Detection Method for Avian Influenza Viruses in Water

Recent events have shown that humans may become infected with some pathogenic avian influenza A viruses (AIV). Since soil and water, including lakes, rivers, and seashores, may be contaminated by AIV excreted by birds, effective methods are needed for monitoring water for emerging viruses. Combining water filtration with molecular methods such as PCR is a fast and effective way for detecting viruses. The objective of this study was to apply a convenient method for the detection of AIV in natural water samples. Distilled water and lake, river, and seawater were artificially contaminated with AIV (H5N3) and passed through a filter system. AIV was detected from filter membrane by real-time RT-PCR. The performance of Zetapor, SMWP, and Sartobind D5F membranes in recovering influenza viruses was first evaluated using contaminated distilled water. SWMP, which gave the highest virus recoveries, was then compared with a pre-filter combined GF/F filter membrane in a trial using natural water samples. In this study, the cellulose membrane SMWP was found to be practical for recovery of AIVs in water. Viral yields varied between 62.1 and 65.9% in distilled water and between 1 and 16.7% in natural water samples. The borosilicate glass membrane GF/F combined with pre-filter was also feasible in filtering natural water samples with viral yields from 1.98 to 7.33%. The methods described can be used for monitoring fresh and seawater samples for the presence of AIV and to determine the source of AIV transmission in an outbreak situation.     

Quantifying the effects of trampling and habitat edges on forest understory vegetation – A field experiment

We investigated the effects of human trampling on boreal forest understory vegetation on, and off paths from suburban forest edges towards the interiors and on the likelihood of trampling-aided dispersal into the forests for three years by carrying out a trampling experiment. We showed that the vegetation was highly sensitive to trampling. Even low levels of trampling considerably decreased covers of the most abundant species on the paths. Cover decreased between 10 and 30% on paths which had been trampled 35 times, and at least by 50% on those trampled 70–270 times. On-path vegetation cover decreased similarly at forest edges and in the interiors. However, some open habitat plant species that occurred outside the forest patches and at forest edges dispersed into the forests, possibly through the action of trampling. A higher cover percentage of an open habitat species at the forest edge line increased its probability to disperse into the forest interior. The vegetation community on, next to, and away from lightly trampled paths remained the same throughout the trampling experiment. For heavily trampled paths, the community changed drastically on the paths, but stayed relatively similar next to and away from the paths. As boreal vegetation is highly sensitive to the effects of trampling, overall ease of access throughout the forest floor should be restricted to avoid the excessive creation of spontaneous paths. To minimize the effects of trampling, recreational use could be guided to the maintained path network in heavily used areas.     

Global trend according to estimated number of occupational accidents and fatal work-related diseases at region and country level

Background

Although occupational accidents and work-related diseases have been of interest for a long time, due to lack of proper recording and notification systems the official numbers of occupational accidents and work-related diseases are missing for many countries. Presently, the demand for effectiveness and an interest in the economic aspects of accidents have increased prevention activities at company and country levels.

Methods

Occupational accident data of selected countries and of World Health Organization regional divisions together with the global burden of disease were used in estimating global occupational accidents and fatal work-related diseases. The trend of global occupational accidents and work-related diseases is presented at region and country levels. The years 1998, 2001, and 2003 are compared in the case of occupational accidents and the years 2000 and 2002 in the case of work-related diseases.

Results

The total number of occupational accidents and fatal work-related diseases has increased, but the fatality rates per 100,000 workers have decreased. There were almost 360,000 fatal occupational accidents in 2003 and almost 2 million fatal work-related diseases in 2002. Every day more than 960,000 workers get hurt because of accidents. Each day 5,330 people die because of work-related diseases.

Conclusions

Information on occupational accidents and work-related diseases is needed so that countries may understand better the importance of occupational health and safety at country and company level. Especially companies in developing countries are not familiar with occupational safety and health. Statistical data is essential for accident prevention; it is a starting point for the safety work.     

