Del(18p) syndrome with increased nuchal translucency in prenatal diagnosis

We report a de novo translocation between chromosome 15 and 18 resulting in monosomy 18p in prenatal diagnosis. The patient was referred for amniocentesis due to increased nuchal translucency (INT) (5 mm) at 13.6 weeks of gestation. Karyotype of the fetus revealed 45,XX,der(15;18)(q10;q10) in all metaphases. The targeted fetal ultrasound at 20 weeks of gestation did not show any special physical abnormalities other than 6.4 mm of nuchal fold thickness. Molecular cytogenetic findings using CGH and FISH confirmed the del(18p) with dicentromeres from both chromosome 15 and 18. The present study shows that the INT at first trimester was the only prenatal finding for the fetus with del(18p) syndrome and that molecular cytogenetic methods are useful for detecting chromosomal aberrations precisely. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Absorption characteristics of new solvent based on a blend of AMP and 1,8-diamino-p-menthane for CO2 absorption

Aqueous 1,8-diamino-p-menthane (KIER-C3) and commercially available amine solutions were tested for CO₂ absorption. A 2-amino- 2-methyl-1-propanol (AMP) solution with an addition of KIER-C3 showed 9.3% and 31.6% higher absorption rate for CO₂ than the AMP solution with an addition of monoethanolamine (MEA) and ammonia (NH₃), respectively. The reaction rate constant for CO₂ absorption by the AMP/KIER-C3 solution was determined by the following equation: k_2,AMP/C3 = 7.702×10⁶ exp (-2248.03/T). A CO₂ loading ratio of the AMP/KIER-C3 solution was also 2 and 3.4-times higher than that of the AMP/NH3 solution and the AMP/MEA solution, respectively. Based on the experimental results, KIER-C3 may be used as an excellent additive to increase CO₂ absorption capability of AMP.     

Importance of nutrient availability for soluble microbial products formation during a famine period of activated sludge: Evidence from multiple analyses

Much remains unknown about compositional variations in soluble microbial products (SMP) with the shift of the substrate condition from a feast to a famine phase in biological treatment systems. This study demonstrated that the formation of SMP could be suppressed by up to 75% during the famine phase with the addition of essential nutrients. In contrast, presence of electron acceptor did not play any significant role during the stress condition, showing the similar amounts of SMP (r?=?0.98, p?<?0.05) formation between the bioreactors supplied with air and N₂. The SMP formed in the famine phase was more bio-refractory in the famine versus the feast phase with a linear correlation shown between the production and their aromatic structures in the composition (R²?>?0.95). The fluorescence excitation–emission matrix coupled with parallel factor analysis (EEM-PARAFAC) revealed the presence of four different fluorescent components, including two protein-like (C1 and C4), fulvic-like (C2), and humic-like (C3) components, in the SMP and bEPS formed at different conditions. Both C1 and C4 showed increasing trends (R²?>?0.95) with the length of starvation in the bioreactors without essential nutrients. Nutrient availability was found to be a key factor to quench the production of large-sized biopolymers. This study provides a wealth of information on operation conditions of activated sludge treatment systems to minimize large sized SMP molecules (particularly proteins), which typically exert many environmental concerns to effluent organic matter quality.     

Iron and organo-bentonite for the reduction and sorption of trichloroethylene

Hybrid barriers using dechlorination and immobilization were studied to remove trichloroethylene (TCE) in this study. Hybrid barriers of iron filings and organo (hexadecyltrimethylammonium, HDTMA)-bentonite were simulated in columns to assess the performance of the hybrid barriers. TCE reduction rate for the mixture of zero valent iron (ZVI) and HDTMA-bentonite was approximately seven times higher than that for ZVI, suggesting the reduction of TCE was accelerated when HDTMA-bentonite was mixed with ZVI. For the column of two separate layers of iron and HDTMA-bentonite, TCE reduction rate was nearly similar to that for ZVI alone, but the partition coefficient (Kd) was 4.5 times higher than that for ZVI only. TCE was immobilized in the first layer with HDTMA-bentonite due to sorption, and then dechlorinated in the second layer with iron filings due to reduction. The HDTMA-bentonite and minimally-desorbed HDTMA from the organo-bentonite are believed to contribute the increase in TCE concentration on iron surface so that more TCE could be available for reduction. Therefore, the incorporation of HDTMA-bentonite into ZVI not only can effectively retard the transport of chlorinated organic contaminants from landfill leachate or oil shock in subsurface environment, also can expedite the reduction rate of TCE.     

