Effect of Zinc Oxide nanoparticles on cellular oxidative stress and antioxidant defense mechanisms in mouse liver

Zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO₂), a common ingredient of cosmetics has a huge variety of applications. Previous studies reported oxidative stress mediated toxicity of ZnO₂ nanoparticles on various mammalian cell lines. Although zinc (Zn) is an essential mineral at higher concentrations this metal is toxic. The present study focused on size determination by monitoring changes in activities of antioxidant defense mechanism in response to oxidative stress induced by ZnO₂ nanoparticles using mouse liver tissue homogenates. The study also investigated effects of oxidative stress induced DNA damage by determining formation of 8-OHdG in mouse liver homogenate. A cytotoxicity assay was also carried out in L929 cells to determine cell viability. The results of the study indicated that 50μg/ml of ZnO₂ nanoparticles induced 50% cell death. Alterations in antioxidant parameters and 8-OHdG were also noted. Data showed that there was a concentration-dependent fall in cell viability, decrease antioxidant enzyme levels and increase formation of DNA adduct (8-OHdG) when mouse liver tissue homogenate were exposed to ZnO₂ nanoparticles.     

环境砷中毒人群皮肤损害与DNA氧化损伤的关联性

选择内蒙古自治区某县长期暴露于高砷饮用水的人群中有皮肤损害者199人(病例组)和无皮肤损害者91人(对照组)作为研究对象,检测饮用水砷、尿砷和DNA氧化损伤的主要标志物8-羟基脱氧鸟苷(8-OHdG)水平,以分析慢性砷中毒人群DNA氧化损伤与皮肤损害的相关性.结果表明,砷性皮肤损害组和无皮肤损害组人群尿中8-OHdG水平的中位数(四分位间距)分别为4.9(3.5~6.3)μg/g和5.3(4.1~7.2)μg/g,2组对象尿中8-OHdG水平间差异无统计学意义(P=0.074);多元Logistic回归分析结果显示,在校正了年龄、体质指数(BMI)、吸烟、饮酒和饮用高砷水时间等可能的混杂因素后,皮肤损害组人群尿中8-OHdG水平升高的比值比(OR)为1.1(95%CI:0.6,1.9),提示在砷暴露人群中,有无皮肤损害与8-OHdG水平的差异无统计学意义(P=0.863).慢性砷中毒人群皮肤损害与体内的DNA氧化损伤之间无显著的关联性,无皮肤损害人群同样有DNA氧化损伤的风险.     

太湖背角无齿蚌组织中8-羟基脱氧鸟苷的含量及在水体污染评价中的初步应用

对2003--2008年闯采集自太湖不同水域的9个背角无齿蚌（Anodontawoodiana）样品组织中的DNA损伤产物-8-羟基脱氧鸟苷（8-hydroxy-2-deoxyguanosine,8-OHdG）的水平进行了分析,同时研究了蚌体组织中重金属cd2＋和有机污染物PCBs的蓄积残留量,以探明水体污染和DNA损伤的相关性。研究结果显示,9个样本中的8-OHdG的含量在1．021-8．886ng．g-1之间,尤其以无锡三山岛和宜兴大浦这2个水域的样本最为突出,差异显著,表明上述水域已受到较严重的污染。PCBs在9个样本中有7个检出,但含量无明显差异（P〉0．05）,表明PCBs并非引起背角无齿蚌体内DNA损伤的主要污染因素。而背角无齿蚌组织中的cd2＋残留量与8-OHdG水平间存在显著的剂量一效应关系,呈正相关。这一结果与实验室内的模拟试验相吻合,提示重金属cd2＋是引起水体中背角无齿蚌DNA受损的主要污染因素。研究显示,背角无齿蚌机体组织中的8-OHdG具有稳定性强、测定方法简单快速、在一定的范围内具有显著的剂量—效应关系、实验室与野外分析相吻合等特点,因此可作为分子生物标志物来评价生物体受水环境持久性污染物污染而导致的DNA损伤效应。     

