Occurrence and risk assessment of organophosphate esters in urban rivers from Piracicaba watershed (Brazil)

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Organophosphate esters (OPEs) are substances globally used as flame retardants and plasticizers that have been detected in all environmental...     

Using participation to create resilience: how to involve citizens in designing a hospital system?

Decisions on health-related risks affect many people personally. The public debate on hospital planning is therefore especially emotional and conflict-ridden. Due to the aging population and the high costs of constantly improving medical care, the question arises in many German rural areas as to which hospitals can be kept and developed further and which ones should be closed. The new approach of the present state government of Baden-Württemberg in Germany, in collaboration with the University of Stuttgart and the State Health Office Baden-Württemberg, is to apply citizen participation to prepare this type of decision. The design of this type of public participation process is based on the criteria of mediation (including open decision-making scope, opportunity for discussion in the protected context of the working group, as well as disclosure of all information and transparency of the results toward the public). This approach has proven useful for conducting dialogs in areas with potential conflict. Based on the experiences from this hospital participation process, further recommendations for an effective, efficient and fair participation processes could be derived. The case demonstrates that adequate and structured involvement processes are capable of delivering sustainably acceptable results even in difficult decision-making processes.     

Escape performance of temperate king scallop,Pecten maximus under ocean warming and acidification

Among bivalves, scallops are exceptional due to their capacity to escape from predators by swimming which is provided by rapid and strong claps that are produced by the phasic muscle interspersed with tonic muscle contractions. Based on the concept of oxygen and capacity-limited thermal tolerance, the following hypothesis was tested: ocean warming and acidification (OWA) would induce disturbances in aerobic metabolic scope and extracellular acid-case status and impair swimming performance in temperate scallops. Following long-term incubation under near-future OWA scenarios [20 vs. 10 °C (control) and 0.112 kPa CO₂ (hypercapnia) vs. 0.040 kPa CO₂ (normocapnic control)], the clapping performance and metabolic rates (MR) were measured in resting (RMR) and fatigued (maximum MR) king scallops, Pecten maximus, from Roscoff, France. Exposure to OA, either alone or combined with warming, left MR and swimming parameters such as the total number of claps and clapping forces virtually unchanged. Only the duration of the escape response was affected by OA which caused earlier exhaustion in hyper- than in normocapnic scallops at 10 °C. While maximum MR was unaffected, warm exposure increased RMR in both normocapnic and hypercapnic P. maximus resulting in similar Q ₁₀ values of ~2.2. The increased costs of maintenance and the observation of strongly reduced haemolymph PO₂ levels indicate that at 20 °C scallops have reached the upper thermal pejus range with unbalanced capacities for aerobic energy metabolism. As a consequence, warming to 20 °C decreased mean phasic force during escape performance until fatigue. The observed prolonged recovery time in warm incubated scallops might be a consequence of elevated metabolic costs at reduced oxygen availability in the warmth.     

Callyspongia samarensis (Porifera) extracts exhibit anticancer activity and induce bleaching in Porites cylindrica (Scleractinia)

Marine sponges can produce allelopathic compounds with specific roles in the competition for benthic space. Here we demonstrate that extracts from Callyspongia samarensis (Phylum Porifera) accelerate bleaching in Porites cylindrica (Phylum Cnidaria, Order Scleractinia) and exhibit in vitro anticancer activity. A column chromatography fraction and HPLC fraction, purified from the crude methanol extract of C. samarensis, were incorporated into agar gel cubes at natural concentrations and tested on P. cylindrica corals in a laboratory assay. Statistical analysis of percent bleached area and maximum quantum yield showed that a significant difference existed between P. cylindrica nubbins that were exposed to C. samarensis extracts versus the control group. This suggests that C. samarensis contains allelopathic compounds that can cause bleaching in P. cylindrica, possibly leading to tissue necrosis and death. Furthermore, the aforementioned HPLC fraction exhibited significant growth inhibition of the HCT-116 (human colon cancer) cell line. Understanding the strategies by which sponges exert dominance over other organisms is important because it provides information about the ecological roles of sponge allelopathy and can result in the discovery of compounds with biomedical potential.     

