复杂网络用于取代苯类内分泌干扰物的毒性通路

内分泌干扰物可干扰机体的信号途径,影响动物和人体正常的激素平衡,其信号转导途径非常复杂,涉及多条信号通路的激活.本文通过复杂网络技术构建了乙草胺、地散磷等20个取代苯类内分泌干扰物与71个有效靶标的相互作用网络,分析其网络的拓扑系数后获得6个基因作为网络的中心节点基因并带入KEGG信号通路数据库.通过复杂网络预测取代苯类化合物可通过与靶标基因ESR2和MMP9的作用影响雌激素信号通路;通过与靶标基因HIST3H3和MMP9的作用影响前列腺癌及多发性骨髓癌的误转录调节通路,其中,多发性骨髓癌误转录通路可能是取代苯类内分泌干扰物毒性作用的一条新的信号通路.“复杂网络”技术的应用有助于从基因/基因的角度出发,将化合物和机体信号通路相互联系,探讨取代苯类内分泌干扰物对机体的毒性机制,基于整体评价内分泌干扰物对机体的毒性作用,为环境污染物的研究提供了一种新的手段.     

多氯联苯羟基化代谢物及其雌激素效应研究进展

多氯联苯作为一种环境内分泌干扰物,具有一定的雌激素干扰效应,导致动物雌激素水平紊乱或功能异常,从而影响生殖、发育或行为。羟基多氯联苯是多氯联苯最主要的活性代谢产物,已经在动物和人体组织中被检出。羟基多氯联苯的化学性质和分子空间构象使其雌激素干扰效应可能较母体化合物更强。因此,它们对人类和动物机体的潜在影响以及由此带来的新的毒理学问题成为内分泌干扰研究领域的热点之一,相关的毒性作用机制需要进一步探索。本文对多氯联苯的代谢途径、羟基多氯联苯在生物体内的暴露水平、雌激素干扰效应及作用机制进行综述。     

类二噁英多氯联苯生殖毒性的研究进展

类二噁英多氯联苯(DlPCBs)作为典型的环境内分泌干扰物,会干扰接触个体或其后代的内分泌功能,破坏机体的神经系统、免疫系统,尤其对生殖系统的影响最为明显,比如对生殖器官的形态与功能、生殖内分泌、原始生殖细胞及其受精和早期胚胎发育等产生严重影响,最终导致各种生殖系统疾病的发生。DlPCBs的蓄积性及半挥发性使其在环境中分布广泛,半衰期长的特点使其将对动物及人类的生存和健康造成难以想象的影响。本文综述了DlPCBs的分类与构成、一般性质、生殖毒性以及其可能的致病机理,并对DlPCBs生殖毒性机理研究的重点方向进行了展望。     

多溴二苯醚及其代谢物的内分泌干扰活性和构效关系研究进展

多溴二苯醚(Polybrominated diphenyl ethers,PBDEs)作为一种良好的防火溴系阻燃剂(Brominated flame retardants,BFRs)广泛应用于各种家用和工业产品.研究表明,PBDEs容易从产品中溢出而进入环境.近年来,PBDEs及其代谢物已在各种环境介质和生物体中被广泛检出.毒理学研究发现,PBDEs及其代谢物具有生殖毒性、免疫毒性、神经毒性和内分泌干扰作用.在总结国内外相关研究基础上,论文综述了PBDEs及其代谢物的内分泌干扰活性,重点集中在对甲状腺激素活性、雌激素活性、雄激素活性及影响性激素转化和代谢的芳香化酶、CYP17酶、雌二醇磺基转移酶(E2SULT)活性的影响;分析了具有不同测试终点内分泌干扰活性的化合物的结构特征.研究发现,在内分泌干扰活性方面,PBDEs母体化合物的影响较小,主要是PBDEs代谢物产生的影响,特别是羟基化代谢物引起了较严重的内分泌干扰作用,即PBDEs化合物是一类通过代谢而被活化的内分泌干扰前趋物.为评价PBDEs及其代谢物对人和其他生物的健康危害,应加强其内分泌干扰活性机制的研究,以及具有同类型作用模式的PBDEs及其代谢物定量结构-活性关系的研究.     