温度和溶菌酶敏感菌株的L-谷氨酸合成

用温度敏感型菌株发酵生产L-谷氨酸不存在生物素亚适量问题,因此该方法在国际上被广泛使用.通常采用对出发菌株进行传统诱变的方法获得温度敏感型菌株.以谷氨酸棒杆菌CICC 10226为出发菌株,先克隆其ItsA基因,然后通过基因敲除的方法构建了突变菌株Corynebacterium glutamicum WT ΔL,该菌株同时具有温度敏感性和溶菌酶敏感性.经透射式电子显微镜观察发现,于38℃培养的突变株细胞与在30℃培养的同一种细胞相比,细胞明显增大,而出发菌株无该现象.发酵试验表明,在生物素过量的情况下,在发酵进入细胞产酸期后通过将发酵温度从原来的30℃提高到38℃,温度敏感突变株的产酸量增加近5倍.如果在发酵培养基巾添加适量的琥珀酸和乙酸,该菌株与不添加的在30℃培养的对照相比,产酸量增加近6.5倍.对于野生型出发菌株而言,在生物素过量的情况下,无论是否采用变温发酵方法都几乎不产酸.说明温度敏感突变株即使在生物素过量的情况下也能通过变温发酵诱导其合成并分泌产生L-谷氨酸.图10表1参13     

中国部分地区2021年几次典型沙尘天气遥感监测分析

2021年,中国北方地区经历了多轮大范围沙尘天气,波及西北、华北、东北甚至黄淮、长三角等地区。其中,3月份出现自2010年以来最强沙尘天气过程。该研究基于Himawari-8静止卫星数据和地面同步空气站点监测数据,分析了2021年3月14—17、27—30日和4月14—15日3次典型沙尘天气过程。分析结果显示：2021年3月14—17日沙尘天气影响范围最广,沙尘分别在不同时间段起源于蒙古国西北部、中国甘肃和青海交界处、新疆和甘肃交界处,大范围沙尘天气是多处尘源综合作用的结果。3月27—30日和4月14—15日沙尘主要起源于蒙古国,沙尘源较单一,影响范围相对集中,但某些时段受影响区域的沙尘强度很高。地面同步空气站点PM₁₀监测数据与卫星数据有很好的一致性。     

基于landsat8数据京沪穗地表热环境评估研究

为了揭示快速城市化地区热环境的特点,以京沪穗为研究区,利用landsat8和GDEM数据,分别对3个城市的热环境进行分析,并对北京市进行下垫面分类,分析了不同下垫面对地表温度的影响,研究了北京市DEM和归一化植被指数与地表温度的关系。结果表明:地表温度与归一化植被指数和海拔高度均表现为明显的负相关关系,R2分别为0.651和0.580。北京、上海和广州均存在不同程度的热岛效应,热岛主要存在于城市建成区,并由市辖区向外辐散。上海市强热岛面积比例最大,广州市强热岛面积比例最小,热环境优劣顺序为广州、北京、上海。     

Seismic risk assessment of liquid overtopping in a steel storage tank equipped with a single deck floating roof

Major earthquakes have demonstrated that Natech events can be triggered by liquid overtopping in liquid storage tanks equipped with floating roofs. Thus, research on the dynamic behaviour of steel storage tanks with floating roofs is still required. In this paper, the seismic risk against liquid overtopping in a real steel storage tank with a floating roof was analysed using a simplified model that was validated by a refined finite element model based on the arbitrary Lagrangian-Eulerian approach. The simplified model utilizes the Lagrangian of a floating roof-fluid system and is capable of providing a response history of the floating roof. It was demonstrated that it could predict the maximum vertical displacement very accurately, while some differences were observed in the response history of vertical displacement. The computational time for a single response history analysis based on the simplified model amounted to a few minutes, which is significantly less demanding compared to hours required for response history analysis in the case of the refined FE model. The simplified model is thus appropriate for the seismic fragility analysis considering the overtopping limit state. It is shown that the fragility curves are significantly affected by the liquid filling level. The risk for liquid overtopping is quite high in the case of a full tank. However, by considering the variation of filling level during the year, the overtopping risk was observed reduced by approximately 30%. Alternatively, the approximate fragility analysis for the liquid overtopping can be performed by utilizing the Eurocode formula for the vertical displacement of liquid. This approach is straightforward, but the formula does not account for the higher mode effects, which may result in overestimated seismic intensity causing overtopping, as discussed in the paper.     

