Magnetic resonance image findings of placental lake: report of two cases

Two cases with a large cystic mass within the placenta are reported. By ultrasonography, it was found that both women had a subchorionic hypoechoic lesion (11.0 × 4.8 × 4.0 cm and 6.6 × 3.7 × 2.2 cm, respectively) at 24 and 35 weeks of gestation, respectively. In both cases, turbulent blood flow generated by a pulsatile jet flow (pulse rate; 40 to 60 beats per minute) into the cystic lesion seen on real-time imaging and lesions being low intensity on T1-weighted and isointensity on T2-weighted magnetic resonance image suggested that they contained fresh maternal blood. In both cases, the sonolucency of the lesions did not change until cesarean deliveries of females, both of whom were small-for-gestational-age infants (1940 g at 37 weeks and 2195 g at 37 weeks, respectively). Biochemical analysis of the fluid in the cystic lesion sampled during the cesarean section in the latter case confirmed that the fluid had originated from the maternal blood. These lesions histologically corresponded to large avillous areas surrounded by normal villi. Thus, a huge placental lake was diagnosed in both cases. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Depression of brain dopamine and its metabolite after mating in European honeybee (Apis mellifera) queens

To explore neuro-endocrinal changes in the brain of European honeybee (Apis mellifera) queens before and after mating, we measured the amount of several biogenic amines, including dopamine and its metabolite in the brain of 6- and 12-day-old virgins and 12-day-old mated queens. Twelve-day-old mated queens showed significantly lower amounts of dopamine and its metabolite (N-acetyldopamine) than both 6- and 12-day-old virgin queens, whereas significant differences in the amounts of these amines were not detected between 6- and 12-day-old virgin queens. These results are explained by down-regulation of both synthesis and secretion of brain dopamine after mating. It is speculated that higher amounts of brain dopamine in virgin queens might be involved in activation of ovarian follicles arrested in previtellogenic stages, as well as regulation of their characteristic behaviors.     

Application of compost in agricultural practice could potentially cause contamination of foodstuffs with pathogenic bacteria such as Escherichia coli O157:H7. This study investigated pathogenic bacteria in compost collected from the compost facilities, an

IntroductionIncreasing public interests have been concerned onsafety foods and the environmental aspects recently,especially on the so-called organic foods , which are madefromcrops grown with organic fertilizers or compost but notchemical fertilizers .Pu…     

A comparative study on the autoxidation of dimethyl ether (DME) comparison with diethyl ether (DEE) and diisopropyl ether (DIPE)

The Japanese government is planning to introduce DME as a substituted energy for oil and LNG. Introduction of DME could contribute greatly to both the prevention of global warming and the formation of resource-recycling societies. In these circumstances, a safety assessment of DME is very important when DME is used on a large scale. There is a possibility that prolonged exposure in air induces autoxidation to produce explosive organic peroxides during transportation and storage of DME. Therefore, the reactivity of DME with oxygen and the mechanism of the autoxidation were investigated. Accelerating Rate Calorimetry (ARC) was used to evaluate the thermal stability of DME and DIPE, a known peroxide producers, under adiabatic and various atmospheric conditions. In ARC studies of DME under oxygen, exothermic decompositions were detected although its self-heating rate was low in comparison with DIPE. Oven storage tests were carried out and iodimetry was used to measure the concentration of peroxides produced from DME in comparison with DIPE and DEE. However, no products could be found for DME either by GC/MS or by iodimetry, while some evidence of autoxidation of both DEE and DIPE were obtained from these experiments.     

Distribution of six anticancer drugs and a variety of other pharmaceuticals,and their sorption onto sediments,in an urban Japanese river

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - The distributions of 31 pharmaceuticals grouped into nine therapeutic classes, including six anticancer drugs, were investigated in the waters and...     

Current state of yusho and prospects for therapeutic strategies

The mass food poisoning incident yusho occurred in Japan in 1968. It was caused by the ingestion of rice bran oil contaminated with polychlorinated biphenyls and various dioxins and dioxin-like compounds including polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDFs). Notably, PCDFs were found to contribute to approximately 65% of the total toxicity equivalent in the blood of yusho patients. Lipophilic dioxins are retained in the body for a longer period than previously estimated. Victims suffered from characteristic skin manifestations associated with non-specific systemic symptoms, neurological symptoms, and respiratory symptoms. The severe symptoms seen in the initial phase subsequently faded, but recently, improvements have scarcely been observed. The Yusho Group has been researching treatments for this condition. Several clinical trials with chelating agents or dietary fibers aimed at accelerating the excretion of compounds. While some treatments increased dioxin excretion, none provided satisfactory symptom relief. Concurrently, various phytochemicals and herbal extracts have been found to possess biological activities that suppress dioxin-induced toxicity via aryl hydrocarbon receptor or activate the antioxidant nuclear factor-erythroid 2-related factor-2 (NRF2) signal pathway, making them promising therapeutic candidates. Here, we summarize the current status of yusho and findings of clinical trials for yusho patients and discuss the treatment prospects.