类固醇雌激素环境行为研究进展

类固醇雌激素是一类亲脂、低分子量、高生物活性的有机化合物,易在生物体内蓄积,相对其他环境内分泌干扰物,具有更强的内分泌干扰作用,对生态环境的影响尤为显著.人类和动物排泄产生的类固醇雌激素不能被城市污水处理厂和养殖废水处理系统完全去除,进入环境中后,它们便会在不同的环境介质中进行迁移转化,因而深入研究其环境行为尤为重要.本文针对4种典型的类固醇雌激素(雌激素酮、17β-雌二醇、雌三醇和17α-乙炔基雌二醇),综述了其在污水处理厂、集中式养殖场、土壤和天然水体等介质中的环境行为.     

环境雌激素生物效应的作用机制研究进展

环境雌激素(environmental estrogens,EEs)种类繁多,来源多样且分布广泛,大量工业添加剂、食品添加剂和农药类物质已被证实具有雌激素活性。EEs对人体生殖、神经、免疫等系统的生物毒性已经引起了公众的普遍关注。近年来的研究表明,EEs不仅结合雌激素核受体(nuclear estrogen receptor,n ER),还可以活化雌激素膜受体(membrane estrogen receptor,m ER),干扰正常的雌激素信号通路。本文总结了EEs通过n ER、m ER介导的多种雌激素基因组和非基因组信号途径及其产生的生物学效应,综述了在其毒理学作用机理基础上发展的环境样品的雌激素活性评估和EEs混合物的联合作用研究,以期为该类污染物的筛查、风险评估和进一步的机制研究提供参考。     

环境雌激素生物效应的作用机制研究进展

环境雌激素(Environmental Estrogens, EEs)种类繁多、来源多样且分布广泛,大量工业添加剂、食品添加剂和农药类物质已被证实具有雌激素活性。EEs对人体生殖、神经、免疫等系统生物毒性,已经引起了公众的普遍关注。近年来的研究表明,EEs不仅可以结合雌激素核受体(nuclear Estrogen Receptor, nER)干扰正常的雌激素基因组信号通路,还能活化雌激素膜受体(membrane Estrogen Receptor, mER)引发快速的雌激素非基因组信号转导途径。本文总结了EEs通过nER、mER介导的多种雌激素基因组和非基因组信号途径及其产生的生物学效应,综述了在其毒理学作用机理基础上发展的环境样品的雌激素活性评估和EEs混合物的联合作用研究,以期为该类污染物的筛查、风险评估和进一步的机制研究提供参考。     

环境内分泌干扰化合物干扰胰岛素分泌潜在作用机理

不断升高的糖尿病发病率在全球范围内引起广泛关注,流行病学调查显示糖尿病发病率的增加与环境内分泌干扰化合物使用量增大之间存在显著相关,环境内分泌干扰化合物可能增加糖尿病发病风险,是影响糖尿病的危险因素。在此背景下,综述了环境内分泌干扰化合物暴露与糖尿病发病之间的流行病学关系;环境内分泌干扰化合物暴露对胰岛β细胞胰岛素分泌的调节、高胰岛素效应及其潜在的作用机理,表明影响胰岛素分泌是环境内分泌干扰化合物调节代谢,诱发糖尿病的重要作用机制。     

二噁英对免疫系统影响的研究进展

二噁英是持久性有机污染物的一种,它对人体健康的影响是多方面的,包括引起氯痤疮、诱发肿瘤、导致畸形、内分泌干扰、免疫毒性和肝毒性等等.本文着重总结了在二噁英对免疫系统的影响方面最近的研究进展.研究表明,二噁英可以从多方面干扰免疫系统的功能,它可以影响机体的体液和细胞免疫、超敏反应、自身免疫以及影响免疫细胞本身的活性,同时...     

受体功能区结构与环境内分泌干扰效应生物差异的关系

环境中存在的多种内分泌干扰物能够与生物体内的天然激素受体选择性结合并产生多种生物效应,由于受体功能区三维结构的不同,其内分泌干扰活性存在着种间、种内、组织间等的种种差异,限制了不同物种间毒性效应的外推研究,增加了环境内分泌干扰物筛选和风险评价的难度.论文综述了基于受体介导的环境内分泌干扰物生物活性与相应受体选择性及受体功能区结构关系的研究进展,并利用分子模拟方法分析探讨了雌激素受体与部分化合物结合作用模式,讨论了目前存在的问题,对以后有关方面的研究提出了建议.     