Importance of freshwater flow in terrestrial–aquatic energetic connectivity in intermittently connected estuaries of tropical Australia

δ¹³C was used to identify seasonal variations in the importance of autochthonous and allochthonous sources of productivity for fish communities in intermittently connected estuarine areas of Australia’s dry tropics. A total of 224 fish from 38 species were collected from six intermittently connected estuarine pools, three in central Queensland (two dominated by C₃ forest and one by C₄ pasture) and three in north Queensland (one dominated by C₃ and two by C₄ vegetation). Samples were collected before and after the wet season. Fish collected in the two forested areas in central Queensland had the lowest δ¹³C, suggesting a greater incorporation of C₃ terrestrial material. A seasonal variation in δ¹³C was also detected for these areas, with mean δ¹³C varying from −20 to −23‰ from the pre- to the post-wet season, indicating a greater incorporation of terrestrial carbon after the wet season. Negative seasonal shifts in fish δ¹³C were also present at the pasture site, suggesting a greater dependence on carbon of riparian vegetation (C₃ Juncus sp.) in the post-wet season. In north Queensland, terrestrial carbon seemed to be incorporated by fish in the two C₄ areas, as δ¹³C of most species shifted towards slightly heavier values in the post-wet season. A two-source, one-isotope mixing model also indicated a greater incorporation of carbon of terrestrial origin in the post-wet season. However, no seasonal differences in δ¹³C were detected for fish from the forested area of north Queensland. Overall, hydrologic connectivity seemed to be a key factor in regulating the ultimate sources of carbon in these areas. It is therefore important to preserve the surrounding habitats and to maintain the hydrologic regimes as close to natural conditions as possible, for the conservation of the ecological functioning of these areas.     

Effects of azinphos-methyl exposure on enzymatic and non-enzymatic antioxidant defenses in Biomphalaria glabrata and Lumbriculus variegatus

Azinphos-methyl is an organophosphate insecticide used for pest control on a number of food crops in many parts of the world. The oligochaete Lumbriculus variegatus and pigmented and non-pigmented specimens of the gastropod Biomphalaria glabrata are freshwater invertebrates that have been recommended for contamination studies. Recently, it has been shown that L. variegatus worms exhibit a higher cholinesterase (ChE) activity and a greater sensitivity to in vivo ChE inhibition by azinphos-methyl than pigmented B. glabrata snails. The aims of the present study were (1) to investigate if, in addition to its anticholinesterase action, azinphos-methyl has also pro-oxidant activity in L. variegatus and B. glabrata, and (2) to examine if species that are highly susceptible to the neurotoxic effects of organophosphates also suffer a greater degree of oxidative stress. Therefore, total glutathione (t-GSH) levels and activities of cholinesterase (ChE), superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), glutathione S-transferase (GST), and glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PDH) were measured in the whole body soft tissue of organisms exposed for 48 and 96 h to a level of azinphos-methyl that produces 50% of inhibition on ChE. Results showed different patterns of antioxidant responses between the gastropods and the oligochaetes, and even between the two phenotypes of gastropods: (1) in exposed L. variegatus t-GSH levels increased and CAT and SOD activities decreased with respect to control organisms, (2) in pigmented gastropods, SOD decreased while CAT transiently diminished, and (3) in non-pigmented gastropods, SOD activity showed a biphasic response. GST and G6PDH were not altered by azinphos-methyl exposure. Of note, t-GSH levels were 4-fold times higher in L. variegatus than in both phenotypes of B. glabrata. This may suggest that GSH could play a more important role in antioxidant defense in L. variegatus than in B. glabrata.     

Results from a reference laboratory for prenatal diagnosis of sickle cell disorders in Cuba

A nationwide programme for the prevention of sickle cell (SS and SC) disorders was initiated in Cuba in 1983. Couples at risk were identified by screening pregnant women and the partners of those who carry an abnormal haemoglobin, followed by genetic counselling and the offer of prenatal diagnosis. Prenatal diagnosis was performed in one laboratory, which had carried out 1068 prenatal tests for Hb SS and SC disorders by the end of 1992. The centralization of the service has permitted rapid identification and resolution of problems.