First-trimester prenatal diagnosis of cystic fibrosis using the polymerase chain reaction: Report of eight cases

Eight pregnancies at risk for cystic fibrosis have been monitored by first-trimester prenatal diagnosis with DNA amplification analysis. The polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was used in all cases to amplify the region detected by KM 19. In two cases, the region detected by CS·7, another DNA probe tightly linked to the CF locus, was also examined. The results of the PCR determinations were confirmed using the Southern blotting procedure, by segregation analysis of restriction fragment length polymorphisms (RFLPs) relative to XV-2c, J3·11, metH, metD, and KM19 probes.     

Modelling the Optimal Strategies of Fertiliser Application Using the Game-Theoretic Approach

This paper is a case study which describes the application of game-theoretic approach in resource management with specific emphasis on developing optimal strategies of phosphorus applications for soil fertilisation. The approach adopted allows resource managers to consider not only competitive strategies, which were treated as the Nash equilibrium game solutions, but also strategies which imply cooperation between farmers. These strategies were modelled as the cooperative Pareto optima of the game. The objective function of the game has been developed in order to reflect both economic advantages of phosphorus applications and the environmental losses associated with these applications expressed as dollar values. The paper presents algorithms for finding competitive and cooperative solutions of the game for the particular case when no time scheduling is included in the game parametrisation. The results obtained in the paper showed that the cooperative solutions lead to much lesser environmental impacts than that in the case of non-cooperative strategies.     

Influence of Brazilian herbal regulations on the use and conservation of native medicinal plants

For decades, several native medicinal species have been used by the pharmaceutical industry in Brazil to create commercial products. In 1995, the Ministry of Health, following the recommendations of the World Health Organization, established herbal regulations (RDC 17) in order to improve the quality of such products. In fact, only plant species with conclusive results from pharmacological and toxicological studies can be used for creating medicines. In this study, we evaluated the consequences of RDC 17 on the use and conservation of native medicinal plants by comparing the plant material used by six companies in 1995/1996 and 10 years later (2005/2006). Eighty-three different species were used in 1995/1996, 50 of them native (60.2%), 16 exotic (19.3%), and 17 imported (20.5%). In 2005/2006, 44 species were used by the companies and only 19 (43.2%) were native. The category of plant material that saw the largest decrease in use was roots, and in 2005/2006 leaves were more used. The study shows a strong reduction in the collection of native species signalizing the importance of herbal regulations on their conservation. It also points to the need for pharmacological and toxicological studies of the Brazilian native medicinal flora, as well as studies on their ecology and conservation.     

Distribution coefficients of potentially toxic elements in soils from the eastern Amazon

The solid-solution distribution or partition coefficient (Kd) is a measure of affinity of potentially toxic elements (PTE) for soil colloids. Kd plays a key role in several models for defining PTE guideline values in soils and for assessing environmental risks, and its value depends on edaphic and climatic conditions of the sites where the soils occur. This study quantified Kd values for Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Hg, Ni, Pb, and Zn from representative soil samples from Brazil’s eastern Amazon region, which measures 1.2 million km². The Kd values obtained were lower than those set by both international and Brazilian environmental agencies and were correlated with the pH, Fe and Mn oxide content, and cationic exchange capacity of the soils. The following order of decreasing affinity was observed: Pb?>?Cu?>?Hg?>?Cr?>?Cd?≈?Co?>?Ni?>?Zn.     

Changes in Microbial Community Structure and Soil Biological Properties in Mined Dune Areas During Re-vegetation

The aim of this study was to describe the impact of re-vegetation on the restoration of microbial community structure and soil microbiological properties in sand dunes that had been affected by mining activity. Soil samples were collected during the dry and rainy seasons from a chronosequence (1, 9, 21 years) of re-vegetated dunes using a single preserved dune as a reference. The composition of the fatty acid methyl esters and soil microbial properties were evaluated. The results showed that the changes in microbial community structure were related to seasonal variations: biomarkers of Gram-positive bacteria were higher than Gram-negative bacteria during the dry season, showing that this group of organisms is more tolerant to these stressful conditions. The microbial community structure in the natural dune was less affected by seasonal variation compared to the re-vegetated areas, whereas the opposite was observed for microbiological properties. Thus, in general, the proportion of saprobic fungi was higher in the natural dune, whereas Gram-negative bacteria were proportionally more common in the younger areas. Although over time the re-vegetation allows the recovery of the microbial community and the soil functions, these communities and functions are different from those found in the undisturbed areas.     

Possible chemical causes of skeletal deformities in grey heron nestlings (Ardea cinerea) in North Nottinghamshire, UK

Dead and deformed grey heron (Ardea cinerea) chicks were reported at a large heronry in North Nottinghamshire, UK between 1996 (when systematic visits to the heronry started) and 2002. Many of the birds died for no obvious reason but deformities in others included multiple fractures of the tarsus and tibia and metacarpal bones (angel wings). This study aimed to investigate possible chemical causes of these deformities. Analysis of eggs and nestling tissue for a range of metals showed no levels of concern and no significant differences between unaffected and deformed birds. However, the levels of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs) and polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDFs) detected in affected heron nestlings in 2002 and in eggs taken from nests in 2003 were sufficiently high to suggest that this may be the underlying cause of the deformities, possibly due to effects on deposition of calcium in bone. Further work is underway to identify where the parent birds of the affected nestlings are feeding and identify the possible source of the pollution.     

A comparative assessment of heavy metal accumulation in soft parts and byssus of mussels from subarctic, temperate, subtropical and tropical marine environments

Existing data on metal concentrations in mussels from subarctic, temperate, subtropical and tropical waters were analyzed using multivariate statistics in order to assess regional variations in metal contamination. Potential errors were reduced by only analyzing data from surveys that employed the same protocols, analytical methodologies and analysts. Factor analysis demonstrated that mussels inhabiting extremely contaminated areas (e.g. from Japanese and Swedish metallurgy sources) could be separated from mussels from other contaminated areas, and that metals such as Cd, Pb, Cu and Zn could be used to identify heavily contaminated samples while Co, Fe, Cr and Ni concentrations were good markers for exposure to inputs from different industrial sources. Furthermore byssus, like soft tissue, selectively and sensitively reflects variations of certain metal concentrations in ambient waters and thus serves as a reliable biomonitor for these contaminants in a variety of coastal and estuarine areas.