Rapid,recurring, structured survey versus bioblitz for generating biodiversity data and analysis with a multispecies abundance model

A bioblitz inexpensively and quickly generates biodiversity data, but bioblitzes are often conducted with haphazard, unreplicated sampling. Results tend to be taxonomically, geographically, or temporally biased, lack metadata, and consist of lists of observed taxa that do not enable further analyses or correction for imperfect detection. A rapid, recurring, structured survey (RRSS) uses a structured sampling design and temporal and spatial replication to survey randomly selected sites on a conservation property. We participated in a loosely structured bioblitz and a subsequent RRSS at Big Canoe Creek Nature Preserve in Springville (St. Clair County), Alabama (USA) to compare observed richness derived from the 2 survey approaches. The RRSS data structure enabled us to fit models that accounted for imperfect detection to estimate abundances, occupancy probabilities, and habitat associations. The loosely structured bioblitz data could not be used in such models. We present a new integrated multispecies abundance model that we applied to avian RRSS data. Our model extension enables estimation for the community, employs data augmentation to estimate the number of undetected species, and incorporates covariates. The RRSS generated a more comprehensive and less biased list of observed taxonomic richness than the loosely structured bioblitz (e.g., 73 vs. 45 bird species and 104 vs. 63 insect families from the RRSS vs. loosely structured bioblitz, respectively). Models fit to the RRSS data identified seasonal patterns in avian community composition and allowed for estimation of habitat–occupancy relationships for insect taxa. The RRSS protocol has potential for broad transferability as a standardized, quick, and inexpensive way to inventory biodiversity and estimate ecological parameters while providing an outreach opportunity.     

Compliance with and ecosystem function of biodiversity offsets in North American and European freshwaters

Land-use change via human development is a major driver of biodiversity loss. To reduce these impacts, billions of dollars are spent on biodiversity offsets. However, studies evaluating offset project effectiveness that examine components such as the overall compliance and function of projects remain rare. We reviewed 577 offsetting projects in freshwater ecosystems that included the metrics project size, type of aquatic system (e.g., wetland and creek), offsetting measure (e.g., enhancement, restoration, and creation), and an assessment of the projects’ compliance and functional success. Project information was obtained from scientific and government databases and gray literature. Despite considerable investment in offsetting projects, crucial problems persisted. Although compliance and function were related to each other, a high level of compliance did not guarantee a high degree of function. However, large projects relative to area had better function than small projects. Function improved when projects targeted productivity or specific ecosystem features and when multiple complementary management targets were in place. Restorative measures were more likely to achieve targets than creating entirely new ecosystems. Altogether the relationships we found highlight specific ecological processes that may help improve offsetting outcomes.     

Representation of the world's biophysical conditions by the global protected area network

Protected areas (PAs) are often implemented without consideration of already existing PAs, which is likely to cause an overrepresentation of certain biophysical conditions. We assessed the representativeness of the current PA network with regard to the world's biophysical conditions to highlight which conditions are underprotected and where these conditions are located. We overlaid terrestrial and marine PAs with information on biophysical conditions (e.g., temperature, precipitation, and elevation) and then quantified the percentage of area covered by the PA network. For 1 variable at a time in the terrestrial realm, high temperature, low precipitation, and medium and very high elevation were underrepresented. For the marine realm, low and medium sea surface temperature (SST), medium and high sea surface salinity (SSS), and the deep sea were underrepresented. Overall, protection was evenly distributed for elevation across the terrestrial realm and SST across the marine realm. For 2 variables at a time, cold and very dry terrestrial environments had mostly low protection, which was also the case for low SST and low and medium SSS across most depths for marine environments. Low protection occurred mostly in the Sahara and the Arabian Peninsula for the terrestrial realm and along the Tropic of Capricorn and toward the poles for the marine realm. Although biodiversity measures are of prime importance for the design of PA networks, highlighting biophysical gaps in current PAs adds a frequently overlooked perspective. These gaps may weaken the potential of PAs to conserve biodiversity. Thus, our results may provide useful insights for researchers, practitioners, and policy makers to establish a more comprehensive global PA network.     

