Cytotoxicity of gamma irradiated aflatoxin B1 and ochratoxin A

Toxicity of gamma irradiated mycotoxins aflatoxin B₁ (AFB₁) and ochratoxin A (OTA) was investigated in vitro. AFB₁ and OTA stock solutions (50?mM, in methanol) were gamma irradiated (5 and 10 kGy) and non-irradiated and irradiated mycotoxins solutions were tested for cytotoxicity on Pk15, HepG2 and SH-SY5Y cell lines (MTT assay, 1–500?μM concentration range; 24?h exposure). Degradation of mycotoxin molecules was examined by liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS/MS). AFB₁ and OTA radiolytic products were less toxic than the parent mycotoxins to all of the tested cell lines. Gamma irradiation even at 5 kGy had effect on AFB₁ and OTA molecules however, this effect was dependent on chemical structure of mycotoxin. Since gamma irradiation at low dose reduced initial level of both mycotoxins, and gamma irradiated mycotoxins had lower toxicity in comparison to non-irradiated mycotoxins, it can be concluded that gamma irradiation could be used as decontamination method.     

Root uptake of atenolol,sulfamethoxazole and carbamazepine,and their transformation in three soils and four plants

Soils can be contaminated by pharmaceuticals. The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of soil conditions (influencing sorption and persistence of pharmaceuticals in soils) and plant type on the root uptake of selected pharmaceuticals and their transformation in plant-soil systems. Four plants (lamb’s lettuce, spinach, arugula, radish) planted in 3 soils were irrigated for 20 days (26) with water contaminated by one of 3 pharmaceuticals (carbamazepine, atenolol, sulfamethoxazole) or their mixture. The concentrations of pharmaceuticals and their metabolites in soils and plant tissues were evaluated after the harvest. Sulfamethoxazole and atenolol dissipated rapidly from soils. The larger concentrations of both compounds and an atenolol metabolite were found in roots than in leaves. Sulfamethoxazole metabolites were below the limits of quantifications. Carbamazepine was stable in soils, easily uptaken, accumulated, and metabolized in plant leaves. The efficiency of radish and arugula (both family Brassicaceae) in metabolizing was very low contrary to the high and moderate efficiencies of lamb’s lettuce and spinach, respectively. Compounds’ transformations mostly masked the soil impact on their accumulation in plant tissues. The negative relationships were found between the carbamazepine sorption coefficients and its concentrations in roots of radish, lamb’s lettuce, and spinach.

     

Bio-herbicidal effects of five essential oils on germination and early seedling growth of velvetleaf (Abutilon theophrasti Medik.)

The evaluation of the inhibition effect exerted by the essential oils of basil (Ocimum basilicum), sage (Salvia officinalis), thyme (Thymus vulgaris), lemon balm (Melissa officinalis) and goldenrod (Solidago virgaurea) on seeds germination and early seedling growth of velvetleaf (Abutilon theophrasti Medik.) weed was examined in a laboratory bioassay. The essential oils were obtained by hydrodistillation and characterized chemically by gas chromatography coupled with both mass spectrometry and flame ionization detector. The working solutions of essential oil emulsified with Tween 20 and dissolved in distilled water were prepared at three concentration levels (0.01%, 0.1% and 1%, vol/vol). The results obtained showed that increase of essential oil concentration leads to decrease of seed germination, shoot and radical length of velvetleaf. The obtained data revealed a highly significant effect (P?<?0.05) between control and 1% and 0.1% oil concentrations in all treatments. The essential oils of basil, thyme and lemon balm exhibited more powerful bio-herbicidal effect compared to sage and goldenrod essential oils on the germination and early seedling growth of velvetleaf weed.     

An optimized artificial neural network model for the prediction of rate of hazardous chemical and healthcare waste generation at the national level

Journal of Material Cycles and Waste Management - This paper presents a development of general regression neural network (a form of artificial neural network) models for the prediction of annual...     

Principal component analysis of indicator PCB profiles in breast milk from Poland

Principal component analysis (PCA) was applied to a data set containing the levels of indicator polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in human milk of mothers living in the Wielkopolska region, Poland, in order to investigate the information captured in the PCB patterns and to elucidate the relationship between PCB concentrations in milk and donor characteristics. According to the obtained PCA results milk fat content was the most influential factor affecting the PCB levels in milk of the Wielkopolska cohort. The lifestyle data collected from the questionnaire completed by the donors appeared to have no influence on PCB concentrations in breast milk. The score plots revealed the PCB contents of milk were quite low and uniform with a few outliers, without discrimination observed either between the primipareous and secundipareous females or between donors from the urban and rural areas. Comparison of the PCB levels and profiles of human milk from the Wielkopolska region and from various European and Asian locations made by PCA reflected a generally low background exposure and indicated the possible reasons for the outlying of some samples. In order to enhance the chances of observing the relationship between donor habits and PCB levels in breast milk it was suggested that the questionnaire be redesigned to gather information about vegetable product consumption and indoor air exposure.     

