Endocrine effects of sublethal exposure to persistent organic pollutants (POPs) on silver carp (Hypophthalmichthys molitrix)

Silver carp (Hypophthalmichthys molitrix) samples were collected from five selected sites that represent diverse levels of downgraded persistent organic pollutants (POPs) contamination in Ya-Er Lake in October 1999. Hepatic ethoxyresorufin-O-deethylase (EROD) and UDP glucuronosyltransferase (UDPGT) activities, hepatosomatic index (HSI), hepatic retinoids, serum thyroid hormones were measured. It was found that hepatic retinol and serum free 3,5,3'- tetraiodothyronine (FT3) significantly increased (P < 0.01) when both hepatic EROD and UDPGT activities significantly declined (P < 0.01) from pond 1 to 5 with decrease in the degree of pollution. This significant negative correlation (P < 0.01) suggests that the persistent organochlorinated contaminants could induce hepatic EROD and UDPGT activities, alter retinoid and thyroid hormone homeostasis, and finally lead to the reduction of retinol and FT3, the two biologically active forms of retinoids and thyroid hormone in silver carp of Ya-Er Lake.     

A new method of predicting of gas chromatographic retention indices for polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDFs)

A new method has been developed to describe the quantitative relationship between molecular structures of PCDFs and their gas chromatographic retention indices on a 30-m fused silica column coated with DB-5 stationary phase. The regression equation is derived with a multiple correlation coefficient greater than 0.9995. The highest residual is 20 index units. The standard deviation is less than 7 index units. Using this regression equation, the retention indices of PCDFs for which data is not available have also been predicted.     

Influence of methanol on retention of hydrophobic organic chemicals in soil leaching column chromatography

The influence of methanol in methanol-water mixed eluents on the capacity factor (k'), an important parameter which could depict leaching potential of hydrophobic organic chemicals (HOCs) in soil leaching column chromatography (SLCC), was investigated. Two reference soils, GSE 17201 obtained from Bayer Landwirtschaftszentrum, Monheim, Germany and SP 14696 from LUFA, Spencer, Germany, were used as packing materials in soil columns, and isocratic elution with methanol-water mixtures at different volume fractions of methanol (phi) were tested. Short-term exposure of the column (packed with the GSE 17201 soil) to the eluents increased solute retention by a certain (23% log-unit) degree evaluated through a correlation with the retention on the same soil column but unpreconditioned by methanol-containing eluents. Long-term exposure of soil columns to the eluents did not influence the solute retention. A log-linear equation, log k' = log k'(w) - S(phi), could well and generally describe the retention of HOCs in SLCC. For the compounds of homologous series, logk'(w) had good linear relationship with S, indicating the hydrophobic partition mechanism existing in the retention process.     

Stadtklima

Zusammenfassung  Teil 2 dieses übersichtsartikels zur Stadtklimatologie besch?ftigt sich mit der Auspr?gung ausgew?hlter Klimaelemente in urbanen R?umen, der lufthygienischen Problematik in St?dten sowie mit den human-biometeorologischen Aspekten der Stadtklimatologie. Es wird zun?chst der Aufbau der Stadtatmosph?re und die st?dtische Strahlungs- und W?rmebilanz dargestellt. Anschlie?end werden der urbane W?rmeinseleffekt, das bodennahe Windfeld, die urbanen Luftfeuchtigkeitsverh?ltnisse und die Luftqualit?t exemplarisch erl?utert. Planerische M?glichkeiten zur Verbesserung des Klimas in unseren St?dten werden vorgestellt und ihre Wirksamkeit abgesch?tzt. Zum Abschluss wird die Rolle des Stadtklimas innerhalb der aktuellen Diskussion rund um die Problematik der globalen Klimaentwicklung beleuchtet und anhand der Ergebnisse bisheriger Untersuchungen positioniert. OnlineFirst: 04. August 2004     

Bestimmung der resorptionsverfügbaren PCDD/PCDF aus Kieselrot

For the estimation of intestinal absorption of polychlorianted dibenzodioxins/dibenzofurans (PCDD/F), ain-vitro model was developed in order to study PCDD/F mobilization by digestion of technogenic soils using ?Kieselrot” (red slag) as substrate and digestive juice model mixtures. Red slag samples were shaken successively with model mixtures of saliva, gastric juice, duodenal juice and bile. The solids were separated, the aqueous phase was extracted with hexane, the hexane extract analyzed for PCDD/F. Additionally, the PCDD/F-content of the red slag was determined. Extraction efficiency was tested with three different digestive juice model mixtures and also tap water for comparision. The percentage of PCDD/F transferred from the red slag sample into the digestive juice mixture was defined as absorption availability. In our experiments, a maximum absorption availability of 2 % was found.