Quantitative composition of the defensive secretion ofBledius species (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Oxytelinae) is adapted to naturally occurring predators

Summary The adaptation of defensive secretions to their target organisms was examined for the abdominal gland secretions ofBledius furcatus, B. spectabilis andB. arenarius. Therefore the target organisms of the secretion of theseBledius species (i.e. their predators) had to be identified. At the collection sites examined these were the earwigLabidura riparia, the antCataglyphis bicolor, the flyLispe candicans, different carabids of the generaPogonus, Dichirotrichus, Dyschirius, Bembidion andCalathus and the wading birdsHaematopus ostralegus andCalidris alba. The secretion of the abdominal glands contains the toxin ptoluquinone dissolved in either-dodecalactone and 1-undecene (B. furcatus andB. spectabilis) or in octanoic acid and octyloctanoate (B. arenarius). The ratio of these solvents is species-specific. Application experiments using some of the natural insect predators (L. riparia, C. bicolor, Pogonus, Di. gustavii, Dyschirius) revealed that these solvent ratios provided a more effective deterrent than other possible ratios. Thus by combining the solvents in certain ratios, the capability of cuticular penetration and therefore the effectiveness of the defensive secretions are adapted to their natural targets.     

Democracy versus development: New urban debates

The politics of development includes subtexts of choice, as underpinned by community consensus (or lack of it), against the larger backdrop of a liberal democracy, with its intricate power structures that influence the choice of concepts and often lead to complicity rather than consent. A dilemma exists between the understanding of field-level practitioners and that of academics, whose understandings of progress differ. Progress can (and often does) imply long-term change across generations whereas development is often more a matter of crisis management and delivering tangible results to end-users. This makes it a bone of contention across political systems, irrespective of local or global dynamics. Development can emerge as a tool to be wielded for power and further political mileage at the expense of progress. Progress cannot be studied as a counterpoint to development as the sense of history is often missing in development interventions. Development tends to be piecemeal as its very logic often stems from the rationale of power. This is not to suggest, however, that development is only about politics; it is definitely more than the politics of everyday life and involves all of civil society that requires its critical and immediate attention. In this sense, it has become a priority for politicians with an underlying agenda designed to out-manouevre dissent and all statements of protest.     

A palaeo-hydrogeological model for arsenic contamination in southern and south-east Asia

An argument is presented in which areas of natural arsenic contamination of modern groundwaters throughout Asia have a common origin. Arsenic originally accumulated in oceanic ferro-manganoan sediments of the eastern Palaeo-Tethys. This was further concentrated through oceanic crustal extinction in what later became the south-east Chinese accreted mineralised terrain. Proto-Himalayan uplift of this area created the palaeo-drainage systems of the Ganges – Brahmaputra, Irrawaddy, Mekong, and Red Rivers, with consequent headwater erosion of arsenic-rich sediments. Their downstream deposition as immature and easily redistributed Neogene sandstones, silts, and iron-rich clays has created secondary and tertiary reservoirs of adsorbed and authigenic arsenic, from which the current arsenic-rich groundwaters have evolved. Considering river basins within the above palaeo-hydrogeological framework provides a basis for assessing the risk of arsenic in groundwater basins of south and south-eastern Asia.     

A framework to measure the wildness of managed large vertebrate populations

As landscapes continue to fall under human influence through habitat loss and fragmentation, fencing is increasingly being used to mitigate anthropogenic threats and enhance the commercial value of wildlife. Subsequent intensification of management potentially erodes wildness by disembodying populations from landscape-level processes, thereby disconnecting species from natural selection. Tools are needed to measure the degree to which populations of large vertebrate species in formally protected and privately owned wildlife areas are self-sustaining and free to adapt. We devised a framework to measure such wildness based on 6 attributes relating to the evolutionary and ecological dynamics of vertebrates (space, disease and parasite resistance, exposure to predation, exposure to limitations and fluctuations of food and water supply, and reproduction). For each attribute, we set empirical, species-specific thresholds between 5 wildness states based on quantifiable management interventions. We analysed data from 205 private wildlife properties with management objectives spanning ecotourism to consumptive utilization to test the framework on 6 herbivore species representing a range of conservation statuses and commercial values. Wildness scores among species differed significantly, and the proportion of populations identified as wild ranged from 12% to 84%, which indicates the tool detected site-scale differences both among populations of different species and populations of the same species under different management regimes. By quantifying wildness, this framework provides practitioners with standardized measurement units that link biodiversity with the sustainable use of wildlife. Applications include informing species management plans at local scales; standardizing the inclusion of managed populations in red-list assessments; and providing a platform for certification and regulation of wildlife-based economies. Applying this framework may help embed wildness as a normative value in policy and mitigate the shifting baseline of what it means to truly conserve a species.     

