Phylogenetic relationships among species of Calyptogena (Bivalvia: Vesicomyidae) collected around Japan revealed by nucleotide sequences of mitochondrial genes

Phylogenetic relationships among the seven species of deep-sea giant clams Calyptogena (Bivalvia: Vesicomyidae) collected around Japan were examined using parts of nucleotide sequences of mitochondrial genes for cytochrome oxidase I (COI) and cytochrome oxidase III (COIII) and the encoded amino acid sequences. The seven species were C. soyoae (Sagami Bay), C. fausta (Suruga Bay), C. kaikoi (Nankai Trough), C. nautilei (Nankai Trough), C. phaseoliformis (Japan Trench), C. solidissima (Minami-Ensei Knoll, Okinawa Trough) and Calyptogena sp. (Iheya Ridge, Okinawa Trough). A clear phylogenetic split was observed between one group of three species (C. kaikoi, C. phaseoliformis and C. fausta) and the remaining species. This clustering corresponds to the two previously described subgenera within the genus Calyptogena (Calyptogean and Ectenagena) with the exception of the placement of C. nautilei, which had been placed in the subgenus Ectenagena. Genetic distances between two haplotypes of C. soyoae were 0.043 for the COI region and 0.055 for the COIII region, and three amino acid substitutions were detected with the COIII region. Calyptogena sp. from the Iheya Ridge could be distinguished from one of the two haplotypes (type A) of C. soyoae by only a single nucleotide substitution, a result that suggests that Calyptogena sp. of the Iheya Ridge diverged from C. soyoae after the two haplotypes had diverged, and it is now isolated from C. soyoae in Sagami Bay.     

Dietary uptake kinetics of polychlorinated biphenyls from sediment-contaminated sandworms in a marine benthic fish (Pseudopleuronectes yokohamae)

To evaluate the dietary uptake of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) from live food, we investigated the dietary uptake and depuration kinetics of PCBs in a marine benthic fish (marbled sole, Pseudopleuronectes yokohamae) by using as food live sandworms (Perinereis nuntia) that were laboratory-exposed to field-collected PCB-contaminated sediment. Marbled sole were fed the PCB-contaminated sandworms for 28 d and then uncontaminated sandworms for 56 d. The assimilation efficiencies (AEs) of 84 PCB congeners via the gastrointestinal tract (GIT) to the muscle of the fish ranged from 0.21 to 0.78; whole-body AEs would be lower than those of muscle because of the lower PCB concentrations, on a lipid basis. The AEs determined in this study were lower than those in other studies that used PCB-spiked commercial pelletized food. The lower AEs found in this study might be attributable to differences in the food administered (live sandworms vs. commercial pellet food), possibly because of low digestibility of sandworm lipids by marbled sole. In addition, the AEs in this study tended to increase with increasing log octanol-water partition coefficients (K_OW) up to about seven, although AEs in the other studies using commercial pelletized food did not increase with increasing log K_OW. This result suggests the co-transport of highly hydrophobic PCB congeners along with lipids and fatty acids from the digested sandworms into the GIT epithelium cells. The growth-corrected half-lives of 26 PCB congeners in the muscle of fish ranged from 20 to 107 d.     

Development of dioxin toxicity evaluation method in human milk by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay--assay validation for human milk

In this study, the development of a toxicity evaluation method for dioxins in human milk by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was reported. A total of 17 human milk samples were tested by ELISA and by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) to assess whether the ELISA performed on samples obtained from primiparas could be considered as reliable enough for identifying a dioxins contamination in human milk. The concept of toxicity equivalent quantity (TEQ) screening was validated by comparing TEQ values for a set of human milk samples to the ELISA responses predicted for those samples. A fairly good correlation (r=0.920) between immunoassay and GC/MS was achieved for human milk. This ELISA should be useful for biological samples monitoring.     

Statistical tools for analysing the data obtained from repeated dose toxicity studies with rodents: a comparison of the statistical tools used in Japan with that of used in other countries

In the present study, an attempt was made to compare the statistical tools used for analysing the data of repeated dose toxicity studies with rodents conducted in 45 countries, with that of Japan. The study revealed that there was no congruence among the countries in the use of statistical tools for analysing the data obtained from the above studies. For example, to analyse the data obtained from repeated dose toxicity studies with rodents, Scheffé's multiple range and Dunnett type (joint type Dunnett) tests are commonly used in Japan, but in other countries use of these statistical tools is not so common. However, statistical techniques used for testing the above data for homogeneity of variance and inter-group comparisons do not differ much between Japan and other countries. In Japan, the data are generally not tested for normality and the same is true with the most of the countries investigated. In the present investigation, out of 127 studies examined, data of only 6 studies were analysed for both homogeneity of variance and normal distribution. For examining homogeneity of variance, we propose Levene's test, since the commonly used Bartlett's test may show heterogeneity in variance in all the groups, if a slight heterogeneity in variance is seen any one of the groups. We suggest the data may be examined for both homogeneity of variance and normal distribution. For the data of the groups that do not show heterogeneity of variance, to find the significant difference among the groups, we recommend Dunnett's test, and for those show heterogeneity of variance, we recommend Steel's test.     

Source-specific sewage pollution detection in urban river waters using pharmaceuticals and personal care products as molecular indicators

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Source-specific elucidation of domestic sewage pollution caused by various effluent sources in an urban river water, as conducted for this study,...