2-(4-Chlorophenyl)benzo-1,4-quinone induced ROS-signaling inhibits proliferation in human non-malignant prostate epithelial cells

Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and their metabolites are environmental chemical contaminants which can produce reactive oxygen species (ROS) by auto-oxidation of di-hydroxy PCBs as well as the reduction of quinones and redox-cycling. We investigate the hypothesis that 2-(4-chlorophenyl)benzo-1,4-quinone (4-Cl-BQ), a metabolite of 4-chlorobiphenyl (PCB3), induced ROS-signaling inhibits cellular proliferation. Monolayer cultures of exponentially growing asynchronous human non-malignant prostate epithelial cells (RWPE-1) were incubated with 0–6 μM of 4-Cl-BQ and harvested at the end of 72 h of incubation to assess antioxidant enzyme expression, cellular ROS levels, cell growth, and cell cycle phase distributions. 4-Cl-BQ decreased manganese superoxide dismutase (MnSOD) activity, protein, and mRNA levels. 4-Cl-BQ treatment increased dihydroethidium (DHE) fluorescence, which was suppressed in cells pretreated with polyethylene glycol conjugated superoxide dismutase (PEG-SOD). The increase in ROS levels was associated with a decrease in cell growth, and an increase in the percentage of S-phase cells. These effects were suppressed in cells pretreated with PEG-SOD. 4-Cl-BQ treatment did not change the protein levels of phosphorylated H2AX at the end of 72 h of incubation, suggesting that the inhibition in cell growth and accumulation of cells in S-phase at the end of the treatments were probably not due to 4-Cl-BQ induced DNA double strand break. These results demonstrate that MnSOD activity and ROS-signaling perturb proliferation in 4-Cl-BQ treated in vitro cultures of human prostate cells.     

Chemical trends in Finnish wildlife: A study on time trends in starlings during 1967–1983

The OECD monitoring programmes 1966–1971 and 1972–1975 have been extended at national level in Finland to 1983 by analysing chlorinated hydrocarbons, mercury and chlorophenols in starlings (terrestrial environment). At the end of the study period levels in fresh muscles were for DDE 10, PCB 30, HCB 1, Lindan 8 and mercury 50 ppb. Of chlordane residues only traces of oxychlordane were found. Ten different chlorophenol compounds were detected at ppb levels, but most of them in only few samples. Pentachlorophenol was most frequently found. Statistical treatment of the analysis results gave some decreasing trends which were very significant for DDE, DDT and PCB 1967–1983, significant for mercury 1967–1983 and somewhat significant for lindane 1978–1983.     

New particle formation observed from a rain shadow region of the Western Ghats,India

Abstract

This study reports on new particle formation (NPF) and characteristic features observed from a rural site falling in the rainshadow of the Western Ghats in peninsular India. A total of 35 NPF events observed during August 2018 - January 2019 are classified and analyzed here. The apparent formation rates ranged from 0.2 to 10.0?cm^–3 s^–1, while the growth rates of nucleation mode particles ranged from 1.2 to 13.8?nm h^–1. The frequency of occurrence was least during August (core monsoon) and highest during post-monsoon. The local winds were calm and southeasterly to easterly (from the urban centre) supplying the essential precursor gases during October and November, leading to a frequent occurrence of nucleation events. Observations suggest that an increased condensation sink could limit the NPF while promoting Aitken mode growth. The newly formed particles accounted for about 10–80% of the total aerosol concentration. These newly formed particles were able to act as cloud condensation nuclei after growing to approximately 50?nm with an average activation fraction of 0.4.     

Selective consumption and facilitation by mesograzers in adult and colonizing macroalgal assemblages

Grazing pressure on macroalgae in littoral communities may vary with algal species, the age of an algal individual and grazer identity. Previous studies on alga–grazer interactions have shown that grazer preference for an algal species may release another one from interspecific competition. We measured the impacts of four common grazer taxa and the natural grazer guild on macroalgal communities at both their colonization and adult stages, and compared the impacts to grazer exclosures. The grazer effects were stronger on colonizing than on adult macroalgae; grazers did not reduce the total density of adult algae. Grazers both feed on propagules and indirectly facilitate other algae, depending on the grazer or algal species. Hydrobia species increased the settlement of spores of the red alga Ceramium tenuicorne. Similarly, the gastropod Theodoxus fluviatilis tended to facilitate one crustose algal species, but decreased the propagule density of annual filamentous algae, suggesting a preference for one species to the advantage of another. Effects of crustacean mesograzers on the studied macroalgae were weak. These results indicate that northern Baltic macroalgae are limited to grazing mainly during their colonization stage.