Characterization of pore scale NAPL morphology in homogeneous sands as a function of grain size and NAPL dissolution

In this study, we investigate pore scale morphology of nonaqueous phase liquids (NAPLs) trapped in different pore sizes using tracer techniques. Specific interfacial area and saturation of NAPL trapped in homogeneous sands were measured using the interfacial and partitioning tracer techniques. The observed NAPL-water interfacial areas increased in a log-linear fashion with decreasing sand grain size, but showed no clear trend with residual NAPL saturation formed in the various grain sizes. The measured values were used to calculate the NAPL morphology index, which characterizes the spatial NAPL distribution within the pore space. The NAPL morphology indices, increased exponentially with decreasing grain size, indicating that the NAPL becomes smaller, but more blobs. For a fixed grain size, the specific interfacial area and saturation of the NAPL were measured following changes caused by dissolution using alcohol. The observed interfacial areas showed a decrease linearly as a function of the NAPL saturation.     

Synthesis of Harvard Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Center studies on traffic-related particulate pollution and cardiovascular outcomes in the Greater Boston Area

The association between particulate pollution and cardiovascular morbidity and mortality is well established. While the cardiovascular effects of nationally regulated criteria pollutants (e.g., fine particulate matter [PM_2.5] and nitrogen dioxide) have been well documented, there are fewer studies on particulate pollutants that are more specific for traffic, such as black carbon (BC) and particle number (PN). In this paper, we synthesized studies conducted in the Greater Boston Area on cardiovascular health effects of traffic exposure, specifically defined by BC or PN exposure or proximity to major roadways. Large cohort studies demonstrate that exposure to traffic-related particles adversely affect cardiac autonomic function, increase systemic cytokine-mediated inflammation and pro-thrombotic activity, and elevate the risk of hypertension and ischemic stroke. Key patterns emerged when directly comparing studies with overlapping exposure metrics and population cohorts. Most notably, cardiovascular risk estimates of PN and BC exposures were larger in magnitude or more often statistically significant compared to those of PM_2.5 exposures. Across multiple exposure metrics (e.g., short-term vs. long-term; observed vs. modeled) and different population cohorts (e.g., elderly, individuals with co-morbidities, young healthy individuals), there is compelling evidence that BC and PN represent traffic-related particles that are especially harmful to cardiovascular health. Further research is needed to validate these findings in other geographic locations, characterize exposure errors associated with using monitored and modeled traffic pollutant levels, and elucidate pathophysiological mechanisms underlying the cardiovascular effects of traffic-related particulate pollutants.

Implications: Traffic emissions are an important source of particles harmful to cardiovascular health. Traffic-related particles, specifically BC and PN, adversely affect cardiac autonomic function, increase systemic inflammation and thrombotic activity, elevate BP, and increase the risk of ischemic stroke. There is evidence that BC and PN are associated with greater cardiovascular risk compared to PM_2.5. Further research is needed to elucidate other health effects of traffic-related particles and assess the feasibility of regulating BC and PN or their regional and local sources.     

Anaerobic degradation of pyrrolidine and piperidine coupled with nitrate reduction

Biodegradability of secondary amines (pyrrolidine, piperidine, piperazine, morpholine, and thiomorpholine) under anaerobic conditions was examined in microbial consortia from six different environmental sites. The consortia degraded pyrrolidine and piperidine under denitrifying conditions. Enrichment cultures were established by repeatedly sub-culturing the consortia on pyrrolidine or piperidine in the presence of nitrate. The enrichments strictly required nitrate for the anaerobic degradation and utilized pyrrolidine or piperidine as a carbon, nitrogen, and energy source for their anaerobic growths. The anaerobic degradation of pyrrolidine and piperidine reduced nitrate to nitrogen gas, indicating that these anaerobic degradations were coupled with a respiratory nitrate reduction.     

