Improving plant-based genotoxicity bioassay through AFLP technique for trace metal-contaminated water: insights from Myriophyllum aquaticum (Vell.) Verdc. and Cd

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - In this work, we evaluated whether the species Myriophyllum aquaticum (Vell.) Verdc. can be a promising material for devising reliable...     

Climate change impacts in Central Asia and their implications for development

Regional Environmental Change - This paper synthesizes what is known about the physical and biophysical impacts of climate change and their consequences for societies and development under...     

Occurrence and variation of egg cannibalism in brown trout Salmo trutta

Egg cannibalism is a common behavior among fish taxa and is largely studied in species with parental care. Heterocannibalism and filial cannibalism have both been reported in salmonids, a group with no extended parental care, but the topic remained somewhat under-documented, especially in brown trout (Salmo trutta). In the present study, 83 spawning events were recorded finely with high-resolution video in three natural populations. Redd covering dynamics by females and the timing of cannibalism showed that eggs were vulnerable mainly during the first 120 s after spawning. Cannibalism occurred in 25% of spawnings and was principally perpetrated by peripherals but the sires also cannibalized their brood, especially after multiple mating. The probability of cannibalism increased with operational sex ratio but did not correlate with the date in spawning season. Occurrence of cannibalism also differed between populations. Our results suggest that such behavior is frequent and may reduce the fitness of parents. Its evolutionary implications for population ecology should be considered, since it appeared to be controlled by environmental and spatial factors.     

Erfassung von Umwandlungsprodukten in der Chemikalienbewertung

Ohne Zusammenfassung     

Prenatal diagnosis of congenital human cytomegalovirus infection

Fifteen fetuses at risk of congenital human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) infection underwent prenatal diagnosis at 16–30 weeks' gestation by a combination of amniocentesis and fetal blood sampling. HCMV was isolated from the amniotic fluid in six patients, but HCMV-specific IgM was detected in only three of them. Two of the nine neonates, who were delivered following a negative prenatal diagnosis, had congenital HCMV infection diagnosed by virus isolation in the urine. The interval from infection to prenatal testing was 3 and 4 weeks in the two false-negative cases and ⩾ 7 weeks in the true-positive cases. Although timely testing for HCMV infection allows the option of termination of pregnancy, it may be flawed by false-negative results.     

Interstitial deletion of chromosome 1 [del(1)(q25q32)] in an infant with prune belly sequence

Relatively few cases of deletion 1q have been reported. These cases have been divided into three groups according to assigned breakpoints. They include proximal interstitial, intermediate interstitial, and terminal deletions. We present a male infant with an interstitial deletion of 1q with breakpoints determined by GTG banding as q25 and q32. Comparison with similar case reports suggests common physical features which include microcephaly, growth retardation, developmental delay, clinodactyly, and genital anomalies in affected males. However, no characteristic phenotypic appearance is definable. The infant also presented with prune belly sequence (PBS) with Potter fades. Fetal ascites, as noted in this case on prenatal ultrasound, appears to be an early factor in the pathogenesis of PBS. Therefore, detection of fetal ascites should suggest the presence of the PBS association and the need for more extensive prenatal evaluation.     

Lead/zinc exploration update

For over three decades, the United Nations has been assisting developing countries to explore, promote and develop their mineral resources. By industry standards, its exploration achievements in terms of economic discoveries are regarded as excellent. This paper provides an update of those exploration activities for lead and zinc in Burkina Faso, Pakistan and Nepal. These three case studies were selected because they illustrate the diversity of the technical assistance provided by the United Nations, as well as the technical and economic success of its programmes.