Micronucleus induction by oxidative metabolites of trichloroethylene in cultured human peripheral blood lymphocytes: a comparative genotoxicity study

The genotoxic effects of oxidative metabolites of trichloroethylene (TCE), namely chloral hydrate, trichloroacetic acid (TCA), dichloroacetic acid (DCA), and trichloroethanol (TCEOH) were examined in human peripheral blood lymphocytes. In this context, lymphocytes were exposed in vitro to 25, 50, and 100 μg/ml concentrations of these metabolites separately for a period of 48 h and examined for micronucleus (MN) induction through flow cytometer. At 50 μg/ml TCE metabolites, TCA (6.33?±?0.56 %), DCA (5.06?±?0.55), and TCEOH (4.70?±?1.73) induced highly significant (p?<?0.001) frequency of MN in comparison to control (1.03?±?0.40) suggestive of their genotoxic potential. However, exposure of 100 μg/ml of all the metabolites consistently declined the frequencies of MN which in some cases was equable to that of observed at 25 μg/ml. Further, cytotoxicity and cell cycle disturbances were also measured to find out the association of these endpoints with the MN induction. DNA content analysis revealed 3–4-fold elevation of S-phase at all the concentrations tested. Particularly, at 100 μg/ml, treatment elevation of S-phase was significantly (p?<?0.0001) higher as compared to the control. Present findings together with earlier reports indicate that TCE induces genotoxicity through its metabolites. Interaction of these metabolites with DNA, as evident by elevated S-phase, seems to be the major cause of MN induction. However, involvement of spindle disruption cannot be ruled out. This comparative study also suggests that after TCE exposure, the metabolic efficiency of human to generate oxidative metabolites determines the extent of genotoxicity.     

Carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus budget in scampi (Macrobrachium rosenbergii) culture ponds

Experiments were conducted for the study of nutrient budget in ten farmer's ponds (0.2–0.5 ha) in Orissa, India with a mean water depth of 1.0–1.2 m. Scampi (Macrobrachium rosenbergii) were stocked in these ponds at stocking density of 3.75–5.0/m². The average initial body weight of scampi was 0.02 mg. The culture period was for 4 months. Feed was the main input. Total feed applied to these ponds ranged from 945 to 2261 kg pond/cycle (crop). The feed conversion ratio varied 1.65 to 1.78. In addition to feed, rice straw, urea, and single super phosphate were applied to these ponds in small amounts for plankton production. At harvest time, the average weight of scampi varied from 60–90 g. The budget showed that feed was the major input of nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and carbon in these ponds. The inorganic fertilizer (urea and single super phosphate), organic fertilizer (rice straw and yeast extract), and inlet water, either from the initial fills or from rainwater, were the source of all other N, P, and organic carbon (OC) to these ponds. Total N applied to these ponds through all these inputs ranged from 44.45 to 103.98 kg N per crop, 12.23 to 28.79 kg P per crop, and from 381.54 to 905.22 kg OC per crop, respectively. Among all the inputs, feed alone accounted for 95.34 % N, 97.98 % P, and 94.27 % OC, respectively. Recovery of 16.34 to 38.66 kg N (average 29.27 kg), 1.28 to 3.02 kg P (average 2.29 kg), and 63.21 to 149.51 kg OC (average 113.20 kg), respectively, by the scampi harvest were observed in these ponds. Thus, harvest of scampi accounted for recovery of 35.18 to 39.01 (average 36.85 %) of added N, 10.09 to 10.97 (average 10.44 %) of added P, and 7.57 to 17.12 (average 16.34 %) of added OC, respectively.     

Ameliorating effect of N-acetylcysteine and curcumin on pesticide-induced oxidative DNA damage in human peripheral blood mononuclear cells

Endosulfan, malathion, and phosphamidon are widely used pesticides. Subchronic exposure to these contaminants commonly affects the central nervous system, immune, gastrointestinal, renal, and reproductive system. There effects have been attributed to increased oxidative stress. This study was conducted to examine the role of oxidative stress in genotoxicity following pesticide exposure using peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) in vitro. Further possible attenuation of genotoxicity was studied using N-acetylcysteine (NAC) and curcumin as known modulators of oxidative stress. Cultured mononuclear cells was isolated from peripheral blood of healthy volunteers, and exposed to varying concentrations of different pesticides: endosulfan, malathion, and phosphamidon for 6, 12, and 24 h. Lipid peroxidation was assessed by cellular malondialdehyde (MDA) level and DNA damage was quantified by measuring 8-hydroxy-2'-deoxyguanosine (8-OH-dG) using ELISA. Both MDA and 8-OH-dG were significantly increased in a dose-dependent manner following treatment with these pesticides. There was a significant decrease in MDA and 8-OH-dG levels in PBMC when co-treated with NAC or/and curcumin as compared to pesticide alone. These results indicate that pesticide-induced oxidative stress is probably responsible for the DNA damage, and NAC or curcumin attenuate this effect by counteracting the oxidative stress.     

