Hormonaktive Xenobiotika

Developmental and reproductive processes are most sensitive to the toxic effects of environmental chemicals. Especially alarming is the fact that many groups of industrial chemicals and pesticides are capable of disrupting the endocrine system in man and animals. Of great concern is the reduction in the sperm count in Europe, but also the worldwide increase in a great number of reproductive and developmental disturbances observed in both man and wildlife. A correlation to a high chemical burden has been demonstrated for many different animal species as well as for women. An important consideration in assessing the potential effects of environmental chemicals on the endocrine system is the time at which such an exposure occurs. In the adult organism, hormones initiate functional processes; these effects are usually transient. In early life, hormones control developmental processes and are capable of producing permanent changes in organ structure and function (organizational effects). Therefore, chemical disruption of hormonal functions during development can result in permanent functional changes of the afflicted organ.     

Rice in deep water: "How to take heed against a sea of troubles"

 Plants are aerobic organisms for which oxygen shortage poses a severe problem. Waterlogging and flooding are the main causes of anaerobiosis and can lead to damage or even death of the plant. Rice is well adapted to semi-aquatic conditions. It is the only cereal that can be grown in flooded areas such as the great river deltas of Asia. In rice, two major strategies have evolved to cope with conditions of flooding. One is to escape submergence and thereby avoid anaerobiosis as much as possible. This is achieved through elongation growth and through extensive aeration of submerged plant parts by way of internal and external air spaces. The second adaptation is a metabolic one which includes the efficient use of carbohydrate resources and maintenance of energy charge when the cells do become anaerobic. The mainly ethanolic fermentation pathway found in anaerobic rice avoids acidification of the cytoplasm and thereby contributes to the maintenance of cell integrity. Genetic analysis indicates that the submergence tolerance trait, which is based on metabolic changes, is encoded by only one or a few as yet unidentified gene(s). Identifying these genes is a major goal in anaerobic stress research.     

Organochlorine pesticides in placenta in Kyrgyzstan and the effect on pregnancy,childbirth, and newborn health

Organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) were determined by gas chromatography in 241 placentas from cotton-growing regions, 121 placentas from an urban area (city of Osh), and 146 placentas from unpolluted mountain regions of Kyrgyzstan. Manifestations of disease were recorded in the mothers during pregnancy and parturition and in their newborns during the first 6 days of life. OCPs were detected in 240 out of 508 placentas (47.2%), with increased incidence in the two polluted regions (65%), particularly in placentas from women living near former pesticide storehouses and agro air-strips (99%), but only in 2.7% of placentas from the unpolluted region. α-, β-, and γ-hexachlorocyclohexane (HCH); DDT; DDE; aldrin; and heptachlor were detected. The sum of concentrations of all OCPs (total OCPs) was calculated for each of the 240 placentas with detectable OCPs (median 9.5 μg/kg placenta, mean 88.3 μg/kg, range 0.1–3070 μg/kg). The incidence of health problems in four subgroups of this data set, with increasing levels of total OCPs, was compared with the incidence of health problems in the group of 268 placentas, where OCPs were undetectable. Relative risk of health problems in both, mothers and newborns, increased significantly, in a concentration-dependent manner, with increasing levels of total OCPs (p?<?0.0001). Health complications with increased incidence in OCP-exposed newborns included, i.a., low birth weight, congenital malformations, infections, and stillbirths, in OCP-exposed mothers preterm delivery, (pre-)eclampsia/gestosis, and frequency of hospitalizations after delivery (infections). Women living near former pesticide storehouses and agro airstrips should be considered as being at risk. Reduction of exposure is urgently needed.     