Performance of the Button Personal Inhalable Sampler for the measurement of outdoor aeroallergens

No personal aerosol sampler has been evaluated for monitoring aeroallergens in outdoor field conditions and compared to conventional stationary aerobiological samplers. Recently developed Button Personal Inhalable Aerosol Sampler has demonstrated high sampling efficiency for non-biological particles and low sensitivity to the wind direction and velocity. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the Button Sampler for the measurement of outdoor pollen grains and fungal spores side-by-side with the widely used Rotorod Sampler. The sampling was performed for 8 months (spring, summer and fall) at a monitoring station on the roof of a two-storied office building located in the center of the city of Cincinnati. Two identical Button Samplers, one oriented towards the most prevalent wind and the other towards the opposite wind and a Rotorod Sampler were placed side-by-side. The total fungal spore concentration ranged from 129 to 12,980 spores m(-3) (number per cubic meter of air) and the total pollen concentration from 4 to 4536 pollen m(-3). The fungal spore concentrations obtained with the two Button Samplers correlated well (r = 0.95; p<0.0001). The pollen data also showed positive correlation. These findings strongly support the results of earlier studies conducted with non-biological aerosol particles, which demonstrated a low wind dependence of the performance of the Button Sampler compared to other samplers. The Button Sampler's inlet efficiency was found to be more dependent on wind direction when sampling larger sized Pinaceae pollen grains (aerodynamic diameter approximately 65 mum). Compared to Rotorod, both Button Samplers measured significantly higher total fungal spore concentrations. For total pollen count, the Button Sampler facing the prevalent wind showed concentrations levels comparable to that of the Rotorod, but the Button Sampler oriented opposite to the prevalent wind demonstrated lower concentration levels. Overall, it was concluded that the Button Sampler is efficient for the personal sampling of outdoor aeroallergens, and is especially beneficial for aeroallergens of small particle size.     

Specific accumulation of 20 trace elements in great cormorants (Phalacrocorax carbo) from Japan

This study is to elucidate the specific accumulation of 20 trace elements in tissues/organs of great cormorants from two different colonies (Lake Biwa and Mie) in Japan. In the body distribution of trace elements, some elements revealed tissue-specific accumulation such as most of the burden of Mo, Ag and Cd in liver, Tl and Cd in kidney, Cu, Rb and Cs in muscle, and V, Sr and Ba in bone. Gender-related variation was not observed in both populations for most of the trace elements, except for higher hepatic Sr in males from Lake Biwa. Hepatic V, muscular Hg and Tl, and Cd in liver, kidney and muscle increased with growth. Comparison of trace element levels in tissues between the two colonies showed that Cr, Rb, Sr, Cd, Cs, Ba and Tl levels were higher in Lake Biwa than in Mie, whereas Zn, Co and Hg in Mie samples were greater than Lake Biwa. Variations of elemental levels in stomach contents also showed similar patterns, thus, showing that dietary sources tended to be the main factor for these regional variations. Toxic Hg and Cd concentrations in the liver of cormorants from the two colonies were lower than those from other areas, implying relatively low exposure to these metals in the present study sites. Concentrations of V, Co, Ag, Cd, Cs, Hg, Tl, Pb and Bi in liver remained more or less at the same level between 1993 and 2003, while hepatic Cr, Mn, Cu, Zn, Se, Rb, Sr and Ba showed apparent decrease, which might be related to the biological factors.     

Levels of PCDDs and PCDFs in Korean river sediments and their detection by biomarkers

Polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs) and dibenzofurans (PCDFs) are a group of toxic halogenated aryl hydrocarbons inducing various physiological disorders against biological organisms. Here, we investigated their levels in sediment samples taken from 12 different rivers in Korea. The levels of PCDD/PCDFs in sediment samples were expressed as concentrations and international TEQ values. Among 17 PCDD/PCDFs selected as target compounds in this study, the 1,2,3,4,7,8-HxCDD and OCDD were found in all river sediments with significant variation in various congener profiles of PCDD/PCDFs in sediments. PCDD/PCDFs could be monitored by sensitive biomarkers using insect immune system. Out of 12 river sediment samples, the biomarkers reported four spots (up, middle, and down Singil sites and Ansan) as putative contamination areas. When comparing both chemical and biological monitoring results, two methods agreed three spots of Singil as contamination areas (above 10ppt levels) as well as six river sediment samples as relatively less-contaminated areas, but differed in the results in Ansan and Miho, probably due to relative non-specificity of biomarkers. Despite some disparity between bio- and chemical monitoring results, the biomarkers can be recommended as a device warning the contamination of dioxins in the environment because of a fast and inexpensive detection method.