In contrast, COX-2 correlations to individual congener levels were recognized only among control subjects, not among asthmatic subjects.

Conclusion

Serum concentrations of PCB#163 + 164, #170, #177, #178 and #180 + 193 correlate significantly with IL-8 mRNA expressions among asthmatic children.     

Predicting the particle size distribution of fine-grained and sandy soils using deep learning for classifying recovered soils separated from tsunami deposits

Journal of Material Cycles and Waste Management - Disaster wastes, particularly those generated in the tsunami, comprise soil and sediments, and recovered soil is yielded through treatment such as...     

Demonstration study of high temperature melting for asbestos-containing waste (ACW)

The service life of many buildings and houses built using asbestos-containing materials is coming to an end and their demolition will lead to a great deal of asbestos-containing waste (ACW). Conventionally, the disposal of such waste is conducted by isolation under controlled landfill procedures; however problems with this method exist, such as the risk at the time of re-utilization of landfill sites and the depletion of lands to be reclaimed. Melting treatment is a promising technology that could be used to solve these problems; a thermal process involving temperatures exceeding the melting points of asbestos, it transforms them into non-hazardous minerals. This technology may be applicable not only for friable ACW but also for nonfriable ACW. We performed a demonstration test of melting treatment of nonfriable ACW using a gasification and melting furnace of the shaft furnace type, which is a typical method for high temperature melting. Detailed observation using transmission electron microscopy as well as general analyses verified that the same level of asbestos remained in the slag obtained by high temperature melting as that of the background soil. In addition, the asbestos concentration in the exhaust gas and the dust from the facility were at sufficiently low levels, and it was thus verified that the asbestos concentration in the atmosphere in the vicinity of the facility during the melting treatment was comparable to that of Japan’s background level reported by the Ministry of the Environment in 2007.     

Nitrate facilitates cadmium uptake, transport and accumulation in the hyperaccumulator Sedum plumbizincicola

The aims of this study are to investigate whether and how the nitrogen form (nitrate (NO₃ ^–) versus ammonium (NH₄ ⁺)) influences cadmium (Cd) uptake and translocation and subsequent Cd phytoextraction by the hyperaccumulator species Sedum plumbizincicola. Plants were grown hydroponically with N supplied as either NO₃ ^– or NH₄ ⁺. Short-term (36 h) Cd uptake and translocation were determined innovatively and quantitatively using a positron-emitting ¹⁰⁷Cd tracer and positron-emitting tracer imaging system. The results show that the rates of Cd uptake by roots and transport to the shoots in the NO₃ ^– treatment were more rapid than in the NH₄ ⁺ treatment. After uptake for 36 h, 5.6 (0.056 μM) and 29.0 % (0.290 μM) of total Cd in the solution was non-absorbable in the NO₃ ^– and NH₄ ⁺ treatments, respectively. The local velocity of Cd transport was approximately 1.5-fold higher in roots (3.30 cm h^?1) and 3.7-fold higher in shoots (10.10 cm h^?1) of NO₃ ^–- than NH₄ ⁺-fed plants. Autoradiographic analysis of ¹⁰⁹Cd reveals that NO₃ ^– nutrition enhanced Cd transportation from the main stem to branches and young leaves. Moreover, NO₃ ^– treatment increased Cd, Ca and K concentrations but inhibited Fe and P in the xylem sap. In a 21-day hydroponic culture, shoot biomass and Cd concentration were 1.51 and 2.63 times higher in NO₃ ^–- than in NH₄ ⁺-fed plants. We conclude that compared with NH₄ ⁺, NO₃ ^– promoted the major steps in the transport route followed by Cd from solution to shoots in S. plumbizincicola, namely its uptake by roots, xylem loading, root-to-shoot translocation in the xylem and uploading to the leaves. S. plumbizincicola prefers NO₃ ^– nutrition to NH₄ ⁺ for Cd phytoextraction.     

Control of Mercury Emissions from a Municipal Solid Waste Incinerator in Japan

Abstract

The control of Hg emissions from a municipal solid waste incinerator (MSWI) is very important, because more than 78% of municipal solid waste (MSW) is incinerated. The Hg content of coal used in utility boilers is relatively low in Japan. In this study, recent trends in the Hg content of MSW in Japan and activated carbon (AC) injection as a control technology of Hg emission from an MSWI are discussed. The effect of AC injection on Hg removal from flue gas in an MSWI was investigated by pilot-scale experiments using a bag filter (BF). The injection of AC increases the Hg reduction ratio by 20–30% compared with cases without AC injection. The Hg reduction ratio increases as the flue gas temperature decreases. The Hg reduction ratio is closely related to the inlet Hg concentration and was expressed with a Langmuir-type adsorption isotherm.     