Synthesis of a highly recoverable 3D MnO2/rGO hybrid aerogel for efficient adsorptive separation of pharmaceutical residue

Water contamination by non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, such as acetaminophen, is an emerging ecological concern. In this study, a new three-dimensional manganese dioxide-engrafted reduced graphene oxide (3D MnO₂/rGO) hybrid aerogel was developed for acetaminophen sequestration. The synthesis involved firstly the self-assembly of GO aerogel, followed by thermal reduction and in-situ MnO₂ growth by redox-reaction. The aerogel demonstrated interlinked planes with smooth surfaces deposited with MnO₂ nanospheres and pores of 138.4 – 235.3 µm width. The influences of adsorbent dosage, initial pH, acetaminophen concentration, temperature and contact time were investigated. It was determined that the adsorption of acetaminophen occurred on uniform sorption sites in the aerogel, as suggested by the best fit of data to the Langmuir isotherm, yielding a maximum adsorption capacity of 252.87 mg/g. This highest adsorption performance of the 3D MnO₂/rGO aerogel was attained at a dosage of 0.6 g/L, initial pH of 6.2 and temperature of 40°C. The process kinetics were in-line with the pseudo-first-order and pseudo-second-order kinetics at 10 and 20 – 500 mg/L concentrations, respectively. Thermodynamic assay showed the spontaneity and endothermicity features of the 3D MnO₂/rGO-acetaminophen system. The acetaminophen adsorption mechanisms were mainly hydrogen bonding and pore entrapment. Moreover, the as-synthesised aerogel was effectively regenerated using acetone and re-utilised in four adsorption-desorption cycles. Overall, the results highly recommend the implementation of the 3D MnO₂/rGO hybrid aerogel for purification of wastewater polluted by acetaminophen residue.     

Monitoring of multiple drug-resistant pathogens in a selected stretch of Bay of Bengal,India

The present work aims at identification of multiple drug-resistant pathogenic bacteria in a selected stretch, namely, Puri on the Bay of Bengal, India. Six stations at the coast of Puri were selected and samples of water and sediment were collected during the winter of 2008 and 2009 for this study. Thirty-eight pathogenic bacteria were isolated and identified from both the water and the sediment of 6 fixed stations (PU-1a, PU-1b, PU-2, PU-3, PU-4, and PU-5). The identified pathogens were Escherichia coli, Vibrio cholerae, Vibrio parahaemolyticus, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Staphylococcus aureus, Enterococcus faecalis, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Proteus mirabilis. Antibiotic sensitivity of the isolated bacteria was studied by using 12 selected antibiotics, commonly used for the medication of human beings and animals. The isolated pathogens from both the water and the sediment samples showed lowest resistance to chloramphenicol (C-30 μg) where as the pathogens showed highest level of resistance to ampicillin (10-μg) among the antibiotics used for the study. Among the isolated pathogens E. faecalis (PU-1a), P. aeruginosa (PU-2 and PU-3), E. coli (PU-3 and PU-4), and K. pneumonia (PU-4) showed resistance to more than four antibiotics. Out of the isolated species, 57.8% pathogens were multi-drug resistant. Antibiotic resistance indexes of all the stations were calculated and found to be in the range of 0.066 to 0.083.     

Temporal scale-induced uncertainty in load duration curves for instream-dissolved oxygen

Load duration curves were developed using the Hydrological Simulation Program FORTRAN (HSPF) for dissolved oxygen (DO) for the Amite River in Louisiana, USA. The concept of ‘dissolved oxygen reserve’, defined as the total quantity of DO, is introduced. The effect of temporal resolution on duration curves of DO reserve was examined using duration curves developed based on daily, weekly, biweekly, and monthly average data. Duration curves for DO exhibited high variability in the load estimated using daily data as compared to those based on biweekly and monthly data. A seasonal analysis revealed the trend in the DO reserve. The daily DO reserve for the Amite River at Port Vincent was 44,049.31 kg when daily summer data were used and 74,255.15 kg for daily annual data. A surplus of 10,691 kg of DO reserve was shown in the monthly data during critical summer months. The coefficient of variation (CV), used to define the temporal scale-induced uncertainty, was found to be linearly and inversely correlated with the logarithm of the time scale. Regression equations were developed to extrapolate near real-time flow and water quality data, greatly simplifying flow and water quality monitoring and reducing the cost involved in flow and water quality monitoring.     