Sexual Predators,Energy Development,and Conservation in Greater Yellowstone

Abstract: In the United States, as elsewhere, a growing debate pits national energy policy and homeland security against biological conservation. In rural communities the extraction of fossil fuels is often encouraged because of the employment opportunities it offers, although the concomitant itinerant workforce is often associated with increased wildlife poaching. We explored possible positive and negative factors associated with energy extraction in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem (GYE), an area known for its national parks, intact biological diversity, and some of the New World's longest terrestrial migrations. Specifically, we asked whether counties with different economies—recreation (ski), agrarian (ranching or farming), and energy extractive (petroleum)—differed in healthcare (gauged by the abundance of hospital beds) and in the frequency of sexual predators. The absolute and relative frequency of registered sex offenders grew approximately two to three times faster in areas reliant on energy extraction. Healthcare among counties did not differ. The strong conflation of community dishevel, as reflected by in‐migrant sexual predators, and ecological decay in Greater Yellowstone is consistent with patterns seen in similar systems from Ecuador to northern Canada, where social and environmental disarray exist around energy boomtowns. In our case, that groups (albeit with different aims) mobilized campaigns to help maintain the quality of rural livelihoods by protecting open space is a positive sign that conservation can matter, especially in the face of rampant and poorly executed energy extraction projects. Our findings further suggest that the public and industry need stronger regulatory action to instill greater vigilance when and where social factors and land conversion impact biological systems.     

Cost‐effective conservation of an endangered frog under uncertainty

How should managers choose among conservation options when resources are scarce and there is uncertainty regarding the effectiveness of actions? Well‐developed tools exist for prioritizing areas for one‐time and binary actions (e.g., protect vs. not protect), but methods for prioritizing incremental or ongoing actions (such as habitat creation and maintenance) remain uncommon. We devised an approach that combines metapopulation viability and cost‐effectiveness analyses to select among alternative conservation actions while accounting for uncertainty. In our study, cost‐effectiveness is the ratio between the benefit of an action and its economic cost, where benefit is the change in metapopulation viability. We applied the approach to the case of the endangered growling grass frog (Litoria raniformis), which is threatened by urban development. We extended a Bayesian model to predict metapopulation viability under 9 urbanization and management scenarios and incorporated the full probability distribution of possible outcomes for each scenario into the cost‐effectiveness analysis. This allowed us to discern between cost‐effective alternatives that were robust to uncertainty and those with a relatively high risk of failure. We found a relatively high risk of extinction following urbanization if the only action was reservation of core habitat; habitat creation actions performed better than enhancement actions; and cost‐effectiveness ranking changed depending on the consideration of uncertainty. Our results suggest that creation and maintenance of wetlands dedicated to L. raniformis is the only cost‐effective action likely to result in a sufficiently low risk of extinction. To our knowledge we are the first study to use Bayesian metapopulation viability analysis to explicitly incorporate parametric and demographic uncertainty into a cost‐effective evaluation of conservation actions. The approach offers guidance to decision makers aiming to achieve cost‐effective conservation under uncertainty.     

Comparison of the insecticidal effects of water extracted and intact aromatic plants onAcanthoscelides obtectus,a bruchid beetle pest of kidney beans

Summary Acanthoscelides obtectus (Say) is one of the most damaging pests of kidney beans,Phaseolus vulgaris L. worldwide. However, aromatic plants from the families Lamiaceae, Lauraceae, Myrtaceae and Poaceae can protect kidney beans by direct or delayed insecticidal effect, through increased adult mortality and inhibition of beetle reproduction (both oviposition and adult emergence). The efficiency of hydrodistillated and intact plants fromThymus vulgaris andT. serpyllum, Mentha piperata, Rosmarinus officinalis, Satureia hortensis, Eucalyptus globulus, Laurus nobilis, Origanum vulgare, andCymbopogon nardus was compared. For both extracts,Origanum vulgare had the best effect. The insecticidal effect was induced by more than the essential oils because no significant difference was noticed between distilled and intact plants extract. Inhibition of reproduction was particularly important. These results suggest that lipidic as well as non lipidic, allelochemicals, such as phenolics, or non-protein amino-acids, or flavonoids may be involved in the toxicity of aromatic plants to this beetle.