A multispecies test of source–sink indicators to prioritize habitat for declining populations

For species at risk of decline or extinction in source–sink systems, sources are an obvious target for habitat protection actions. However, the way in which source habitats are identified and prioritized can reduce the effectiveness of conservation actions. Although sources and sinks are conceptually defined using both demographic and movement criteria, simplifications are often required in systems with limited data. To assess the conservation outcomes of alternative source metrics and resulting prioritizations, we simulated population dynamics and extinction risk for 3 endangered species. Using empirically based habitat population models, we linked habitat maps with measured site‐ or habitat‐specific demographic conditions, movement abilities, and behaviors. We calculated source–sink metrics over a range of periods of data collection and prioritized consistently high‐output sources for conservation. We then tested whether prioritized patches identified the habitats that most affected persistence by removing them and measuring the population response. Conservation decisions based on different source–sink metrics and durations of data collection affected species persistence. Shorter time series obscured the ability of metrics to identify influential habitats, particularly in temporally variable and slowly declining populations. Data‐rich source–sink metrics that included both demography and movement information did not always identify the habitats with the greatest influence on extinction risk. In some declining populations, patch abundance better predicted influential habitats for short‐term regional persistence. Because source–sink metrics (i.e., births minus deaths; births and immigrations minus deaths and emigration) describe net population conditions and cancel out gross population counts, they may not adequately identify influential habitats in declining populations. For many nonequilibrium populations, new metrics that maintain the counts of individual births, deaths, and movement may provide additional insight into habitats that most influence persistence.     

An experimental test of alternative population augmentation scenarios

Human land use is fragmenting habitats worldwide and inhibiting dispersal among previously connected populations of organisms, often leading to inbreeding depression and reduced evolutionary potential in the face of rapid environmental change. To combat this augmentation of isolated populations with immigrants is sometimes used to facilitate demographic and genetic rescue. Augmentation with immigrants that are genetically and adaptively similar to the target population effectively increases population fitness, but if immigrants are very genetically or adaptively divergent, augmentation can lead to outbreeding depression. Despite well‐cited guidelines for the best practice selection of immigrant sources, often only highly divergent populations remain, and experimental tests of these riskier augmentation scenarios are essentially nonexistent. We conducted a mesocosm experiment with Trinidadian guppies (Poecilia reticulata) to test the multigenerational demographic and genetic effects of augmenting 2 target populations with 3 types of divergent immigrants. We found no evidence of demographic rescue, but we did observe genetic rescue in one population. Divergent immigrant treatments tended to maintain greater genetic diversity, abundance, and hybrid fitness than controls that received immigrants from the source used to seed the mesocosms. In the second population, divergent immigrants had a slightly negative effect in one treatment, and the benefits of augmentation were less apparent overall, likely because this population started with higher genetic diversity and a lower reproductive rate that limited genetic admixture. Our results add to a growing consensus that gene flow can increase population fitness even when immigrants are more highly divergent and may help reduce uncertainty about the use of augmentation in conservation.     

Effect of hybridization with genome exclusion on extinction risk

Human‐induced habitat changes may lead to the breakdown of reproductive barriers between distantly related species. This phenomenon may result in fertile first‐generation hybrids (F₁) that exclude the genome of one parental species during gametogenesis, thus disabling introgression. The species extinction risk associated with hybridization with genome exclusion is largely underappreciated because the phenomenon produces only F₁ hybrid phenotype, leading to the misconception that hybrids are sterile and potentially of minor conservation concern. We used a simulation model that integrates the main genetic, demographic, and ecological processes to examine the dynamics of hybridization with genome exclusion. We showed that this mode of hybridization may lead to extremely rapid extinction when the process of genome exclusion is unbalanced between the interbreeding species and when the hybridization rate is not negligible. The coexistence of parental species was possible in some cases of asymmetrical genome exclusion, but show this equilibrium was highly vulnerable to environmental variation. Expanding the exclusive habitat of the species at risk allowed its persistence. Our results highlight the extent of possible extinction risk due to hybridization with genome exclusion and suggest habitat management as a promising conservation strategy. In anticipation of serious threats to biodiversity due to hybridization with genome exclusion, we recommend a detailed assessment of the reproductive status of hybrids in conservation programs. We suggest such assessments include the inspection of genetic content in hybrid gametes.