Dispersion pattern of petroleum hydrocarbon in coastal water of Bay of Bengal along Odisha and West Bengal,India using geospatial approach

Petroleum hydrocarbon (PHC) concentration was monitored in water of estuaries, ports, and coastal transects up to 10-km distance in East Coast of India once in every year during 2002–2009. The highest concentration was observed at Haldia port (1.60–20.11 μg/l) due to the impact of hydrocarbon discharges from nearby oil refinery, petrochemical industries, handling of crude oils, etc. The concentration of PHC exhibited relatively higher values during low tide than the high tide in all the four estuaries indicating riverine inputs and land-based discharges, which contribute substantial amounts of PHC to the coastal water. Hoogly estuary recorded higher values of PHC (1.17–18.50 μg/l) due to the influence of industrial wastes, land runoff, and port activities. The spatial distribution of PHC estimated by the kriging method showed a variation in concentration of PHC over the whole region. To discriminate the dispersion pattern of PHC, principal component analysis (PCA) was performed using a correlation matrix.     

考虑支座转角的地基不均匀沉降基础隔震结构地震响应分析∗

地基不均匀沉降可能会引起沉降范围内部分隔震支座发生转动,造成隔震层刚度发生变化,进而导致上部结构地震损伤和失效风险增大。针对地基不均匀沉降条件下基础隔震结构地震响应研究,现有成果大都通过施加平动位移进行模拟,并未考虑隔震支座转角的不利影响。为了研究地基不均匀沉降条件下基础隔震结构支座可能出现的转动及其对整体结构地震响应特征影响规律,首先以隔震支座为对象,研究了支座转动变形与叠层橡胶隔震支座水平刚度变化关系,建立了叠层橡胶隔震支座转角与水平刚度变化关系函数;在此基础上系统研究了地基不均匀沉降条件下整体基础隔震结构响应特征,以及基础结构的减震系数变化规律,以期揭示地基不均匀沉降对基础隔震结构地震响应影响机理。结果表明：隔震支座转角变形会引起隔震结构体系地震响应发生显著变化,随着隔震支座转角增大,隔震层水平刚度增大的同时隔震结构体系变形能力减弱,进而造成上部结构加速度响应增大,位移响应减小,导致基础隔震结构水平减震系数增大,减震效果低于预期;当转角接近π/2 时,隔震支座将丧失降低上部结构地震响应的作用,原隔震结构将退化为抗震结构;对于存在地基不均匀沉降的基础隔震结构,应及时采取必要措施控制地震响应,以防范上部结构发生倾覆。     

Distribution of geogenic arsenic in hydrologic systems: controls and challenges

The presence of elevated concentration of arsenic (As) in natural hydrologic systems is regarded as the most formidable environmental crisis in the contemporary world. With its substantial presence in the drinking water of more than thirty countries worldwide, and with an affected population of more than 100 million, it has been termed as the largest mass poisoning in human history. In this special issue, we have tried to provide the most recent research advances on controls and challenges of this severe groundwater contaminant. The articles in this issue, originally presented in the 2006 Geological Society of America Annual Meeting, address the distribution of As in various geologic and geographic settings, the controls of redox and other geochemical parameters on its spatial and temporal variability, the influence of sedimentology and stratigraphy on its occurrence, and mechanisms controlling its mobility. The knowledge available from these studies should provide a roadmap for future research in arsenic contamination hydrology.     

Hydrogeochemical behavior of arsenic-enriched groundwater in the deltaic environment: comparison between two study sites in West Bengal, India

Groundwaters have been collected from deltaic areas of West Bengal (Chakdaha and Baruipur blocks) to record their hydrogeochemical characteristics, and to verify the mechanism of arsenic (As) release. The data reveals that shallow (<70 m) groundwaters in both areas are of Ca-Mg-HCO(3) type; however deeper (>70 m) groundwaters in Baruipur areas are slightly enriched with Na, Cl and SO(4), indicating possible saline water intrusion. The groundwater is anoxic (mean Eh: -124 and -131 mV) with high levels of As (mean: 116 and 293 mug/L), Fe (mean: 4.74 and 3.83 mg/L), PO(4) (mean: 3.73 and 3.21 mg/L) and Mn (mean: 0.37 and 0.49 mg/L), respectively for Chakdaha and Baruipur areas. The observed values of As and bicarbonate (mean: 409 and 499 mg/L) in the shallow aquifer are indicative of redox processes (e.g., oxidation of organic matter) favouring the release of As. Moreover, the presence of DOC in the shallow aquifer suggests that organic matter is young and reactive, and may actively engage in redox driven processes. Our study further confirms that both Fe- and Mn-reduction processes are the dominant mechanisms for As release in these groundwaters.