Natural purification effects in the river in consideration with domestic wastewater pollutant discharge reduction effects

The first social experiment program in Japan to reduce domestic wastewater pollutant discharge by “soft interventions” in households has been conducted in the Yamato-gawa River drainage area since 2005. The Yamato-gawa River has been listed as one of the worst water quality rivers in Japan because of the larger annual average BOD. “Hard interventions” including deployment of wastewater treatment facilities and artificial installation of natural purification facilities in the river has been conducted in these years to improve river water quality. At the first Yamato-gawa River social experiment program (YR-SEP) in March 2005, BOD at the monitoring point near the river mouth decreased about 6% during the Program. Natural purification e ect along the river was evaluated in this article with one-dimensional water quality model for the six river sections. Larger biological oxygen consumption rate, kb, was estimated in the sections with artificially installed natural purification facilities. The e ect of “soft interventions” in households in the YR-SEP was estimated as 25% BOD decrease in the nearest monitoring point to the river mouth, when all the households participate in the Program and BOD discharge reduction rate with “soft interventions” in households was 40%.     

Carbonization of johkasou sludge using batch-type equipment

The carbonization of dehydrated johkasou sludge was examined using batch-type equipment. Based on the temperature changes in the carbonization room and the gas combustion room, the carbonization process was divided into three phases: phase I, drying the sludge; phase II, thermal decomposition of the dried sludge; phase III, after phase II. The times required for phases I and II were strongly correlated with the amounts of water and solid matter, respectively, in dehydrated sludge. The reduction rate of the sludge on completion of phase I was about 90% on average, and the decomposition rate of solid matter increased with time during phase II or phase II plus phase III until it reached about 50%. TOC concentration of the eluate from the carbonized sludge was used as an index to evaluate the progress of the carbonization process, and the highest temperature in the carbonization room was recognized as an important operational factor. The specific surface area and pore volume of carbonized sludge were smaller than those of charcoals and activated carbons by 1–3 orders of magnitude and 1–2 orders of magnitude, respectively. No elution of heavy metals was observed from any of the carbonized sludges examined. The reduced amount of carbon in dehydrated johkasou sludge was estimated to be about 25% of the decomposed organic matter.     

Studies on materials containing polysaccharides as soil amendments 1: effects on animal waste water purification in a potting experiment

A potting experiment was carried out to determine the effects of soil amendments containing polysaccharides and earthworms on a land application system for the purification of animal waste water. The following soil amendments were used: purified Konjak powder (KP, powder containing glucomannan made from the root system of devil's tongue, Amorphophalus rivieri Dur.), crystallized cellulose (CC), and a mixture of the two (MX). These soil amendments were added to the pots, and then Chrysanthemum corondria were planted in the earthworm pots (A pots), the nonearthworm pots (B pots), and the control pots (C pots); the first two plots received primary-treated animal waste water, and the other one received tap water. The following items were then measured: pH, electrical conductivity, chemical oxygen demand (COD_Mn), total nitrogen (TN), total phosphorus, the volume of drained water from each pots, the height and dry matter weight of plants, and the water permeability into the soil. The MX-A pots, i.e., the pots containing both soil amendments and earthworms, gave good results, especially for water permeability, plant growth, the purification of COD_Mn, and TN. These results suggest that the presence of soil amendments and earthworms may enhance the improvement of water quality in land application systems using vegetation. Received: December 9, 1998 / Accepted: February 8, 2000     

Functional morphology and phylogeny of the rock-boring bivalves <Emphasis Type="Italic">Leiosolenus</Emphasis> and <Emphasis Type="Italic">Lithophaga</Emphasis> (Bivalvia: Mytilidae): a third functional clade

The functional morphology of the shell of rock-boring mytilids (especially Leiosolenus and Lithophaga) is analyzed and compared with that of several epifaunal and semi-infaunal mytilids. Semi-infaunal species are generally intermediate between epifaunal and rock-boring ones both in terms of shell form and the magnitude of forces pulling the shells against the substratum. A molecular phylogenetic analyses using 18s rDNA sequence data strongly suggests that Leiosolenus and Lithophaga are monophyletic genera but that the so-called Lithophaginae (or Leiosolenus plus Lithophaga) is a paraphyletic group. The common cylindrical shell form of rock-boring species, which is here called “lithophagiform” as a third functional mytilid clade, may be due to convergence, as is the case with ‘mytiliform’ and ‘modioliform’.     

Feminization of genetic males by a symbiotic bacterium in a butterfly,Eurema hecabe (Lepidoptera: Pieridae)

Wolbachia are symbiotic bacteria found in many arthropods and filarian nematodes. They often manipulate the reproduction of host arthropods. In the present study, female-biased sex-ratio distortion in the butterfly Eurema hecabe was investigated. Breeding experiments showed that this distorted sex ratio is maternally inherited. When treated with tetracycline, adult females of the thelygenic line produced male progeny only. After PCR using Wolbachia-specific primers for the ftsZ gene a positive result was seen in the thelygenic females, but not in male progeny from tetracycline-treated females, or individuals from a Tokyo population with normal sex ratio and reproduction. Cytological observations showed that thelygenic females lack the sex chromatin body (W chromosome). The results strongly suggest that the sex-ratio distortion in E. hecabe is due to feminization of genetic males by Wolbachia.