Trisomy 12 mosaicism in phenotypically normal fetuses following prenatal detection

We report three cases of amniocentesis in which mosaicism for trisomy 12 was detected in two or more independent cultures. The parents elected to terminate the pregnancy in all three cases. Follow-up studies in two of the cases confirmed the mosaicism in fetal tissues (in subcutaneous tissue in one case; in fetal lung in the other), but not in blood. No fetal anomalies were evident by ultrasound or at autopsy. These results along with other reported cases demonstrate the difficulty in counselling for mosaic trisomy 12.     

Depressed prostaglandins and leukotrienes in veterans with Gulf War illness

Background: There is need to understand biological markers and mechanisms in Gulf War illness (GWI).

Goal: To examine whether and how eicosanoids – prostaglandins and leukotrienes – are altered in veterans with GWI.

Methods: Seventy participants including 37 GWI and 33 healthy controls, shared exposure information, and had plasma eicosanoids assessed – prostaglandin F2 alpha (pgf2α), prostaglandin D2 (pgd2), leukotriene B4 (lb4) among others. Values were compared for GWI versus controls. Eicosanoid intercorrelations were compared in cases vs. controls. For the most significantly altered eicosanoid in GWI, exposure and symptom relations were assessed.

Results: Prostaglandins and leukotrienes were depressed in GWI, strongest for pgf2α, then lb4. Eicosanoid intercorrelations differed in GWI vs. controls. Fuel-solvent, pesticide, radioactive chemicals and metal exposures related negatively to pgf2α; as, in GWI, did chemical attack and vaccines. Multivariate predictors included fuels-solvents and radioactive chemicals (negative); tetanus vaccine and herbicides (positive). Fuels-solvents and radioactive chemicals predicted lower pgf2α in cases, controls, and all participants controlled for case status. Lower pgf2α related to GWI “Kansas criteria” domains of pain, respiratory, and (borderline significantly) skin symptoms.

Conclusion: Multiple eicosanoids are depressed in GWI, particularly pgf2α and lb4. Prior fuel-solvent exposures, radioactive chemicals, and (in GWI cases) vaccines were linked to lower pgf2α.     

A Regulatory Analysis

The information presented in this paper is directed to those individuals interested in future air quality control programs aimed at areas that are attaining one or more air quality ambient standards. Section 116 of the Clean Air Act, as amended, requires the Environmental Protection Agency to promulgate regulations for the prevention of significant deterioration (PSD) of air quality in order to protect the nation's clean air resources from hydrocarbons, carbon monoxide, ozone, nitrogen oxides, and lead (Set II pollutants). This program will affect industry siting in many areas of the country, particularly in the rural, undeveloped areas. Among the many alternatives currently being considered by EPA to meet the PSD Set II goals are emission management systems, marketable emission permits, air quality increments, emission fees, and control of transportation related sources. The final regulation may be a combination of several options or may present several alternatives from which a State would choose its specific program.     

Characterization of Emissions of Volatile Organic Compounds from Interior Alkyd Paint

ABSTRACT

Alkyd paint continues to be used indoors for application to wood trim, cabinet surfaces, and some kitchen and bathroom walls. Alkyd paint may represent a significant source of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) indoors because of the frequency of use and amount of surface painted. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is conducting research to characterize VOC emissions from paint and to develop source emission models that can be used for exposure assessment and risk management. The technical approach for this research involves both analysis of the liquid paint to identify and quantify the VOC contents and dynamic small chamber emissions tests to characterize the VOC emissions after application. The predominant constituents of the primer and two alkyd paints selected for testing were straight-chain alkanes (C9–C12); C8–C9 aromatics were minor constituents. Branched chain alkanes were the predominant VOCs in a third paint. A series of tests were performed to evaluate factors that may affect emissions following application of the coatings. The type of substrate (glass, wallboard, or pine board) did not have a substantial impact on the emissions with respect to peak concentrations, the emissions profile, or the amount of VOC mass emitted from the paint. Peak concentrations of total volatile organic compounds (TVOCs) as high as 10,000 mg/m³ were measured during small chamber emissions tests at 0.5 air exchanges per hour (ACH). Over 90% of the VOCs were emitted from the primer and paints during the first 10 hr following application. Emissions were similar from paint applied to bare pine board, a primed board, or a board previously painted with the same paint. The impact of other variables, including film thickness, air velocity at the surface, and air-exchange rate (AER) were consistent with theoretical predictions for gas-phase, mass transfer-controlled emissions. In addition to the alkanes and aromatics, aldehydes were detected in the emissions during paint drying. Hexanal, the predominant aldehyde in the emissions, was not detected in the liquid paint and was apparently an oxidation product formed during drying. This paper summarizes the results of the product analyses and a series of small chamber emissions tests. It also describes the use of a mass balance approach to evaluate the impact of test variables and to assess the quality of the emissions data.     