     

The effects of mating status and time since mating on female sex pheromone levels in the rice leaf bug,Trigonotylus caelestialium

Although mating status affects future mating opportunities, the biochemical changes that occur in response to mating are not well understood. This study investigated the effects of mating status on the quantities of sex pheromone components found in whole-body extracts and volatile emissions of females of the rice leaf bug, Trigonotylus caelestialium. When sampled at one of four time points within a 4-day postmating period, females that had copulated with a male had greater whole-body quantities of sex pheromone components than those of virgin females sampled at the same times. The quantities of sex pheromone components emitted by virgin females over a 24-h period were initially high but then steadily decreased, whereas 24-h emissions were persistently low among mated females when measured at three time points within the 4 days after mating. As a result, soon after mating, the mated females emitted less sex pheromones than virgin females, but there were no significant differences between mated and virgin females at the end of the experiment. Thus, postmating reduction in the rate of emission of sex pheromones could explain previously observed changes in female attractiveness to male T. caelestialium.     

Field monitoring of volatile organic compounds using passive air samplers in an industrial city in Japan

Highly portable, sensitive, and selective passive air samplers were used to investigate ambient volatile organic compound (VOC) levels at multiple sampling sites in an industrial city, Fuji, Japan. We determined the spatial distributions of 27 species of VOCs in three campaigns: Mar (cold season), May (warm season), and Nov (mild season) of 2004. In all campaigns, toluene (geometric mean concentration, 14.0microg/m3) was the most abundant VOC, followed by acetaldehyde (4.76microg/m3), and formaldehyde (2.58microg/m3). The spatial distributions for certain VOCs showed characteristic patterns: high concentrations of benzene and formaldehyde were typically found along major roads, whereas high concentrations of toluene and tetrachloroethylene (PCE) were usually found near factories. The spatial distribution of PCE observed was extremely consistent with the diffusion pattern calculated from Pollutant Release and Transfer Register data and meteorological data, indicated that passive air samplers are useful for determining the sources and distributions of ambient VOCs.     

Human intake of PCDDs, PCDFs, and dioxin like PCBs in Japan, 2001 and 2002

PCDDs, PCDFs, and dioxin like PCBs (dioxin) surveillance results derived from regular environmental monitoring as well as other dioxin surveys by national and local governmental bodies in Japan were collected and analyzed. Several thousand data for air and soil in fiscal year 2001 (from 01/04/2001 to 31/03/2002) and 2002, water (from the sea, rivers and lakes), sediment (from the sea, rivers and lakes), ground water, aquatic organisms, purified water from water purification plants, raw water from water purification plants, human breast milk, and human blood in fiscal 2001, and total diet study (TDS) and various kinds of foodstuff in fiscal 1998-2002 were collected. Average human uptake of dioxin in Japan in fiscal 2001 was estimated at 1.68 pg-TEQ/kg-bw/day, while uptake in fiscal 2002 was estimated at 1.52 pg-TEQ/kg-bw/day. Diet accounted for more than 90% of the total intake. Contributions of inhalation and soil ingestion were relatively small. Age-group-specific contribution of various foodstuff to total dietary intake was also estimated. The estimates of intake through fish and shellfish accounted for approximately 45-70% of total dietary intake in each age group. Monte Carlo simulation was conducted, using the data of the air and soil concentrations in fiscal 2001 and the total diet study data in fiscal 1998-2001, in order to obtain information on the variability of dioxin intake; The estimated average, median, 5th percentile and 95th percentile of the intake distribution were 1.78, 1.69, 0.95 and 2.91 pg-TEQ/kg-bw/day, respectively. This study found that the average total intake estimates in Japan in both fiscal 2001 and 2002 were estimated to be below tolerable daily intake level (TDI) defined by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, Japan (i.e. 4 pg-TEQ/kg-bw/day). The 95th percentile of the dioxin intake distributions estimated with Monte Carlo simulation using the data of the air and soil concentrations in fiscal 2001 and TDS data in fiscal 1998-2001 was also below the Japanese TDI.     

Application of a Larval Medaka Assay to Evaluate the Fish Safety Level in Sagami River, Japan

Physico-chemical characteristics of some river and hand-dug well waters used for drinking and domestic purposes in the oil rich Niger Delta area of Nigeria were assessed using standard methods. The concentrations of the parameters in the river water samples ranged in the following order: pH (5.6–6.9), temperature (26.90–28.60°C), turbidity (23–63 NTU), electrical conductivity (52–184 μs/cm), DO (5.4–7.2 mg/l), BOD (21–57 mg/l), TDS (6.0–217 mg/l), PO₄ ³⁻ (0.19–1.72 mg/l), SO₄ ²⁻ (25–36.8 mg/l), NO₃ ⁻ (20.3–28 mg/l), Fe (6.07–15.71 mg/l), Zn (0.04–0.24 mg/l), Pb (0.01–0.17 mg/l), Ni (0.01–0.13 mg/l), Vn (0.01–0.20 mg/l) and Hg (0.001–0.002 mg/l). The concentrations of these parameters in the hand-dug well water ranged in the following order: pH (5.7–6.8) temperature (26–30°C), turbidity (134–171 NTU), electrical conductivity (160–340 μs/cm), DO (5.4–6.4 mg/l), BOD (13–34 mg/l), TDS (110–190 mg/l), PO₄ ³⁻ (0.84–1.84 mg/l), SO₄ ²⁻ (10.6–28.1 mg/l), NO₃ ⁻ (11.3–23 mg/l), Fe (13.17–16.31 mg/l), Ni (0.01–0.02 mg/l), Vn (0.01–0.04 mg/l) and Hg (0.001–0.004 mg/l). The concentrations of BOD, turbidity, NO₃ ⁻ and Fe in the water samples were above WHO and FMENV permissible limits for safe drinking water. The results suggest that the use of such waters for drinking and domestic purposes pose a serious threat to the health of the users and calls for the intervention of government agencies.