傅里叶变换红外光谱法测定废水中的酚

以三氯化碳萃取模拟含酚废水,再采用傅里叶变换红外光谱法（FTIR）测定废水中的酚含量。结果表明：废水中酚质量浓度大于100．0mg／L时,含酚废水与三氯化碳体积比为1：1,萃取效果最好,酚质量浓度测定的相对误差小于2％,检出限为11．95mg／L;废水中酚质量浓度为10．0～50．0mg／L时,含酚废水与三氯化碳体积比为10：1,萃取效果最好,酚质量浓度测定的相对误差小于5％,检出限为1．19mg／L。FTIR法的相对标准偏差平均为0．354％,加标回收率为101．7％～103．2％。采用FTIR法测定含酚工业废水中的酚质量浓度与GB7491-87《水质挥发酚的测定蒸馏后溴化容量法》测定结果非常接近。     

Testing the Potential for Predictive Modeling and Mapping and Extending Its Use as a Tool for Evaluating Management Scenarios and Economic Valuation in the Baltic Sea (PREHAB)

We evaluated performance of species distribution models for predictive mapping, and how models can be used to integrate human pressures into ecological and economic assessments. A selection of 77 biological variables (species, groups of species, and measures of biodiversity) across the Baltic Sea were modeled. Differences among methods, areas, predictor, and response variables were evaluated. Several methods successfully predicted abundance and occurrence of vegetation, invertebrates, fish, and functional aspects of biodiversity. Depth and substrate were among the most important predictors. Models incorporating water clarity were used to predict increasing cover of the brown alga bladderwrack Fucus vesiculosus and increasing reproduction area of perch Perca fluviatilis, but decreasing reproduction areas for pikeperch Sander lucioperca following successful implementation of the Baltic Sea Action Plan. Despite variability in estimated non-market benefits among countries, such changes were highly valued by citizens in the three Baltic countries investigated. We conclude that predictive models are powerful and useful tools for science-based management of the Baltic Sea.     

Effect of topography on sulfate redistribution in cumulonimbus cloud development

An aqueous chemical module is created and included into a complex three-dimensional atmospheric cloud-resolving mesoscale model. In the chemical module, oxidation of S(IV) by ozone and hydrogen peroxide in cloud-water and rainwater, as important process of the sulfate production is included. To examine the impact of topography on the sulfate redistribution in a clean and a polluted environment, the complex topography of Serbia is included in the model. Numerical simulations of an isolated summer Cumulonimbus cloud shows that thunderstorms generate very strong vertical sulfate redistribution from the planetary boundary layer to the upper troposphere. This redistribution is sensitive to cloud dynamics, while cloud microphysics and precipitation determine wet removal of the chemical species. In simulations with realistic topography, the chemical species are transported over larger distances close to the surface, while in the upper atmosphere, there is no difference compared to the simulations without topography. The sensitivity tests of cloud chemistry to the physical processes are made. Omission of nucleation and impact scavenging of aerosols in the model simulations shows that 75.8 and 62.5 % of total sulfur mass deposited in the base experiment for the clean and the polluted environment, respectively, is the result of other processes. Exclusion of oxidation accounted for 19.2 and 37.7 % of total sulfur deposited for clean and polluted environment. Ignoring the ice phase almost not change mass of deposited sulfur: there is an increase of 2.9 and 1.5 % for clean and polluted atmosphere, respectively. Real topography conditions affect the sulfate redistribution in the sense of greater possibilities of transport. Numerical simulations without real topography give an artificial increase of deposited sulfur mass of about 25?30 %.     

Monitoring of DNA damage in haemocytes of freshwater mussel Sinanodonta woodiana sampled from the Velika Morava River in Serbia with the comet assay

This study was undertaken to investigate the potential of the freshwater mussel Sinanodonta woodiana for detection of genotoxic pollution of the environment. Study was performed at two sites in the Velika Morava River, from May 2010 to February 2011. The alkaline comet assay on haemocytes was used, and the olive tail moment (OTM) was chosen as a measure of DNA damage. The specimens held on acclimation under controlled laboratory conditions for 10 d were used as a control. Chemical analysis revealed the presence of phosphates and increased concentrations of zinc, copper and nickel at both sites during the entire sampling period. The values of OTM in mussels collected from the environment, significantly correlated with the concentration of zinc (r = 0.6248), temperature (r = 0.7006) and dissolved oxygen (r = 0.7738). Seasonal variations in genotoxic response were observed, with the highest OTM values obtained during summer months. Preliminary results of the in vitro study indicated the effect of water temperature on genotoxic response to zinc and cadmium in S. woodiana suggesting that the presence of genotoxic pollutants during months with lower temperature could be under-estimated. Obtained results indicate that S. woodiana could be a valuable tool for active biomonitoring of aquatic environments and emphasizes the importance of seasonal genotoxic monitoring with this organism.     

Organotin Compounds and Selected Metals in the Marine Environment of Northern Adriatic Sea

The extent of pollution with organotin compounds and Cd, Pb, Ni, Cu, Zn, Cr, Mn, V, Co and Al was investigated in sediments and mussels (Mytilus galloprovincialis) from the Slovenian costal area of the Northern Adriatic Sea. Sampling was performed in Marina Portorož, Dockyard Izola, non exposed area of the Bay of Mesečev zaliv and in Mariculture Sečovlje. Mussels were taken in the summer and winter time, while sediments were collected during the winter sampling. Organotin compounds were determined by gas chromatography—mass spectrometry and metals by flame or electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry. The accuracies of the analytical procedures were checked by the analysis of standard reference materials CRM 477 mussel tissue and PACS 2 marine sediment (organotin compounds) and SRM 2976 mussel tissue and CRM 320 river sediment (metals). Good agreements between certified and determined values were obtained. Normalization procedure to Al was applied to estimate the anthropogenic inputs of metals in sediments. The analyses of sediments demonstrated moderate pollution with organotin compounds in Marina Portorož and in Dockyard Izola. Concentrations of tributyltin species were higher than those of dibutyltin and monobutyltin. In mussels substantial contamination with tributyltin was observed in Marina Porotrož and Dockyard Izola. The extent of pollution was higher in the winter time. The analysis of metals in sediments exhibited elevated concentrations in Marina Portorož and Dockyard Izola. Data from the normalization procedure indicated the anthropogenic inputs of Cu, Zn and Cr in Marina Portorož and Mn in Bay of Mesečev zaliv and Dockyard Izola. Mussels, as accumulators of pollutants, in general contained higher metal concentrations during winter time in Dockyard Izola.