Building sustainable & resilient communities: a balancing of community capital

Working toward sustainable community is a complex task for communities especially given the ambiguous nature of implementing the concept of sustainable development. However, by working to understand the nature of community capital, administrators can begin to move beyond bottom line thinking toward a more comprehensive and collective view of community. This paper presents a theoretical framework that helps municipal decision makers begin collecting information they need to help them build sustainable and resilient communities.

Fuelwood assessment at micro-watershed level in Northeast Himalaya: a case study in Manipur,India

Fuelwood is one of the major sources of energy in the domestic sector across the rural areas, especially in the developing regions across the world. The Northeastern Himalayan state of Manipur is dominated by the tribal population that largely depends on fuelwood from the nearby forest area. The entire dependence on forests for energy resources is affecting the sustainability of the forest ecosystem in the region, thus indicating the livelihood conditions. Since land-use land-cover change is the key driver to the change in resource availability of a region, the present study has tried to analyze the land-cover changes over a period 28 years. The second major component affecting resource availability is the increasing population pressure that leads to changes in the land dynamics, which directly affect the resource production. Based on the existing consumption pattern, the total consumption of fuelwood in the watershed ranges from a minimum of 289.992 tons/year to a maximum of 3545.719 tons/year with an average of 1561.956 tons/year in the year 2009 and simulated fuelwood consumption for the year 2021 is around 1469.260 tons/year. Nine different probable scenarios of resource are proposed to calculate the stress value that can be used by the policy-makers and planners for suitable policy implementation at the micro level with a complex social system.     

Application of an artificial sea salt solution to determine acute toxicity of herbicides to Proisotoma minuta (Collembola)

The acute toxicity test is described in this experiment where the Collembola species Proisotoma minuta was exposed to herbicides in an artificial sea salt solution for seven days. The salt solution did not prohibit the insects' reproduction system. The seven day LD50 values for trifluralin, pendimethalin, metolachlor, prometryn, paraquat, atrazine, fluometuron, and diuron were 3.48, 10.4, 12.4, 13.0, 23.1, 33.4, 250, and 711 mg L(-1), respectively. A good correlation between toxicity of the compounds and their lipophilicity and vapor pressure was recorded in this study.     

EFFECTS OF SCALE ON LAND USE AND WATER QUALITY RELATIONSHIPS: A LONGITUDINAL BASIN‐WIDE PERSPECTIVE1

ABSTRACT: Human land use is a major source of change in catchments in developing areas. To better anticipate the long‐term effects of growth, land use planning requires estimates of how changes in land use will affect ecosystem processes and patterns across multiple scales of space and time. The complexity of biogeochemical and hydrologic interactions within a basin makes it difficult to scale up from process‐based studies of individual reaches to watershed scales over multiple decades. Empirical models relating land use/land cover (LULC) to water quality can be useful in long‐term planning, but require an understanding of the effects of scale on apparent land use‐water quality relationships. We empirically determined how apparent relationships between water quality and LULC data change at different scales, using LIJLC data from the Willapa Bay watershed (Washington) and water quality data collected along the Willapa and North Rivers. Spatial scales examined ranged from the local riparian scale to total upstream catchment. The strength of the correlations between LTJLC data and longitudinal water quality trends varied with scale. Different water quality parameters also varied in their response to changes in scale. Intermediate scales of land use data generally were better predictors than local riparian or total catchment scales. Additional data from the stream network did not increase the strength of relationships significantly. Because of the likelihood of scale‐induced artifacts, studies quantifying land use‐water quality relationships performed at single scales should be viewed with great caution.