Biological response to physical processes in the Indian Ocean sector of the Southern Ocean: a case study in the coastal and oceanic waters

The spatial variation of chlorophyll a (Chl a) and factors influencing the high Chl a were studied during austral summer based on the physical and biogeochemical parameters collected near the coastal waters of Antarctica in 2010 and a zonal section along 60°S in 2011. In the coastal waters, high Chl a (>3 mg m^?3) was observed near the upper layers (～15 m) between 53°30′E and 54°30′E. A comparatively higher mesozooplankton biomass (53.33 ml 100 m^?3) was also observed concordant with the elevated Chl a. Low saline water formed by melting of glacial ice and snow, as well as deep mixed-layer depth (60 m) due to strong wind (>11 ms^?1) could be the dominant factors for this biological response. In the open ocean, moderately high surface Chl a was observed (>0.6 mg m^?3) between 47°E and 50°E along with a Deep Chlorophyll Maximum of ～1 mg m^?3 present at 30–40 m depth. Melt water advected from the Antarctic continent could be the prime reason for this high Chl a. The mesozooplankton biomass (22.76 ml 100 m^?3) observed in the open ocean was comparatively lower than that in the coastal waters. Physical factors such as melting, advection of melt water from Antarctic continent, water masses and wind-induced vertical mixing may be the possible reasons that led to the increase in phytoplankton biomass (Chl a).     

Temporal Segmentation of Human Short-Term Behavior in Everyday Activities and Interview Sessions

 Human behavior is structured by serial order and timing of functionally related groups of movements with a duration of a few seconds. These elementary action units have been described in ethological studies during unstaged everyday behavior, but not during interview sessions. Psychomotor alterations are relevant for differential diagnosis and treatment, and psychiatric patients are generally evaluated during interview sessions. Therefore the time structure of upper limb movements (n=764) of healthy subjects (n=22) were studied using videotaped interviews and frame-by-frame analysis and compared to movements (n=530) of unstaged human everyday behavior (n=154). The number of action units, but not their duration, was correlated inversely with self-reported impairment of mood and pleasure experience in healthy persons. The temporal distribution of movements in interview sessions did not differ from the time patterns of everyday behavior. This method could be a promising tool to investigate time patterns of movements and psychomotor alterations in psychiatric patients during interview sessions. Received: 29 October 1998 / Accepted in revised form: 29 December 1998     

Concentrations,bioaccumulation, and health risk assessments of heavy metals in fishes from Nigeria’s freshwater: a general overview

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Heavy metals (HMs) have attracted global attention due to their toxicity, persistence, and accumulation in aquatic fish in the polluted water...     

Exposure patterns of UV filters, fragrances, parabens, phthalates, organochlor pesticides, PBDEs, and PCBs in human milk: correlation of UV filters with use of cosmetics

In order to assess potential risks of exposure to environmental chemicals, more information on concomitant exposure to different chemicals is needed. We present data on chemicals in human milk of a cohort study (2004, 2005, 2006) of 54 mother/child pairs, where for the first time, cosmetic UV filters, synthetic musks, parabens and phthalate metabolites were analyzed in the same sample along with persistent organochlor pollutants (POPs), i.e., organochlor pesticides and metabolites, polybrominated diphenylethers and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). The two groups of chemicals exhibited different exposure patterns. Six out of seven PCB congeners and a majority of pesticides were present in all milk samples, with significant correlations between certain PCB congener and pesticide levels, whereas the cosmetic-derived compounds, UV filters, parabens and synthetic musks, exhibited a more variable exposure pattern with inter-individual differences. UV filters were present in 85.2% of milk samples, in the range of PCB levels. Comparison with a questionnaire revealed a significant correlation between use of products containing UV filters and their presence in milk for two frequently used and detected UV filters, 4-methylbenzylidene camphor and octocrylene, and for the whole group of UV filters. Concentrations of PCBs and organochlor pesticides were within ranges seen in Western and Southern European countries. For several POPs, mean and/or maximum daily intake calculated from individual concentrations was above recent US EPA reference dose values. Our data emphasize the need for analyses of complex mixtures to obtain more information on inter-individual and temporal variability of human exposure to different types of chemicals.